#my favorite crime scene investigation date

[andrastes-sacred-titmouse]

MINRATHOUS- The Cobbled Swan Case

[thebisexualdogdad]

With the new rookie season you gotta do more Lucy!!!

Maybe something like Lucy meets a PI who’s working a similar case as her and the two slowly flirt and nerd out on common interests.

Lucy Chen x Male!reader

● as a private investigator you were hired to follow a man who's wife was accusing him of cheating

● lucky for her he wasn't cheating, unluckily for her he became entangled with a gang selling drugs and now he's missing

● which is how you meet officer Lucy Chen

● “Excuse me? What do you think you're doing? This is a crime scene you can't be here,” she questions as you're looking at the faces of a bunch of newly deceased individuals after a drug deal gone wrong trying to ID your clients husband

● “I'm a private investigator, Y/N Y/L/N, I've been hired by Mary Jameson to track down her husband Luke Jameson who is involved with all this”

● “do you see him here?”

● “no but-”

● “then I'm gonna have to ask you to leave”

● you don't actually leave, you just hang around outside the crime scene tape waiting to get any more information on where you're missing guy might be

● “he's still here?” Harper asks Lucy who has been keeping an eye on you for the last several hours

● “yeah he thinks I'm gonna tell him details about the case because he's a PI”

● “PI's are the worst,” Lopez chimes in

● “I thought lawyers were the worst?”

● “they are but I'm not married to a PI,” she laughs, “he says he's looking for a guy who deals for this gang right? Lucy take him to the station and find out everything he knows, he may actually be useful in helping us fill in some missing pieces”

● back at the station Lucy has you in an interrogation room, questioning you about Luke

● you tell her you've been tailing him for three weeks, he went missing two days ago handing over the photos you have of him dealing drugs as well as meeting up with the leader of the gang

● you actually were quite helpful for Lucy

● and even a little bit flirty

● and to your surprise Lucy was flirting back

● you find out you like the same TV shows and music artists

● you spend a little too long talking about the latest season of your favorite show

● but just as you're about to ask her on a date to get to know her more Lopez and Harper interrupt bringing your attention back to the case at hand

● Lucy relays all the information to them and thanks you for the help

● and after you leave Lopez asks her, “were you flirting with the PI?”

● “no of course not that would be unprofessional”

● Lopez and Harper simultaneously “they were flirting”

● you show up at the station again the next morning with coffee and breakfast sandwiches to see if they have any new leads on Luke

● “you brought me coffee?”

● “with almond milk and a shot of espresso”

● “how did you know that's how I drink my coffee?”

● “I'm a private investigator remember, it's my job to know those kind of things”

● you and Lucy end up working together to find out that Luke is being held captive by a rival gang

● the cops raid the warehouse and free him though he is arrested in the process due to your photos of him dealing drugs which his wife is certainly not going to be happy about

● “Guess this is the end of our team up,” Lucy tells you when she returns to the station with another officer towing behind with Luke in handcuffs

● “Seems so but it doesn't mean it has to be the last time we see each other right? Can I take you out to dinner sometime?”

● “yeah, that would be nice”

● “great, I'll get us a reservation at the blue orchid”

● “that's my favorite restaurant how did you- oh right private investigator,” she laughs

[barblaz-arts]

Do u have any wenclair (or individual) headcanons that havent found their way into a fic or comic of yours? One of my favs is Wednesday stashing weapons on Enid/in Enids space bc she is nothing if not prepared.

That's pretty cute actually lol

Ooh I have a few, yeah. Some of these ideas are ones i hope to put in a comic or fic somehow someday

- Wednesday's favorite season is summer. Enid is surprised because she expects it to be fall or winter. Wednesday just likes summer because it's the season when Enid puts away the fluffy coats and sweaters and wears sleeveless shirts that show off her arms and more scars

- enidtendo drew Lucas and Enid taking Bianca and Wednesday on a double date to a hockey game and I really love the thought of that being a regular thing. Maybe even movie dates to action movies. Just a really nice bonus that it forces Bianca and Wednesday to bond lol

- there was a time when they had matching lockscreen photos. Enid's was Wednesday's half of The Window while Wednesday had Enid's side. Wednesday begrudgingly did it but then got mad when Enid changed her lockscreen only after like a week or so

- when Wednesday isn't in the mood for much physical contact, Enid will show affection by kissing her braid

- Enid has a petty, one-sided rivalry with Fester for being Wednesday's favorite person ever. Fester is oblivious.

- while people think that Wednesday is too gloomy, Enid knows that Wednesday is actually fuckin hilarious

- Wednesday totally got tickets to Loossemble, Odd Eye Circle, and Chuu's concerts when they toured in America for Enid. Wednesday glared the fuck out of Hyeju.

- When Enid is mad, Wednesday scrambles to buy/cook her favorite food. When Wednesday is mad, Enid tries to find the weirdest and/or oldest shit she could see in Uriah's Heap

Bonus, married Wenclair headcanons:

- there's always a rookie detective that makes the mistake of crushing on Wednesday when she started assisting crime investigations and Enid hates it

- Since Enid is a fan of kung fu movies, I like to think that she's a big fan of martial arts actresses like Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock. 40's Enid has a pixie cut and no longer dyes her hair because it has damaged her hair, so when she was really sad about this, Wednesday cheered her up by saying "It makes you look like that Rothrock woman you liked watching".

