#like the hitman storyline just ended

[humming-doodles]

oh yeah and i didn't wind up using it but as a bonus here's a slightly more finished version of the second panel's gag - sometimes simpler is funnier which was the case here but I still like rendered!ling's expression haha

as expected the fma mobile game event side story that inexplicably features og greed and ling as high schoolers is just as wildly batshit as you'd expect - all these shitposts are all taken nearly Verbatim from the translation shit really was just that funny i still laugh when i think about it

(also in case ya'lld like to see it for yourself i saved all the screenshots and google translations to a zip file here though fair warning they may or may not be in order good luck o7)

[theflyindutchwoman]

I think they’ve made Lucy look so stupid. It annoys me so much cause she was my favorite. Isabel, Noah, Nyla have allllll told Lucy UC work destroys your personal life yet Lucy is running around like she’s the exception. She’s not. It drives me nuts.

I'm not sure if you just needed to vent or if you wanted me to answer… But I respectfully disagree. I get not liking this storyline and how frustrating it can be or even how out of character it might seem. That's perfectly fine. But I personally enjoy watching this journey. While I do believe that in the long term, UC is probably not going to be a good fit for her and the life that she desires, I love watching Lucy finding herself and trying to figure out a way to have the career AND life that she wants.

Let's get back to why Lucy became a cop in the first place. I joined the Academy on a whim. I knew that my parents would hate it. But I had no idea how much I would love it. Being a cop is the first thing I've ever been serious about. (1.04) I guess I've been adrift since college, trying on different hats and different personalities, and nothing's felt right, until -- until this. But I don't think the time spent trying to find myself was wasted. You know, everything I've done so far, the profound and the foolish, has prepared me to become a police officer so that I can protect those who need it the most and from those who would do them harm. (3.10)

By her own admission, she spent years trying to find her place, to find a job where she could feel fulfilled… So now that she found it, is it that hard to believe that she would do everything in her power to follow through? I know that she is talking about being a cop in general here and not UC. But at the moment, UC is what she wants to do… and honestly, she owes it to herself to try. Maybe she won't like it. Maybe she'll decide that it is not for her after all. But this is something she has to try for herself and decide for herself. Not because others have previously failed or because others told her to do something else - which is what her parents have been trying to do from the beginning by the way. Hearing other people's stories are not the same as living that experience yourself. Sometimes you need to learn first hand. There's nothing wrong with that. She may be 30 years old, but she is still at the beginning of her career. She is still finding herself and exploring all avenues. As she should.

"Isabel, Noah, Nyla have allllll told Lucy UC work destroys your personal life" All true. And yet, she is actively supported by people whose very own lives were destroyed by undercover work. Nyla has been mentoring her from the beginning. The same Nyla who teaches classes on how to learn from past mistakes. Who told Lucy on their first shift together to be better than her. And what about Tim? He obviously believes that she is different (his words), that this could have a better ending. Otherwise he wouldn't have bothered taking that leap of faith. And more than Lucy herself, he knew exactly what he was getting himself into. Despite his past and own issues, he has been nothing but supportive and encouraging since she graduated. Did he underestimate the toll it would take on him? Probably. Is he hiding his own feelings on the matter? Most definitely. But the fact remains that he still chooses to believe that they can make it work. It's no coincidence that the two main characters who had their personal lives so negatively impacted by UC work, are also the ones actively encouraging Lucy. I strongly believe that you are not bound by other people's mistakes and failures. Learn from it but don't stop doing something because other people failed. And that's what Lucy is trying to do.

"Yet Lucy is running around like she’s the exception." Is she, though? So far, ever since s4, she hasn't been in any rush to do undercover work. The only times she was pushing for a UC op, was when she volunteered Tim as a hitman and as Jake. Which is hilarious when you think about it. Since we mentioned Noah, here's what he said on the topic : she could have done more missions. Now, granted, unlike him, she is still a P2 so that might hinder her. It's entirely possible that she didn't get more opportunities. But when she got one, like in 5.07, she was still being cautious at first. And in 5.21, she didn't hesitate to call off the operation at the end. Not only that, but every time she meets someone who has done UC, she jumps on the occasion to ask them for their advices, for their different perspectives. And every time, those advices ended up with a 'maybe it can be different for you'. She is actually trying to learn from others so she can avoid making the same errors. That's not the act of someone who thinks she is better than everyone. Or who thinks she knows better. If anything, she seems to be taking her time : this has been her arc since s3. Even when she got accepted to the UC Academy, she went to see Nyla for advices. Sure, she was looking for some sort of absolution, but it's still telling that she went to her first.

"She’s not." How do we know she won't be the exception? Why do we immediately assume that she can't succeed when the premise of the show is about a 40+ years old man who decided to become a cop and succeeded? Everyone was telling Nolan he was stupid and naive too. And yet, here we are. So why Lucy couldn't be the exception as well? To show that there may be a way? In the end, it's a story. The writers can choose the ending they want.

Do I believe she would love the full undercover lifestyle? No. Not for long missions. I can't see her enjoying leaving her life and the people she loves behind… leaving herself behind. Not for a year. And not without taking its toll on her. But that doesn't mean I find her stupid for wanting to try out anyway. That's just my opinion though. Also, a career in undercover ops doesn't automatically mean going under. She could be a case officer. She could train new agents. She could do short(ish) missions. All of this could be a really good alternative for her.

Side note : I didn't touch on the logistics of long term undercover work on the show (or her being outed on a documentary) because, at the end of the day, no matter how complicated it could be, if the writers want her to do UC, they'll find a way. I just wanted to focus on Lucy's journey.

[thesummerpetsalamander]

Don’t get me wrong, I’m living for Frenchie and Colin but I wish they’d explored a different aspect of Frenchies back story this season. like how he finally escaped from his dad (did he kill him in the end or run away?) or being homeless and having to become a prostitute to survive when he first came to the states.

I’m also convinced that Frenchies dad actually killed his mom but he’s blocked it out due to trauma. If they went down that route then that would have been an interesting way of linking his and Colin’s storyline.

THISSSSSSSS!!!!!!

when little nina mentioned his abusive father, and when he mentioned turning tricks’ in a flashback, i instantly wanted to know so much more about his backstory. those were two story arcs that were already set up for him to explore! but instead we get him and colin, which feels a bit rushed and kind of pointless anyway since we know nothing about colin. we know frenchie is going to lose colin, there’s no way this will work out. but we don’t care if he loses colin because colin has no emotional weight on the story. maybe if we got to see colin and frenchie’s relationship develop from the start we’d care more about them, but it was thrown at us just for it to be taken away immediately in an attempt to force the audience to pity frenchie. but we already know frenchie feels regret for his kills. i want to see how other aspects of his past shape him as a person.

we could still delve into frenchie’s guilt for being a hitman — but let’s explore what drove him to become a hitman. like you said, anon, did he have to kill his dad to finally be free? did this + turning tricks in america make him feel like the only thing he was good for was his body — his physical form, only made to please or hurt others, only made to follow commands. we see how he yearns for true individual freedom, but he struggles so much to actually free himself from those who hold the end of his chain. why is that? why does he not let himself to decide his own fate when that is all he wants? does he not trust himself — after a life of listening to others, does he not feel he can think for himself? does he think that if he tries to make his own decisions he’ll fuck up, so he only lets himself do what others tell him? or does he think he doesn’t deserve it — after killing so many people, does he think he deserves to be kept on a short chain for his sins?

frenchie is SUCH an interesting character, and they could be doing so much more with him. i’ve loved how they’ve explored his character over the past three and a half seasons, but i wish they would keep going further. clearly he has issues with his perception of his own autonomy. how did an abusive, controlling father affect this? anon, if your theory about his father killing his mother is true (it makes sense to me), how would that knowledge affect frenchie? how did turning tricks to survive in america impact his own self image and worth. how does selling his body for survival — first as a prostitute, then as a weapon — affect his perception of autonomy and identity? who does frenchie think frenchie is? these are all the paths i want to be explored with his character. if the writers wont do it, give me the pen.

all my kudos to the writers and the actor for creating such a great character. to leave the audience wondering more about your character like this is a compliment — it means we’re invested and we want to see more!!

also anon, feel free to message me to talk more about the show!! having the boys brainrot rn and id love to discuss it. or you can keep sending anons!

