#if your character acting is unnatural then no matter how good the rest of your game is itll be super offputting to the player

[dysfunctionalnerd]

source

Aug. 23 2024

I just threw up in my mouth a little bit

[yandere-daydreams]

Title: Well Directed.

Written for a very lovely, very patient anonymous commisioner.

Pairing: Yandere!Arlecchino x Reader (Genshin).

Word Count: 2.0k.

TW: Unbalanced Power Dynamics, Intimidation, Biting/Blood, Unhealthy Relationships, and Slight Dehumanization.

Arlecchino greeted you the way she always did – through touch.

Despite everything, you had to admit Arlecchino’s ability to dampen her footsteps, to muffle her breathing, to somehow disguise the weight of her state and heat of her unnaturally warm body and the very fact of her own existence was undeniably impressive – even more so when she managed to hide herself from someone like you, someone so preoccupied with knowing the exact position of every actor as soon as they stepped onto your stage. Your first hint that she was coming to see you was the feeling of her talons on the dip of your shoulder, drifting upward to the curve of your neck, then the sight of her reflection in the mirror of your vanity, appearing as if she’d always been there, as if your eyes hadn’t been fixed to the door of your dressing room since locked yourself behind it, content to spend your intermission in peaceful seclusion. You’d planned to use what little free time you had to clear your head and prepare yourself properly for the rest of the night, but as always, she was there to make sure your mind would be filled with only thoughts of her. If Arlecchino had it her way, there was a good chance you’d never be able to think about anything else.

When you tried to stand, crumbling under the reflex to put any amount of distance between you and her, Arlecchino’s hand rose to your throat, catching you just under the chin and burying her claws in each corner of your jaw. Immediately, you went still, and she rewarded you with an airy chuckle, a tilted head. “Good puppet,” she praised, loosening her hold on you with the assurance that you’d learned your lesson quickly. “You were brilliant out there. Truly, the rest of the production is paler for having to stand in comparison to you.”

You wished you could’ve preened, could’ve basked her praise the same way you did when one of your performances caught the eye of a particularly flattering columnist, when you overheard one of your costars gushing about how proud they were to be working with someone of your renowned. Instead, all her words – no matter how kind, no matter how adoring – ever seemed to do was send a chill down your spine, to make you regret ever auditioning in the first place. Could her praise be considered sincere, if you knew she wouldn’t remember a single line you delivered a few minutes after the curtains closed? Could you take her compliments as anything but blatant condescension, if you knew the only reason she’d sat through your performance at all was to admire her newest toy?

But, you couldn’t say that out loud, so you only bowed your head, settling onto the stool of your vanity as you attempted to find your voice. “It was only the first act,” you mumbled, eventually. “And my scenes were hardly anything noteworthy. My character doesn’t really find their footing until the climax.”

“I disagree. Try as I might, I couldn’t take my eyes off of you.” She didn’t have to tell you that. You’d felt stare prying into you every time you were on stage, and if it hadn’t been for the blinding lights, you were sure you would’ve been able to see her in the dead-center of the first row, grinning wildly as she watched you put on a show she’d already attended half a dozen times since opening night. If she actually bothered to pay attention, you were sure she would have the script memorized, by now. “Although, I couldn’t help but notice you weren’t wearing my last gift. What if I lost track of you up there, dear?”

Her last ‘gift’. Your heart skipped a beat at the reminder. It’d been a gaudy thing – a rose-shaped breastpin, crafted with tens of hundreds of pinprick rubies and lined with a frame of pure obsidian. She’d let one of her masked soldiers make the delivery, but her note had been clear enough. You were supposed to wear the awful thing during your next performance, in front of a crowd of hundreds. You’d crushed it under your heel before your anger could turn into mortification. The dread had only taken root as you cleaned up the broken pieces and began to imagine how Arlecchino might react to your ungratefulness. She could weather most things, but such blatant disobedient had never gotten you more than a bruised cheek, rope-burnt wrists, and a few days spent in the guestroom of her manor.

“I’m sorry, my lord. I tried, but the costuming department overruled me.” You let your eyes fall to the ground, playing sheepish. As if you were genuinely apologetic. As if any part of you regretted not being able to wear her claim on you in front of half the population of Fontaine. “You know how it is. Everything has to be approved by the director, lest a misplaced prop lead the audience to the wrong conclusion.”

She hummed, letting her hand fall to the low collar of your top. It was far from the most risqué costume you’d ever worn, but the plunging neckline suddenly left you feeling more exposed than you would’ve liked. “Give me a name.”

You stiffened. “…excuse me?”

“Who made the call? Give me a name and I’ll take care of the rest.” Her pitch-black claws ran over your collarbone, playing with the idea of breaking the skin. You already knew that the ghost of her drifting affection would linger for seconds, minutes, hours after she was gone, when you were left alone with her voice still ringing in your ears. It was more than likely that you’d spend the second act performing under the careful supervision of her phantom touch. “If it’s the director, don’t bite your tongue. The show can go on without that bumbling idiot.”

“No, I—” The threat was clear, direct. She’d made similar promises before – when the man behind the counter of her preferred bakery called you by your name as you hung from her arm, when one of her subordinates seemed just a little too excited to attend one of your shows. In her ideal world, you’d be little more than a ballerina twirling in one of her music boxes; there to smile and dance when she desired to see you and locked away from prying eyes when she did not. You’d do nothing but giggle and laugh and bend to her whims, too happy in her gilded cage to ever throw yourself at the bars. “I’m sorry,” you said, again, and this time you tried to mean it. “I… I lied to you, earlier. I damaged it this morning while trying to put it on, and—” A pause, a laugh. “Archons, I’m so embarrassed. I just couldn’t stand the idea of letting you know I was so thoughtless with one of your presents.”

It was far from your best work. Your speech was too stilted, your tone too dire for the occasion, your body language too stiff to convey much of anything beyond the simple hope that she would believe you. You would’ve been mortified to let anything so visibly improvised make it in front of a real audience, but Arlecchino was far from a critic. Her grin – as unwavering as it was monstrous – softened, her sadism partially sated by your complete, unabashed submission. Her hand fell away from you completely, and you beamed, letting your heart soar at the thought that she’d finally found some scrap of empathy for you.

Of course, your elation was quickly punished. It always caught you off guard – just how fast she was, just how strong she was, just how much she enjoyed reminding you of exactly why she could afford to be so self-indulgent when it came to her ever-growing collection of pretty little things. One moment, you were smiling at her reflection, and the next, the mirror had been shattered into more pieces than you could ever be able to count, anything it might’ve once shown distorted beyond all recognition. An intricate web of hairline fractures stretched outward from the point where her fist connected with the glass, but she regarded the devastation with little more than a slight hum, a sleeve dragged over her bleeding knuckles. “I think it’s my turn to apologize.” The sound of her heels against tile, the feeling of her arms wrapping around your waist. “You know how I get when I’m upset.”

Upset. You could’ve laughed, if you hadn’t forgotten how to use your lungs. You could’ve cried, if you weren’t too scared to move. If your unresponsiveness bothered her, if she noticed you hadn’t blinked since she lashed out, your paralysis wasn’t deemed worthy of her concern. Instead, she only pulled you against her chest, letting her chin rest on the dip of your shoulder. “You’re special, you know. I don’t lose my temper for every little actor who thinks they can get away with being so…” Her claws skirted over your side, threatening to tear through the delicate fabric of your costume. “Unappreciative. That’s a good word for it, isn’t it? You’ve always been the more eloquent one, between the two of us.”

Multiple temptations surfaced in you all at once. Part of you wanted to cry, to beg for her forgiveness, to promise you’d never be so selfish and so stupid again if she’d only let you go unharmed tonight. Another more rebellious faction screamed at you to run, to try in vain to hide yourself away from such an obvious predator, unwilling to acknowledge how many times you’d tried that before and how many times it hadn’t worked. And yet, neither impulse overwhelmed you, in the end. Arlecchino’s training took control and you left you speaking hollowly, the words finding your way to your tongue before your conscious mind could so much as realize that you’d opened your mouth. “Unappreciative, my lord. I’ve been unappreciative.” Then, leaning against her, “What can I do to earn your forgiveness?”

“Good little thing,” she said, by way of an answer. Her grin was the widest it’d ever been. “My perfect little puppet.”

This time, you were able to find a note of joy in her praise, to seek comfort in the fact that her faux-affection meant you wouldn’t be the next thing crushed under her rage. That happiness was only partially dampened by the weight of her lips against your shoulder, then drifting upward, latching onto the tender patch of flesh just below your jugular. Her teeth, like her fingertips, were sharpened to fine points, each able to pierce your skin with all the thought it would’ve taken her to swat a fly out of the air, to pluck a wildflower from its patch. You felt warm blood trickle past her lips and down your collarbone, let a low whimper slip past your grit teeth as she dug that much deeper, as she carelessly tore through everything she touched. When you shifted, attempting to relieve a fraction of the pressure on your throat, of the burning ache just underneath your skin, her hands clamped down around your hips, her hold on you tightening and dragging you that much closer to her chest, that much deeper into her embrace.

By the time she pulled away, there was a dark ring of bruising carved into the side of your neck, emphasized by the bright red stain of her lipstick against your skin, the trail of crimson dripping down your chest and pooling above your collarbone. You weren’t able to stop yourself, cursing as you scrambled for something on your vanity table that you could use to limit the damage, but Arlecchino stopped you, taking up either of your wrists and forcing your arms to your sides. “Trying to hurt my feelings again?” She ran her tongue up the side of your throat, adding a vulgar smear to the mess she’d made of you. “Leave it as it is – I want you wearing my mark for the rest of your performance. And, if someone tries to stop you, tell them I’m the only one you’ll be taking direction from, from now on.”  

You were too stunned to respond, too mortified to blink. Somewhere in the distance, a stagehand called five minutes to curtain, and Arlecchino let out a breathy laugh. With no small amount of hesitancy, she detangled herself from you, making her way to the door of the dressing room, the space now too contaminated to be called your own.

As her fingertips grazed the knob, her glanced back to you, her eyes meeting yours in the shattered remains of your mirror. You could’ve sworn you could still see the faint tint of your blood on her teeth as the corner of her lips tugged upward and something buried deep, deep inside of you withered and died.

“I’ll be watching, dearest.”

[cruyuu]

OK so it wasn't just me who thought that Yuuji and Sukuna went on a hiking date

Im sorry but if Yuuji was a girl (or Sukuna) this would be 100% considered romantic and atp im rolling with love

These two idiots will be the end of me i swear LOL

Hii anon!

You're not alone! That chapter lowkey read like a date and like Yuuji really wanted to change his mind before the end and also get to know him more, learn more about him while baring parts of himself he never bared to anyone else (like sheesh... that's pretty deep). He was hoping for an equal exchange (I bare out my heart, you bare yours) but Sukuna wasn't giving anything (even him recognizing hydrangeas got brushed off as Megumi's memory... why is he so afraid of admitting he likes flowers smh)

It's really funny because with them every single thing works somehow? Like there's a solid basis for every interpertation regarding their relationship. Do you see them as enemies? Do you see them as reluctant friends? Do you see them as soulmates? Do you see them as two parts of a single soul? Do you see them as each other's curse? As each other's salvation? Platonically or romantically? Do you see them as lovers? Do you see them as reincarnated uncle and nephew? Do you see them as ??? aka "I don't even know"? All of those are correct interpretations because the ground work to cover all those explanations exists. That's why they're like crack cocaine to me. They are many things in a single package. Mirrors. Foils. Twins. Equals. Opposites.

Objectively— it's true that Yuuji chased Sukuna around, trapped him (frantically) in a domain so he could parade him around his hometown and get them to hang around (while Sukuna, unnaturally, obliged). It's true that Sukuna, no matter how much he claims he doesn't care, cares about him in a weird way. It's clear because he acts a lot more differently with Yuuji than he does with the rest (plus him being the only human for Sukuna who's different than the rest... you already know what canon said lol. I'll get carried away). It's undeniable that there's something very special between them. That's canon! So seeing chapter 265 as awfully romantic isn't a bad interpretation. Their relationship is just... undefined. They're weird and tied to each other, in a love-hate relationship <3

Now personally, I see them in many different aspects. I love them as a ship, platonically, romantically, as die hard enemies or whatever. Their dynamic is the highlight of jjk for me because nobody does it like them. Their chemistry is off the charts and they match each other even if they're so different from each other. Idk I'm insane.

Im sorry but if Yuuji was a girl (or Sukuna) this would be 100% considered romantic and atp im rolling with love

Well, they are a bit iffy to ship to a lot of ppl because Yuuji's a minor (even tho he lived through hell and back at just fifteen and is more mature than actual adults in this manga) and because of reincarnated incest (uncle and nephew) which is invalid if you apply the logic of reincarnation– Yuuji doesn't have Sukuna's twin brother's soul, after all, (He's a completely different one. Biology doesn't equate soul sharing lol.) so it's not just about heteronomativity. After all, people have latched onto other m/m ships without problems but consider these two not shippable even if canon ties them together again and again and they embody good tropes and their relationship is 101 how you can write some damn good tragedies or redemption arcs (because their dynamic and them as characters just work so well together that it's insane).

As somebody who really doesn't care about all the problems this ship carries (because I see them as characters in a fictional world), all of that is irrelevant to me because I, like you, am rolling around in love and screaming into the void because Gege finally brought them together again. That was all that mattered to me! Now I'm excited for what's to come and am really curious how jjk will end.

They'll be the death of me as well. I'll miss them a lot once jjk ends :( Thank you for the ask!

[pixyys]

Oh my dear sister, of course I am just kidding. Your pickup lines aren't that bad, it's just that they need a little... polishing.

Speaking of which, how did you find the movie? Personally, even when the plot was a bit bland, Lippmann's acting definitely saved the show. Although there was one part where he did play the violin... I could feel Silver judging his violin playing-acting very heavily. To me it looked like he did a good job, but I can't say the same for Silver. lmao sorry Lippmann

Indeed. Silver had said that one of her favourite composers was Chopin, because while he had a life full of sorrow, his music is truly one of the most beautiful that I have ever heard. If played correctly, you could close your eyes and envision what Chopin had went through. Such a pity that he passed away at the age of 39.

And it's painfully obvious how low quality your jokes are ahaha pianoman's so savage. Sometimes I wonder if I have to hire a tutor to teach you the beauty of pickup lines and jokes, but I see that you're beyond hope now lmao /j.

Silver's hand is getting better, although she still insists practicing piano with her other hand. I tried to get her to rest, but goodness gracious this girl just never wants to stop practising. I guess she just wants to get her daily 40 hours in. But I do wish sometimes she'll take a break and not overwork herself.

Take care, my little sister. I'll see how you are after you meet Lippmann.

-🎹

P.S. I asked Doc about it, and he just laughed and told me that I had 'feelings'. He then asked me who it was, but I didn't tell him. Now that makes me curious; just what exactly are these 'feelings' that he talks about? I trust you know more on this matter than me

hmm, if you say so.. i'll do my best to practice more and work on them. thank you for the encouragement.

speaking of, i think the movie was decent at best. they could've made a better plot and executed the climax better. but the choice of casting was great. i feel like the actors really gave it their all to play their characters, especially lippmann. well, actually, i was mostly distracted by his acting throughout the movie. but please don't tell him that- and yeah! i saw that one violin scene. he did an amazing job, but i've been looking at some violin performances since then, and i agree with silver. thinking back, lippmann's scene seemed a teeny tiny bit unnatural. but i get this. playing a musician's role can be very challenging, silver must know this better than me.

oh, chopin? silver gave me some classical piece recommendations, and i remember some of them being chopin's works. i ought to look further into them. moreover since it's her favorite composer. and i agree. i briefly read his biography, and his life was not exactly the most happy one. i find it amazing how he could create phenomenal works nevertheless.

AHH SHUSHH YOU, otherwise i'll start pestering you with my "low quality jokes" as you like to say it /lmaoo that's right, maybe if i incorporate expensive things to my jokes, they won't be "low quality" anymore. today, i'll give you this: i've seen some people having this animal as pets: axolotls, quite exquisite. now what do you call an expensive axolotl?

that's a lotl 😎

jokes aside, i'm very glad to hear that silver's hand is recovering well. the practicing part.. not quite. thank you for taking care of her. i'll see if i can convince her to take some rest and.. uh, dissuade her from her daily 40 hours practice. i'm sure it won't be that sacrilegious if she is to take a break for at least one day.

thank you! and take care too! i, uh, lippmann practiced that pickup line with me for a brief moment after we watched that movie. as expected, it was absolutely, criminally smooth. i was too distracted by his smile his charm that i forgot my own pickup line, and i said exactly that to his face, out loud. i'm sorry brother, i don't think i'll be seeing you and everyone anymore. i'll fake my death, make a new identity, and fly to paris or somewhere. i won't be able to see him in the eye after all that🙂

p.s. ooh goody! i knew i can trust doc with this. yet still, i strongly believe this is a question only you can figure out. or, let's see, why don't you try asking silver? hehe

[aminiatureworld]

Affection

Characters: Albedo, Beidou, Keqing, Zhongli, gn!reader

Word Count: 4,705

Warnings: Swearing

Premise: Sometime we know something is impossible from the start. But still we walk towards it, even if we know it will hurt us. It’s only flirting, only a smile or a hug or some food. Even if nothing comes of it, there is nothing to regret. Even if it hurts.

