#i honestly love everyone and can’t decide on one person but I can highlight those people | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

shiki-aki · 4 months ago

Text

“You told me to go wherever I like, but I want to be with you until the end.”

A Shikiaki Meta

Part Two: Shiki and Akira’s Encounters (I)

A sharp burst of wind; the flash of naked steel.

[Previous] Part One: Akira's Characterization

This is part two of the meta where we’ll finally get to analyzing Shiki and Akira’s initial encounters. I ended up splitting this part in half because it was getting too long, so part three of the meta will be a direct continuation of part two.

Just as a heads up, I’m going to be rambling a lot more going forward because there’s just so much I love about every single Shikiaki interaction that it’s difficult for me to organize my thoughts and lay them out in a concise manner, but I'll try. Also, I’ll probably gush over Shiki a lot, but I’ll keep it to a minimum (no I won’t lol).

The reason why I’m not ordering anything into sections but rather just analyzing each scene as they come up is because I feel like there are just so many intertwining layers when it comes to the Shikiaki dynamic, that it’s hard to talk about one aspect of their relationship without inevitably straying into another. Going through every single scene in Shiki’s route and breaking down exactly what happens in them, along with my interpretation/analysis of each scene, is, frankly, the easiest way for me to go about writing this meta, so that’s how I’m going to do it.

We pick up where we left off with Akira going into the alley even though he sees all these people running. This act in particular hints to Akira’s fearlessness, which is a character trait that’s expanded more upon later in Shiki’s route. Logically, what Akira should do is go back into the hotel and ask Rin or Motomi who Shiki is and why everyone’s running away from him. Instead, he lets his curiosity get the better of him and decides to go see who Shiki is for himself, because Akira can’t help but be intrigued by the fact that there’s someone who is so strong and powerful that his mere name and presence would inspire fear into others.

In the alley, he senses a deadly presence and can tell this person isn’t some “common thug” like those other Igra fighters. He sees the blood, the dead bodies, and then the man responsible for the massacre, and Akira instantly deduces that this man is Shiki—the guy everyone is running away from.

Honestly, I just love the tension and buildup to the moment that Akira actually sees Shiki. He can immediately sense what makes Shiki so different from everyone else.

Then we finally see Shiki in this iconic CG, and this is the first line of text that accompanies it:

—Crimson eyes, redder than blood.

I'm calling attention to this line because it tells us the very first thing that Akira notices about Shiki: his eyes.

Eyes are a recurring motif in Shiki’s route. There are several, and I mean several instances in Shiki's route where the text mentions Shiki's eyes. The game makes a point of drawing attention to Shiki's eyes, and since the game takes place from Akira's POV, it's Akira himself who is noticing Shiki's eyes each time this is happening.

From a writing standpoint, it doesn't make sense to point out Shiki's eyes or the color of his eyes so much because in real life, we rarely take notice of people's eye color. Like really, truly think about how often you take notice of people's eyes when talking to them instead of just paying attention to their body language or the words they're saying. It wouldn't make sense for Akira to notice or mention Shiki's eyes in his POV so much… unless there was a deeper meaning behind it.

In Shiki's route, the motif of eyes is repeated throughout the story as a way of highlighting and reinforcing the character dynamic between Shiki and Akira. It's not about their eyes in a literal sense, but about the figurative meanings/ideas conveyed through the motif. When Akira looks into Shiki's eyes, he's seeing and acknowledging Shiki's confidence and strength, his domineering attitude, and his single-minded ambition. When Shiki looks into Akira's eyes, he's seeing and acknowledging Akira's fearlessness, his indomitable spirit, and his strong will.

Simply put, the act of gazing into each other's eyes is about Shiki and Akira acknowledging (and more implicitly, respecting) the character traits that the other has. And it’s this recognition and understanding of each other's psyches that shape their overall dynamic and interactions. Shiki’s overbearing confidence and domineering attitude is what pushes Akira to act more stubborn and prideful, and in turn, Akira’s indomitable disposition is what pushes Shiki into acting more aggressive and forceful with him. It's this back-and-forth struggle between them that makes their individual characterizations shine, because we see how their characterizations continuously grow and develop in response to the other's actions and behaviors.

Their interactions are driven by how constantly at odds they are with each other, and this opposition between them is what leads to their eventual character growths. The more Shiki demands Akira to submit, the more Akira develops a resolve to stay true to himself and follow his own will. And the more Akira refuses to give in, the more Shiki comes to respect him and see how strength can manifest in ways other than physical prowess, and apply that principle to himself.

The recurring act of them gazing into each other's eyes throughout the narrative also doubles as a way of adding tension to their dynamic because let's be real: the way Shiki and Akira look at each other is extremely intense and sexually charged. In fact, the manga does an excellent job at showing the chemistry between their gazes, since it's a more visual medium than textual.

The gist of my point is: a lot of Shiki and Akira’s interactions in the game (and manga) involve them eye fucking each other, and it's narratively important to their dynamic that they do so. It adds sexual tension to their interactions, but it also gives us insight to their characterizations and how they perceive each other.

When Akira and Shiki finally engage in battle, Akira focuses on the weight of Shiki’s sword against his knife. That’s his initial reaction. But then his focus shifts to Shiki’s gaze on him, and while he can’t interpret any emotion from Shiki’s expression, he can identify the bloodlust in Shiki’s eyes. This is already the first instance of Akira being able to gauge something about Shiki's behavior just by looking into his eyes.

Akira’s impression of Shiki is that he looks “like a mannequin,” which is a bit of a strange descriptor to use, but it’s a deliberate choice of words here because this isn’t the only time in the game in which Shiki is likened to a doll. My interpretation of this is that Akira is perceiving Shiki’s strength, demeanor, and appearance as inhuman during this moment because Shiki is leagues beyond anyone he’s ever met, and there's just something about him that makes him stand out from the rest.

And this idea of not being human is an image that Shiki himself very carefully cultivates. He actively tries to cast away his humanity (emotions) in order to achieve what he perceives to be ultimate strength. After all, the only one who was strong enough to make him feel fear for the first time in his life was an emotionless "weapon," so Shiki tries to discard his emotions in pursuit of that same strength, believing emotions to be a source of weakness for him.

Hence why the text describes Shiki's face as "pallid and expressionless" during this scene and likens him to a mannequin. A mannequin/doll doesn't experience emotions, and it doesn't suffer the same flaws a human would when it comes to feeling exhaustion or hesitation or any other limitations in battle. Basically, Shiki wants to be like Nano, because although he'll never admit it out loud, he knows that Nano is stronger than him.

To top it all off, the soundtrack that plays whenever Shiki shows up in the game is called "Invincible," which further demonstrates how he wants to be above his humanity so he can prove (and reaffirm) his strength. The only ironic thing about all this is that he ends up developing an emotional attachment to Akira and feeling affection for him by the end of his route, and this meta is all about exploring how Shiki gets to that point.

It's not a coincidence that the choice selection for Shiki's route involves Shiki and Akira looking directly into each other's eyes. This is what I mean when I say their interactions are about them eye fucking each other. It really could not get any more explicit about how their dynamic revolves around them meeting each other’s gazes and acknowledging each other's core traits and strengths through that act.

This is the defining moment that determines whether you'll end up on Shiki's route or not. If Akira chooses to look away, you won't end up on Shiki's route because Shiki will perceive Akira as weak and disregard him. But if Akira chooses to hold his gaze, then the game will continue on Shiki's route because Shiki will recognize Akira's backbone and consider him to be different from the other fighters who usually avert their gaze out of fear.

The choice is a test of Akira's strength—not physical, but mental. It's already clear that Shiki overpowers Akira in terms of physical strength, but Akira's mental resilience is what makes Shiki interested in him following this exchange.

This moment tells us just as much info about Shiki's characterization as it does for Akira's. Shiki will only acknowledge those who are brave enough to face him head on, and Akira is exactly that type of headstrong person who won't let himself succumb to his own fears and doubts in battle.

I’m including the manga version of the same scene here because it conveys the tension of this moment extremely well, and also because I love Chayamachi Suguro’s artstyle. Mostly because I love Chayamachi Suguro’s artstyle.

The panels are formatted in a way that makes it clear the focus is on Shiki’s and Akira’s gazes, which ties back in with the motif of eyes I discussed before.

Akira recognizes that this isn't just a battle of strength between them, but also a battle of wills. He knows that looking away first would be akin to admitting defeat, but Akira is not the type of person to just roll over and give up easily. His perseverance is what enabled him to survive thus far in the first place.

Shiki calls Akira a "weakling," which pisses Akira off because it's obvious trash talk, but on some level, he knows Shiki is right.

And from Shiki's POV, he does view Akira as weak and beneath him, but he also recognizes that Akira is different from the other fighters. Instead of running away, Akira chose to fight him head on—and that's Akira's own form of strength that Shiki subconsciously acknowledges. If Shiki really did view Akira as a weakling who wasn't worth his time (or had any worth being alive at all), he would've continued his attack and killed Akira right there, but he didn't. Instead he backed off and walked away.

Even though Shiki is the one to back off first, it's clear that Akira is the loser in the fight. Akira understands this; he understands the disparity between him and Shiki in terms of strength. Shiki also knows he's made it clear just how weak Akira is compared to him, which is why it isn't an admission of defeat when he walks away first, but a power move. He knows Akira can't do anything to him.

Honestly, I love Akira's reaction after this near-death encounter with Shiki. He's aware of how easily he could've died in this fight, and yet he feels… elation/euphoria following this experience. This isn't like the fight with Takeru where it could've gone either way because they're evenly matched. Akira was 100% dead here if Shiki actually intended to kill him.

Akira's initial reaction isn't even to feel upset that he lost, but to bask in the excitement of such a thrilling encounter. This is the same guy who couldn't even feel any emotion when fighting in Bl@ster, but it was precisely because nobody in Bl@ster could match up to him and threaten his position as the champion that Akira started to feel numb. The same guy who wants to know what it's like to face death, and is now one step closer to it.

And now that Akira has finally fought someone who's way stronger than him and experiences what it's like to lose a fight, he realizes he's not as strong as he thought he was. This is the moment when Akira finally understands that Igra is a completely different experience from Bl@ster. It wasn't seeing a guy committing necrophilia, or watching the Executioners maniacally bashing someone's head in, or facing an opponent who is evenly matched with him (Takeru) that made him realize that Igra is nothing like Bl@ster. No, it was him getting his ass handed to by Shiki that made him realize this.

I'm going to pause for a moment here to draw a parallel between this Shikiaki scene and Shiki's first encounter with Nano, because it’s hard to talk about the Shikiaki dynamic without going into Shiki’s backstory and explaining his mindset and why he comes to be so fascinated with Akira in particular.

The following quote is what Shiki says at the very beginning of his drama CD:

Shiki: I have never forgotten, not once, have I forgot those vacant purple pupils. The anxiety and the feeling as if I was shivering...What led me to understand what fear was. That sole experience of humiliation in my memory. Since that day, I kept pursuing him. This memory of the weak experience in the past exists to bury that man.

(Credit to silver_spray on Livejournal for the translation. I'll be using their translation any time I cite text from Shiki's drama CD, since they have a full translation of his drama CD in one place.)

The translation is a little clunky, but we can understand what Shiki's saying in his monologue. He's talking about the day he saw Nano at the military base and how he experienced fear for the first time in his life. The reason why Shiki can't let go of this memory, and why he centers his ambition solely on the pursuit of Nano, is because Nano shattered Shiki’s self-perception and made Shiki doubt everything he knew about himself.

Shiki is someone who prides himself on his strength and bases his entire identity around being strong. He thinks that those who exhibit fear are "weak," and that's why he felt so humiliated when Nano made him feel fear for the first time. If experiencing fear makes one weak, then by Shiki's own logic, he's weak and not actually strong like he thought he was. Shiki couldn't reconcile this revelation with his mindset, and it fucked him up severely to realize he was no different from the "cowards" and "weaklings" he looked down upon.

It's not just that Nano made Shiki feel fear during their encounter; it's that Shiki derives meaning in his existence by believing he's strong and proving his strength, so having his sense of self challenged like this messed him up.

And just to make it clear: I’m not judging Shiki’s character by how complex, fleshed out, or sympathetic his backstory/motivation is. I don’t mind that Shiki has a ��shallow” goal, and I certainly don't think that diminishes his chemistry with Akira. What matters to me most is how consistent Shiki’s character is in relation to the themes set up within his own route, and how well he acts as a foil to Akira. Shiki embodies all the values that Akira lacks in his own life (a strong sense of purpose, an inclination to live, the freedom to do as he will with his own existence), and him acting as a foil to Akira serves to further our understanding of Akira's character. In short: I’m judging Shiki's characterization, backstory, and motivation by how well all of these factors come together to form his dynamic with Akira.

In part one of this meta, I explained how Akira’s character embodies the theme of nihilism (life is meaningless, none of your actions have any intrinsic value, death just means the body stops functioning). Shiki’s character stands directly as a contrast to this. His character embodies the theme of existentialism (you create your own meaning in life, your actions define who you are, you have the freedom to dictate your own purpose and reason for existing). Shiki finds meaning in his existence by being strong, and his actions and attitude reflect that. He walks his own path in life and doesn’t let anyone or anything impede him.

After his meeting with Nano, Shiki devotes his life to the goal of surpassing Nano—the one person who made him feel weak, who made him feel fear, who made him taste the humiliation of defeat—and his desire for revenge consumes him so much that it inadvertently becomes his sole purpose for existing.

So the big difference between Shiki and Akira is: Akira doesn’t see any reason to live, let alone a meaning to his own existence, while Shiki has made surpassing Nano his entire purpose and reason for living—his raison d'être, if you will.

If Akira's nihilism makes him believe that nothing in life has any value or meaning, therefore nothing he does matter, then Shiki's existentialism makes him believe that he can determine his own meaning in life (being the strongest) through his actions, therefore he'll devote himself to this one goal to validate his existence.

It’s the perfect setup for their dynamic. It’s not just that Shiki and Akira clash as characters—it’s that their philosophies, the very set of values that shape who they are and how they view themselves in the world, are in direct opposition with each other, but it's this polarity that makes them drawn to each other, and it’s what leads to their eventual character growths.

Again, I’m not an expert on philosophy, but to be fair, I don’t think the game is trying to do a meaningful dissection of these themes, either. It simply uses them as a framework for Shiki’s and Akira’s characterizations and their dynamic, and thus my analysis is also applied that way in this meta. I’m not focusing on their philosophies so much as I’m focusing on how, exactly, their opposing mindsets influence the way they interact and view each other, and how, eventually, their dynamic shifts from mutual hate to mutual respect.

This meta in general will focus on Akira's and Shiki's characterizations because I think their compatibility is most evident in how they individually change and complete each other's character arcs.

Getting back to the point of how Shiki and Akira’s first meeting parallels Shiki and Nano’s first meeting, Nano made Shiki feel utterly weak and powerless for the first time in his life, and Shiki does the same here to Akira. Shiki believed he was the strongest prior to his encounter with Nano, and Akira never fought anyone who could come close to beating him in Bl@ster. Even in Igra, Akira was evenly matched with Takeru. The circumstances are very similar, but the reason why Akira doesn’t feel nearly as devastated from experiencing defeat after his fight with Shiki is because unlike Shiki, he never based his identity or existence around being strong or invincible. Sure, his pride is hurt, and now he knows that being the undefeated Bl@ster champion doesn’t actually mean anything, but he just brushes it off and accepts the outcome.

The point I’m trying to make with this parallel is: Shiki takes up the role of "Nano" in his encounters with Akira, but because of this, he also sees himself in Akira when Akira struggles against him. You could say that Shiki projects onto Akira, and the reason why he likes it when Akira fights back is because it makes him feel validated in his own struggle against Nano.

But as much as I'm trying to say there's a parallel between these two scenes, there's actually a pointed difference: Shiki was overcome with fear when he faced Nano and wanted to "erase" that fear by killing Nano, while Akira stood his ground and locked eyes with Shiki as a way of challenging Shiki’s dominance. In fact, there's nothing in the text that indicates Akira feels any fear during this scene with Shiki; just anticipation and excitement. And this distinction is what leads Shiki to become so fascinated by Akira’s behavior and mindset. When confronted with the same circumstance, why is it that Akira is able to fight back without succumbing to fear?

So there’s two reasons in particular for why Akira stands out to Shiki during their first encounter:

Akira didn’t run away like the other fighters

Akira didn’t show fear/"Look Away" even when he was clearly outclassed in their fight

We know that Shiki considers people who exhibit fear to be weak. So what does that make Akira, then?