[yakool-foolio]

There are often moments where I'll be contently rambling about Yakou/his wife/Yomi/Hitman Zilch's interwoven storyline with their mirrored and deflected dynamics and be ever so happy with life, but then mAKOTO WEDGES HIMSELF RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF EVERYTHING! Dude crashes into my perfect little set-up like a Bazelgeuse and I have to shoo him away with a spray bottle before he steals my socks and burns my crops.

I've definitely talked about this a lot on Discord, but I feel like this small section in chapter 5 needs to be known far and wide. During Yuma's escapades in the factory, he can optionally run into an undead Fink. In this interaction, Fink reveals that Makoto instigated Yakou into using the hitman for his revenge plan.

(Apologies for the low quality of the images, I used footage from my friend's recording of our group's playthrough since other playthroughs without facecams completely miss this interaction.)

So not only was Yakou used by Yomi to kill Huesca, Yakou was also used by Makoto to settle his scores and kick Yomi's legs out from under him at the cost of Yakou's life. Yakou is nothing but a pawn to these two, used for their selfish desires under the guise of 'avenging Yakou's wife.' A wife that technically isn't even his, when considering he's a copy of his original and his original is dead with his wife already (which Makoto definitely knew about, so that's just more salt to the wound). And, of course, Yuma is rightfully furious.

One of Yuma's main motivators in that moment is to kick Makoto's ass for getting Yakou killed. And yet, this entire interaction is OPTIONAL! If I remember correctly, this is hardly ever brought up again in the final labyrinth! Yuma figures out that all the detectives were brought here to dropkick Yomi outta his position, but he doesn't even mention that Yakou ended up being the unjust sacrifice for Makoto's scheme! Why is one of Yuma's greatest motivators something that can be completely missed and is hardly touched on in Yuma's confrontation?! It seriously boggles my mind.

[chateau7afra]

Folklore in Fargo

Spoilers ahead, Sailor.

One of the things I loved about Fargo this season so far, is the incorporation of Folklore, suberstition and God. We meet Ole Munch (Sam Spurrell) in the first episode. He seems to be a regular hitman of sorts at first, who is set to kidnap the main character Dorothy (Juno Temple) He comes across a bit excentric and the way he talks and dresses seem very anachronistic. We also quickly learn, that Dot is not the regular homemaker and loving mum, she seems to be. Munch and his handyman set out to kidnap Dot, but fail miserably, because Dot is setting up traps and generally fights back, like a tiger. Munch's handyman gets killed in the process. We also get to know Roy Tillman (John Hamm) who was the one who sent Munch on his mission. We're not sure yet why the right wing cowboy goes through so much trouble just to kidnap the young mother. Because Munch failed the task, Roy is refusing to pay him, which sets off a rather bleak storyline in which Roy and his son Gator (Joe Keery, my love) try to put an end to Munch and vice versa. The most intriguing thing about Ole Munch is the ritual he performs at the Tillman Farm. He kills a goat, covers himself in it's blood and leaves a message for Roy over his Daughter's beds. The whole shebang is very occult and seems heathen. And then there is also the flashback to Wales in 1522. See now, this is where it gets really weird. And where I had to start googling some stuff.

In the flashback scene, we see a character, dressed in what seems to be clothes of the lower class, entering a house full of upper class people who are in mourning, dressed in black and weaping. We have a funeral on our hands here. The poor person looks like Ole Munch. Is it him? Is it an ancestor of his? We dont know! On the belly of the deseaced man, which is laid out in the house, a plate with food is situated. When Munch enters the house, there is a tense energy in the room. Munch walks up to the dead body and consumes the food offered on the plate in an almos animalistic fashion. The people in the room gasp, some of them disgusted, some of them afraid. Or both. Before Munch leaves, he gets two silver coins. Which must have been a lot of money back in the day, I did not research that. But we clearly witnessed some sort of ritual happening. It turns out, sin eating was a practice rich people took part of in Wales, Ireland and England in the 1600s. A willing poor person was invited to literally eat the sins of the deseaced person, so they could be welcomed at the pearly gates, with a clean record. All the sins are transferred, to the person who ate the food. A grewsome fate for people at the time, but hey, a mans gotta eat. The world is bleak, so I don't go with the rational reason in fiction, ever. I like to think that Ole Munch ate so many sins, that he became a spirit, that can not die, who is forced to wander around the earth forever, and for some reason chose america. His very beautifully written monologues would suggest that. They almost sound shakespearian.

But how does this play into the bigger theme of Fargo S5? Well, if you think about it, the whole season is about unpaid depts and consequences. Dot ran away from Roy and the farm, because of the ongoing domestic violence Roy inflicts on her. In Roy's book, she owes him, because she made a pledge to him, when they got married. Even though it's very clear, that Dot wasn't so much older than his own son Gator, when the vows were exchanged. Ole Munch sees a debt not paid, because he didn't receive paymant for "eating the sin" of kidnapping Dot. Dot's mother in law, who is a very rich lady played by the brilliant Jennifer Jason Leigh points out "What is the point of being a billionaire, if you can't get someone killed.", while on the phone with an ex-president, apparently Bill Clinton, if I remember right. The show tries to say, we never got over the sin eating, because with money and power, you can pay your way out of any circumstance, be it kidnapping or murder. There is always going to be someone who needs the money more than their soul. And there is always going to be someone who takes advantage of that.

Roy Tillman, quotes the bible a lot. He thinks of himself as a right and just man, as a leader, even though he likes to bend the law to fit his own agenda. He does not give a flying fuck about the law of the land as it is "dictated by washington" and funds a right wing militia with taxpayer money, to actually kill democracy from within. He is the law of the land. These scenes sent shivers down my spine and reminded me vividly of January 8th.

Anyway. All of the storylines in this show are so amazing and worth writing about. Go watch it, you won't regret a second.

[colorfullcast]

Reborn! Next-> Class Start!

"Yes!" Felicia loudly proclaimed as she stood up from her seat, the only one to do so, and with a bright smile said. "I'm Felicia Luciana! I am 14 years old and my dream is to become the next Neo Vongola Primo!" There was a momentary pause, before one guy a row over started to laugh. Almost the entire class joined in. "Next Neo Vongola Primo? You can't be the NEXT Primo! That's not how mafia families work!" "Does she even know anything about the mafia?" "She's not gonna stay for long." Felicia scrunched her face a bit in annoyance before she straightened her back again with newly aquired determination. "Then I will be the next boss of my own famiglia!"

---

Reborn! Next-> Class Start! is an OPEN ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE Project, meant to be a communal and cooperative story.

What is an Open Au?

What I mean by Open AU means that while the setting, several storybeats and some corner rules exist, anyone who has interest in the project is open to make their own Characters and storylines for it. These things do not need to be asked permission for, and you do not even need to know me for this.

What is the general setting?

The story plays in italy, roughly 12 years after the Manga of Katekyou Hitman Reborn! has ended. It is an AU sequel to Reborn! Next-> one of my own stories, though very losely.

Tsuna decided, that he wanted to only accept the position of Primo of the Neo Vongola, if he was allowed to keep residing in japan. For this to be feasable he goes through a lengthy and complicated process of transfer (this is roughly what Reborn! Next-> is about). After about 2 years, many battles and difficulties he finishes this job, having turned the Vongola into a lose conglomerate of overseen territories, that massively loosened their grip and influence on the italian political landscape. This gave birth to many enemies of the mafia establishing an "Anti Mafia" police that tries to crack down on the remaining landscape of the underground.