In which the reader gives affection, expecting nothing in return.

Author’s Note: More “new” characters! I’ve been neglecting Keqing and Beidou, they deserve some love. I hope as always their characterizations live up to expectations! This was very fun to write, so I hope you enjoy it!

I couldn’t tell whether to make this melancholy or fluffy, so I guess I half-and-half-ed it. Best of both worlds, right? Although the tone feels definitely lighter.

Albedo

Your friends never could figure out why you were flirting with Albedo.

“That alchemist has nothing on his mind but work,” one of them once told you, “he’ll never reciprocate your feelings you know.”

“I know.” You’d replied, smiling the sort of smile people put on when they’re trying to show they’re not annoyed. “I know he doesn’t like me in that way, you don’t have to tell me.”

“Then why are you doing it?”

“Because I want to.” You’d shrugged, shifting the conversation to some other topic. In all honesty, it wasn’t as if your friend was lying. But neither were you, not really. There wasn’t any good explanation for why you were flirting with Albedo after all. You knew that he’d never take it seriously, knew you weren’t good enough for it anyways. Maybe that’s why you flirted with him. Maybe it was better to make the slightest fool of yourself than drive yourself mad thinking about something that could never be.

So you continued on your merry, if slightly self-destructive way. Every time you saw Albedo, which was quite a bit considering the fact you were often posted around Dragonspine and spent a lot of your free time in the square right outside his office, you ran his way, asking him what he was doing, or telling him about your own day. You’d developed this habit of leaning in a bit whenever he spoke to you, and the slight pause he gave as his smile grew wider whenever you did made your heart soar.

Not that you ever started thinking there was ever a chance. I mean, come on. Albedo was Albedo and you were you. There was a great deal of distance between the two of you, as if you were standing on opposite sides of a bridge which was liable to fall at any moment. You could shout across at each other, but never did you attempt to walk over to him, knowing it’d surely result in disaster.

Still, why did you flirt with Albedo? The question sort of haunted you at times. You enjoyed his company, you’d even told him you enjoyed his company. He’d smiled his sedate smile, pausing for a moment to look away from the painting he was working on. “I enjoy your company too.” He’d said, before turning back to his work. It was a quiet, calm, even sort of response, just the sort you’d expected. And yet you kept going, and though you made no attempt to push the boundaries or go any farther, you still wondered at times what the point of it was.

Perhaps following that line of thought was a bit dangerous. You found the more you asked yourself what you expected out of your closeness with Albedo, the more absent you seemed to be. It wasn’t as if you were trying to avoid him or anything, no quite the contrary. It was only that you tended to want to be alone when you were thinking about something like this. Reaching out was hard, especially to the person who you were thinking about.

“Are you alright?” You glanced up from the lunch you were pondering over to see Albedo leaning over you. Feeling your cheeks redden you jumped slightly.

“Albedo! Oh I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying any attention to my surroundings! Sit down!” You gestured vaguely to the spot on the bench next to you. Albedo smiled politely, sitting down as directed. He seemed to sober however once he was sitting, scanning your face for something, though you weren’t sure what that something was.

“You seem… absent recently, I was wondering if something was the matter.”

“Oh, I’m perfectly fine!” You shook your hands out in front of you. “I guess I’ve just been sort of busy recently, or maybe a little tired I guess. You know that the festival is coming up, right? Well Acting Grand Master Jean is really running us ragged! But I promise I’ll be back to normal soon!” You laughed awkwardly; it wasn’t as if you weren’t telling the truth per se, just… not the whole truth. But you’d rather not put all your troubles on Albedo, not when he was reaching out to see if you were okay. Smiling once more you attempted to switch topics. “How’s your research? Have you found something new while I’ve been gone?”

“Yes, I’ve begun to study the reaction between macrophage and eukaryotic cells in contrast with prokaryotic cells, and how adding elemental effects to reactions either speeds up or slows down the reaction. But I’m glad to hear you’re alright,” Albedo seemed to relax a bit, leaning backwards slightly on the bench, “everything has been much quieter with you gone. It’s unnatural, I can’t focus as well. I keep finding myself distracted by little things. I look forward to participating in our conversations once more.”

“Well I’ll be there soon!” You promised, heart fluttering slightly. Did he really mean that? I mean sure, it didn’t mean anything more than what was on the tin. Your situation hadn’t changed that much. Still, it meant something to you that Albedo wasn’t just tolerating your presence, that he was actually somewhat involved in your friendship. “I promise I’ll have some very interesting topics of conversation when I come back.”

“Good.” Albedo nodded once more before smiling slightly sheepishly. “My workspace is currently going through a cleaning and the lab isn’t supposed to let any foreign substances in in; would you mind terribly if I ate with you?”

“Not at all!” You responded. “I love spending my free time with you. What have you brought?”

Why did you flirt with Albedo? Why did you seek out his presence despite you and everyone around you knowing full well that it was never going to come to anything? What did you even think of Albedo? Well you could answer that last one at least. You loved him. You loved him very much. And even if he didn’t reciprocate the way you did, even if your friends told you it was pointless and your mind chastised you for putting yourself through the ringer, even if all that was true, you weren’t going to stop. Because you were Albedo’s friend and he was yours. And for now that was enough.

Even if a part of you continued to hope that one day this would change.

 Beidou

Beidou was utterly out of your league and you knew it.

It wasn’t exactly a difficult conclusion to come to after all. Brash, outspoken, good with a sword, Beidou embodied that sort of restless, self-reliant spirit you wish you yourself could emanate.

It didn’t hurt that Beidou had essentially rescued you from destitution, having found you languishing in a corner of one of the seedier docks of Liyue, and having taken you in quickly after the fact. You owed her a great deal, and was glad to do so. After all you’d fallen hopelessly in love with Beidou.

Life aboard a slightly illegal ship was bound to be an intimate one. Everyone knew everything about everyone else, and it was very difficult to find someone that hadn’t heard about your crush. Someone who wasn’t Beidou, that was. Although it wasn’t like you attempted to hide it; you just never brought it out in the open. And who could blame you? How could anyone who’d nearly died of starvation waiting for some sort of divine help compare to the bravest captain you’d ever met?

So you two settled into a routine of sorts, at least in your mind. You ate every meal as close to her as possible, something which had been difficult at first but as the “secret” spread around became almost comically easy, you discussed your plans with her first, gave her various trinkets you’d found in your travels, asked her opinions about your weapon then asked her to train with you. The training sessions had almost killed your resolve not to tell her, nothing was so intimate as having someone constantly checking your posture, moving and arm here a leg there, closely monitoring how you moved and acted.

All the while you said nothing. It felt selfish after all to even think about it. Beidou had many a time told her crew that they were one big family. On top of the obviously platonic motives behind her love for you, you weren’t about to impose on the crew by trying to take the spot as favorite or partner. It’d make you feel sleazy.

But damn if sometimes your resolve wasn’t tempted. It was the night after a particularly successful raid, and everyone was drunk out of their minds. Even you were tipsy, although compared to the rest you were positively sober. Sitting next to Beidou, who was walking up and down the tables making speeches of various levels of comprehensibility, you thanked the archons above that this woman had saved you. It was all worth the pain and suffering, if only to see her smile, which was blinding at the moment.

“You were brave, my dear compatriots! Distinguished! Honored! Positively courageous!” Beidou let out a slight “hic”, her vocabulary always did turn a bit grand when she drank too much. “Indeed, I’m sure not even the greatest of emperors had an army which could rival the visage of our band of brothers! Storming the deck, why we all might’ve perished! Damned visions, they’re for cheaters! For fraudsters! You all fight without them, and in doing so you prove yourself far more valiant, far more exemplary than they do!” Evidently Beidou had forgotten she herself was a vision wielder. Then again, so had everyone else.

“On this night of victory, of perilous and prestigious triumph, I wish to congratulate the greatest of warriors! This! My proverbial right hand man, the distinguished…” Beidou turned around towards you, gesturing in a very flamboyant sort of manner. You stood there, shocked by the sudden attention, blushing deeply, brain so filled with awe that you only half realized Beidou couldn’t remember your name.

“Yes! This person, this noble scalawag!” Beidou lifted you up so you were standing next to her, archons was she strong. “Now I don’t believe in laws, but if I did I’d marry them I would! You all ought to be more like them, mark my words I want to see some shaping up! There are no levels on this ship, but if there were they’d be higher than you all! Pay attention to my words, they are final!” And with that, speech apparently over, Beidou planted a soft, if slightly messy, kiss on your cheek.

If it weren’t for the people around you, you might’ve fainted.

The next day announced itself with a headache, though as the least hungover of the group you were put in charge of dishing out the medicine and water. The whole ship appeared to be groaning, and though the crew was usually quite active and excited at almost any hour of the day, you could tell that most of the men and women just wanted to roll over and go back to sleep.

“Captain wants to see you when you’re done with your rounds.” There were a few other people helping you out, and the one that informed you about this raised an eyebrow as you promptly turned white as a sheet, before a splotchy shade of red covered your face. What was she going to say? Had she remembered what had happened the night before? You admitted to yourself that maybe banking on Beidou forgetting was a doomed cause from the start. Beidou was perhaps brash and a lover of alcohol, but her memory was sharp, and she somehow managed to never drink herself to total incompetence. If you challenged a drunk Beidou to a duel your chances were going to be about the same as if you’d challenged her sober. Hell maybe they’d be even worse. With that grim thought in mind you distributed the last of the medicine, wiping your hands needlessly on your clothes before walking towards the captain’s cabins.

You loved Beidou’s cabins, they somehow seemed both incredibly grand and inexplicably homey. With furniture made out of a plush and luxurious red sort of material, it was nonetheless crowded by knickknacks; drawings, carvings, and other such paraphernalia littered the shelves and the dressers. Beidou had once told you almost all of it was from current or former shipmates. The luxuries they stole had no use in her home.

“Captain Beidou?” You ventured. The captain was at her desk, scribbling out something, probably a plan. She loved to plan in her free time, whether or not the plan was something doable or a total fantasy. Now she looked up, setting her pen down and smiling her classic, cocky grin.

“Ah, my favorite shipmate. How’re we feeling today?”

“W-well!” You managed to get out, a bit distracted by the nickname. Ah, it seemed she had remembered at least part of it. “Um, captain, I was told you wanted to see me.”

“Yes, I did. I’ve been thinking since last night, thinking a great deal, and I was wondering, what would you think to becoming my partner, in a, well, romantic sort of sense.”

“So suddenly?” You replied, eyes widening but nevertheless cracking a smile. Beidou’s confession had been blunt, devoid of all the usual flourishes. And yet it was what you wanted, what you’d always wanted.

“Well why not?” Beidou shrugged nonchalantly. “After all considering how you’ve been acting towards me for the past few months, I figured why not become my partner. Unless I’ve been reading you wrong of course.”

“No!” You exclaimed. “I mean yes, I mean, well yes to the first and no to the second. I’d love to become your partner, and you haven’t been reading me wrong.” Your gaze dropped to the floor. “I just figured I wasn’t good enough. I mean you’re… you. And besides, you said we were all a family. I figured you wouldn’t want me as a partner.”

Beidou raised her eyebrow slightly as her smile melted into a smirk. Shaking her head slightly she approached you, raising your gaze every so slightly. “Well I can tell you right now I’m not too good for you. Not only are you good with a weapon, but you’re about as tough and fearless as they come. I don’t want to hear about how you’re secretly scared or whatnot. Everyone is that doesn’t matter. But you fight well and without second thought. And I admire that. And as for the speech about family, well a romantic partner is family of some kind. Besides the crew won’t mind, they’ve been talking about it for ages.”

“I guess they have.” You blushed; apparently Beidou hadn’t been as uninformed as you thought.

“Any last words before you’re my partner?” Beidou’s smile was as wide as you’d ever seen it and just as infectious; you grinned back.

“I love you.”

“Good. Now,” Beidou smiled, planting a soft kiss on your cheek and then a peck on your lips – something which left you grasping for coherent thought “let’s tell the others.”

 Keqing

Working with Keqing was an experience akin to slowly dying inside.

You’d become somewhat enamored with the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing ever since you’d first met her. Her brusque and honest manner was refreshing, and when listening to her talk about the archons, about Liyue, about how the past and the present tied together, you never really seemed to question her. She always gave off the impression of intelligence, and, unlike some others you’d met, she had the brains to back it up. And what could you say? Before you knew it you had a crush on her.

Yet working with her showed other sides of Keqing too. She was very self-conscious when it came to compliments. Not that she minded them per se, as one time you’d asked her if your constant praise was a bother. “I just never know how to respond.” She’d admitted, and to be fair you understood that. But as long as she told you she liked them you’d compliment her.

Of course you knew it could never go beyond that. Keqing was your coworker; she was your superior in almost every way, both in occupation and in character. She never lost her cool or found herself off guard when fighting treasure hoarders or when dealing with rowdy citizens. She was efficient, capable, and aware of her incredible abilities. And she didn’t feel the need for a partner, something she had told you every time someone else worked up the courage to ask her out. You couldn’t bring yourself to impose on her like they did, not when you knew what her answer would be.

It was a slightly disheartening existence, and indeed sometimes you wondered what the point of it was, wondered if you shouldn’t just quit. But that wouldn’t be fair, not to Liyue, and not to Keqing herself. She relied upon the other members of the Liyue Qixing  to work efficiently and without sudden disruption. And the sudden quitting of someone who was hardly at the bottom of the ranks would’ve certainly done just that.

Besides, Keqing was first and foremost your friend. It was a bit of a fragile friendship, yes, but it was friendship nonetheless; and you valued that friendship well above your own infatuation. If you had to bottle your feelings up so be it. You owed it to Keqing to keep it together, to not impose on her what she obviously didn’t want and to not punish her for it by drawing away. So it hurt, so what? A lot of things hurt, doesn’t mean they aren’t worth doing or experiencing. And this was certainly one of those things.

It was late evening, and most of the cubicles were dark. You sat, writing the last few sentences of a report, trying to ignore the headache that had been developing since earlier that day. A friend had attempted to set you up on a blind lunch date, and though you appreciated their motive the whole thing had been a chore, and now you were late on your work.

“Almost done?” Keqing’s voice broke through your mental grumblings. Looking up at her you nodded, and Keqing smiled in satisfaction. “Good. Can’t have one of our best workers getting sick on account of working too hard.”

“I won’t get sick.” You assured her. Finally stamping the paper you let out a sigh leaning back in your chair.

“A difficult day?”

“You could say that,” you admitted, “a friend went on a slightly appreciated but incredibly unnecessary mission to get me to go out on a date. Honestly, I’d rather her just treat me to lunch.”

“I can understand the feeling.” Keqing frowned in sympathy. “People are too obsessed with the idea of romance, so much so it blinds them. There are more important things in this world.”

“I’d say most people consider love pretty important.” You commented. Keqing shook her head in response.

“Perhaps, but aren’t ideals better than individual wishes? Romance may be fun, perhaps, but there are other things to consider. Besides, I find your company far more enjoyable than I would any date.”

“You do?” You responded, heart fluttering slightly; you hoped Keqing didn’t notice the blush spreading across the bridge of your nose and coloring your cheeks. Luckily it was slightly dark in the office.

“Oh certainly,” Keqing waved her hand dismissively, “you’re the best coworker and friend I’ve ever had. No significant other could give me advice like you do, or help me so much when I’m struggling with work or with my thoughts, and dates are so formal and boring and awkward compared to spending an afternoon with you. Really I’m perfectly content relationship wise with our friendship. Relationships are full of pitfalls, people keeping this little thing from their partner, or omitting that little act. No, better to have an open and supportive friendship like we do.”

“I’m glad you think so.” You replied, and really you did. You’d known since day one that a romantic relationship was off the table. So if you could stay by Keqing’s side and support her, if only a little longer, then you’d be perfectly content.

Even if a part of you still wished that things could’ve been different.

 Zhongli

To be fair to Zhongli you weren’t sure how much he understood of any type of human relationship. The fact that the Geo Archon had befriended you in the first place was an achievement in itself.

