#i also want to add the bad lawyer just so he can lose in the first round

[sugaroto]

When I get polls I want to do like a sexyman poll but with greek people just so Kapoutzidis can win it

I mean, I haven't even considered most of the other options but we all know its him right

Greek Tumblr is basically the Kapoutzidis fan club

[bittersnsweetz]

guys i am havjng so many thoughts about phoenix wrights complicated relationship with saving people and specifically SAVING people not just helpjng people because lord knows he hates to do that i mean specifically him eating a glass necklace that could very welll have been laced with poison to save his ex "girlfriend" from being accused of murder and put on death row, switching careers so he could save the boy who sat in his elementary school class for approximately 4 months before moving because he saw that his career path chnaged and he thought that meant something bad had happened in those 13 or so years, opting to defend this same man who is also now his opposition in court because he knows him and he knows hed never do such a thing as murder despite knowing him for less than a year 13 years ago, charging through notably heavy duty locked doors and running across a burning bridge on two separate occasions to save his best friend thinking that she was trapped on the other side in active danger without even a second thought, adopting a child because her father up and disappeared despite not knowing the child beforehand for very little reason, and how phoenix wright doesnt see himself as a good person but he sees it as his duty to save because thats all he knows and hes a lawyer not because hes pure of heart but because it gives him purpose

im thinking about how phoenix wright wants so badly to save people without thinking about the consequences and without much forethought only that he has to do it or they will die/he has no worth/he'll be exposed as a fraud and losing my mind over the fact that his two exes fuck up whatever narrative phoenix has in his head about how saving people or attempting to save people is always the right thing to do and how him saving edgeworth and then edgeworth up and leaving, with phoenix left with the full understanding that he died only to return a year later adds fuel to the fire and how phoenix cant simply believe in his clients the way he was taught because so many people in his life have lead him to believe that its all for naught and that everyone in his life has to be guilty until proven innocent so that he can avoid being hurt again and how it probably takes him a long long time to bounce back from broken trust and

takes a deep breath

characters with a saviour complex that arent necessarily beacons of light and have mixed emotions about their duty to save you have my heart and soul

[muniimyg]

ok let me get this straight - jk and oc were together, zion already in the picture, oc is pregnant with second baby, jk gets accused of plagiarism at work, oc works herself to the bone to clear jk’s name and it works, but jk stays at the company that accused him….. bc of oc working so hard, she gets a miscarriage. she resents jk for not putting his family first, and she also resents herself for working so hard and losing her second baby. she asks for a break up but they don’t really break up so she doesn’t know what it’s like to lose him (?) also she’s mad that jk doesn’t want more for himself, but his decisions are his own and that’s what he wants (?)

that new chapter hurt so bad :( sometimes you just think love is not enough

after all that all i can say is tanginaaaaaaaa ang sakit 😭😭😭

timeline (as of 16)

(11 months ago) jk and oc have established careers and are raising 3 year old zion together. jk is a visual director for an advertisement company and oc is lawyer, trying to make partner at her firm.

they've been having issues in their relationship where oc is upset because jk keeps rejecting work promotions. she knows jk works hard and is capable so it frustrates her that he limits himself. it's not that she wants him to work himself to the bone,, it's the fact that he doesn't try. on the other hand, jk is upset because he feels like her career gets in the way of their relationship.

(10 months ago) jk's plagiarism issue begins. oc prioritizes fixing it for jk because she sees this as an opportunity to show jk how her career benefits their relationship. on top of that, she pushes and makes his name spotless because this is how she defends jk. this is how she shows her devotion and care towards him. as she does this, (it's been hinted in the past chapters that she has issues with stress and self-neglection) ((which is a very realistic flaw might i add)) she puts jk first and her health second (((unintentionally)))

(9 months ago) oc is pregnant (don't quote me on the sex math this requires). jk settles his lawsuit. oc doesn't love his decision and jk does not communicate why he settled. due to the fights, confusion, stress, and anxiety; oc goes through a pregnancy loss at 5w. she did not know she was pregnant and neither did jk ((idk if that was clear in the story))

the same time she's going through all of this; her work gets piled up and she begins to deal with burn-out. oc also still tends to zion's needs and realizes that she's going through post partum depression. to cope, she focuses on work and zion.

jk doesn't feel neglected; he feels confused. oc doesn't talk about the loss and neither does he. they both avoid it and begin to blame everything around them to be the issue. ie: work/career.

it gets so bad that oc isn't functioning like she should. she wants space and asks jk for a break. not a break up. a break. eventually, it grows into one. they continue to sleep with each other regardless.

(present) oc attends therapy to clear her headspace, fully knowing that she is unfit for their relationship. jk continues to pursue her (which is romantic in a sense but also very suffocating when you need space to heal).

,,, haynakoooo. tbh true love is when u know love isn't enough,,, so u do everything to grow together jus to be together.

diba yun sila? hehe

also u're right

tangina talaga!

[sebstanaddict]

Too Good To Be True

Sebastian Stan x Reader Story

Summary: A romantic comedy story where Sebastian Stan falls in love with reader but she is not who he thinks she is.

Luck was finally on reader's side as Aurora was taken away to jail for a whole month. She was free to be who she really was. Great expectations were in her heart as she and Sebastian were going to spend the weekend together practicing their scenes. But what she expected to happen didn't happen and she was left to wonder what she did wrong as Sebastian's behavior towards her changed completely.

Pairings : Sebastian Stan x Female!Reader

Chapters : 14/28 (Might add more)

Chapter list >

Warning : slight cursing, some spoiler from Sebastian's potential next project Pumping Black (I changed the character names and some of the plot details though). I also took a scene from the actual script and incorporated it here. Just a head's up.

Word count : 9k words

---

Chapter 14 - Great Expectations

13320 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, California - Wednesday, July 12th 2023 - 3.00 pm

—

“No! I don't want to go to jail! I'm innocent!” Aurora shouted as she started to run away from them.

“We're really sorry Miss Watson, but it's the best we could do. Better than three months like what the judge originally wanted.” The lawyer continued to say.

“Yeah, thank you. I.. I know you did your best.” She smiled at the lawyer.

“No! Get away from me! Don't touch me!” Aurora continued to shout as she ran all over the backyard with the two policemen hot on her heels.

Her jaw dropped as she watched the scene unfold before her eyes. Aurora insisted on not being caught but of course she was no match to two big bodied policemen. They succeeded in cornering her near the pool but Aurora decided to jump into the pool, startling everyone.

“Your assistant is.. interesting.” One of the lawyers remarked as they watched Aurora swimming in the middle of the pool and refusing to be arrested.

“Yeah, she's one of a kind.” She said, laughing internally.

Several minutes later the policemen finally succeeded in catching Aurora as they both decided to jump into the pool as well.

The three of them walked past her, dripping wet and Aurora looked at her in derange.

“This is all your fault! You are going to pay for this! I swear to God, once I get out you will pay for this!” Aurora spat right in front of her face, leaving wet marks on her cheeks.

She wiped Aurora's spit away from her cheeks and continued to look at her as the policemen handcuffed her and dragged her away.

“Miss Watson! Are you okay?” Rosa asked in surprise.

“I'm fine, Rosa. It's just spit and she had the right to do that to me.” She replied, smiling wanly at Rosa.

“No one deserves to be treated like this! I can't believe how different she is from the first time we met her! I mean.. breaking and entering? Cursing and spitting at you?!” Rosa asked, dumbfounded.

“Yeah.. I know.. It's like she's a different person isn't she?” She said and Rosa nodded.

“Well, Miss Watson, now that we've done our job, will you excuse us.” One of the lawyers said.

“Of course, thank you so much.” She said and they finally left after she shook both their hands.

“Are you going to tell Mr.Stan about this?” Rosa asked.

“No, I don't think I will. It will just make him feel bad. I'll just tell him she needs to go out of town or something to visit her family.” She replied.

There was no way she was going to tell Sebastian what happened. If he knew, she was afraid of losing the chance of becoming his assistant again once she and Aurora switched back to their own bodies.

“Yes, that's probably for the best. By the way, do you need anyone to replace her and Gabriella? I can probably find someone who needs a job.” Rosa offered.

“Umm.. I think I can manage without her for now. As for Gabriella, I'll help clean up whenever I can. So you don't need to do her tasks.” She replied.

Rosa's eyebrows shot up at that.

“Are you sure, Miss Watson?” Rosa asked, her face full of doubt.

“Of course I'm sure, Rosa. I can do some cleaning too. I mean, it's a great alternative to regular exercise, right? And you kill two birds with one stone by doing some cleaning.” She winked and Rosa smiled.

“Well, never in 15 years of being your maid have I ever heard you say something like this.” Rosa chuckled.

“Well, people change. I can change too.” She smiled, hoping Rosa wouldn't realize who she really was inside. With Aurora gone she felt like she didn't need to keep up with her behavior. She decided to just behave like herself. Besides, acting like herself made Sebastian seem to like her. So why shouldn't she start behaving like herself with other people too.

“Well, in that case, I'm happy to see the change in you Miss Watson.” Rosa smiled and she smiled back.

“Thank you so much, Rosa. Appreciate it.” She said, patting Rosa's shoulder.

“Anyway, what would you like for dinner Miss Watson?” Rosa asked.

“Hmm.. why don't we just order some pizza. You don't have to cook.” She winked and Rosa's eyes widened.

“Miss Watson! Pizza? Are you sure?”

“Rosa, I told you I've changed. Life is short, why not enjoy something like pizza once in a while. It's not like I eat it everyday.” She protested, remembering the time when she really did eat pizza daily for a week when she was still in Silicon Valley.

“Well, as you wish Miss Watson. Would you like me to order it for you?” Rosa asked.

“No, it's okay, I can do it myself.” She said.

“Very well, Miss Watson. Well, if you'll excuse me. I have some ironing to finish.” Rosa excused herself.

“Thank you so much, Rosa.” She smiled and Rosa finally left after returning her smile.

Once Rosa was out of sight a grin spread on her face. She couldn't believe her luck! Yes! She could finally say it now! Luck! Luck was finally on her side!

Then it hit her. This was God's answer to her prayer last night.

She looked up and smiled “Thank you God. I know now that You listen. I'm so grateful for this and I will not let You down.” She made a silent prayer in her heart then she walked back towards the house with a spring in her steps. Her heart felt light and for once she felt so carefree. No Aurora for a month!

A month! A lot can happen in a month! She couldn't believe all the things and the possibilities she could do as Aurora in a month.

Well, the first thing she should do, she finally decided, was to shop for new clothes. She had checked Aurora's closet and most consisted of dresses and mini skirts. She wasn't comfortable wearing them. She was much more comfortable wearing jeans and pants rather than dresses and skirts.

So after she took a quick shower and changed out of her exercise outfit, she asked Nelson to take her out shopping to Rodeo Drive.

It was her third time going to Rodeo Drive and the difference in experience going there compared to the first two times she went there as herself was immense.

This time around the store attendants immediately paid attention to her and were very kind and helpful. Some even asked to take a selfie with her, which she couldn't say no to of course.

“Oh, thank you so much, Aurora. This means a lot. I'm glad I asked because the last time you were here you didn't want to take pictures.” One of the store attendants commented.

Yes, she remembered it now. When she was there accompanying Aurora, Aurora rejected all requests from people to take pictures. She even scolded a fan and left the fan in tears.

Well, she wasn't going to be that Aurora anymore. She was going to be herself and there was no harm in agreeing to take pictures with some people.

It didn't take long for her to shop for some jeans and pants so afterwards she decided to drop by Felix Trattoria restaurant again and order some pizza to take away. The pizzas were to die for and she wanted to have some again and share them with Nelson and Rosa.

It was with great surprise that Nelson and Rosa accepted her request to eat the pizzas together that night while watching some movies together.

“Miss Watson, I'm really sorry to say this, and I'm saying this not to offend you in any way. But.. what happened?” Nelson had asked when they were all sitting on the sofa in front of a huge TV in the living room. A classic movie, one of Rosa's choice, was playing on the TV and 3 boxes of pizzas were opened on the coffee table.

“What do you mean, Nelson?” She asked, pretending not to understand what he was talking about.

“This.” Nelson said, gesturing his hand between all of them and waved his hand towards the pizzas and the TV.

“Nothing, I just want to share this amazing pizza I had the pleasure of having the other day and what could be better than enjoying it while watching some movies.” She replied, smiling at all of them.

“Well, in the five years that I have been working for you, this never happened. This definitely is one for the history books.” Nelson chuckled.

“I'm sorry if I was a pain to be working for these past years, Nelson. And you too, Rosa. I've changed. And I'm going to try to be a better person now.” She said and both Nelson and Rosa's eyes widened.

“Well, I'm really glad to hear that, Miss Watson. You know I've watched you grow since you were a teen and became this beautiful young woman. But there was always something missing. I think you finally found it now.” Rosa commented.

“Yeah, maybe I have.” She smiled. If Rosa meant Aurora was missing a heart, well, she was absolutely right, she laughed internally.

“Anyway, I don't feel comfortable that you guys are calling me Miss Watson again. Just call me Aurora, okay?” She said and once again Rosa's and Nelson's eyes widened.

“Oh, of course, Aurora.” Nelson nodded.

“Yes, Miss.. I mean.. Aurora.” Rosa nodded.

Well, she knew once she decided to change her behavior that Rosa and Nelson were going to be suspicious, but she didn't care. She wasn't going to change her personality just because she was in Aurora's body. And with Aurora gone, even if for just a month, she was free to be who she really was and she knew she was also somewhat helping Aurora.

—

The next two days were exhausting but interesting for her. On Thursday she did a photoshoot for Givenchy. The photoshoot was done both on location and indoors. There was a new fall collection that she had to model. So she had to wear a lot of sweaters and jackets. Being in LA during the summer it didn't take long for her to start sweating but she tried to be professional and hid all the feelings of being uncomfortable away.

It took her much faster this time to finally master posing for the photoshoot. She did the same as she had done during the photoshoot for AquaChic and pretended she was an actress that had a role as a model. That mindset worked wonders for her and the photoshoot director was really happy with her work.

“Aurora, that was brilliant! I remember having worked with you in the past and you were good but this time you were absolutely brilliant!” Dave the photoshoot director gushed as she was leaving the set.

“Oh, thank you so much, Dave. I really appreciate it!” She smiled widely.

Not only was she told that she was a good actress but she was also told to be a good model! She had never imagined ever experiencing something like this ever!

On Friday she did a shooting for a dog food commercial with Paris. She was kind of scared that Paris wouldn't want to work with her. But much to her relief, the dog was quite tame and was able to work well with her and the day went quite well for her too. She never knew she had the talent to be both an actress and a model.

It wasn't until Saturday morning that she felt her happiness start to taper away. She had high hopes of meeting Sebastian that day to practice their scenes together. She had chosen the best outfit she could think of and styled her hair and makeup the way she liked. She even had ordered some food for lunch that day because she had asked Rosa to take the weekend off. She also asked Nelson to take the weekend off. So she was essentially alone in the big castle, hoping that she could have some quality time alone with Sebastian.