Tsuna helped in establishing a new mafia school, which is the primary setting of the AU. It is a school that has additional classes for aspiring mafiosi, be they here because of their families relations or purely out of their own volition. Next to math, physics and italian the children learn about flame control and science, combat and mafia politics. Many form their own little families, some keep solo and some have had a famiglia already given to them by their heritage.

While the students try to juggle all their classes and responsibilities, the Anti Mafia front tries to crack down on the school and the underground in general, causing quite some difficulties for the students.

What are the rules?

Be respectful. Everyone is open to participate, but like on any playground you should not be pushy about someone playing with you.

You can make as many characters or headcanons or scenarios as you want. If your partner is okay with it you can also ship your Ocs together

There are a few corner things to keep in mind regarding the setting, but these will be posted on this blog with a corresponding tag

If possible tag your stuff so we can all find them :3

This AU is a sequel to Next->, but honestly it would be interesting to hear about it set in other projects universes

How can I participate?

Just create! Create, ask for any clarification on @colorfullcast if you have any issues and tag your things with 'Reborn Next Class Start' for easy finding. Also have fun :3

Majour storybeats

The "main story" follows Felicia Luciana, a 14 year old Sky Flame that comes freshly into the school into grade 9, ready to establish her own family. The school by then has existed for about 3 years. Important school events are the Physical Combat Evaluation Tournament in February that lasts for about a week, where everyones combat prowess is evaluated in a big schoolwide tournament. At the end of the year in July, after the final years exams the school hosts a school celebration that goes over one weekend, so 2 days. The school goes from grade 9 to grade 13. Around when Felicia is in grade 11 do the tension with the Anti Mafia front become more prevelent.

Everything else is free for exploration

Important figures

Felicia Luciana

The main character and Boss of her own mafia family. She ran into Tsuna 5 years ago and he saved her from some bullies, giving her some encouraging words, which led to her idolizing him and deciding to follow the mafia route. In tandem with this she also uses gloves, and boots for combat

Bianca [Picrew]

The Student Representative and in grade 11, a Sky Flame User, that is the top student at the school, but, unlike other Skies, keeps completely to herself. There is a lot of mystery surrounding her, but she has friends, she is not a complete loner, just doesn't have a family.

Theodore [Picrew]

Vice Student Representative and like Bianca a top student and also a Sky. He however does have a famiglia and a mysterious mentor, suggesting that he has some legacy or heritage, that he never speaks of. He is cunning and a schemer, but very friendly once you get to know him. Also in grade 11.

Felix [Picrew]

One of Felicias later guardians, wielding a rain flame and in the future becoming a formidable sharpshooter. He got into the school by accident, not knowing it is a mafia school, but eventually stays because of Felicia.

Giulia [Picrew]

Felicias later storm guardian, or at least a member wielding a storm flame. Very girly and easy going. She wields a sword, but she doesn't seem to be very passionate about anything with a very "sure, why not? sounds fun!" type of attitude.

[kolbietheaggrievedwriter]

misc excerpts 7/?

Category: Katekyo Hitman Reborn/Naruto

Title: praying to whatever is in heaven, please send me a felon

Summary: Kaito had no intention of interfering with the main characters, even if he seems to have landed in this world a year or two after the canon storyline ended. So of course he hops into bed with an Arcobaleno (unknowingly!) and gains his interest, which leads him into many an uncomfortable talk with the other Arcobaleno, into Vongola’s crosshairs, and into a cross-country courtship with Skull fucking de Mort.

Notes: Title is from "Female Robbery" by The Neighbourhood.

This is an extremely self-indulgent SI/OC/Skull fanfic (that takes place after the canon storyline, so Skull and the rest of the Arcobaleno are in their adult forms.) Like y'all, I gave my SI/OC Hiraishin!! Just because I could!!!! I am absolutely never continuing this, at least not as is, because Kaito is way too OP, but I might eventually cannibalize parts of it for a fic that won't make me cringe myself out of existence. Anyway, AO3 is down, so here's something to entertain yourself for a little bit.

-o-

It starts with a dark and dingy bar, full of criminals and low lifes and the dirty underbelly of society. It’s the kind of place where brawls are nonexistent, and no one cares what your name is. It’s perfect for Kaito, coming off a botched job, one where the client lied about his motivations for the hit, and Kaito ended up fighting off a small army trying to escape after he offed the guy.

He’s pissed and disgruntled, and he nurses a single glass of whiskey in a dingy corner for a while as he works out a way to make future clients wary of double-crossing him. Just killing the fuckers apparently isn’t enough of a message, so maybe he has to be more brutal. Torture? Or some public display?

He hasn't quite decided yet when someone new enters the bar, instantly catching his attention. The guy's got brown hair and vibrant green eyes, and he looks really good in that weathered leather jacket and tight jeans. God, but he's got piercings. And those boots. Why does he have a chain hanging off pf his pants? That's so goddamn stupid and weirdly hot, and he might be the prettiest man Kaito's ever seen.

It takes all of ten seconds for Kaito to decide he's going to go for it. It wouldn't be the first time he's hit on a stranger in a bar, and it certainly won't be the last. Because he's not a complete moron, he does wait and watch for another ten minutes, looking for signs the guy is waiting on someone or for said someone to show up.

But no one shows. At the ten minute mark, Kaito goes right on over there, making sure to make some noise, even though he doubts the guy is a civilian. This bar serves a certain clientele, after all, and besides, he's met enough dangerous individuals in his line of work to recognize one, even if he can't quite tell how dangerous. As the literally only being in this dimension to possess chakra, he can hardly use that as a measure of strength, even though it would be so convenient.

Few things in this world are, for a displaced faux ninja.

He slips onto the seat next to the guy, ready with a flirtatious smile when he turns to look. "Hi, I'm Kaito, and you're really pretty. Want to get to know me?"

It's a stupid, cheesy line, but Kaito's normal prospects usually find it just this side of endearing. It's all about the delivery.

Pretty Guy startles, just a little, then he smiles back, stupidly charming and visibly flattered. "Hearing that from someone as pretty as you-" he laughs, and it's so cute, what the fuck- "I'm Yulian, and I'd love to."

This, right here, is definitely, undoubtedly, wholeheartedly, and unquestionably the moment Kaito really fucked up.

But it's not where it really started.

-o-

It starts with a dreamlike video game or perhaps a video game-like dream. Nevertheless, there is a character creation screen and a character carefully created after hours and hours (maybe an hour and a half) of deliberating and contemplating and self-indulging.

The character is a ninja in a world full of them. Short, black hair that curls over his ears. Ruby red eyes with visible rings in them. Fair skin, high cheekbones, dimples. Tall, lean, muscular, nimble.

Yuuhi Kaito, age 22, stands before him, mouth pulled into an easy smile, a hint of mischief in his eyes, a deceptive ease to his stance. He’s perfect.

After that, skill slots are quickly filled up. Gear is equipped. An elemental affinity is chosen. He hovers between two Special Skills for a while, but eventually, he goes with his heart. Also, the coolest choice with the most potential for badassery.

The generated backstory is skimmed over. Kaito is the older brother to Yuhi Kurenai, and in canon, he died during the Third War. In this world, he survives, becomes a tokubetsu jounin, joins ANBU, gets handpicked to join the Yondaime’s guard, and like the others, he is taught the Hiraishin Jutsu. Unlike them, however, he figures out how to use it on his own. As one can imagine, this changes things.

Eager to get into this strange, new world and discover those changes, he doesn’t hesitate to save and then select Game Start. 

He probably should have hesitated.

-o-

He's so fucking stupid. 

He almost can't believe he'd do something so idiotic, but he did, so clearly, there's some string of DNA inside of him dedicated to dumbassery and other stupid stunts, some gene that forces him to make the worst decision possible in any given situation, even when he's not aware it's possible.

How the fuck was he supposed to know Pretty Bar Guy was a canon character?? How on earth was he supposed to know that Yulian was actually Skull de fucking Mort??? How was he to know this random dude he picked up at a bar was a fucking disguised Arcobaleno???