And yet he had befriended you, and soon you’d found yourself falling in love with the slightly aloof, slightly out of touch geo archon. Zhongli was much more than that of course. Surprisingly open, the ex-deity took to finding out information about humanity with zeal. Always eager to ask you questions and to hear about how your day had gone or how you felt after something particularly happy or sad or gratifying, Zhongli had morphed into a pseudo confidante for you. Someone you found yourself relying on more and more. His gentle nature didn’t hurt either, or his looks for that matter; all in all Zhongli seemed like the perfect sort of person, and though you knew that you’d never be able to measure up to an archon, you found yourself unable to suppress the overwhelming love you felt for him.

Zhongli didn’t seem to mind your openness at all, indeed he sort of relished it, or at least he seemed to. Every time you reached out to grab his hand he gladly slipped it into yours, and whenever you ran up and hugged him after a long period of not seeing one another he always hugged you back. He’d eat lunches with you, and sometimes dinners, and sometimes weekends were spent running around Liyue, or at home listening to one another’s stories or reading one another’s books. It’s truly a magical sort of feeling to share a book with someone. But then again with Zhongli everything seemed magical.

Of course affection aside the whole matter never crossed the line of friendship. You never told him of your affections, and in return Zhongli never initiated anything further than conversation. Not that it bothered you; you felt there was a bit of a gap between you and Zhongli. After all surely it was idealization which caused you to recognize that someone like Rex Lapis had no want or inclination towards engaging in a relationship with a mere mortal. Facts are facts, and there’s no changing them, no matter how much you wanted to.

And yet how odd fate is.

“What is being in love like?”

You looked up at Zhongli, trying desperately to act as if you hadn’t felt your heart rate spike to unhealthy levels.

“Uhm… what do you mean what is love like?”

“I’ve noticed mortals are very enamored with love. I have to admit, my experience with romance is minimal; archons and adepti seldom see romance as something that affects them. But I want to know, as a human, what is love like to you?” There was no mockery or sense of superiority in Zhongli’s face. Not that you expected there to be. Zhongli never looked down upon humans as unequal. Many times he’d told you he admired them. Taking a breath you thought of your answer.  

“Well… hmm. Love is very different for everyone. To some love is like an inferno; it’s very sudden and very intense. It sort of burns them up, it’s all they think about. I think that’s less love, more infatuation, but to some that is indeed love. To others love is sort of… staid. It’s being able to rely on them, to talk to them about anything and everything without feeling embarrassed or like you have to put on some sort of show. It’s knowing that there’s someone who will always side with you or help you realize what’s right, or be there when you feel terrible. To them love isn’t passionate, it’s comforting.”

“And to you?” Zhongli interrupted, a look of thoughtfulness on his face.

“Well to me it’s somewhere in the middle, I suppose to most people it’s somewhere in the middle. And this is only romantic love after all. Love is so big, so all encompassing, I think it’s hard to pin down. But to me romantic love is both; it is the passion that causes people to do crazy things and espouse crazy sorts of ideals, and it is the staid comfort of knowing there is someone who will always understand you, and always support you in that understanding.” You paused, realizing you’d been prattling on a bit. “Why, may I ask? Is there a reason you want to know.”

“Yes,” Zhongli admitted, voice slightly less calm than usual. “I, I’ve been thinking about my feelings towards someone a great deal recently; they’ve been alien, although not distressing per se. They feel as if I’m always on some sort of edge, but I don’t feel upset by it. Instead I want to approach it, want to be around the person who makes me feel that way. I wanted to understand that emotion more. I wondered if it was love. Thank you for answering my question, it was most enlightening.”

“That person must be very lucky.” You replied, keeping your tone as light as possible, trying to ignore your emotions, which had risen and dropped so very quickly. “I suppose I’ll have to lay off on the affection now. Part of love is sometimes being a little bit jealous, at least in the beginning, at least for some people. It’s silly, really, but I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that.” Zhongli’s tone was surprisingly wry, as if there was a joke somewhere you’d missed.

“Why?” You asked, brow furrowing slightly.

“Because the person whom I was enquiring about is you.”

Honestly you would’ve been less surprised if Zhongli had told you that he was going to run away from Liyue and join the circus. All you could manage to sputter out was: “Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure!” Zhongli chuckled slightly. He raised his hand, gloved fingers ghosting your cheek as he tucked a lock of your hair behind your ear. “I’ve suspected it for some time, but I wanted to be sure. Are you alright with me telling you this?”

Alright? You were over the moon! Had you ever been this happy before? You weren’t sure, but you were happy now.

“Of course it’s alright. Zhongli, I’ve liked you for months now.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?” Zhongli tilted his head slightly in confusion. You stared down at your hands, slightly embarrassed.

“I thought I wasn’t good enough for you. I mean you’re an archon and I’m a mortal. I’m hardly different from the other people of Liyue, and I just, I don’t know, I was scared of rejection, I was scared you’d think I was overstepping and that our friendship would crumble. And I didn’t think I could stand that.”

At first Zhongli said nothing, instead he held out his hand. You gladly placed your palm in his, comforted by its warmth.

“You shouldn’t hold yourself so cheaply,” Zhongli spoke softly, “there are a great many extraordinary things about you. Your affectionate nature, your determination to live even when the world is dark and dangerous, your willingness to open your heart to some ancient archon who knows little of humans. If that’s not extraordinary, I don’t know what is. I don’t feel towards anyone as I do towards you, at least I haven’t in a long time. So don’t think of yourself that way anymore, please.”

“I won’t.” You replied. And it was true. You knew you wouldn’t be able to, not anymore. Zhongli would make sure of that, already you could tell.

To some love burns like fire in the mind, to other it wraps you up in a blanket of comfort. You felt incredibly lucky, for you despite yourself demanded both, and somehow fate had bestowed it upon you. And for that you would be forever grateful.

[knivescharade]

时尚芭莎 Harper’s Bazaar | Xiao Zhan Wang Yibo: Ask not of whence we came, but where we will go

Xiao Zhan

White t-shirt, brown knit turtleneck, black wool sweater with zipper – Prada

Black trousers – Lanvin

 Wang Yibo

Floral short-sleeved shirt – All Saints

White cowboy jacket – JTKZHENG

<The Untamed> is Xiao Zhan’s first time filming at “Heng Country” (i.e. Hengdian World Studios), and it is also Wang Yibo’s first time filming an ancient drama. Just how much charm does the <The Untamed> have to earn both young actors’ first times? #Harper’sBazaar# #XiaoZhanWangYibospecialedition, let’s talk about their first times, and their stories of youths in the jianghu~

Xiao Zhan

Black open shirt – Uma Wang

Black agate gourd necklace – Qeelin

 Wang Yibo

Black shirt – Heaven Gaia

Black long-sleeved shirt – Yohji Yamamoto

Black leather belt – model’s own

Xiao Zhan - A smiling journey between worlds

Xiao Zhan somewhat “dislikes” Wei Wuxian’s propensity for crying, and he spent the entire filming period with constantly reddened eyes.  Those few months of filming, from Hengdian to Guizhou. Xiao Zhan has finally said goodbye to Wei Wuxian, and advises him, “Wei Wuxian, don’t pretend to be strong anymore, take good care of yourself.”

The image of Wei Wuxian, in Xiao Zhan’s mind, is that of a “very naughty teenager.” Despite experiencing so much hardship, Wei Wuxian is still able to maintain his cheerful demeanour. There are lots of times where we have to face something we do not want to face – and that is the only way we can become stronger. “That is growth,” Xiao Zhan says.

In the show, Wei Wuxian chose to face life with his emotions bared, smiling and scolding as he goes. Xiao Zhan has discussed this with the screenwriters – how can a person who has undergone so much misfortune still be able to smile? And finally, Xiao Zhan found the character’s foundation: “Wei Wuxian’s temperament is a kind one, an optimistic one. A temperament like that would not change, no matter how the story progressed.”

Black jacket – Sean Suen

Black wide-legged trousers – Yohji Yamamoto

Xiao Zhan’s favourite scenes were during Wei Wuxian’s growing years in Lotus Pier – he feels that it is a warm and caring place. The motto of Lotus Pier’s Jiang Clan is “To attempt the impossible.” “So, within that broad expanse of what is morally right, you are free to grow in however way you want.” Xiao Zhan explains.

It was love, and its support, that allowed Wei Wuxian to experience the drastic changes in his life without turning evil. Xiao Zhan says, “Wei Wuxian’s upbringing at Lotus Pier instilled a correct set of values in him.”

To Xiao Zhan, Lan Wangji is “principled and calm, a person who talks little but burns with feelings inside.” As for his first time working with Wang Yibo, Xiao Zhan is full of praises, “It was quite easy to get into character, acting with him. When I first met Wang Yibo, I felt like this person has a sort of cold aura to him, a sense of distance. That sense of strangers, do not interact – Lan Wangji is like that.”

The “reunion” between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, sixteen years later, is the climax of the entire show. They filmed that scene from 8pm at night to 4am the next morning, Xiao Zhan remembers. The scene had very high requirements of the actors’ emotions, and the camera angle, blocking, and aesthetic of the scenes had to be coordinated perfectly. “It took quite a while.” Xiao Zhan says.

<The Untamed> is Xiao Zhan’s first time filming at “Heng Country”. “It lives up to its name – it has everything. I can take two steps and bump into a friend!” Xiao Zhan comments with surprise.

During break times between scenes, the young adults of the cast would gather round to play games. Wang Yibo, the gaming aficionado, often scorns Xiao Zhan’s not-so-good gaming skills. “I just feel that, is there a need to be so serious about entertaining fun.” He is of the opinion that everyone having a good time is enough for him.

“I would like to try acting as a charming, black-hearted villain.” Xiao Zhan replies earnestly, when asked what other kind of role he would like to try. He hopes to portray a character who has a personality completely opposite of his, in the future.

Black high-collared shirt – Calvin Klein Jeans

Black wool sweater – Acne Studios

BAZAAR X Xiao Zhan

Q: What is something you most want to say to Wei Wuxian?

A: Stop pretending to be so strong, take good care of yourself and your loved ones.

Q: Of the whole filming period, what is something unforgettable that you may, perhaps, remember for the rest of your life?

A: There was one scene that required filming in the water, a manmade lake, made by the crewmembers.  The initial plan was to film that scene right after  shooting commenced. During then, the weather still wasn’t very cold, and the water was very clean, but we ended up dragging it out for about one or two months before we finally shot it. By then, the weather had gotten cold, and the water had gotten not-so-clean, and I had to submerge my whole body into it, including my head. It was truly unforgettable.

 Q: Looking back at the entire drama shoot, which scene are you most satisfied with? And why?

A: I’m pretty satisfied with the emotional scenes I did. But I have the impression that, filming this show, I basically kept filming crying scenes, crying and sobbing my way through. I’m also not sure why Wei Wuxian likes to cry so much?

Wang Yibo - The passion within an aloof teenager

His first time acting in an ancient drama, Wang Yibo had not expected it to be so difficult. The sweltering World Studios, the unnatural headpiece. He is much like Lan Wangji, a cold, wordless exterior hiding a burning, passionate heart. Wang Yibo’s comment on his portrayal of Lan Wangji, after filming ended, “You’re rather handsome.”

<The Untamed> is Wang Yibo’s first time filming an ancient drama. Under the sweltering heat of Hengdian, he experienced his first headpiece. During the performance, the headpiece pulls forcefully on the actors’ scalps, making the facial muscles rather tight. As a result, actors require a lot more control of their facial muscles to portray the required movements and expressions. “That’s why they say ancient dramas are more tiring,” Wang Yibo concludes.

Wang Yibo had to perform with layers and layers of costumes on him, despite the heat of the Hengdian summer. Though the robes he wore in the show appear elegant, they are still long draping robes, no matter how light and breathable the fabric is. Luckily, Lan Wangji doesn’t have a lot of lines. “No lines, so I didn’t need to memorize anything. But I had a lot of fight scenes.”

Grey high-necked shirt – Undercover

Grey half-skirt – 上下

Lan Wangji experienced three stages of his life in the drama. In Wang Yibo’s opinion, interpreting the older Lan Wangji was indeed difficult. But teenage Lan Wangji was what Wang Yibo anticipated the most.

It took Wang Yibo many tries before he grasped the real Lan Wangji, at the start of filming. “He has a deadpan face, but his mind is confident and planned out. His gaze had to be very firm. I didn’t grasp that at the very beginning, so it felt a bit like he’s sleepy.” Wang Yibo describes how he appeared at the start of filming. After some guidance from the director, Wang Yibo immediately altered his portrayal, and his gaze livened up.

In the show, Lan Wangji grew up in a strict, stern household. Solemn and dignified for his young age, he felt that “some things should be done properly,” until he met Wei Wuxian. It was this “mischievous but earnest” person who opened the doors to a new world for Lan Wangji. “It was Wei Wuxian’s appearance that changed Lan Wangji’s views.”

Wang Yibo, like Lan Wangji, is not a person who likes to talk. Despite his speechlessness, Lan Wangji is very confident in the things he is skilled at, and Wang Yibo is similar as well. In order to approach Lan Wangji’s body appearance, Wang Yibo lost a lot of weight, and his gaze grew calm and cold.

Once he puts on the robes of Lan Wangji, sunny, cheerful Wang Yibo turns into that silent and reserved youth, who has a mind and logic of his own.

White high-collared shirt – Allen Xie

White knit wool sweater – Short Sentence

BAZAAR X Wang Yibo

Q: What is something you most want to say to Lan Wangji?

A: You’re rather handsome.

 Q: Of the whole filming period, what is something unforgettable that you may, perhaps, remember for the rest of your life?

A: Something unforgettable that I may remember for the rest of my life… I guess it’s that smoke cake. Once we set it off, it feels like you can’t see anyone more than one metre away from you, that kind of scene.

 Q: Looking back at the entire drama shoot, which scene are you most satisfied with? And why?

A: The fight scenes were quite alright. As for a particular scene, let me think… When I first appeared, when Wei Wuxian first went to the Cloud Recesses. I think Lan Wangji’s coldness there was quite alright.

[Source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Lb7qRH5DIp47ICFLV17AXg]

- translated by knivescharade -

[lubdubsworld]

Better Man. ( Taehyung x OC)

Chapter 1    Chapter 2

Rated 18 +

Post Divorce, Getting Back Together, Second chances, Angst.

Chapter 3 ~ The problem with marriage is this  : it isn’t worth the pain of divorce. 

Denial isn’t healthy.

 But sometimes it helps you stay sane , at least long enough to get your act together. When you’re in denial, you kind of keep yourself together a bit. You process things a bit more slowly. Take your time examining the facts. 

It helps you make a delayed but possibly more informed decision.

 Impulsive decisions never end well.

 So it’s good to stew in denial for a while ( a short while) and then slowly begin processing what happened, think about it, think how its gonna affect you and then make a choice. 

Unfortunately for Taehyung and I... I wasn’t in denial. 

Maybe I should have been.

 The time between Taehyung turning up drunk and the me leaving the house was less than twelve hours. Taehyung showed up drunk and I just told him I was leaving. That we needed a break and I didn’t know when I’d be back. 

Terrible choice.

 In the first twelve hours, the hurt is so potent and strong , the wound so raw and fresh that you can’t think beyond the pain . Your instinct is to repay the pain, to retaliate and make the other party feel exactly what you’re feeling. So you think of the thing that would hurt them the most and you go ahead and do it. 

Like move out of your shared home of eight years, take away the son he adored and possibly rip the ground right out from under his feet. 

And then after the first twelve hours, reason begins to catch up. 

I had wanted to go back. 

I had wanted to go back to him but I was scared. 

Scared that I was being weak.

 That if I didn’t stick to the choice I made, Taehyung would forever see me as a pushover. That he would take it as some sick permission to do it all over again. That he’d just think I was too weak to walk out on him. 

And i couldn’t have that. I couldn’t have him hurting me and not facing the consequences of it. I just couldn’t.

So I stayed away. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I worked on the seventh floor of a high rise in Gangnam, probably a twenty minute drive from Taehyung’s agency. It was an electronic/ tech company that dealt with everything from mobile phones to home fittings . As the  assistant director of Marketing I dealt with branding and keeping up the image of the company. Annual budgets, endorsements, campaigns and what not. 

I was good at it and i enjoyed it . everyone agreed that i did a good job because the numbers spoke for themselves. But I think the main reason I got the job was because I was married to the biggest brand ambassador in the country. 

