#ml cringe challenge

[dustteller]

I just finished watching all the available episodes of The Apothecary Diaries, and I have to say that it surprised me!

The premise of an apothecary working for the emperor's consorts and solving medical mysteries is already a gun one, but the execution really elevated the concept past entertaining romcom to genuinely fantastic storytelling. It's not revolutionary, but it's certainly deeply endearing, and I really enjoyed how it found a balance between lighthearted comedy and acknowledging the awful aspects of sex work and being a woman/lower class in a world where neither are valued. It doesn't explore the darker side in detail, at least not so far, but it still does a fantastic job in making the horrible parts feel like a real part of the setting while still making the choice to focus on the women's joy even when faced with hard situations. I guess I just appreciate these things being openly discussed without immediately having it be a psychological story about dealing with trauma?

The characters are also soo good, and while most lack depth (its been nine episodes, so for a cast this big, that can be excused), usually their schtick is strong enough that it can easily carry their appearances. You also get the sense that while a lot of these characters do fill out comedic roles/archetypes, there's a lot more going on beneath the surface. Their schtick is fun, but its not all they have, its just there to help the audience familiarize themselves and bond with the charcaters while their entire personality is unearthed. The entire cast is genuinely absolutely delightful and reasonable and feel incredibly real while also being really funny.

The romance portion is also really really fantastic. Both Maomao and Jinshi are hilarious little freaks, and their dynamic is so fun to watch. Maomao is such a good take on the cold, blunt, genius character, who is socially challenged but very far from frigid. She's practical and logical while also keeping a very strong emotional core founded in empathy and genuine care for the people around her. Her obsession with poison is also pulling triple duty, as it 1) serves to break her cold facade and provides comic relief in the form of an ongoing gag, 2) gives the reader a strong understanding of her guiding motives/desires, and 3)gives her role as a medical investigator narrative justification. Of course she'd know what was used to poison someone, that's her whole thing! Jinshi himself is a counterpart to Maomao's colder tendencies, being very clingy and emotional. This show is not afraid of making him a pathetic little obsessed man, and it's all the better for him. Unlike other possesive and obsessed male leads, Jinshi manages to mostly stay away from the creep factor by being so uttely pathetic and cringe that he never really comes across as an actual threat. Couple that with him actually being very respectful of Maomao, only engaging in light flirting, and how he never actually wants to change her (most rapey MLs try to break the FL out of their feisty charcater or demean her for it while showing her how they're more powerful), and Jinshi makes for a very good love interest that also feels like a very safe comfortable person, which I feel matches the tone of the show very well. He's also as much of a freak as Maomao ("she wants to crush me like a bug <3333🥰🥰🥰), so they're very well matched there, too. He's such a petty loser, and that makes him a stronger character.

The story seems to be ramping up, and while I don't think it'll ever lose the lighthearted tone, I'm excited about how it already seems to promise a more in-depth exploration of the world it's set up the scaffolding for. For what it's worth, I also think the show has done a very good job at making the world feel expansive and mysterious, while also balancing that wholesomeness, which for a show centered around sex workers is quite the feat.

Anyways, long story short, I think the nine episodes that are out so far are really great, and the story thrives through how utterly endering it is. I am charmed by the world and the characters and what the plot has promised us, and while I don't expect it to revolutionize anime or whatever, it's still a masterclass in narrative shorthand and the act of balancing its heavy themes, especially when it comes to the characters themselves. There's so many of them that are so fun and memorable that I didn't mention, but who absolutely deserve their own posts, and that's only nine episoded into a comedy show, which I think goes to show how strong of a start this series has. Overall, I'd rate the show so far an 8/10, and I'm really excited to see what will come from the next 15 episodes.

[elizabethplaid]

daily notes - april 16, 2024

Got up fine today, though I still didn't quite feel "on my game". How bad was I spaced out? Didn't realize I forgot my nose ring until I was already at the library. Remembered my other jewelry, though!

LL-J wasn't there, so it was an "indulgent" day. Since joined me again, too. I played phone games the whole time, until there was like an hour left. Then I read badly-edited romance novels and kept having to stop and cringe, pedantically.

"Why am I reading this?" I asked myself. It's the smut, truly. But a lot of the stories on the app are fantasies: eg werewolves, billionaires, mafia, fated mates, etc. So the lead-up romance scenes aren't always smooth.

I had just finished a really nice story set in a bakery with a hard-of-hearing FL and an ML with burn scars on his leg. (It's "Wrong Number" by Laura Brown, on the Readict app, if you're inclined.)

There was another recent one with some cursed pirate-ghost situation. Seemed to be set in my area of Maine, though they only mentioned nearby towns. They also spelled Eastport as two separate words and misspelled the name of my college's town. Other than those details, it was pretty nice. ("Salvation" by Jacqueline Paige)

I haven't been reading on the app as much since mid-January, when my phone-friend got in contact with me again. Between our conversations and rereading my own writing, it's a lot harder to turn off my brain for these stories.

The hyper-empathy is also a challenge, as I envision how I'd react in those situations. In particular, it's the rich guy buying expensive things for the woman without consulting her. (In contrast, those shopping-spree montages in movies are a fantasy I know I want but can't achieve. More because of what sizes stores offer, than the fictional budget. Guess it's about control and my opinion mattering.)

My mom used to do that a lot, with her ebay purchases, and her bad spending habits were a big source of tension in the family. But she'd buy these things with me in mind, allegedly. Sometimes it was something I wanted to show her to say "hey this is neat"; other times, it was something of interest that I hadn't seen. But they were unwanted. After all, if money is finite (mom always ran up her credit cards to the limit), I should make what I get count - pick out something -really- good, that I won't regret getting.

I've mentioned this to phone-friend before. When thinking of trinkets as gifts, I said I wanted something practical yet meaningful, preferably not expensive. And they gave me a Saint Sebastian key chain, which I adore. My side of the exchange was our friendship bracelets.

Over time, I've learned -and am still learning- just how much my mom mucked with how I perceive relationships. It's tough to accept being appreciated for just being myself - that I don't have to do some service in order to be "worth keeping around". (It was easier to accept that my body type can be seen as attractive, and that's already a hurdle for many people.) Accepting gifts makes me feel guilty sometimes, reliving those memories. I'm getting better about asking for allowance, but I don't like spending money often.

It's funny that mom was the one who introduced me to romance novels, including the smutty ones. Now I'm noticing my struggles with enjoying them, because of her affect on me. Then again, I keep thinking of what I would do in these situations. Basically, it's food-for-thought as to developing my own stories.

[yuexuan]

[Review] 这该死的求生欲

Title: 这该死的求生欲 This Damned Thirst for Survival

Author: 望三山

Length: 224 chapters + 13 extras

Rating: M

Tag: Book transmigration, supernatural, teacher-student relationship, mystery, enemies-to-lovers

Summary [taken from novel updates]:

《Devil》 tells the story of Chi You, the protagonist shou, who was killed by someone and cultivated for revenge with the help of Feng Li, the protagonist gong. When Jiang Luo woke up, he transmigrated into the body of the cannon fodder that killed the protagonist shou.

What’s even worse, he transmigrated at the time when the protagonist shou was already killed by the original body.

At the funeral, Jiang Luo was pushed in front of the coffin.

The deceased body of the protagonist shou in front of him was serene, with a smile at the corner of his lips. However, Jiang Luo knew that he had turned into a malicious spirit and was eyeing covetously at him.

The more dangerous it was, the calmer Jiang Luo became. When his desire for survival reached the critical point, he knelt on the ground with a puff, and forced himself to cry.

With his sincere emotion, he said: “Chi You, I love you so much. Please don’t leave me…”

The chilliness around him smothered slightly.

Novel | Novel[translated]

Comments **contains spoiler**:

I saw this title pop up several times in different places so I decided to give it a try and let’s just say, I have mixed feelings about this book lol The basic premise is that MC (Jiang Luo) transmigrated into a supernatural-cum-fantasy novel as a cannon fodder, to be killed by the ghost of ML (Chi You) after he murdered the ML. In order to survive, MC continues to fight against ML’s ghost. However, their relationship gradually changed, especially after ML realized how similar MC and him are in their “evilness”. As such, ML shifted from wanting to kill MC to wanting to recruit him in his grand mission to bring down the whole xuanxue world. 

Highlights:

I’m not usually a fan of the enemy-to-lover trope because most novels tend to make the ‘enemy’ part shallow, but man, does MC and ML hate each other at the start. They genuinely wanted to kill each other, so it’s rather refreshing to read about it. Also, I like how MC’s constantly trying to out-think ML’s actions, just to prevent himself from getting killed. 

There are adorable side characters, such as Lu Youyi, one of MC’s friends who is just so innocent and dense at times. Or the alive-dead human Teng Bi, who grew fond of MC’s group of friends despite being their enemy at the start. One thing I appreciate is that the author elaborate on some of the side characters’ development/stories. E.g. When Teng Bi died, the MC and his friends spent quite some chapters grieving for him and tried to find ways to bring him back. I’m used to danmei novels where the whole focus is on the main couple, so even if the side characters die, they sort of just shrug it off. It’s nice to see the side characters getting some love too!

Plot-wise, the mystery surrounding ML’s death is intriguing. At first glance, MC is the murderer. But we get more clues later on that there might be something bigger at play, involving different members of the xuanxue world.

I’m also a fan of learning about Chinese mythology and the supernatural, so it’s nice to see these information sprinkled throughout the novel. 

Things I don’t like:

As much as the enemy-to-lover trope is interesting, the way that MC and ML interact, such as their dialogues and behaviors, is…very cringe. MC acts normally around other characters, but the moment he interacts with ML, he starts talking like an edgy teen (e.g. talking about his ‘evil’ compared to ML’s ‘evil’ and how ML found his evilness intriguing). 

The story drags quite a bit at the start with the main couple constantly goading and challenging one another. At some parts the dragging out of the story is too obvious and hard to get through. The plot gets good ~ch 100 in, when the mystery finally picks up and the main couple has somewhat reached a truce. Then the ending gets quite rushed. In the end, we didn’t get to know how Ge Zhu and Ge Wuchen reconcile their differences; Or what happened to Lisha despite ML saying he would use her; and what happens to MC is the real world and so on.