I'm leaving that question open-ended because I don't think even Shiki himself can answer that question. He might call Akira a weakling, but he obviously shows a different thought in his actions if he chooses to let Akira live, and Shiki isn’t the type of person whose words should be taken at face value considering he tries to suppress his emotions in order to be strong.

Akira is different from all the people Shiki has met before; there’s no denying that, and this feeling of "I've never met anyone like you" is mutual. For Akira, it's the first time he's met someone who can make him feel completely outclassed. For Shiki, it's the first time he's encountered someone who met his gaze in battle instead of succumbing to fear.

Okay. We are finally done analyzing this (very iconic) scene. Onto the next one.

Akira gets ambushed by three dudes, almost gets raped, also gets his arm stabbed, and then manages to barely escape because one of the guys started having a reaction after tasting Akira’s blood on his knife. Akira tries to process what happened, realizes it’s “pointless to dwell on the matter” and then decides to reflect on his encounter with Shiki instead. Like… this just shows where Akira’s priorities lie. He’s more focused on his encounter with Shiki than the encounter he just had with those three men, even though the latter was a much more dangerous and terrifying situation for him.

"He’s actually got quite the fanclub going."

(Can confirm that a Shiki fanclub exists because I’m in it.)

Jokes aside, if it wasn’t obvious enough before that Akira is interested in Shiki (especially after such an intense encounter), then it should be clear now. He tries to gather some info about Shiki from Motomi but doesn’t learn much aside from the fact that Shiki’s apparently not interested in challenging Il Re and probably has "some other goal."

The next time Shiki and Akira meet is right after Nano leaves a suitcase in Akira's hand and informs him that, "A man will be here soon."

That man turns out to be Shiki. What's interesting to me is how civil this interaction starts out—as civil as you can get with someone like Shiki. The last time they met, Shiki nearly killed Akira, and the only reason Akira came out of that fight alive was because Shiki chose to spare him.

After Shiki checks the contents of the suitcase, he threatens Akira and tells him to "forget everything [he] saw here." But think about it: if Shiki really wanted to make sure Akira wouldn't tell anyone, he could just kill Akira and permanently silence him. And yet he's making the decision to spare Akira, again. Shiki, the guy who's infamous for killing people whenever he shows up and making everyone run away at the sight of him.

Shiki's already treating Akira differently from the rest. If a random thug had been there in the alleyway instead of Akira, I think it's safe to assume Shiki would've killed the guy already without going through all this trouble of making a threat. But he gives Akira the opportunity to live, so long as Akira agrees to his demand of course, and it's probably because he remembers and acknowledges Akira's bravery from their previous encounter.

And now we get the classic Shikiaki moment of Shiki and Akira meeting each other's eyes. Akira is backed into a position where he has to obey or else Shiki will kill him, but we know from Akira’s previous encounters with the police that he hates being pushed around and told what to do, and any time someone tries to subdue him, he responds in a rebellious manner. It’s interesting to note that the text goes out of its way to state that Akira feels fear during this moment, which is understandable given how Shiki has his sword right at his throat and he’s one slice away from dying. But instead of succumbing to his fear and obeying quietly, Akira chooses to defy Shiki.

Shiki asks Akira if he would rather die, to which Akira decides yes, he would. And this decision is so important to the dynamic between them. It's what compels Shiki to keep pushing Akira so that he can see how far Akira is willing to risk death just for the sake of defying him. It's what makes Akira start to develop agency through his actions and find meaning in the choices he makes. This moment is the impetus for their dynamic in the way that it sets up all their future interactions onward.

Akira takes it one step further and even taunts Shiki to kill him. This is how much he despises being subjugated to someone else.

The reason why Akira deliberately provokes Shiki is because it's his own way of trying to take back control of the situation. If Akira is the one making the demands—"You might as well kill me"—then Shiki will technically be the one obeying Akira if he does kill him.

I've been talking a lot about how Shiki and Akira are different, how their characterizations make them clash, and how their philosophies oppose each other on a fundamental level, but actually, part of what makes their dynamic so compelling and intense is that they're… extremely similar when you think about it. They're both stubborn, strong-willed, determined to have their own way, and they refuse to submit to others, which is how you end up with this dynamic where neither of them are willing to relent. Ironically, these traits that add conflict and tension to their dynamic are the same traits that end up making them respect each other by the end of Shiki's route.

Shiki is just as stubborn as Akira is when it comes to not wanting to be under the control of someone else, which is why he chooses not to kill Akira despite the blatant provocation.

The other factor for why Shiki doesn't kill Akira during this scene is because he views Akira as an anomaly. He's so used to other Igra fighters begging for mercy from him that it genuinely catches him off guard that Akira would refuse to beg for his life.

Shiki doesn't kill Akira because on some level, he respects Akira's pride, fearlessness, and determination. Akira doesn't let his fear stop him from lashing out against Shiki.

We know that Akira feels fear during this moment because the text made a point of explicitly telling us so: "Akira felt afraid, but at the same time, he felt a rising indignation." But there's a nuance to it. Shiki thinks feeling fear is a sign of weakness—that’s why he felt so humiliated when Nano made him feel fear. Akira, on the other hand, doesn’t associate fear with humiliation or weakness; rather, being forced into submission is what makes him feel humiliated and weak, which is why he stubbornly resists Shiki in spite of the fear he feels.

The difference between Shiki and Akira is that Shiki lets his fear of Nano control his actions, while Akira doesn’t let his fear control him. And this distinction plays a big role in why Shiki slowly comes to respect Akira.

Going back to the text, Shiki decides to spare Akira, but he calls Akira a “fool.” It’s not really clear why he specifically uses this term to insult Akira, but based on my own interpretation of Shiki’s character, this is what I believe: he calls Akira a fool because he thinks it’s foolish that Akira doesn’t value or respect his own life.

Even though Shiki goes around killing people for the hell of it, I think he actually values life—way more than Akira does, at least. He only kills the people who he deems to be weak, and lets people like Akira and Rin (for a while) live. But I think Shiki’s perspective on life is most telling in the way he views his own life. He dedicates his whole life to achieving this one goal, and goes about it in an extremely unhealthy way, uncaring of the consequences that come with the path he takes.

If Akira doesn’t see a point in living because he thinks life has no meaning or value, then Shiki is the polar opposite of him in that he holds his own life in high regard, such that every action he takes has a purpose/meaning to it.

The text tells us, unambiguously, that the reason why Akira got so worked up during this confrontation is because the one thing he can't stand is people trying to control him. Again, Akira's characterization has been very consistent so far. His interactions with Shiki and the way they play out feel organic because both of their actions and dialogue match what we know of their characterizations and philosophies.

The text also reminds us that Akira was feeling terror during this moment with Shiki. But he's not humiliated over feeling fear; he's angry that he was pushed around and forced to bend to someone's will.

We know how Akira feels after this confrontation, but what about on Shiki's end? Well, this is Shiki's POV from the drama CD:

(For context, he's just killed three men who were on Rein and is dissatisfied by how weak they were.)

Shiki: I know, even if drugs are used, if Line is used, that a suitable person that can show as strong a power as that man won't appear so easily. But the chance is not zero. That's why I am providing the original fluid of Line to Arbitro and going along with his nonsense. But, why is there still this incomprehensible irritation? [Flashback] Akira: Then just kill me. Shiki: You want to give up and seek death? Akira: It's better than having to beg you for mercy. [End flashback] Shiki: Foolish. Just a nobody I happened to let off.

We learn that the reason why Shiki goes around distributing Rein is because he wants to face worthy opponents, and the whole Igra system is set up so that only those who are strong enough to collect a correct set of tags can challenge Il Re. But the thing is, Shiki looks down on people who use Rein for power instead of relying on their internal strength. He’s looking for strong opponents who use Rein so he can reaffirm his belief that self-made strength is superior to the strength gained from drugs.

It's a very contrived way of proving his strength, but it speaks to how much he fears and despises Nano. Shiki wants to surpass Nano, but he knows he can’t get close to him, so instead, he wants to kill those who have gained power via Rein as a way of reassuring himself that he is strong, and that he's better than Nano and everyone else because he doesn't have to rely on the power of the Nicole virus.

Unfortunately, there haven't been any new challengers for Il Re lately, much to his dismay. Shiki mostly spends his spare time killing random thugs in Toshima to sate his bloodlust, and during one of these killings, Shiki feels irritated for some reason. Then his mind flashes back to his encounter with Akira, and it's heavily implied that this memory is the source of his current emotional conflict. He remembers Akira's backbone during their confrontation, then tries to dismiss it by telling himself that Akira is "just a nobody."

It's obvious Shiki is in denial of his own emotions because if Akira really was just a nobody, Shiki wouldn't even be sparing him a second thought like he is now. Clearly that encounter affected him more than he would like to admit. And take note of how this flashback is contrasted with the preceding segment of Shiki mulling over how he hasn't been able to find any worthy opponents in a while, and how even though Rein is spreading around the city, the strength of your typical Igra fighter is still too low for his standards. Shiki's monologue and the flashback with Akira are deliberately juxtaposed in a way that helps us infer how Shiki views Akira.

Shiki recalls this memory with Akira specifically because Akira stands out as an outlier among all the Igra fighters he's encountered. Akira is someone who doesn't neatly fit into Shiki's definition of a weakling. He's not strong because Shiki is superior to him in terms of physical strength. But he's not weak either because he doesn't submit to anyone, and he doesn't give in to his fear of death. Most people beg for mercy in front of Shiki, but Akira is different in that he would rather die than ever endure the humiliation of begging.

We can see that Shiki has started to take an interest in Akira, even if he acts in denial about it.

I'm going to jump ahead now to this other scene where Akira is thinking to himself after the Meal of Duty massacre and his fight with Takeru. It's not a Shikiaki scene because it's about Takeru, but I'm including it here for the sake of Akira's characterization because it provides us some perspective on Akira's values.

The last time Akira and Takeru met was in Meal of Duty. Takeru was on Rein and was fully intent on killing Akira, but Akira barely managed to escape thanks to his blood. By all means, Akira shouldn’t have any reason to sympathize with Takeru or even feel any concern for him, especially after Takeru tried to kill him. It's not like they knew each other all that well, and their encounters were always colored in hostility thanks to Takeru's aggression. Akira shouldn't feel bad or care about what happens to Takeru; he hardly cares about people in general, but he expresses some sympathy toward him because Takeru is different.

Akira himself doesn't really know why he's concerned for Takeru, but he has enough self-awareness to understand that it's probably because he "caught a glimpse of something inside Takeru… some seething passion that set him apart from the other Igra fighters."

I've been talking a lot about how the reason why Shiki becomes so obsessed with Akira is because Akira is different from all the other Igra fighters. Akira doesn't like to back down, he doesn't cower in fear or submit to anyone even when forced into a life-or-death scenario.

But, on the other side of this, Akira also develops an obsession with Shiki because Shiki is so different from any of the fighters he's met before. He's drawn to the way Shiki is so single-mindedly dedicated to his goal and how he'll stop at nothing to achieve it.

I'm not going to go in-depth about it here because I want to save my analysis for when we actually get to the moonlight scene and learn more about Shiki's motivation, but I just wanted to throw that thought out there for now.

---

This is where I’ll end off part two for now. Part three will be a direct continuation of this.

[Next] Part Three: Shiki and Akira's Encounters (II)

#shikiaki #togainu no chi #meta

22 notes · View notes

holdinbacksecrets · 2 years ago

Note

so *plops herself down on the bed* yoongi

it was 2016, I , a naive child of 15 got persuaded to watch fire, and i was mmmm inch resting, this sounds kinda fire (pun intended) but i thought nothing much of it, except that his drunk ass rapping did smth to me. I decided to be wise and set bts aside, i was deep into exo at the time.

Come October 2016, and fucking bs&t drops, and so did my jaw. i got into them, ALL THEIR CONTENT, ALL THEIR DISCOGRAPHY, i ate that shit up like it was candy. And he caught my eye, like his attitude, mindset, persona, it felt similar to me. He's the chill guy at the back of the room with strong opinions (me) and also someone who likes quiet and peace (also me), got a knack for being hella poetic (me?) And is so fucking done with the world and it's bullshit (ME) and still has a goofy side he's not afraid to show to his true friends (me)

So I'm like: YOU.

then i got into the "Agust D" part, the songs, the lyrics, THE LAST. My respect for him just grows honestly, he's someone who i want to be friends with on a deep level. If anything he's an inspiration for me too, there's so many things he just GETS and i can feel that. I know if it's min yoongi then it's about to be a fucking masterpiece. And to me he's still my number one rapper especially as someone's interested in it (and was a dumb aspiring rapper in my teens, we don't talk about her)

he's someone who's been there, done that, yk, a relatable person to me but more of an artist i like deciphering.

I picked him and never looked twice. honestly he's been my no1 since day 1, never mind the bias wrecking the rest of them are doing (*cough* taehyung *cough*) he's just IT.

There are so many parallels between us and it feels like he's someone close to me even if it's parasocial.

so yeah, it's just min yoongi, the ult of all ults, what can i say?

“so i’m like: YOU.” fuck yes. exactly.

“he’s been there, don’t that…relatable…an artist i like deciphering” i love this.

ahhhh reading this was such a joy 🥹 i will always love hearing about fan journeys

since 2016 😭😭😭 god i wish i’ve been with them since then. how wonderful. i love this for you. and bs&t AHHHHHH MAWJDUWJAKQKQ

yoongi is one of those untouchable artists for me. i’m in awe of his talent and artistry, but there’s also such comfort that he radiates. his whole personhood is phenomenal, truly. when you said he’s your bias, i immediately thought ‘that makes so much sense.’ and i love that. i feel like coming to know one’s bias unlocks another part of their soul because oftentimes, the reasons behind biasing someone are so clarifying and deep.

the last is a song i’ll always hold dearly because of how the lyrics struck me when i first read the translations, especially the line about OCD. i was like ‘ohmygod, i’m not so alone in this.’ god, i can see the moment in my head right now.

everything you highlighted about his personality… yes yes yes. i’ll echo your words infinitely because they’re what tied me to him too. everyone i bias is someone i would love to just talk with, and i can’t imagine how enriching a conversation with yoongi would be. his words always shift my perspective, and that’s priceless to me

sometimes, when i want to disappear, i shuffle my yoongi playlist, and it’s like i sink into another world for a while. i’m swallowed by the music, and it’s unbeatable. (i need my people tattoo asap lol)

yeah so i’m never moving past aspiring rapper. this is fantastic. i want to know more now.

#s talks #sadkidwarexpert #life is better when you love and bias yoongi 🐱🥃

4 notes · View notes

predatoryminds · 2 years ago

Text

What is Predatory Minds?

Well, Predatory Minds is one of the few book series I have been working on, and it is my longest running series. I’ve been working on this series for over Eight years, and it is my most important series out of all of the books i’ve been writing. Predatory Minds is a mixed first person P.O.V series covering the adventures of a few unfortunate teenagers who have been unknowingly experimented on by the famous company which is basically this world’s Amazon, who has been working (and buying) it’s way into the central intelligence and governments of the world, Arrowsmith. Bridget Michaels is struggling with her parent’s inevitable divorce, no matter how hard (or not) they try to hide it from her. Secret DJ, otherwise she does moderately ok in school, keeps more to herself, and struggles with acceptance and self-esteem. In other words, yes, she is your stereotypical main character. With both her parents working for the United State’s government, they decide to take Bridget with them to the secret office in New Hampshire (where they live) after giving some lame excuses why she can’t stay home, initiating a tense car ride. This alone is uncharacteristic, since this office is top secret, and very few know of this location. So, Bridget expects this is probably where she will be getting the talk. Well, turns out it’s not the talk she was expecting.... She meet’s a few other unique individuals, all of which belong to families with some form of government ties. Her best (and only real) friend, Jai lee Yang the Third of the Yang Dynasty, (AKA: the Future empress of The People’s Republic of China and Kazakhstan.) a childish and pouty, yet loveable chatter mouth with Daddy issues, and a distaste for the marriage her father keeps trying to set up for her. Lovino Lacino Ricci, a small-time gorgeous Italian model with a heart of gold that puts everyone ahead of himself, and feels rather objectified by his rather questionable family ties. He is also the voice of reason for the group, and the only one who really can tolerate his fiery best friend, Anders. Anders Borja, the sharp tongued snarky, short tempered genius, and traumatized jerk of the group. A conspirest, and the only one seemingly with knowledge of a certain event that they all supposedly were a part of and the first to voice his mistrust towards Arrowsmith. And last, but not least, the fan favorite, Dimitri Udalyat’ Ivanov. A mysterious, impossible to read psychopath with calm, and suave mannerisms. Everything he says is meticulously planned, and he is always smiling. He is the Cheshire cat waiting to strike. And, the so-called 'best-friend' of Jai lee (Who denies it at all costs). What's even stranger, is the fact the four teens of a similar age are brought together, rather than being kept in their separate accommodation after the long flight from their home countries. As each interaction reveals secret after secret, Anders suspicions are spoken aloud by a set of rash decisions, and a set of codes entangling these teenagers' fates. What exactly are these black numbers branded onto their skin, what do they mean? And what actually happened all those years ago when it all started? So, with that description, I hope you look forward to the series, and feel free to ask any questions! Some early art and well concept designs of some characters might eventually be released and teaser chapters will be posted on the official Tumblr. With Predatory Minds, there will be the main series, and after the final issue is dropped, I have been working on many mini series and spin offs of the main characters and side characters highlighting aftermath events, backstory’s pre-dating the main series, and snippet’s from other characters during different events the main few were not a part of. The series, despite involving abilities, is focused on being as realistic as possible in many aspects, and I am trying my best, so I honestly do hope you enjoy it!!! Honestly, this series is my love, and the characters my babies. I really do hope you enjoy this. However, this series will have rather grotesque scenes, and a fair amount of gore. I do not condone the use of violence in real life, and this entire series is fictional!!! Please don't try to reenact any of this in real life if it is not legal, or something a functioning member of society would do. And, no, please do not think that the actions of my characters reflect my personal beliefs or opinions. THIS IS FICTION.