“ I need the reports on consumer trends for this month and I want to meet with Social media team before lunch. There’s a drop in our web traffic and that needs to be fixed.” I told my assistant, accepting the hot coffee and muffin that he held in his hand before moving to the corner office, my strides faltering just a bit when i noticed that  someone  was already inside. The figure had his back to me but I could vaguely recognize the broad shoulders and muscular arms. 

“Mr. Jeon’s been waiting for about ten minutes now.” Mingyu said with a smile and I nodded. 

“That’s fine , I’ll handle him.” I waved my assistant off and moved to the  door, unlocking it and stepping in. 

“Morning, Jang Mi.” He smiled, eyes flashing with ill concealed delight and I inhaled to calm myself down. . 

I could already feel a headache coming on. 

“Jungkook.” I said curtly. “ To what do I owe this very early visit?”  I glanced at my table finally taking the bottle of champagne in the small ice bucket. 

“Thought we’d celebrate you finally being free.” He grinned. 

Jeon Jungkook was handsome, intelligent , and annoyingly good at everything he did.

At 34,  He was one of the youngest CFO’s in the industry, and everything he touched turned to gold. I didn’t report to him and he had zero reasons to be in my office at any given time. But , unfortunately he had never gotten that particular memo. 

“I’m not in the mood, Jungkook.” I sighed, moving to the back of my desk and dropping my bag on the small ottoman on the side and my keys in the desk. I plugged my phone into the cable on the side and then went to open the blinds. 

“Come on... You know how sick I’ve been of two years of  hearing ‘ I’m sorry, I’m married.’ .... you’re gonna have to come up with  a better excuse the next time i ask you out.” 

“No. No is a whole entire sentence that you should be able to accept.” I said evenly, fixing the cushions on the couch only to have him plop down on them immediately after. 

“One date. Dinner anywhere you like. i can fly you to Paris if you want.... Macua? Jeju Do? Tell me what you want and I’ll get it done. ?” 

i stared at him. 

“I want you to fire Kang Yeseul from the Social Media team.” I said with a shrug. 

He frowned. 

“The new girl? Why?” 

“She’s been posting nudes that she took in my office when I was on leave last week. My name plate is literally visible.”

“Jesus fuck...these bitches get dumber by the minute.”

I couldn’t even deny it.

“I’ll take care of it.” He said swiftly. “ Anything else?”

“Web traffics gone down and I’m gonna find out why. It’s probably time for us to work out the budget for the Christmas Carnival. I think we should go for something new this time. If you can set up a meeting with all the department heads we can brainstorm a few ideas...” 

“I can’t forget about that night.” 

I froze. 

God. 

i turned around to stare at him as he lounged on the couch. If Kim Taehyung was the most handsome man I’d ever seen, Jungkook was definitely the second.

 He was disconcertingly good looking and where Taehyung’s image was always the clean cut gentleman with the perfect character, Jungkook had a reputation as a bit of a delinquent. Simply because he had a penchant for leather jackets and liked to ride around Seoul on his motorbike on days off. 

Which was ironical because in truth, Taehyung was far from a saint and Jungkook was relatively more put together 

He was also a divorcee and a single parent. His daughter Jennie was easily the cutest two year old on the planet.

His wife and him had fifty fifty custody but she had cheated on him with his best friend. Jungkook had no patience for her. They had a very volatile relationship but he was fighting for full custody and rumor was that he would most certainly be granted it, soon. 

A marathon runner ,  he didn’t drink or smoke.  

Jungkook liked to paint and volunteered at an animal shelter once or twice a month because he loved dogs but couldn’t keep one because of his busy schedule. 

So all in all , a pretty solid candidate if I was looking for a guy. 

Honestly, if it weren’t for the fact that I was completely and utterly done with relationships for the rest of my life, I would actually give the guy a chance. 

But , it is what it is. 

“That sounds like a  you  problem. “ I shrugged. “ It was supposed to be  one  night  with no strings attached. And by string I meant awkward conversations three months later .” 

Jungkook groaned and sat up straighter, legs spread and shirt sleeves riding up to show a very sparkly watch. Rich men and their vices. I smirked a little. 

“Come on... its just dinner. I want to get to know you, that’s it.” he held his hands up. 

“There’s nothing to know Jungkook. I’m actually more boring than i appear, which is saying something. I’m not going to be the girl in the leather jacket clinging to your waist when you’re joyriding that motorbike of yours through Seoul. That’s not me. I would hate something that” 

He chuckled. 

“Are you sure? You ever tried it?”

I stared at him in disbelief.

“That’s not the point.”

“I’ll buy you a jacket. Join me this weekend. We’ll go a ride. Then you can make a decision.” 

I opened my mouth to argue when the phone rang. I grabbed it quickly.

“Hello?” 

“This is Lee Taemin from the Advertising Department.”

“Yes?”

“We have a Mr. Jung from HYBE on the phone. They want to talk to us about a possible candidate for our Christmas Campaign.... “

I blinked, surprised. 

“We haven’t even decided on a theme yet. “

Choosing the right actors to endorse stuff was usually the last step. 

“I know but he’s saying they want to talk about Mr. Kim Taehyung as a possible candidate?”

I felt my entire jaw come unhinged. 

I turned to Jungkook stunned. His eyes widened at the look on my face and he mouthed a ‘ What’ 

“Please tell him I’ll call him back in fifteen minutes.” I said quickly.

“What’s wrong?” Jungkook demanded. 

“Taehyung’s manager...he... he wants to make him the face of the Christmas Campaign.” I said dully, mind ringing. I was utterly stupefied. 

Taehyung was the face of Gucci and Versace . He was so far out of our company’s league it wasn’t even funny. 

Jungkook stared at me in disbelief.

“No.” He said quickly.

I gaped at him.

“What?” 

“No... we can’t have that. He’s.. he’s obviously doing this to get back with you...”

I shook my head.

“that can’t be it. He’s the one who gave me a divorce. He’s the one who wanted to end it. “ 

It was the shock of what I’d heard. There was no other explanation for why I said that to Jeon Jungkook. 

Jungkook gave me a look.

“Really? But you wanted one too right?”

“Of course I did.” I lied easily, waving him off. “Anyway that doesn’t matter. We can’t say no to him, Jungkook. Our sales would skyrocket if we get him onboard.” 

Jungkook swore.

“Fuck, you’re right. The Ceo will probably piss himself in excitement. You sure you’ll be okay with it?”

Jungkook looked worried. 

“You forget that Taehyung and I are actually quite good friends.” I said gently. 

He grimaced.

“That's just unnatural. If you can stay friends with an ex it clearly means that either you’re still in love with each other or....”He shrugged. 

“Or what?” 

“Or you never loved each other in the first place.” 

I swallowed the remark hitting a little too close to home for comfort. 

“Schedule that meeting Jungkook. We’ll come up with a campaign theme that would fit Taehyung’s image. I’ll take to Hoseok and Taehyung.” 

“You’re going to call Taehyung?” Jungkook asked casually.

“Hoshi’s with him today. I’ll probably go over to his place after work and talk to him in person.” 

“Lucky bastard. He gets to hurt you and yet  still have you.” Jungkook said bitterly. 

I rolled my eyes.

“He doesn’t have me.”

“Doesn’t he? Why else would you turn down dates with anyone who asks? its one date.. a dinner... If you’re not still hung up on your ex husband why wouldn’t     you just go on one date with-”

I’d really had quite enough of it. I threw my hands up in sheer exasperation. 

“Alright fine.” I yelled, “  I’ll go to dinner with you...can you just stop psycho analyzing my relationship with my husband?” 

Jungkook’s smile told me that I’d been played like a fiddle. 

“excellent. Go see your husband after work and I’ll come pick you up at eight.” 

“What...no wait...”

“I know where he lives. Don’t worry about it. I’ll schedule that meeting and maybe after lunch we can go over the kind of budget you’ll want. Okay?”

I felt a little like I’d stepped into quagmire. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I didn’t go see Taehyung after work. 

I didn’t have to. 

An hour before I was due to finish my daily report, he turned up at the office with my son. My assistant let him in and I could only gape at him.

“What are you guys doing here?” I asked , completely thrown. 

“Mama I had ice cream with strawberries and sprinkles in a hundred colors.” Hoshi looked excited, eyes shining the way they usually did when he was with Taehyung. 

“That sound incredibly exciting....”

“We missed you mama....can we go again?” He said excitedly.

“I’m sorry honey, Mama’s a little caught up with work...”

“Why don’t we wait?” Taehyung said cheerfully, “ Mama likes blueberry scones so we can get those for her...” 

I stared at him.

“Okay...” I sad carefully, staring him down. What was he doing really?

“Okay... Can I go see the fishies....” Hoshi waved at the large fish tank built into the wall in my office and Taehyung laughed, letting him down.

“Sure bud.. go see how many of the fish you can identify...” He said brightly. 

“ Since when do you pick me up for blueberry scones after work?” I asked briskly and he shrugged.

“Let the kid be happy , Mia. I heard Hobi hyung already spoke to you.”

“What is that all about, Tae?” I said tiredly. 

“All the other offers i got are out of Korea. I want to stay with Hoshi during the Holidays so i thought this way , we could spend some time together..”

“By we, I hope you mean you and Hoshi.” I said drily.

“Of course. I could’ve picked another mall or something but i thought it could be a good thing if we worked at the same place... we can keep Hoshi with us and there wont be all the commuting back and forth nonsense....” 

I nodded. 

“I suppose you’re right. “ I sighed. “But be warned, you’re probably not going to have a very exciting time. 

“I’ll enjoy it nonetheless.” 

I nodded. 

“I won’t tell you how to live your life And I most certainly won’t look a gift horse in the mouth. My Ceo might just give me a huge pay raise for this. He’s been waiting for it since the time he hired me.”

Taehyung gave me a smile.

“I would have done it the minute you asked. You never asked.” 

I shrugged. 

“Like I said, I won’t tell you how to live your life.” 

“Jang Mi?” The knock on the door made us both look up.

Jungkook stood framed in the doorway, jacket off and slung over his arms . He looked bigger than usual, muscles straining against his button down and hair mussed. 

He stepped in casually, holding a hand out to Taehyung.

“The golden boy of Korea. in the flesh. A pleasure to meet you Mr. Kim. I’m Jungkook. Jeon Jungkook” 

The pair of them shook hands and I felt that I would rather be anywhere in the world than there. 

“ Nice to meet you Mr. Jeon.” Taehyung smiled politely. 

“We still on for tonight?” Jungkook asked casually, turning to me with a bright smile. 

This is why i hated men. 

Taehyung’s eyes snapped to me so fast that i was sure he must’ve got whiplash. 

“Sure. I’ll call you.” I said shortly. 

“What’s tonight?” Taehyung smiled, face neutral and smile still in place but his eyes flashed and his voice carried a knife edge to it. 

“Business dinner. We’re going over the budget for the Christmas campaign.” 

“Oh... where?” Taehyung asked with the same smile and I frowned.

“We’ve not decid-”

“I thought I could cook for you. i make a mean steak dinner and I thought I could pick up a bottle of your favorite wine on the way. You have my address right? ” Jungkook smiled. 

Taehyung went still next to me, his entire body taut . 

“A little inappropriate for a business dinner, don’t you think?” he snapped.

Jungkook glared back at him, eyes narrowed. 

“Well, you know what they say about all work and no play-” he began but I’d had enough. 

“I think this conversation needs to end now.” I said loudly. 

They  both shut up but glared at each other.

“I’m gonna make a reservation at the Hyatt for tonight. I’ll meet you there at seven thirty. “ I said, glaring at Jungkook. 

He nodded.

“Pleasure meeting you Kim Taehyung.” He nodded curtly at my ex husband before moving away. 

The silence he left behind was pretty awkward. 

“Bit too much of a douchebag than your usual type.” Taehyung said casually. 

I groaned.

“Don’t start.” 

“ I won’t if you don’t date him.” 

I opened my mouth to argue but then stopped. 

“Lets just get that ice cream ? “ I said tiredly. Hoshi reappeared from the inside room, looking excited and happy and I smiled despite my weariness. 

I could use a little sweetness in my life after a bitterly exhausting day. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author’s note : Feedback is welcome . Probably going to be a long , terribly angsty fic with a lot of pain for everyone involved. I still haven’t decided who ocs going to end up with so we’ll see... what do you guys think? 

[nicelytousled]

What's the deal with Copley’s sociogram at the end of The Old Guard?

”Maybe this is the why, Andy.”

@ssungods​ made this post about Copley’s sociogram (his big board on how the team are related to important people and events) and it inspired a bunch of thoughts about moral ethics and what I’d like to be explored in the next film so here we go.

There’s two ways to interpret Nile saying “Maybe this is the why, Andy”:

She could be suggesting the sociogram potentially explains why they’re immortal

or that the sociogram explains why exactly they should keep doing what they’re doing, using their immortality to help people 

The first suggestion is a whole other can of worms, I’m gonna be talking about the second. 

It’s been a couple years since I actually studied moral philosophy, so forgive me in advance as I gloss over some details in the theory, but I think The Old Guard serves as a perfect springboard for the deontological vs teleological ethical debate. 

When Copley is showing Nile his sociogram and states “Two, three generations later we reap the benefits" it stands in pretty stark contrast to earlier in the film when Nicky argues "We did it right, Andy. For the right reasons.” This tension between the idea that moral acts should be determined as good or bad by a person's intentions (deontology) vs the idea that moral acts should be determined as good or bad by the consequences of a person's actions (teleology) is in my opinion a core part of the film. 

Most obviously the deontology vs teleology dilemma shows up in Merrick’s lab, where he and his scientists determine that the team's suffering is justifiable because of the potential outcome of a medical breakthrough (and the money that would come with it) but this tension is also seen in smaller nooks and crannies, and shines when the character contrast one another.  

Copley is maybe the most grounded in his moral stance. He’s in awe of the positive ripple effect the team have had on human history and is convinced, partly due to the loss of his wife, that it’s the consequences of an action that determine its moral weight. 

Joe and Nicky seem to represent the other end of the spectrum, Nicky repeatedly shares the sentiment that we often have less control over the consequences of our actions than we think (“like destiny”) and that it’s “fighting for what we think is right” that matters above all else. In the lab Joe is seemingly more hurt by Booker’s selfishness than the physical torture he and Nicky have been put through, hurt by the act of betrayal more that its immediate consequences. This makes sense to me for them as I think recognition of good intent is potentially how Joe and Nicky made peace with one another, and it ties into a lot of religious values too, such as that of duty and forgiveness. 

Both Andy and Booker are pretty lost in comparison. Andy is bearing the guilt of not being able to find Quynh, and is struggling to find her place in a world that's not necessarily getting worse like she claims, but rather is rapidly changing, it’s moral dilemmas changing alongside it in a way she can’t keep up with. (”We’ve done nothing. The world isn’t getting any better. It’s getting worse.”) Booker is still grieving, feeling more cursed with immortality than gifted as he couldn’t use it to save the people he loved, couldn’t use it in a way that really mattered to him personally. They can’t see the wood for the trees, and for them it’s less of a question of intent vs consequence, but rather whether any of it even matters in the first place when it feels like they’re just treading water. 

Nile is different again. She's certain of the value of individual agency, both for others and herself, determined that it should be up to them to share the secret of their immortality for science, that it’s their gift to give. She also argues for her own agency so she can return to her family, which gains her Andy’s respect. However, in contrast to the rest of the team, Nile lacks the moral perspective that living an unnaturally long life brings. Both as a young woman and as a US Marine, at the start of the film her morality is pretty black and white (”So are you good guys or bad guys?”). She’s not lost in the way Andy and Booker are because she’s not yet experienced what there is to be lost in, and she’s still learning what it means to manage the new sense of morality that comes with immortality. 

Copley’s sociogram raises the question about what exactly should be motivating the team to do what they do. Should the team keep intervening in conflicts because of the pattern of positive future consequences their actions result in, or because reducing suffering is the right thing to strive for, despite whatever the people they’ve helped go on to do?  As @ssungods​ points out, “lives aren’t just the potential they have, they have inherent worth on their own.” Copley and his sociogram very much imply that what the team do is good because of the potential of the people they might save, rather than because the people they protect from suffering have innate worth and should be helped no matter who they become in future.

In my opinion, in isolation neither perspective is good enough to sustain motivation. Both deontology and teleology are flawed ethical theories. They’re both open to criticism and between the two (and all the more specific theories under their respective umbrellas) neither provide a satisfactory or complete answer as to what makes a morally good action, and in turn neither provide sustainable motivation to keep doing good things. It’s also not black and white, the line between valuing intent and valuing consequence often blurring. 