MC is very OP - there’re a lot of times where he would just acquire new abilities out of the blue to deal with tricky situations. It definitely decreases the suspense of the story.

[silviakundera]

Ok HMMMMMM this is a true challenge.

Rising with the Wind is too business focused. Fireworks of my Heart has YY and firemen, so no. Cross-fire has a neat time travel twist, but the e-sports angle kills that for you.

Falling Into You might appeal. It's a sports drama, yet I enjoyed despite never playing sports nor normally watching sports dramas.

Why watch?

The acting - excellent performances from the cast and the main couple have great chemistry. You believe they're attracted to each other and drawn to each other. Wang An Yu, who was just in The Last Immortal, shines as a student athlete in (forbidden) love with his coach.

Lke L&P had a level of realism in how connections and class affect success in the business world and did enough research to make things have 'feel' of authenticity, Falling into You doesn't have rose colored glasses about the experience of being a college athlete. The athletic department has their own agenda. Staff have biases about the right way to win and the 'right' makeup of an athlete. Competitions are not always fair. The career & glory of a student athlete can be painfully short.

Reminiscent of the way that L&P's Zhu Yun both is in love with the ML but also truly believes in his talent & wants to support him -- in Falling into You the FL is that person who sincerely believes in the ML's ability to excel in his sport despite not fitting into the prototype. Her attraction to him is separate from this. She's his knight & advocate because she thinks he deserves it. It elevated the drama for me that I felt the narrative has some ambiguity about this. Is she biased? Is she giving him the best advice? Is this truly the best path for him? Is the athletic program the best thing for the students? Should she really be coaching him, when lines are crossed & she can't be objective?

University student ML feels age appropriate, in both his flaws and strengths. If you liked this actor playing young and earnest in the first half of The Last Immortal, this role might appeal.

When there's a romance with a younger man and older woman like this, I actually like it when the show leans into the age gap and you see him awkward, trying too hard, being cringe -- I want to see why it's forbidden. Like, ok, what's the point of giving me an age-gap romance if it's not more than a little wrong? We see why it's totally a terrible idea for a first time coach to date her student... but they are so into each other and he's so much, that she can't resist. She knows it's wrong, the narrative knows it's wrong... but he's such a golden retriever that you know she's gonna break and do it anyway. 😩

The downsides:

ML is realistically immature and does things that make you go, oh kid NO. 🙈

None of this is healthy; it's fiction - don't try this at home.

Ending isn't bad but it's rushed. Probably censors, because it felt edited to all hell.

I can't recall but I'm sure there is some nationalism sentiment at points about wanting to represent your country as an athlete - but it didn't stand out as anything you wouldn't see in an american sports movie. Or I suppose in real life, as many athletes truly do enjoy repping their county. It wasn't a big deal.

This vid by BBXD Edits captures the vibe of the couple pretty well.

Trailer:

Meet Yourself is an excellent modern cdrama with strong characters and a very mature otp. There's a "letting you go" confession scene from the ML that lives in my head rent-free. Worthy of Pacey Witter. But I think the rural village setting and the chill, low-key narrative simply won't work for you.

"Originally I just wanted to let these words rot in my heart forever. But I thought about this for a long time. At the very end, I want to gift you a memory. At the beach, a place where the wind blows, under the witness of the sunset and its clouds, there was a person who sincerely liked you."

Dating in the Kitchen is a different tone - most definitely a romantic comedy and the first few episodes lean hard on the comedy. It's a lot more tropey than realism. Evil supporting characters as foes to love. All that jazz.

Cold CEO who's a foody meets brilliant cook who aspires to be a chef. Meet ugly, meet uglier, finally blooming into love.

This one really depends on how much the viewer enjoys Zhao Lusi. She sparkles here because she's allowed to really go all in on wacky comedy. I feel like she's having a great time with the role. Watch it if you really love her.

My Lethal Man??? 🤔 I had a fantastic time during the first half. Ridiculous twin hijinks. Not realistic in any way. But trashy fun! The couple has chemistry. Look, some days you're just in the mood for a Wattpad fic come to life.

I have a guess that Fake It Til You Make It might be your type of modern but I haven't tried it yet so.

Ok, now that I am almost done with the amazing Lighter and Princess, between that and Derailment, I have realized that Go Ahead wasn’t a fluke and there can be more than one modern cdrama that appeals to me.

So I am looking for suggestions. If you ever want to see me word vomit about some modern cdrama, here is your chance.

A few no gos (once you see the list, you will probably realize why I find so few moderns I like; even if we extend to like versus love, there are barely any modern cdramas on the list.)

Anyway, no go:

1. Procedurals - dislike them from any country.

2. Any drama where ML or FL are a cop, a member of the military, national space industry, a prosecutor or any other kind of lawyer, or some other form of patriotic endeavor. The amount of jingoism and propaganda is going to be unbearable whatever the topic of the drama.

3. I hate e-sports, those are out.

4. Unless it’s really outside the mold, dramas set entirely in high school both will lack romance and are likely too young for me (there are exceptions such as Consummation, but that’s unusual.)

5. I hate fluff. Everyone for example loved Love Is Sweet and I felt like I was tied to a chair and someone was shoving cotton candy down my throat for a week straight no matter how I struggled. I didn’t even bother checking out that Yang Zi and Xu Kai drama or the YZ and XZ one.

6. I don’t think anyone will recommend me those anyway, but just in case - dramas about electrification of rural villages and similar stuff are no go. I got enough of that during my childhood.

So anyway, now that the long list of caveats is over, any recs?

Moderns I loved: Go Ahead, Derailment, Lighter and Princess

Moderns I liked: Consummation, Reset, New Face, Love Me If You Dare, Hidden Love (tho it got too plotless for me by the end), Silent Separation, Because of Love (mainly because of first half), Gold Panning (not sure if that counts as modern since it’s set in 1970s tho.)

[booabug]

ml cringe challenge roundup pt3

links: pt1, pt2, (here), pt4

Open challenge: reblog this post and make me cringe with ways established relationship Adrien & Marinette would be utter lovey-dovey trash raccoons.

@mari-monsta thought u could hide quality content in tags did u......

TAGS » #they ARE like that #they are the couple that is always touching even if super casually #if they dont see each other for more then one day then they get rly sad and moody #whenever they see each other after being separated they run into each others arms #alya and nino find this especially funny #they pack each other snacks and foods bc they know theyre both scatter brained and forget to eat #(again nino and alya find this hilarious bc they pack food for each other and not themselves???) #adrien has this freaky ability of knowing when marinette is running late and about when shes about to walk into the room #he goes 'marinettes here' then she coems through the door #it freaks everyone out #they start laughing at thing the other said/jokes they want to tell the other when they are apart #this is a fun game

omfg I find the food packing thing so funny and cute, also Adrien’s baedar because I imagine him sitting bolt upright and whipping his head towards the door, staring intently like a pointer dog when he goes, “Marinette’s here.” The jokes thing is 3cute5me and relatable cause I do that with my friends and our inside jokes :3c you’re right this is fun and it lets me outsource fluff >:3c

@lunashadow6955 (post)

They���d wear matching outfits,

Adrien would model any outfit Marinette was making and totally wear it all day to show off to everyone how proud he is of his girlfriend,

Adrien would totally give Marinette those overly huge stuffed teddy bears with a note saying “When you miss me, hug this and think it’s me.”

They would constantly hold hands, or something, because God forbid they aren’t touching or anything like that,

They would do that cliche thing where they drink a milkshake with two straws and stare into each other’s eyes, Marinette would then get whip cream on her lip and Adrien would totally kiss it off,

As LB and CN they would totally do the classic Spiderman kiss.

THIS IS GOOD STUFF and the teddy bear note omg... imagine Marinette sending him pics later of the teddy bear in Chat Noir clothes, saying it’s still not the same... but much better now.

@mindfulmagics (post)

@bluerose430 probably try to get engaged like, immediately lol. Just by announcing that they’re going to get married and Adrien appears with a ring and they’re like 15 and he just asked her out like a day earlier.

this is what reminded me of the propoji thing and made me post it lol. lmao I love the idea of adrien having absolutely no chill.

@miraculousmumma (post)

Writing each other notes during class and slipping them into each other’s pockets.

Being each other’s lock screen and wallpaper on their phones.  Constant selfies of Adrien kissing Marinette’s cheek.

Marinette leaving Adrien mushy voicemail messages when he’s working.

Let’s face it, he would arrange a flashmob for her birthday.

Cute nicknames.

Sharing food, feeding one another, one dessert, two spoons.

all true and cute and aaaaa the voicemail one gets me right in the kokoro... I can imagine a lot of them having “you can do it!” type stuff and Adrien spending his breaks listening to them on repeat and maybe crying a little

@whatsdisshiz (post)

During lessons like electives where they’re allowed their devices to listen to music they call each other and listen to each other’s voice instead

i cant even add on/make jokes/pretend this doesnt make me wanna cry cause my heart is bursting. post over im too much love this

[ladyofthenoodle]

listen i’ve said this before and i’ll say it again, for anyone who has struggled with any digestive issues, the ending backwarder is un ironically romantic. i’m not embarrassed for marinette, even though she’s embarrassed. marinette’s embarrassed because she has built up adrien’s reaction in her head and she assumes this is a failure, but it’s not at all. because look at him.

look how happy and proud he is to do this for his friend. he treasures her and he’s so PLEASED that he could do this! he not only went out of his way to find this for her, but this is the look he gave her. peak romance is telling a guy you can’t poop and having him look at you like THAT.

also it now has a parallel in hacksan with dj wifi!!!

alya agrees with me that this is boyfriend quality

anyway adrien would not only buy marinette tampons he’d also buy her the softest toilet paper and he’d cook her special meals to help keep her regular and i think that’s beautiful

[chimpukampu]

Not to be mean or anything, but why does Luka has lots of events going on than the rest of the characters?