(Rothrock is the white lady at the end of this video fyi. Also featuring Michelle Yeoh in the chase scene)

- Enid has a few simps because of her mild internet fame. Wednesday threatens them when they leave comments in her vlogs and Instagram posts ("i got the divorce papers ready bby just say the word" "YOU WILL START COUGHING IN THREE DAYS--")

- in the wedding, Yoko was Maid of Honor and Eugene was Best Man(or Man of Honor?). Pubert was the ring bearer. Later on, Yoko and Eugene are Vega's godparents(they also develop a rivalry over who is Vega's favorite)

[samasmith23]

A Study in Justice & Romance: Defending Makoto Niijima's Confidant Line

Regarding the romance options with Persona 5 Royal's confidant lines, I personally decided to have the protagonist, Joker, enter a relationship with Makoto Niijima during my initial playthrough.

In addition to Makoto & Joker having earnest & adorable chemistry together, but I chose to have the protagonist date Makoto because the latter ended up being my favorite character in the game overall due to her phenomenal arc as an intelligent socially awkward honors student who actively chooses to help victims of injustice as she gains the courage to stand up against the corrupt adults in her life who expect her to unquestioningly conform to societal norms. Developments that are greatly reflected through Makoto’s confidant line, or social link subplot.

While I’m aware that Makoto’s confidant line is not as well regarded by a sizable portion of P5’s fan base despite the character’s overwhelming popularity in general, I personally believe that Makoto’s confidant arc is criminally underrated! I loved seeing Joker spend free time with Makoto as she attempts to be more interactive & helpful to her peers as Student Council President. In particular, Joker assists Makoto’s efforts to help her new friend Eiko Takao escape an abusive relationship with a sleazy club host named Tsukasa. Essentially, Makoto’s confidant subplot functions as a great extension of her character development in the game’s main plot, since it further forces Makoto to reconcile with her past naivety to the interests & concerns of her fellow students despite her obvious book-smarts.

These developments come to a head during the Rank 9 scene of Makoto’s social link, wherein she confronts Eiko after she investigates her boyfriend and learns that Tsukasa has a reputation within the Tokyo underworld for forcing vulnerable girls into debt to exploit them both financially & sexually. Things come to a head though when a desperate Makoto literally tries to slap the lonely & confused Eiko back to reality while trying to convince the latter that her "boyfriend" is just a criminal trafficker. Heck, Makoto even almost attempts to directly physically challenge Tsukasa before Joker intervenes to protect his friend.

This scene is emblematic of both Makoto’s strong desire to bring about justice for victims of horrific crimes, as well as her own shortcomings derived from her social naivety & brash impulsiveness. Makoto later acknowledges to Joker that her slapping Eiko & trying to physically challenge Tsukasa is reflective of her tendency to not always consider the potential risks or consequences behind her actions in social situations before immediately acting on them. Character flaws that Makoto is determined to overcome after having spent the past several years of her teenage life suppressing her emotions to misguidedly appease authority figures in both her school & family life.

In essence, the Eiko situation is not the first time that Makoto is portrayed as acting so recklessly. Specifically, during the Kaneshiro arc of the game Makoto allowed herself to be captured to discover the location by the aforementioned money-grubbing Mafia boss when he began extorting students at Shujin Academy. Makoto was determined to prove her worth to others after being dismissed as "good girl type of pushover" and "useless" by individuals like Goro Akechi & Sae Niijima respectively, but Kaneshiro exploited Makoto's desperation by blackmailing both her and the Phantom Thieves into financial debt. While the game makes it clear that both Eiko's abusive "boyfriend" and the mobster Kaneshiro are fully to blame for their abhorrent actions, Makoto recognizes in both situations that she can act overly reckless due to having previously bottled up all her emotions to maintain a composed exterior because that’s what Japanese society expected from her as the traditional honors student who obediently followed the orders of authority figures, whether it be Shujin Academy's corrupt principal or her own older sister Sae (plus, I also personally headcanon Makoto’s lack of proper socialization skills and sometimes inappropriate reactions as her potentially being on the autism spectrum, similar to how her teammate Futaba Sakura is heavily autistic coded).

Additionally, the player learns throughout Makoto's confidant arc that her personal sense of justice is heavily inspired by her late father, who in addition to being a single parent who raised Makoto & Sae all by himself following their mother's passing, was a law enforcer who was tragically assassinated while attempting to shut down a human trafficking ring in Tokyo's red-light district. Makoto grew up with an idealistic perception of her father, seeing him as someone who worked tirelessly to protect the victims of horrific crimes exactly like those that Makoto's friend Eiko is at risk of falling prey to in the present day. However, Makoto briefly lost sight of her justice due to the increasing societal pressures that both she and her sister faced following their father's passing. In addition to Sae being forced to stressfully work up the ranks as a legal prosecutor for Japan's Special Investigation Team (SIU) in a sexist male-dominated industry (and her own sense of justice becoming heavily distorted in the process), Makoto herself misguidedly believed that like she had to be the unquestioningly obedient honor's student to not dishonor her older sister's status (which would only increase Sae's stress).