Arguably, the only thing the team have left as motivation to keep going is the belief that one way or another they’re doing the right thing. When you’re not tied down to anything like a place or a job, and your ragtag found family can’t fill the hole in your heart that was made when you were forced to sacrifice life as you knew it to your immortality, no matter how much you love them (as evident with Booker), the only thing you have left is the belief you’re at least doing something good with your long, long life, whether that good is trying to do everything you do with the right intentions or laying the foundations for future positive events, or potentially both.  

I think having a variety of moral perspectives within a team of characters faced with a lot of moral dilemmas is key to the plot of The Old Guard, and in a sequel I’d love to see it explored more deeply. It’s self-belief that Andy and Booker lost sight of, and I think Nile’s character has the potential to both restore this belief and bring more harmony to everyone’s differing moral perspectives, as she had already started to do by the end of the film. This in conflict with a traumatised Quynh seeking revenge would make for one hell of a sequel.

Sadly there's only so much they can do in two hours and I’m not really expecting a sequel it to get That Deep about it, but nonetheless very interesting to think about!

[bl-garbage]

to dance is to unshackle

um, okay—how else do i express this buoyant happiness that Gaya sa Pelikula has awoken inside me? i’m in complete and utter awe. i did not expect a drop of what the sixth episode has brought us. more than satisfying, it’s utterly fascinating. this is quite a lengthy post, but if you have the time, please bear with me. and since we’re already here, let’s fucking dissect the shit out of this:

right off the bat, it’s sweet how consistently written Vlad was the entire time of the show. at the start of the episode, for one, he was concerned with Karl’s disposition, saying, “anong iniisip mo (what are you thinking)?” and, later on, as we know, he pops that question again in this episode. what are you thinking? always in limbo. true, it’s considerate, yet more than that, it’s always a sign of waiting for permission. Vlad has been like this since the beginning: observant and willing to reach out, confident on the surface, yes, but always afraid of going overboard. 

that is not to say that Karl isn’t. in fact, the whole dynamics of their relationship rest on the fact that they can lean on each other and just be honest. many moments show this: Karl’s desire to shift; Vlad not getting  into the film lab and Karl knowing something was up; the entirety of Vlad’s birthday; Karl and Vlad’s reticence to open up to Anna, in contrast with how comfortable they feel with each other. in a nutshell, they’re each other’s homes. more on this later.

the part i was most frightened at with this episode was when Karl finally told his parents his desire to shift. to be honest, personally, i wouldn’t know exactly how that pressure on Karl feels, as i was able to study the degree i wanted. yet, back then, i had already known that my parents, who wholly supported me just the same, would have wanted a degree that leaned on science or engineering. that still sucked to know. Karl’s situation is much more complicated. his desire to shift to another course is to make up for lost time, a sense of hurrying before it really becomes all too late. this was a heavy lot to take in. the disappointment and anger in his father’s face when he dropped the bomb was too much to handle. Karl had expected it, yet its impact still hurled shrapnel that he was not able to dodge, sustaining him with several wounds. it would be curious to see how his parents come to terms with his confession. i am certain that a number of people have connected with Karl here.

which brings me to another point. Gaya sa Pelikula creates these characters with their own agency. it’s touted as a BL series, yes, but our two main characters’ point is actually not to fall in love — but to live, part of which is to fall in love. they have their hopes and dreams and own burdens to carry, and while falling in love takes centerstage here, we see how they can stand alone, on their own two feet. falling in love is central to their growth, but it is evident that love is not the whole point of their existence. 

speaking of which: ate judit. ah, yes, where do i even begin to explain the exquisiteness with which ate judit was written? how, after all of five episodes, it was only now did it make sense why judit was overly, unnaturally caring and protective, a mama bear that would not let anything happen to his little Vlad. now we know why: guilt.  

imagine that. being told you were the reason why your whole family went into shambles. there is much vindication in Vlad’s line of questioning, “why would you say that to a child?” (god, i’m tearing up even as i write this.) this was a pivotal scene, with a focal point on judit, the likes of whom we cannot entirely fault for not knowing any better. the fact remains that we are still in an era that fails to understand the spectrum of gender identities and the far utopia that we seek, where gender and sex would not be a damning classification anymore. and for true allies, it is in admitting that they “didn’t know then what [they] know now” that their support gains more strength. it is in confessing where they got wrong, how harmful their actions were, and in the commitment to do more, that their promise is made good.

parenthetically, can we talk about Vlad’s mom as well? have you all noticed how her voice broke when she said, “siguraduhin mong hindi ka na itatanggi niyan, ha (just make sure he won’t deny you, okay)?” was that pain, or guilt even? i wonder if we’re ever going to see her. it would be a regret not to. for so long Vlad had thought that he was the reason his father left, and that his mother was mad at his queerness. i wouldn’t want this simple call to be the resolution that the show had for him. at any rate, we have two more episodes to await, so i am not going to strike my gavel on this judgment just yet.

but whereas Vlad found his longtime coming reconciliation with his sister, Karl had no one to turn to. his call to Vlad was a cry for help. it was heartbreaking to see him like this. Karl had always put up a fake smile against any adversity that had come his way. to him, these were trivial matters that would pass, and they did so — until now. after all he was, as we would later come to know, living a script that had been prewritten before he even came to being. that explains his nonchalant demeanor toward life, the seeming discontent behind those dead eyes, and a repeated hinting that he was always yearning for so much more. at the end of the call, Karl instinctively goes to the closet - and his proverbial closet - and sees the skeletons he had hidden inside, drop in a mess. 

that it was Karl’s brother who was in the photo shook me. that past was so well thought out. things made so much sense in this episode: why Karl tried to fit in, why everything seemed so fake. why he was so discomforting to watch, even! that made sense now.  

and what do you do when everything has become a mess? the once seamless film that had been rolling without any glitches now sprawled on the floor, entangled in a hodgepodge well beyond fixing. when that happens, what do you do? well, you dance.

i have so many things to say about faux masculinity. it is a fact undisputed that in this society, gender roles are still very much pillars that we have yet to dismantle. our genders have been geared toward performativity, and our consolation is the external validation we receive through the acts of fitting in. in the process, we lose sight of what we really want. we blur the lines between what is and what should be, in favor of what society has demanded upon us. Karl took that role and lived by it religiously. yet, those things has gone haywire in this episode. more than his parents, it was to himself that Karl has finally admitted that the act can be dropped now: the fixed posture, those rehearsed lines, that painfully faux masculinity, on guard all the fucking time. all of those things were dropped.

that is not to say that Karl was faking all of it. there is no denying that Karl has been a masculine person most of the time. but the show portrayed before us a discarded femininity that Karl had been trying to bury deep inside him — one that all people who have been and who are still in the closet know by heart. the thing is, all of us have masculine and feminine sides, the expression of which vary at different levels in different situations. sadly, we have been preconditioned to believe that male persons must be masculine, and female persons must be feminine. Gaya sa Pelikula acknowledges this hegemony, and then throws it away all the same. true, Karl may very well be comfortable in his masculine expression, but his femininity must also be allowed to grow. one cannot be complete without embracing the entirety of who they are. many have died — been killed — for simply living who they are. society has long been a vicious environment. but people have also long fought for their fundamental right to perform these things, and through them, we know that things can change. that things are changing.

it is against this context that imprints more meaning, more gravity to when we finally, finally see Karl dance. in every sense, his dance was the show’s climax for me. it is, quite emphatically, freedom incarnate.

when i say i fucking bawled at this scene, you best believe it.

quite important to note: when Karl sees Vlad, he stopped abruptly, only for Vlad to signal to him, in an OK sign, that what he was doing was perfectly fine. that Karl could be effeminate all he wants, and who the hell in this earth should care? this allowance has given Karl all the needed validation he will ever need, at least, for that one night where they could bare it all. it was only the two of them, but the house has never been more crowded, because their feelings have seemingly exploded and have been overflowing in a glorious climax for all of us to witness. in this scene, Karl has unshackled the chains with which he had been bound all that time, and it was Vlad who helped him finally break the last of those chains. in this moment, there was only pure bliss.

(that the song playing here was Ride Home by ben&ben is the perfect giveaway. for non-Filipino readers who have only listened to ben&ben now, check this band out. it’s one of the best bands to have ever come out of the Philippine music industry.)

and, of course, in this waterfall of emotions, it is only perfect to time the moment of their first kiss. they have accepted each other, haven’t they? in a meaningful act (the gravity of which we will only realize in full later when Vlad tells the story of his dad), Karl rumpled Vlad’s hair, but only after Vlad had already consented to it. then, afterward, it was Vlad’s turn to ask, what are you thinking? to which Karl had this—and i know we all expected it, nevertheless—to say: i don’t want to think anymore. then they kissed.

i swear to god. i only watched this for the 92432475781 time.

the denouement was so well put, too: now everything is put back into its own place. Karl’s brother. his death. his parents’ expectations. the substitution. Vlad’s father. his parents’ expectations. the horror of realizing one’s difference. the abandonment. in these stories, it becomes more and more permissible to believe that Karl and Vlad have easily found comfort in each other. to say that they are soulmates (as the creator, juan miguel severo, told on his twitter) is not an exaggeration.

and, make no mistake: Karl and Vlad did not find each other’s embraces out of pity. no. it would be unduly harsh to view them that way. rather, they found solace in each other’s embrace and warmth, but it is still they who will muster the courage to face their own demons. the only difference is, they now have each other to find some sort of release. they are not destructively dependent on each other; instead, they help each other grow into the versions of themselves that they can be proud of.

finally, a couple of small things: look at the way Karl was inviting Vlad to lie in bed with him. that simple gesture harks us back to the early days of their dynamics: Vlad had expressed that it was okay to share a bed, but Karl was adamant that they do not. Karl had once dreamed of Vlad joining him there, and that scared him shitless. in contrast to that, now we have this: Karl himself inviting Vlad, and Vlad accepting for Karl’s wholehearted invitation. the moment this happened, there was a consummation of the expression of their love. if they had their doubts prior to this, those could not have been more obliterated now. 

needless to say, i fucking, fucking loved this. as one who has only ever written three fanfics (2gether and History 2!), all of which seemingly related to sleeping (what the fuck, do i have a sleep fetish or something), this ending to episode 6 is just the cherry on top. 

their lines by the end particularly strike me. here we have Karl who wishes to create his own stories. on the other hand is Vlad who wishes that he be in charge of the endings, too. how do they do that? who knows? but the certainty that defines their pact is that they shall do it together, unbound and free to dance to the song they have chosen of their own accord. and that simple promise, made in each other’s tight embrace under artificially warm lights amid that early january weather, with no certainty at all of what tomorrow has to bring, has made all the difference. 

in 34 minutes, Gaya sa Pelikula has, yet again, done more than we could have ever expected.

i just checked and this reached 2k words. i’m not even gonna attempt to proofread this anymore. anyway, this is all i have to say for now. i just simply cannot let go of the best episode i’ve seen in this show without expressing my own reaction to it. 

(also: i’m thinking of writing a fanfic; that is, the morning after. just a one-shot, hopefully a cute one. as usual, an introspection of these characters, and what lies ahead. hope i actually get to write it!)

thank you so much, Gaya sa Pelikula. you are proof that things do change.

[mffgh]

interviews with nakamura yuuichi, hiroshi kamiya, jun fukuyuma, and daisuke ono about the movie. translations from @sakiamiya on twitter, from different magazines.

What do you feel is the charm of “Osomatsu-san the Movie”?

NAKAMURA: For the people watching, the eighteen year old versions are like another face of an already two-faced character. So the viewers will be able to see a past Karamatsu, a new face to the present Karamatsu, and be able to enjoy that.

What I felt was interesting was how the staff stuffed everything they wanted to do into the movie. The movie is 110 minutes long, but to follow just the plot, you would need only 60 minutes. 50 minutes of the movie is them doing things with no direct relation to the plot (laughs). That’s why, while the movie is long, I hope you will be able to watch it comfortably.

Since it’s a movie adaptation, there are homages to other famous movies. However, there are also, “Eh? What the heck is this?!” scenes with no meaning at all, as well as jokes they’ve been using in the TV series, with a “I wonder if it’s boring now …” kind of scene. Basically, the movie is the same as the TV series. Normally when there’s a movie adaptation, there will be many characters who become cooler. When it comes to these sextuplets, you get the feeling they’re the same as always.

The eighteen year old Karamatsu is a little bit timid and reserved, an opposite to the present Karamatsu who always has a posed look on his face, thinks he’s cool, and does everything brimming with self-confidence.

NAKAMURA: The reason why eighteen year old Karamatsu is shy, reserved, and gauges other peoples’ feelings anxiously, also affects the story. He’s not like this because it’ll be interesting to see him in a position like that, but rather, that’s how he is because of his character. Through acting as him from the TV series, I feel his slightly pathetic side is—though this part is something I don’t know as I’m the only child in my family—how it is because that’s how “a second son in the family” is.

Because in the end, no matter where he goes, he’s in a position where he has a big brother, but he also has younger brothers. He has to be proper and act mature in front of his little brothers. However, to Osomatsu and his little brother right under him, Choromatsu, he shows this you’re actually timid, aren’t you? side to them, while eighteen year old Karamatsu is a character who shows this timid side strongly. As such, I didn’t feel like he changed completely, or any surprise about his change.

Acting-wise as well there isn’t much of a difference between present Karamatsu and his eighteen year old self. Instead of making a new ‘character’ of Karamatsu, there’s a part of the movie where Karamatsu becomes a key to something, and so I paid attention to how he makes his appearances and how he hides things in his heart—so, his feelings.

----

Could you let us know what impressions you had about the eighteen year old sextuplets?

KAMIYA: When I first saw the eighteen year old sextuplets, I thought that among them, it’s Osomatsu and Osomatsu alone that remained the same as Osomatsu. It’s because this person’s character doesn’t go off course that the rest can do whatever they like—Osomatsu can also be called the symbol of the sextuplets. I’m sure if Osomatsu’s character isn’t consistent, then the movie will make no sense at all. This time too, Osomatsu remained consistent for us so that the rest of the characters’ personalities can break apart (laughs).

I look forward to seeing how all the characters’ personalities go off course! To continue on, I would like to ask about your experiences during recording … How was it to act as Choromatsu again after a while?

KAMIYA: When it comes to Choromatsu, I never quite went through pains to prepare for his role, so I felt I was able to do it again this time without any problem. However, there were bits of hard parts when it came to the eighteen year old Choromatsu.

Choromatsu is a bit more normal compared to the rest of the sextuplets, so he becomes someone who will end up saying natural and normal things out loud, I think. However, like a button buttoned in the wrong spot, taking, “What exactly is natural and normal inside him?” and running that off-course becomes interesting. Still, this is something all the sextuplets do. […]

With this eighteen year old Choromatsu, there was no other way than to specialize in “Choromatsu-likeness” and exaggerate it. The other sextuplets’ personalities went off-course in the crazy direction of hard to imagine yet easy to understand. For Choromatsu, it is instead the course of action he has taken and shown until now, and taking part of it to specialize it.

----

In this movie adaptation, the eighteen year old sextuplets appear, but what do you feel about the high school days of the sextuplets?

FUKUYAMA: I, personally, didn’t have any concerns or anxieties. The ones who will have the most trouble are probably the other five (laughs). I don’t know when the sextuplets gain their individualities, but when I saw the setting for eighteen year old Ichimatsu, I went, yeah, that’s what I thought. I was able to accept it immediately.

At first glance, the eighteen year old sextuplets look weird, but truthfully everyone traces to their present selves. There are elements of surprise, but I thought there wasn’t anything mysterious.

When I look at the eighteen year old sextuplets, I can see Osomatsu hasn’t changed from his present self. For Karamatsu, in my opinion, he can be the most considerate out of the sextuplets. That’s why I feel his past self can have that kind of atmosphere, so it wasn’t strange.

As for Choromatsu, he’s gone to it’s only inevitable!—or rather, his self-awareness will only go in the wrong direction now (laughs). Pondering about Jyushimatsu is a waste of time, so let’s just leave it behind (laughs). Todomatsu is part of the sextuplets yet the only one whose growth is slow.

Every single one of the sextuplets stands out oddly, but I feel they do actually connect to the present.

And for Ichimatsu, he had been dissed by Todomatsu in the past for being a normal person pretending to be crazy. It is exactly that, I feel. Before Ichimatsu pretended to be crazy, I feel he was a normal person.

----

Now then, could you let me hear your impressions of each of the eighteen year old sextuplets?

ONO: The one who makes the most sense to me out of the six was Jyushimatsu. While I do think eighteen year old Jyushimatsu went the strangest direction out of the sextuplets, I was able to easily accept that Jyushimatsu was a delinquent before. That’s why adult Jyushimatsu grew up to be that innocent and simple-minded and doesn’t seem to actually be conversing with anyone—turns out he really isn’t! I thought.