She sat on the sofa in the living room that morning at 10, Aurora's cellphone in hand, contemplating whether to call or text Sebastian. He had not contacted her at all ever since he dropped her off at the castle after the table read, and she was too busy to contact him too. She assumed he would just show up like he always did. But it was already 10 in the morning and she wondered if Sebastian forgot about his promise of coming over.

She was just about to text him when Aurora's cellphone rang, startling her. Sebastian's name was on the screen and she immediately picked it up.

“Hello.” She greeted him.

“Uh.. hey, Aurora.” Sebastian's voice traveled through the speaker, his gentle voice made her heart flutter.

God, she really needed to control her reactions towards him.

“Hey, Sebastian.” She replied, smiling from ear to ear.

“How are you?” He asked.

“I'm good, thanks. How are you?”

“I'm good too, thanks. Umm..listen, I'm really sorry for letting you know too late but I'm afraid I won't be able to come to your place and practice our scenes together this weekend.” He said quickly and her heart dropped to her stomach.

“Oh.. okay. Yeah, that's.. fine. What's going on?” She asked, trying to mask her disappointment.

“I.. uh.. something unexpected came up and I need to focus on it for now. So, I'm really sorry, Aurora.” He replied.

“Oh, right. Okay. What about tomorrow?” She asked, still trying to have hope in her heart that he would be able to come the next day.

“I'm really sorry but the thing that came up.. it needs my attention this whole weekend including tomorrow. So.. I'm really sorry but I can't come either tomorrow.” He explained and she couldn't help but felt her heart dropped even more.

“Oh, okay. That's fine. I hope everything is okay?” She asked, hoping whatever it was that he had to focus on wasn't something bad.

“Oh yeah. Everything is fine. Nothing to worry about, really.” He replied.

“Okay.. that's good to know.”

“Yeah. Well, I gotta go. Take care, Aurora.”

“Thanks Sebastian. I'lll see you at the shoot then?”

“Yeah. I'll see you at the shoot. Bye.”

“Okay, bye.”

He hung up first, leaving her hanging, causing her to finally feel the disappointment in her heart.

She sighed as she looked at Aurora's cellphone screen. All the preparation she did that day was apparently for nothing.

She didn't want to think badly about him but he sounded kind of weird, like he wasn't telling her the whole truth. But she decided to brush it off. Maybe he did have something urgent that came up. Yes, she was disappointed that he couldn't come, but she was going to meet him at the shoot of Pumping Black for three whole months anyway, well, at least for a month, assuming she would switch to her own body after Aurora finished her jail sentence. So she shouldn't be too disappointed about it.

Having the castle all to herself she decided to enjoy it and also practice for the shoot herself. There were still many lines she needed to memorize and she needed to determine how she was going to perform them.

Being an introverted girl at heart she enjoyed being alone. She spent most of her time learning her lines but when she got bored she explored the whole castle.

Aurora's castle was truly a beautiful castle. It had everything anyone could ever need. She felt it was such a waste of space having a huge place just for one person. She knew if she was Aurora she would just move to a smaller place, like Sebastian's penthouse for example, which was still big compared to the apartments she had stayed at over the years, but she thought it was enough for someone with a status like Aurora.

Of course she knew that moving to a different house was something she couldn't decide for Aurora. But if she really was going to be stuck in Aurora's body forever, she would definitely move out of the castle.

Speaking of switching bodies, she had opened Aurora's cellphone earlier and read the messages Aurora and the private investigator she had hired had exchanged over several days. The investigator had texted Aurora saying they had found a lead of where the Gypsy woman might be and told her that they needed more money to pursue the lead because it was leading them overseas. They asked for five thousand dollars! She knew she needed to ask Aurora whether she would agree to it or not. But knowing how Aurora would definitely agree to pay the investigators more, she decided to just ignore it for now. She didn't want them to find the Gypsy woman so soon so she decided not to reply to the investigators question just yet. She would just prolong it as long as she could.

It was 7 at night during dinner when she finally felt the subtle feeling of being lonely. It wasn't the first time she was eating dinner alone. She had spent many nights alone back in Silicon Valley, but at least she had Lara back then as her neighbour. Now, Aurora's neighbours were far away. Her castle stood on top of a hill and had tall fences surrounding it. There were no humans around in her immediate vicinity.

Her eyes started to burn as tears started to form in her eyes. She never knew being a famous model and actress could feel so lonely. She wondered if Aurora ever felt that herself.

She realized being Aurora was not as much as fun as she once thought and she started to miss her own life.

She sighed and blinked furiously to stop herself from crying and decided to have a chat with Lara, her ex roommates and her parents. It had been a while since she last chatted with them.

Unfortunately none of them replied to her text, it seemed like they were all busy. She couldn't call them because she was sure she would sound different in their ears. So she had to fight the urge of calling them and just wait until they texted her back.

Having nothing else to do after dinner she decided to go back to learning her lines that night and hoping her friends or her parents would text her back soon. She couldn't deny that she missed them too.

Her friends and parents finally texted her back several hours later when she was getting ready to sleep. She spent a short time chatting with them and was glad all of them were doing okay. However, she still couldn't shake the loneliness in her heart. She ended up going to sleep imagining Sebastian again, lying down beside her and just being there for her. She wondered if that would ever happen. She wondered if a real relationship could happen between them. With that thought in mind she finally fell asleep with Sebastian's gorgeous face etched behind her eyes.

—

The next Sunday turned out more or less similar to the day before. Since she had allowed Rosa and Nelson to take the weekend off she was alone again in the castle.

In order not to feel so lonely that day she decided to turn the TV on out loud and just leave it on for the whole day even if she wasn't watching it. She also tried to focus back on learning her lines. The next day was the first day of shooting and she didn't want to mess it up.

Despite the loneliness she felt, she survived that day and was able to memorize almost all of her lines from the movie, making her feel more confident in doing the shoot.

It was finally the first day of shooting and she woke up feeling excited yet nervous. Rosa and Nelson both came to work and she felt much less lonely with them around.

It was 8 in the morning when she arrived at Universal Studio Lot for the shoot. She was scheduled to have her first shoot with Sebastian and Jennifer Aniston that day.

Heart pounding hard, she walked out of her car and was immediately welcomed by one of the crew members from the movie. She was quickly taken to her trailer and soon had her hair and make up done.

The scene they were going to shoot that day was in a wedding reception of one of Celeste's cousins so she was wearing a beautiful peach dress, something one of Celeste's cousin's bridesmaids was supposed to wear. Her hair was styled in soft waves and pulled back in a half up half down style, a floral hairpiece placed at the back completed the look. She smiled at the mirror as the make up artist and hair stylist were done and felt she looked the most beautiful she ever had in Aurora's body.

“You look absolutely beautiful.” The make up artist, Lisa said.

“Thank you, you did a wonderful job.” She smiled at Lisa.

“Thank you, Aurora. I didn't have to do much. You already look beautiful naturally.” Lisa commented, making her blush.

“Thank you again, Lisa.” She smiled.

“You’re welcome. You know, those that have worked with you in the past told me you would be a pain to work with. But, I find you to be nice and pleasant to work with.” Lisa commented.

“Yeah, I heard about that too.” The hairstylist, Shannon commented.

Her heart seemed to stop as she heard their comments.

“Well, rumors aren't always true huh.” She said quickly.

“Yeah, that's true.” Lisa nodded.

She was saved from commenting on the subject further when a crew from the movie came to fetch her.

It was 11 when she walked out of her trailer and was quickly ushered towards the studio where the set of the wedding reception was located.

As she walked towards the set she looked around hoping to find Sebastian or Jennifer but they were nowhere in sight. She was surprised that when she got on set, she was the first actor there. Well there were plenty of extras of course, and Maya as well as Hannah were there too. But Sebastian and Jennifer were still nowhere to be seen.

“Hi Maya.” She stopped next to Maya and smiled.

“Oh hey Aurora. Excited for today?” Maya turned to her.

“Yeah, excited and nervous.” She replied.

“Oh don't be. I'm sure you're going to be great.” Maya smiled and patted her arm.

“Thank you Maya.” She smiled.

“Hello everyone.” Jennifer Aniston appeared on set with Sebastian walking next to her.

She looked up and smiled at both of them. Jennifer smiled widely at her while Sebastian looked at her like a deer who just got hit by a headlight. His jaw dropped a little and he seemed to be mesmerized as he continued to stare at her, making butterflies fly around in her stomach. But then he quickly looked away and continued to walk towards her, making her wonder again why he did that.

“Aurora darling, how are you?” Jennifer stopped in front of her and gave her a brief hug.

“I'm good Jennifer, thank you. How are you?” She asked.

“Good too. Excited for today.” Jennifer smiled.

“Hey Maya.” Jennifer then continued to walk past her and greeted Maya, leaving her and Sebastian standing face to face. Her heart pounded hard in her chest as she looked up at him.

“Hi.” Sebastian looked down at her and smiled a little.

“Hi.” She smiled back. Sebastian looked gorgeous wearing a blue suit. The suit highlighted his ocean blue eyes even more. Staring at them made her heart flutter.

“You look.. good.” Sebastian said, looking at her from top to toe and she couldn't help but blush.

“Thanks. You look good yourself.” She smiled.

“Yeah. Thank you.” He smiled back but she couldn't help but notice how quickly he averted his eyes from her.

“So, ready for the dance?” He asked and her heart skipped a beat.

Yes, there was a dance scene they were going to shoot that day. It was nothing elaborate, just them dancing slowly to the music while talking, which was why they didn't prepare much about it. But it still made her nervous.

“I hope so.” She chuckled.

“Yeah, I hope so too.” He replied.

“Maya!” He called out suddenly, startling her.

“Sorry. I need to talk to her.” Sebastian said and she nodded.

Sebastian turned away from her and walked towards Maya who had walked away from them and was talking to one of the camera men.

Once again she felt Sebastian was kind of different towards her and she wondered why that was.

She decided to try and forget about it for now and focus on the shoot she was going to do that day. She was a professional actress and her feelings about Sebastian's behavior was not her priority.

The first scene they were going to do was a scene during the wedding reception where Mike, Celeste and Celeste's mother were going to talk.

She took a deep breath as she waited for everyone else to be ready and she repeated her lines in her head.

Half an hour later they were finally ready. She sat between Sebastian and Jennifer at one of the circular dining tables on the set. Extras were all ready around them, sitting on tables next to them. The actors playing Celeste's cousin and her husband were seen sitting at a special table in one corner of the room.

Her heart pounded hard in her chest as she noticed all the cameras facing towards them. It was one thing to practice the scenes at home or at the table read, the vibe was completely different during shooting and her hands started to sweat as the realization dawned on her.

She closed her eyes for a moment, made a silent prayer in her heart that she would not mess things up, then imagined herself as Celeste, being in her cousin's wedding, having a chat with her mother and boyfriend.

She opened her eyes just as she heard the sound of a person calling out “Scene 20, take 1, mark!”

A clapperboard was clapped then she heard Maya shout “Action!”

She picked up a fork and knife and started to eat the dish in front of her which was chicken gallantine with potatoes while she waited for Jennifer to start her line.

“So, Mike. How's the preparation for the Tour de France going?” Jennifer as Mary Nichols, Celeste’s mother said, looking towards Sebastian.

Sebastian, who was also eating, swallowed and cleared his throat. “It’s doing well.”

“Oh, that's good. I hope nothing like what happened last year will happen again, huh?” Jennifer snickered, referring to an accident Mike got himself into during last year's Tour de France.

“Mom!” She exclaimed in annoyance.

“What?” Jennifer turned to her, her eyebrows raised.

“Could you not mention that again, please?” She replied, exasperated.

“I was just expressing my hope that Mike will not get into the same situation again this year. I didn't mean to offend you, Mike, I'm sure you understand that, right Mike?” Jennifer turned to Sebastian with her eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah, I know you mean well Mrs.Nichols.” Sebastian nodded, then he placed his fork down and took a gulp of water.

“Will you excuse me for a minute? I need to go to the restroom.” Sebastian put the glass back on the table then pushed his chair back and stood up.

“Okay.” She looked up at Sebastian with concern all over her face. Sebastian gave her a small smile. She smiled back then watched as Sebastian left the table.

“I wish you didn't mention the accident, mom.” She protested as soon as Sebastian left them.

“Celeste, I mean no harm, you know that.” Jennifer defended herself.

“Yeah, it's just.. it took him a long time to get over the incident. Both, physically and mentally.” She commented.

“I understand, Celeste. I'm sorry if what I said caused you and him to feel uncomfortable.”

She sighed. “It's okay, mom.”

“So.. all of your cousins have been officially married now. When are you going to take the same step?” Jennifer asked.

“Oh mom.. why do you have to ask me that?” She whined.

“Celeste, you're almost 30, I had you when I was 25 having been married since I was 23. I'm just concerned, honey.” Jennifer said, reaching out and patted her hand.

“I know. It's just.. getting married is not exactly on our minds right now. Mike is focusing on the Tour de France this year and you know I have my own career to think about.” She explained.

“Well, you can't prioritize both your careers all the time. Before you know it, time has flown by and you will regret not having started a family sooner.” Jennifer advised.

“I know. I'll try and talk to him about it.” She sighed.

“Yes, you should. Celeste, listen. If he isn't willing to do the next step with you, maybe he's just not the one.” Jennifer said and looked at her pointedly.

“Oh mom. I love him. Okay? And I will wait. I'm not going to push him into doing something he doesn't want to do.” She stated, her eyebrows knitted together.

“But it's for your own good, Celeste. If he isn't willing to commit, I say you better dump his ass and find someone else who will. If he really loves you, he wouldn't hesitate to commit. I'm just saying. I love you so much, my baby girl. And I just want what's best for you.” Jennifer said as she reached out and placed her hand on her cheek.

She sighed as her eyebrows straightened and stared at Jennifer.

“Thank you, mom. I love you too. And you don't need to worry. I know Mike loves me. He just.. he still has this ambition, you know, of winning the Tour de France before he can focus on something else.” She said.

“Tour de France is just a race. He has been doing that for years hasn't he? He shouldn't prioritize a race over you. I'm just saying.” Jennifer dropped her hand from her cheek and stared back at her, her eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah. Thank you mom for the enlightening conversation.” She said coldly then she pushed her chair back and stood up.

“Where are you going?” Jennifer asked.

“The restroom.” She replied then she started to walk away.

“Cut!” Maya shouted and she stopped in her tracks.

Maya sauntered over to her with Sebastian following behind her and they stopped in front of her.

“Okay, that was good, Aurora. But could we do that again? You need to show more how annoyed you are at Mary towards the end.” Maya requested.

“Oh, yeah, of course.” She nodded.

Maya left them and went towards Jennifer, leaving her alone with Sebastian.

“That was good, Aurora. You did a good job.” Sebastian smiled at her and she couldn't help but blush.

“Oh, thank you Sebastian.” She looked up at him and for a split second could see the admiration in his eyes when he looked at her. But once again he quickly averted his eyes and started to walk back towards the table.