Aside from the Luka Appreciation week that I often stumble every now and then (I swear he has almost 1 appreciation week in a quarter), there’s also Lukanette February, Luka April, Lukanette September...the list goes on

Not even the main characters Adrien and Marinette are getting this much attention 

[gentil-minou]

I saw your post earlier when you said that a lot of salt comes from fans in the late teen/ early 20s age range. I had never noticed it before but thinking about it, a lot of the salt in the fandom i have seen (obviously not all of it) comes from fans within that age range. I am personally 20 and have been in the fandom for almost two and a half years but I hate salt, it makes me really sad and I avoid it at all costs. I find it so interesting that so many fans around my age have so many issues with the show and are involved in the fandom salting. Miraculous has always been a comfort show for me and even though there are problems with it, I enjoy it nonetheless, besides every show has problems. Some of the salting I have seen for the show and for the main characters has made me wonder why some people watch the show, looking at their takes they just don't seem to like it. I guess that there is a practice nowadays of "hate-watching" shows, I personally don't get it, but maybe that could explain the influx of salt from adolescent/ early twenties age groups.

It does in part come with the idea of hate-watching I think. There's also been a rise in creating easily accessible fan communities in discord or on twitter, which is great! but means that folks often stay within their communities instead of other places. But this isn't specific for ML and is a problem of polarization within communities at large.

Regarding ML specifically, I like to call it the "I'm Too Old For This Now" effect. I went through something similar with other fandoms when I was that age, but I am sure not all folks go through the same thing. Just wanted to share it from a psychological perspective, and it's still more of a theory than anything else.

In some societies, particularly those with a heavy emphasis on Western standards of media and representation as well as a cultural basis for this, there is an emphasis on becoming an adult around the 18-20 age range. Teens especially are taught that they have be more mature and handle things differently , that they have to eschew childish fancies in favor of taxes, legal privileges, and the dreaded fear of adulthood.

However, and this is something I see a lot when I work with older teens particularly those preparing for college, these ages are not taught that it's okay to keep your interests even as an adult. There is no mention of how being an adult in fandom is awesome, only this prevailing thought that "Once I reach this age, I can't keep liking this." This occurs in ALL fandom and causes a lot of tension on Tumblr alone, but it's got added depth in ML.

Because of the somewhat ricocheting nature of ML's storytelling, it has themes that can attract both a younger and an older audience. I think that people who start the show when they are older and have moved at least somewhat past the hurdle of "AHHHH I DON'T WANT TO BE AN ADULT" can enjoy both parts, the frivolous content as well as the deeper stuff that makes it fun for folks like me who like overanalyzing.

The challenging bit comes when folks who get into this show as earl-mid teens have now reached that terrifying age of 20, because they may have originally gotten into the show because they saw the characters as peers (not kids like I and many older fans do) and like them now see themselves as more mature and older. They become more interested in the show's darker themes, but where as older fans can find the childish shenanigans refreshing and fun these folks may have a harder time doing that.

They may have related to Mari as an awkward teen, but now that they are older they find her actions deplorable or cringe. Whereas before they found Adrien the hearthrob, they may not find him weak and whiney. They see themselves in the characters, but rather than embrace the side of themselves that is cringe and awkward they want to shun themselves from it. So they instead shift to a more critical mindset, that can be done of course. I see lots of great critique posts. But those transitionary fans might veer further into the salt side because instead of giving valuable critiques their arguments boil down to something like "I just don't like it"

There are many other reasons, of course, but this is just what I theorize about it. I see it a lot in that age range, it's a really tough one to get through. That's why even if I don't get what a salter might say or heavily disagree with it, I do not condone attacking or coming after someone for it. At the end of the day, the show is fictional but the fans are not and they deserve to be treated with respect.

[botherkupo]

lovesquare 👀

Anon, you are just asking me to gush for days here.

The lovesquare is something I never knew I needed in my life. I normally hate love triangles (like so, so much, and that’s  not even getting into love squares), but a love square featuring the same two people who just don’t know it? SIGN ME UP! 

The beauty of the ML lovesquare is all in the different dynamics. ( @chatnoirinette​ wrote a really good summary of the different dynamics here. I’m sure her post will be much more coherent than my following ramble, but you asked and so you shall receive lol.)

So what’s so interesting about two people interacting with each other through their double identities? Let’s break that down.

Ladrien

I call this the Mutual Blushy Ship. Ladybug doesn’t know Adrien has a big, fat crush on her, and he doesn’t know that she has a big, fat crush on him, but the fact remains they have big, fat crushes on each other. This makes every one of their interactions adorable magic. (The way they look at each other, all the litttle blushes. It’s so precious.)

I also like the fact that Ladybug tries to be “professional”, so she’s able to speak to him much more easily than she does as Marinette, but sometimes she still slips up. (Like the shower scene in Volpina. Her ‘strike a pose, vogue’ panic because she’s all ‘if you have to’ when he asks if he can put clothes on will forever make me gigglesnort.)

Adrien also adds an interesting element to this dynamic. He’s Chat Noir and her partner, so he’s a superhero as well and normally flirts and banters with her, but as Adrien he can’t do that. (Because 1, he tends to act in a much more exaggerated manner as Chat Noir since he doesn’t have Trashbriel breathing down his neck and so can let loose. 2, he knows he can’t give away his identity to her, so has to act differently regardless). It’s just an interesting thing because, for the most part, he’s much shyer and blushier around Ladybug than he’s ever been as Chat. I think the mask gives him a lot more confidence, especially to just bust out those love declarations. (Though there is no denying that Adrien is an over-romantic dork. You just have to look at how he stops to give her that rose in Desperada. Also the love poem. I would normally cringe at such things, but these two are too cute, so I can stomach it for them.) 

Fav canon Ladrien moment: This is really tough, actually. I think it might have to be when she’s outside the car and looks in and realises it’s him, and they just loook at each other with such lovestruck awe. my heart.

Fanfic potential: I’m gonna admit that I don’t naturally lean to Ladrien when it comes to writing fics. It’s not because I don’t think they’re cute or have lots of potential -- they absolutely do, and I get super excited when I find a nice Ladrien story to read. But I personally prefer to write romance that doesn’t start with crushes on both sides. Still, Ladrien is a very cute side of the lovesquare and it makes me sad when people act as if it’s somehow lacking. I don’t think this is the case at all. In fact, if you’re really into mutual pining, this one is probably perfect. There are definite barriers there and lots of ways this ship can be taken on a ride of fun misunderstandings and shenanigans. (I may just challenge myself to write them as well.)  

Marichat

I wrote a long post about why I love this dynamic here.

Ladynoir

Oddly, this is my least favourite side of the lovesquare (which isn’t saying much since I love all of them.) I dunno, it’s hard to explain. I really enjoy these two as partners and am absolutely here to see them grow as friends and a superhero duo. I think their banter is fun and I love the way they feed of each other’s energy. The soft moments they get to share are really beautiful as well. (That little scene at the end of Chat Blanc where she rests her head against his shoulder? I CRIED. JUST SO MANY FEEEEEEEEEELS.) They’re also just an absolute power couple. (The little smirks, the casual fist bumps when they know they just obliterated someone. I love these sassy, smug superheroes.)

But their dynamic is still pretty strained when it comes to romantic potential. Chat is in love with Ladybug. He makes no secret of this. Ladybug is not in love with him. She makes no secret of this. It feels like there is a definite wall there that will be hard to push through. Which brings me to:

Fanfic potential:  I think part of the reason Ladynoir is my least fav of the lovesquare is because it has the most potential for angst, haha. They are definitely close, there is also genuine affection (and I would argue attraction) there on her part, but there is a lot keeping them apart. And yeah, you could argue that’s the same for all sides of the lovesquare, but this is the only one where they are both aware they’re superheroes with responsibilities -- the only one where we see outright rejections. It’s almost like the stakes are higher because there’s more to lose if things go wrong.

That said, I have read a lot of Ladynoir fics (and I seriously think this should be called the sin ship, because I stumble across waaaaaaaay more M-rated stuff for these two, especially with the whole ‘Ladybug finding comfort and satisfaction in him because Adrien won’t notice her’ trope lol. But I digress.) There is certainly still lots of potential there. Building on the friendship, having Ladybug notice him and appreciate him more to deepen her feelings. (Which I honestly think is what canon is going to do.) And then you have the endless ‘you just almost died, you jerk, and now I must kiss you” moments.

Fav Ladynoir moment: The underwater hug in Miracle Queen. It was truly beautiful and made me so emotional to see her let herself be vulnerable in front of him, and he just gives her that unwavering support and the comfort she needs (just like he did in Origins when she was full of doubt about whether she could be Ladybug, except in Miracle Queen it’s so much more meaningful after all they’ve been through.)

Adrienette

This was my fav side of the lovesquare for quite a while (Marichat has sneaked into first because of it’s fanon potential), but I still have a huge, huge soft spot for Adrienette because of how wonderful it is in canon. ML really delivers in terms of giving us some quality scenes for these two.

Yes, the imbalance is there because Marinette has this ridiculous, over-the-top crush on Adrien (and he has no idea and thinks She’s Just a Friend), but omgggg do they get all the best moments. The umbrella scene? Pure perfection. Words cannot explain how happy I am that Marinette did not start to like Adrien because of his looks or his fame; it’s because he was kind, thoughful, showed her a bit of his vulnerability when he explained “it’s all a bit new to him” (not to mention gave her the sweetest smile when he handed her that umbrella). It’s just so pure and adorable.

Then we have the lucky charms. (i am so freaking soft for the lucky charms, especially that he took the time to make her one for her birthday in return.)

The dance scene in Despair Bear (how he just rolls with it because he doesn’t mind being close to her, and how adorably blushy and happy she is.)

STARTRAIN SLEEPY CUDDLES!

THE WHOLE GORIZILLA EPISODE

I can’t. They’re so cute and soft.

But also the awkwardness. I know people hated on Puppeteer 2, but I actually loved that statue scene. Yeah, Marinette did something pretty embarrassing, but they talked it out! DO YOU KNOW HOW AMAZING THAT IS? Also, Adrien agressively trying to be a Good Friend and make her laugh was very cute, even if it didn’t work out how he wanted.