In contrast, if adult Jyushimatsu was the past connecting a path to eighteen year old Jyushimatsu, I honestly feel it’ll be unnatural. I’m sure Jyushimatsu had a lot of thoughts inside him and changed himself in many ways before settling down to the present adult Jyushimatsu now. It’s very nice to see Jyushimatsu has shaken free. As I mentioned before, I feel Jyushimatsu is the most sensitive, which is why he became how he is in the present. It starts with noticing the differences between himself and his surroundings and it connects from there. […]

Then how about the other five?

ONO: First, I feel like I can see the shards of shittiness in eighteen year old Osomatsu-niisan (laughs). In that he hasn’t changed from the present Osomatsu. He’s forever a shitbag, and … As for my impression, I feel his, “I am the oldest!” is even stronger than the present. For Karamatsu, he is the cutest of the six. Karamatsu, too, has differences between the past and present, but I feel there is a path between the two. The connecting path is “no confidence,” I feel. It is because Karamatsu has no confidence that he puts on airs, tries to show off, and acts like a really dandy man with a great voice. However, in the end, Karamatsu is timid. And taking this timidness as an essence and holding it out in all directions is the eighteen year old Karamatsu. […]

Eighteen year old Choromatsu is the most funny out of the past sextuplets (laughs). He has the most individuality out of them. […]

While eighteen year old Jyushimatsu made the most sense, Ichimatsu also made sense to me. Unlike the present, Ichimatsu doesn’t mumble and could communicate properly, which made me think yeah, that’s what I thought. But I feel adult Ichimatsu actually has the ability to analyze what he’s feeling and turn what he’s thinking into words. He is able to analyze himself and other people to the very depths, so you can see his communication skills are quite high, and he’s a good person.

Totty is just nothing but cuteness (laughs). His cuteness is different from Karamatsu’s and is a natural-born cuteness. If only he didn’t grow. I felt the most disappointed. Ahhh~ … or something like that (laughs).

[shinjukuspiritcommittee]

Top 20 2021

My Favorites (updated)

Hello my readers, it’s been a while since I just posted something not related to a headcanon and I am doing one right now. I just wanted to take a bit of a break to just get SOMETHING on here on my days off work. Plus I’m just trying to find my groove when it comes to writing again so hopefully this helps me just get back into the mood of making a post more often lol. I wanted to revisit this topic for a while just because we’ve had a lot more events and a lot more alts in the game were added. And I know for a fact LifeWonders reads these posts in some capacity because I have meme’d an AR into the game with my top picks from the last list I did for Christmas 2019. No I didn’t. I’m just joking around and I know LifeWonders doesn’t read this.

Anyways rather than just make up a list on the spot like last year I decided to use the Housamo Sortmaker (Link: https://club.housamo.xyz/sortmaker/ ) to try and make a list that’s more revealing to what I was thinking at the time. Since I talked about 20 characters ish last time I’m just gonna read from my 20th place to my 1st place spots and try to justify whatever I was thinking at the time. Anyways-

20: Marchosias and Susan: This one was a surprise for me if I’m being honest but I’m just gonna blame the fact on Shukou’s recent involvement with LifeWonders in the form of Live A Hero and how Ryekie and Mokdai live in my headspace rent free whenever I think about the characters in that game. Maybe we can see about getting some LAH headcanons since that’s a LifeWonders property too). So out of all the characters Shukou drew for Housamo why did I pick Marchosias? Easy, it’s been 4 years and this poor man has yet to receive a proper alt or any kind of skin for that matter and I think that it’s a crime. Sure he’s not my favorite but he’s definitely grown on me because he’s just a gentle dad kind of character and his design has grown on me over the years. I just hope he doesn’t get left behind since he has a lot of really interesting and potential things to look forward to in the future given how the main story has unfolded.

19: Shiva/Algernon: The helmet heads are together because DAI XT quickly became my favorite artist for Fire Emblem Heroes and I really just like their designs. DAI XT just knows how to draw robots, armor and muscles well. Also Chapter 11 with Shiva you can read into some interesting perspectives. I don’t want to spoil any of the untranslated content for anyone who’s waiting for the official english translation. But if you are curious Roureem has a blogspot where he posts summaries of the newly released events.

Link: https://housamosummaries.blogspot.com/

18: Cthugha: I love this goober so much. He’d constantly try to act super sentai just trying say good morning everyday. He may not be very bright but that just adds to his charm and honestly I enjoy how he always tries to play the hero in a lot of scenarios because it’s refreshing when they implement him after a bunch of heavy hitting story stuff. I’m not gonna spoil too much about it but I will say he’s more than welcome after everything Chapter 10 and 11 put the reader through.

17: Mineaki: I’ve made a post about him being one of my least favorites way back when I first started this blog and let me just say how times have changed and I’ve learned the value of not judging a book by it’s cover. I still think there’s something a bit off about Kowmei’s style for his characters, but Mineaki has definitely grown on me. He’s a caring instructor who does watch out for his students even if it’s not always in the most direct way possible. Not to get into too many spoilers he’s got a lot of intrigue around him as well and I am curious to see his role get expanded down the line.

16: Ded: Housamo is the reason I really like christmas. The Christmas stories despite following a similar structure to each other do tend to be my favorite stories. Ded himself is also just another good dad character. He’s also two guys for the price of one, so I mean… you know… you’ve got the forever ask your other dad situation. There wasn’t much thought put into this choice I just like santa as a concept because I think the outfits are cute, it’s always nice to get something for people you care about on Christmas and Ded is the perfect embodiment of both sides to Christmas.

15: Shinya: Everyone we need to manifest buff Shinya for 2021, this is not a drill. This is legitimate. We must make Taromati’s and my wish come true. To be more serious again he’s just a sweet and gentle character. He’s also drawn by my favorite Housamo artist. Their characters always just look so naturally good. I’m just surprised he hasn’t gotten much of an alt given he’s perfect material for Valentine’s day. He’s just a soft boy and I would love for him to be in more things because I just enjoy seeing him.

14: Jacob: I have to be honest Jacob is on here because every time I look at him he just gets more handsome to me. I wasn’t all that impressed with his introduction and we don’t know much about his background but I’ve just been drawn to him more and more. Maybe it’s just because he’s drawn by GomTang? I just like looking at him and I can’t help it. To speak a bit less crass he’s another gentleman kind of guy and those are always nice.

13: Shennong: Yeah I like the doc a lot. Firstly, I’m a huge sucker for big bulls and Shennong fits the bill. The white fur really adds to his appeal visually and the purple horns give off a bit of an unnatural appearance. Shen feels like someone who’s been touch starved and alone for a long time given how he acts as a character and when we actually hug him I just lost it. He always has others well being on his mind so he’s not afraid to jump in and help, or give a much needed lecture about when you need to take better care of yourself. He just comes across as very well balanced overall.

12: Heracles: I won’t lie- at first he didn’t interest me much. He looked incredibly plain when among the rest of the cast and he seemed like the typical “bait” character since the banner had Echo, Barguest, Gyumao and Snow. But after reading the translation for Valentine Time Slip I was taken aback at how much of a gentle giant he turned out to be and I just really liked his interactions with the others in that event. And honestly his special quest from that year was one of the more unique ones given the slower pace and more romantic vibe it had. After the event warmed my heart I did a complete 180 and I just knew I really liked him.

11. Yasuyori: Before I start praising him I feel I have to justify why he didn’t quite make top 10 and it will have some mild Chapter 10 spoilers. To be as vague as possible his resolution just didn’t vibe with me at the end of Chapter 10. Like it wasn’t a bad resolution and it was the right choice to make but in my opinion there really wasn’t a moment I felt was clear where he made a choice for himself. Everything just sort of happened around him and it felt like he didn’t really do much to improve his situation. To an extent I kind of see that being the idea given his origins and the story he’s based on and there is some semblance of him coming to terms with himself alongside his isolation being portrayed pretty well, but I just wasn’t satisfied with it as much as I would like to be. With that out of the way, oh my god I just want this boy to never stop smiling and I just want to give him hugs constantly please he just deserves to be happy!!! Yasuyori is a character who’s got a lot of baggage and he’s just trying to find ways to properly cope with his trauma and not repeat past mistakes and I just really like that idea. His role in Xmas 2020 (sorry I just forgot the name of that event, but its when he gets his alt) was a much better representation for his character in my eyes. I’m not gonna spoil anything like I keep saying but he isn’t one to disappoint in future appearances and I just hope this lovable lug keeps getting the support he deserves.

10: Hephaestus: A spicy way to start the latter half of the list. I just want to give this lad a hug and tell him he is worthy of love. But at the same time he is a little shit… and I love that. I can’t fully explain why I grow a paternal instinct in me seeing this grown man sob about his mother but I just do. I want to keep him safe and give him all the affection he wants. Though I am aware a lot of Hephaestus’s interest in his parental figure is… questionable. I am just gonna say I would accept his love for what it is and he just wants approval.

9. Shuten: I’ll be honest I have no proper reason for why I like Shuten so much. He’s just a cool and reliable guy. He just seems like a go with the flow kind of person most of the time and he’s a bit more direct than most of the characters which I always appreciate. Plus I have an unspoken bias for naop guys in Housamo.

8. Durga: While not number 1 on this list, I still really like Durga. She’s quirky but not to an annoying degree, she’s determined and definitely very confident in her own abilities. Her growing to be more sociable throughout her events is something I enjoy seeing because it really creates this sense of growth.

7. Kyuma: I get a lot of people don’t like Kowmei’s art but I really think we should look past it because Kyuma is one of the sweeter picks. He’s someone who just wants to prove himself for his own worth and not what David can provide, but David is part of him and it just creates the potential for a good arc. Plus this boy is unintentionally smooth and will just take your heart when possible. I honestly want to see Kyuma more in events because he’s honestly the jock that carries 3 of the 4 brain cells. He’s also the last one without an alt so I’m just hoping he gets one in 2021 because he really deserves one in my opinion. (Also fan art makes him really cute).

6. Tomte: Tomte is relatively new but honestly his event in 2019 really endeared me to him. I’m trying to be spoiler free because the best way to enjoy these stories is for yourselves but let me just say his arc in the event was really endearing to me and much more than I was expecting. His fan service is also incredibly hammy and I love it. Visually Tomte is one of my favorites, I love his multi colored hair and starlit pupils cuz it makes his otherwise more generic look have some flare. I knew I liked him out the box and when I read about him in the summaries and can’t wait to read the official translation for him. I was just very endeared.

5. Tetsuya: Tetsuya fucks. Moving on…

Jokes aside this one’s a bit simple. I have no shame in admitting I think he’s attractive and his whole resistance towards wanting a relationship is cute in a weird roundabout way. When he says no I just want it MORE. I just really like duo haired tsunderes.

4. Kengo: Kengo 3rd alt 2021. Please LifeWonders I need my favorite Summoner. He’s a bro and that’s what counts. Kengo has got your back, not afraid to rely on you, a very fun and dynamic guy. Sure he’s not that bright when it comes to making plans or any book smart, but there are times where he’s the best at being able to read the room or just understand what someone needs to hear even if it isn’t always what someone wants to hear. His bullheaded nature is actually one of his redeeming qualities because it’s nice to just not overcomplicate things and just understand what’s actually going on. Yes the early story didn’t do many favors for him but to me the events, especially the later ones, do much more work for his character. To me, at least.

3. Ashigara: Ashigara is best bear, and I will defend that stance in 2021. The main thing that draws me to Ashigara is that I can see a bit of myself in him. He gets very emotional when he gets left alone, he’s very loud when with his friends, has a tendency of speaking his mind- just someone who wears his heart on his sleeve. I also appreciate that in spite of the negative he isn’t someone who backs down when the going gets tough and in a few instances he’s able to hold his ground physically at least.

2. Wakan Tanka: Love at first sight. This ray of sunshine still persists as the number 1 husband, but number 2 character. Firstly I am a huge fan of the partial beast aesthetic. The buffalo ears and the horns  are absolutely adorable. Secondly he’s a perfect body type; he’s not too muscular but not exactly flabby. Third he is just so positive and I love that. He’s someone I admire and wanna hug.

1. Taurus Mask: The more things change the more they stay the same. I’m still a big Taurus Mask fan for all the same reasons as last time. I just… relate to this boy. He is an incredibly shy boy who uses his public persona for confidence. Maybe I’m reading too much into it but it’s like we’re soul bros!

So yeah, my tastes haven’t changed in a year and a half.

[baebeyza]

What is a plot hole or subplot in any Transformers show/series that you dislike/hate? Have a nice day! Ps: I love your art!

Thank you! <3

Okay, lets see...PS: I love most of these shows with all my heart, if I don’t I’ll say it. So don’t take me criticizing some aspects of them as me hating them, some of these don’t even bother me much and I find them hilarious instead :>

G1: This show is full of plot holes and that is part of the charm, however, I could have lived without Optimus coming back, ruined everything my boy Roddy went through before. 

Headmasters:  I love Sixshot’s “redemption” (I wouldn’t call it redemption really, more a heel-face turn) but the decision to take this character whose been written as a merciless killer with an on-screen death count of 3, including beloved baby Ultra Magnus, and giving him depth in the last 4 episodes was a truly bold move xD Personally, I think they handled it well enough, but I don’t know how other people feel about it - if you watched Headmasters PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR OPINION! Super-God Masterforce: Hmmm, I mean there are things that aren’t so sweet when you watch the show, like the slow pacing in the first half, but looking at the story as a whole it doesn’t matter much. Said slow pacing makes sense when you think about it.  So for this show, I don’t have complaints, I love it and love the plot! <3 Victory: There was a story to be told between Deszaras and Leozack, Leozack and Hellbat and between Greatshot and Guyhawk, but these arcs just faded out without conclusion.   I explained my grievance better in this post! Beast Wars: I love Beast Wars but I hate the love triangle with Blackarachnia and Silverbolt and the teenage third wheel Cheetor. So annoying 🙄 Beast Wars II: Kind of a bummer to me that Megastorm just kinda turned pathetic towards the end instead of being a threat with more evil methods than Galvatron as he was introduced to be. I mean the idea of him being more evil and serious without Galvs around and being a suck-up annoying lil brother with Galvs around was nice, but I would have liked to see more of his advertised evil methods.  Beast Machines:  I hate the way they handled Jetstorm and Silverbolt, they could have written that far better.  Here a post explaining it! Robots in Disguise 2001/Car Robots: The most hilarious thing in this show’s writing is that in the first episode Yuki’s father gets kidnapped and Optimus is like “We’ll save him!” Then they don’t save him and it takes around 30 episodes for the father to be rescued by fucking SKY-BYTE xD Armada/Micron Densetsu: The show I enjoyed the least and don’t even really like: I liked the ideas with Optimus, Megs and Starscream, liked the conclusions, but the build-up to them all was so boring, confusing and unnatural that I couldn’t feel for it.  The characters, their interactions and conflicts are nonsensical most of the time and contrived as well, it just ruined the experience. This whole show would need an overhaul from the very start to give it justice to the good ideas it had. Energon/Superlink: This show isn’t better than Armada when it comes to good ideas and lazy writing, but unlike Armada, it was fun to watch and had its characters act like people- And while character arcs were just stopped out of nowhere as well, at least it happened via death xD Inferno’s arc stopping was sad, but at least his death scene was nice.  If there is one thing I was a little sad about then it is Mirage not having an important place within the Cons as Starscream had. I would have thought both him and Star would be the serious ones and flank Megs on both sides, but nah, he’s in a dumbass trio with Demolishor and Snow Cat in the end. 😔 And while I celebrate his canon crush on Megs, it would have been nice to see Megs acknowledging it.  Cybertron/Galaxy Force: This was an awesome show, but as a Decepticon and Megatron lover, I was disappointed. Megatron was boring as an evil leader! The only person he had any interesting dynamic with is Starscream, and even that fell short. He didn’t care about any other Decepticon. And I don’t mean it in a “he’s bad boss” kinda way, he just doesn’t care. Decepticons join and leave without him ever reacting to it. I don’t think he spoke a word with Demolishor.  I would have thought he and Flame Convoy would develop something awesome, but even with that guy, nothing meaningful happens between them.  I know this is a story about friendship and you gotta show the villain as being friendless, but even that could have been showcased instead of just not bothering to write the dude. Animated: One thing I find sad is that Blackarachnia has nothing to do with the rest of the Decepticons. Megatron never even asked about her. And it is sad because she joined them because they accepted her while the Autobots would have not and that was interesting! But nothing gets revealed. Prime: Breakdown dying was a real bummer, because they had implied for him to get more development. Robots in Disguise 2015: The one grievance I have is the problem of characters never developing and going through the same lesson all over again. Also, Steeljaw being the best thing the show has as a main villain, but just getting sidetracked the whole time. Prime Wars Trilogy: I like the plot of Prime Wars, the storytelling, in general, is lacklustre though. Starscream could have had something better than just trying to take power and failing immediately. Cyberverse: I find Cybeverse to be boring and a thing I hated is how in season 3 they have Kup telling the story to the audience for the last four episodes of the Quintesson arc. It took away any kind of dread you could have felt for the story because Kup being able to tell it means that all goes well.  Which, yeah, of course it’ll go well, but Kup reassuring me the whole time that all will go well the whole time was just annoying.  Imagine watching an intense action flick where the characters are in mortal danger, but the action gets interrupted the whole time by some random character just to be like “this was intense, but don’t worry, we gonna survive :)” Makes it impossible to get invested in the drama! War for Cybertron: Not done yet I know, but while I celebrate this show and like it a lot, I am miffed about the lack of backstory to the conflict and characters. Siege should have been a second season with a season one that explains how it got to the point they are in Siege.