She sighed and wondered what was going on with him. She turned around and followed him and tried hard to brush the feeling away.

It took them four more takes before Maya was finally satisfied. She breathed a sigh of relief after Maya told them that.

The next scene that was scheduled to be shot was of her and Sebastian dancing and talking. The makeup artist and hairstylist touched up her makeup and hair as she sat on a chair by the side of the set.

She looked across and watched Sebastian talking with Maya and he laughed. Her heart swelled as she looked at him laughing and she couldn't help but smile. But then he glanced at her and abruptly stopped laughing. He said something to Maya and turned away, walking to the other side of the set.

If her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, it seemed he purposely avoided her. Again she couldn't help but wonder what happened. She contemplated whether or not to ask him about it. It made her sad to think that he could be purposely avoiding her. She wondered if she did anything wrong.

Her thoughts about them were gone however as they started to do the next shoot. Once the cameras started rolling she could see the change in him and how he turned to act like he used to around her.

“Celeste..” Sebastian whispered as she was shot walking towards where the restroom was supposed to be. He was standing behind a wall not seen from the reception area. His hand shot out, grabbed hers and he dragged her behind the wall, making her jump in surprise.

“Mike! You scared me!” She protested, clutching her chest.

“I'm sorry, sweetheart.” Sebastian looked down and smiled at her. She could now see the adoration again in his eyes and it made her heart flutter.

“What are you doing?” She asked as Sebastian let her hand go.

“I.. uh.. waiting.” He replied.

“For what?” She asked, her eyebrows raised.

“For the right time to come out.” He replied, blushing as he said it.

“Oh, Mike. I'm sorry about my mom.” She sighed.

“It's okay, honey. What did you talk about? You look annoyed.” He said as he raised his hand up and his fingers started to stroke her cheek gently, making her breath hitch.

“I.. umm..” She forgot! She forgot her next lines, so focused she was at how his fingers felt on her cheek.

“Cut!” Maya shouted and her shoulder slumped.

“Aurora! Focus!” Maya shouted at her.

“I'm sorry.” She turned to Maya and grimaced.

“The usual marriage talk.” Sebastian said.

“What?” She turned to him, looking at him in confusion.

“Your next line.” He replied.

“Oh! Yeah, yeah. Thanks.” She nodded, feeling the blush rising in her cheeks.

“No problem.” He smiled at her warmly, making the butterflies fly around in her stomach.

“Aurora! Go back!” Maya shouted.

“Oh yeah, okay.” She nodded and turned around back towards the reception area, kicking herself mentally for being so unfocused because of Sebastian.

They started to do the scene again until the part where she forgot her lines came up.

“It's okay, honey. What did you talk about? You look annoyed.” Sebastian said as he raised his hand up and his fingers caressed her cheek gently, making her breath hitch again.

“The usual marriage talk.” She grumbled.

“Oh, right. Typical at an event like this.” He commented.

“Yeah. I don't understand why she needed to push it on us. I mean.. we have our careers to think about.” She said, looking up at Sebastian expectantly.

“Yeah. We do. I mean, once we're ready, we'll do it but right now we both know it's not the right time.” He stated.

She didn't respond immediately and she gazed at him, trying to convey a million emotions through her eyes. Sebastian stared back at her and once again she felt like he was seeing into her soul, making butterflies fly around in her stomach.

“When will the right time come, though?” She asked slowly.

“Oh Celeste, please don't ask questions like this. I don't know. Okay? I just.. you know what's on my mind.” He stated as he dropped his fingers from her and he balled his fist in agitation.

“I know. The race! Which has been on your mind for the past.. what? Fifteen years? It's what's on your mind when we met five years ago and it still is.” She grumbled.

“I'm sorry, honey. I just need to win this one.”

“You've been saying that since we met.” She said pointedly and she could see the hurt flashed in his eyes.

“Because it's important to me, Celeste. You know that!” Sebastian protested.

“Am I not important to you?” She asked and Sebastian’s jaw dropped.

“Honey, of course you are! You’re the most important person in my life!” He exclaimed as he placed both hands on the sides of her arms.

“Then maybe.. maybe you need to show it.” She said slowly.

“I’ll show it right now. Come on!” Sebastian said and her eyes widened.

He grabbed her hand and guided her back towards the reception area. She could hear slow romantic music playing and some people were slow dancing on the dance floor.

Sebastian guided her onto the dance floor and they stopped at the edge. They stood facing each other. Her heartbeat raised as she gazed at Sebastian who was smiling warmly at her.

“Celeste Nichols, would you please give me the honor and dance with me?” He asked as he picked her hand up and kissed it gently, sending shivers down her spine.

“Oh, Mike. Of course.” She sighed and nodded.

Sebastian smiled wide and picked up her left hand with his right then placed his left hand gently on her waist. He pulled her closer to him and their chests almost touched each other. He started to sway to the music slowly and she followed.

He continued to gaze at her softly as she tried hard not to hyperventilate and shifted her mental state back to being Celeste.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Sebastian started to say.

“Hmm..” She mumbled and he sighed.

“You are important to me. Soo important that I want to give you the world! I mean, you know how much money I can get if I can win the Tour de France. I’ll get money not just from the race itself but also from sponsorships and advertising deals, you know.” He explained.

“I know. But I don’t need the money, Mike.” She protested.

“Honey, I know you’re a successful model but we will need more money in order to live comfortably and start a family. You know I still don’t make much with my current condition in the team.” He sighed.

“You can quit racing and continue your father’s business.” She suggested and Sebastian’s face quickly turned sour.

“You know it’s not my passion running a slaughterhouse.” He objected.

“I know, but it keeps the money coming in. And you know you just need to continue it. Everything has been set up by your late dad. I mean, I’m sure he would have wanted you to run it instead of having it run by a third party.” She suggested.

“Celeste, please. I don’t want to run it. I hate it there. Just.. trust me. This year will be different. I can feel it! Yesterday Alex brought in a new doctor. This doctor successfully made the American cycling team win at the Olympics! She said she has a method that will make us stronger and have better endurance. She’s going to start the method tomorrow.” He said excitedly.

“A method? What kind of method?” She asked, her eyebrows raised.

“She hasn’t told us yet what method she’s going to use.” He replied.

“Interesting.” She commented.

“Yeah. If I win the Tour de France this year then I can retire and we can live comfortably and start a family.” He said with hope in his eyes.

“Well, if you win, aren't you going to be needed for next year’s race?” She asked.

“No, I’m.. I will be too old. I don’t think Alex is going to let me stay in the team next year.” He replied, his mouth turned into a frown.

“So you want to go out with a bang.” She stated.

Sebastian’s mouth turned up into a smile. “Yes! You know me so well, Celeste.”

She couldn’t help but smile back at him, both, as Celeste and as herself.

“Trust me, Celeste. I love you and I want to give you the best life you can get. But I can’t if I don’t win this year’s race.” Sebastian pleaded.

She didn’t immediately respond to him but stopped dancing. She released her hands from his hand and shoulder and cupped his face.

“Mike Taylor, I need you to know that I love you, no matter what happens. Even if you don’t win the race and you have to retire and do a regular nine to five job, I will still be here. Because I love you as you are and not because you’re a pro cyclist.” She stated, gazing at him sternly.

Sebastian gazed back at her. His eyes widened and his mouth opened in surprise. Then a smile broke on his face.

“I love you so much, Celeste Nichols. I don’t deserve you but I will try to make myself worthy of you.” He said slowly, giving her a look of complete adoration, making her heart beat so fast in her chest.

“By winning this race?” She asked.

“Yes.” He replied.

“Fine. I said I love you as you are and this ambition of yours is a part of you, so..” She trailed, dropping her hands from his face.

“Thank you for understanding, honey.” He smiled.

He leaned closer to her, making her heart do somersaults in her chest. Then he placed both hands on the sides of her face and kissed her forehead gently, making her smile. Then they continued to slow dance, but their bodies were even closer than before. His left hand took her right hand, he placed his right hand on her waist and she placed her left hand on his shoulder, then she turned her face to the side and leaned her cheek on his chest.

The cameras continued rolling as they slowly danced. It felt very comfortable to dance in his arms. She could smell his signature scent wafting from his suit. She could hear his heart beating fast in his chest. She could feel his hand in hers starting to sweat, making her wonder if he was as nervous about the dance as she was.

“Cut!” Maya shouted and Sebastian immediately let her go and stepped back, startling her.

“Okay, we got it! Great job you two!” Maya shouted at them from the side of the set.

“That was really good.” She commented and looked up at him.

“Yeah, as usual you did a great job.” He smiled but his smile didn't reach his eyes, making her heart plummeted.

“Umm.. I have to go and get ready for the next scene.” He continued, his eyes averting hers yet again.

“Oh yeah, okay. I'll see you.. hmm.. the day after tomorrow I think, for our next scene together?” She asked.

“Yeah, I guess so.” He nodded.

“Okay.” She nodded and he smiled then turned around, leaving her alone on the dance floor with people walking around her as the set was starting to be cleaned up.

She sighed as she watched him go and kept wondering why he acted so differently around her.

Maybe he has some kind of problem. The thing that came up yesterday probably stressed him out. She tried to reason. But deep down she had an inkling that she was the reason he was behaving like that towards her, as if she had made a big mistake.

She walked back to her trailer with a frown on her face and her shoulder slumped. The dancing scene was the last scene for her to shoot that day so she could go back home if she wanted.

She contemplated on staying to watch the others shoot, but decided to go home instead. She was tired and tense and needed to relax.

So she went to her trailer, changed into her own outfit and went straight home. Feeling the complete opposite of what she thought she would feel at the end of that day.

—

The next day she didn't have any shoot or any other work scheduled, but she knew Sebastian was going to shoot some scenes with Rooney Mara, Jude Law, Chris Evans, Anthony Mackie and Chace Crawford. She was curious about it so she decided to come to the studio and see it if she was allowed. She also wanted to try and talk to him about his change of behavior towards her. It was still bothering her and kept her almost awake the entire night.

Thankfully security let her in so she could watch the shoot. It was being done at a studio next to the one she was shooting at the day before.

When she arrived the shoot was already starting. The studio had been set like they were in the racing team's headquarters with two different areas set up. One was a changing room area with lockers while the other one was a room similar to an infirmary with a small hospital bed in the middle and an ominous machine standing next to it.

She could see Sebastian, Chris, Anthony and Chace with other actors she assumed to be part of the racing team, standing side by side facing Jude Law who seemed to be informing them of something. They were all standing in the changing room area.

Then she saw Rooney Mara standing to the side of the room behind a door, seemingly waiting to come out. After a while Jude Law opened the door and Rooney came in.

She watched as Rooney gave a chilling performance as the racing team's new doctor. She was tough, stern and mysterious. Being the professional that she was, she nailed the scene in one shot, allowing them to move to the next shoot in the next area.

The actors were given some break time and they walked out of the set to their designated chairs. She saw Sebastian walking towards his chair and just then he looked up at her.

She waved at him and smiled a little. He looked a little surprised but then waved back at her and nodded. She thought he would come and approach her but instead he turned his back on her and sat on his chair, his hand grabbed a bottle of water on the floor and he started to chug it down.

Her heart plummeted seeing how he behaved towards her, but she tried to make up another reason for his weird behavior. She thought maybe he didn't approach her because he wanted to focus on the shoot. He wanted to stay in character maybe and talking with her would just ruin that. She finally reasoned. With that thought in mind she continued to watch the shoot.

The scene they were shooting next was the scene where Rooney’s character Ava performed a stress test on the whole team.

She watched as Sebastian walked into the room with the hospital bed and ominous machine alone and faced Rooney.

Rooney circled him and prodded his arm, making him wince.

“Strip down.” Rooney commanded and Sebastian's eyebrows raised.

“I need to see what I'm going to work with.” Rooney continued when Sebastian didn't make a move.

He looked at her defiantly and they stared at each other, unblinking. Finally, Sebastian took off everything but his boxer shorts.

Her heart skipped a beat as she looked at his body. He was lean but muscular with sculpted biceps and a six pack stomach. She had seen his naked upper body pictures and even his fully naked body in movies before, but to see him in person like this was a completely different experience.

“Lie down!” Rooney commanded.

“Which test is this?” Sebastian asked.

“Lie down!” Rooney commanded and Sebastian quickly laid down on the bed.

Rooney strapped his wrists and ankles onto the bed and put electrodes on his biceps, quads, neck, calves and both his temples.

“You will feel a shock.” Rooney said.

“Okay, wh..” Sebastian responded just as Rooney threw a switch on the machine and Sebastian's body started to convulse. Electricity coursed through him and his face contorted in pain. She couldn't help but be horrified to witness the scene in front of her. She knew Sebastian was just acting, but he looked to be in so much pain that it was unbearable to watch. The scene reminded her so much of the scene where Bucky Barnes had his mind wiped out when he was still the Winter Soldier.

“Do you want me to stop?” Rooney asked. “Nod if you want me to stop.”

But Sebastian didn't say anything, he looked at Rooney with his face in agony but he endured the pain.

Rooney glanced at her stopwatch and looked at Sebastian with a gleam in her eyes.

Sebastian continued to endure the pain as the machine hummed menacingly, louder and louder until..

“Stop! STOP!” Sebastian screamed.

Rooney turned off the machine and wrote down the time as she consulted her watch. Sebastian caught his breath, tears streaming down his face.

“F""k.. “ Sebastian said.

“Why?” Sebastian continued.

“Baselines. Your muscle’s maximum ability to contract is higher when the mind is not involved.” Rooney answered.

“How’d I do?” Sebastian asked.

Rooney didn't answer. She stared at him, reading something in his face.

“It is a difficult test.” Rooney finally said.

Sebastian's face fell.

“Let me go again.” He quickly said.

Rooney paused her movement. She gazed at Sebastian, reading him, unpeeling him.

“You would submit yourself again to this? Willingly?” Rooney asked.

“I can do better.” Sebastian stated.

“The pain will break you.”

“I don’t care about pain. I care about winning.”

The sentence triggered something in Rooney. For a split second she almost looked like she might smile, but..

“There are no do-overs in the Tour. Why would I give you one here?” She asked but her eyes gleamed as she said it.

Sebastian slumped, seemingly feeling devastated and like a failure.

“Cut!” Maya shouted.

“Okay, that was amazing, Rooney, Sebastian. We got it.” Maya continued.

She was amazed at how both Sebastian and Rooney were able to nail their scenes in one take and made a mental note to ask them for some tips.

There were several more scenes that were shot that day. She ended up watching all of them as she was fascinated by the whole shooting process and wanted to learn as much as possible by watching the other actors perform.

It was 6 in the afternoon when the shoot was finally done for that day. She waited for Sebastian by the side of the set. Throughout the whole day he effectively ignored her and she was itching to ask him about it.

He finally walked off set and walked towards her with Chris, Chace and Anthony walking next to him.

“Sebastian.” She called out as they went nearer.

“Aurora, hey.” Sebastian greeted her.

“Hey Aurora.” The other guys greeted her and she nodded.