I know I’m totally rambling here, but I just have so many feelings for these two. They care for each other so much and it always shows.

Fav Adrienette moment: aside from the umbrella scene, I really love when he teases her about the photographs in Troublemaker. (Yeah, I know, the scene where he’s letting his inner Chat shine, ahaha.) But seriously, it’s just a fun little scene.

Fanfic potential: A+ stuff right here. I can easily see Adrienette becoming a couple because Marinette is head over heels for him and I think Adrien is in love with her, he just hasn’t pieced together that’s what he feels. (Something Chat Blanc confirmed.) I also feel he’s more likely to try move on from Ladybug (since she rejects him) than marinette is when it comes to her feelings with Adrien (since the universe never even lets her confess to him, poor thing). Which is all to say there are lots of ways you can take their relationship without having to delve into too much angst (a bonus for me.) 

Conclusion

I’m running out of steam, so gonna wrap this up. Basically, the lovesquare is a wonderful thing and while I do love how each dynamic works differently, what I really love is how they all interconnect to bring these two together. Each lays a new foundation, a new layer of development. The more these two characters can interact, the more the walls are broken down to let them see beyond masks and civilian names to have that ‘it’s always been you’ moment. Plus, it’s kind of sweet that they can fall in love with each other twice through their double identities.

So yes, I love the lovesquare. These two really were made for each other and I’m living for the slowburn development we’re getting canonically. (Along with all the wonderful fanfics and fanart.) 

[beautymercurydragon]

Learning Lesson - ML One-Shot

“Okay, students, line the heck up,” Kara Lahiffe, daughter of Alya and Nino ordered. “You’ve all got a lot of learning to do. Also, raise hands if you have any questions, please!”

Chloe raised her hand in the air, getting a small nod from Kara as approval. “Why are you teaching us about this?”

��Because,” Kara began to explain. “If none of you got the online definition, you should get the explanation on what shipping is from a person who ships people in real life!” she exclaimed, wearing her own Uncle Adrien’s shit-eating grin.

“I have a feeling something’ll go horribly wrong,” Kagami whispered in Rose’s ear. “This is Kara, after all.” that was indeed true, as her scenario with telling some rather insulting humor about everybody the night before the talent show that resulted in her being kicked out of the Agreste, Couffaine and Couffaine-Lavillant, and Kim houses. It was safe to say that with her history in giving everyone’s parents her ‘learning lessons’ and telling jokes, Kara wasn’t the most trustworthy person in either field.

“So, shipping has two definitions,” Kara started, stating the obvious. “The first is the acts or the businesses of a person and/or thing that ships. The second one, however, is a modern slang of the word ‘relationships’ and is used if you think two people would make a good couple.” she explained. “Anyone else get it?”

Luka and Juleka were next to raise their hands, but before Kara could give them her approval, Juleka already began speaking. “So, shipping is basically what Luka and Kagami did with me and Rose?” she asked.

“From what Lilli and Viveka have told me, 100%,” Kara nodded. “Nice job, Uncle Luka and Auntie Kagami. You really know both your facts and your ships!”

And with her very words, both Juleka and Rose’s faces burned bright red at the somewhat-compliment-and-roast she’d made towards them. “She’s evil,” Juleka hoarsely whisper-coughed into her wife’s ear.

“Now, there’s also a song example of shipping, titled the ‘I Ship It’ song -” Kara said again, getting cut off by a chorus of people screaming ‘No!’

“No!” Alya, Marinette, Adrien, Nino, Alix, Max, Chloe, Kim, Kagami and Luka all screamed, getting up and putting their arm out in hopes of stopping her.

“That song is horrible!” Alix cringed. “My niece plays it for me. Thankfully, she’s too innocent to understand most of it.” 

“You think that’s bad?” Kagami challenged. “When nobody else in the house will get up, Jade blares that and forces us up.”

“Students, like Teacher Kara said, no talking during class!” the fifteen-year-old scolded. “Speaking of which, is beginning up again... now!”

“I ship people both in my real life, and in my books, TV shows, movies, and most of all, my magical girl anime!” Kara smiled, “Speaking of which, there’s another subject we’ll go to for a minute before moving back to this one.”

Her mother was next to raise her hand, Kara shooting her a thumbs-up so she could ask. “What subject?” Alya asked.

“OTPs!” Kara answered.

“Oh, no,” Chloe began to whisper to Sabrina. “Shit’s gonna go wrong starting just about... now.”

“This phrase is an abbreviation for One True Pairing, which is one ship above all of the others for a single person.” Kara explained. “Like how Mom’s OTP was Adrienette, I have mine too!”

And now, it was Adrien and Marinette’s turn to be embarrassed, as they face-palmed themselves violently and blushed a million shades of red. “When did she start doing this, and what made her this way?” Marinette asked her husband.

“Two words: Middle school,” Adrien responded. “It turned her from a friendly joker into a quirky, overbearingly irritating comedienne.”

“You’ll survive, Sunshine,” Juleka assured Adrien as she rubbed the back of his shoulders comfortingly. Both him and Marinette gave her a weird look in reference to his nickname, so she thought it’d be best to explain. “Got it from Alya.”

“Damn you, Alya and Kara,” Marinette muttered under her breath, looking over to her longtime best friend and giving her the ‘I’m watching you’ signal along with a threatening death glare. “Matchmaking, insult humor, and weird nicknames galore.”

“Question of the day, students; what’s your all-time OTP?” Kara asked. “Let’s start with.... Chloe!” Kara spun around, arm out as she pointed to her arch-rival’s mother.

“I have a good one,” Chloe smirked. “Lila’s face x a rolling pin.”

The other parents began to mutter to one another, all nodding about Chloe’s answer/choice.

“Great choice, Chlo,” Kagami whispered in her ear. “I have a different one in mind, but that one is a solid ship.”

“Next student is... Mister Luka Couffaine, father of my shortshit BFF Jade who is a genius cinnamon roll but still could kill me if she tried, as well the one who made us all go as the Sailor Guardians for Halloween!”

Jade was hiding in the hallway with the others, so she’d overheard it and defended herself. “I am not short!” she pouted.

“You’re only 5′0″,” Maddie, Adrien and Marinette’s fifteen-year-old commented. “Not to mention your cousin Viveka makes jokes about whenever you say you look up to her all the time. You’re short as hell.”

“Now that that’s over,” Kara said loudly as Jade and Maddie quit their arguing. “Luka, who exactly is your OTP?” she asked.

Wearing the world’s biggest shit-eating grin on his face, Luka glanced over to where Juleka and Rose were sitting, giving his sister and sister-in-law a smug smirk. “JuleRose.”

Marinette and Alya burst out laughing at his answer, while Adrien and Nino tried to hide their snickering but failed. Chloe, Sabrina, and Kim shook their heads and blinked, Alix and Max looked at each other in shock, and Mylene and Ivan face-palmed themselves while muttering things under their breath that nobody else could quite make out.

Which left Juleka and Rose to blush with embarrassment yet again, struggling to make eye contact with one another and Luka.

Kara smiled and spoke again, dragging on the question even farther. “Nice choice,” she whispered in Luka’s ear, shaking hands with him. “Also, Juleka and Rose, we all know you two shipped yourselves with one another when you were teenagers. Just admit it.”

“It has been confirmed,” Mylene whispered to Alix. “Alya and middle school have officially corrupted Kara.”

“100% probability rate,” Max confirmed, Alix gently elbowing her husband in the chest. “She’s long gone now.”

“Now, let’s all say our OTPs on the count of three, and stand up,” Kara ordered, all of the adults standing up onto their feet to answer. “One... two... three and go!”

“Maddie and Hugo!” Marinette answered, 100% confident in the statement she’d made clarifying that she proudly shipped her fifteen-year-old daughter with her crush. And so did everyone else, even Tom and Sabine.

“Dammit,” Maddie muttered from the hallway, Jade rubbing her back gently.

“I ship Emma and Rebecca together!” Adrien admitted. Ever since they’d teamed up together during the time that Marinette was villainized into Fashionista and taken her down, he’d admittedly shipped his thirteen-year-old daughter with Chloe and Kim’s fifteen-year-old.

And as for what he thought about their ages? Screw their age difference.

“I ship Maddie and Hugo too!” Rose exclaimed, leaning over to give Marinette a high-five.

“Same,” Juleka nodded.

“I used to ship Max and Alix together,” Mylene admitted. “I’m still proud all these years later that Marc and Nathaniel set them up.”

“I ship Nathaniel and Marc with each other,” Ivan said. “It’s great that they’re finally together.”

“Me too,” Sabrina nodded. Even though she was quite depressed when she and Nathaniel had divorced five whole years ago, she hoped that one day, he’d move on and get with Marc.

It was safe to say that Sabrina approved of NathMarc becoming canon.

“I shipped Chloe and Kim together,” Max answered. “I was thrilled 100% when they began dating.”

“I ship Rebecca and Emma too,” Chloe interrupted, trying to take the focus away from what Max had just said. “Adrien is correct, they are my new OTP. LilaRollingPin who?” she nervously laughed, giving a Marinette-style grin that showed all of her teeth.

“So do I,” Kim agreed.

“Ready for who I ship?” Alix said in a sarcastic voice, everyone else nodding and speaking that they agreed. “I ship... Lila x a boxing glove with a spring in it!” she exclaimed.

“That’s a solid ship,” Kagami nodded. “Well done, Alix.”

“I ship me and my pillow,” Kagami answered. “I’m tired from all of Jade’s waking us up with her I Ship It song and the 2:00 AM study sessions.”

And then, there were two left to answer: Alya and Nino. Kara trusted her parents more than anyone and was confident they’d have great answers, but little did she know it would humiliate her to the extreme.

“Well, what about you guys, Mom and Dad?” Kara glanced to where Alya and Nino sat, Nino on a floor pillow with Alya sunk back in the bean bag.

“Well...” Nino smirked.

“We actually used to ship you with your boyfriend before you two were even dating right now,” Alya blurted out. “Whenever you two would do school projects together, one could see that you two were crushing hard on the other.”