#predatory minds

0 notes

soft-boi-eli · 3 years ago

Note

Hello Hello!

I just wanted to say I love your fics!

ALSO!

Could I request a CC!SBI X Gn! Insomniac Reader! Where the reader is an insomniac (Obviously-) but is somehow a pro at MC!

Like they are basically god at the game! They also REALLY enjoy horror games! They don’t get scared easily and LOVE horror movies! They basically love anything horror/creepy-

ANYWAYS!!

The reader lives off of ramen and Monster energy drinks (For fun-)! They have a Twitch (Which has about 18 mil followers and 14 mil subs!) and a YouTube channel (Which has 20 mil followers!)

They mainly play horror games (Obviously-) and MC!

You can do headcanons or scenarios/images with the SBI! Maybe like playing a horror game together or MC? OR! Maybe some things they do together? Or when they meet up? Or-to many ideas Nightmare-

ANYWAYS!

I don’t really care! And don’t worry about taking too long on it!

ALSO!

Maybe we could be friends? Only if you want too!

Remember to eat, drink, and get enough sleep!

Yes. I lovesthese ideas and I'm gonna choose headcannons due to they are a bit easierfor me to write.

And yes I'm perfectly fine with being your friend! I'm actually happy to make friends on this app so yeah!

Pronouns:nonbinary

Tw: cussing. Insomia, mentions of horror movies. Mention of horror games. Fluff.

SBI with a horror streamer friend head cannons.

*Ahem* tommy wanted to paly a game with you so you choose a game that didn't look like horror until the middle. He screamed at the jump scare and it made both of your chats so happy.

When phil decides to play with you there is literally a silence after a jump scare. Everyone thought he had a heart attack and honestly so did you until he spoke up about accidently hitting his mute button when he jumped.

Wilbur. He's a bit better then tommy but more scared then phil would be. Any little noise won't get him but when it starts to get noticeable the noiseless to him. The jump scare, he'd fall out of his seat and stay on the ground for a bit. You ask if he's good and he literally doesn't answer. He's dead. You killed him. Congrats.

Techno. He'd handle them a bit better then everyone else. Not as good as you but heisnt very paranoid. He literally runs at the noises trying to get jumpscared. While you run after him telling him to stop because if he doesn't then you'd lose and die. And technoblade never dies.

If you all play together both tommy and wilbur pussy out. Techno last the longest and phil the second longest. While you remain the ruler of horror games.

Now how you all met was dream invited you to the dream smp to add to the chaos. Needless to say it got extremely chaotic due to you being on almost 24 hours. You first ran into techno. He seemed confused and skeptical.

You both found eachothers love for potatoes. You set up camp quote close to techno but not too close.

Phil popped in when he needed something for a build and noticed a new name. Talked to you in chat and asked to join your VC. You both found each other talking for a bit.

Wilbur was next. Wilbur got curious over the new person and just hoppedinto the same VC as you techno and phil. He was quick to realize that you were a famous youtuber. Mainly for your horror videos and your extreme Parkcore skills.

In minecraft that is.

Tommy noticing that all of you were in the same VC joined in with shouting. He was low key jealous that everyone was obsessed with you. Then he saw why.

You literally cracked jokes at his shouting.

"Is that an angry pomeranian? Nah nah. It's an angry child. Even better an angry blonde!" - you.

He was shocked and immediately started joking and laughing with you. He wasn't fully angry for long.

Now about your diet. When they heard that you had only eaten ramen and drank angry drinks they were concerned. You lived quite close to techno so when you guys met up he was shocked that you looked as healthy as you did.

He hated the fact that you literally didn't eat anything else.

You told him occasionally you have something other then ramen but you were just too lazy to really cook anything and that you didn't feel like burning the house down.

One month phil, tommy, wilbur, and techno decided to organize a month long sleep over so that they could celebrate your birthday. Phil being quote the father figure cooked different, but easy dinners every night just so you didn't eat only ramen that day.

When they actually arrived though you got a text from Phil asking about your address in your dms. Not think much of it you just sent him your location.

You were going to take a small nap. Just to bost your energy before you went and streamed later that night.

As you were sleeping there was a car heading to your house.

Phil, wilbur, tommy, and techno were all just existing in the car. And when they arrived to your house they didn't expect to actually see a clean house.

You woke to a loud knock.

When you opened the door in your half dazed state you expected a package. But to see four people standing on your porch.

You nearly jumped out of your skin.

You were stuck there blinking at them.

Finally snapping out of it you let them in. Confused on why in the ever loving fuck they were here.

Phil explained they were here to celebrate your 21st birthday and they were here for a month.

You stared at them for a while. Confused on what to do since you haven't had people over in almost 2 years.

But you got use to it.

So when you got done streaming and smelled something other then ramen you were thrown off guard. Like what was that. I haven't smelled that in years.

But after the second day you got use to it too.

For your birthday phil literally made a feast.

Like he found your favorite food other then ramen and cooked it. With that he prepared everything you could dream of.

Your sleeping habits. Let's dig into those.

I'm in no place to talk as right now it's 3:05 in the morning. And here I am.

But when they are over they don't let you stay up till no 3-4 in the morning. They all know the importance of sleep.

But there are those nights where no once can sleep and it results in a late night stream. And streaming for hours none the less.

The amount of accidental all nighters everyone has pulled was immense. But that's what happens with jet lag, adhd, and insomnia.

Literally you get tired randomly. Sleep for only 3 hours. Wake up. Drink coffee, energy drinks, highly caffeinated tea. And don't sleep till late at night.

Pillow forts.

It's a must and it happens. Horror movies, pillow forts, and snacks. Like you all are in this massive fort, watching horror movies, one by one you all are falling asleep. You and techno were the last up due to technos active mind and your body not letting you sleep.

You two literally just vide there, changing the movies from horror to some silly animated movies, like how to train your dragon, frozen, Luca, and many others.

You two pull an all nighter and it's actually a bet to see how long anyone else takes to notice.

You bet an hour. Techno says all day.

You won. Philza notices the worse eye bags under both you and technos eyes and immediately starts scolding.

He is papa bird and he won't let anyone of his children neglect their needs.

"Did you even drink water at all? You guys should of been sleeping not binge watching horror movies all night!" -philza

You could only offer a smirk, along with a laugh.

"I think we did I just can't fully remember. Also we were watching animated films. Not horror. Surprised you didn't wake up to let it go." - you.

You turn to techno.

"You owe me 15 bucks pig boy!"-you again.

Handing you the money he rolls his eyes. "Yeha yeah. Rub it in." -techno.

Ah yeah they found a horror game that you were scared of surprisingly. It was actually surprisingly you hadn't played it yet.

Outlast.

You had been holding off that game until you finished your other one but here you were. Bored out of your mind.

So you decided fuck it.

That game teriffed the shit out of you. It was so good though.

When you screamed they all came rushing up due to the fact that you never scream.

They say you out of your chair, on the floor, blinking. They thought you were hurt.

But you sat up and looked at your computer.

"Damn. That was actually really good." When you looked behind you and found the boys all staring you smiled and waved.

"You need something?"-you

"You screamed. We heard a thud. We thought you fuckin died!" -tommy.

"No I'm alive. My soul almost divorced my body but it's still quite here."-you

That day made highlights.

The popular y/n actually got jump scared. The one person who never screamed at horror games screamed.

When they left you were sad yes but they were still your best friends. Ready to talk when ever you want.

Sometimes I think that you guys talk all through out the night. Them forgetting that you were actually in a different time zone.

Sometimes they pop into your streams, be it MC, horror, you just talking to your fans, or even the once in the blue moon, cheerful games.

They just pop in and start talking to you. And you talk back like they were there since the beginning.

Phil is now one of your moderators too. Along with tommy, wilbur, and techno. When they pop in they make sure no one picks on you.

And since you are now close to the SBI. You are now part of it.

You didn't choose the fans did. But they are your new family. No matter what.

Even if they disagree with your eating habit.

Or energy drink addiction.

Or insomnia.

Or you mainly playing horror games.

Or you basically living in your streaming room.

Or even the nearly 24 hour streams.

I could go on but I'm not gonna.

I'm tired. But I can sleep. 2 days and I get to have a tour of my new school.

And it took so long to finally get into it.

We have been going through a huge hassle even before school started to get me enrolled.

And then we had to get me into this program.

But now on Monday I get to go in. Get a tour. Then start either Tuesday or Wednesday.

Anyway hope you liked. It's now 3:50 and it's no proof read I'm sorry

819 notes · View notes

charthanry · 3 years ago

Text

BBS: P’Aof Tells His Story, His Way

In several interviews as well as his Soonvijarn EP8 recap, Nanon reveals that if we want to know who P’Aof is as a person, we would only need to watch the BBS finale, saying “it’s so Aof!” I thought this was really telling so wanted to dive a little deeper into what I think this means.

We all know that the source material for the show came loosely from the novel. I say loosely because really beyond the basics (childhood rivals, family feud, and character names) a lot of the series was original to P'Aof and his scriptwriters. I think a more apt description would be "inspired by the novel." I say this not to belittle or disregard the source material in any way, but more to highlight the significant changes P'Aof's team made to Pat and Pran's story. Changes that were met with an overwhelming positive reaction by all those who loved the novel as well as those who went into the show without any preconceived ideas of what we were getting.

So, back to Nanon's comment that one only need to watch EP12 to know and understand P'Aof. I think he meant the reveal that Pat and Pran chose love above all else. They decided that they weren't going to let the toxicity change who they are and what they mean to each other. They instead let everyone else’s issues stay external and separate from their relationship. They said our relationship is just that, ours. Everyone who can’t accept it, can go screw themselves. And honestly, that is so refreshing. I know some might critique that it’s sweeping obstacles under the rug, ignoring reality, or even romanticizing love as being capable of conquering all, but really, why can’t it? If you love someone and you’re not hurting anyone else by doing so, why can’t you set everything and everyone else aside for your love? It’s not that complicated.

So, what can we infer about P'Aof from this? As a queer man telling a queer love story, I love that he normalizes falling in love – that their genders weren’t even up for discussion, not with the parents, not with their friends and not with each other. Moreover, we had moments that drove home “I like all genders” or “maybe one day I’ll like girls, too” or “it’s our son’s date, not ours, he can date whomever he wants.” P’Aof’s story was never about queer identity. In fact, it went out of its way to show that it was gender blind. AND THAT IS SUCH WONDERFUL AND POWERFUL MESSAGING. Love is love to P’Aof. It’s not boys love, it’s not girls love, it’s love that’s no different from what you or I have experienced, it’s ALL LOVE.

Everyone can see that Ohm and Nanon have a very special relationship with P’Aof, one that is deeply rooted in friendship and respect for one another, but most of all TRUST. Why else would Nanon agree to do his first (and possibly only? sobs) BL simply because P’Aof was at the helm and said it would be a perfect role for him. And why would Ohm agree to take on yet another BL without hesitation once he heard Aof and Nanon were involved? After all, he’s a genre veteran and doesn’t NEED to do it for his career. It’s because they both trusted P’Aof and his vision for this very specific story. His list was short, and they were the only two names on it. And his intuition paid off because they delivered Pat and Pran onto the screen and right into our hearts. Nanon said if not him for Pran, then who? Indeed. Likewise, if not Ohm as Pat, then who else could do justice to the character? It isn’t a stretch to think P’Aof and his scriptwriters pictured Ohm and Nanon while in the writing room even before the roles were offered.

And the trust goes both ways. You can see it in their easy affection for one another. OhmNanon believed P’Aof that these characters were meant for them and he in turn trusted the boys to bring Pat and Pran to life. And a lot of this had to do with the overall message he wanted the audience to takeaway, leaving it in OhmNanon’s capable hands to impart on screen – that love can truly overcome anything. It can be blind to challenges, it can choose not to see color or gender or status, it just IS. All because two people decided they wouldn’t let any of that nonsense darken their world. And that’s the crux of EP12 and the entire show, really. Love is love, your willingness to fight for it means it’s yours to have and keep. It’s yours to work at and maintain and build, no one else’s. Is it idealistic of P’Aof? Yes, sure. But what’s wrong with creating an ideal world for yourself? And really, if not you then who? Especially with all the craziness that’s happening in the world, why does love even have to be questioned? When truly it should always, always be the answer, every time.

278 notes · View notes

ofoceansandtombsanew · 2 years ago

Text

how gently do the clouds and flowers sway

tags: gn!reader, reader has dendro abilities, fluff, pre!relationship

a/n: a new addition to the god!reader cinematic universe. finally felt inspired to write a little more for it and decided to give yun jin some of that love. yun jin is such a lovely character, you can really see how much love went into crafting her. it took a long time for her to finally be released to the game for those who knew about her since the first leaked images, but it was definitely worth it. i maxed out her friendship recently and thought she’d be a great match for god!reader. also don’t mind me making blatant references to the cruel prince at the beginning lmao. the opera she’s creating in this fic is a reference to the poem ‘a spring morning’ by meng haoran

春眠不觉晓，处处闻啼鸟。夜来风雨声，花落知多少。

“I can’t thank you enough for your help.” Yun Jin smiled appreciatively. Red eyes sparkled with a warmth reminiscent of the lanterns at festivals. “Everything was so last minute but you’ve been keeping up with everything. I insist we pay you.”

“I told you already, Ms. Yun.” You took a pleased sip from your tea. Morax, or Zhongli as he went by now, wasn’t exaggerating when he said snow blossom tea was exquisite. You’d certainly have to ask him where to come by some in bulk. “You don’t need to pay me for this. This isn’t really a commission for me, so much as a cultural experience.”

It was honestly.

Liyue Opera was a tradition you had yet to discover in all your times exploring the nation of Geo. It was certainly much different than the instruments of your people, the dances you’d taught them and the rhythms you swayed to. You loved it. Yet you were drawn to the different practices of opera.

“If you’re so taken with it,” your old friend began after you expressed your interest over dinner. “I would recommend a performance by the Yun-Han Opera Troupe. If one truly wishes to experience Liyue’s opera, they should see the performance of Ms. Yun.”

Little did you know that rather than watching it, you’d be taking part of it. Well, to be more exact, you’d be doing work behind the stage. As it would turn out, Ms. Yun herself was in need of assistance.

“The director of the troupe has been wanting to add a little flair to their performance of one of their older operas, A Spring Morning.” Zhongli explained, much to your growing interest. “They wish to incorporate falling flowers into the highlight of their performance. I was told they were simply going to buy flowers and find a way to have them fall onto the stage without being overtly obvious.” A knowing glance was given to your fake Vision you carried on your person, similar to his own. “But I’m sure a wielder of Dendro could make the job easier.”

Now here you were, enjoying a cup of tea with the troupe’s director a few weeks later.

Yun Jin didn’t look happy with your suggestion. Every week she insisted you accept payment and every week you declined in similar fashion. “But this commission is lasting a lot longer than we expected!”

A Spring Morning had risen in popularity with this collaboration of yours, now it was all everyone wanted to see.