“Today was amazing. I loved watching all of you perform. You were all amazing!” She smiled at them and they smiled back at her.

“Why thank you, Aurora. That's very nice of you to say that.” Anthony said.

“Where are you guys going by the way?” She asked.

“Umm.. We're going out for dinner. There's this new place near Chace's apartment that he said has the best Kung Pao chicken.” Chris replied.

“Oh, I see.” She nodded.

“We'd love to ask you to join us but..” Chris glanced at Sebastian, waiting for him to continue.

“We're having sort of.. a boy's night, you know. So.. I'm really sorry.” Sebastian said, staring at her, his eyebrows furrowed.

Her heart dropped at his answer. She was certain now that he was avoiding her. The question was why. Unfortunately she couldn't find the answer that night.

“It's okay, Sebastian. I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow.” She said and they nodded.

She gave them one last smile, her gaze lingered for a moment at Sebastian who was gazing back at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Then she turned around quickly as she felt the telltale sign of tears forming in her eyes.

—

She woke up the next morning with bags under her eyes. Once again she found it hard to sleep because she kept thinking of Sebastian. Several times she almost texted him to ask him why he acted so different towards her for the past few days, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Still feeling sleepy and worn out she left the castle having only drank a cup of coffee and nothing more. She wasn't hungry. She had no appetite whatsoever.

The scene that they were going to shoot that day was an outdoor shoot done at, coincidentally, Mulholland Drive. Sebastian and the others were going to be shot doing a local racing at Mulholland Drive. She was supposed to be shot being in the crowd and watching them.

When she arrived on set, which was only several miles away from the castle, Sebastian, Chris, Chace and Anthony were already there, wearing their team's signature cycling jerseys which were blue in color and had the team's name, “Inverness” written at the back.

She didn’t have time to greet Sebastian and the others because she was immediately ushered to her trailer.

Once Lisa and Shannon finished putting make up on her and styled her hair, she was rushed to the spectator's box.

There was a monitor at the spectator's box where people can watch the progress of the team. She sat on a chair in the box and watched the screen.

A real pro cyclist team had been hired to do the hard stuff but since some shots were for close-ups, the actors were also needed.

She watched as Sebastian and the other actors started the race. Chris, as the fastest rider, was obviously leading the team. Behind him was Chace, Anthony, another actor in the team by the name of Johnny, and Sebastian was at the tail.

The shoot for the part of the actors took several takes. It was on the fourth take that something unexpected happened.

They were riding past a curved road when all of a sudden a stray dog came out from the woods next to them and ran in front of Sebastian. Sebastian was surprised and steered his bike to avoid the dog. He couldn't control his bike and crashed.

“Sebastian!” She shouted in panic. Her heart dropped to her stomach as she saw Sebastian toppled over and fell down on the ground hard.

Chapter 15 >

Taglist

@dhoruwolfie @kandis-mom

[magicalqueennightmare]

Sins & Amends Chapter 22

Billy Russo x Female Reader (60 part story)

This follows pre- the punisher into the storyline of daredevil, punisher season 1 and beyond

This is NOT Canon Billy. This is decent human being Billy left with bad options over worse decisions

This was also posted to A03 under: WaywardGaPeach. That account and this one is the only place you'll see me post this. If you see it on any other platform/account know it's not me.

Chapter Summary/Warnings: Matt and Foggy gear up for court while you continue to help Karen behind the scenes

"When's the trial set?" Alice asked while the two of you finished doing inventory of your rig for the next shift coming in. "Jury selection was today. I'm headed to their office as soon as I get off" you replied double checking the narcan to ensure there was enough. 

 Alice was quiet for a moment so you glanced over at her "Spill Alice. I know there's something bouncing around your head begging to escape" she let out a harsh breath seeming to struggle with what she wanted to say next or the wording at least "Y/N I just want to make sure you're safe. I mean.." Her voice lowered to a whisper and she leaned across the gurney as if she was worried someone walking by the ambulance in the bay may overhear what she was going to say next.

You leaned forward instinctively before she continued in a whisper "Apparently you were right all along. There was a lot more to that day than was told publicly. If Frank doesn't want you testifying there's a reason and as your friend and partner I feel like I need to give voice to the concern of whoever was behind that day figuring out what you know or suspect and coming after you. I know you want to be there for Frank, I get it but what do you think it'll do to him if he loses you to whatever this is? What do you think it would do to me, Kenzie and Curtis?" 

What were you supposed to say? That you weren't worried about just that? Hell that would be a lie. You knew that at any given time whoever was behind the enormous cover up could find you through the same channels Karen had even before Foggy and Matt told her who you were. You knew that no matter the fear that you couldn't exactly cower either that wasn't who you were.

You also couldn't exactly tell her that one of Frank's lawyers was none other than daredevil either and that gave you some extra security at least while in his presence. Add that to the list of things you had to keep tight to your chest.

So you went with the only card you had to play "I'm going by what Frank asked of me. I'm keeping my face out of the public spotlight. Karen, Matt and Foggy are the faces. I'm behind the scenes where I have promised you, Frank and Curt I will remain. You're not getting rid of me that easily babe" 

She smiled softly "Good. I'd hate to have to break in a new partner and there's no one on earth like you" you started to say the same about her but when she added "Promise me you'll start carrying that gun when you aren't on shift. I know he made sure you can handle it" you cracked a small smile "Yes ma'am. I promise"

--------------------

When Kenzie came to pick Alice up you knew it was lost cause telling the two of them that you could walk home then take a cab to the law firm. 

They insisted on driving you to your apartment to change into street clothes and then drove you to the law firm as well.  When you started to climb out the car Alice cleared her throat and nodded to your bag. You knew what she was asking so you patted it. "I'll call one of you later ok? I promise" "stay safe sweetie" Kenzie said with a smile and Alice added "We love you"

------------------

When you walked through the doors of the office Foggy leaned out from the conference room "Y/N you may as well join us and give an opinion" you weren't surprised that you'd yet again caught Foggy mid sentence yet he was acting as if you'd been there the entire time. He had a habit of doing that but you hadn't known him long enough to tell if it was just with you or an everybody type of thing.

You smiled at Karen and told Matt hello as you took a seat next to Foggy. "Ok what am I giving an opinion on?" Karen and Foggy exchanged a look when Matt spoke up to say "Will Frank agree to an insanity plea?" 

You didn't try to stop the laugh that bubbled from your lips. Karen looked a bit confused, Foggy looked flustered and Matt seemed just slightly amused.

You knew staring down a normal blind man wouldn't do any good but something told you Matt could tell how ridiculous you found that suggestion "Look I'll be honest if I thought it'd keep him out of prison I've got a friend whose a psychiatrist but Frank's not gonna agree to that. He wasn't out of his mind. He knew who he was going after and he knew why. I just don't think he's gonna say yes but please by all means if you think it'll help him chase that lead. I'm pretty much here just to tell you about who the real Frank is and to help dig through case files"

Matt nodded then scratched at the back of his neck "Well since you're here Y/N can you think of anyone Frank would let us put on the witness stand?" You knew he didn't want you or Curtis anywhere near the courthouse, not that you could testify to any ptsd defense considering you only knew half stories of what had went down overseas.

Billy's name popped into your head but you shoved it down, if he had wanted to help he would've already offered it before now. "His commanding officer is still alive? Schoonover I don't remember his first name. He'd testify as a character witness for Frank and could speak as to what went down when Frank was awarded the Navy cross" 

Karen scribbled a note down then smiled across the table at you "That's good Y/N" then she cut her eyes at Foggy "I'll go talk to Frank. Bring up the ptsd and insanity plea and also get Schoonover's first name" Foggy nodded at her then motioned to you "Look over these questions before they're took to Frank?" You stood to follow him into his office.

You glanced over the questions and shrugged "I don't see why he'd have trouble answering any. I mean his memory is still a little off from the bullet to the head but Foggy Frank's not a bad guy. He's not a psychopath" he took the notepad back from you and stared down at it for a moment before he finally met your eyes "You feel like hanging around? Give me some of the insight on Frank that you've given Karen?"

You let a small smile slip onto your face. Something told you Foggy wouldn't go down in a courtroom without one hell of a fight "Of course"

---------------------

You were sitting cross legged on the floor by Foggy's desk. Matt had left on some errand or another, you and Foggy both knew it was something vigilante related.

You had been going over the photos from multiple different crime scenes. They were the men who had ripped Maria and the kids from the world. You honestly didn't care if they were dead but what had caught your attention was the x-ray of Frank's head.

You'd known he got shot that day, had even seen the scar one of the many nights you patched him up yet seeing the hole in his skull hit you differently. 

Karen had joined the two of you with takeout and was sitting across the room. She'd gotten Schoonover's first name but Frank had said exactly what you expected, no ptsd plea. He'd also sent a message back by her telling you to stay as far away from the trial as you could or he'd refuse representation.

The three of you had been working for hours in silence. Foggy's best idea for a line of defense was to find some way to bring the altered medical examiner's reports into evidence although it appeared any record of the so called ashes you'd been given had been wiped from any record.

"What was he like? I mean before the mass murderery Frank?" Foggy asked and when you cut your eyes up at him he shrugged "Sorry I meant before his family, your family was slaughtered?" You laid the x-ray down and pulled your bottom lip in between your teeth.

Karen saw the real Frank somehow she grasped who he really was and Matt had fought alongside Frank. While Foggy had said there may be a chance if the cover up involving the massacre could be brought to the light you knew you needed to help him see the Frank you knew, the Frank Karen somehow had seen under the rough exterior of the punisher.

"Frank the day I met him was sitting under a tree, strumming a guitar and singing" Karen cracked a broad smile and Foggy looked genuinely shocked "Singing? Was he any good?"

You laughed thinking back to that day long ago "God he was horrible but the moment his eyes met Maria's I saw the spark there. When she got pregnant three months into them dating he stepped up, no hesitation whatever. I was a stray Maria and her family had chosen to take in, Frank was no different he took me as a little sister. That man was one of the best fathers I've even seen. He beat himself up a lot for being gone but when he got stateside god you would've thought it was every holiday rolled into one. He was an amazing husband. He always would call me when he was gone to double check on Maria to make sure she was ok. And it wasn't just Maria and the kids. He was always there for me" you could feel tears threatening to escape your eyes but took a deep breath and continued;

"He'd back me up when I needed it and support me when he knew I could handle it on my own. Frank is and will always be the type of man who'd lay his life down to save innocent lives. He loves with everything he has. The day everything happened I was supposed to go with them, I should've been there. Frank is a trained marine lieutenant. He's handled himself in so many war zones but look at that x-ray. He let himself be shot and you know why? He was holding his daughter in his arms while everything that was her spilled out onto the ground. He wanted to die and the damn universe wouldn't grant him that. He woke up to a world with his family gone and the people who had taken them alive. Hell he's still protecting me by not letting me testify. He's not a murderer he's just a man who's went through hell and is still enduring it every second"

You closed your eyes for a moment trying to compose yourself and when you opened them both Foggy and Karen were staring at you. "What?" "Damn I would love to have you on the witness stand" he admitted which made you and Karen shake your heads.  "No I just meant you know him so well. I mean I get we don't want your life at risk and damn sure can't trust the district attorney but we somehow have to make the jury feel about Frank the way you just described him"

You shrugged and wiped your eyes "Well Mr Nelson I believe that's your job sir. I'm just a paramedic" "Thanks for the vote of confidence Y/N" he replied with an eye roll but the slight smile also told you that your words had an effect on him.

By the time all of you headed out the office to go towards your separate apartments it was leaning closer to morning than night. "Sure you two will be ok?" Foggy asked as you hailed a cab. You smiled at his concern.

"We live a block apart Foggy. We'll be ok I promise" "Yeah don't worry about us" Karen added with a smile.Once the two of you were in the cab a silence fell between you. There were so many questions you wanted to ask her but you didn't want to push. 

---------------------

When the cab stopped in front of her building you climbed out with her. "You're walking the other block? This time of night?" She asked and you shrugged "I'll be ok. I can handle myself pretty well" she eyed your bag for a second "Yeah I make sure I don't leave home without mine either"

You realized what she meant and smiled "Frank taught me ages ago" "Goodnight Y/N. I'll talk to you tomorrow" "Night Karen" she started to walk up the steps into her building but you stopped her by calling her name "Yeah?" She asked and you were once again struck with not wanting to over step but also wanting answers "Why do you believe in Frank so much? I mean I know why I'm standing behind him but you have every reason to have believed what the public has built him up to be"

She stood there stoic for a moment and you kicked yourself for apparently hitting a nerve but right when you were about to apologize she said "I don't think he's a monster because he's done things that could be seen as monstrous. I've seen him talk about his wife and kids, the way he talks about you, how he wanted to make sure I knew I wasn't in danger that night at the hospital. It's like you said he's just a man who's been through hell and I like you want to see him make it to the other side"

You knew you should let it go but maybe it was years spent in and out of Curtis' group meetings and hanging out with Kenzie but you felt like there was something more that Karen desperately needed to get off her chest "What happened Karen? I mean to you?"

She half smiled then said "After the trial is over I'll buy the drinks and we can have one night of spilling our trauma all over each other but for now we both need as clear heads as possible for Frank" you nodded then smiled "I'm sorry if I overstepped. One friend is a counselor and the other is a psychiatrist"

"Not at all. I know you wouldn't judge anything I have to say. You're someone who can be trusted. I knew that from the moment I met you" you felt the same about her so you simply said "Well goodnight. I'll send a text when I'm home so you know I wasn't snatched off the street or anything"

"You have a warped sense of humor you know that?" She asked with a laugh so you replied "You'll grow to love that about me" she headed inside so you turned to head to your apartment lost in thought over the trial starting but also keeping observant of your surroundings.

Once you got home you texted Karen you'd made it then texted Alice so she wouldn't worry. You knew you shouldn't but you had plans to catch a few hours then pop into the courthouse the next morning to at least catch opening statements. You'd be working when all the actual testimonies started but you could at least see who got the stronger start and get a peek at Frank to see how he was healing.

@intothesoul

@weallhaveadestiny

[four-loose-screws]

I've heard that mustaches and beards or Hige, were popular with the Samurai in Japan and it was considered manly for a Samurai to have facial hair. This was also why Samurai helmets often had mustaches/beards. Facial hair also became associated with a military service in general in Japan.

After World War II, with the rise of the salaryman, facial hair became unfashionable and it was expected for men to be clean-shaven at all times, which has continued to today.

I've also read a few people are challenging this now, like a postman was threatened with losing his job for growing a mustache, but he responded by getting his lawyers involved and proving that his forcing him to shave was a violation of his human rights.

(Feel free to tell me if this is completely wrong).

Since none of this ever came up in my college studies (I avoided military matters and history on purpose; I focused more on Japanese religion, art, and fine culture), and I would just be doing the same as most anyone else here - a Google search - to confirm, I won't add too much to the discussion, ha ha.

I do have an anecdote though, that can confirm facial hair is picking back up as a normal thing to see in Japanese life - when I was an English teacher, one of my student's dad had a goatee. And he was no "bad boy" or anything - he was a super active member of his local community with 5 kids.