And on that day, Kara Christine Lahiffe lost her shit and become incredibly embarrassed, all because of her trick backfiring on her.

“Yep,” Nino nodded, high-fiving his wife. “In fact, when he came over to our house the day after your show premiered, I spoke with him in the car about how I shipped you two together.”

Upon hearing that, Kara ran away quickly from her house’s living room, into the hallway where Jade and Maddie where, zooming past them and heading into her room to die of embarrassment, all curled up in a ball.

“Called it.” Jade smirked.

“Me too,” Maddie seconded. “Karma’s a real pain, ain’t it?”

“To be fair, my OTP is Kara x Karma,” Jade admitted, joking to Maddie, who snickered. “Aren’t they just the most perfect match you’ve ever seen?”

“Indeed, Jade,” Maddie slowly nodded. “Karma is truly a beautiful thing.”

A/N: So... this was really funny to write XD. I will be posting more of my next-gen ML one-shots to here soon, and for those who would like to know, the main story is up on fanfiction.net under the username SwagaliciousWillowbrook and will be cross-posted to AO3 soon under the name RaeOfSunshine738! Also, if there’s any questions about my ML next-generation children, please, ask away in my Ask Box! I love answering questions. Whether it be about the kids’ personalities, their relationships with family members, friends and crushes, or the parents and how they are now, I accept anything and everything.

[minisugakoobies]

I agree with everything you said, I love the feeling of getting a new fic idea and just being able to write loads down. I also love mulling it over and another scene coming to you which fits perfectly. I also love that you’re not embarrassed by any of your fics. Think it’s a good way to be, just because you might think you write better now doesn’t mean that you’re old writing is bad. Definitely a mindset I need to take on.

Also I love that you’re doing a fic rec a day in October! Can’t wait to see your recs as I love a spooky fic. Not sure if you’ve read any of her stuff but @/adonis-koo has some great spooky fics. I feel like I should have more but I’ll have to come back to you with them.

How are you doing though? Have you had a nice weekend?

- Midnight

Exactly - no one should look back on their older stuff with any shame or embarrassment. If you cringe at rereading things now, it just means that your skills have grown since then! And that's fantastic!

It's been a pretty relaxing weekend, even with all the crazy wind and rain from Hurricane Ian. Very thankful that we live far enough from the coast that we didn't have to worry too much here. Our power held out and our trees didn't come down, which is the most we could hope for!

I don't think I have read anything by adonis-koo, so I will have to give their ML a glance! I think this fic-a-day challenge is going to be fun, while also giving me a chance to knock down my tbr list, which never stops growing! If you think of any specific stories you want to rec, definitely let me know.

How are you, Midnight? I hope you've had a wonderful weekend too!

[maddysacademics]

Marxist-Leninism: My Thoughts

I wanted to leave it a couple of days before I made an opinion post on Marxist-Leninism (ML), more specifically Lenin’s ideology. Learning about new theorists can be a lot to take in for me, especially since I am learning about key Marxist theorists quite late into my political ‘journey’ (cringe); I think of my political beliefs as fully fleshed out and realised, and so when I find information that can challenge my core beliefs, it can throw me off. And so two days after doing my first research on Lenin, I’m here to pose some initial thoughts.

Democratic Centralism (DC) is very interesting to me- I think it’s something I’ve always believed in, but never had a word/name to call it, and therefore I almost thought it was my own creation, a little idea I’d had myself. DC is interesting because, as a Marxist/communist/socialist, I think one would consider an uprising/revolt against status quo to be a legitimate and necessary part of transitioning to a ‘better’ (opinionated, of course) economic, political and social structure. Note: This doesn’t apply to democratic-socialists (demsocs) as revolt is not required in their framework. Even Marx talks of a ‘communistic revolution’, implying going against bourgeoisie control to take power and establish a proletariat ‘dictatorship’. ‘However, this is not DC,’ I thought initially ‘because it’s using the ideology of one collective, a faction, to overthrow another’. Yet the difference is, before the communistic revolution starts, one would have to wait until communistic ideology is a majority, and capitalist a minority- with that minority specifically being the ruling class, those who benefit from it. And thus, my only question is, what if we establish communism, everyone hates it, through DC we decide to resort back to capitalism. What then? Hegel suggests this wouldn’t happen through Hegelian dialectics, however I may need to research into him more thoroughly in order to answer my question of if this could happen, and the solution.

Another thing that played on my mind since studying Lenin is the concept of protest being eliminated, however I don’t know if that would be the case. DC suggests you can have opinions, but we must stick to the opinion of the majority, which will serve the people. Thus, if protests happen supporting the idea of a minority of people, what will the steps be then? Would that form of protest even be allowed (’that form’ being that of a minority interest). However, even typing this out it feels almost...I can’t think of the word (context: it’s 11.19pm but Lenin has been on my mind for 2 days and I needed to brain dump). I want to say fascist or dictator-like, but I’m not too sure they’re the right fit- they’ll do for now. Talking about ‘minority opinion’ etc needing to be suppressed under communism in order for it to work feels similarly to how I am treated under capitalism as a NB, femme-presenting, queer, neurodivergent person- and it would be foolish to not see correlations in this talk of ‘minority opinion’ to communities I am not a part of, such as the black community, trans community etc. Being the ‘minority opinion’ is not fun, however, I think this may also stem from being the ‘oppressed’ and being considered a minority by the ‘oppressor’ (ie a bourgeoisie-proletariat relationship), whereas under communism, everyone would be considered equal, and thus, the ‘minority opinions’ would be on economic debates, rather than those of human rights. But then again, economics and human rights are intrinsically linked. It’s very complicated, and it seems at every new development I make in my head, a new counterargument is produced alongside it. Perhaps I’ll need to do more research! But right now, Lenin is sounding very Thomas Hobbes-esque.

[atc74]

You Have My Word

Written for the Break The Zone Challenge #4 (check out the ML here). My bestie @just-another-busy-fangirl picked the prompt: “Have you still got your blindfold on?” His voice came from where he was tied up behind me. “Yes,”“Promise me you won’t take it off,” and here is the product of my musings. 

As you can see, @iwantthedean and her Gil McKinney crisis were the inspiration and this is a NicKinney ship. So if shipping ain’t your thing, get skipping; it won’t bother me none. 

WC: 2400+

Pairing: Nicole x Gil

Warnings: Medical speak, mentions of injury, taking of hostages, gunshots, violent situation - if you find any of this triggering, please do not read. 

A/N: This is angsty with a fluffy finish (Have ya met me?). Feedback is appreciated. 

Thursday’s were touch and go at the hospital, especially the emergency department. Nicole had spent the last couple of hours with a child that had broken his arm falling off the monkey bars at school. Before that, it was an outbreak of food poisoning from a church outing the night before. It had certainly been a messy, but mundane day.

Nicole had just stretched out in the breakroom for her dinner break, a rare occasion in itself, when she heard a commotion outside the doors. She got up and moved to the door, opening it slowly to see what was going on when she saw a woman covered in blood being wheeled into a procedure room.

“Well, it was good while it lasted,” she muttered as she tossed her soda into the nearest garbage can and strolled back into the E.D. This is what she lived for. As a student studying to get her Physician's Assistant degree and an EMT, Nicole loved the rush that came from saving a life in a situation like this. She readied herself with steady breaths and walked through the doors to where her newest patient had been brought in.

“What’d’we got?” she called out waiting for the assessment.

“White female, mid-twenties, multiple GSW’s to the chest and abdomen. Decreased breath sounds; patient was given O2 on scene. BP is 92 over 70 and falling,” the EMT team transferred her to a bed and rushed back out.

“Page Dr. McKinney, please. Alright people, let’s get this one stable for the O.R.!” Nicole called out instructions as nurses rushed around the room following her orders.

“Hey Nic, whatchya got for me?” Dr. Gil McKinney rushed through the double doors and listened intently to Nicole’s assessment of the patient while checking the woman’s vitals. It was a secret to everyone else in the hospital, but Gil and Nicole had been seeing each other for almost a year.

With his good looks (think tall, dark and handsome) and easy-going nature, he had caught Nicole’s eye immediately. Being a professional, however, she was determined not to let her love life get in the way of her learning. Gil quickly broke through her tough exterior when a young patient had died on her watch one night several weeks later, though.

The young patient she lost was in a car wreck and there was absolutely nothing she could have done differently to save the young boy’s life, but that didn’t make it any less heartbreaking. She knew there would be tough or complicated cases, and cases that would make her want to quit, but this was the one that made her want to throw her scrubs out and look for something simpler.

She and Gil had gone to inform the family, but she ran out when the mother burst into tears. Gil found her later, on the floor of the locker room, tears streaming down her face. She quickly brushed them away and stood, ready to apologize for her behavior, but he stepped closer and wrapped her in his arms, one hand cradling her head gently, as he swayed her back and forth.

They stood like that for what felt like hours; Gil whispering words of comfort and encouragement. She pulled back to thank him and his lips met hers in a feather light kiss; she was a goner after that. She quickly discovered that Gil stood for everything she did and they were not only a great match in their private lives, but they worked flawlessly together in a adrenaline fueled, life or death situation. 

The look on Gil’s face went from intent to urgent when the patient went into ventricular fibrillation on the table.

“She’s in V-Fib!” Nicole jumped up, kneeling on the bed and immediately started chest compressions.

“We need to intubate!” Gill called over the din of the room and he was handed the supplies. He expertly inserted the device through the patient’s mouth and into her trachea. “Bag ‘er!”

“Charge to 200!” Nicole called from her perch on the gurney, still pumping on the woman’s chest.

“Clear!” she heard Gil shout and she pulled her hands from the body.

“Again! Charge to 250!” They tried again, but nothing. Nicole resumed compressions between each charge. They tried for over forty-five minutes, but the young woman’s body just couldn’t handle the trauma it has sustained.

“Time of death, twenty-one thirty-seven.” Gil pronounced the patient dead and Nicole hopped off the gurney, tossing her gloves and smock in the hazmat bin at the door. She followed Gil out into the hall.