And!!! Worse!!!! How was he to know that this dude would fall in love with him after a random fling??

[cobiehaven]

Hunted — Hwang Hyunjin

SYNOPSIS; you don’t know what you did to get on someone’s bad side so much to have them hire someone to kill you but with your record, you weren’t about to let some tall man, dressed in all black, overpower you.

PAIRING; hitman!hyunjin x boxer!reader, ft. boxer!changbin.

GENRE; drama, angst, slightly funny.

WORD COUNT; 3.2k

TAGS/WARNINGS; hitman au, assassin au, boxer au, slightly violent scene, strong language, lowkey not really a suggestive scene, hyunjin lowkey is crushing on reader, frequent death storyline mentioned, no established ending.

AUTHORS NOTE; i know a hitman and assassin are two different things but we can pretend that it’s the same in this context 🫶.

you don’t know what you did to get on someone’s bad side like this but you sure as hell thought you didn’t deserve to be targeted like this.

three weeks ago, your life started going down hill when your family went off on a business trip to the states. you stayed behind because you had a lot of financial businesses to catch up with and you wouldn’t be able to make up for those outside of your hometown. fully expecting your parents to return back home safely, you were greeted with the police knocking on your door in the middle of the night to let you know that your parents had been deemed missing and presumed dead after two weeks. although you weren’t there for your parents disappearance, you just knew your parents wouldn’t kill themselves and leave everything up to you. you were an only child and your parents were always happy and loyal people, they would never think of doing something like that or leave you with nothing but grocery money!

especially without leaving a note!

besides, it was a common thought for old people to assume that suicide was a selfish way to go. your parents definitely fell under that category.

in your head, it didn’t make any logical sense as to why your own flesh and blood would take their lives without leaving behind a note.

you sighed as you knew that you wouldn’t get your answers just by moping around and hoping something was going to start piecing together. you needed more evidence. and that’s was what you were going to get!… just as soon as you got the money to afford a plane ticket to the states. for now, you were just digging around in all of your parents records or what they had that could lead to people who might have disliked or known of someone who disliked your parents enough to drive themselves to murder.

so far, all of the people and places you have visited hasn’t been in your best of luck.

you sighed and closed up the big cardboard box on the floor, lifting it into your arms and shoving it back on the top shelf of your parents closet. as you wiped the sweat from your forehead, your attention was brought to the buzzing noise coming from the bedside table. you smiled when you saw your best friends name pop up on the screen, wasting no time to answer it. “hey binnie,” you nicknamed him. “what’s up?” you could hear slight rustling on the other side of the phone, you left him on speaker as you finished up gathering the mess you had made while researching. “just wanted to check in on you,” he said as you playfully rolled your eyes.

“bin, you know you don’t need to be my therapist and check up on me everyday every two hours, right?”

“i know but if i lost my parents i’d be pretty-“

“it’s fine. i’m not sad, i’m just…”

“depressed? anxious? mourning? slowly but surely going insane?”

“….”

“….”

“are you done?”

“most definitely.”

the both of you shared a small laugh together before you could hear your phone going off again, the familiar facetime ringing boosting a good kind of happiness in you. you reached for your phone, accepting the facetime and nearly jumping when changbin screamed at you through the phone. “what?!” you clutched your hands to your chest. “why do you look so exhausted?!” you blinked at him, he blinked back, you rolled your eyes, he pursed his lips. “i told you, i’ve been looking for stuff all night.” you did indeed tell him this when he called you at like 4 in the morning asking for yet another daily checkup. “i don’t know how you forgot, you literally called me again 10 minutes after i told you i was fine this morning,” you shrugged and dropped the papers back into the other box you had laid out. “i was bored that time! there’s a difference!” you just hummed in response.

“so we’re you only calling me to check up on me or did you call for something else?”

“i actually did call for something else.”

“i’m listening.”

“when are you moving out of the house?”

ah, this question. it was one that you were highly and desperately trying to avoid answering and conflicting with. the landlord has been after your ass the whole week since it was just the start of a new month. she couldn’t give you any more chances if you were going to drag out the payments like this. but the thing was… you had no other choice when you needed the money to spend on food.

“that is a great question,” you answered shortly after, trying to make it seem like you weren’t stressed out by it.

“hey! if you come by the gym, i think the coach was talking about setting up a bed for you upstairs since you won’t be having a place to stay soon.”

“binnie, you know i don’t take offers like that. tell him i said i’ll be fine and wouldn’t want to dirty his spare place just because i have a lot going on.”

“you know he won’t give up on asking.”

you sighed, just wanting this whole mess to come to a close. although, it was only you who was dragging this out. you didn’t tell anyone about your self-induced investigation except for changbin but somehow it seemed like a good people knew by now. you should have known that telling him would cause problems when you considered how loud he was.

“he’s only going to keep asking you if you keep skipping practice.”

“he’s going to keep asking me even if i come to practice.”

“i think you should just take the offer. i mean, what else do you plan to do? respectfully, i know you don’t have the money to afford a place.”

“i can afford a place!”

“i mean a safe place.”

you didn’t say anything as you both knew that if you didn’t take the coaches offer, then you would either be sleeping on the streets or be sleeping in a run down building with wanted criminals as your next door neighbors.

besides, changbin was fully aware of this strange feeling you’ve been getting whenever you were alone.

the feeling of someone watching you constantly.

it was best to play your cards safe for the time being.

“fine, i’ll talk to him about it tomorrow,” you sighed, glancing over to the outdated calendar of two years. you weren’t surprised that your parents still used it as they couldn’t afford wasting money on another nice looking calendar. every penny was worth saving for living and food.

you still had until the end of the week before you had to give the house up. which happened to be coming up much faster than you wanted it to.

you just hoped that everything would work out with no complications.

he didn’t say no. in fact, he offered to let you live there until you had all of your debts payed off and got to living comfortably in your own home. only… it was the coach that you had hoped not to ask and with no days left to plan accordingly, you were forced to ask the second in lead. according to changbin, the vise-coach was the brother of the head-coach. you didn’t believe it though, the two of them were nothing alike much less looked alike. maybe they were only half related? or maybe step siblings? either way, one of them definitely showed up to practices more than the other.

changbin kept making awkward jokes that the vise-coach had some kind of crush on you to let you stay for as long as you want but you played it off as there was no way that could be when you don’t even show up to practice half of the time.

“hwang hyunjin…” you read from the hung up posters on the walls dating from all the former coaches up till now. it was a picture of a man with long blonde hair and thick pink lips, his eyes were sharp and his build was long. you read that he was the vise-coach of this place, currently. although you weren’t sure how much that would last as the main coach often favored other people every 3 weeks. “well, at least now i actually know his full name.” you had failed to notice the fairly small posters of their faces on the back walls until now. the gym always had low lights so it was often hard to make out certain things when it came to just having a glance around. “y/n?” you heard a familiar voice call out to you. you whipped your head around, your eyes locking with the one that you weren’t sure if you were happy or scared to see. “coach!” you were startled when you took extra notice to his bare chest and shoulders flashing you, the white cloth draped over his damp bronze and another wrapped around his waist loosely, the small droppings of water falling from his edges to the floor below you both. although you saw half naked men all the time for being the only girl in this gym, it still was something you could never get used to when it was anything but shorts or sweats. at least it was the right coach this time… quickly, you cleared your throat.

“thank you for letting me stay,” you whispered, suddenly feeling shy for being such an intruder. “huh? what do you mean?”

there was a very long and rippling silence.

you shifted left and right to each foot. “oh, coach hwang didn’t tell you..?” you had no idea why the second in lead wouldn’t immediately bring up such a big issue to the head but for now you were just going to blame it on your sudden change of heart to stay. “tell me that you were staying?” you nodded. “at first i was going to offer to clean the entire gym but i felt that wouldn’t be enough payment for letting me stay in the overnight room,” you shifted awkwardly again when you saw him glance down at the loads of bags and boxes laying at your feet.