(Slightly off topic, but also, the mom in the family that lived in the apartment next to mine had tattoos.)

It's always amusing to to see Japanese culture still holding on to practices they adopted from the West, while the West has moved on to other things. At least... that's my experience in the US recently. For example, I've had 2 office jobs now where people seem to wear whatever the flying heck they want. One of my old managers wears ripped jeans almost daily. While Japanese office workers seem to largely still be wearing not only suits, but VERY specific suits like they're a uniform.

But things are changing, as they always are everywhere in the world. Whether a Japanese community as a whole accepts facial hair, tattoos, casual attire, etc. is just super case-by-case. One town will think nothing of people doing as they please with their appearance, while the next will end up on national news after someone is harassed so bad it leads to a lawsuit.

[brw]

no because maria being a part of hank's tragic backstory isn't even a bad thing? like I personally hate the dead wife trope but people do lose their spouses sometimes & she wouldn't be my top priority in terms of which female characters to "fix" yk? there are stories that can be told about her but making her a scientist was so unnecessary because it's not like it adds anything

no literally like... it bothers me the same way sue having a PhD kind of bothers me bc ultimately, reed and hank will always be renowned for being intelligent academically. putting sue and maria in those places of being scientists doesn't give more respect to them, it makes the disrespect more pronounced and obvious imo. what i would prefer if we saw more varied careers rather than just S.T.E.M. like i do love women characters who do STEM like bobbi and riri and monica rappaccini and shuri and valeria and moon girl etc, there are also many other careers for people to have? especially when for maria we did have other information in her original story that could be taken and expanded upon.

like originally they say that maria and her father were political prisoners in soviet-occupied russian... why was that? like i've always imagined maria's father was a politician that criticised the soviet union so much and that's why he and his daughter had to escape and that's why the US brought them in, and there maria learns law and perhaps wants to be a lawyer from the injustice she saw and the injustice she's still seeing in the U.S., which also adds another layer to Hank's paranoia, given her father dies not long after. idk, basically i think there's better ways to go about giving more respect to women in comics other than "uhh what if she was a SCIENTIST, checkmate misogynists" because maria is not a character that needs additional respect, she's a footnote in hank and nadia's history ultimately. it seems weird especially bc to this day sue storm has never been written by a woman and janet has never had an actual proper solo n stuff so like... idk i would prefer if we focused on authentic writing for the actual headlining main women rather than character who lived and died in one issue of tales to astonish.

(also, she literally did come back for that weird lady modok arc in west coast avengers nobody talks abt but i guess that gets in the way of jeremey whitley's #girlbossism so alas)

[akihikosanada]

finished ace attorney!!! thoughts under a read more because of spoilers and it got kinda long. only opinion i'll state here is that i enjoyed it a lot and i would recommend it to anyone slightly curious about it ❤

ended the trilogy with mia and gumshoe as my favs. mia was too cool to live and gumshoe is pookie no other explanations are needed for either of them

the music was so good!!!! i think the trial music for the first game was the best one by far, but some of the songs related to specific cases were incredible (shoutout to aa1 case 4, aa2 case 2 and aa3 case 1)

my favorite case absolutely was the fourth one in aa2, i didn't know a single thing about it. from the maya kidnapping, the involvement of a serial killer, phoenix losing his very first trial, being able to get a bad ending and obviously the matt engarde plot twist. i did genuinely think adrien was the culprit

related to the matt thing it was the one twist i was not expecting at all nor had spoiled, i mean at one point godot looked like the only culprit possible (and accidentally had it spoiled to myself. rip) and manfred von karma just looks guilty as hell. also his theme song slayed i was mad they reused it in aa3 for the trials and other moments. he did not summon a glass of brandy out of nowhere while in jail for you to do this to him!!!!

i still stand by what i said in an earlier post, the cases with a fey right in the middle of them were definitely the best ones. also i really liked how the third game was practically all about the clan, even the prosecutor introduced in it. it's good that miles got his own spinoff series because we cannot forget that the two protagonists in the aa trilogy are phoenix and maya (and by extension the feys) !!!! you think at first mia will be the deuteragonist but then it turns out it's actually her sister!!!! this is their world!!!! all miles got was one case and even the dl-6 incident was about maya and mia's mother!!!!

not a fan at all of the franziska whip thing. it got old really fast as well. i can excuse murder but i didn't find the whole hitting people with it thing funny or entertaining.....it bothered me to the point i couldn't stand her tbh. remake the entire trilogy without her hitting people with a whip and i'll stan

already said a negative thing above so i'll say another one now. the gumshoe shit salary thing got old extremely fast like by the third game it felt like he got reduced to only saying he can't pay the bills and how all he eats are instant noodles. no idea what happens in the investigations games but i hope miles gives him a huge raise or i will keep hoping gumshoe petrol bombs him!!!!

kinda related to the gumshoe thing since they are both comic relief characters but larry also got turned lowkey into a creep that both phoenix and edgeworth couldn't stand while in the first game phoenix literally describes him as a "likeable guy who has been my friend since grade school" and thinks of him as a "good guy at heart" (started the first trial for these two quotes alone) miles also never describes him as a bad person or even a loser, he's a bit too silly alright but that's it. justice for larry!!!!! the writers don't know shit!!!!!

a while ago i said mia was too hot to live (i stand by it) but now i can add to this that diego was also too hot to live (he technically didn't die but you know what i mean) had they both lived and continued dating they would have outslayed outserved outcunted every single attorney in whatever country the games takes place in i mean murder suspicions aside no wonder dahlia wanted them both dead

speaking of dahlia i mean yes i wanted mia to beat her ass in both of her trials but before finishing the final trial in the trilogy i replayed aa3 case1 and like. ok yeah dahlia was highkey a girlboss like come on she staged her death at 14, murdered her half sister, (almost) murdered a lawyer in the courtroom and quickly disposed of the poison, attempted to kill the PROTAGONIST, killed her ex, and as a literal ghost she tried killing maya???? shelly de killer wishes i'm not sorry

speaking of mr. diego armando/godot i do wish it had been foreshadowed even slightly in the previous games, i mean there is a huge chance they had not planned it that early on in the series but still you know. planting seeds here and there. maybe in grossberg's office or even in fey & co. wasn't grossberg involved in another case in aa2? was that the final case? i forgor but maybe show something in his office by then? considering from the morgan scene post case 2 they had already planned stuff for later idfk. the fact that maya knew of him but was never mentioned by her even in the third game feels weird

oldbag was the best witness character by far. missed opportunity to have her interact with larry on scren so they could both give edgeworth an aneurysm. wuved will powers too ❤ can't be a coincidence the two slayest mfs came from the same case (even though i consider it the weakest one in aa1)

i am acros-girl till the end. free my man (from jail and being in the floppest case)!!!!

aa1 case 5 despite the new features and fitting quite well despite having been added later wasn't that hot tbh. it felt too long and i couldn't really connect with ema and er. her sister i forgor her name. the damon gant reveal was obvious from the moment he popped up too. COME ON even his leitmotif was evil as hell. on the other hand it also was the case that made me realise how much i missed maya LMAO sorry ema but you will never be her. starr and jake slayed though

aa1 fucked severely, aa2 was kind of boring honestly i can only say i enjoyed the second and fourth cases. aa3 was really good, but even though i cried and everything i didn't think its final case was as good as the fourth cases in the previous two games. it started very well but it kinda lost me with the pendulum honestly. i can accept channeling the dead but i have my limits!!! i also felt that the final segment with maya and godot could have been done better, a lot of time got spent on the stupid ass pendulum, not enough time spent in the emotional beats

this is a thought i had yesterday but it made me laugh that both desiree delite and matt engarde are brunettes who wear red clothes and like riding motorcycles. also come on one is rich and the other likes spending money??? you would think desiree is actually a matt who escaped jail and started hrt so shelly de killer wouldn't find her #girlboss #dahliawishes

i thought the whole trilogy being in 2d fit the game really well, honestly i'm kind of worried re: apollo trilogy and tgaa because i know some of it is in 3d but somehow i don't think it fits the style? also this is stupid maybe but i like how the only people that are voiced are the attorneys saying "objection" or "take that" or "hold it" in court, idk if they are voiced in the other games or not but i'd fear that. giving them enough time to speak and hear their accents would ruin the experience for me SJFLSDJKFJSDKL

i liked that the final scene of the game was with pearl and maya, in case you haven't realized it yet this is the phoenix and feys trilogy!!!

ok i was finishing this and i realized i had not talked about the gay lawyers at all. i see it and everything but also i think phoenix could do better. all in all it was gay but nothing that drove me insane playing the games (phoenix becoming a lawyer "to save him" was homosexual activity through and through though. same with the "unnecessary feelings" line

final thoughts: the feys would survive succession but not a single roy would survive ace attorney. also i hope aa7 is about ami fey's spirit getting revenge for the amount of times her urn got broken

[bookloveravenue]

Devon Falls (book 1): Fauxmance in the Falls by J.E. Birk

I'm here to destroy this town. How did I end up in a fake relationship with its hero?

I've spent my life proving to my grandpa and dad that I'm more than just the Lewis family mistake. So when Grandpa sends me to Devon Falls, VT to take some ridiculous leaf festival to court, I head straight there and get to work.

But Dr. Jack Lancer keeps getting in my way.

He's everywhere. Helping me out with my migraines, making me dinner, insisting people be nice to me even though I’m the enemy. Who is this guy? The next thing I know I'm pretending to be Jack's boyfriend to get him out of a bind. I swear he's putting kindness pills in my food or something.

Jack thinks he can fix me the same way he fixes everyone else. But I'm not broken. This podunk town will be when I'm done with it, though. And Jack? Well, he's about to learn the meaning of the term "collateral damage." Because I'll do anything to win this case and end this festival.

Even if it means losing something that feels an awful lot like love.

Fauxmance in the Falls is an age-gap romance featuring a small town full of quirks, a grumpy lawyer and a charming physician, a fake relationship gone wild, some inappropriate use of a doctor’s office, and a healthy mix of humor and angst. It stars Benson Lewis, who first appeared in the book Counterpoint.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62701687-fauxmance-in-the-falls

********

April 4, 2023

My Review: 5/5 Stars

Been looking forward to this book since I heard Benson was our main character! For those who don't know, Benson is first scene in Counterpoint. I definitely recommend reading that one before you jump into this book. You get a better appreciation for who he is and how far he has come and changed as you are reading this story. Benson wasn't my favorite when I first read Counterpoint but it becomes clear that we don't know everything about him. And I was definitely not disappointed to learn about Benson and his past. So the story starts with Benson being sent to Devon Falls help a client prove he is the owner of the land where the town has their famous festival. Benson knows he'll be the bad guy here but also knows that if he succeeds perhaps his grandfather and father will actually acknowledge him and how far he has come. He just needs to keep his head down and don't ask questions. But that soon becomes impossible when Benson comes across pieces of this case that don't seem to add up quite right. Then to make things more complicated, Benson never expects Jack. The hot single doctor taking care of his nephew who needs a bit of help himself dealing with his ex-in-laws. Benson still isn't quite sure how he ends up being Jack's fake boyfriend when he sees how awful they are being. Jack, meanwhile, has felt like a failure for a while. Failed in his marriage, failing to help his nephew with school. He tries so hard but it seems to backfire on him every time. And when he meets Benson, who saves him, he can't help but feel like he's found something he's been missing all along. These two were so sweet! They had such a nice balance to one another. Where Benson knows he can come off as a jerk, Jack is endlessly patient and sees past that prickly side of Benson. And neither are perfect in this maybe not so fake relationship. They have issues to deal with and we get some twists and turns on their way to their happy ending. And just some plot twists in general that happened were so good! I couldn't put this story down. We got some great new characters, great old ones making an appearance, and a town that is just a hoot and where you'll want to move to. Really loved this first book in this series and I can't wait for more!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[sonicboomseason3]

Sonic boom season 3 ep where omega uses his experience in law to defend shadow in court. (he was accused of killing fastidious beaver and no one really cares but still. Murder. He also is 100% guilty) Edgebot from the Brude episode is the prosecutor. Omega manages to pin the blame on sonic somehow and then fastidious beaver just. Walks into the court room. Turns out he just got knocked out instead of actually killed(which was the goal). No one knows how they managed an autopsy without actually harming him. The episode ends with T.W. barker asking Omega to defend him in court against charges of extortion. Omega gets paid for none of this btw.

HELP? i already wanted to come up with an episode that was a parody of ace attorney and you just fed me thank u. also you are so based for the multiple references to my other posts no one normal would say this but im so glad i turned on anon on tumblr dot com

anyway lemme add on to this:

its obvious from the get go to the audience that shadows guilty. not because hes a bad liar or anything he just doesnt care to pretend. what does he have to lose? his freedom??? the prison doesnt want him they know better than to attempt to detain him. his reputation??? right, because hes so clearly known for his innocent harmless and gentle demeanor with everyone. hell if he goes down as the one who killed fastidious beaver, people will finally take him seriously again after being forced into so many comedic scenarios for this blasted shows universe. the only thing stopping him from standing up and outright confirming that he did it is that hed never hear the end of it from omega whos high key excited for his debut as a lawyer

tw barker wanted to continue his lawyer career so he practically begged shadow to hire him but like... he does c/rypto on the side and shadows an anticapitalist king so he essentially told him to eff off

the "courtroom" is just meh burger reorganized so half of the tables represent the prosecutors desk and the other half the defenses. the restaurant counter is the judges chair. there may be an actual courthouse they can do this at but after that one time omega left the restaurant he got placed under house arrest or should it be called restaurant arrest? is meh burger technically his home or……… he cant leave or else a self destruct switch will activate is what im trying to say

(hi its me from the future <3 apparently anons idea resonated so hard with me that i got kinda carried away with my little additions and i dont wanna be obnoxious if i can help it so im putting this under a read more okay continue on. or not if you dont wanna hear about how literally the entire trial goes i guess)

knuckles is the judge which makes perfect logical sense

the detective is vector whos televising this entire trial while hes at it. he barely has anything to work with because a CERTAIN SOMEONE disposed of the body but from what he could piece together fastidious beaver was being annoying at meh burger so shadow grabbed him by the scruff, dragged him over the counter, and dunked his head into the deep fryer. as anon mentioned he somehow survives this

sticks conducted the autopsy and by that i mean she whacked fastidious beaver in the head with her boomerang a couple of times and when he didnt wake up from that she hurled him into the sea. once again this makes perfect logical sense its not like we have other characters much better equipped to be scientific about this. and he somehow survives this as well

edgebot looks exactly like omega except with more spikes. he wants revenge against shadow for besting him at Brude™️ which is why hes doing this. from this episode onward hes omegas main rival in the field of law and also theyre brothers since they were both created by eggman. M1KU is their sister. orbot and cubot are their eldest siblings. what a nice family

oh and instead of yelling "OBJECTION" each side just fires a projectile (ice cream for omega, knives for edgebot) at the other robot causing sogginess and scratch marks

all the other characters are the gallery and theyre sitting outside on the grass watching this all go down with varying degrees of attention. eggman in particular feels very conflicted because he wants to support edgebot but he doesnt want to make omega feel like the unfavorite and of course he doesnt want to root for shadows downfall either

witness 1 is dave who was standing right next to shadow when he was committing the deed and did absolutely nothing to stop him. omega gets him to recant by pelting him with ice cream nonstop and giving him hypothermia

witness 2 is amy who was at the front of the line to order when this went down and also saw everything but omega cracks her testimony by getting her to admit that shadows back was towards her at the time so she cant say for sure that was shadow. sure no one else around is a black hedgehog with red stripes but she cant prove it was him can she?