It's only upon awakening her persona, Johana, during the Kaneshiro arc and discovering her inner resolve as a member of the rebellious Phantom Thieves, that Makoto begins reevaluating her passion for studying. Remembering her father's advice, "The most important part of your life is how you choose to live it," Makoto's confidant line is about rediscovering her idea of justice by actively choosing to become more socially involved with the interests and needs of her fellow classmates. Furthermore, it is Makoto's experiences with Eiko in particular that inspire her to want to continue studying not simply because it’s what is expected of her in a patriarchal capitalist society, but because she wants to utilize her knowledge & intellect to protect her fellow students from the world's injustices. This is a goal that Makoto understands that she can’t achieve if she’s all alone, which leads her to actively choose to have Joker help her become more socially interactive and on the level of her peers. 

If I did have one criticism of Makoto’s confidant line, however, its her ultimate decision to academically pursue a career of becoming a police commissioner. While I do understand that Makoto simply wants to continue what she views as her father’s legacy of bringing justice to the victims of some of Japan’s most underreported crimes like sexual assault & human trafficking (which is sadly accurate IRL as well…), her wanting to become a police commissioner to achieve that goal does feel somewhat at odds with P5 Royal’s in-depth condemnations of systemic corruption throughout society, INCLUDING law enforcement. Police corruption is reflected in various examples throughout the game, including Makoto’s older sister Sae having a palace in the Metaverse after her heart became distorted when she actively enabled Japan’s infamous 99% criminal conviction rate to advance her own career as an SIU prosecutor, as well as both the Japanese police and SIU being under the direct payroll of one of the game’s main antagonists, the ultra-nationalist fascist politician Masayoshi Shido,

Despite my objections, I do strongly disagree with critics who argue that this single uncomfortable oversight in Makoto’s otherwise phenomenal confidant arc automatically “regresses/undoes all of her character growth.” As overly naive and idealistic Makoto's career goals & perception of her late father are, they do still make sense from both a narrative and character perspective. The core theme Persona 5 Royal is about reforming society through finding the willpower to stand up against & change the hearts of corrupt authority figures & systems. This is something that Makoto repeatedly demonstrates through her actions as a Phantom Thief, whether it be through emulating her late father’s sacrifice when she rescues Eiko from a human trafficker, her changing Sae’s distorted heart when the latter’s sense of justice is negatively influenced by corrupt bureaucracy, to her opposing the aforementioned Shido’s vast political conspiracy. In this regard, I choose to adopt a more charitable reading of Makoto’s future career dreams by interpreting her as continuing to be a Phantom Thief while eventually growing up into a figure like Batman’s Commissioner James Gordon, who is similarly portrayed as actively fighting against systemic corruption within both Gotham City’s police department & its other bureaucratic institutions (in contrast to a negative example like Harry Potter, who never even tries to reform the Wizarding World’s corrupt status quo and ultimately becomes a slave-owning wizard cop after Voldemort’s defeat). After all, Makoto herself freely acknowledges right before the base game’s final boss battle with Yaldaboth (a false god that serves as the physical embodiment of the corrupt status quo itself), that:

“Victory against a single criminal is meaningless… the true enemy is society itself. Regardless, this isn’t a situation with a straightforward answer. But even if there is no clear solution, I’ll just have to make one… with my own two hands. Before [the Phantom Thieves] came along, my life was defined by rules, set on a path of someone else’s choosing… but only a true loser would live such a rigid life! I… I will win… even if it means going up against the entire world!”

In large measure, it was Makoto's actively willingness to actively strive for positive change within both herself and society as a whole, combined with her keen intellect & altruistic passion for justice despite her social awkwardness & naivety, that ultimately factored into my decision to select the romance option with Makoto’s confidant line. In my playthrough of P5 Royal, I had Joker offer to to become Makoto’s “study partner” when she questions if she’ll ever truly understand romance after a heartbroken Eiko accused Makoto of being doomed to “flunk a test about love.”

The romance option between Joker & Makoto just felt like a natural progression & culmination of the unique bond that the two formed during Makoto’s Confidant Line after joining the Phantom Thieves. Spending time with Joker whilst fighting against systemic corruption and "those rotten adults" in both the Metaverse and the real world helps Makoto realize her own personal sense of justice that is derived from her passion for studying, rather than distinct from it. Additionally, both Joker & Makoto have natural chemistry with each other as intelligent & capable leaders who possess a strong sense of justice (heck… Makoto rarely left my party during combat missions due to her strategic intellect in identifying enemies’ weaknesses as well as her balanced offensive & defensive abilities). Plus, their romantic dialogue & “studying” euphimisms are just hilariously adorable! It was a welcome change of pace to see Makoto be the first one to take initiative in the relationship by asking Joker if, “[they] could study some things [they] don’t have experience in yet,” since most media sadly still downplays or denies the reality that women have their own agency & desires regarding their sexuality.

But yeah, I definitely ship Makoto & Joker as my personal canon couple in Persona 5 Royal due to the former's rich character development & heartwarming chemistry with the main protagonist! While Makoto may have started the game as the "pushover good girl type" who blindly obeys the whims & expectations of the adults in her life simply because it is what society expects from her, she quickly evolves into the Phantom Thieves' strong-minded battle-strategist who is motivated by the unselfish desire to provide justice for the victims of society's injustices. Those elements, combined with Makoto's continual willingness to learn & improve upon her personal shortcomings, as well as her social awkwardness despite her book-smarts (which I heavily related to as someone on the autism spectrum who consistently earned all A's & B's back in high school and college), that made her the breakout character P5 Royal for me!