“Do you want to come with me to inform the family?” he asked cautiously, as this was always the hardest part of the job.

“Yeah, we can do it together,” Nicole put on a brave face. No matter their age, it was always tough to lose a patient.

Gil and Nicole entered the waiting room, calling out for the patient’s next of kin. Three young men rose from the plastic chairs and walked toward Nicole and Gil.

“I’m Jake. That is my fiancee; how is she? I need to see her,” the first man asked Gil heatedly.

“Jake, I am Dr. McKinney, this is Nicole. Sir, I am so sorry, but the damage to Marisol’s body was extensive and while we administered chest compressions and oxygen for nearly an hour, her body gave out and she passed away. We are so sorry for your loss,” Gil remained professional and compassionate, but the man lost it.

“How could you let her die? You’re a doctor; aren’t you supposed to save lives?” The man lunged at Gil and he pushed Nicole behind him in an effort to protect her, but the other men were on the two of them before she could call security.

Suddenly all three drew handguns and a shot was fired. Screams filled the waiting room as people scattered, looking for cover.

“Everybody out! But not you two! No, you go back in there and save her! Now! GO!” Jake held his weapon to Gil, while another grabbed Nicole by the arm and held her at gunpoint as well. “MOVE!”

Gil and Nicole both turned and headed back to the procedure room where the woman’s body was covered with a sheet; blood soaking through the white cotton where it laid over her.

“Sir, there was nothing else we could do. Please let us call someone to help you,” Gil remained calm under pressure, as always.

“No! There isn’t anyone else, it is just her! And now she’s gone!” Jake screamed at them once more, Nicole cringing as the gun pressed into her side with more pressure.

“Jake, let her go; you can have me,” Gil tried to reason with him.

“No, you took something from me and now I am going to take something from you!” Jake shouted back.

The man holding Nicole threw her to the ground and bound her hands behind her. She could see them do the same with Gil and now they were back to back on the floor. Jake was pacing the floor, wildly swinging his weapon through the air as he ran his other hand through his short hair.

One man stood outside the door and the other in the corner, waiting for Jake to make a decision. “Blindfold her, Nick; I don’t want her to see what’s coming,” Jake directed his buddy.

The blood rushed from Gil’s face and he reached for Nicole’s hands behind him. “It’s going to be okay, baby. I won’t let him hurt you,” Gil tried to reassure her.

Nicole squeezed back her silent reply and closed her eyes as the large assailant, Nick, searched for something to block her vision. “Scissors, back pocket,” Nicole whispered, hoping the doctor heard her. When she felt his hand squeeze hers once more, she sighed in relief.

Gil’s mind was going crazy with different scenarios playing over and over; thoughts running wild, like children on too much sugar. He was going to do everything in his power to keep Nicole safe. They always say that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone; he wasn’t going to let that happen. Not to her; to them. When they got out of this, he vowed he would tell Nicole how he truly felt.

“Jake Morris? This is Detective Ackles, Houston PD. We are here to help you. What can I get you, Jake?” A tinny voice came through the speaker on the phone in the room.

“You can bring my Marisol back! It wasn’t her fault! It should be me, not her!” Jake’s screams startled Nicole but she didn’t have time to react as Nick finally found some gauze and tightly wrapped her head and eyes. Although she could not see through the gauze, it was still light and she saw shadows pass before her. This gave her some hope.

“Now Jake, we both know I cannot do that. I have Dr. McKinney’s notes in my hand and I can see they did what they could to save her. Do you want to tell me what happened? Jake, I know you have a record and have been in some trouble; tell me about what happened to Marisol so I can help you.” Det. Ackles was calm as he tried to talk Jake down.

Gil’s eyes scanned the room, looking for anything he could. He had been involved with martial arts most of his life and recently picked up Mixed Martial Arts to help him stay in shape, so he knew he could fight one or two people, but there were three and they had guns. His first thought was getting Nicole out and safely away from this situation.

He let go of her hand and extended his fingers as far as they would go, but he couldn’t reach her back pocket. Nicole shifted behind him and he finally gained purchase on her scrubs and felt his fingers close around the handle of the scissors.

“It was just one more time, man; just one more. She wasn’t supposed to be there. She came to ask me to come home, forget the deal. But it went south and she got hit; I screwed it up and now she is dead!” Jake had crawled onto the gurney and was holding Marisol’s hand. His body wracked with sobs as he made his confession.

“Have you still got your blindfold on?” Gil’s voice came from where he was tied up behind Nicole. Gil was able to position the scissors and cut through Nicole’s bindings before working on his own.

“Yes,” she answered, her voice barely a whisper.

“Promise me you won’t take it off until I tell you,” Gil demanded of her. Nicole laid her head back to rest between his shoulder blades and he felt her nod.

A thump could be heard outside the room they were being held in and Gil noticed that the third man was missing from his post outside the door. This drew Nick’s attention, but not Jake’s; he was still on the gurney, repeating Marisol’s name over and over.

Gil saw his opportunity and gave Nicole warning to run and hide. She pulled the gauze off her eyes, blinking rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the bright lights of the room and launched herself through the second set of doors as Gil jumped up to make his move.

Gil was smaller than Nick, but what he lacked in weight and height, he made up with speed and agility. Gil swung out his right leg, landed a solid kick to the larger man’s kidney, bringing him to his knees. Gil lurched forward, kicking once more at his hand, knocking the weapon free and it skidded across the floor.

Both men fought for purchase on the slippery floor, but Gil was faster and reached the gun first, his foot connecting with Nick’s nose in a crunch and a rush of blood.

The door burst open and two armed officers restrained Nick in cuffs. Jake hadn’t even noticed them in the room, until they tore him from Marisol’s dead body and forced the cuffs on him.

Another officer entered the room and relieved Gill of the weapon, before shaking his hand. “What you did was reckless and stupid, but you did good, Doc,” the man told him.

“Couldn’t let anything happen to my girl, Detective,” Gil admitted to the officer, a smile lighting up his face.

“Jesus H Christ Gil, you both coulda been killed! And I ain’t going to my best friend’s funeral ‘cause he was stupid!” Det. Ackles shouted at him.

“Jack, come on! We train together; don’t think so little of me,” Gil reminded him.

“Yeah, yeah. Go get yer girl, Doc.” Det. Ackles wrapped Gil in a bear hug before releasing him to find Nicole. “She’s at the nurse’s station getting checked out by an EMT.”

“Oh, that is going to go over like a lead balloon. You know she trains those guys, right?” Gil laughed as he darted out of the room.

~*~

Later that night, Gil and Nicole were cuddled up on his couch, a blanket covering them both as each of them silently replayed the night’s events, the television providing the only light in the room.

Gil turned his body, disturbing Nicole. “Hey, I, um, I gotta say something. After tonight, what happened, what could have happened, I need you to know something. This has been an amazing year and I want the whole world to know. About you. About us.”

“Gil, are you sure? I don’t want to jeopardize anything for either one of us at work.” Nicole’s brows furrowed with concern.

“I have never been more sure of anything in my life, except that you are the most important part of it. Tonight, I thought I was going to lose you and that would have been a fate worse than death. I love you, Nicole Elizabeth, will you marry me?” Gil had dropped to one knee in front of her and held out a simple diamond solitaire on a gold band. “It was my grandmother’s.”

“Oh Gil, I was so scared I might lose you tonight, too. I love you. Yes, I will marry you. I would be honored to wear your grandmother’s ring,” her voice clear in the quiet space as he slipped the ring on her finger.

“I am never going to let anything happen to you. You have my word on that,” Gil promised her forever as he held the girl of his dreams in his arms that night and every night after that.

If you liked this, check out my master list or leave me feedback. 

Taglist - add or remove yourself here: My BTZ Crew: @iwantthedean @chelsea072498 @paintrider13-blog @d-s-winchester @just-a-touch-of-sass-and-fandoms @just-another-busy-fangirl @winchesterprincessbride @waywardjoy @like-a-bag-of-potatoes @mamaredd123 @ellen-reincarnated1967 @sis-tafics @deansdirtyduchess  @katymacsupernatural @tankcupcakes  @death2thevirgin  @wonderange  

Forevers: @padackles2010 @smoothdogsgirl @meeshw777 @tmccarney @milkymilky-cocopuff  @ashstrom87 @zeppo-in-a-trenchcoat @scorpiongirl1 @gemini75eeyore @katewatso @cosmicpeanuthologram @jotink78 @l8nitl0vr @supernaturalyobsessed @memphisgirl1977 @bmcnally85  @ruprecht0420 @mskitty416 @theoriginalvicki @hexparker @nanie5 @whywhydoyouwantmetosaymyname @sandlee44 @fangirl1802 @moonstar86 @raylin19 @niamandthings  @feelmyroarrrr @kittenofdoomage @t-bear99 @hamartiamacguffin @colorfulobjectenemy @uttertrash--butlikecutetrash  @sammieb1127 @you-didnt-see-that-cuming @moshingatthedisco  @winchestersmut  @alicat-life @mogaruke @cyrilconnelly @growningupgeek @charliebradbury1104 @evansrogerskitten @therewillbeblood @docharleythegeekqueen @megansescape @taste-of-dean  @scarlet-soldier-in-an-impala  @deathtonormalcy56 @notnaturalanahi @jensen-jarpad @impalaimagining @fangirlextraordinaire @itseverythingilike @jesspfly @love-kittykat21 @mrswhozeewhatsis @supernatural-jackles @samwinlover @iamnotsaneatall @autopistaaningunaparte @blacktithe7 @emoryhemsworth @dracotomanddeansprincess23 @bringmesomepie56 @devilgirlsarah @spnbaby-67 @holytrenchcoatedsubtextchuck @emilycollins11 @myoutletforfanfiction @deansangelgirl @mizzzpink @jerk-bitch-and-an-angel @kayteonline @rockhoochie @wheresthekillswitch 

[thelonesgroup]

Navigating the Paper Jungle

As a real estate professional, you have to deal with not only your personal and financial files, but also your business files. Keeping your business files in order could make the difference between having things in order or a chaotic mess that could even lead to legal ramifications. For both your personal paperwork and your business paperwork, you must come up with a simple system to keep all of your documents in order. Many real estate agents struggle with this. With the increase of electronic files, it is even more important than ever before to create a system that works for you. Here are some ideas to help you manage your files:

Color Coding Your Client Files

Color coding is the key to helping you find and file things quickly. There are two main things you need to track when working on your file management systems. The first is to track your client files and the second is to track your financial files.