“oh, well, if you don’t have anywhere else to stay then i don’t mind you staying here but were you planning to make this a permanent stay?”

“until i grab the money to grab my own place, yes.”

“okay but y/n… just know that i already gave you a free pass to practice here without any cost.”

“yes sir, i am aware.”

“that was my gift to your parents, now this is my gift to you. i better not get any complaints from anyone.”

you nodded and bowed, waiting until he disappeared around the corner to go change into his clothes before lifting your head up again.

if it weren’t for your parents unexpected death, you probably would be one of the best fighters in the ring.

you wished things turned out that way instead of how they did. your life would be so much happier knowing that they’d be alive and well.

after a couple of nightly hours, you finally finished unpacking your things just to get settled for the night. the extra room was in the very back of the gym so you didn’t have to worry about being disturbed in the early mornings. besides, the gym often didn’t open until late afternoon so you got to sleep in as much as you wanted. that would be assuming your 10 jobs didn’t mind, anyways. you highly doubted they wouldn’t mind.

as you flared up your favorite comforter onto the bed, you were suddenly interrupted when your stomach growled loudly.

you glanced at the newly set up clock, “oh.. i forgot to eat dinner again.” you made your way over to your bag to flip out your wallet, frowning when you only had enough to buy maybe a couple of things at the convenience store. the rest would sadly have to be saved on covering debts. “ugh, whatever. you can never go wrong with food,” you sighed off and got yourself ready to go out in just sweats and a large t-shirt.

the walk wasn’t long, thankfully there was an alleyway that led to a shorter route to the store. you had never once found that alleyway unsettling as you had walked down it multiple times during the night and day but that all changed on your way back after picking up your dinner for the night. taking quiet footsteps down the dark aisle, you were startled when you heard rustling plastic coming from the dumpster, your head never darted around so fast. “hello..?” you looked around, hearing the rustling again. you prepared yourself for whatever person could be hiding from you. but you soon cringed at yourself when you saw a familiar ball of white fur lurk out from behind the trash, your nerves subsiding into a warming awe. “hi cutie,” you crouched down, your fingers spreading out to pet the stray cat that typically came to visit you at your place every night. “what are you doing all the way out here so far from home?” you asked as if the cat could speak back to you. “did you follow me?” you giggled, running your fingers through her soft fur before reaching into your bag and pulling out a small can of tuna that you were going to have with your rice for dinner. “i know its not what you usually have but i promise ill get you your favorite next time,” you popped the can open and laid it on the ground, a smile spreading across your face when she started to take chunks of it.

you had been feeding this cat for a while. you could say that the two of you had been together for a long while although you never thought of a good name to give her despite being with her since she was born. right now, she was still technically a kitten. you were surprised she had survived this long with her glistening white fur. you were always paranoid she would be handled to the predators.

reaching your hands out, you continued to pet her as she ate, not brushing too hard as you didn’t want to disturb her. yet you couldn’t stake the sudden feeling in your gut that someone was watching you, again.

it didn’t take you long to say your goodbyes to your kitten before making your way back to the gym, definitely keeping an eye on your surroundings.

you don’t know why but for some reason whoever this person was that was spying on you, they hadn’t made their first move yet. it has been 3 days that you’ve been getting this feeling. and it was really starting to piss you off.

thankfully, when they did, you were ready for it.

when you turned the corner to leave the alley, you quickly rerouted and gave your best hit to the man following closely behind you.

making sure that you had stayed close to the wall so he wouldn’t see your upcoming attack when turning the corner after you.

he stumbled with a loud groan, his hands shooting to his masked face in pain. you were lucky to have studied how to throw hands for so long otherwise this would have been a tough fight. bringing the stranger down with ease, you quickly disarmed him and tore the mask off. you were surprised to see the face behind the darkened clothes. “coach hwang…?” you were completely flabbergasted. “yeah…” you took a step back from his bruised form. “but i don’t understand… were you the one spying on me?” you breathed out, your hands suddenly glossing with sweat. “can we not talk about this here?” he muttered, staying put on the ground as a way to show that he wasn’t going to take off.

you squinted your eyes at him, his adam’s apple bobbing.

“fine but i swear if you try anything.”

he put his hands up in defeat.

“i don’t get it, why didn’t you fight back?” you questioned him, taking the extra precautions to tie him up to one of the corner pads. “and why were you even watching me? if you were going to kill me then why not do so days ago? also why did you allow me to stay here when you already knew of my locations? i don’t understand!” you pressured. “explain.”

hyunjin sweat nervously, if it weren’t for the binding against his wrists, he probably would have been curling himself into a protective ball. maybe even running at this point.

undoubtedly, he was scared of you. but not just because you punched him a couple of times.

“i didn’t want to kill you,” he said. “why?” you questioned back.

“i didn’t think you were worth killing.”

“then why go after me in the first place?”

“i was hired to do so.”

“by who? for what reason? why didn’t you think i was worth killing?”

“your such a kind person. strong, determined, loyal, loving. why does someone like you have to die?”

“you’re a personal killer, aren’t you? why do you care about things like that?” you narrowed your eyes at him, he looked down in shame.

“i do with just you.”

“that’s not an answer.”

“sure it is.”

you weren’t buying it. you refused to believe he didn’t just shoot you when he had the chance just because changbin was right and he actually did have a crush on you.

he didn’t say anything for a while, he didn’t even move much until he realized that you were still waiting for an answer out of him. “the person who hired me to kill you is not a good person. it’s hard for me to kill people i know even though this is the secret life that i have. i don’t do it often but when i do, i get serious. only, it’s hard to do it to people i know who don’t deserve such harm,” he said in a loud enough tone for you to hear clearly. “then why don’t you just reject the offer?” you asked.

“that’s what i’ve been trying to do with your case but like i said, the person who is hiring me is not a good person.”

“can’t i help you then?”

“what could you possibly help me with? you don’t have the money or have any idea who it is that is trying to target you.”

“i have you.”

it was silent for a few moments, his head slowly lifting up to glance into your shrugged expression.

“if it gets me to stop being hunted by some random person and could possibly lead to some clues on my parents, then i’ll do anything it takes to find this person and get my answers.”

this was the kind of determination that hyunjin loved to see in you, ever since day one.

“now,” you walked towards him, your hand coming within centimeters from brushing him up against the pads. “tell me where i can find this person or i’ll make sure you get a good beating tonight.”

© cobiehaven 2023

[michelleelizabethtanner]

Random GG question for you!! If season 3 hadn’t been cut short, what do you think the ending would have been? I know they basically just continued with the storyline in S4, but I still can’t help but feel cheated of those 5 eps!

Feels like they could have wrapped up hitman, maybe SS, then maybe Rio gets arrested at end of S3? But would they have done the whole Rio get arrested fakeout for a finale when they already did it S1??

UGH just feels like if they were able to wrap up more of those storylines in S3, we could have had more interesting Beth/Rio/nick content across S4. BUT probably wishful thinking lol

Anyways, would love to hear your thoughts!

Anon! Hi! Idk what the standard turnaround is on asks here to be considered peak etiquette. I’m on vacation from work this week so naturally I’ve been ridiculously busy. 😂😂 But I’ve been thinking about this question.

I do think s3 had some whiplash moments. Like this one. Where it didn’t make much sense for why exactly Rio was behaving the way he was. But I do think that the general gist of 4.04 would have been how s3 wrapped. It had the shooting of someone (Fitz), which is how every season appears to have been planned to wrap up. And there seems to be a pretty clear delineation between Rio’s emotions pre and post Fitz execution that I think fit a little better into a natural progression leading to forgiveness.