Overall, it was through completing Makoto's confidant line that I was able to gain a deeper understanding & appreciation of the ideals which define her signature "fist of justice," while also having my heartstrings tugged at as she chose to study areas in life that she lacked experience in such as romance.

[nightfurynova1217]

@deathnotetober 2024 #5 - First Kill

One heck of a prompt to be posting on General Conference weekend, lol. In any case, here's my take on some Beyond Birthday headcanons, and I'm super happy with how both the story (under the cut) and the drawing came out! Hope you enjoy!

Time Taken (for drawing): 1:50 hours

Rated Mature Content warning: Mention of sexual assault - Murderous thought processes - Graphic depiction of violence Words: 1597

Beyond Birthday met Trinity Goldberg two days ago. She was stumbling out of a bar, heavily intoxicated, and being not-too-gently tugged along by a much older man. The name that hovered above his head was Dexter Porter, and he was practiced in his craft. He cleverly and expertly claimed to be Trinity’s father and was sternly taking her home. If Beyond didn’t know better, he might have believed it. But once approached, Trinity was clearly drugged, and her remaining lifespan suggested that her death was not going to be an accident.

In case Dexter was a step-father, Beyond asked for their names. Trinity was too incapacitated to respond, and Dexter might have gotten away with his crime if he hadn’t lied about his identity and claimed again that they had the same surname. After that, Beyond pretended to be satisfied and let them proceed. Just as they were passing each other, however, Beyond rammed his shoulder into Dexter, surprising him and faltering his balance. In the second it would have taken for him to regain it, Beyond swung his fist at the man’s jaw. Not hard enough to knock him out, but it got him on the ground.

A wrestling match commenced between the two, but Beyond already had the upper hand, and all he had to do was stall for time. Police were called and arrived on the scene. Trinity was tested for drugs and taken care of, the few injuries Beyond received were treated, and an investigation opened on Dexter.

Two days later, Beyond visited Trinity’s apartment to check up on her. The poor girl didn’t think anything of the fact that he’d found her address. Instead she was more concerned with thanking him profusely for saving her that night. Then, there at her doorstep, they planned a date for that evening. If only she knew she wasn’t saved from anything. Trinity Goldberg was doomed to die in less than eight hours. And Beyond Birthday wanted to know how.

They were walking along an empty bridge in the cold night air of mid-spring, over an hour into their date. Trinity had only minutes left. This was not the first time Beyond had been this close to someone who was on the brink of death. First was his grandmother. Then his father. Then his mother, and all the other passengers who boarded the same train. Another handful of others, and then of course… A, just before he hung himself…

Beyond’s expression darkened. A was dead, and the existence of L was to blame for how it happened. He wanted L to pay. He couldn’t kill him, L wasn’t supposed to die for another sixty years, but Beyond wondered if he could ruin him. Destroy his reputation. So many ideas have spun in his head as to how he could do it–his favorite was to create a criminal case that was too difficult for L to solve–but none of them have stuck, as endless problems arose to successfully execute any plan.

However… Every death he’d witnessed, every victim of fate he’d ever crossed paths with, he’d try to alter the outcome. He learned quickly they would still die regardless of anything he did, but through experimentation, he discovered he could change how. He also couldn’t kill before their time was up, he’d tried that too. But Trinity was going to die in just a few minutes. If he timed it just right…

That would open up a lot of options for how he could ruin L.

Beyond glanced at Trinity, she was still talking about her childhood pet, and stared at her number. He stopped at the center of the bridge and leaned against the railing. She followed suit. He kept her occupied with conversation topics. The number ticked lower. He nonchalantly glanced around, successfully avoiding suspicion by appearing as though he was simply looking at the clouds and scenery. They were completely alone. Which then begged the question, how was she going to die? The barricade over the edge of the bridge was too high for her to trip and tumble over by accident. Unless she sat on it and lost her balance…?

It dawned on him then. Fate had decided she was going to die in less than five minutes from now, and had made that decision the moment she was born. He saved her from being trapped in a killer’s basement. Or if not trapped, she’d be set free after the man had his fun with her and she’d take her own life, unable to cope with the horror of what she’d gone through. Or be hit by a car. Or accidentally swallow glass. Or any number of things, really, there was no way to tell. If you saved someone from one thing, everything else will align to ensure the time of death remains the same.

And everything had aligned that there was no other way she could die, except by his hands.

He’d learned earlier on their date that going to the bar was a regular activity for Trinity, specifically for the purpose of finding a date. She was a young and outgoing woman–barely a year older than he was–relishing in new experiences, even when they were dangerous. Though the event just two days ago was the first time she’d ever been drugged, so by her perception up until that point, she was safe. But despite that, despite the very close call she’d just had, she had no reservations in being alone, outside of any public eyes, with a man she’d never met and knew nothing about. Though in her defense, the information she did have about Beyond was that he’d saved her from the close call, so it was a reasonable assumption that he was a safe person. It nonetheless taught him that she was spontaneous. Which made him wonder…

Beyond tilted his head as he watched her talk. He got closer, brushing his hand against hers. She noticed, grinning, and returned the gesture by getting closer to him as well, looking into his eyes and, very quickly, at his lips. Just as he thought, to her, a first date was plenty of time for a kiss with someone new. After all, she was young and outgoing. So he leaned down and did just that, and she eagerly complied. He repositioned his body to press her against the railing while he trapped her there between his arms, and she was none the wiser.