Let's start with a simple system for tracking your client files. I like to separate the files into the following categories, and I assign a different color to each type of file so I can quickly visually identify each category. The eye can pick up files quicker if you minimize the number of files you have to look through, and color coding makes this so much easier.

BLUE Put all your ACTIVE BUYER files into blue file folders.

RED Put all of your ACTIVE LISTING files into red file folders.

YELLOW These are your PENDINGS. The moment either your BUYER or SELLER goes pending, move that file into the yellow section of files by simply wrapping a yellow folder around the buyer or seller file. This way, when you see a yellow and blue file you know that this is a buyer file. When you see a yellow and red file you know this is a seller file. This keeps all of your files organized, easy to see, easy to pick up and easy to file.

GREEN - These are your CLOSED transactions. The moment your buyer or seller file closes, move the file from the yellow pending section to the green closed section. Simply remove the yellow outside folder and replace it with a green folder. This visually keeps all of your files in order - easy to view and easy to use.

Using a color-coded simple filing system saves time and energy and makes filing and file management manageable. This doesn't mean you don't have to keep your electronic files in order as well. Many real estate offices have a set protocol for how electronic files are to be kept. But agents who struggle with paper files will find this color-coding system very helpful.

Categorizing Your Financial Files

Financial file management and the tracking of business expenses is an area that many agents struggle with. Again, I highly recommend using color-coded folders and color-coded hanging files. Some agents like to color code all the files in a specific year with the same color. Other agents like to color code using different colors for each category of expenses. This way, it is easier to see to file invoices, receipts and statements. The key to good file management is easy file management. Create files for each of the following expenses:

MLS Fees, Office Fees, E&O Insurance, Commission Stubs, Membership Fees, Sign Fees, License Fees, Education Fees, Advertising Fees, Marketing Fees, Printing Fees, Internet Fees, Website and Technology Fees, Listing Marketing Fees, Auto Expenses, Cellphone Expenses, Office Supplies, Insurances Expenses, Miscellaneous

Managing Your Receipts and Expenses

The first step in keeping track of your expenses is to keep track of your receipts. The challenge for most agents is that they collect a bunch of receipts and then cringe at the thought of organizing them. By the time they sit down to reconcile these receipts, it becomes a major task to match receipts to statements because they are not in the right date order or separated by accounts. The simplest way to manage this is to have a small paper divider in your wallet for each type of payment method you use. For example: If you normally use one debit card and two credit cards then have three dividers. Each time you have a new expense simply file the receipt in the appropriate section with all receipts filed behind one another. 

The purpose for doing this is so that when your bank or credit card statement comes you can simply and easily reconcile these receipts and they will automatically be in date order because they were filed by date. You did this without having to think about it or sort anything, you simply had to have a rule around how you filed the receipts when they came in. When your wallet gets too full, simply take the receipts out of your wallet and put them into the account file in an envelope. When you go to reconcile your monthly statements, begin reconciling the receipts in the envelope first and then move on to any that might remain in your wallet. This is the fastest and simplest way to organize your receipts.

Simplifying Your Personal Filing System

A good filing system is a color-coordinated filing system. I have been using colored files for years and I couldn't be without them. They save me so much time because I can simply look for the colored files when I do my filing, which makes my filing so much faster. In a drawer close to where you manage your money or pay your bills, have your files set up in categories. It is critical to have categories set up. Those categories need to include any and all accounts you have that need to be paid or that need some attention from you on a regular basis. Each category needs to be labeled and each category needs to be color coded. Here is a list of some sample categories and how I would recommend color coding them:

You can add any category that fits your financial picture. You then insert the same color file folders into the hanging category folder. This way everything in the mortgages category is red and all the utilities files are blue. This really helps when it comes to filing your bills and paperwork. Your eye quickly takes you to the colored section that is appropriate and you actually save time. Each category needs to be clearly labeled. When you are reconciling, keep in mind that the easiest way to keep track of your tax deductible expenses is to use colored highlighters when you are reconciling your receipts to your statements. Simply highlight any item that is a tax deductible expense and then when it is tax time it is easy to document all of these expenses.

Your File Storage System

I also recommend keeping a file storage box that is a duplicate of the one you have in your drawer so that as the year goes by and your drawer gets full or papers and receipts you simply transfer the contents of the files in the drawers to the files in the storage box. That box is labeled by year and at the end of the year you transfer all the contents out of the drawer into the box and then you have a nicely organized system by year that you can use for tax preparation or storage.

Your Important Documents System

It is critical to keep all your important documents in a separate binder and have the binder tucked away in a safe or a safe place. If the documents are in an easy to carry binder, you can take them with you when you need them without having to rummage through a bunch of files. These documents include:

Birth Certificates, Death Certificates, Marriage Certificates, Social Security Statements, Life Insurance Policies, Copies of Investment Accounts, Deeds, Passports, Savings Bond information, Funeral Planning information, Medical information

For your financial files, receipts, important papers and tax documents to be kept in order, they all need a home, and they all need a system of operation. By following a few of the ideas above you can really simplify your filing, sorting, and organizing.

Do YOU have a system you use to keep your world organized? Share it below and I'll include your ideas in an upcoming Zebra Report.

[whiterabbitpeak]

Siem Reap.

The Holy city of Temples, Tuk-Tuk’s and Traveler troubles – Mad Floors and shiz.

Captains Log Day 8 - 22/03/17 10:55 pm. Malaysia Air MH146

The Captain was able to connect back into the grid just before his HCMC departure, lucky enough he did so as he was able to discover that he had received a last-minute email from the hotel that Admiral and he were staying at. The email advised them that the residence was over booked and despite my two-month advanced booking we were going to be moved to the sister hotel that was located 10 minutes away from the venue. This deeply upset both the Admiral and Captain, they had no option, with an angry email to the hotel, they confirmed that they had been shifted and that a carrier would be sent to pick them up at the Airport. However, upon landing there was no receiver waiting. Blood boiling to match the temperature outside, the Captain and Admiral took a TukTuk or remork to the updated hotel discussing remork life, and how we would sell our cars in Australia and just sponsor a remork driver to live with us and drive us around, despite the laughter they both knew that their Cambodian travels had begun on a rocky start. At the new hotel, one could not get angry at the staff, it was not their fault, management had dealt the card to the Captain and the staff were only doing their job. Despite some initial tension, the staff escorted us to our room, they were apologetic in regards to the transport not being present and offered to compensate by offering complementary transportation on departure.

Although upset, the Admiral and Captain checked into the hotel and freshened up. They had organised a deal with the TukTuk driver to take them straight to the mighty Angkor Wat – The reason both the Captain and Admiral had decided to visit Cambodia. Geography Lesson #1: What is Angkor Wat? – “Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the world, with the site measuring 162.6 hectares (1,626,000 m2; 402 acres).  It was originally constructed as a Hindu temple of god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire, gradually transforming into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century” – thanks Wikipedia.

A visit to Angkor Wat had been on the Captain’s bucket list for a significantly long time – He had dreamed of visiting the ruins ever since he had seen photographs and discovered in a year 8 quiz that it’s the largest Hindu temple in the world (not sure if his incorrect answer stemmed his desire or the sheer curiosity.) Grabbing tickets, we were taken away from the city to visit the ruins, thus started our temple run. The hot sun blaring on our backs, sizzling our skin crispy, sweat creating puddles across our bodies we ventured out of the TukTuk. Walking through the gates of the Great Angkor Wat gave the captain goosebumps, the surreal feeling overwhelming. Hypnotized by the grandeur of the ruins we tread towards the entry. With barely any sales pitch we agreed to the first tour guide that approached us, after waiting his life the Captain had not had the patience to bargain or discuss price. The tour began, explaining the history of the king and the kingdom that built this temple, the wars that were fought over it and the transition of it from a Hindu temple to Buddhist. We walked around half engaged, our minds just marveling at the greatness of the ruins. Photos don’t do this justice. The Captain and Admiral got blessed and their futures told by a Buddhist monk and shortly after the tour ended. This is where one of the favorite parts of the tour for the Captain commenced. Free Roam. We were allowed to walk around the temple, explore the giant grounds, climb, run, walk, anything. It was great – the Captain gave the Admiral a heart attack when he walked on the ledge of the third storey of the temple. The heat starting to play games on their minds, the Admiral was pointing out a structure to the Captain, to which the heat stroked Captain responded “Yeah, Mad Floors and Shit” – not knowing what he was saying. The Admiral pointed out his poetic comment, meaning it was time for the delusional captain to farewell the temple grounds. Walking back to the TukTuk was a mission. The 400-meter path felt like kilometers in the dessert being crossed by Bedouins. Struggling and finally reaching the TukTuk we stopped for some cold refreshments before continuing our temple run. We then visited two other major temples and spent time exploring, the first was Bayon temple. The Bayon's most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and smiling stone faces on the many towers which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak  – once again this temple was huge. We walked the grounds posing for photos and trying to soak in the glory. After losing the TukTuk driver and doing a round of the perimeter, we finally got in the TukTuk for our third and final temple - Ta Phrom. unlike the other Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm was in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings. Trees and overgrowth over time had caused this ancient temple to collapse, although restoration works are underway the charm of this beast was the large collapsed rocks and the caved in rooms with roots weaving their way through them. Once again the wonder could not be captured, and if photos say a thousand words, being there and experiencing will write you novels. Temple’d out, we headed back to our hotel for some rest, the lack of sleep the night before, the scorching temperatures had the life of us drained.