[prose-for-hire]

Gone datin’

Pairing: Spike x fem!reader

Request(s): 

Can I request a spike x female reader where they’re dating but can’t usually go on dates but then he finds the gem of amara and surprises her with a cute picnic date and he is really sweet with her?

spike and his gf on a date.

A/N: Hope you don’t mind but I’ve combined these together, you both wanted female reader and a date. Also, I wrote it where he’d had the gem before, but gets it back.

You were resting in the lower level of Spike’s most recent resting place. You lay on your side, resting against his naked chest. Drawing small patterns on his chest as you thought about how happy you were with this man. He let you trace along his body, enjoying it when you did it. You press a small kiss to some exposed skin, propping yourself up to look at him. His arm was behind his head, lying flat, he loved moments alone with you like this.

“Spike, why do you never take me on dates? We are dating after all…” You say softly as he stroked along your arm, leaving goose bumps in his wake.

“What do you want one of them for?” he asked, scanning your face, “And more to the point, why have you never taken me on one?” He mused, questioning you back with a raise of his eyebrow. This was fair enough, you had never suggested a real human date before, you were both usually content with being together like this. Or having a drink at a bar. You were comfortable together, you just wished sometimes that you could go on a normal date. Your words made him think – he wanted you to have a proper date. Something he hadn’t been able to give you, but now he desperately longed to.

In the week after this conversation, you felt a little excited. Spike wasn’t very good with sunlight. Or pointy wooden objects through the chest. Or pretending to care about trivial matters. So, when he started to talk about going out on a date more often since you mentioned it, you got excited. But then it stopped. He stopped talking about it, he shut down any mention of a date that wasn’t at his favourite demon bar and he suddenly had to take a trip to LA where you were definitely not invited. You tried not to worry, you tried to convince yourself he didn’t have a secret vampire lover that he was leaving you for. What he hadn’t informed you of, was that he had been trying to plan the perfect date. But one tiny detail was getting in his way every time: he couldn’t take you anywhere in the day and he decided that you should have everything perfect. Like in the books he would read.

It had been another week, he didn’t talk on the phone so you hadn’t heard from him while he was in LA. You were worried. When he finally returned, his face was oddly tanned and you frowned. Maybe he had discovered fake tan in LA. You thought he looked cute with a little colour in his face and you told him this. His eyes widened, he hadn’t noticed. He gruffly thanked you and left to speak to someone about something you didn’t quite catch.

It was a few more days of weird behaviour from Spike and you were starting to get ready to confront him. It was out of character. But then you got a call from Willow telling you to meet her in the park, it left your mind. You could vent to your friend, maybe ask for some advice. It did cross your mind that this was unusual, your friend was now spending a lot of her spare time with her new friend Tara and had forgotten you existed. You understood but you couldn’t help feeling a little friend envy. However, you were pleasantly surprised when she asked to meet you.

You got there and there was a picnic set up: a tartan blanket laid on the grassy bank, a large wicker basket in the centre. There was wine glasses out and even a little flower that had been plucked, roots and all from the ground only moments before. You frowned at Willow, wondering what was going on. It appeared to be a date, you joked to yourself that Willow might have become a lesbian overnight. However, the redhead was getting ready to leave as soon as she saw you.

“Uh, um, I’m gonna make with the leaving now – I was part of a cunning ruse. Have fun!” She shouted over her shoulder, no doubt about to find Tara. You sat, frowning around the sunny spot. Then you saw him. Your mouth agape, eyes on stalks as he sauntered over to you as if this was normal. He soaked up the sun, closing his eyes briefly at the warmth before his gaze landing back on you.

His still pale skin almost unnatural under the sunlight, black t-shirt clinging to his well-toned physique. He made his way across the grass, looking up slightly at the blue sky a smug little smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. This turned into a full-on grin as he threw himself down opposite you on the blanket.

“All right, love? This enough of a date for you or did you want to be going on one of those long walks on the beach?” He smiled, opening the wicker basket. He was acting as if this was the most normal thing in the world. You were speechless. You looked up at the sun, then back at him what must have been about fifty times before your voice managed to actually work, “How…?”

“Love finds a way” he said cryptically, “I can’t wait to see if I freckle” he added with a wink as he chucked you some of the prepared food and took out a jar of blood for himself. He had taken care of finding your favourites. His smug smile lit up, almost brighter than the sun, as you just stared at him all not on fire and pleased with himself.

After the third time you asked, between bites of the best sandwich you had ever eaten, he sighed animatedly using his shoulders to exaggerate his unneeded expel of breath, “Went to see a man about a ring. Don’t get too excited, love, it was for me - got myself a new little trinket” he showed you the ring on his finger. You grabbed his hand to check it.

“The gem of amara!? I thought that was gone!” You squealed in excitement for him and then for yourself as this meant he could come out in the day too. This wasn’t a one-off. You were still holding his hands, squeezing so tight before letting go to get back to the picnic.

“Well, couldn’t let my favourite girl living her life without a proper date now could I? I’m evil, but not that bloody evil” He shrugged, downplaying what he had to do to get the ring back. There was a lot of fighting and he even had to do a little bit of begging to his least favourite grandsire (Which, turned out to be useless and he had to trade punches with him to get the ring back anyway). He hadn’t been so bothered about the loss of the gem until recently.

“You- you got it back for me? For us to have a date?” You gasped, in awe at the way he loved so deeply. So selflessly with you. He had done this for you first, himself second.

“’Course, love. I want you happy. Besides, you’re bloody gorgeous with decent lighting” he complimented you, with a wink. You couldn’t help smiling, he was a charmer and you could tell he was pleased with your excitement over the date. Seeing you happy makes him happy and he caught your infectious smile as you started to root in the wicker basket to find pretty much all of your favourite snacks piled in there, “Listen, pet, I love you and love’s a funny thing. It makes you want to do things just to make others happy. Makes you want to sacrifice everything just to see that smile. That flutter in your chest when you see me, when you feel the care I have for you” he said quickly, looking into the contents of the jar as he spoke before looking up to meet your eye, “I can’t stop thinking about you… thinking about ways to show my affection”

“I love you, spike, this is- this is the best date ever” You gushed, crawling across the blanket to envelop him in a hug. You pressed your lips against his, an excitable kiss to confirm your love.

“Well, I plan on next week’s being even better, so hold that thought pet” He smiled as you grinned so wide your cheeks started to ache, moving back to look at him. He had already started planning a date for next week, somewhere sunny and fun for you. Perhaps the beach, he remembered you said you liked that time you went for a daytrip with the Scoobies, wishing he could have been with you.

You offered to rub some sunscreen into his skin. Luckily you kept a high spf on you so he wouldn’t burn. He wasn’t used to it, so he had forgotten about potentially burning. He complained for a while, finding it lame, but softened at the care and stubbornness you displayed until he relented and allowed you to rub the sunscreen into his skin.

You both lay back, sunbathing on the tartan blanket. Spike squinted up into the perfect blue sky, amazed that it hadn’t changed since he remembered it. The sun continued beating down on you pleasantly, it was bliss. Warm rays of afternoon sun licking at your faces. You held hands, laying side-by-side as you relaxed lazily under the heat. This was the first of many enjoyable dates under the cheery supervision of the sun.

[x-authorship-x]

On his chakra system compared Kakashi with his implant since it’s more natural and he already magically knows the limits and how it works. Theres also a giant parallel with Minato, another genius who Obito (probably) admired and aspired to be like. Kamui is such a broken ability, aside from Kks, it would be impossible to infiltrate or find. Now, Mokuton. It’s half plant matter, so he photosynthesizes lmao? Just soak in the river for a few minutes and then take a nap in the sun and thats his food for the day. It’ll also be pretty difficult to somehow get food stuffs during a war without being found out or appearing suspicious especially since Madaras would only be able to send out the zetsus so photosynthesizing would probably solve that issue. And having half of foreign substance substituting for actual body parts might put trauma/pressure on organs (I know nothing medically related so this is just wishful logic) and bodily functions. I reject cannon Obito appearance bc it makes zero sense for him to be that TALL with how his growth plates were maybe altered and honestly a short compact ball of rage appearance suits him more. I think it’ll be if he was suddenly distinctively shorter than Kakashi when he’s always been taller. Obito also manipulates plants more than wood, and it seems he has free control over what the plants he can make does. This is such a good technique for traps??? Especially in terrain like Konoha where trees and shit are everywhere. He can plant (Fuck year hallelujah) vines and trees n shit and just KNOW when someones coming through. Also going back to your fic lands there Hashirama chakra everyone in the forests, so does that mean Obito can kind of tune into that???? Like some sort of sensor abilities with trees n shit??? Plant hermit Bito. Oh shit I almost forgot about the fucking HEALING FACTOR. In the kks vs obt fight his cheek scratch thing closed in three seconds so he has an unnaturally fast healing factor, but I don’t thats necessarily a good thing since if he got like a blade stuck in his arm or broken bones it’ll just automatically heal around with that intact? Ouchie. That’ll be so annoying to have ot treat later. think that’s all I have to say on Kamui and Mokuton. Also, unrelated but I just realized theres a word cap on words per PARAGRAPh not the entire ASK hahaha i’m not intelligent enough to understand this website. Plus the amount of sense in this ask has marginally degraded, so I’m taking this as a sign to Stop. Thank you for listening to my rambles and responding to them. :D

TEA 🍵 ITS THE TEA 🍵🍵🍵

(I'm gonna go on tangent here) i have... Such *tosses hands so hard i fly into space* URGH with what we know about Minato. Minato, Minato, i love your ideas (no one hate me please) but you make no SENSE. Minato is super fast? I'm sorry but, in the anime especially, everyone moves faster than light so Kishi really shot himself in the foot. Logically, we're supposed to know that Minato is the fastest Shinobi alive but all Shinobi have a speed that is WACK so??? Also the Rasengan, that's all we really see Minato use and, when Naruto masters it, it's seen as THE power up but... Look at all the other characters??? The Bijuu's fighting is literally just PURPLE RASENGAN??????? i wanted to see FERAL ANIMALS i wanted Kurama to act like a goddamn raccoon fighting for dumpster turf!!!! WHERE IS THE TEETH?!! YOURE TELLING ME THAT OBITO, WITH UNDETECTABLE TELEPORTATION AND CAN BECOME LITERALLY UNTOUCHABLE, COULDNT JUST SHOVE HIS HAND THROUGH SOMEONE'S CHEST AND REFORM TO GRAB THEIR HEART ETC??? make it make SENSE

Yessss, also the trees and shit should all love him, i said what i said, i want the flowers to TURN towards him 😤 grass grows where he steps and the trees sway

The healing etc.... It could be that Madara somehow, without a lab or a scientific background or ANYTHING, actually genetically ALTERED the rest of obitos DNA to behave in a more mokuton-ish way? Like the regeneration, growth, etc etc etc but then would that make Obito less fire resistant, would he stop eating over photosynthesis, would it affect his aging.... This is very very bad science lmao

[maribatshipper]

Miraculous 39 Clues

Lillian glares with her dark eyes at the picture of the Ladybug-themed heroine. The heroine was lying on the ground with her arm twisted into an unnatural shape after a fight with one of these akumas. Lillian picks up her phone & calls a cousin of hers.

"Dan, I'm going to Paris. I need to speak to Stone." Lillian growls.

Dan asks, "Why? What's wrong with him?"

Lillian frowns, "Not what's wrong with him, what's wrong with the city he lives in. Check a site called the Ladyblog. You'll see why. I have to look out for my fellow Janus."

Lillian hangs up as she buys a ticket to Paris, running her hair through her burnt amber hair.

***

"STONE!"

Jagged Stone winces. He's always known about his heritage & everything that went on. He preferred the love he got from people when they heard his music compared to the backstabbers he called his family & their obsession with the clues.

"Lily, what are you doing here? In Paris?" Jagged asks, his pale-green eyes hidden by some glasses with 2 Eiffel towers & Paris' flag incorporated into it.

"Why didn't you tell the Cahill's about the situation in Paris? Those of us who are good could have done something to help the heroes of this city. They clearly need all the help they can get, & who better to help than an entire family of spies, inventors, artists, & jocks?" Lillian glares at the much older man.

Jagged sighs, "The Lucians have a base here & said nothing. You've seen the reports, Lillian. The heroes are just kids. I was turned into a rockin' villain. What was I supposed to do? Call the entire family over to get us all akumatised when they find out what's going on?"

Lillian glares, "No, you're supposed to warn us about Paris & about keeping emotions in check! The Lucians here are fools for not bringing this to our attention! Our branch is supposed to share information with the rest of our branch! This is something that has to be taken to the head of our family! This Hawk Moth character could be a rogue Cahill, or a Vesper! If this guy is a Vesper, our whole family needs to be warned about him! No matter how much we hate each other, we don't leave other Cahill's to deal with Vespers. What if he's like Peirce? What then, Stone?"

Jagged sighs, "You're right. I haven't been thinking clearly. So un-rock'n'roll of me. But this isn't something that can be fixed with the master serum. Cahill's can't face against the power of these jewels called Miraculous. Even with that serum. These Miraculous are more powerful than anything, & they should be kept out of our family's greedy hands."

Lillian frowns, "But we could help. We've had exper-"

Jagged whirls around, "Not with this! We've never had any experience with this! This is dangerous, Lily! No matter how genuine our talents, we can't help them against this! I know it's un-rock'n'roll, but that's what it is, Lillian!"

A knock comes from the door. Jagged breathes a few times & opens the door to see a familiar face. Jagged's face stretches into a giant grin.

"Marinette! There's my Rockin' designer! Whatcha got for me this time?" Jagged asks.

Marinette smiles, "Well, I designed you some new glasses, because the ones you have right now are starting to fall apart, since I didn't really have the best materials when I started that, but these new ones should last at least for a few years, & I have a small-scale of that poster you asked me to do, & I need to just adjust your outfit for your show tomorrow. Oh, I also have some stuff for Fang. It's all in my backpack."

Lillian walks up to Marinette & studies her, a suspicious glint in her eyes.

"Who's this, Stone?" Lillian asks, not taking her eyes off of the teen.

Jagged smiles, "Lily, this is my best designer, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Marinette, this is a relative of mine, Lillian."

Marinette smiles & holds her hand out to shake with Lillian's, only to fall when her backpack bursts from being overfilled. Lillian's eyes widen as Marinette collides with the ground. She crouches down to help Marinette pick the stuff up, only to catch her eye on an open design book. She picks up the design book. Her eyes widen at every design. Marinette panics as she sees this & grabs the design book quickly.

"I'm so sorry. I'm madly clumsy. Those are just rough sketches-"

Lillian smirks, "Rough sketches? If those are rough sketches, the finished product must be good enough to go to heaven, Dupain-Cheng."

Jagged stares at Lillian in shock. She is harsh, cold, & not one you'd expect compliments from, even if she is a Janus.

"Stone, I need to talk to you." Lillian grabs Jagged's arm & drags him away from the confused blue-eyed teenager.

"What is it?" Jagged asks, rubbing his sore arm where Lillian's nails were digging into his skin.

Lillian frowns, "She's got the skill of a Cahill with the Janus serum. Does she know anything about the Cahills?"

Jagged shakes his head, "Not a thing. Her mother is most likely a Tomas from China, even though she is small. I saw her in action when Penny was akumatised. Her father is a French baker, & she designs clothes, posters, glasses, she could design a coat for Fang if she wanted to."

Lillian holds a dark coloured hair between her fingers & smirks, "Let's see if she is a Cahill."

Jagged gapes, "How did you get that?"

Lillian laughs, "Stone, I'm a Janus who's been taught at each of our branches bases & in each art. Canada, Hollywood, Venice, any base there was, I've been there. I've done what our ancestors did. We test this. If it comes back positive, we train her in the Janus ways. If not, you don't have to worry about anything."