She urged the kiss into something more heated, more passionate, and this time he followed her, keeping count in his head at the same pace as her timer. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he lifted her up to sit on the railing. She commented with a laugh that he was stronger than he looked, before immediately returning her lips to his, and spreading her legs to both let him stand closer, and to lend a hint that she wanted more.

He played along with the subtle request and ran his right hand down her thigh, prompting a giggle that bled into a moan as she held him tighter. He reached his left hand into his hoodie pocket and grabbed the bundle of napkins he kept from the restaurant they went to for dinner. Beyond pulled away, successfully playing it off that he was out of breath, and took one last glance at her timer. Less than a minute left.

What would happen if he did it early? By his understanding of the numbers, she wouldn’t die, her heart wouldn’t stop beating, until it reached zero. But the question he really wanted to know was whether or not he had to time it absolutely perfectly. Did he have to calculate how long it would take for her to fall, and he wouldn’t be able to push her until then? Would fate decide it was close enough and her timer would stop prematurely? Or… what?

She grinned at him as she gasped for air. Beyond Birthday tilted his head as he made a decision. Trinity Goldberg was going to die anyway. He repositioned his right hand to the back of her head, and she took it as a gesture to pull her into another kiss. The only thing he timed was when she inhaled. When she did, he shoved the napkins into her mouth, while holding a tight grip of her head to lodge them in her throat. Just as planned, she unwrapped her arms from around his neck in shock, and reached to ungag herself, amidst muffled chokes.

As soon as she moved, he returned his grip to the underside of her thigh and put his other hand on her shoulder, then thrust her off the ledge. Curious, he watched her fall. All she could do was look up, hair in her face, and helplessly reach toward him.

Trinity hit the rocks in the shallow stream, landing at an odd angle on her neck and back of her head. It didn’t immediately kill her. Instead, she laid there, her name and single-digit number still above her head. And then she twitched. Beyond had to admit, it was a gruesome sight. It was too dark to see if she was bleeding from her skull into the stream, or if her demise would come by drowning in her own bile as she convulsed again, wanting to vomit out the napkins. Or if the seizures snapped her neck the rest of the way.

Either way, Trinity Goldberg died after thirty-one seconds, when her number finally reached zero.

DeviantArt Comic Tumblr Instagram Twitter AO3 YouTube Discord: @nightfurynova4112

[alexanderwales]

TV Review: Ludwig

Ludwig is a very formulaic murder mystery show about a puzzle-setter who impersonates his twin brother as a detective. It's on the BBC, the first season is only 6 episodes, and it's got David Mitchell as an affably neurotic and somewhat frumpy upper class puzzle-setter, which was the real draw for me. Spoilers follow, but not the mystery solutions, just a bit of the season plot.

There are tons and tons of eccentric detective shows, and I've watched a fair few in my time. This is one of a subset, where the eccentric detective is not actually a detective, but brings in his own unique perspective from whatever his profession is, in this case, puzzles. One of my favorite detective shows of the last few years, The Afterparty, had the lead be a guy who designs escape rooms, and it's just a particularly sort of nerdy that I enjoy. (It honestly makes me yearn for a detective show where every case is solved by the lead being the biggest nerd ever, always having his epiphany on the basis of something he read in Star Wars fanfic or something, or looking at his poseable anime figure or something.)

There are two things this show does that really irritate me, and in fact this might be more of a "things that bug me about BBC's Ludwig and eccentric detective shows in general" thing than a proper review.

Ludwig's premise is that John is taking the place of his identical twin brother James, who has gone missing. James is a detective, John is a puzzle-setter, and it turns out that having a mind for puzzles makes you an excellent detective. There's often a "theme" for the case of the week, like "spot the difference" or "reverse chess", some puzzle that provides insight into the case. I found this theming to be somewhat on the light side, and wanted more of a puzzle-minded take on things. Here, it felt more like an informed ability, an "ah, this is just like reverse chess" and then we don't get to see any of the actual steps. Not really fair play, which ... I guess I can deal with, but I would prefer if the solutions were possible to guess at.

So one of the things about Ludwig is that John is pretending to be his brother for most of it, and while this is milked for some humor value, it's also extremely illegal, and when it comes to the rights of the accused, very fucked up. He's never the arresting officer, but he goes into crime scenes, handles evidence, interviews witnesses, and compels people to be present for a grand speech at the end, one of the staples of the show (which they hang a lampshade on more than once, since yeah, it does seem like a hassle for everyone involved to be summoned to a specific location by the police).

If this happened in the real world, which of course it could not, every case he solved would be in jeopardy, even the ones where he got a confession. In a criminal trial, the detectives usually need to take the stand, and this is a one way ticket toward a loss of credibility for the entire police force. Aside from impersonating a police officer being illegal, I would also argue that it's immoral, and that a basic understanding of the rights of the public should say that randos shouldn't be allowed to conduct investigations.

I kept thinking to myself "well now how are they going to square that", since it was clear that they were aware it was an issue that he was lying to everyone all the time, even people who were kind of friends with him. And in the end, he reveals that he was John all along, and then the Superintendent sweeps it under the rug. She puts forward a piece of paper says "hey, date this today, sign it, we're going to just pretend that all those cases were solved by your brother".