I’ll be honest, it does hurt my brain sometimes to try and think of why the story did what it did. I don’t hate the hitman plot. I think it’s a really good way to illustrate Beth’s inner conflict. It does ask the viewer to constantly read between the lines, and the moments of emotional honesty (even when she’s being dishonest) are lost in the peripheral nonsense. That’s actually the problem with this show, now that I’m rambling about it. The peripheral nonsense. The general trajectory of how Beth grows into herself, how Rio comes to terms with his weakness, how Brio decide to slowly choose each other… That’s all fine. It could have used a little more blatant telling. A little more consistency. But ultimately… okay. But the peripheral nonsense, the time waste, the hours focused on things no one cared about and that which ultimately didn’t progress the story – all that is what bogged it down and made it feel so unsatisfying. S4, after 4.08, is basically useless filler. Too slow and too uninteresting in how it moved the primary story.

And listen, I also wanna add that it isn’t just the Brio investment that makes me say this. I’m all for quality meaningful character development for everyone. But how exactly does trash boyfriend progress Annie? If anything, he illustrates how stagnant she is in her awful life choices. How does bike gang progress Dean? Again, it just highlights the same ol’ character flaws he had from the start. I did very much enjoy the way Stan became much more honest in his resentment of Beth. I always viewed him as not loving the Bolands, and especially not Beth. So his and Ruby’s arc, to me, was pretty well paced and one of the few interesting peripheral storylines in the show. But overall, so much of the magic of seasons 1 and 2 got lost in the subsequent seasons because the peripheral writing became too rambly and lacking direction. Kinda like this post hahahaha!!

What would you have liked to have seen as a season 3 finale?

[ireallyamabear]

so i've been slowly watching Elementary season 6 and as I said I remembered the cases as being unbelievably stupid so here's my notes on the first 6 episodes.... spoilers for that seasons. also spoilers: I might have been too harsh on the season, but when it gets bad it gets BAD:

episode 1: An Infinite Capacity for Taking Pains

the case with the sex tapes is just utterly forgettable, but not offensive as a set up. tbh i already forgot if the murderer was the husband or the brother in the end… did they cast two people that look alike on purpose? Watson is so sweet in this episode, though. As far as I remember the whole traumatic brain injury thing gets resolved pretty easily and I think I was annoyed with that? I’ll have to track that. AND the set up with the serial killer! I totally forgot. Excited for that storyline!

episode 2: Once you’ve ruled out god

this episode is so convoluted they really put everything in it. physicists. lightening laser guns. smuggled plutonium from japan. it gets stolen. watson is the first to register radiation with an APP SHE DOWNLOADED ON HER PHONE. sure. sherlock recognises the gravel stuck on the van as the one used in one specific county in new york state??? i mean i guess he’s always had this kind of knowledge but this is the only clue that puts them on the trail of the robber and it’s just really lazy writing. he has a traumatic brain injury, but he’s still the gravel king. cool. THEN it turns out the robber is a white supremacist and wants to build a dirty bomb. kind of much more believable in 2023 than in 2018, i give them that. a nazi prison gang called PAIN. but they’re not racist they just love money. sherlock deduces that one guy can’t be a terrorist because of how he plays his tabletop campaigns. this is so fucking stupid.

oh wait its a heist?? the diamond thiefs plan was to steal plutonium make it seem like they’re going to explode a wmd just so they can cover their tracks? this is soooo fucking stupid. would have been better if the episode really was about a racist dutch gang. and THEN they have to have a 4 minute scene to explain the plot of the episode to that agent who has a dutch girlfriend (whahahahaaht) (and accuse him, because theres another twist of course) because they needed to explain the plot of the episode bc its so stupid.

i’m in tears this is the WORST episode of Elementary ever, even worse than that stupid case with the magnet in the elevator.

episode 3: Pushing Buttons

the death of the revolutionary war reenactor. actually a good case, not a nail biter but okay. kind of ridiculous that they just believed the daughter couldn’t have contacted some hitman because her commune doesn’t allow cellphones.

the scene where sherlock is in michaels office and he has his murder victims social media page open on the laptop is so good and really pushes the serial killer plot forward.

bargain bin jeff gold blum is a delight. all in all solid; but it does kind of use the same gimmick of old document is destroyed for property rights as the early episode where the old map that shows the border to the reservation … and that episodes case was better imo.

episode 4: Our time is up

watons old therapist gets murdered. starts out very intriguing. of course that one guys office is the only one in the city were you have a convenient balcony to jump from lol. “So you attempted suicide yesterday and … your boss is bringing you work.” Sherlock is so real for that. Anyway, the case is pretty average I’d say. kind of mid.

also, when Lin says to Watson “You’re the most complete person I’ve ever known.” … I love you Lin.

episode 5: Bits and pieces

really good case actually! of course the shock factor is the head Sherlock brings home. there were a lot of suspects but the mystery of first finding out who the dead body was was very good, then the intrigue with the flu infection. also one of those elementary episodes where you learn something, i.e. about the corpse selling industry. best episode case wise so far.

episode 6: Give me the finger

ok this case would be actually really good … IF THEY DIDN#T DO THE NUCLEAR THING AGAIN!! the spectre of stupid episode 2 is hanging over this season. wtf are they on about. i was so distracted that they involved this AGAIN and all those military personnel just freely talk about their classified systems with the cops? so fucking stupid. anyway, i never liked Hannah Gregson as a character and again I have totally forgotten everything about her and Michaels storyline? But I bet next episode is going to be a good one…

also, great shot:

In conclusion: most cases are actually pretty solid, there’s just one that is SO stupid that it overshadowed every other case in my mind for years lol. and the overarching plot line is REALLY good actually!

[sokai-asuki]

About Blank Eclipse and How all of it happen:

Part 1 | Part 2?

To start with, Blank Eclipse is about a group of different members from different world. The goal behind Blank Eclipse is to stop the corruption and the interruption of the story. An unknown virus have been running around the world, choose one host or vessel to interrupt the storyline of some certain world.

There's a different types of virus they need to hunt, the virus that interrupt he storyline, the virus possessed one of the main/supporting/background cast, and the virus that ultimately kill the forgotten people.

Blank Eclipse's sole goal is to stop the virus from spreading more and more from their world. But in the end, they will be depicted as a villain in their world.

The Blank Eclipse:

(CREATOR'S NOTE: The name behind Blank Eclipse is the fact that I choose my favorite characters, and the fact I made this, I need to see what all of them have in common. Until I found the name for it, "Blank" means for an empty canvas painting, we can also choose that word for empty vessel. No emotions, no goal, no meaning. That's how I describe some certain characters.

"Eclipse" is a different meaning.

For me, "Eclipse" is something you have to get through but not knowing something behind them, the shadow of that something will come back as another them. To cut it short, the Blank Eclipse have divided to three categories. I will explain later.)

The founder and leader of Blank Eclipse is one of my character from the story I've made. Inkuro Afuru. If some of you have checked my original character/OC tag, you will find her or Inkuro Afuru tag.

Anyway, Afuru has found out about the multiverse realm of different world. That we can say those realm are the other show. She found it out and explore around it but never interact with the people of it. Until, she found one world that the storyline of it suddenly been interrupt and the world have been completely wipe out by the virus.

Knowing this, she try to find the virus and destroy it at all cost but, she's the only one and she can't fight the virus all alone, she need to think how strong it is and how many of it that have been passing around the realm...

She makes her point by visiting each realm to requite one person to help her and thus, the Blank Eclipse have been form.

The Blank Eclipse have divided to 3 different groups, different members and different role.

We got 3 group, 6 members for each of them, and different roles for each.