***

Marinette was confused when this strange teenager who was somewhat older than her dragged her favourite singer away with such authority.

"What was that, Tikki?" She whispers to her little purse attached to her hip.

The quiet being in her purse answers, "I don't know Marinette. She radiates an artists' soul, but she seems so..."

Marinette offers, "Standoffish?"

Tikki chuckles, "Yeah, but there's something more to her than that."

The two older artists come back, Jagged cowering slightly when Lillian looks towards him. Tikki stays hidden in the purse.

"Do I wanna know what that was?" Marinette asks.

Jagged laughs, "It wasn't really anything Rock'n'roll to talk about."

Lillian nods, keeping an eye on the teen.

"So, Marinette, what are your interests?" Lillian asks.

Marinette smiles, "Well, I'm really into fashion, I even design & sew my own clothes. I'm really good at video games, especially Ultimate Mecha Strike 3. Then of course there is music, I mean, I listen to Jagged's music all the time while I'm sketching out designs, his music inspires me! Unlike XY. Bleh! I even designed the costumes for Kitty Section, & I've made so many different outfits, & I'm starting my own website, but I really don't know if it's a great idea with so much stress at school, & akumas, & of course I'm class representative for my class."

Lillian smirks, "I think I'll visit your school, kid. See how well you do in a place like that."

Marinette panics, "It's really no biggie, I just have a lot on my plate."

Lillian smiles, "Either way, I'll be visiting. I gotta go to my apartment. Remember, Stone. I will be telling."

Jagged nods, confusing Marinette.

"Am I missing something here?" Marinette asks.

Lillian smiles, "Nothing to worry about, kid. See you at your school, Dupain-Cheng."

Lillian walks away with a dangerous looking smile on, which scares Marinette slightly.

Marinette suddenly asks, "Does she even know which school I go to?"

***

Lillian checks the test results of the hair she plucked from Marinette's head earlier. Lillian calls Jagged.

Jagged sighs, "Well?"

"It's a match. She's Janus alright. But she's also Lucian & Tomas. Test result says 5% Lucian, 5% Tomas, & 90% Janus." Lillian smiles.

Jagged sighs, "Check her classmates & parents too."

***

A month has passed, & Lillian gathered as much information about the Dupain-Chengs as she could. Marinette's mother, Sabine, is the Cahill with genes. The father, Tom, is a Tomas, which Lillian thought was funny. The only issue? Neither parent knew that they were part of a giant family spreading all across the world. Marinette's grandmother Gina seemed to at least know something of the Cahill name.

Lillian sighs, "I can't believe they don't know a thing about us."

She looks at her research notes on the classmates. All of them have tiny bits of Cahill DNA except Cesaire and Bourgeois. When she visited with Marinette that one day, the kids seemed sweet, but Lillian's a Janus. She can tell when someone's acting. There was one that was acting the most. Her acting was spot on, except for one small issue. She couldn't keep her stories straight.

"Well, miss Rossi, you are about to get a few dozen lawsuits delivered right to your school in the middle of your class. You shouldn't have messed with Marinette. You mess with a Janus, you mess with a powerful enemy. Now to get the kid trained like a Janus."

***

Lillian shows up to Marinette's school again & points out a flaw in one of Lila's stories. She then walks to the bathroom, where she has laid a trap for the fox.

"Hello. Lillian, right?" Lila fakely smiles.

"& you must be Splenda." Lillian smirks.

Lila asks, "What?"

Lillian explains, "Artificially Sweet. Like Splenda. Fake sugar. Drop the act, I can smell the Lucian on you!"

Lila actually seems surprised, & asks, "What's a Lucian?"

Lillian looks through Lila for any sign of deception, but she sees that Lila actually has no idea what she's talking about.

"Of course. That makes this so much easier. Keep away from Marinette, or I can guarantee all your fame will disappear."

Lila drops her Façade & smirks, "How could you possibly do that? Everyone here can't resist when they hear what they want to hear. There's nothing you can do about it anyway. You don't want to be my friend, fine, but I'll make sure no one here wants to be your friend at all. You're a little less dumb than the others, so I'll give you one chance. You're either with me, or against me. You only have until the end of class to decide, Lillian."

Lillian giggles, then full out laughs.

"Oh you poor, delusional soul! I don't want to be friends with anyone here except Marinette! & thanks for saying that. Now I have all the proof I need!" Lillian smirks.

Lila asks, "What do you mean?"

Lillian smirks, "You'll find out."

***

Months passed, & Lila's entire empire toppled once lawsuits were coming to her in public for defamation & slander, & Lila was also sued for abuse. Marinette got paparazzi swamping her, asking about how long Lila had threatened her, but Lillian kept Marinette away from the Paparazzi with practiced ease. Marinette had found out how she was related to many important people. Lillian trained her, causing Ladybug to defeat villains much quicker, & Cat Noir stopped showing, not that it bothered her. Cat Noir stopped even helping, acting childish every time Ladybug denied his feelings. Ladybug decided to pick a new hero, a new fox. The new fox made everything easier on Ladybug, & even stole Cat Noir's ring & gave it to Ladybug after his first week.

Ladybug smiles, "You ready for patrol, Corsac?"

The new Fox smiles, his red hair with white tips blowing in the wind. He was also a Janus, which is why Ladybug chose him for the fox. One needs a really good artistic mind to use the fox power.

Corsac's blue eyes widen in happiness.

(I couldn't find one with white tips. Imagine they're white.)

"Of course, Ladybug."

A/N: While reading Miraculous Salt fics, I suddenly had the thought, “What if the 39 Clues universe was part of the Miraculous Universe?” And this came to life with a prompt. I can’t remember the prompt, but I’m happy with how this came out. 

Okay... so... I ran out of really cool fox names, so I actually googled Fox species, and there was only 2 cool sounding ones. Culpeo and Corsac. Can anyone guess who Corsac is?

[liddolwhynot2000]

Decisions Of a Capricorn

____________________________________

Summary: Levi Ackerman woke up one fine morning. In the past. Shit.

Genre: Angst, lets-change-shit, drama, liddol romance (Levixhappiness)

Pairings: Levi/Original Female Character, Levi/Petra

Warning: Manga spoilers

________________________________

Chapter 1. Chapter 2

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Chapter 3: Brace

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Summary:  Capricorns can be naturally pessimistic. They already expect unfortunate things to happen in life, so they take them in a stride.

Alternatively, Levi braces himself for the worst and is pleasantly suprised.

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Telling his squad had gone better then he thought it would. His special ops members took the news it in a stride, immediately launching into a discussion of what they needed to do now and how to utilize this information best. Eren, as expected of his 15 year old version, was befuddled.

Levi wondered how someone so innocent looking transformed into a complete monster in such short time.

His squad had lived up to his expectations, easily concluding that they need to keep this information to themselves for now. Eld, ever the natural born leader, took the lead and suggested that they need to learn to work with Eren. So that they aren't caught off guard on the bare minimum skill level they can expect from the traitor.

Gunther was the one who brought up the possibility of facing the armoured titan, and even though Levi was sure they wouldn't have to face that particular beast yet, he still agreed with their suggestions of carrying some fire arms. Thunder spears didn't exist yet, which meant that grenades and canons would be their best shot.

Eren had tried to voice out his own suggestion, that he wanted to train his skill set too. He felt that he needex to improve in some areas, and although Levi bitterly recalled how much Eren had improved without help in another life, he had to agree with the brat.

His squad, however, didn't share the same opinion and immediately began to shut Eren down.

'Eren, your job is to trust us. We expect you to leave it all to us and transform as an absolute last resort!'

'Yeah, you brat, don't get cocky. The only way you'll fight is if we somehow di-'

Olou had bitten his tounge and cut himself off before Levi could. Levi had then interrupted before Eld and Gunther could throw in their two cents.

'Eren is the main target, what will all of you do if Eren is somehow dragged away you from you and has to fight for himself? We need to prepare this brat for everything, especially how to fight in his titan form.'

They had all shut up, but he could tell it was only because of Eren's presence. They wouldn't be caught dead speaking speak out against their superior, especially in front of Eren. Levi had taken advantage of that little fact.

'We'll get back to this in a while-- Eren it's time for you to transform. Four eyes is here'

____________________________________

It went just like last time, Eren wasn't able to transform. He sat in front of Levi, looking just as despondent he had the last time. He didn't walk away from Eren like last time, instead having chosen to stick close to the brat. Some things still needed to happen, and Levi was just waiting for that inevitable explosion.

When Eren accidentally transformed this time, he immediately took out his blades and points them at his team, not at all surprised that they had already drawn their blades.

They would always be talented little brats, but they had a long way to go..

'Captain-'

'Put down your blades Petra.'

'Captain get away from Eren-Please-'

It had continued on, with the brats arguing in favour of heatedly questioning Eren and his motives, while he had ferociously stood by the him. It was a part of the plan really-he knew that Eren would be fine no matter what. He just hoped that, at least this time around, the brat would take his taking a stand for him like this into consideration before he decided to launch a mass genocide on his own.

'Shut up and obey.'

His team had faltered, and then slowly lowered their swords as he began to speak.

'Do you have any other titan shifters?'

They all looked confused. Only Olou managed to speak croak out a strangled no. Levi pointed at Eren, who was panicking alot less since Levi had begun to speak in his favour.

'You see this dumbass? He's our only shot. There's no replacement for him. All of you can be replaced, Erwin can be replaced, Hange can be replaced. Despite your silly admiration of me, I could easily drop dead and be replaced too.-'

His squad had looked scandalised at the thought of their beloved captain being anything remotely close to being replaceable. Then again, none of them had experienced Mikasa and her unnatural strength yet.

'We need him. He doesn't need us. Understand that none of you can afford to point your blades at him without my orders. The next time you do so, I will be your opponent.'

Eld and Gunther had looked nervous, Olou had visibly begun to sweat and Petra had looked at him a little strangely. However, they all seemed to understand the point he wanted to make. '

'Am I clear?

They all nodded

'Yes Sir!'

____________________________________

He had made sure to still have that chat with Eren, to make him understand his squads actions. He knew Eren trusted him a little more this time around-his showing support toward him like this had likely changed his opinion of him, if only a little. Levi was banking on that, hopefully he could push the kid in the right direction.

He had gone to his room after Hange had explained Eren's transformation and his squad had shown support towards Eren by biting their hands. A filthy act, but he supposed in this case he would allow it. Not that it stopped him from ordering them to go sanitise their hands and not come near him for a while.

He had even made his tea on his own, unwilling to let them touch them with their germ infected hands. Petra had looked at him oddly when he had told her he would do it on his own, almost like a kicked puppy.

He sat in bed, tea long finished and mind occupied.

He had been somewhat productive so far, managing to manipulate Erwin into changing the plan to capture the female titan. His squad was well in the loop, and likely making several plans to take on a titan shifter. Eren was beginning to look at him with more trust, something he hoped would blossom more.

There was still too much to figure out though. And since Levi had resolved to not let Erwin in on the plan, he was now drowning in things he needed to figure out. How Erwin managed to sort through so much crap was beyond him.

Some things, he had already figured out. Others were still being debated upon.

When it came to Historia, he would injure her tommorow, to the point she wouldn't be able make it to the expedition. She would likely try to jail him for it after taking the crown, but he figured he could call it vacation time from work and enjoy the silence. Those brats were too loud anyways.

He knew that Rod Reiss might come after her sooner after hearing that she had been injured, so he would have an old friend keep an eye out for her. It was an aquantince from the underground, one of the few he could trust, that had managed to crawl their way to the surface too. He was strong and capable-and very good at hiding when he needed to.

Only Levi had ever been able to find him- and since he knew Kenny Ackerman wouldn't be used yet, he felt it was the best way to keep her safe.

He had also decided that he would have to kill Kenny. He had contemplated recruiting the old bastard, but Kenny was too much of a gamble. The type only Erwin would take on trying to recruit. And while it would be feasible to drop hints about his mentor in the underground to the Commander, he wasn't sure the Survey Corps could handle a mission like that. Their attention needed to be on capturing shifters and getting Historia to the crown.

Maybe Erwin could risk something like that, but this time it would be his deicison. Kenny, despite his conflicting feelings towards him, had to be eliminated. He just couldn't chance their opposition having someone like that on their side, and wasn't confident enough that they could get him to jump ship.

The rest he was still a little muddled on. He was reasonably sure he could draw Ymir to their side, especially if he told her about how Historia would be queen soon. But the girl wasn't dumb, she would also be able to tell that Historia would have a part time job as child breeder, and might even try to leave with her then.

It pained him to do so, but he couldn't save Historia from that fate. He could, however try his damned hardest that her children wouldn't be turned into shifters.

The other shifters left him feeling conflicted. They needed the Colossal titan, he would be their mass weapon against other nations. The moment he could, he would get the serum and feed Bertolts titan to one of their soldiers. There would be no compromising on that, no matter how much he wished he could lure the kid to their side instead and spare him from that painful death. He just didn't know the kid enough to ensure he could win him over.

As for Reiner, Levi recalled the young man who had stepped up to stop Eren. He recognised that he was stuck in a tough place, but again, he would have to harden his heart. He had to keep his side as safe as possible, even if it meant taking away the armoured titan.

A part of him still hoped that he could get the kid to join him though, he would definitely try for it.

As for Zeke and Pieck, who had likely already arrived on the island, they would be dealt promptly. Zeke would need to be restrained and hidden away in a deep tunnel, while the cart titan would be given to someone else.

He would, unfortunately, have to allow Zeke to turn Ragako Village into titans. But he figured not everyone needed to be turned for it, he could at least get the children out of there. Connie's mother had been key in figuring out the truth about titans, and so he would have to sacrifice her. But Connie's siblings would at least live this time around.

More of his cormades would survive the attack too, having less titans to deal with. He was hoping that Mike and his squad would get out of it alive and not be dealt the same unfortunate fate they had suffered through before.

When it came to Annie, however, Levi already knew what to do. If all went well, he was more then sure that the Female Titan would be fighting for the Island soon enough.

His plans regarding the shifters were a big gamble on his part, since it was all relying on one thing specifically.

Getting the titan serum from the Royal government.

But Levi was a thief at heart, a man who knew how to get things no one wanted to give, to find them in the shadiest corner, completely undetected. Worst comes, he would easily infiltrate. Their security was crap anyways.

He would know. It wouldn't be the first time he had stolen something from those bastards anyways.

Levi laid down, covering himself with a blanket. He thought of one last thing before he allowed sleep to overcome him.

It was dumb of Marley to send six of their shifters to the Island, and all at the same time too. Because Levi had no intention of letting any of them go back home, not this time around.

____________________________________

In all his years of living, Levi had gotten used to being surprised. He had gone through surprise attacks, friends turning into foes, getting punched by the Queen and even time travelled. Yet had taken it all in a stride.

He had expected that half his plans would fail, that he would end up losing his squad anyways, that Annie would escape this time too. But here they were, sitting in the mess hall, post expedition, and very much alive.

Erwin had informed more squads about the traitor, although thankfully Reiner and his squad hadn't been told. Most of them had understood that they likely wouldn't be able to take on the threat, and their squad leaders had made sure to have them engage very litte. They had tactfully allowed the Female Titan to pass through the formation, thus leading her to Eren. More lives had been saved this time around, much to his pleasure.

They had gone through the same plan, trapping her in the forest. Erwin had stood by and watched as the female titan glared at him. Beside him had stood soldier with black hair, wearing a hoodie. Their face had been hidden, but everyone had called that soldier captain Levi. It had made Annie think she was safe, that when she called titans to her and left to go after squad Levi, Humanity's Strongest wouldn't come after her until she accomplished her mission.

It was only when she reached the squad and made to slice at Gunther that she realise that she had been duped. The sight of Humanity's Strongest blocking her blade with his own had caused her to sweat.

Things had gotten on easily then, she hadn't been much match for him. And his squad had taken double their usual measures, going as far as to throw explosives at her before he could carve her out of the nape. Eren had watched it all in awe, thankfully the brat hadn't needed to transform this time around.

His expression had quickly changed to shock and betrayal once he spotted his comrade sealed in a crystal. Levi wasn't suprised that she had sealed herself like that this time too, he had been counting on it actually.

Levi snapped out of his thoughts and pushed his now empty tray away. He decided it was the perfect time to put his plan into action.

He needed to pay Annie Leonhart a visit.

____________________________________

A/N: Heyooo. Here's chapter 3! Any guesses how Levi is getting Annie on their side?

Sorry I don't post much, but I swear things have been ridiculously busy. Uni life, housework, and my mom is sick too :(