First you would use cherry blossoms.

The next time were crocuses.

You’ve also created showers of peonies, primroses and tulips.

Perhaps I should make petals flow to where even the audience sits. You wondered. The next performance was going to be the last one of A Spring Morning for a few months. This one has to be truly exceptional. Her magnum opus!

“You’re honestly doing me a favor.” You insisted after realizing the singer was still waiting for you to say something. You’d pick the flowers you’d conjure next time when you were alone. “Honestly! I’ve seen many things in my time traveling. I’ve seen the acorn before the oak, the egg before the hen.” You couldn’t help smiling as you spotted the one growing on your new companion’s face. “I’ve never come across anything like Liyue Opera before, I’m simply glad to be able to help bring a project to life while learning about the artform.”

“Oh Mx. (Y/N), I think you’ve just developed a flair for the dramatics.” Yun Jin replied with an amused lilt of her voice.

“If I have, it’s only because I learned from the best. I’ve been told your troupe is the best in all of Liyue.” You replied without missing a beat. “But I’m not exaggerating in the slightest. Money isn’t an issue for me, it isn’t why I travel.”

Unlike your friend, you’d been masquerading as a human long enough to understand the concept of Mora. In some ways, that lughead hasn’t changed at all. You wanted to snort, remembering how seamlessly he placed a tab for the meal you shared at a restaurant he recommended. How does the creator of Mora not have any to speak of now that he’s mortal? He’s lucky he’s so well-connected.

Unfortunately, you weren’t a god of such prestige for that sort of command and energy follow you into human form.

To mortals, Amur was simply a God of Festivals. On the other hand, you were also the Soother of the Dead. The one who helped the ailing find peace in their eternal rest, the one who’d leave offerings of lavender and rose on the graves of the forgotten. You were the reason humans learned to find joy in the short lives they did have. At least in the eyes of historians and researchers. To the youth of this era, you were simply a party god.

You didn’t create the peaks of mountains by casting your spears across the land.

You didn’t cut an island in half with a mere swipe of your blade.

You simply loved humans and their mortality so much, you wanted them to appreciate themselves more. Any story about mortals and their lives were much more interesting than another exaggerated tale about Murata or even the Tsaritsa. You wanted to see those experiences (Y/N), not as Amur.

Perhaps that was why you enjoyed Yun Jin’s company. You were like-minded individuals. The tales she wove were about the ordinary doing the extraordinary even without the help of gods. That, in your opinion, was the strength of humanity.

Your non-human brethren could scoff at the mistakes the many humans made. But despite the mistakes and despite the missteps, humans still prospered and survived throughout the generations. Seeing the woman before you dedicate herself to showcasing that beauty with her entire being was enough payment for you.

The makeup, the heavy costumes, and the many, many rehearsals.

She was exceptional, more than exceptional.

Yes, you wanted to be in the company of this human a little while longer.

Yun Jin sighed, “but there has to be something that you’d like.” She began once more. “Since Mora isn’t something you’d like, what if you received something else.”

“Your company alone is enough, Ms. Yun.” You hid your smile behind your tea cup. “What if you take me to one of those rock n roll shows I’ve been hearing about lately? That sounds like the perfect way to unwind.”

#look she's writing #genshin impact #genshin #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #yun jin x reader #god!reader au #title comes from one of yun jin's voicelines #og thought of the opera being one about a story of god!reader but decided against it #yun jin wants to make operas about ordinary people after all and that too is valid

83 notes · View notes

alygatorwrites · 4 years ago

Note

can I request a lil something? during the end of the manga or after the timeskip if you haven't read it yet, reiner still has feelings for historia and reader has one-sided feelings for him.

pieck gives reiner a small hint, saying he's wasting time while there's someone close to him that cares for him and points to you. he doesn't understand at first and maybe is conflicted about his feelings for you because of historia. reader is cool about it as she doesn't expect him to reciprocate her feelings.

a rollercoaster of emotions later, maybe there is a happy ending tho? i am curious to see what you can come up with 😭😭 i have dreaming of this scenario before bed and i can't help but get jealous of his crush on historia abjdsndks maybe you can help reiner reciprocate reader-chan's feelings or not

thank u so much aly 💖🥺

reciprocation

pairing: reiner braun x reader

a/n: OMG yesss! honestly, i was kinda annoyed at how reiner still had a crush on historia. i know that isayama wanted to show how everything went back to normal, but i was hoping that reiner would have a bigger role in the allied nations instead of being "dumbed down" to having an obsession with her. MAYBE THATS JUST THE JEALOUSY SPEAKING LMAO 😭 i was hoping this would be longer, although school has been killing me so im really sorry!! i hope its okay 💗💕 thank you honey!

↳ to be added to my taglist, please fill out this ♡form♡

as reiner is handed historia’s letter, you fold your hands on the table and watch him without a word. when he reads the lines and smells the parchment - jean saying something snarky afterward - you say nothing.

you want reiner to be happy: you want to see him at ease like this more, face soft as the leaf of the page flits from his pinched fingers.

and so you let the man speak about historia like she’s a damn goddess, gushing over her handwriting, and keep your goddamn mouth shut. ignore your jealousy. your feelings.

the truth is, you’re in love with reiner.

you can’t even remember how it happened, but you can remember the first time you looked into those hazel eyes, and how you knew that they were going to stick with you for eternity.

you’ve come to accept his crush on the queen, though. reciprocation was never an option in your mind.

when jean begins to chew reiner out for lusting after a married woman, and reiner says something about jean being a horse, pieck’s gaze lands on you. “you’re rather quiet,” she says softly, resting her head on her palm.

you shrug, turning away from her. “i’m just tired.”

pieck catches your chin between her lithe fingers, and turns you to face her with a tiny smile. the young woman is very perceptive, and you’ve known her long enough.

that’s when you notice the twinkle in her eye. she’s planning something.

pieck releases your jaw then, sitting up in her chair. “you’re wasting your time, reiner,” she says suddenly. “there’s already someone you know who cares for you.”

you pretend to not hear pieck - and definitely pretend you don’t see her faintly point at you through your peripheral. the movement of her fingers is barely there, but you catch it.

damn you, pieck.

the way you’re now pinned underneath armin, jean, connie, and reiner’s stares makes your stomach tie itself into knots with bubbling reluctance. shit, this is awkward. you want to run away.

still, you peer over to study reiner’s reaction. he looks confused at first, the contours of his face unreadable. you swear you see connie facepalm at the man’s cluelessness.

then reiner’s expression slowly changes: his eyes widen in awe, lips parting slightly, and brows knitting together. he seems genuinely surprised - and conflicted.

conflicted? why?

there’s no time to explain yourself though, because the door creaks open and annie steps in. her words fall on your deaf ears, and when everyone stands up to leave, you’re the first one out of the room. work beckons you as always.

two days pass.

you’ve been busy filling out tons of paperwork pertaining to the allied nations, so when you’re finally given a day off, you take it with open arms.

freedom at last.

you lean against a bench outside of headquarters, enjoying the salty breeze that flutters along your skin. it’s dusk, the sky covered in a gradient of neon colors as the sun dips below the horizon.

you haven’t seen reiner since that day in the conference room. you wonder how he’s doing, what he’s thinking, how he’s holding up -

“hey.”

speak of the devil. you glance over your shoulder toward the voice, low and familiar.

reiner approaches you, clad in his uniform: the suit hugs his large frame perfectly, showing every flex of his muscles, and his blonde hair is neatly parted. the black tie looped around his neck just pulls it all together. it has you weak at the knees every. single. time.

“hey,” you answer, giving reiner a smile as he stops beside you.

and that’s when your heart lurches at the sight of him.

the sunset highlights reiner’s profile in gold, a heavenly shine that settles upon his blonde lashes and the flawless slope of his nose. the flecks in his irises sparkle – a beautiful mixture of soft browns and muted greens. the only thing you can do right now is admire the man.

his words are what breaks you out of your daydream.

“work has been crazy lately, huh?” reiner says, focused on the candy-floss clouds and their fluffy shapes.

“well - yeah, pretty much. i don’t want to look at a pen or a piece of paper ever again.”

“that bad?”

“you have no idea. i almost regret marley and paradis reconciling.”

reiner chuckles gently at the joke, but it’s strained. his forehead remains creased, and he’s not really smiling. the emotion there is more … doubtful. it’s like he’s having some sort of inner conflict.

hopefully reiner’s not acting cautious because of the other day. you know he doesn’t return your feelings, and that’s totally okay. you’re happy enough being with him like this. “i’m not mad or anything, y’know.”

reiner stiffens at that. there’s a white flash of teeth when he chews on his lower lip. “i know.”

“good,” you hum, breathing out a sigh of relief. your core twists with envy when you force a grin. bite it back. tease him like always. “so about historia … ”

reiner’s eyes go wide almost comically, and you hear the breath in his lungs leave his firm chest in one exhale. there’s a light blush staining his cheeks now. it’s funny; he’s so goddamn big, yet he’s such a teddy bear.

“y-yeah,” reiner mutters. you observe the way his brows pinch together as he awkwardly shifts in place. it takes a while before the man composes himself again, which is strange.

is he scared or something? what the hell?

“pieck,” reiner hesitates for a moment. the golden strands of his hair ruffle in the wind and he appears ... well, lost. “was she being serious?”

the question is a shocker - jeez, he could have at least let you prepare yourself. a firm ‘no’ almost slips out, but you’ve never been much of a liar. not to reiner, anyway. crossing your arms against your chest, you inhale sharply and nod. avoid staring at him face-to-face. “yep.”

“ … why me?”

reiner says the words with a mixture of spite and anguish, a casual and rumbling voice. you immediately turn your head, frowning. “what?”

“i’ve done so many horrible things.” reiner exhales heavily and stares down at his hands; perhaps he’s imagining all the blood they’ve been stained with. “i betrayed everyone. i killed innocent people - all because i was selfish.”

it’s no surprise that reiner is broken after everything he’s been through, but it pains you to know that he continues to suffer in silence. whatever war is raging inside his ribcage tears him apart piece by piece, and you wish you could carry the burden.

there’s probably nothing you can say to convince reiner that he was just a kid, a victim of circumstance. there’s nothing that can persuade him to see himself the way you do.

so you decide to tell reiner why you love him.

you explain the amount of admiration you hold for him. tell him that you love the way he just wants to be someone his comrades can lean on, like a big brother. tell him that you think he’s the most gorgeous person you’ve ever seen and how you think he deserves the world.

the way you spill your guts out snaps every nerve in your body. you don’t say everything you want to – but you tell him enough. a dark flush spreading across your face, you find the courage to look at him.

the world seems to stop on its axis when you find reiner staring right on back. the intensity of his eyes is stunning; they’re lit up with astonishment and affection.

god, the affection. you see it clear as day. maybe one of the greatest regrets in his life is how he forced himself to see you only as a friend.

that’s when he reaches out to you.

reiner retracts his hand twice, unsure, before slowly brushing his fingertips against yours. the touch is so feather-light that you almost can’t feel it. it’s a test - he’s waiting to see if you pull away. you can’t even move if you wanted to, because his fond gaze keeps you rooted to the spot before him.

when you don’t recoil, reiner finally moves to gently hold your hand; his palm is so much bigger than yours, and your fingers slot together perfectly, like a jigsaw puzzle’s final piece.

heart thrumming like a hummingbird has been stuffed into your chest, you’re almost at a loss for words and come to a realization.

this utterly amazing man likes you. always has.

but reiner shoved away the feelings for one simple reason; you deserved ‘better.’ focusing on the old crush he had on historia was a distraction - an attempt to convince himself to stop thinking about you.

because looking at you everyday and not being able to act upon his feelings was too painful.

“is this okay?” reiner asks lowly. there’s a slight pinkness to his cheeks, the color of a selfless love.

by some miracle, you manage to nod dumbly. “yeah, of course. it’s fine.” it’s amazing is what you actually want to say.

reiner squeezes your hand at the reassurance, a sigh escaping from his throat. “i really—”

you wait for him to finish, but he doesn’t. reiner just searches your profile for signs of discomfort, and then untwines your hands to bravely swipe a thumb along the length of your cheekbone.

there’s no time to speak because he’s already leaning down.

the sensation of reiner’s lips pressing against yours lights your skin ablaze; you can feel the curling flames of passion sear your soul, made even more intense by the warmth of the sunlight on your back.

it’s natural, it’s tender, it’s warm.

reiner’s breath rattles into your mouth when you rest both palms against his solid chest and deepen the kiss. the musky smell of his aftershave and cologne envelops you completely, and fuck, it’s so good. your arms wrap around him, fingers passing over the sharp slopes of his shoulder blades.

as much as you wish the kiss could go on endlessly, there are people gathering outside. avoiding any unwanted attention from nosy strangers is very much appreciated.

you pull away to nuzzle your nose into reiner, and he rests his chin on your shoulder, protective arms moving to loop around your waist. it’s such an intimate caress that it sparks your brain into overdrive.

as the rushing sound of the breeze comes back to your ears through the quiet, you tuck the kiss away to be remembered forever. that’s all there is to it. being close to reiner like this - swaying together like wildflowers in the wind - is more important than anything else.

“i like you,” reiner murmurs.

the suddenness of it makes you laugh, and you can feel the upward quirk of reiner’s lips - a whisper of a peaceful smile and a sweet, sweet promise.

#timeskip reiner still sexy asf #I just wanna hug and kiss him ugh #reiner braun x reader #reiner x reader #aot x reader #attack on titan fanfiction #snk x reader #reiner braun #reiner x you #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin

475 notes · View notes

afan1 · 3 years ago

Text

The Wilds: Season 1 Rewatch

Hey, everyone! With Season 2 of The Wilds premiering on May 6, 2022, I thought I’d go back and rewatch season 1 again after the long hiatus.

I’m going to be posting my thoughts on the episodes as I watch them, so hopefully y’all will join me in getting excited about the upcoming season! I can’t wait so let’s dive right in!

SPOILER WARNINGS — While it is an episode recap, there may be spoilers for the entirety of season 1 of The Wilds. Continue reading at your own risk if you haven’t seen all of it yet.

1x01 Recap

1x02 Recap

The Wilds | 1x03: Day Three

Favorite Quote

"I mean, I'm ready to bring a game. I have no idea what kind." — Leah Rilke

Personal Highlights of the Episode

Dot jamming to Fallen Angel. Don't lie — this is all of us when we think we're alone. I will admit to taking it a step further and performing a whole concert with choreography when I take a shower.

Leah during the storm... honestly, everyone during the storm just sitting in misery with no intention of trying to find cover or collect water, except for Dot.

Shelby taking offense to the whole "mall person" label. Honey, it's cause you are a mall person.

Things I Didn't Catch the First Time

Dot wearing a hospital bracelet during the interview. Are all the girls wearing those?

I never saw the fly go into Shelby's mouth. I always thought that she was choking on something from the alcove that she was inside of.

The motorcycle in the garage while Dot's doing laundry. I can 100% see her rolling up to a place on that bike (with one of those old-school helmets too) while smoking a cigarette. Badass. (Also, if she wants to roll Gretchen over with it, I wouldn't be opposed.)

Dot's dad's honorable discharge certificate from the U.S. Army hanging on the wall.

Observations / Theories / Questions

I think the girls have these agents played. Dot being that apprehensive and casual with the agents in the beginning? Not buying it. That's not our Dot.

Dot ordered french fries, 2 bagels, 2 subs, a sandwich, fried chicken, chicken wings, chips, 12 sushi rolls, 2 milkshakes (or just milk?), some kind of fruity drink and candy bars for her interview. You go, girl. Make those agents pay. Literally and figuratively.

Do we know what happened with Dot's mom? Did she die? Did she just up and leave? Until told otherwise, my headcannon is that Dot's dad was discharged from the Army and had a hard time re-acclimating to normal life either from PTSD, trouble getting/keeping a job, etc. and Dot's mom left him. Dot doesn't talk about her mom, so I think she left very early in Dot's youth and she just doesn't remember her anymore.

Dot selling drugs to pay for the medicine that her dad needs and can actually take without having bad side effects. Selling drugs is bad, kids, but Dot should be nominated for "Daughter of the Year" imo

Nobody remembers getting to shore, except for Nora when Leah questions what they recall from the crash. This may have been the first hint towards Nora being the other confederate.