And like ... what? This is what you're doing? You're depriving these criminals of due process with a conspiracy that at least half a dozen people are privy to? You're just going to lie?

I wouldn't mind this if it didn't feel like the show was endorsing it, but it does feel like the show is endorsing it, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief, even though there is now this much bigger thing hanging over everyone's head, and it's now a police-endorsed miscarriage of justice rather than someone making a clown of the police. Call me a soft-hearted liberal, but I think the police shouldn't engage in conspiracies against the public, even the accused. (Also this feels like it's creating some big problems down the road, if any of these cases go to trail, because they're not going to be able to put James on the stand, and also if anyone pokes at any of these investigations it's going to require a lot of lying under oath from everyone else involved.)

The show has been renewed for a second series, and I'll probably watch it, but this time John will be back as a "consultant" rather than impersonating his twin brother, which makes me feel better at the whole "justice" angle of things. These shows are most often not about justice, they're more puzzles than anything else, and perhaps that's the mindset I should be going in with, but it does make me cringe. My favorite moments were not the mystery aspects, but instead seeing David Mitchell being awkward and neurotic and saying things like "I've never cared for metaphors, don't call a thing another thing, just say what it is".

[thegoldheartlocketandkey-blog]

911 Spoilers Season 2: You’ve been warned. 😅

Episode 11-14

Episode 11

• This mostly an Athena and Maddie episode. Honestly one of my favorite episodes. So, much Drama and we sadly get to meet Doug. We technically don’t know he’s Doug, but early on we as a viewer know, the vibes are off.

• Buck is helping Maddie, teaching her self defense. Brother sister bonding time, we learn Buck is dating Ally, but she’s in NY. Maddie pokes fun at all of Buck’s Girlfriends leaving.

• During the Shark rescue, Buck and Eddie standing near each other. Buck is extremely excited about the shark being released back into the ocean. Bobbie and Eddie standing near each other happy admiring the scene.

• Maddie asks Chimney out on a real date. The 118 standing watching this happen from the second floor and proceeds to cheer/taunt Chimney as Maddie leaves. Eddie and Buck standing near each other. Eddie being extra silly.

Episode 12

• Chimney begins. Great episode! Timing wise is tragic, because of the cliffhanger in previous episode. Still amazing.

• No Buddie.

Episode 13

• Buck finds Chim stabbed on ground, realizes Maddie has gone missing.

• Eddie goes to the hospital, is there for Chimney.

• Buck is helping in the way Buck knows how to in trying to track down Maddie. Buck stealing crime scene evidence, Chim’s Phone, out of desperation in trying to find his sister.

• Buck getting caught stealing Chimney’s phone, Eddie criticizing Buck, but ultimately understanding why he did it.

• Eddie attempts to comfort Buck.

• Athena takes Buck with her to further investigate and find Maddie.

• Hen, Bobby, and Eddie stay at the hospital waiting for Chimney to wake up.

• Eddie meets Michael.

This is not a Buddie episode but seeing how everyone reacts to Maddie’s situation with Doug. This episode really show cases how the 118 is a family, and how close they all have become. The fact that even Christopher was at the hospital waiting for Chimney. Shannon was also there and was trying to comfort Eddie. It might be my own delusion but it seemed like Eddie would have preferred her not to be there.

Over all super emotional episode. Maddie is experiencing something so incredibly traumatizing and the people around her that care so deeply for her, are experiencing a trauma along side to her. In a way show casing the people that will always be there.

Episode 14

• Eddie and Buck being apart of Bobby’s presentation for Harry’s class.

• Buck and Eddie sitting next to each other on the Engine when having to patrol LA.

• Baby birth emergency where the mom experiences complications after giving birth. The moment when everyone thinks mom is dead, Eddie spechieally looks over at Buck.

• We get this iconic GIF Moment

• Buck falls off ladder truck trying to save kid, Eddie is on the ground watching Buck closely.

• Eddie scales the building to save the child. Buck is overly concerned over Eddie’s safety, but acknowledges that he would be yelled at if he attempted the same stunt.

• Eddie saves kid, but is trapped in the burning building. Low on oxygen. Buck is outside, freaking out, wanting to charge into the burning building.

I understand Buck is always willing to do the risky saves for just about anyone, and is always putting his life at risk. But this knowledge isn’t inherent, we don’t really understand Buck’s suicidal tendencies until season 4 honestly. We can make assumptions, but nothing is really concrete until we meet the parents. So if you’ve only watched up to season 2, you can safely assume Buck’s eagerness to get in there is tied to it being Eddie. But in all honesty, I know Buck would have the same eagerness if it was Hen or Bobby. This specific moment is simply just an analysis on who Buck is as a person.

• Buck runs towards Eddie and makes fun of Eddie’s spiderman stunt. Obviously was worried and now relieved, this is Buck’s attempt at masking those emotions with humor.

[nicnak20]

Danger free:

<Part 4>

The weight lifted from Nicholas’s shoulders didn’t disappear entirely, but it definitely lightened. Hanging up the phone, he finally allowed himself to breathe. Relief washed over him, pure and cleansing after days steeped in the grime of the city’s underbelly. Flanagan was caught. Behind bars. He wouldn’t harm anyone else. Least of all, Yn.