The Representative of Blank Eclipse in 3 different group; Akabane Karma from Assassination Classroom, Onodera Kyouya from Talentless Nana, and Hansel and Gretel from Dead Don't Tell Tale

The Weapon of Blank Eclipse in 3 different group; Tsugumi Seishirou from Nisekoi, Clay Moorington from Lego Nexo Knights, and Mikhail from Vanitas No Carte

The Undertaker of Blank Eclipse in 3 different group; Tomioka Giyuu from Kimetsu No Yaiba, Leonardo from Rise of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, and Ace from Death On The Next Chapter

The Exterminator of Blank Eclipse in 3 different group; Sleepy Ash from Servamp, M-21 from Noblesse, and Ichinose Guren from Seraph of the End

The Strategist of Blank Eclipse in 3 different group; Todoroki Shoto from Boku No Hero Academia, Khun Aguero Agnis from Tower of God, and Dazai Osamu from Bungou Stray Dogs

And lastly, the leader of Blank Eclipse in 3 different group; Inkuro Afuru from Heart of Cursed, Gokudera Hayato from Katekyo Hitman Reborn, and Sherlock Holmes from Yuukoku No Moriarty

Those 3 groups of Blank Eclipse are being categorize with the 1st Blank Eclipse call "Puppeteer", 2nd Blank Eclipse call "Puppet, and 3rd Blank Eclipse call "Backstage".

Why this specific characters and anime/story/cartoon you may ask? Well, first one, I am bored. Second, I need entertainment. Third, I want to write what they thought and understand the situation they are in.

I'll try to write my favourite characters, just like them in canon, but even I, myself, have no skill on writing nor speak English very well. I'll try to write them the way I've seen them in the story and try to see some flaws in them. Try to find what makes them the way they are and try to see them in what other people think. Such moral grey character, they were being loved and yet they've receive more hates than love.

I want to try, in their world, everyone understand them, however the second they are on different view, no one is on their side except themselves...

That's why I want to try write them together, get understand each other in different circumstances and yet so similar. To me, they are everything to me with how I do understand their flaws and try to find behind their said flaws. Not everyone is perfect, not everyone has to be perfect, there are limits of that perfect of theirs.

So, I think, this is the only way I can express and let my thought float free with how I think this is they are.

[sothischickshe]

Truly… what season 3 could have been. Speaking of, what would’ve been your ideal ending for it? 💭

👋👋👋👋👋👋👋😘😘😘😘😘😘😘

I feel like I'm def overly romanticising the potential of/s3 bc my immediate thought is that my ideal s3 would've wrapped up the storylines I found annoying ASAP so I didn't have to suffer through them all the way into s4 😂

I primarily mean the Annie's terrible therapist stuff (literally makes me violent though I quite like how the conclusion underlines how rubbish he is, couldve maybe stomached it better were it not sandwiched btwn annie/Noah & annie/Kevin 🤮🤮🤮🤮) & the hills + the donor family stuff (painfully annoying).

I would include the hitman plot too, at a distant third place, cos it felt very lazy -- as a device for why the girls made no money that season, for provision of 😲twists, and in terms of the characters' motivations (particularly re Ruby & annie, but also Fitz at times) around it.

BUT some of the brio stuff was so angsty & delicious!!! It's deffo a strong contender for fave season generally and brio content specifically for me (in part cos of the 🥺Potential, but also bc s1 2 & 4 are all strong contenders for worst season for me sfgfff).

With the context of s4, I do also think my ~ideal s3 would ~end with setting up some of the s4 stuff -- particularly the existence of nick (who seemed to arrive from planet zorbo suddenly) & the Beth-stan conflict (espec cos otherwise stan's response to Ruby being shot comes across as belated). I also would've liked some more annie-nancy content, s4 made the terrible therapist storyline feel ~relevant to annie & nancy repairing their relationship, so it would have been nice to see that seeded in more 😊

& I think I couldve def enjoyed a true to form season finale of Beth + rio + some man + gun! I did enjoy the resolution of the hitman plot overall (and that brio bar scene was fantastic!) but the execution (of the execution lol) was kinda lacklustre, and didn't really feel particularly in conversation with the s2 (& indeed s1) finale, which I think is a waste.

But mostly my ideal ending to s3 would have been after the number of eps we were supposed to see 😭😭😭😭 and then with a long break before s4 started 😭😭😭😭

espec cos as it is beth & Rio's relationship just seems reset, but like in an unearned way! I appreciate what they were trying to do with the next time empty the clip line in the scavenged s3 finale, but I don't like it much :/ and the bit (in the s4 approximation of the s3 finale) abt rio maybe semi realising the hitman was a hitman seemed to just peter out...? I can totally forgive s4 a bunch of clunkiness cos it had to pick up after AND reset from the aborted prev season but I wish we'd had a dramatic brio semi accidental pair up against a common enemy season finale which got a realllll chance to breathe before eg the (genuinely too silly, and that's ME saying it🤯) brio pool playing scene in s4.

...like ugh can you imagine if they actually got to finally yell @ each other after a season of low energy glaring?! 😭😭😭😭 uNfAiR

Similarly I def appreciate that they chose to leave Ruby & stan in a good place for the cobbled together s3 finale, but it does make the ~retreading in s4 feel pretty 2 steps forwards 1 step back♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️🙃😭

...I feel like this is a v boring answer in essence 😂 but yea I think my ideal s3 ending would have been getting to see the full s3 as it was intended 😭 & even if it sucked, at least I'd be able to judge it on its merits!!!

[yarrayora]

end of the year book stuff tagged by @carriagelamp

How many books did you read this year?

does comic books count? if yes then i didn't count, if no then i'm pretty sure just two (but comics should absolutely count btw)

Did you reread anything? What?

i always reread servamp all the time so i can write Essays. also i reread katekyo hitman reborn for nostalgia and crossover reasons. TECHNICALLY i reread dante's inferno even though i never finished it because i'm not used to classic so i have to repeat the paragraphs before Getting it

What were your top five books of the year?

GIDEON THE NINTH!!! also Superman Smashes the Klan. the rest of the top 5 is servamp, unfortunately

Did you discover any new authors that you love this year?

if i have never read tamsyn muir's homestuck fic before then it would have been her, but because i have that means she's an old fave-- oH i guess ryohgo narita counts? i knew he wrote durarara but i never truly managed to appreciate his writing until i read dead mount deathplay

What genre did you read the most of?

fantasy, duh

Was there anything you meant to read, but never got to?

too like a lightning by ada palmer. i keep forgetting i already have an e-book of it

What was your average Goodreads rating? Does it seem accurate?

i dont use goodreads thumbs up emoji

Did you meet any of your reading goals? Which ones?

yeah, finally reading original novels again. im trying to beat my ADHD so i can devour books the way i did during childhood

Did you get into any new genres?

new genre huh uhhhh... no. i know what i like

What was your favorite new release of the year?

i don't follow new release i just browse the bookstores and hope something speaks to me

What was your favorite book that has been out for a while, but you just now read?

gideon the ninth

Any books that disappointed you?

i dropped a lot of books and nothing this year has disappointed me enough for me to remember their titles

What were your least favorite books of the year?

bungou stray dogs look the light novels are still REALLY well written. i also appreciate how beautiful the translation can be. but the canon storyline fucking sucks. it betrays its theme when it comes to handling abusers by making this little girl who gets physically abused by her dad as a form of discipline to look up to him as a hero because dad's a cop

What books do you want to finish before the year is over?

i don't care about something like that

Did you read any books that were nominated for or won awards this year (Booker, Women’s Prize, National Book Award, Pulitzer, Hugo, etc.)? What did you think of them?

i don't follow book awards either

What is the most over-hyped book you read this year?

i tried reading blue lock and it's the worst sports manga i have ever read. i can't get over how stupid the premise is. soccer is a team sport you idiot (note that this book didnt disappoint me because i never had any expectations for it in the first place)

Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

oh yeah JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World. I went into it expecting a cheap smutty story but turns out it's a pretty feminist narrative about sex workers and how no matter talented a woman is as long as the environment around her is aggressively and violently patriarchal those talents that would make men a hero would make women accused as demons-- but that's okay because you don't need the power to slay an entire army to change the world. sometimes, eating at a cafe in a world where women arent allowed to go outside without a chaperone is more revolutionary than magic that can burn a horde of monsters into cinders

How many books did you buy?

more than five

Did you use your library?

there is no usable library around me

What was your most anticipated release? Did it meet your expectations?

i dont follow new release remember

Did you participate in or watch any booklr, booktube, or book twitter drama?

oh yeh i watch them from the sideline with popcorn and all, thats crazy

What’s the longest book you read?

dante's inferno

What’s the fastest time it took you to read a book?

back when i was a kid i read three pjo books in one day. i don't do that anymore

Did you DNF anything? Why?

i read reeeeeeally slow now so it's less not finishing and more like taking long breaks inbetween

What reading goals do you have for next year?

finish gideon the ninth so i can read the next one

[yakool-foolio]

Why do you like Yakou so much? (Not saying I judge your opinion)

Before the game released, I already hopelessly attached myself to Yakou. His design instantly caught my attention when the illustrations were released. I couldn't stop myself from holding a grudge with the marketing as Yakou was omitted from a lot of the trailers due to his smoking. I planned to cosplay him out of spite and dedication, and that plan is coming into fruition as we speak (but that's a story for another time).