Some of Jeff's annotations in Leah's copy of the book — "My grandfather grew up in Cheyenne. His favorite expression was 'Ain't that a pisser.'" ... "I would watch a snowy television (?) with you and be perfectly content." ... "Dear Leah, I dreamed about you last night. You wore a dress like this only it was red and you were also wearing roller(?). A person only gets a handful of perfect dreams in one's life. For me, this was one." ... "Shetland ponies forever."

Toni ranting and Fatin not caring in the slightest, then Fatin questioning Toni's sign and Toni raging will always make me laugh.

Does anyone know if they wrote Toni to not shave or if it was something Erana decided to do for Toni's character? It varies throughout the season (sometimes she shaves, most of the time she doesn't) and honestly, I love it. It just feels authentic to Toni.

Dot's itinerary only has three days planned out. So, all these girls (barring Fatin, I think she knew it would be longer from her dad's slipup?) were under the assumption that it was going to be a weekend getaway. I'm surprised no one else has friends questioning their whereabouts like Ian did with Leah.

I have the hardest time gauging timelines with shows that are based in the south or in warm climates. Like, my mind works this way: spring — warmish and rain; summer = shorts and hot af; fall = boots and jackets; winter = snow. Then, I remember Dot is in Texas, everything gets fucked up, and I give up on figuring out how long her flashback spans. Northeast problems. Sorry.

Dads teasing their daughters about boys crushing on them is always cute to me. Probably cause #NeverHappenedToMe

If a rattlesnake was that close to me, I'd have already fucking died. Hell to the no. Last summer, I saw a garter snake (it was already dead) and screamed for a solid two minutes. Speaking of — why did they not eat the snake?

Rachel not grabbing the suitcase that was in the plane wreckage? WTF was even in it to keep it sunken like that? Also, how did the plane even get there? Did Gretchen's people fly it over and drop it in? Was it already there, and they found it while scouting deserted islands for the experiment?

Dot not admitting she saw Andrew cheating on Shelby, but also telling her she deserves better is one of those moments that we see Dot forgo her usual bluntness and spare feelings.

I relate so hard to Dot awkwardly and uncomfortably accepting comfort or giving it.

Gretchen implies that Milestone #8 is the girls finding/opening the black box to see the plane crash recording. Anyone have ideas on what the other milestones were?

Gretchen was fired "last fall," so the whole experiment from start to currently has been less than a year.

Shelby coming in clutch. She saw Dot's hesitance to say what she thought they should do with the black box and swooped in to make sure that Dot didn't have to carry the weight of that decision by herself. Then, Dot's sigh of relief. Ughhhh. Shelby and Dot rival Fatin and Dot as my BROTP.

Would people losing consciousness during a plane crash be a normal thing?

You cannot tell me that Leah and Fatin's interaction while packing up the suitcase was not like, lowkey flirting. Before Fatin fucks it up ofc by admitting she read Jeff's annotations. If you can tell me otherwise, don't. Let me live in my Leatin daydreams, please.

"Between you and the book, I get the sense this guy likes recent vintage." YES, Fatin. Call out Jeff on his perv-ness. He's a fucking creep.

The whole scene of Dot and her dad's last moments wrecks me. Jesus, and the song? End me.

Dot is the only one from the group of girls to have met Gretchen in person, correct? Aside from Nora, of course. The ending scene of this episode when I first saw it had me convinced that Dot was the other confederate.

Field Notes

Field Note #025 – Of course Dot would know the lyrics to Poison’s “Fallen Angel”… and just about every other metal hit out there. She inherited her love for hard rock from her father, a real metalhead. One night when she was 11, Dot stayed up late rocking out to a compilation her dad had made especially for her. The next morning, she had her first “bangover” – that’s metalhead slang for the headache you get after a night of serious handbanging.

Field Note #026 — Dot is collecting rainfall, a good source of drinking water if you're stranded in the wilderness. Consuming rainwater is safer than consuming water from a lake or river, but experts still recommend that you filter and boil the rain before drinking it. Let's hope Dot knows that.

Dot is one of those annoying people who doesn't get brain freeze. She discovered this superpower in elementary school, and more than once has won money by challenging dudes to milkshake-drinking contests.

Field Note #028 – Welcome to Fort Travis High School, approximately 2,900 students enrolled. Something to note: Dot, Shelby, Toni, and Martha attend public schools, whereas Leah, Fatin, Nora, and Rachel attend private schools. An even fifty-fifty split, representing both sides of the educational divide.

Field Note #029 – Dot’s on a budget, so when it comes to hair dye, it’s DIY all the way. Lately she’s been using washable markers, which she steals from the art room at school. It’s a messy process but they get the job done.

Field Note #031 – Shelby’s family is suuuuuper into pranks. (Like you should probably check the toilet for Saran Wrap if you piss at the Goodkind household.) It’s an eat-or-be-eaten environment over there, so yeah… Shelby’s gotten pretty good at pulling off stunts of her own.

Field Note #032 – If you take a close look at the Dawn of Even itinerary, you’ll notice the times are listed in military time. Which, for a teen girls’ retreat, is… weird. Military time, or the 24-hour clock, is usually used in situations where confusing AM and PM could have severe consequences, or when you don’t have reliable visual access to the sun.

Field Note #034 – Fatin didn’t have to read Jeff’s book for school because she decided against taking Contemporary American Lit, an elective she likes to call “Boring Bearded White Dudes 101.”