And Yn… her voice, shaky at first with residual fear and relief, had settled into a quiet warmth. He’d heard it, felt it resonate down the line when she accepted his invitation. Coffee sounds… very nice. The simple words had sent a current of unexpected warmth through him, replacing the cold dread that had been his constant companion.

He stood by the window of his small Manhattan apartment, looking out at the grid of lights below. The city, usually a chaotic, demanding entity, seemed almost peaceful tonight. This wasn’t just a case closed; it felt like a chapter ending, and another, tentatively, beginning. The image of Yn, resilient and kind even after everything, filled his mind. He wasn’t just curious about the case details now; he was curious about her.

The next few days were a blur of paperwork, interviews, and the slow unwinding of a high-stress investigation. Yet, through it all, the thought of calling Yn, figuring out that coffee date, remained a quiet anchor. He waited a couple of days, giving them both space to process, to simply be free from the immediate threat.

When he finally called, her voice was clear, calm, and welcoming. They chose a small, unassuming café in a quiet part of Greenwich Village, far from the precinct and the scene of the crime. He arrived first, nursing a black coffee, watching the street, his detective instincts still humming beneath the surface, a low, familiar thrum.

When she walked in, a quiet elegance about her, dressed simply but thoughtfully, a real smile touched his lips. It wasn't the weary, official smile he'd worn for days, but something genuine, responding to the warmth in her eyes as she spotted him.

"Nicholas," she said, her voice soft, a small, gentle smile gracing her lips.

"Yn," he replied, standing up. He gestured to the seat opposite him. "Thanks for meeting me."

"Thank you," she said, sitting down. "For… everything."

He waved a hand dismissively. "Just doing my job." But his eyes lingered on her, searching for any lingering shadows of the trauma. She seemed lighter than he'd seen her, the tension around her shoulders eased, the wariness in her eyes softened. The absence of fear on her face was a relief he hadn't realized he was holding his breath for.

They ordered coffee. The initial conversation was cautious, treading lightly around the edges of the recent events. She spoke briefly, calmly, about the aftermath – the shock, the fear slowly dissipating, the overwhelming relief. He listened, his gaze steady, offering a quiet nod, a gentle word when needed. He didn't press for details she wasn't offering. This wasn't an interrogation.

Instead, the conversation gradually drifted, finding unexpected currents. They talked about the city they both lived in, the small things that made it home. Books they liked, music, favorite quiet spots. He discovered a witty, insightful mind beneath her calm exterior, a resilience forged not just by recent events, but by life. She, in turn, seemed intrigued by the layers beneath his serious, somewhat intimidating facade – the kindness, the unexpected flashes of humor, the quiet depth.

The coffee grew cold, the afternoon light shifted through the cafe window. Hours seemed to melt away. There was an easy, comfortable silence between them sometimes, a shared understanding that felt surprising for people who had met under such grim circumstances.

When they finally said goodbye outside the café, the unspoken hanging in the air was palpable. This wasn't just closure on a case debrief. This was a connection.

He called her again the next day. And the day after that. Coffee turned into dinner. Dinner turned into evenings spent talking late into the night at one of their apartments. Manhattan became the backdrop to their burgeoning relationship, its anonymity a strange kind of shield.

Slowly, tenderly, they began dating. It felt both incredibly natural and intensely private. Yn, having been thrust into the terrifying public eye, cherished the quiet intimacy. She was healing, finding her equilibrium again, and Nicholas's steady presence was a balm. His protectiveness, which had been so focused on keeping her safe from a physical threat, now manifested as a gentle attentiveness, anticipating her needs, offering comfort without smothering her.

He saw her cautiousness, a residue of what she'd been through and perhaps something deeper in her nature, and respected it, moving at her pace.

And Nicholas… he was falling, softly but surely. He, the tough, determined detective, found himself disarmed by her gentle strength, her quiet warmth, her sharp intelligence. The gruff exterior he presented to the world melted away when he was with her. He was affectionate, patient, understanding.

The hot-headed streak was there, buried deep, but with Yn, he felt a calm he hadn’t known he was missing. Spending time with her, whether curled up on his sofa watching a movie or walking hand-in-hand through a less-trafficked park, felt less like dating and more like coming home.

They kept it a secret. It wasn't a dramatic, clandestine affair born of infidelity, but a quiet, deliberate choice. For Yn, it was a return to normalcy, a way to reclaim her privacy after her life had been so publicly disrupted. For Nicholas, it was more complex.

There were the implicit professional boundaries – a detective getting involved with someone connected to a major case, even one that was closed, could invite scrutiny. He also felt a deep, protective instinct towards this. Towards them. He didn't want the scrutinizing gaze of the precinct, the gossip, the potential complications, to touch the fragile beauty of what they were building.

His apartment, tucked away on a quiet side street, became their sanctuary. Hers, too, though they often preferred the distance from the area where her trauma had occurred. They learned each other’s rhythms, shared small intimacies, built a world just for two within the vast sprawl of the city.

They avoided crowded restaurants downtown, opted for quiet neighborhood bars or cooking meals in. At the precinct, Nicholas was the same serious, focused detective. No lingering looks across busy rooms, no casual mentions. It was a stark divide between his professional life and this blossoming joy.