witness 3 whos infinite is mainly there to testify about shadows character and of course he starts talking so much trash about him and painting him in the worst light possible. "also those red things next to his eyes? theyre UGLY." "YOURE THE UGLY ONE YOU MASK WEARING FREAK!!!" shadow yells as he leaps from the defendants chair and tackles infinite to the floor because these two in the boomverse would be so catty you will not change my mind about this. a recess has to be called

rouge whos witness 4 is also there to establish character and shes one of the few who isnt intimidated by shadow so when asked questions about whether hes capable of doing this shes like "lol maybe idk can i go to my manipedi appointment now" (side note but shadows constantly at a loss for words when it comes to rouge precisely because of this. none of his threats ever affect her so if he cant scare her then What Else Can He Do)

eventually omega pushes everything onto sonic by saying he was disguised as shadow to frame him which is an accusation that comes out of left field because in case you werent paying attention sonic isnt involved in this incident/trial AT ALL. he was sitting in the gallery for the first half of the proceedings but grew bored so he left only to be forced to come back when hes accused. insert sa2 references here yada yada faker etc etc youre not even good enough to be my fake blah blah blah live and learn

shadow surprisingly is pretty against the direction this trial has gone because it actually really pisses him off when people imply that he and sonic look alike even when it directly benefits him but just when hes about to put his foot down and own up to the crime (omegas fun be DAMNED) fastidious beaver comes in "correcting" his grammar and everyone freaks out. especially him.

omegas disappointed that his first trial was ultimately a dud but then tw barker comes up to him and tells him hes in trouble for extortion and omega ALMOST accepts until he learns that the incident involved c/ryptocurrency

[phdmama]

Self-Promotion Saturday

except it’s Monday because I got distracted

Proprosals & Weddings

DRARRY

I Think I Want to Marry You (T, 6247 Words, Proposal)

5 times Harry Potter asks Draco Malfoy to marry him and Draco doesn't answer. And then the one time he does.

all of me (loves all of you) (G, 2844 Words, Proposal)

“What did you say?” Draco finally finds his voice and sees Potter shrug one shoulder.

“You heard me.”

“I heard you,” Draco concedes, “but I’m not sure I understood you, Potter, because I do believe you just suggested that we... get married.”

“I did,” Potter replies, and runs a hand through his hair, not meeting Draco’s eyes. “Yeah, I did say that. Suggest that.”

Completely baffled, Draco sets his coffee down and swings all the way around so that he’s straddling the chair and stares at Potter. “Are you quite well?”

this could be real (T, 2911 Words, Accidentally Married)

“The only thing that might make this worse,” Harry hears Draco mutter, “Is piranhas. Are there fresh-water swamp piranhas, Potter? Because that would just be the fucking cherry on the shit sundae that has been this entire mission.”

[Please note: this is a vignette that leaves room for more story. Please do not continue or finish it for me! Thank you for your understanding!]

Second Chance for a First Kiss (T, 4767 Words, Accidentally Married)

What happens in Vegas... can change everything.

LARRY

no heart for me like yours (no love for you like mine) (E, 46562 Words)

When Harry Styles, wedding dress designer to the stars (sort of) and Louis Tomlinson, wedding planner and relationship expert (kind of) meet on the occasion of their sisters' engagement, sparks fly. But not the good kind. Louis thinks Harry is a dick and Harry thinks Louis is an asshole.

That doesn't last long.

The road to true love isn't always smooth or uncomplicated. Can two stubborn men find their way?

[Note: while this isn’t a proposal or wedding fic for H&L, it’s a very wedding-centered fic and I think it fits! I also have to say that this is one of my favorite things I’ve ever written, so if you read Larry, I’d love it if you’d give it a chance!] 

Dance Me (to the End of Love) (E, 19306 Words, Proposal)

You would think that it's a simple process - you meet, you fall in love, you get married. But when you add one lawyer and one overly-competitive high school teacher to that equation, it's no longer a straight line from beginning to end. Or the story of how a simple proposal becomes a competition where no one loses in the end.

For Better and For Worse (M, 12681 Words, Proposal/Wedding but also TRAUMA!)

Written for the HL Summer Exchange - based on the prompt: "Harry and Louis have been together for 5 years and they've been getting questions when they would be getting married and start a family. Bur Harry doesnt have the time. They were arguing one morning when Harry had enough and left for work. He's a doctor and works at the a&e there is a call that there has been a bad car crash and that there is more than one patient coming in. Harry does his job good and works on the first patient and everything goes great until his next patient is Louis."

[Note: this is one of my very first fics! I did take some liberties with the plot but be aware, there is a major medical crisis in this one.]

[ceterisparibus116]

Spiderman No Way Home Review Essay Part 1

I have so many thoughts about NWH that I have decided to post multiple review essays because otherwise this will be a novel. Brace yourselves, my dear internet friends!

Up first: a simple analysis of the similarities between Peter Parker and Matt Murdock for all the Spiderman stans who might want to know more about the random blind lawyer dude that so many theaters cheered for.

Some of the Peter Parker traits that most of his fans love are as follows:

He’s a street-level hero. This means fighting villains who aren’t necessarily threatening destruction of the entire word, but are ruining the lives of ordinary civilians. As a result, the stakes actually feel scarier. Not because destruction of a city or neighborhood creates per se higher stakes than destruction of the whole world, but because destruction of a city or neighborhood actually feels possible. If a movie let the bad guy destroy the whole world, what’s next? Nothing; franchise over. And so we don’t believe that it’ll really happen (at least, not without a way to reverse it, which usually feels cheep and contrived). But a movie could absolutely let the bad guy destroy a city or especially a neighborhood. In other words, the tension skyrockets in street-level conflicts because it feels, at a meta level, like the good guy could actually lose.

He’s a street-level hero. On the list twice because there’s a second key result to this: Peter actually knows the people he’s saving, and he cares about them. Whether it’s the guy who runs the bodega or the woman he gives directions, Peter is at the same level as the people he saves. He’s not isolated in Avenger’s Tower or spending most of his time out in space, only to show up when he’s needed. He lives daily life alongside them. He’s also intimately familiar with the things that matter to them. He gets frustrated by subway congestion or the price of gas going up just like they do. And it adds so much meaning to his heroism!

He gets hurt. And this goes double once he no longer has his nanotech suit. (I get why they gave him a nanotech suit: he needed it to realistically function at the Avengers’ level.) (Except why didn’t they give Clint and Natasha nanotech suits too? They’re just humans????) But now that he doesn’t have the suit, he gets beat up. Bad. He has his accelerated healing, but his movies still are more likely than other movies to let us feel the weight of the punches. This too heightens the stakes and the tension and makes him more relatable.

He cares about everyone. This will actually be the topic of a second essay because I literally cannot stop talking about it (sorry to friends and family who’ve had to put up with me this weekend), but for now, let me just briefly say: Peter Parker even cares about villains. Just, like…think about that for a sec.

His guilt complex is off-the-charts. Everything bad that happens, he finds a way to convince himself it’s his fault. This is certainly not healthy from a psychological perspective, but it is also quite relatable. And it makes him a much more sympathetic character than other heroes who are quick to pin the blame on external factors such as other people or circumstances. The fact that Peter takes responsibility wherever he can shows his humility. The fact that he takes too much responsibility is also, frankly, fertile ground for emotional hurt/comfort fics that, y’know, let us work through our own issues (whaaaaat, who does that) via his character.

He thinks his friends are better off without him. This is related to the above point, but is so poignant it deserves its own discussion. That scene at the end of NWH where he had the script written out to tell MJ who he was? I knew immediately that he’d never go through with it. He’d see her living a semi-happy life, but more importantly a safe life, and he wouldn’t want to risk ruining that for her. Even seeing her revert back to her default-to-disappointment mentality after finally having some hope wasn’t enough for him to reenter her life.

He’s a nerd! His unapologetic enthusiasm for knowledge! Need I say more?

Now, there are certainly other factors about Peter that we love (e.g. the fact that he’s literally a teenager, his defiant optimism, his eagerness to please everyone he encounters, etc.), but the above points are definitely up there among those I see people most often discussing and celebrating (and angsting over). And I highlight these points especially because guess who also shares every single one?*

Matt Murdock, y’all. He and Peter express themselves incredibly differently, due to different personalities, upbringings, and simply being in different stages of life. However, both their environments (now that Peter is back to being a street-level hero, at least) and their core values are all but identical. For this reason, putting them together is absolutely fascinating. And painful, but wholesome. And will basically restore your faith in humanity.

And that is one reason (but not the only reason) why I am thrilled that they chose to introduce Matt Murdock via Peter Parker’s story, and not anyone else’s.

*Matt is a nerd about law not science, math, engineering, and technology but you get the point!

Tl;dr: if you love Peter Parker, you’ll probably love Matt Murdock.

[dejwritesarchived]

the dilf/milf au for this selfship prompt !!

✧˖*°࿐ synopsis + warnings — ran takes over his ex-wife's pta duties & meets deja ( selfship one shot, slight crossover between hq & tr, profanity, mentions of anti-vaxxing, mentions of infidelity, a little pta drama, at first i was going to make this all drama, but it's literally just humor, super short bc i got writer's block )

✧˖*°࿐ tags — @gabzlovesu @misss-chrisss @festive @kookieflvr @ceeriusly-dumb

THIRTY-EIGHT-YEAR-OLD RAN HAITANI WHOSE NOW FRESHLY DIVORCED & LAYING LOW IN CALIFORNIA AFTER BONTEN EXCESSIVELY TOOK OVER JAPAN. He wanted to yell so hard at his ex-wife who sat across from him with her lawyer exclaiming that he isn’t involved in his twins’ lives like that. His ex-wife threw her PTA duties that were once weighing her down all on Ran. Which didn’t help his case when he found out she’s the president of the damn PTA for their twins’ school.

Ran Haitani whose facial hair was sprinkled with mixtures of grey and black colored hair that covered his chin. While his hair that was formerly lilac back in his Bonten days was back to its natural color and cut nicely with an undercut. He was quite a looker when he stepped into the room full of women the afternoon for the first meeting of the year. His brown plaid button-down shirt sleeves were rolled up a bit revealing the vintage watch his brother gifted him. His wedding ring finger is now free from the silver ring that once bonded him and his wife’s marriage. And he’s holding the folder his ex-wife gave him all over the things to discuss for the first meeting.

“Don’t forget to remind Sheila to calculate all funds for this year, even though I’m sure you can pay for all of the things we do for the kids yourself. Also, this group of ladies is gossipers. Don’t pay it any mind, but if they’re talking about someone, try to stay on whatever side they’re on. You do not want to be on the receiving end of their daggers.” He remembered his ex-wife saying.

As he sat down at the head of the table, waiting for everyone to settle in he would observe the room. Ran listened in to the women’s gossip just to get the energy of the room. The same gossip his ex-wife told him to always take their side because you didn’t need the rich parents backing out on finding anything for the students. Ran thought it was childish. Gossiping at their ages, but he couldn’t blame them. When your husbands just threw their cards at you, kissed you in the morning, and went on about his day. What did you expect?

“Did you hear about Arya’s mom?” One mom questioned.

Ran remembered that name. He remembered one of his twins talking about a little girl named Arya in their class. According to one of his twins, he said that she was the only one that could tell him and his brother apart. Which then led to both of them gushing so cutely about the child.

“What was her name again?” Another mom asked. “Destiny? Doja? Ah, Deja.” She remembered but gained a snicker from the two women she was talking to.

“Sheila, you knew her name didn’t you?” One mom asked.

Sheila who had one of the richest husbands in the room would snicker, “It’s not really important to remember,” She adds. “Anyway, what about her?”

Ran pretended to read over the notes in the folder he had. Half listening to the gossip the ladies were spewing out.

“She and Ushijima got a divorced.” One woman says.

Sheila let out a chuckle, “Am I shocked? No. The way you got them is the same way you’ll lose em’”

“I just can’t believe that she would think her…the mistress would have a happy ending,” One mom responded.

“I just feel so bad for that child Arya. She just seems so bright and has such a dutz as a mom.” Sheila adds.

The ladies burst into a fit of giggles and laughter as they belittled the woman they were talking about it. But soon that laughter stopped once the door was tugged open. Ran’s lilac hues glanced up from the folder as a woman walked in with her head held up high. Her tight fitted white tank she wore showed a bit of cleavage and the flare jeans she wore hugged her bottom half perfectly. She accessorized the outfit with a Pandora charm bracelet, Cartier bracelets, Dior slides, and a matching Dior tote bag. She sat in the back and instantly tugged out her iPad and prepare for the meeting.

Ran couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. He sat sipping at his coffee and occasionally glancing at the clock in the back of the room to start the meeting. But as he went back to the notes, he could hear Sheila make a snide comment. He instantly looked up to witness what was going on.

“Mrs. Wakatoshi…I mean…uh..Ms. Deja…don’t you think your outfit is a bit too revealing. I mean we are in our children’s school right no—“ Sheila’s words were instantly cut off.

“Fuck off, Sheila.” The woman answered never lifting her eyes up from the iPad.

Ran let a snicker escape his lips which cause Sheila to glare at him. Ran cleared his throat before gaining the attention of each woman in the room. It was like high school. Everyone was so catty over something that didn’t involve them.

“Alright ladies, let’s get this meeting over with.”, Ran exclaimed. “I’m Ran Haitani, father of Ichiro and Jiro. If you don’t know, my wife and I got divorced. I’m just going to throw that out there so you won’t be talking about me when I’m not in the room. Similar to what you do to the woman in the back,” He bluntly says as he motions to Deja who head never shot up so quickly.

“I will be taking over my ex-wife duties and I prefer to do so in the most professional and less drama-filled way,” Ran adds. “Any questions?”

The room was quiet as Ran knew he caused the room to be so tense. He flashed them a charming smile before speaking once again, “Good. Now let’s try to finish this meeting before our children get out of their after-school activities.”

As the meeting went on, Ran noticed just how catty the women were. He thought a meeting with Bonten was chaotic, but this one took the cake. He noticed how similar to what his ex-wife said they had one target. That target was Deja. She was the one at the receiving end of the dagger. Any idea she brought up, they trashed it. A suggestion she suggested, they refuted it. They were ganging up on the poor woman right in his face. Did his ex-wife really just sit and let this happen?

But the thing is Deja didn’t back down and perhaps that’s why Ran was showing interest in her. The meeting went on and was coming to a close as the moms and Ran were suggesting end-of-the-year trips for the students.