Shelby Curse Count: 0 (1 total)

~~~

Tell me what your favorite quotes, moments, theories and observations are for episode two! Let's discuss!

#the wilds #the wilds rewatch #leah rilke #dot campbell #fatin jadmani #rachel reid #nora reid #toni shalifoe #shelby goodkind #martha blackburn

32 notes · View notes

ggukiepie · 3 years ago

Text

just a feeling

pairing: jungkook x reader

summary: you're busy doing president-y things (jungkook's words, not yours) and your best friend's there to help you out like he always does

tags: bil!couple, college!au, bff!jk, athlete!jk, two idiots in love, some fluff, oc is student council president so we stan, pet names

warnings: cursing, some mentions of skipping meals but nothing serious

wc: 1.8k

a/n: yes another one shot for this couple !! this can be read as a stand alone but i have other one shots you can read which you can find in my masterlist

You’re standing on your toes to make sure the banner you’re holding isn’t crooked. It’s probably not the safest to be on a ladder while tiptoeing and add the fact that the person down below holding the ladder isn’t really paying attention.

“Tae,” you call out without looking down. You squint your eyes at the banner, turning your head from side to side. Maybe you should’ve placed it higher? But then it might not be that noticeable so high up—

“Hm?” he replies, but his voice seems far off. Finally, you look down to see Taehyung holding the ladder with one hand, and in the other he’s typing on his phone.

You roll your eyes. “You’re not even paying attention,” you say exasperatedly. You’ve been up since 7 AM, running around school to make sure the preparations for the job fair are going smoothly. It’s almost 12 in the afternoon now and you haven’t had a single bite to eat. You just want this day to end. “Taehyung!”

He snaps his head up, eyes suddenly wide at the array of decorations and banners that are hung up. By the surprised look on his face, you’re positive he hasn’t been paying attention at all since you started. “Sorry,” he breathes out. “One company just came in late—”

“But they were supposed to arrive two hours ago!”

Taehyung widens his eyes in alarm. He’s known you for two years and has been working with you for one, so he pretty much knows the signs of your oncoming outbursts. “It’s fine.” He starts speaking again before you start shouting. You’re not mad at him, never have been, but you’re stressed and tired and hungry and you haven’t sat down in five hours. “Someone just has to assist them to their booth but everyone’s busy right now—”

“Just go.” You wave him off. You do not want things to be delayed even further and if it meant sacrificing your safety on the ladder, then so be it.

“Got it,” he says as he brings his phone to his ear, walking away without even glancing back at you. You sigh and turn back to the decorations. Yeah, the right side is definitely off. You huff and stretch out your arm hoping to get a hold of the right corner. It’s too far so you lean to the side to reach it. The ladder starts shaking but you don’t pay it any mind. You just need to finish this so you could go to the auditorium to check the stage design then—

“Hey! ___!”

You turn your head towards the voice just in time as you feel the ladder slam against the wall it’s leaning on, shaking every bone in your body. You look down suddenly and see Jungkook, whose got two hands holding the ladder tightly.

“What the fuck, ___,” he breathes out. “Why isn’t anyone holding the ladder? This is dangerous.”

You haven’t noticed your heart’s been racing. You hardly even noticed you were about to fall, but the look on Jungkook’s face says otherwise. “Sorry,” you whisper. You try to calm your racing heartbeat. “I just—” You breathe out. “I just needed to—”

“Come down,” he says, voice so quiet that you’re immediately complying, legs climbing down the ladder and Jungkook’s hand on your waist to guide you. Once you’re back on the ground again you turn to face him.

“Sorry,” you say, voice firmer now. “I just needed to get this done and Taehyung was the one helping but he needed to help set up a booth and—”

“Hey, hey,” Jungkook says as holds your hand in his and squeezes your fingers. Instantly, it calms you down. “Let’s take it one step at a time, okay?”

You look into his eyes and nod, feeling at ease now that he’s here. Jungkook just has that effect on you, really. Plus you’ve known him since high school so he really knows how to ease your nerves. You clench your eyes shut and focus on the feel of his skin on yours, his thumb rubbing the outside of your palm, his big hands encasing your small ones. You’ve been working on this project for months now. You have a team and the rest of the student council to help you, sure, but all the ideas and planning came from you. So it’s been stressing you out. Good thing Jungkook’s been there to help you if needed, always giving you food and snacks and reminding you to take a break every once in a while. You’re sure you wouldn’t have survived if it weren’t for him.

“You okay now, ___? We can grab some lunch if you have the time,” Jungkook says quietly.

You open your eyes and smile at him sheepishly. He instantly glares at you (but it’s the cute kind, the one where he wants you to think he’s mad but he isn’t). A pout forms in his face and he lets go of your hands. You miss the warmth instantly.

“Let me guess, you haven’t eaten a single thing all day haven’t you?”

You nod your head and Jungkook groans, throwing his head back dramatically as if he’s been told he can’t play soccer anymore.

“You shouldn’t forget to eat, ___. Food is important,” he huffs. “And it makes you less grumpy.”

You roll your eyes at him and turn to walk back to the ladder again, but Jungkook grabs your hand to make you face him.

“How about this, I’ll hold the ladder while you finish that sign, then we go for lunch.”

A million different things suddenly enter your mind. You still need to check the booths, then the auditorium, and then the registration area. You open your mouth to protest but Jungkook raises both his hands to stop you.

“We’ll only eat for twenty minutes and then you can go back to doing your President-y things.”

You cross your arms in front of your chest and Jungkook smiles, knowing you’re about to agree.

You point a finger at him. “Twenty minutes only. And you’re buying me coffee, too.”

He puts his hand on his chest and looks shocked, as if you’ve said the most offensive thing to him. “Baby,” he starts, and you know he’s saying it as a joke but it still makes your heart flutter. Makes that little seed of hope in you grow a little bit more. But you know Jungkook’s just a natural flirt and that he calls you that from time to time as a joke.

(At least that’s what you keep telling yourself)

He’s smiling so widely now, teeth on display with his dimples fully showing. He’s smirking a bit, too, and you can’t lie to yourself and say he doesn’t look absolutely dreamy right now. You know that look oh too well because it’s the one he uses when he’s flirting. With other girls.

“I buy you coffee all the time,” he says. “Whether you ask for it or not.”

And you know that’s true. Jungkook knows your love for coffee—and your favorite order at Starbucks—as much as he knows his favorite soccer players. He buys you coffee before he picks you up from class. He even buys you coffee when he randomly decides to drop by the student council office, which is partly given as a bribe to use the printer in there for free instead of paying for the printing services in campus.

You try to push him away but he only catches your hand to bring you a bit closer to him. Your bodies aren’t touching but you’re close enough that you can feel the heat radiating off him.

Oh, you’re playing a very dangerous game, Jeon Jungkook.

You try to calm the beating in your heart and hope you aren’t blushing. Instead, you roll your eyes at him. “Yeah, you do. Now let me get this finished so we can eat.”

Jungkook holds the ladder while you finish decorating the banner, and from time to time he’d give his comments about the placement. You’re grateful for the help and finish ten minutes later. You’re pouting at him to return the ladder (which he does because he can never say no to you when you’re pouting) and finally you’re both making your way to the cafeteria.

True to his word, Jungkook makes sure you don’t take too long to eat. But he also makes sure you’re eating enough as well. He’s usually chatty when you’re eating together but he’s pretty silent now as you munch on your food. You’re distracted anyway, fingers busy typing on your phone as you’re responding to all the messages you haven’t checked yet. Jungkook’s used to this, of course, so he’s watching some anime highlights on his phone like he always does when you’re busy with President-y things (his words, not yours).

After eating he’s walking you to the auditorium, large coffee in your hand and a cookie in the other since he insisted you need to eat some more. Once you’re by the entrance, Jungkook suddenly stands in front of you, shoulders straight and feet together. “Good luck, Madam President.” He salutes and you roll your eyes in return.

“You’re honestly such a fucking dork.”

He smiles that bunny smile you adore. “You love me anyway,” he says and you choose not to reply. “Anyway, I’ll get going to class now. See you later at practice?” he asks.

He means his soccer practice and you nod your head quickly. You watch his practices most of the time anyway, but you think he just wants you there because you always have snacks for him and also so he can show off his tricks to you. “Yeah, I’ll be there. Now go before you’re late!”

“See you later, cutie.”

Again, it’s one of those pet names he calls you as a joke. You glare at him. “Seriously, Jeon, what’s with all the nicknames?” You might just throw the cookie at him to make sure he doesn't see you blushing.

He shrugs but he’s got that boyish smile on his face. Finally, he starts walking away. You watch his back for a bit but he suddenly turns around, cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, “Because you look really cute today, cutie.”

You frown at yourself and look down at your outfit, eyeing the sweats and big shirt you’re wearing today for comfort. You’re pretty sure you’re sweating a lot and your hair’s a mess. You look up and shake your head to yourself while you make your way to the auditorium, wondering why in the world Jungkook would think you look cute today out of all days.

It doesn’t help slow down the beating in your heart, however, and you find yourself smiling the whole day.

#jungkook #jeon jungkook #bts #bangtan sonyeondan #jungkook x reader #jungkook x you #jungkook fanfic #jungkook one shot #jungkook drabble #college jk #college jungkook #jungkook fic #mine #writing #bts fic #bts fanfic #bts one shot #bts drabble

165 notes · View notes

immaturityofthomasastruc · 3 years ago

Text

IOTA Reviews: Sole Crusher

Well... It's finally here... the episode introducing the new bee hero. And what do you know? It looks like I was right about how the new character would be portrayed.

It's kind of funny how I made predictions exaggerating what could happen, and they were surprisingly accurate. Isn't that funny?

youtube

Let's just get into the seventh (chronologically the seventh and the seventh episode in the season to air after “Mr. Pigeon 72”) episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fourth season: Sole Crusher. Damn, I hate that a pun this clever was used for the title.

We get to the point pretty quickly with the first scene being Zoe arriving in Paris and getting a tour of the city. She asks to stop at the Dupain-Cheng bakery, where she meets Marinette through some brief Unfunny Marinette Slapstick. The two quickly strike up a conversation.

I mean, it's not like Zoe is the sister of the absolute worst human being in existence, right?

Marinette compliments Zoe's shoes, and she points out that she designed them herself, and wrote every good thing anyone has ever said to her on them. But because she only has one friend, there's only a standard “I <3 U” on the left shoe.

So Zoe leaves the bakery and heads to Le Grand Paris where she meets her mother, Audrey. Unlike how she talked with Marinette, Zoe pretends to be just as snobby as Audrey in order to fit in. She then meets up with Chloe, who criticizes her for having poor person things like a phone without any diamonds embedded in it. And then she sees Zoe's shoes.

Look, that meme was already dated when it was referenced in Black Panther three years ago. Please don't try to reference memes in 2021, Miraculous Ladybug.

Chloe offers some golden heels while saying that those kind of shoes are for winners to wear and crush the losers underneath. This is the only episode to mention this kind of ideology, and believe me, it gets worse when Chloe decides to teach Zoe how to be like her.

youtube

Get used to this. This episode is all about demolishing any semblance of likability in Chloe's character. Now that Astruc doesn't have to bother with writing Chloe with decency since she's not Queen Bee, watch as he turns her into an absolute caricature of her former self.

Yes, Chloe has ordered her father to give her a lot of frivolous things in the past, but she has been shown to care about him, like immediately rushing to hug him after she was safe in “Origins” and showing concern for when he was akumatized into Malediktator while apologizing for causing it. For the love of God, one of the first things she did when she allied with Hawkmoth at the end of Season 3 was to have him unto her parents' akumatization. I guess she only cared about her rich parents for their status and not because she actually loved them right?

Next up on the list of Chloe's positive qualities to ruin is her friendship with Sabrina.

🎶It's seven o'clock in the morning🎶 🎶I can't believe they made this scene🎶 🎶With the writing Astruc's enforcing🎶 🎶It's like he's trying to piss off me🎶

Yep, Chloe doesn't view Sabrina in a twisted view of friendship anymore. Now she's a slave. I'm not exaggerating by the way, he actually said that in a tweet.

THIS IS WHAT THOMAS ASTRUC ACTUALLY BELIEVES

Okay, so I guess all those times we saw Chloe playing superheroes with Sabrina in “Antibug” and “Miraculer” were just a slave driver playing with their property. Actually apologizing to Sabrina for getting her akumatized in those episodes? Protecting her from the Scarlet Akumas in “Ladybug”? She was just interested in keeping her slave around. I think Astruc may have slept through the slavery unit in his history class. Yes, Sabrina was mostly used as a joke to show how controlling Chloe could be, but there were still semblances of an actual friendship between the two.

Chloe arrives at school and introduces Zoe as her half-sister, despite being the same age and having the same mother. Because I guess we can add basic biology to the list of things the writers don't understand. Now that we're at school, Chloe's friendship with Adrien is next up on the chopping block.

Yep, despite being Adrien's only friend and making a big deal about valuing his friendship to the point where she threw a big party just to make sure he wouldn't leave her and risked cooperating with an Akuma to save him, now Chloe just sees Adrien as a rich meal ticket. Two of the earliest episodes to show Chloe had a more compassionate side to her, and they just undid them. Even as much as I hated the episode, “Felix” showed Chloe was willing to cooperate with Marinette and her friends just to find a way to cheer Adrien up on the anniversary of his mother's not-death.

For the love of God, Astruc, 1984 was supposed to warn people about what could happen if they rewrote the past, not encourage people to rewrite the past. He probably finished Animal Farm thinking Snowball really did work alongside the humans, didn't he?

Marinette comes up and Zoe pretends to hate her, leading Marinette to wonder why she did that. She texts Zoe (she gave her number to her earlier) and invites her to a concert on the Liberty, but Chloe finds out. Zoe thinks fast and pretends it's just so she can torment her more. Chloe then takes out a book listing all the ways she can torture Marinette. I wonder if this is a metaphor for the writing process behind most of the episodes last season.

Zoe decides to go outside for some fresh air, and Andre comforts her. Funny how Andre bends over backwards to give Chloe whatever she wants, yet he's willing to actually talk to Zoe like an actual parent. Andre tries to cheer Zoe up, but she talks about her past where she had to put on an act so she would be liked, but (bet you've never heard this before) she just wants to be accepted for who she truly is. The surge of emotions is enough for Shadowmoth to akumatize her into Sole Crusher.

In addition to having one of the most clever puns for an Akuma name, I actually like Sole Crusher's design. Not only is it a good excuse to reuse Chloe's character design, it makes sense thematically, as Chloe was trying to mold Zoe into a copy of herself. The gold and diamonds also make sense given Chloe's love for shiny things. Her powers tie into the bizarre belief Chloe has about stepping on the winners. Whenever Sole Crusher kicks or steps on someone, she absorbs them and gets progressively bigger, making it easier to do so. While it's not cracking my top ten anytime soon, it's still an interesting character design.

Sole Crusher heads to the hotel to get Chloe, and she manages to get away pretty quickly. Maybe in an alternate universe, she's a track star? For some reason, she runs to the Dupain-Cheng bakery and then... Oh my God... pushes Marinette's parents so they get absorbed by Sole Crusher, before trying to do the same with Marinette.

youtube

When has Chloe ever done something like that? Whenever she endangered someone during an Akuma attack, it was unintentional or a result of her naivety. She was only trapped in Pixelator's dimension because Adrien tried diving to save her, she only alerted Rogercop to Ladybug's presence because she eagerly called out for her, and during “Zombizou” she only tried to throw Sabrina towards the horde of kissing zombies once, and that was meant to highlight her growth. The only person to actually do stuff like this consistently is Lila, but I guess she got vaporized by Big Brother offscreen.

This episode is determined to make the audience hate Chloe by retconning everything about her character while portraying her as a complete monster. As bad as Chloe could get, she was never selfish enough to use anyone as a human shield. This kind of behavior honestly could be explained by saying Chloe was lashing out as a result of losing the Bee Miraculous permanently, but the events of the Season 3 finale aren't mentioned ONCE, not even in the next episode that introduces Queen Bee's replacement! How the hell can you set up the next Bee hero without explaining why the original needs to be replaced in the first place?! And trust me, I'm going to talk about Zoe replacing Chloe later.

Sole Crusher grabs Marinette in her hand, so the Horse Kwami, Kaalki, uses her power to teleport over to Adrien's house and inform him Ladybug needs help, meaning once again Adrien did nothing in this episode before becoming Cat Noir.

At the Liberty, Chloe offers more victims to Sole Crusher in the form of the band Kitty Section (consisting of Luka, Juleka, Rose, Ivan, and Mylene) and theatens the giant golden supervillain she can send her back to Paris, even though she's really not in a position to bargain right now. And she STILL continues to insult her. Do you hate Chloe yet? Come on, do you? The writers won't stop until you do.

After we see Sole Crusher's conflicted emotions, Marinette is set free by Cat Noir and transforms into Ladybug, immediately summoning her Lucky Charm, a shoehorn. They only learn Zoe's sneakers were where she were akumatized thanks to Chloe's ranting, so the episode unintentionally made Chloe save the day. Ladybug breaks into Le Grand Paris and breaks the sneakers where Zoe hid them, using the shoehorn to open a door. So Sole Crusher is de-evilized, Ladybug fixes the damage, and gives yet another charm to Zoe.

Afterwards, Zoe goes to the Liberty, apologizes for the act she put on, all while divulging to the audience her “tragic backstory”.

Of course, everyone welcomes her with open arms.

And right here is where the biggest problem I have with Zoe as a character. I normally hesitate to use this term given how often it gets thrown around when criticizing characters these days, but I really can't say anything else.

Zoe... is a Mary Sue.

For those who don't know, the term Mary Sue originated in a Star Trek fanfiction from 1973 satirizing several self-insert stories at the time. Most of these stories showed a beautiful young woman joining the crew of the Enterprise and immediately gaining the attention of the crew. Mary Sue parodied this character archetype by showing how much she was appreciated by Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, the latter being driven to tears at her funeral despite his species being emotionless normally.

What does this have to do with Zoe? She has the exact same storyline as Mary Sue in the parody fanfiction. Her mere presence is enough to make Chloe act extremely out of character in an attempt to make her look better, and as soon as she apologizes while giving a frankly vague backstory, everyone just accepts her as their friend, and I mean everyone in the entire class. I'm sorry, but it just doesn't feel earned. Why was she bullied at her old school? What did her bullies have against her? What caused her to stop going along with her peers, and why did everyone turn against her? How the hell did the bullies who put cockroaches in another student's locker get no punishment while the victim was forced to transfer schools? It's an intentionally unclear backstory designed to make the audience feel sympathetic towards Zoe without actually doing anything else.

I want to ask anyone reading this who watched the episode a question: Outside of her backstory, what do we actually know about Zoe?

What is her personality like? She's nice? Socially awkward? We've never had a character like that in Miraculous Ladybug before! Sorry Marinette, Adrien, Juleka, Nathaniel, Mylene, and Marc, there's a new character with more personality than all of you combined!

What are her goals? She wants to be an actress? Great, but why? Even though there's no clear answer for why Marinette loves fashion, or why Alya loves journalism, or why Nino loves DJing, you can still see the passion in their lives when they do something related to their goals. Zoe only says she wants to be an actress, connecting it to her people pleaser backstory (and given how it ended, she must be a terrible actress), and in the next episode, she immediately gets the lead role in a student film.

When Mylene got the starring role in the movie in “Horrificator”, we at least got snippets of her acting skills in the same episode that established her desire to be an actress, which is also implied to be because she was inspired by her father in “The Mime”. She didn't just say she wanted to be an actress and got the leading role. She still had problems to overcome like her cowardice, which threw her own self-confidence into doubt. Here, Zoe just says she wants to be an actress, and is rewarded for no reason the very next episode.

Zoe basically exists only to be a foil to Chloe, and the writers had no idea what to do in terms of a personality, so they just dumped a bunch of extremely likable character traits onto her without thinking of how her character could come off. And like I said, she's a Mary Sue.

I'm not the only one who thinks this. I've seen a handful of posts on this very site calling Zoe a Mary Sue. In fact, I even asked another Tumblr user @anxresi to quote their take on Zoe being a Mary Sue, which I couldn't even top in terms of accuracy. They basically listed off five things that made Zoe a Mary Sue.

She has to have a ‘tragic backstory’ so all the other characters will fall in love with her. Usually within minutes, in the very first episode they’re introduced.

She has to have a supercute design so that the audience at home will fall in love with her. And if they don’t, they’re automatically dismissed as ‘haterz’ even if their objections are purely from a writing POV.