Refreshed after a nap and shower, it was time for the Captain to enter his element as they got ready to hit up the famous Siem Reap Pub street for a night on the town. The street was full of activity, life, street traders, shops, music bars, the likes of which can only be compared to places like Khoa Sao road in Thailand, or a Portuguese Pub Crawl on NYE. Starving, the Captain thought it was best to get a drink in our systems before we ate, seemed logical right? There it was, Angkor What? Bar, a tourist landmark, famous for its writing on the walls, this place had seen millions of tourists over the years, it glistened on every travel guide. We stopped for a sneaky drink before we started our quest to try and find some burgers (craving) to eat. It seemed like forever before we found some food – mainly because the Captain was interested in exploring although the Admiral had different ideas which were showing (HUNGRY). Bellies full we headed to some shops and some more exploring to burn off some of the carbs, it was at this point the Captain started getting restless as all the night owls came out to play.  Finishing up with Shopping we headed straight back to Angkor What? Where a challenge tickled the fancy of the Captain, A deal that said if you get two alcoholic buckets you get a free tee-shirt. To test our limits however we ordered one bucket to start – a measly 6 x 50 ML shot – first up was a Moscow Mule. We shared this giant vessel of euphoric liquid and made friends with the amazing waiter @say – he had some great conversation with us and taught he Admiral some very cool bar tricks. One bucket in and that Tee-shirt was looking more achievable. We ordered a second and asked our new friend @ say if we could get a tee- he pulled some strings and the mission was semi accomplished – the side effects sat on the table in front of us – a Vodka Mojito. We sipped on our oversized beverage and in the true spirt of the bar left a scripture on the table, this one a quote from the mighty Co-Captain @avrill “Never Say No! Mort!”. At this point to our realisation the club opposite to us – Temple Club, had filled up, dancing had commenced on the streets, we watched as the toxins took control of inhibition. As the mighty vessel reached the final drops, we ordered two more cocktails, of a much more reasonable size this time, although the Long Island Ice tea felt like it had much more concentration of alcohol. Feeling ill and the music taking control we headed across the road for a boogie, shortly inside the Admiral and Captains thoughts synchronized to “we are too old for this” leaving promptly we headed to Yolo Bar. Here things were going mental, the crowd in polar opposite to where we had been, A Backpacker hub, where people were dancing on the streets and madness was everywhere. Quickly the two were able to join the madness, it seemed that Mr Mule and Mrs Mojito had led us over the sanity fence and unwillingly we rushed to the other side. Dancing, singing with the others time began to fly and memories start to fade, at some point the Captain found himself at the bar with a tourist who bought him a Jagerbomb, the Captain obliged and out of respect downed the shot. Later in the night a person came over with a Barbequed Snake on a stick, laughing and dancing he took a bite and passed it to the Captain, confused, time slowed down as he took a fairly large chunk off the stick and started chewing. The taste was disgusting, the scales littered his mouth, the chewing didn’t seem to end as it was like eating rubber with a distinct taste, cringing he passed the stick to the Admiral. The look on the face of the Admiral said it all – HELL NO! after some drunk banter and some convincing she took a tiny bite, chewing twice before spitting it out. almost vomiting we rushed her to the bar and ordered two Jagerbombs to wash the taste down, gagging as the warm Jager went down. Stumbling we left Yolo bar, and since it was too early to go home and wanted the snake magic to kick in we decided to head back for a final cocktail at Angkor What? again – bad idea. More Cocktails ordered – the Admiral had an Arm Wrestle with another tourist from Netherlands, the Captain made friends with Divers from Wales, the words came out as a slur. It was time to call it a night and head back to the Hotel. The time was 3 am and with the insistent TutTuk drivers and an inkling that we may get sick – we decided to walk back to the hotel. This was a bad decision. As we walked we saw some of our friends, they walked with us for a bit until they turned off and we continued through a dark laneway to our hotel. We were only 5 minutes from the Hotel where a man on a scooter approached the admiral on a motorbike slowed down and asked “would you like a lift?”, she responded “No No” at this point he snatched her Purse, yanking it, breaking her straps and riding off. The Admiral yelled “Hay!!” the Captain was off, Chasing the bike, without knowing what happened screaming at the top of his lungs “OI, OI!!” too late, he sped off and turned the corner, the Admirals bag was gone. The contents included cash, her cards, her phone. We both praised the lords and the powers that be that her Passport was sitting at the hotel and was SAFE.   Distressed we ran to the Hotel where reception called the police and advised us that we need to go to the tourist police station in the morning when it opened. Defeated, drunk and stressed the Admiral spent the next two hours calling the banks and cancelling her cards, whilst at some point the Captain passed out.

Opening his eyes, the pain unbearable the Captain reached out for his medication, the last night’s toxins were in his system and his head felt like there was a jack hammer pounding inside. This was no ordinary hangover, he could feel the onset of a migraine creeping. Looking over he saw the Admiral passed out on the laptop. Taking his pills, he closed his eyes and slept once again. His eyes opened again as the clock hit 2 PM – he got up and woke the admiral who was ready to go, getting dressed quickly the duo left the hotel and rushed to the police to report the incident the night before. The Tourist police had us document our statement and then referred us on to the large tourist police station the other end of town, taking a TukTuk we rushed there as the clock creeped towards 5pm. The tourist police station was a very traumatic experience. At first we were harassed as to why we didn’t come earlier (migraine) and then the conversation turned to why the Admiral did not fall over when her bag was snatched, the tone and constant implication that we were lying getting the better of us when we had an outburst and reached out to call the Embassy. We were encouraged to do so by the police, saying we are only doing our job, and that is what we will tell the embassy. However, we were told none of the phones had any credit – The Captain pointed out “but this is a police station?!” – my observation was acknowledged but no still the officers had no credit. We gave up, and continued our attempt to get a police report made. The police explained how this was now a criminal case, they needed to contact local police and they, needed to have proof in order to make and release a police report. They need evidence that we were robbed and since our incident happened with no one around and no cameras this was going to be hard to prove. Deeply upset and defeated we documented our timings for the night, wrote down the incidents that happened and answered all their questions. Interrogation went on for 2 hours and at the end we were defeated. They did not release the police report and said they would be back tomorrow to the hotel to investigate. At this point we had very unexpected assistance from one police officer, however no report. With no other options left we thanked the police officer that tried to help and headed back to town, hoping shopping will get our mind off things. It temporarily did. It was then time to visit the nicest restaurant in town, and one of the top restaurants in Asia - Cuisine Wat Damnak. This was a highly-regarded restaurant in Siem Reap celeb chef Joannes Riviere. The menu delivered the ultimate contemporary Khmer dining experience. This was fancy, the flavours and textures indescribable, fine dining at its best. The Chef Joannes, heard of our troubles the night before and was nice enough to come over and have a chat about the incident, he was charming and a very nice man. We both felt humbled, our hearts felt a little comfort in this unknown city. A last round of shopping and fulfilling the Captain’s Indian food craving at d’Tandoor, we headed back to stuff pack our bags and complete our final night in Siem Reap. The adventure was almost over, as the Captain and Admiral parted ways, the former off back to base and the latter flying to Singapore to continue her adventure. The Captain was fortunate to have the business class experience during his flight stopping in KL and hitting up the b lounge for a shower and a casual 4 vodka sodas and few snacks. Landing in the best city in the world, he was home. Arriving at 9:30am the captain was at work by 10:30am he reflected on his journey, his adventure overseas was over, he had survived another trip. He returned home with a few more notches on his belt and some scars to show for his travels. The Captain was ready and looking forward to his next adventure but at the moment he was running late to a meeting. He entered the room and said sampeah.

[booabug]

ml cringe challenge roundup pt2

links: pt1, (here), pt3, pt4

Open challenge: reblog this post and make me cringe with ways established relationship Adrien & Marinette would be utter lovey-dovey trash raccoons.

@chimpukampu (excerpt, full post here)

They would kiss. A lot.

A peck on the cheek. A breathtaking lock on the lips. Not to mention their usual hand kisses and forehead kisses just for the heck of it.

They would kiss as a greeting in the morning, whenever Adrien dropped by to fetch Marinette to school. They would kiss again once they entered the school gates because they will be separated for hours (take note, they’re just one row away from each other), and another before they took their lunch.

Another kiss once their class resumes in the afternoon (again, take note, they’re just fucking one row away, geez) and a bonus if Adrien has a fencing class afterward.

Oh, did I mention that there will be round of kisses every time Adrien wins a round, regardless if it’s a practice or not?

...

oh god when you kiss so much that it’s considered too much in France, THEN YOU KNOW you’ve gone too far

on a related note, from @miraculous11133 (post)

They would be those kids who make out in the back of class

the real reason they’re canonically in the front rows??? maybe ur onto something....

@noirchengs (post)

adrienette is one hundred percent that one couple at the gym everyone is annoyed of who do all their exercises together.

this isn’t supposed to be fun, you two. i’ll be real though, I always love power couple adrinette so this one gets an anti-cringe from me. :ok_hand:

@celesterjester (post)

ALLLLL THE SUBTLE NUZZLES HELLO

Whenever they are next to each other or close enough, they would just gravitate to each other.

Adrien would slowly lean over to her, subtlely nudges the side of her head with his nose, into her hair, nuzzles into the space between her neck and shoulder and just breathes in her scent, jusT aNYWHERE.

And of course, leave some little pecks after wherever he nuzzles.

Marinette putting her head on Adrien’s shoulder and grabs some of his fingers just to hold and play around with. Little squeezes here and there.

Dopey smiles on their face.

OH NO I LOVE IT ACTUALLY? it’s cute... it’s very cute!!! Let’s ramp it up to not subtle at all though. Example: when either is sad, they just walk into the other using their face and whine so The Nuzzled One holds them and is like, “shhh its ok smother ur troubles in my loving bosom...” [head smooches]

@whatarubberchicken (post)

“You hang up first.”

“No, you hang up first!”

“No, YOU hang up first!”

they WOULD

@my-name-is-tom-dupain (post)

Then one hangs up and the other is like “Oh, they hung up.”

lmao the one who hung up did it by accident though and now they’re freakiNG OUT

breaking news bulletin from @theyrejustbehindtheveil

this is adorable and I don’t want to alarm you but you might know incarnations of adrien & marinette irl