I've always found myself attached to parental figure characters, those who instinctively guide and protect while freely showing a soft side. Harry Mason from Silent Hill and Ethan Winters from Resident Evil 7 & 8 are two examples that immediately come to mind. They're both fathers who go through hell and back to save their kids, inevitably sacrificing themselves for their protection. Their legacies live on in the ones they looked after, remembrance of their mentorship providing a boost of strength. If this rings some bells, it echoes a lot of my past discussion of Yakou's character and his dynamic with Yuma. Harry and Cheryl/Heather Mason; Ethan and Rose Winters; Yakou Furio and Yuma Kokohead. Just some father figures with their supernatural kids heh.

It also comes down to Yakou being Just Some Guy™, another character archetype I enjoy. Among all these super-powered detectives, Yakou gets by with his street smarts and his training at the WDO. With hard work and a deep passion for his career, he passed the exam and became chief of his own agency. Despite having no special ability, he still made it farther than many other detectives could. Also he's incredibly funny when his dialogue is meant to be comedic! Desuhiko's DLC was an absolute joy because the interactions between Yakou and Desuhiko made me laugh more than I ever thought it would. The DLC would've lost a lot of its charm without it.

I know I've rambled about this to no ends so I'll keep this part short, but Yakou's storyline interweaving with Yomi's is my favorite plot point in all of Rain Code. The way these two's actions mirror each other's as they fight for revenge enraptured me while I played. Analyzing their dynamic satisfied my cracked-up writer brain to no end. I spent much less time worrying about the homunculi project than I did writing paragraphs exclaiming my awe at how Hitman Zilch fit right in to mirror Fink! Before I go off the rails, I'll settle down here. I hope this served as a decently thorough explanation of a fair amount of my points for liking Yakou. Ramble over!

[carpe-diem-since-1899]

Trick or treat! 🦇

Hello hello so sorry for the late af reply (and other not replied asks, I promise I still remember them)

So!! We got these two big projects (?), The Angel and Fallen Angel Au™️ and The Joker and the King, an assassin/hitman au that I talked about forever ago. Both of them are still very much on the plotting/replotting stage ‘cause I have grown as a person/writer (also I’m just genuinely a slow writer/procrastinate a lot), and I am going to talk about their current state and some little headcanons I have for them! Keep in mind that some stuff are still super vague (yes I am aware it’s been years, I feel sad about that too) and I change my stuff all the time, and things might not aligne with my earlier posts. But yeah, here they are :)

The angel/fallen angel au

Currently state

This started off as, well, let’s call it a detour from another au, that is (You guessed it) In The Plotting Stage™️ and it has a magic/medieval/royal vibe, of which Race has a cool ability already, but I was like, hey, won’t it be cool if he also has wings

And to not Mary Sue-ify my favorite guy, I create another au, hence the angels/fallen angels au

Another thing is that I already got another au (The Joker and the King, aka TJTK) and that one focus on sprace, so this one is supposed to be about Javid, while Sprace being angsty in the background

The original plan was David trying to find a way to get back to Mayer’s boss who is neglecting worker’s right or smt

But it looks terrible and super boring after I plot it out twice, and just genuinely has quite a few plot holes since I’m shit with law stuff

I got a few options I’m playing with rn, but yeah this is what we got atm

It’s either gonna be a series with several stories from different characters’ povs and periods or it’s gonna be one long fic and with other additional stories

Headcanons/world building details

After actually reading (a tiny) part of the Bible, I have decided that this au has nothing to do with any angels or similar deities from any religion, the whole fallen angels thing is separate from again, any religion, and I’m gonna rework some background stuff to make it more clear about that. But yeah, just thought I’ll put it out here

I’ll put a post out after I fine tuned all the details

Both Jack and Race are fallen angels, Jack is older than Race and they’re friends

Jack got assigned to helping David dealing with Something, meanwhile Spot is already friend with David and got assigned to him as well

Race is aroace, and he and Spot were best friends/on their way to being in a qpr (but that label wasn’t a thing back then)

As previously mentioned by the posts under the au tag, they fell out of touch after Race’s fall, and they haven’t seen or heard from each other for centuries

So there are Dramas and I can’t wait to actually figure out the plot😭

The Joker and the King au

Current state

This started back in end of 2021/start of 2022 or smt, and I’m gonna be so honest with you, I have no idea why the fuck this drags on like this

It was darker and most of the characters are (or at least were) hitmen

Spot and David were part of this organization and they left and took some informations with them, so the boss is sending people after those two

The storyline I had didn’t make much sense and I toned it down because I feel bad for making them trying to off each other for money

But not I don’t feel bad about that anymore so I’m putting the slay and maim back into the plot

Headcanons/world building details

I’m just assigning motivation and sense of morals (?) for characters at the moment so there are not specific stuff I can give you

We got people that are raised in the business, do it for the money, forced into the deal, and I’m debating whether or not to add someone who do the contract killing thing for shits and giggles

Spot and David are no longer hitmen! But I say nothing about them being law abiding citizens

They pissed off the wrong people and Spot now have a target on his back

Again still trying to figure stuff out but that’s the gist

[onstoryladders]

Ok so hypothetical situation (that totally didn’t really happen 👀) I’m at lunch with stranger things writing team and I’m like…

So I see all this Byler stuff and it’s cute and all but I think it’s time you let Will move on. No no no, Mike had his shot and it’s too late now. Wait hold on, the script is finished and you guys went the Byler path? No. No, absolutely not. Give it here. Will’s growing up and he’ll meet someone else. It’s a big world. Besides Mike says they’re just friends. What’s the phrase? Careful what you wish for. Yes, I hear you, childhood attachments are strong but hey… Will’s a strong guy and he’s not gonna wait around forever and why should he. Sure they’ll always be friends, but that’s all they’ll be. Next season really drive that point home. Will can have his happy ending and it don’t require Mike. Mike doesn’t need a happy ending though, his can be lukewarm 🤷🏾‍♂️ Yeah the Byler crew will probably say it’s bad writing but I mean honestly I think it’s worth because I don’t like Mike *cough* I mean because it’ll show that Will has grown beyond his childhood. Ok ok fine Mike can have a happy ending too but it’s not with Will. That train has left the station it’s not coming back.

So like telling the writers to nix Byler completely is that like… a demerit level offense? Is that like lunch detention level? Suspension? Expulsion? Is this a criminal offense? Is the state gonna press charges? Misdemeanor? Felony? Hired assassins? Or maybe not an offense at all. Maybe Byler fans would be happy with a new love interest for Will.

GET OUTTA MY HOUSEHDBDBDHDVHDB

Okay, okay, I'm calm. I'm breathing. Everything's going fine and I'm in a field and the sky is blue and the flowers are blooming 🙏🏻

Maybe if they hadn't dragged this storyline for 4 seasons it would've been fine hdbdhdb but it's way too late to change paths now! Any other outcome but Byler would be just terrible :( for the sake of good writing you should accept Mike getting his happy ending with Will even if you don't think he deserves it (he does). I'm sure you can make a small sacrifice 😌

Also, for totally unrelated reasons, I'm about to scour the deep web in search of a hitman ❤