Her only flaw will be thinking too little of herself. “What, lil ol’ me as the Bee Miraculous holder? With my shyness, colorful shoes, chic beret and personalized pink strip in my hair? Gosh, who’d have thought it?”

The contrast to her half-sister will be a constant plot point, with Chloe always getting dumped on. “You see, kids? Bad things happen to bad people. But you see this super-sweet girl over here? She gets a free DAD. Instant FRIENDS. To star in her own MOVIE. The chance to be a SUPERHERO, even though she only arrived last week. Who cares if she has no depth, no personality and barely any reason for being in the show, apart from being a massive ‘Up Yours’ to all the Chloe fans out there?”

What about character development, Mr Generic Zag Guy? “Development? What’s that?! Zoe is already perfect as she is. The only ‘development’ she’ll receive is having her hair done in the first episode she’s introduced. Besides, That‘d’ word is banned here at Zag studios. Why do you think we abandoned Chloe’s stillborn arc so quickly? This is a KIDS show, why bother trying to create a complex character with more than one dimension?”

This is essentially who Zoe is. She's perfect, has no character flaws, has a cute design so the audience will love her already, and was designed only to replace Chloe as Queen Bee. That's all she is.

So the episode ends with Zoe feeling happy at all the new friends she made while we get one of the most blatant attempts of symbolism in the ending card I've ever seen.

See, look. While Marinette is happily talking with Zoe with the image of Ladybug next to them, Chloe is to the far left with an EVIL purple aura, showing how bad she is compared to how great Zoe is. Only a braindead moron would actually like Chloe over the super awesome and pretty Zoe!

I'll give my final thoughts on the episode in the next part where I analyze this plotline as a whole.

LINK TO “QUEEN BANANA” REVIEW

#immaturity of thomas astruc #iota #thomas astruc #thomas astruc salt #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug salt #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #adrien agreste #cat noir #chat noir #chloe bourgeois #queen bee #queen b #zoe lee #vesperia #sabrina raincomprix #andre bourgeois

289 notes · View notes

i-make-fun-of-spn-characters · 3 years ago

Note

I feel like you've given most spn related things some lil spice but I always love the spice on this : hot spicy take on the "Dean is the most horrible character and ruins everyone's life and Sam and Cas are poor little meow meows who only do bad things sometimes because tyran Dean farted in their direction" takes that are not really only said by anti-Dean peeps ? Obsessed with that incredible thesis and would love the added spice ❤

SPICY HOT HOT GHOST PEPPERS CAROLINA REAPERS HELP I'M BURNING

I really try to respect other people’s opinions, and I believe there are a wealth of ways to interpret a story, and I think that’s a deeply beautiful thing. This applies to interpretations I don't agree with and outright dislike as well. That said, some opinions are simply and objectively bad, dishonest, and/or demonstrably false, and I truly do not believe you can sit down and honestly watch through the show with an open mind about all the characters, truly pay attention to what they do, say, and believe, and come to the conclusion that this show is about an evil manipulative abusive man terrorizing his pure and sinless brother and friend. It is an interpretation built from cherry picking facts to suit an ugly, miserable theory, making Mount Everest out of a bunch of the tiny mole hills, making the worst possible presumptions of feelings and intentions, and holding characters to completely different standards in order to neatly divide them into "abused" and "abuser" in a way that, frankly, fetishizes the abused person. I despise this interpretation of the story with every fiber of my being, and I have absolutely no respect for the opinion of anyone who peddles it, regardless of who they cast as villain/victim (because people have also done this with the others—it’s just more “popular” to do it with Dean... I mean... does anyone else remember how people were shitting on Sam after his emotional reaction in 14.12? Calling him an evil abuser? Because I do).

The thing that always gets me about this take isn't just how dishonest, unfair, mean-spirited, and compassionless it is in its treatment of Dean’s feelings, circumstances, and intentions... but how deeply reductive and offensive it is toward Sam and Castiel, sucking away their identities to turn them into effigies to mourn for their sad, Stockholm syndrome-esque attachment to their "abuser". Further, it grips the heart of the show—the relationship between Sam and Dean, and then the relationship among TFW as a whole—in a tight, uncompromising fist and pulverizes it. It literally rips out the heart of the show (the RELATIONSHIPS) and replaces it with something unprepossessing of any merit: A miserable, 15 years long story about a malicious abuser getting away with terrorizing those closest to him for his entire life, while his poor abuse victims suffer through until they die for him/happy to be reunited with him because they “don’t know any better” and never ever learned better, I guess. What a stupid, sad sack of a story.

Castiel is a thousands of years old celestial being who has literally beaten Dean into the pavement under no form of mind control, and has shown over and over again that he will do whatever the hell he wants, regardless of whatever Dean thinks about being sidelined. If he thinks whatever he is doing is in Dean's best interest, he literally does not care how Dean feels about it. He will nod and smile and then fly off and swallow thousands of souls with Dean begging him not to, shove Dean out of the way to attack the big bad, leave Dean alone in Purgatory, refuse to come out of Purgatory so he can self-flagellate, fly off with the angel tablet, help Sam with the Book of the Damned, let Lucifer possess him without anyone's knowledge or agreement, come into Dean's room under the guise of apologizing for ghosting him so that he can steal The Colt out from under his pillow and murder someone, decide not to murder that person and still prevent Sam and Dean from helping by knocking them both unconscious, get himself killed, make a deal to trade his life for Jack's and never tell anyone, hide information and worries and ignore phone calls, ghost Sam and Dean, and bicker and fight with Dean as if they are a married couple. Love sickness and feelings of worthlessness (which Cas has a wealth of reasons to feel—many of which aren’t even related to Dean but to his heavenly family) are reinterpreted as the result of some sort of constant, terrorizing emotional abuse. Power and authority that Dean does not actually have is forced into his hands by these fans. Maybe listen when Cas says, “Hey—not everything is your fault.” Maybe listen when he says “I loved the whole world because of you”, calls Dean a role model, says he enjoys their conversations, offers to die with him and dies for him multiple times. Maybe treat these feelings as genuine and valid and HIS and not as the delusions of some poor manipulated baby.

Sam is framed this way even more often than Cas, and it's a damn shame, because what I typically see is this: Sam’s development into a mediator and peacemaker is twisted and reinterpreted as coming from a place of weakness and/or fear. Rationality, maturity, wisdom, and compassion are not the traits of a scared, powerless child. They are the traits of a mature adult, who has been beaten down by life, and fought and raged against his circumstances, and somehow come out of it with more kindness and understanding and strength instead of less. He has made his own decisions whenever it was possible, within the set of circumstances doled out to him. From telling his dad to go fuck himself and going to college, to getting back into hunting to avenge Jess (NOT because of Dean—Dean took him home without complaint at the end of the woman in white case), to continuing to hunt after their father died because he wanted to feel close to him (Dean was actually weirded out and sort of disgusted by this), raging and fighting to save Dean from his deal against Dean’s wishes, continuing to hunt and working with Ruby (directly against Dean’s dying wish), drinking demon blood, jumping in the cage, leaving hunting to go be with Amelia, coming back to hunting to save Kevin, fighting with Dean over what he had with Amelia and threatening to leave if Dean didn't shut his mouth, leaving Amelia to go back to hunting (Dean ultimately suggests he go back to her—Sam chooses to stay), trying to kill Benny, demanding to be the one to do The Trials and saying he is going to SURVIVE them—that being the ENTIRE POINT, losing that resolve in a fit of depression but choosing to drop the knife, demanding space from Dean (and being given it), fighting to save Demon Dean who didn’t want to be found or saved, using the Book of the Damned against Dean’s wishes, telling Charlie that this is what he wants—that he used to want normal but now all he wants is to hunt with Dean and that he doesn’t know what he’ll do if he can’t have that, unleashing the Darkness in his desperation to keep Dean with him and even saying, “I would do it again” in the aftermath, saving the town being destroyed by Amara, getting into The Cage with Lucifer, leading a team against the British Men of Letters, nurturing Jack, punching Dean in the face when he was going to sacrifice himself, leading more hunters, wielding a gun against Chuck... and that’s just some highlights. Sam Fucking Winchester does not need your bullshit about him being some sad, scared, helpless baby lorded over by mean old Dean who has never let him do anything he wants.

Yes, in the text itself, there is jealousy and resentment at times, and there is legitimate and righteous anger on Sam’s part on a few occasions. There is blame cast on Dean by Sam for some of these choices/circumstances. Some of those moments where Dean is blamed are legitimate, and some of them... frankly, are not. Within the framework of the fucked up dynamics of the way they were raised, Sam and some fans bristle when they feel Dean is casting himself as the parent he is not, but Sam also has been guilty in the past of trying to reframe himself as Dean’s child when things got tough. Neither of them is responsible for the origin of that dynamic, but they BOTH have responsibility to change it, and they both, ultimately, succeed in doing so. For Sam, his part comes in recognizing and learning to fully own his own choices. Recognizing that he is not a child, and he is certainly not Dean’s child, and it isn’t just “Mummy—loosen the grip”, but Sam has to too—not claim independence only to blame Dean for his choices when his own decisions have an ultimate outcome he is unhappy with. That is a legitimate arc that Sam goes through imo, but he comes out the other side of it, and he and Dean relate to each other much better as peers from then on—and I’d like to note that throughout the entire series, when they don’t relate as perfect peers and teammates, it isn’t always Dean “bossing Sam around”, but Sam also trying to sideline Dean and yes—boss him around. And when they lied and hurt each other and yes, even manipulated each other, Dean most certainly wasn't always the one doing the lying and hurting and manipulating. Always, always, ALWAYS, they both had an understandable point of view, and it was complex, and you could understand why they made the choices they did, even if you thought of those choices as being wrong ones.

I also would like to point out (because this is basically what I see all of the time) that Dean being hurt by someone or simply voicing his feelings or opinion is in no way abusive or manipulative. Dean is certainly charismatic and loved and his returning love and respect is often deeply desired, but he is not an actual siren, who bends people to his will simply by speaking or being. People are, in fact, able to tell him “no”, and frequently FREQUENTLY do. Further more, no one is owed his affection, his unwavering loyalty, or his trust. He has a right to his boundaries, regardless of if it makes some poor sad sap feel deprived of the “wellspring of coveted love” while he works through things. He can be hurt and angry, and he can wear his heart on his sleeve at times, and he can be flawed, and broken. [Insert Castiel's speech from 15.18 here]. So can Sam. So can Cas. None of them are manipulating each other by virtue of getting angry, feeling hurt, being traumatized, needing space, or having differing opinions or feelings. Sam didn’t punch Dean in the face in 14.12 because he's a cruel, manipulative abuser trying to force Dean under his thumb. He didn’t work behind Dean’s back with Ruby, insist on doing The Trials, beg Dean to use Doc Benton’s alchemy, use the Book of the Damned to cure Dean, pump him full of blood to cure him of being a demon despite the fact that it might kill him, or scream at him and fight him for wanting to get in the Ma’lak box because he “doesn’t respect his autonomy” and “wants to control him” and “doesn’t respect his right to his own body”. He did it because he loves him desperately, and Dean could stand to fucking hate himself less, and he fiercely wanted Dean to live even when Dean didn’t want to or couldn’t picture what that could be like. He didn’t force Dean to do anything simply by opening his mouth to voice disagreement and swaying Dean when he did so. Now reverse that.

Cas didn't beat Dean into the ground in season 5 because he wanted to terrorize him into never going against Castiel ever again. He didn’t go behind his back dozens of times, sideline him, go MIA, all because he wanted to manipulate and control Dean and punish him. He didn’t throw sassy remarks at him to shatter his self-esteem. Now reverse that.

*Breathes*

Anyway, fuck "X is abusive” interpretations.

#being serious for 5 seconds #RANTING RANTING RANTING #spicy spicy ghost pepper extract #mail

126 notes · View notes

rex101111 · 4 years ago

Photo

I know people are focusing on chapter 8 right now (as they should), but I just finished chap7 a couple of days ago and need to talk about Patriot a bit because holy shit Captain.

It was very tempting to just screenshot every single line this guy had, but above are some highlights, and one thing in particular I wanna focus on for a couple paragraphs is this:

“I just don’t, trust you. I cannot, trust.”

You can write whole essays on each individual aspect of Patriot, and many have already, because HG just stuffed this one character with so much personality and history and convictions that you can honestly fixate on this guy for ages.

But, I already made a post about how trust is one of the most prevalent and uniting themes in AK, so you bet I had to hone in on that line straight away.

Of all the things that define Patriot, top among them is conviction. What he believes is right, and he believes in strength, end of story. War has define such a major part of his life that, at this point after so long, it’s all he has to hold on to. He has enough sense to point that war in the right direction, as much as he can, but it still is the one thing he believes in.

It doesn’t matter that RI has good intentions, it doesn’t matter if Talulah has lost her way and is tearing Reunion apart from the inside. It doesn’t matter if FrostNova placed her trust in RI, Patriot does not trust them. He can’t.

Yelena was a child, even after everything that happened Patriot, as any father tends to do, sees her as such. And a child trusts too easily. And he doesn’t. In the end that is what drives you to fight him, not a clash of ideals, not hate, because Buldrokkas'tee is far too old to hate someone unless they truly personally earn it, but a tacit refusal to trust Rhodes Island.

All he trusts is his strength, not only because it’s one of the few things that have kept him and his soldiers alive to this point, but also because whenever he trusted anyone else, or even some other aspect of himself, failure followed.

Patriot is considered one of the greatest warriors to ever live on Terra. Just about everyone on the planet have heard some story about him and his military exploits. Patriot has fought against just about every single army you can think of, and those battles he didn’t outright dominate, those precious few, he managed to come out the other end more or less un touched.

His men hold him in the highest of regards, that nickname wasn’t something he picked out, it was given to him by every soldier that fought under his banner, by every enemy who faced him. You will be hard pressed to find a soldier, a person, more respected and trusted in all of Terra in his field.

He’s a monster. He’s a hero. He’s a legend.

And all of that means absolutely nothing to him.

He doesn’t trust other people’s opinion of him, because Buldrokkas'tee knows exactly who he is and exactly what he’s done. He’s a killer, he marched under the banner of the vicious Ursus state despite the horror it inflicted on it’s own citizens. He’s a deserter, he abandoned his post and his honor because he could no longer stomach what he was allowing to happen under his watch.

He’s a failure, he went against the wishes of his wife by drowning in battle and directly led to the death of his own son because he refused to act outside of the only thing he knew.

The one good thing he ever did, as far as he’s concerned, was hold a girl who had nothing because his heart still remembered how to be a father and refused to abide by a child shivering in the cold. And even that didn’t last long, did it?

That is who he is, he knows this to his bones, and no one else will convince him otherwise.

Even when Rhodes brings him to his knees, he still doesn’t trust them, he simply acknowledges that he is finally at his limit. He recognizes that Rhodes Island beat him, fair and square, and is only glad that none of his men died alongside him in that fight.

He doesn’t trust them, he won’t, he can’t, but they beat him, and he trusts war. He knows war, it’s the only thing he truly knows anymore, so he lets death come for him, as it had for so many before him, so many of those he loved.

And then Amiya does something that he refuses to abide, she dares to tell him that he deserves comfort in his dying moments. Buldrokkas'tee hates himself and the actions he took so severely, that the notion that Amiya, that this child, can dare presume to know better than him what he truly deserves in his final minute is an unforgivable insult.

He can’t trust that, can’t trust her, and the rage that comes from him refusing to trust her is enough to get him back on his feet and berate her for daring to think he deserves some peace.

Even though Amiya just saw literally every thing he had ever endured with her powers, every battle and every loss and every failure and every death, he refuses to believe anyone but himself about what he deserves.

It takes him a while to even think about how she saw those things, to connect the dots and remember that prophesy that has haunted him his whole life. Of all the things he doesn’t trust, that he hates, fate is above them all. So he reaches for Amiya’s head, certain that this is what he needs to do before he finally goes down...

...And then Amiya simply stares him down, unflinching in the face of this mountain of a man baring down on her.,

And he stops. Maybe he saw something in her eyes, maybe Theresa, but in the end...Buldrokkas'tee decides to finally let go, and finally trust someone else.

Not Amiya, not Rhodes Island, not the Doctor, not even Dame Kal’tsit, but his daughter Yelena. Just this once.

And if that lack of trust had come to define so much of himself and his life, it only makes sense that the moment when he finally does trust someone else, is the moment where the Patriot finally stops his march.

Rest well, Captain.

#Arknights #Patriot (Arknights)#long post #Trust is such a fucking cool thing in this game #nearly everything comes back to it #that line made this whole post appear in my head I needed to let it out.

158 notes · View notes

itsclydebitches · 3 years ago

Note

About Bakugo, I actually think his original characterization is partly why his arc doesn't work for me: it seems like his contempt for others and desire to hurt them is innate, because he was already insulting and humiliating Deku for fun when they were in kindergarden, and at this age I'm not sure it makes sense to blame the adults around him for this behavior. This is also why I don't buy the "childhood friends" narrative, even before the infamous river scene Bakugo was toxic to Deku.

Hard agree, anon. I'm willing to give some wiggle room to the "Bakugo had a messy childhood and that's why he's like this" argument just because I'm not caught up (and thus might be missing some flashbacks/revelations), no one's life is ever perfect, and there's a subjective line between what we read as innocuous tropes vs. realistic traumas (example: is his mom hitting him something we take seriously, or just classic anime "comedy"?), but honestly I'm... not persuaded by that stance. Largely due to what you've said about this contempt being around since the very beginning. Bakugo's cruelty is the introduction to the entire series, the very first thing we see:

First, they're young here. Maybe not kindergarten young, but as we see in the above narration, it's at age four that Bakugo acquired his "I'm the best" thinking (more on that in a second). They're kids. This is not something that developed slowly over the years until Bakugo crossed some kind of line, he's been like this since the very start. Since a kid is capable of forming thoughts, opinions, and making decisions: like attacking another. In what way does this establish them as friends? Izuku literally shaking as he tries to protect another kid Bakugo is has hurt? Bakugo calling him worthless? Gleefully attacking and punching Izuku in the face? They were never friends! Izuku followed Bakugo around because he was paid some kind of attention by him and Bakugo poisoned the well — no one else in class will befriend Izuku. We see this both by the two willing to help beat him up here and, later, when Izuku says he wants to got to U.A. the entire class laughs at both the idea and Bakugo blowing up his desk in response. The bullying is the only kind of "friendship" Izuku has, so he embraces it with a smile and a nickname. Meanwhile, Bakugo allows Izuku to tag along because he makes him feel good in comparison. All Bakugo needs for an ego boost is to look at Izuku. He's the useless, quirkless nobody whose name can be read as "Deku." What's not to like? Izuku makes Bakugo feel good because Bakugo will always come out on top — always win — when pit against him. Did they have a few good moments gushing over All Might? Yeah, but anyone who has been bullied knows that it's not a clear cut "They were consistently awful every second of every day." Sometimes, those moments of pretend or conditional friendship make everything worse.

(As a side note, I keep hearing the more intense fans of Bakugo saying that those who criticize him identify with Izuku "too much" and it's like... yes? He's the protagonist. You're supposed to identify with him. To say nothing of the question of why you'd include such an explicit bullying subplot — arguably at the heart of the narrative in regards to characterization — if you didn't want readers who had experienced bullying to relate to this story. So it's all about victims like Izuku, you're allowed to care, just don't care in a way that holds Bakugo responsible?)

"But Izuku cares about Bakugo. He tried to help him out of the river." Yeah, because Izuku cares about everyone. Overlooking his warped idea of what friendship is due to having no one but Bakugo, Izuku is the kind of person who is going to extend his hand to anyone who needs it, just like All Might would. His extreme compassion and lack of other friends is not good proof that he cares for Bakugo in any true, healthy fashion, let alone that Bakugo cares for him.