“I just think Disney Land is a bit much for a bunch of eight-year-olds. Plus, can we even handle a bunch of eight-year-olds at Disney Land?” Sheila questioned as she looked at the group.

Sheila had some of her friends back her up, pitching in comments about the dangers of it and so on. “See, others agree.” Sheila’s hand motioned to the other mothers.

“The children will be perfectly fine, it’s Disney Land,” Deja chirped in. “If you can’t handle your own children, just say that Sheila. I’m sure we can always find someone to replace your chaperone position.” She gave Sheila a kind smile causing Sheila to roll her eyes.

“It’s not that, what about expenses? Disney isn’t cheap,” Sheila argued.

“Awww, Daniel’s bank account getting lower?” Deja questioned.

“Excuse me?” Sheila asked. Her eyes glared at Deja.

Ran grabbed the bridge of his nose before letting out a sigh. “Isn’t that what fundraisers are for or whatever you guys use to help raise money,” he said. “We’ll discuss fundraising ideas next meeting, but I like the Disney Land idea as the end of school year trip.” He said.

Sheila was the first to leave, mumbling profanity words and nasty remarks as she left the room to go get her child. Bit by bit each mother left the room telling Ran bye in the most flirtatious way. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the fact that these same women used to hang out with his ex-wife and now that she wasn’t in the picture, they were now attempting to imprint him in the nastiest way. As Ran shoved the papers he had back into the folder, in the corner of his eye he could see Deja leaving the room also. Ran had quickly left the room to catch up to her as she was walking towards the room where a majority of the students were participating in their after-school programs.

“Do you two always argue like that?” Ran asked.

Deja looked over at him and would only give him a sly smile. “Yes, your ex didn’t catch you up on the PTA drama? I’m kinda the lone wolf in here.” She shrugs her shoulders.

The two of them stopped waiting outside the room for the students to be released. Deja would motion her head to Sheila, “Daniel aka her husband is indeed going broke.” She says. “Sheila is stuck being a mean girl to cover up the fact that her life is as shitty as the people she gossips and looks down on,” Deja adds.

“Then next to Sheila is Courtney. Her daughter isn’t even her husband’s.” Deja says. “And last but not least, Ava…she’s an anti-vaxxer and paid the school under the table to falsify her children’s medical records. So, I advise you to tell your twins to stay away from her kids.”

Ran’s lips formed an ‘o’ shape as he was taking in all the information. “And you? What they said about you, is it true? You know with being a mistress and stuff?”

Deja looked at him and nodded. “Yes. I don’t have no shame in it if people are going to talk badly about me regardless if it’s true or not.” She shrugs. “But I respect you letting everyone know you and your wife divorced. The amount of moms that talked about you is quite interesting.”

“What would they say?” Ran questioned. His eyebrows narrowed together.

“How hot you were, rumors about your income…the usual gossip,” Deja explained.

The duo watched as the children ran out of the room to greet their parents. It seemed like Ran and Deja’s children were last to leave the room, with huge smiles on their faces as they greeted their parents. Deja would watch as her daughter hug her friends goodbye before eventually grabbing a hold of her hand. “I’ll see you around Mr. Haitani.”

“You can call me Ran.”

“Well, then see you around Ran. Bye Ichiro and Jiro.” She gave them a smile and was walking with her daughter.

Ran watched the woman walk away and in his mind, he had already imprinted that he wanted her.

[thestarrynightslover]

It’s a Good Day to Have a Bad Date

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader

Word count: 2,383

Warnings: Slight mentions of an OC with criminal priors, violent tendencies, and a juvenile record. A teeny-tiny bit of angst.

Summary: The reader meets Jay as she's trying to find out stuff about the guy she's about to go out with and ends up switching dates.

Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the One Chicago shows, or its characters, also not associated with it in any way or know anyone involved with it.

A/N: Just to make one thing clear: I did some research on Illinois's laws  (not sure I got it right tho) and, apparently, this fic is very inaccurate. But I really wanted to pursue the idea, so just humor me, please 🙏🏻. Anyways, I had a lot of fun while writing this and thought about making a part two... But I'm not sure. Tell me what you think! 💗

| masterlist |

You inhaled deeply one more time before you walked into the police district. There wasn’t even a real reason for you to be so nervous about it. You weren’t a victim and you weren’t a criminal. So, what’s the worst that could happen? 

The worst that could happen was, of course, you getting a bunch of cops mad at you because you went to waste their time with some pathetic whining. It was decided, you were gonna turn back around right now, while you still had time, and just go home.

On second thought, though, it was a matter of public safety. Your safety. Which was just as valid because you were just as much of a U.S. citizen as anyone else. So you went in. 

Shit. The place was almost empty, which meant everyone would notice if you left. And they’d ask questions, so you figured you’d, at least, get ahead of them, as you walked shyly towards the front desk. There, you were met by an older woman who looked bored, and still, terrifying.

“Can I help you with something?” She asked you, while cautiously checking you out. Oh my God, she thought you could be a victim! You were such an idiot.

“Um, it’s, um, it’s actually nothing, really. I shouldn’t even have come here in the first place.” You told her while smiling a little. What you didn’t know was that what you said had only raised more flags in the sergeant’s mind, even catching the attention of a tall man writing some things down on a paper at the corner of the counter. The young detective stayed back because he knew that Platt would know how to manage the situation, but continued listening to every word of the conversation.

The sergeant, then, took her glasses off, setting them on the counter. “Listen, miss, my name is Trudy Platt and the reason why I became a cop was that I wanted to help people, in every way that I possibly could. So, if you need my help with anything, just tell me what it is. And, I promise, I’ll do everything in my power to give it to you.” She assured you and, as much as you felt this huge sympathy for the woman, you also felt even worse about making her waste her time. So you tried to fix things.

“Oh, my God! I’m so, so, so sorry! I’m not a victim in any way, thank God. I said that I shouldn’t have come here because I’m not even sure if what I wanted to ask is legal…” You told her with a nervous laugh. Hearing that, the Sergeant’s eyes sparked with curiosity.

“Well, then I probably won’t be able to help you.” She told you, stressing the ‘probably’ and making the man at the end of the counter shamelessly turn his face in your direction in order to better hear your conversation. “But… Since you’re already here, and it’s been such a slow day for the District, maybe you should just ask me whatever you want to and I’ll be the judge of whether that’s legal or not. After all, unless you’re some sort of lawyer, I should know more about the law than the average civilian.” The Sergeant skilfully baited you.

“Um, no, I’m not a lawyer.” You confirmed with a small laugh while tugging some of your hair behind your ear. “Actually, since I’ve just recently moved here to Chicago ⎼ to Illinois, really ⎼, I’m probably a lot below your average civilian.” You stated with a giggle. At that, the guy that had lost his discretion about eavesdropping started chuckling a little himself, to which the older woman responded with a look you’d absolutely hate having directed to you.

“So, Chuckles, you have nothing better to do than to stay here listening to other people’s conversations?”

“First of all, it’s detective,” he started in a mocked smug tone, “and, second: no, uh, I actually don’t. I came to fill this paperwork down here exactly because we were about to kill each other upstairs, just to get out of the boredom.” He added, raising some paper files he had in-hand. “Besides, you know how much I, too, love to help people.” He said while shooting you a charming smile. Okay, that guy was pretty handsome. “Jay Halstead, nice to meet you.” The detective informed you, holding out his hand.

“Right, um, nice to meet you too, sir.” You replied, shaking his hand. “I didn’t even say my name, what a clums!” You joked while patting yourself on the forehead. “I’m (y/n) (y/l/n).”

“Okay, just, please, lose the ‘sir’ with that one, otherwise, he’ll never let it go.” Trudy chipped back in the conversation.

“So, what was it that you wanted to ask the sarge? I can assure you that we’ll let you know if it’s illegal. After all, two judges are better than one.” He suggested, all smiles.

“Since when?” The sergeant practically barked at the younger man, just to add: “You know what? You wanna be here at my front desk, Halstead? Then be here, but be quiet and let the lady talk.” She bluntly ordered him, who decided to do as he was told.

“Alright, um, it’s just that this guy who I don’t really know anything about asked me out and I said yes, even though I got a bad vibe from him?” They just stared at you with their jaws dropped, so you added: “Pathetic, I know. But I didn’t really wanna judge him without any proof, or anything like that, so I figured that, maybe, I could try and check if he has any criminal priors or something.” You finished with a tiny embarrassed smile.

“And why on Earth would you think that we could give you this type of information?” The sergeant asked you, her expression being one of pure shock.

“I, uh…” You didn’t really want to embarrass yourself even more but felt the urge to explain anyways. “It’s just that I’m a small-town girl, okay? And, over there, everybody knew my family, so, whenever I wanted to go out with someone, my dad would just ask his buddies at the Sheriff’s office to look the guy over. And he always told me that that was really important, so, when I moved to the state’s capital, I just wouldn’t go out with anyone unless a close friend vouched for him. Because I was terrified of what I’d see and hear on the news. But here… I don’t really know anyone yet.” You blurted it all out, to two strangers! To two cops who probably had something, or somethings, better to do than to listen to your whining. “Anyhow, I’m really sorry that I wasted your time, guys. Won’t happen again.” At that, they exchanged a look, and the sergeant said:

“You know what? You’re right, kid. The world is a dangerous place. And, unfortunately, it is even more dangerous for us women. So I’m gonna look the guy up. But I’m not gonna tell you exactly what it says if something comes up.” She told you, much for your surprise, and, then, turned to the detective, saying: “If you say a single word about this to anyone, and I mean anyone, Chuckles, I swear to God that I’ll cut your tongue out myself.”

“Geez, sarge. How can you swear such an ugly thing like that to God?” He asked her, in a mockery tone, while making a hilarious expression.

“Ha! Keep that up and your tongue won’t be the only thing I’m gonna cut.” She threatened him again and you couldn’t help but burst into laughter when he made a shocked expression and put his hands protectively over his crotch.

“For your information, I wanna help the girl just as much as you, so I wouldn’t say anything. You didn’t have to threaten me.” He tried to recover, as you handed her a small piece of paper with your possible date’s name.

“Oh, I know. But I wasn’t about to miss out on the opportunity.” She shot back at him while typing the name on the District’s computer. “Okay, here it is... Wow."

"What? What is it?" You asked her, as you watched the detective perk himself over the counter to look at the screen.

"Jesus. This guy's got himself quite a rap sheet." He commented, making you shiver, thinking of what could happen to you, if you went on with the date.

"What exactly do you mean by that, detective?" You asked the man who probably noticed your discomfort, because he spoke again, in a tranquilizing tone:

"No, relax. It's nothing too bad, like violent or anything. But there's some pretty nasty stuff here." He told you, not really making you relax.

"There's something here, though." That caught the detective's eye again. "His juvenile record is sealed, the only thing I can see without a warrant is an observation from his caseworker. She says something about him having violent tendencies." She told you with a sigh, taking her glasses off again. "Look, I know that I can't tell what to do and what to not do, (y/n), but, as a suggestion? Stay the hell away from this piece of work. You seem like a nice enough girl, I'd hate to see you come in here as a victim someday."

“Oh, God, no! I heard you loud and clear, sergeant! Don’t worry about it, I’m canceling that date ASAP!” You exclaimed, agreeing with her.

“That’s great!” The detective spoke this time, sounding a little too happy about the fact that you were about to cancel a date with a man who had criminal priors and violent tendencies. So both you and the other woman stared at him. “Err, I mean because you’re not gonna go out with him.” You just giggled a little at the way he was digging an even deeper hole for himself. “Because he’s a bad guy.” He added, once again getting a glare from Trudy. “You know what I mean.” He finished, defeated, not looking in your eyes.

“Well, uh,” you started, trying to keep yourself from laughing too hard, “anyways, I can only thank you both. You guys got me out of something that could be really unpleasant, to say the least.” You told them, a bit more serious this time.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. Just glad we could help.” Detective Halstead said, smiling kindly at you.

“Yeah. This time, I actually agree with you, Halstead.” The sergeant half-joked.

“Aw, that’s very kind, but, really, thank you!” You restated your gratitude, then asking: “I should probably get going now, right? Stop wasting your time?”

“It’s not like we were doing much before you got here-” Trudy began saying, but was interrupted by the detective, who quickly told you:

“Yeah, you should go. You know, cause a police District…” You knew he was right, but those two seemed like really nice people, especially after having helped you dodge a bullet, so to speak, and you’d hoped that you were finally making some friends in the Windy-City. “Anyways, um, lemme walk you out.” He offered you while motioning to the door. At that, you and the sergeant shared a look that told you she also found it weird that the detective would wanna walk with you through such a minimal distance.

“Uh, um, o- okay.” As you and Halstead walked towards the exit, you couldn’t help but notice what nice features he had. Like, your mind just kept going back to what a good-looking man he was.

“So…” He trailed off.

“So…” You answered, not really sure about what to say.

“You know, um, it’s gotta be a hell of a bummer for you. Being here in Chicago without knowing many people. This city… It’s all about finding your community.” He told you in a sympathetic tone.

“Hum…” You breathed out as you thought about it for a moment. “Yeah, well, I guess that I can only hope I’ll have better luck at making acquaintances the next time I go out to explore it.”

“Right.” The detective agreed. “Uh, listen, I know that this may sound a little too forward, but, maybe, I could show you some of my favorite places, someday? I mean, only if you’re interested! Because I don’t want you to feel like-”

“Actually, I’d very much like that! If it isn’t going to be any trouble for you…” You cut him off excitedly.

“No! No trouble at all!” He quickly assured you. “Um, thi- this is my card.” He said, lifting up a small business card for you to see. “I’m gonna write my personal number on the back of it. Call, or text me when you have some time to go out. Or if you just want someone to talk…” The handsome man added with a smile. God, what a smile.

“Okay, um, thanks, dete-”

“No, please! Call me Jay.”

“Alright,” you acknowledged, a little nervous this time, “then, thank you, Jay. Just, be advised, I can be very talkative sometimes, which means you might regret giving me this.” You warned him with a sly smile while waving the card in front of his face.

“Huh.” Jay pretended to consider it for a moment. “Is it too weird if I say I have a feeling that I won’t regret it?” He then asked you with a cute shy smile.

“Well, it sure isn’t weirder than me saying that I really hope you don’t regret it.” You confessed to him with a wink.

“Hey, are you two gonna take that flirting elsewhere on your own, or do you need me to get you a room?” You heard Sergeant Platt call out, blushing immediately.

“I’m so sorry about that!” Jay told you, looking a little flushed himself. “You should probably go now.” He added with an apologetic smile.

“Yeah, I think you’re right..” You agreed, but, as you were turning around to leave, he grabbed your wrist lightly, saying:

“Just… Don’t forget to call.” Hearing that, you snickered a little.

“I have a feeling that I won’t.” You told him, almost repeating his previous words, which got some chuckles out of him.

Now you understood the nickname.