As for when this all started, yeah, it was when they were even younger than in the scene above. Toddlers when Bakugo realized he had a strong quirk and Izuku was told he had none. Bakugo's reaction to these events — deciding he's better than everyone else and that justifies harming those "lesser" than him — is instantaneous. That desire was there all along. He just needed an excuse to act on it. After the conversations about the adults' influence on him, I went back to the anime scenes of Bakugo showing his quirk to his class and it's... pretty normal? I mean yes, there's praise, but in what world wouldn't there be praise? A bunch of other kids are going to ooh and ahh over mini explosions and the two teachers, unless they're entirely heartless, are going to tell this kid that he'll indeed make a wonderful hero someday. Those are standard responses for very young kids who aren't going to understand something like, "That is a powerful quirk and you could be a great hero... just don't let that potential go to your head!" There's nothing in those scenes that imply an excess of praise, at least so much that it would totally warp a kid's perspective of others to the extent Bakugo has going on. If I recall correctly, Bakugo's parents are quite disappointed in his behavior, but that never had an impact on him. And as I mentioned previously, we have incredibly talented characters like Momo (getting into U.A. on recommendation), people like Ida who come from families with other heroes they want to impress, Todoroki dealing with a crazy legacy to live up to, tied up in his abuse... yet none of them turned out like Bakugo. All of that didn't kill their compassion, but adults telling Bakugo he has a strong quirk made him into this person? Bakugo wanted to be that person, right from the start.

Honestly, I think a lot of fans latched onto Bakugo — which is awesome! — but didn't want to admit how horrible he actually is. So they took moments largely out of context and repeated them enough until they became fandom staples. Bakugo and Izuku were close childhood friends who just had a falling out they need to come back from. Bakugo was only like this because the adults in his life drove him to that behavior. Izuku loves Bakugo because he can see how good he is, deep down inside, and definitely not because he's been stuck with him since they were toddlers, unable to escape him even at U.A. It's a very sanitized look at their relationship, embraced because fans want them to be friends or lovers. Which is fine! God knows I'm into a ton of "problematic" ships, I just like acknowledging that they're problematic, not trying to sweeten the situation because fandoms have made others feel guilty for liking anything that's not squeaky clean and pure. Bakugo tormented Izuku for their entire childhood. He encouraged him to commit suicide. He tried to keep him from achieving his dream, both by undermining his confidence and outright threatening him (remember burning his shoulder?). He then reworked that obsession when they both got into U.A., trying to prove Izuku's uselessness, failing, and continually struggling with the thought that he's actually a great hero. And it's like... why do I care? This guy is a horrible person, he's been a horrible person since he was a kid, and his greatest challenge for more than half the story is acknowledging that other people aren't worthless trash. His improvement still hasn't gotten him to the standard of an average person, let alone a hero. If Bakugo were a villain, great, or if the story was going to really highlight the corruption of the hero career as a whole (we take anyone with powerful quirks, no matter how awful they are), great, but as a main character hero whose behavior is supposedly just a cover for a fantastic guy, please overlook everything he does and assume he's worthy of your respect anyway? Ehhh. Why do I care about him as a good guy when there are characters like Ida and Uraraka I could stan? To be clear, I'm not saying other fans can't enjoy whatever characters they enjoy, just that from a storytelling perspective I think it's a failure to introduce Bakugo as such an extreme, make him one of the heroes, give him such a selfish struggle, and then expect a lot of the audience to care. Bakugo either needed to be more balanced from the start — regular flaws instead of such an intense adoration for cruelty from the age of four — or the story needed to unpack his behavior in a way it never bothered to.

#BNHA #My Hero Academia #anti bakugo #mymetas

110 notes · View notes

happenedinforks · 4 years ago

Text

Dating Jessica would include

A/N: Anna Kendrick is my fav person and SMeyer did Jessica dirty.

Pairing: Swan!fem!Reader x Jessica Stanley

SMeyer’s Jessica would probably be a tad bit jealous of you and your sister for getting all that attention as new kids.

But IN REALITY, I think she’d be very interested in getting to know you.

Offering to sit with you in classes, dragging you to sit with the gang at the cafeteria, helping out with homework.

(That girl is a genius, I mean she was valedictorian, hello?!)

Like genuinely she’d be just hyper-excited because nothing interesting ever happens in Forks about getting a new friend.

While Bella would go off and play to be a vampire or not to be, you’d hang out with Jessica and the gang.

Of course, you’d meddle into the whole vampire business eventually but we’re not talking about that.

Mostly hanging out at Jessica’s.

I feel she wouldn’t figure out her crush until at least a year into knowing you.

Just because she’s been a bit boy crazy, like, for her whole life and the idea of liking girls too!!!????

What sparks this is when Angela jokingly said something about you two being attached to each other from the hip.

”You two could just get married and no one would notice the difference.”

And then there was you, not denying it but saying this instead:

”Too bad we can’t officially marry then.”

Jessica would be unusually blushed and would start to ramble about something completely off-topic.

After that, she looked at everything differently.

That hug you gave her almost everytime after not seeing each other over the Weekend.

Was it always that long? How had she not noticed how good you always smelled?

That cheek kiss you gave her when Bella took the picture of everyone in the parking lot for her scrapbook.

She secretly wanted it to happen again.

But then she’d go see the swimming team competition with you and the gang and she’d be like;

”But those guys are still so hot...?”

Honestly, it was A WILD ride for her to figure out her crush on you.

She was kinda obvious about this.

Well obvious enough for you

So it was remotely easy for you to tell her that you like her too.

She was really nervous about PDA and would actually at first avoid it.

In the end (like after a week) she would just, not give a shit anymore, and would hug and kiss you all she liked because she's adorably clingy like that and her love language is definitely touch and affirmations.

Dates in Portland and sometimes in Seattle.

She likes to be the DJ while you drive.

Jessica also makes you dress up and try lots of clothes while shopping even if you weren't there to get anything.

Just, wholesome stuff, she's actually really adorable and wants to be a good person.

You go to your sister's and Edward's wedding as a couple, and that's interesting.

Especially when you had to deviate your clever girlfriend's sharp eyes from the vampires all the time.

The Headcanon-BisexualKing-Charlie would absolutely love Jessica like he was just kinda glad that you didn't have a boyfriend because now he doesn't have to worry about pregnancies.

SMeyer's Charlie we're not even going to talk about.

KingCharlie is all the time asking abt Jessica and when you're going to invite her to dinner.

When Bella is off on her honeymoon you guys actually sit down and talk, it's surprisingly not as awkward as you thought.

You can decide yourself if Jessica finds out abt vampires or not, I feel like she would actually figure it out on her own. Because in the end SHE'S A GENIOUS and the Cullens suck (teehee) at hiding their secret.

I'm looking at you Edwardina and your fluorescence light eyes.

Anyway, lots of traveling when you guys get out of school.

I feel like she'd take you interrailing in Europe.

"Oh because we have to take wrong trains now cuz you wrote about it in your speech?"

Jessica's really a cultural person actually.

Like she likes shopping and all for sure, but different cousines? Sign her tf up!

She'd also try to recreate them.

Jessica definitely has the 'kiss the chef' apron.

She's just all-around cheesy but in a good way.

Like she'll def make you two kiss on top of the Eiffel tower and throw coins into Fontana di Trevi.

You like to tease her about it, playfully of course.

When encountered by your first homphobe, whoever that shithead was, you would be the one to do most of te talking.

It's not that Jessica wouldn't want to stand up, I feel like it would just take her by surprise, you know? Like so far her life with you had been all roses and cotton candy and then suddenly boom someone tries to douze it with prejudice.

After the first encounter she was a lot more ready to stand up to herself and especially to you.

Inn fact she'd probably get into more trouble if you weren't there to calm her down.

"I would have hit her fake highlights into next week."

"I'm sure you would've darling..."

"I mean, just look at them. They don't even blend in..."

A/N: tell me if you want more of these, I love writing headcanons

#Jessica stanley x reader #Anna Kendrick #Jessica Stanley #Jessica Stanely imagine #Twilight #Twilight headcanon #Twilight imagine

175 notes · View notes

shijiujun · 4 years ago

Text

Time for some BL/Danmei novel recs!

You guys have probably (maybe) seen my novels list here - [X] - but it’s more for my own tracking than anything else, so here’s a brief list (I’ll probably do full ones of the ones I really love in another post, probably on Minmo).

The ones elaborated on below with the asterisks are the novels I’ve actually finished reading.

*since everyone more or less knows MXTX’s works - TGCF, MDZS and SVSSS, I’ll skip those!

1. SCI 迷案集 | SCI Mystery Series by 耳雅*

Summary: Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao are childhood friends and rivals that end up working together under the newly established SCI unit as co-leads, with Bai Yutang providing the brawn as Captain and Zhan Zhao the brains as Vice Captain and the team’s resident genius psychologist. They solve cases together and slowly unravel a wider conspiracy that involves their parents’ generation and beyond. At the same time they also realize that they’re meant for each other!

Other CPs: Bai Jintang (Bai Yutang’s older brother) & the medical examiner, Gongsun Ce, Bai Chi (Bai Yutang’s younger cousin) & magician Zhao Zhen, and at least three other gay pairings, one of which is considered another main couple of sorts from Vol. 2 onwards

Status: Incomplete (Began in 2010, author is still going on strong with one chapter every one or two months, we’re halfway through Vol. 5 right now and it’s been 10 years ;-; Love that the author is going on strong!! Everyone on JJWXC are like “please author it’s okay if you go slow as long as you keep going we’re here for you” and jfc I understand the fear of this not completing, also when will Vol. 5 be completed and printed?!! I need to complete the collection)

Translations: Unfortunately, only the first volume has been translated well so far on novel updates. The one on Wattpad seems to have caught up, but I would not recommend that one.

Drama/Live-Action: Season 1 was filmed and released in 2018 under the same name with slightly changed names for the characters. Season 2 was supposed to start filming this month but... oh well. First season basically covered Vol. 1 novel from start to end.

*I love this one only because it was my very first danmei and so it’ll forever have a special place in my heart, and also because it’s still ongoing so ya know, I relive how much I love this every month

2. 成化十四年 | Cheng Hua’s Fourteenth Year (The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty) by 梦溪石*

Summary: Tang Fan, a prefectural judge, and Sui Zhou, a high ranking officer in the Embroidered Uniform Guards, meet while trying to solve a murder case. Both of them end up partnering very well together, Sui Zhou ends up inviting Tang Fan to live with him, and the rest is history. Through their days living together and solving cases + a larger conspiracy involving the royal palace, they fall in love. Adding to this mix is also Wang Zhi, a powerful, young eunuch who befriends the pair, and the three of them basically help the crown prince to overcome challenges and his enemies to become the next Emperor

Other CPs: None XD

Status: Complete!

Translations: Ongoing on several websites. I’m only translating relationship highlights, but here’s an introduction post I did for it, if you guys would like somewhere to start without getting too invested - [X]

Drama/Live-Action: The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty was released earlier this year, directed by Jackie Chan and starring Darren Chen and Paul Fu, but cases are a little different and there are new characters in the show that weren’t from the novel etc.

3. 杀破狼 | Shapolang by Priest*

Summary: Set in a steampunk universe where flying boats named ‘kites’ and flying armour exist. Young teenager Chang Geng lives with his mother and stepfather - the former abuses him and the latter neglects him, and the only person that he cares about (and cares about him) is Shen Shiliu, his (very young) godfather. He realizes his identity as a royal prince when the Man tribe invades his city and Shen Shiliu, whose real name is Gu Yun, turns out to be an army general whose duty was to protect Chang Geng in secret (among other things).

Chang Geng has been critically poisoned by his mother (who’s not actually his birth mother, if I recall she’s an aunt) which leads to him getting terrible dreams frequently with the end result of him being driven into insanity, while Gu Yun is half blind, half deaf due to poisoning + injury when he was much younger, and he can only regain his hearing and sight fully when he takes a medicine that is slowly losing its effectiveness with every dosage he has.

The both of them navigate learning about each other again, falling in love a few years later when Chang Geng is all grown up and also unravel conspiracies and fight bad guys (both external threats and internal as in the current Emperor and other parties) XD

*Note: The age old debate is that Gu Yun ‘preyed’ on and also ‘groomed’ Chang Geng, but I disagree and stand by the fact that Gu Yun was 90% of the time not around while Chang Geng grew from a teenager to a young adult as he was fighting wars elsewhere, while Chang Geng refused to stay at the Gu manor and insisted on running around, travelling on his own and seeing the world for a few years before they met again. And it was Chang Geng who’d always loved Gu Yun and devoted himself to caring about him, making advances on him etc. when he became an adult

Other CPs: Shen Yi (Gu Yun’s second-in-command) & Chen Qingxu (a renowned physician who ends up healing both Chang Geng and Gu Yun of their ailments)

Status: Complete!

Translations: Fully translated the last I heard, it’s up there in the list of holy grail BL/danmei novels, so I’m sure it’s done hahaha.

Drama/Live-Action: Filming in progress!

*This is up there in the hall of fame for danmei novels for more than just the amazing content and writing - It’s also famous for being one of the most complex novels ever. I don’t know how the translations team did it because DAMN it was complex and I read all my novels in Chinese without much issues but I was honestly STRUGGLING WITH this one and I went through some existential crisis while reading because I was like ‘did I ever learn Chinese, am I even Chinese’ XD

4. ��读 | Silent Reading by Priest*

Summary: Luo Wenzhou, a police captain, and his team including best friend and partner Tao Ran, face a few challenging cases that end up being small parts of a larger conspiracy, and end up having to consult with Fei Du, a flamboyant, charming and flirty, young and rich CEO, who Luo Wenzhou describes as someone who is an expert at ‘crimes’. Not deduction, not solving crimes, but someone who is familiar with how the murderer or culprits would commit crimes. Both Luo Wenzhou and Tao Ran know Fei Du well, because they first met when Fei Du was in high school, when he called the police because his mother had hanged herself in the house, and since then Tao Ran and Luo Wenzhou look out for him, spending holidays with him, giving him presents here and there. Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du overcome their misunderstandings of each other and fall in love while solving all the cases and the larger conspiracy behind it.

Other CPs: Tao Ran and someone he knew first from his school days or was a neighbour when he was younger, I can’t remember, but they meet again at a blind date and end up living in the same building on different floors XD

Status: Complete!

Translations: Complete!! There’s a huge post floating around on Tumblr with all the links (I can’t find it right now) and on Twitter you can also find the collated, epub versions etc.

Drama/Live-Action: Rights for a live-action was signed, no casting confirmation or set dates yet

5. 犯罪心理 | Criminal Psychology by 长洱*

Summary: Police captain Xing Conglian drags psychologist Lin Chen out of seclusion/hiding to solve a case that is indirectly tied to him. Lin Chen was involved in a case a few years ago that led to four deaths - these four victims were the sons/daughters of four of the five huge old-money (super rich) families in the country and these family members sought to make Lin Chen’s life very difficult for him afterwards by making him lose all the jobs he can find, by surveilling his every move and ensuring that he’s not happy etc. Because of that, he backed out of the police force as well and quietly lived as a school dorm administrator, which is where Xing Conglian finds him a few years later. Lin Chen fakes his death after the first case (not deliberately but kind of a by-the-way thing), but as fate would have it, he ends up meeting Xing Conglian on another case, and he decides that he’ll move in with him and also involve himself again, consequences be damned, and they fall in love!

Other CPs: None XD

Status: Complete!

Translations: I think it’s not complete yet.

Drama/Live-Action: None that I know of.

6. 死亡万花筒 | Kaleidoscope of Death by 西子绪* (MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE)

Summary: Supernatural setting where people who are about to die get a second chance to live. These individuals are either in the midst of a dangerous situation (for e.g. a shootout or a deadly mugging incident) or are about to get into accidents (for e.g. an entire bus going off a bridge or a chandelier dropping from above and crushing the person underneath) or are ill (recently diagnosed with cancer or are terminally ill with a condition for e.g.) - The list is endless, and in the situation between life and death, 12 doors will appear before them.

It is said that once these individuals finish all 12 doors, they will truly get a second chance at life and survive whatever cause of death they were imminently facing.

Each door represents a creepy, supernatural mystery, and Lin Qiushi finds himself in a strange place after opening a door when he was trying to enter his apartment one day. He meets Ruan Baijie, a beautiful, tall woman who he happens to meet, and they realize that in this strange world, he and other individuals who came through the door have to complete a given task, find a key and an exit door, and make it out alive. The others in the team (some of which have already gone through several doors) explain to Lin Qiushi, who is a first-timer, what the doors are about.

The catch is, if they die inside the door, in the real world, they’ll die immediately, by accident, throwing themselves off a building, or just throwing up blood until they die (just to name a few)

On the first night, however, three people are slaughtered and eaten by a long-haired ghost/creature. The good news is, Ruan Baijie isn’t all that she seems to be (for one, she’s not exactly a woman) and she takes a liking to Lin Qiushi immediately.

Other CPs: None XD

Status: Complete!

Translations: I think it’s not complete yet!

Drama/Live-Action: None that I know of, but honestly, this novel would be fricking EPIC as a live-action, and really creepy, but this is my all-time favourite novel, I kid you not!!!!

*I’m definitely doing a longer and more detailed to-read for KOD on my translation account, gosh you guys have no idea how much I love this.

7. 当年万里觅封侯 | Those Years in Quest of Honor Mine by 漫漫何其多

Summary: Yu She and Gu Wan were close friends for a short period of time when they were younger, but unfortunately their identities and positions meant that they were opponents. Yu She’s family was for the Second Prince and Gu Wan was taken in by the Sixth Prince’s family, but in the end it was the Second Prince who ended up getting to the throne, while the Sixth Prince was accused of treason and died somewhere far away at war after being captured. Gu Wan’s only wish was to keep the Fifth Prince’s children - Xuan Rui and a pair of twins, Xuan Yu and Xuan Congxin safe, and so he moves them to another province and asks the Emperor (the Second Prince) to demote Xuan Rui’s status to prove that they are no threat to the Emperor, if only to stay alive for another day.

However, their days of hardship have only just begun, and Gu Wan decides to namedrop Yu She, whose family is so powerful now, and claims that Yu She loves him and that he was wooing Gu Wan back in the days they knew each other so that officials and others would treat the children under his care better. A few years pass and Yu She doesn’t expose Gu Wan. Gu Wan thinks they can go on like this forever, until the Emperor asks Xuan Rui and the twins to head back to the palace for a visit.

Gu Wan meets Yu She again, but the boy he knew, who was gentle, a stickler for rules and a proper, well-mannered person, has changed almost completely. Cue palace conspiracies again, brothers fighting for the throne, scheming consorts etc. XD

Other CPs: None XD

Status: Complete!

Translations: I think it’s not complete yet but I’m not super sure on this

Drama/Live-Action: None that I know of!

*They came out with a new reprint edition three days ago and it’s gorgeous! And comes with amazing freebies, and I am a sucker and read it on the day of the printed novel release because I saw the art and loved it, wanted to see if the story was any good, and damn after chapter 2 I WAS GONE and then I checked out two copies from different stores for the two different sets of freebies

A list of those I haven’t read but I see are highly raved about:

1. 二哈和他的白猫师尊 | The Husky & His White Cat Shizun by Meatbun

- I’ve already been spoiled and I know what goes on mostly, and there are a lot of warnings for a reason, but I’m still a fan, and let’s not get into the debate on the content, I know I have to read this but the angst level is apparently ridiculous, so I need like some mental preparation before I sit down for it.

2. 千秋 | A Thousand Autumns by 梦溪石

3. 烈火浇愁 | Lie Huo Jiao Chou by Priest

4. 将进酒 | Qiang Jing Jiu by 唐酒卿

- A really good group of translators picked this up initially on Twitter, but then assholes were complaining that they were being too slow and insisting that machine translation (MTL) did an equally good and faster job, so the OG dropped it, and then another nice team picked it up, but MTL team is still being an asshole XD I’ve heard really good things about this one, it’s apparently quite complex as well, I’d liken it to Shapolang level? But it might be even more complex (with a lot of politics and stuff), so much so that apparently the printed novel comes with a relationship/character chart so readers are at any point in time clear on the characters which is like amazing XD

#danmei #bl novels #novel recs #sci谜案集 #kaleidoscope of death #silent reading #shapolang #犯罪心理 #成化十四年 #the sleuth of ming dynasty #2ha #priest #梦溪石 #meatbun #西子绪 #耳雅 #长洱

1K notes · View notes