[tiramisiyu]

【未定事件簿】 Tears of Themis: Main Story 7-35 Translation

Translation Masterlist | Video

Chapter 7 – Rains of Monte Cristo: 7-1 / 7-3 / 7-5 / 7-7 / 7-9 / 7-11 / 7-13 / 7-15 / 7-17 / 7-19  ♦️ ♦️  7-20 / 7-22 / 7-24 / 7-26 / 7-28 / 7-30 / 7-32 / 7-34 / 7-35

Content Warning: This section contains topics that may be uncomfortable to some readers (mentions of abuse). Please proceed with discretion.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

Court Hallway

After the trial ended, I did not leave immediately. Rather, I waited in the hallway for Hang Jiahe. 

Soon, she walked over, guarded by two bailiffs.

MC: Miss Hang.

Hang Jiahe: What are you doing here? Are you going to laugh at me?

Hang Jiahe: Are you happy to have beat me?

MC: You’ve misunderstood. I came to tell you something.

Hang Jiahe: What?

MC: Actually… this examination report…

I took out that last examination report again.

MC: Due to time and technical limits, we currently do not have the identification results.

MC: When I showed it in court, I just wanted to add psychological pressure onto you.

Hang Jiahe: …

Hang Jiahe froze for a few seconds, but she then responded quickly.

Hang Jiahe: You tricked me… you tricked me… hahahahahahaha!

She suddenly burst into sharp laughter.

Hang Jiahe: I didn’t lose… I didn’t lose…

Hang Jiahe: I still got my revenge!

MC: …

MC: Miss Hang, can I ask you something?

Hang Jiahe: What do you want to say?

MC: You said in court that Qi Yu tried to hold Hang Fei back “that night”.

MC: But you still murdered her out of hate for her bystander position, correct?

Hang Jiahe: Yes, I hated her for being a coward, hated her for being too scared to resist Hang Fei, hated her for looking on for so many years without lifting a finger!

Hang Jiahe: She knew during those years what Hang Fei was doing to me, so why didn’t she save me?

MC: …

Hang Jiahe: Then… did you know that Hang Fei had also been abusing Qi Yu during those years?

Hang Jiahe: I did. How could she not have been beaten, with how cowardly she was?

MC: Then do you know why she was beaten?

Hang Jiahe: Why?

MC: …

I took out my phone and opened a video featuring Qi Yu’s abuse. That small woman was lying weakly on the floor, passively enduring the man’s punches and kicks. But she kept mumbling something –

“Don’t hurt Jiahe… and those children… stop it…”

Hang Jiahe: What…

MC: Miss Hang, did Qi Yu never do anything during all those times you were abused?

MC: Are you sure that every time, she chose to be a bystander, rather than being forced into her position?

MC: Did you know that Qi Yu said those words in each of the videos she was beaten in?

Hang Jiahe: I…

Hang Jiahe froze for a second, but then she immediately reacted.

Hang Jiahe: So what, then? What do you want to say?

Hang Jiahe: That I misunderstood her? That I shouldn’t have killed her? Then does all the pain I suffered for so many years even matter?

Hang Jiahe: You want me to absolve her? To forgive her?

MC: You’ve misunderstood. That’s not what I mean.

MC: I am not you. I have not endured your suffering, so I cannot request for you to forgive anyone.

MC: I haven’t seen what happened during those years, so I cannot judge whether Qi Yu was actively or passively making her decisions.

MC: And I definitely can’t carelessly determine whether she sinned or not.

I stopped for a moment and looked at Hang Jiahe’s gloves. 

In her mind, she probably was the Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantès – someone who had been wronged and could only get revenge for herself. She believed herself as intelligent and as lucky as Edmond, that she would ultimately be the winner. But…

MC: But even Edmond would figure out the situation before his revenge and repay his benefactors.

MC: I’m telling you this, only because I hope you’ll understand what sorts of people you sent away.

MC: I hope you understand that there have been people who intended to treat you kindly.

Hang Jiahe: …

MC: Also, Miss Hang, I can guess why you were not willing to ask for help from the police.

MC: In that sort of situation, you may have thought that you couldn’t rely on the outside world to go against them.

MC: But even so, me, Captain Morgan, and many, many people still have to do something.

I flipped further into the examination report.

MC: Even if Hang Fei is gone, the things he’s done will not disappear with him.

MC: This is the report we’ve created. Captain Morgan’s already sent it to upper management and applied for international cooperation.

MC: Miss Hang, we will bring you the justice you deserve for the pain you’ve experienced.

MC: As for the last few people, I promise that they will receive the punishment they deserve.

MC: So, for the rest of your life, please don’t live in hate.

MC: You’ve already stayed in the darkness for long enough. Please try to take a step forward.

MC: Doesn’t it say that in your beloved “The Count of Monte Cristo”?

MC: “He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness.”

MC: Miss Hang, if possible, please try it.

MC: Perhaps the light you’ve always been searching for isn’t too far away.

Hang Jiahe: …

Hang Jiahe: Ha… ha… hahahahaha!

Hang Jiahe broke into sudden, sharp laughter. It sounded like a heartrending sob was woven in it, as it resounded in the empty hallway, melting into the rain.

Amid the grey deluge of rain, specks of light leaked through. Maybe the downpour would finally end this time.

Not long after, Simon’s homicide case opened trial, and Wang Chunchong was deemed the murderer. Xingrui Estates declared that they would be depriving Xu Yin of her position and removing her from the family. Only Tyson received the weakest blow, as the evidence for instigation of murder was insufficient. However, lots of people online were saying that they hoped he would “succumb to the demon of illness as soon as possible”.  

Thus, the homicide case of the couple in Yaofu Community came to an end.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

NXX Base

After the Hang Jiahe case concluded, the NXX investigation team met up at the base again for discussion.

MC: That’s how the Hang Jiahe case went.

Marius: Thanks for your hard work!

Artem: Thanks for your hard work. You did excellently.

Luke and Vyn nodded at me.

MC: Thanks, everyone.

MC: Enough about me – how’s everyone else’s investigation?

Artem: I’ve already updated Tyson’s case file. I haven’t found any new clues for now.

Marius: I followed what Wang Chunchong said and investigated that guy named Xiao Ren, but…

Marius: I haven’t found anything for now.

Luke: You also found out about Xiao Ren?

Marius: Huh?

Vyn: What a coincidence. I, too, found out about him.

MC: !!!

Luke: Marius, what information do you have on Xiao Ren right now?

Marius: Mainly what Wang Chunchong told me before.

Marius sighed.

Marius: According to Wang Chunchong, Xiao Ren is linked to Heirson’s raw materials purchases.

Marius: Tyson held Xiao Ren to very high regard, and keeps his occupational information on severe confidential status.

Marius: All in all, this person seems pretty mysterious.

Marius: What about you, Luke? What did you find?

Luke: The aunties in the group told me that Zhao Fei kept looking for someone called “Xiao Ren”.

Luke: I suspect that Tyson brought up this person in the recording that he sent him.

Marius: That’s possible. Wang Chunchong also heard Tyson bring up Xiao Ren, so there should be some sort of link between them.

Artem: Luke, that’s not all the information that the assistive team provided you, is it?

Luke: Yep, that’s not all.

Luke: First, the workers in Heirson where the abnormalities appeared were mostly on the production front lines, so what they touch the most are the products.

Vyn: They probably mixed in their developed illegal drugs into the products, resulting in infection.

Luke: That’s right.

Luke: Secondly, about Zhao Fei…

Luke ripped out a page from his notebook and placed it on the table.

Artem: These names are…

Luke: When I was questioning these ten people about Zhao Fei, their reactions were a bit abnormal. I suspect that…

Luke: They’re the ones hiding Zhao Fei.

MC: What about you, then, Dr. Richter? You just said that you also found out about Xiao Ren.

Vyn: I spoke with half of the 20 special respondents and noticed that it was the same doctor in charge of their examinations.

Vyn: And that person is named “Xiao Ren”.

Vyn: So I suspect that this person knows many secrets regarding Heirson’s experimental data.

MC: If so, this Xiao Ren person knows about where raw materials come from and can deal with the experimental data…

MC: If we can find him, we might be able to patch up the missing part in our evidence chain against Heirson.

Marius: So this Xiao Ren is going to be our investigative focal point from now on?

Luke: Leave it to me, then. I’m the best when it comes to finding people.

Artem: Then leave Zhao Fei to me. I just happen to have something I want to confirm with him.

Vyn: I have only met with the special patients. I will continue to meet with the remaining bunch.

Vyn: Marius, what are your plans?

Marius: Me? I plan to go see Hang Jiahe.

Marius: She wanted to find reporters in the past to drop major news about Heirson, and she’s now in jail…

Marius: We should find out what this news is.

MC: Oh yeah, I’d forgotten about that!

Marius: So, jiejie, want to come with me to see Hang Jiahe? After all, only the two of us know her the best.

MC: Uh…

I suddenly had a bad feeling.

Luke: Marius, do you really need someone to accompany you just to go see someone?

Marius: I’m not going to see a typical person, am I? I’m going to see someone who might give us an important clue.

Marius: It makes sense to be a little more cautious and bring someone else.

Luke: Then just bring your assistant. If anything else, then bring some recording equipment.

Luke: Convenient, and it can record in real time.

MC: …

Right after, Artem spoke.

Artem: Zhao Fei’s case was ours to begin with, and now that we have clues…

Artem: MC, let’s finish it off, alright?

MC: Lawyer Wing…

Vyn: I may be overstepping, but…

Vyn stepped in just before Artem could speak again.

Vyn: May I trouble you to go with me next?

Vyn: There’s a special patient that I need your assistance with.

Faced with their “eager” eyes, I was very sure that –

The investigation team seriously needs to recruit a new member!

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼ CHAPTER 7 END  ✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

[findingjoynweirdstuff]

Dream SMP Recap (February 16/2021) - The Hotel Opening

After weeks of work, Tommy’s hotel is finally done and ready to open! There is still work to be done, though.

First order of business? Hire some help.

Later, Karl and Sapnap (with Bad’s assistance) continue work on their brand new nation and gift it a proper name: Kinoko Kingdom.

---

VOD LINKS:

Ponk

Foolish Gamers

Jack Manifold

Ranboo

TommyInnit

Skeppy

Hannah Rose

Captain Puffy

Karl Jacobs

Sapnap

---

- Ponk works on an Oogway shrine.

- Foolish continues work on his summer home.

- Jack works on his restaurant.

- Ranboo checks on L’manhole. The Vines have reached the surface and are continuing to grow upwards.

- Ranboo checks around, unsure if the Vines were this bad before or if they’ve gotten considerably worse...

- He slips up and says he thinks the Egg is fine before immediately assuring himself that the Egg is not fine. 

- The Egg is a problem, but what are they going to do about it? Everyone the Egg has infected is too deeply connected to it.

- Tommy comes on to see the finished hotel!

- Sam Nook couldn’t be there because Awesamdude’s power went out, so Sam shut off.

- Tommy explores the hotel and gets into conflicts with two different cats.

- Sam offers the option for an upgrade, but it’s a hefty price.

- Tommy gives a speech about the hotel representing the dawn of a new era.

- He wonders who he should hire, since he needs people for his hotel. Tubbo is too busy -- he settles on Jack Manifold.

- Tommy meets with Jack at Jack’s restaurant and asks Jack to work for him.

- Jack puts on the scheming music.

- Tommy tells Jack he needs a right hand man, someone he can “be malicious to and get away with it.”

- Tommy shows Jack the tiny basement room that can be his and asks if Jack is familiar with drugs and torture chambers. His plan is to get people into the hotel, string them up, and charge their families for ransom

(Jack points out that he could just get people to pay for rooms)

Tommy’s plan is to scam people, and he explains in great detail that Jack will have many opportunities to screw him over and he will also not be wearing much armor.

He drafts up a contract with an NDA to “tell no one,” written by “Lawyer Innit.”

- Tommy names Jack his Junior Assistant Employee.

Tommy: “You owe me.”

Jack: “I will pay you back everything you deserve.”

- Tommy sees how much the Egg has spread.

- Jack goes mining.

- Tommy goes chopping wood and sees the prison. He remembers that he told Dream he’d check up on him a while back.

- Jack gives a speech. This time, it’s all about him. No relying on the Blade, no relying on other people. It’s just him.

- Tommy and Tubbo “canonically Skype.”

- Ranboo sees the hotel and is impressed. Sam built this for only 2.5 stacks of diamonds? Imagine what Ranboo could have him build.

- Jack confirms after a dono asks that his death to Tommy was canon in addition to him losing his things.

- Jack asks Tommy about all the diamond blocks that Tommy has, and why he’s mining diamonds right now. Tommy tells him he likes to keep his personal business and his work business separate, and Jack is an unpaid worker, or “S-L-A-V.”

- Ranboo visits the hotel again just as Tommy returns to it and they lock eyes in silence for a few seconds before walking away. Social interaction successfully avoided.

- Tommy stands on the roof and looks over at the prison. He talks about how he’s avoided going to see Dream, perhaps due to the trauma of it. But now everything is fine. The hotel is finished, he’s got an employee...he thinks he needs a bit more closure.

Next stream, he’ll go to the prison. He’ll read the books, and then maybe he’ll finally get the closure he seeks.

- Jack comes to the roof and gives Tommy the diamonds.

- Skeppy and Bad come online and Skeppy sees the hotel. They wonder whether to destroy it. 

- They want one of the suites.

- Skeppy begs for sand.

- Bad and Skeppy go out into the ocean and make an island home.

- Hannah fights a wither.

- Captain Puffy plans to finish her secret bunker and write in the Captain’s Log some more as she continues to gain intel on Badboyhalo.

- She also hints at character development lore happening soon.

- She puts up more Omelette propaganda.

- She also adds more signs to her planning wall.

- Ranboo hits subgoal after subgoal! 

- Karl comes through a portal into a cave and fights two books and a Wild West poster in a chest. He begins writing the story of the Wild West.

- He goes up and finds himself in the remnants of the old library. The Crimson has overtaken it. His skin has changed again: the colors on his sleeves have flipped from the back.

- He writes Diary Entry #???

- Karl says the Egg has gone too far. It’s taken over Party Park. Bad replies that the Egg has done nothing wrong, Karl is just being mean. Sapnap wants to kill it, but Karl just thinks they should get away from it.

- Sapnap notices that Karl’s clothes are different.

- They head over to the new lands and see Jack’s restaurant. Sapnap wants to conquer it for their territory, but Karl decides to give Jack time to negotiate (but he also robs Jack blind)

- They run two votes on Twitter and a poll between the two name options:

Pulu Pulu vs. Kinoko Kingdom.

Kinoko Kingdom wins both.

- Next, they try and figure out the flag design.

- Karl goes down into his quarters to flip through the journal entries. Sapnap asks if he can come into the quarters but Karl says no.

- Quackity logs on briefly and they canonically kiss.

- They continue work on the library.

- Sapnap plans to create the equivalent of Church Prime somewhere in Kinoko.

- They build some more.

--- Upcoming Events:

- Tommy’s visit with Dream

- Many other possible visits with Dream

- Prison guard introduction stream