And it worked. For a while. Weeks turned into a couple of months. Yn was visibly flourishing. The mysterious caution that had initially veiled her had softened, replaced by a comfortable openness, a loving devotion towards him that mirrored his own deepening feelings. She smiled more freely, laughed more easily. She was safe, truly safe, and that safety had allowed her warmth to fully bloom.

But for Nicholas, the secrecy, while initially feeling protective, began to weigh on him. It was a subtle pressure at first. A quick glance to make sure no one from work saw him walking with her blocks away from the precinct. A careful choice of words on the phone if a colleague was nearby. Pretending he had plans alone when asked about his weekend.

His gut instincts, usually reliable navigators of danger and deception, were now humming a different tune – a low-level anxiety about being deceptive. He wasn't doing anything wrong, not morally. He was falling in love with a wonderful woman. But the hiding gnawed at him.

He’d sit at his desk at the precinct, buried in cold cases or current investigations, and a wave of affection for Yn would wash over him. He’d want to share a small detail of his day, a funny anecdote. But he couldn’t. Not here. The walls of the precinct felt higher, the silence about his personal life heavier.

He saw his colleagues talk freely about their partners, their weekends, their lives outside the job. He contributed general remarks, kept his head down. The separation felt increasingly artificial, a barrier he himself had erected. What if someone saw them? What would he say? How would he explain that the woman he'd worked so hard to protect was now the woman he woke up next to on weekends?

He worried about the implications for his career. Not just formal consequences, but the shift in dynamics, the questions, the potential for it to be misconstrued, even innocuously. More than that, he worried about Yn. If their relationship ever became public knowledge through some accidental slip or sighting, would it drag her back into the periphery of the job, into the public eye she had retreated from?

His protective instinct, which had been so clear-cut when facing down a criminal, felt tangled and complicated now. He was protecting their relationship by hiding it, but the hiding itself felt like a potential vulnerability.

He looked at Yn, so happy, so secure in their private world. He loved seeing her like this, free from the fear, embracing joy. The thought of anything disrupting that peace was unbearable. This was why he kept the secret. To safeguard this.

Yet, the strain was undeniable. It wasn't just the logistics; it was the emotional compartmentalization. Being Nicholas, the Detective at work, serious and guarded, and Nicholas, in love at home, gentle and open. The two halves of his life were diverging, and he wasn’t sure how long he could maintain the split without something giving.

He laid in bed next to Yn one night, listening to her soft, even breathing. He gently brushed a strand of dark hair from her face, his heart swelling with tenderness. She stirred slightly, leaning into his touch with a sleepy murmur. This was real. This was everything he hadn't known he was looking for.

How long could they keep this quiet? How long before a chance encounter, a nosy colleague, an innocent mistake, brought their carefully constructed private world crashing into the demanding reality of his job? He didn't have an answer. All he knew was that he wanted this, her, more than he wanted to play it safe.

But the protective instincts that had made him a good detective, the ones that had drawn him to Yn in the first place, now made him question the very foundation their happiness was built upon. The secret felt like a fragile shell, protecting something precious within, but vulnerable to the slightest crack.

He just didn't know when, or if, that crack would appear. Until then, he would cherish every stolen moment, every quiet night, every smile shared only between them and hope like hell that their love was strong enough to withstand whatever came next.

[cultivating-wildflowers]

Brief descriptions below the cut:

Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark - Shawn and Gus solve a mystery involving an ice cream truck. Origin of the beloved text-from-a-kidnapper's-trunk: "bin shot not lol".

Office Space - Gus rage-quits his job, then returns that evening to discover later that his boss has been murdered. And his fingerprints are all over the crime scene.

Last Night Gus - Shawn, Gus, Henry, Lassie, and Woody all wake up completely disoriented and have to piece together what happened the night before. "You killed Bobo!"

100 Clues - A parody of the 1985 masterpiece "Clue". With a secret chocolate room.

Tuesday the 17th - Shawn and Gus are invited back to their old summer camp to investigate a disappearance. "I've seen enough slasher movies to know that when a brother goes out to the woods, he doesn't even sorta come back."

Mr. Yin Presents - Mr. Yin lays out clues based on Alfred Hitchcock films. The episode ends with one of my favorite interactions between Lassie and Jules (though it is also a little heartbreaking).

Lights, Camera...Homicido - Shawn gets a role on a telenovela. "Me gusto queso."

Scary Sherry: Bianca's Toast - Jules enlists the boys' help in solving a series strange events surrounding a sorority. The boys discover they created an urban legend.

Bollywood Homicide - Shawn and Gus help a man who is convinced he has a curse that threatens any woman he dates.

Shawn (and Gus) of the Dead - Mummies!

[duhragonball]

JoJolion Ch. 109-110

Maybe the real JoJo Lion was the GUARDRAIL FROM 1941.

So, this is the "Radio Gaga Incident" a two-part arc that closes out Part 8. Like the mad lad he is, Hirohiko Araki ends the longest Jojo part ever by flashing back seventy years before the story's setting. What can we possibly gain from this? Well, it pissed off a lot of fans, and it kind of annoyed me too at the time, but I've made peace with it. Let's see if we can find the meaning together.

So it's 1941, and Lucy Steel from Part 7 has just arrived in Morioh. She was 14 in Steel Ball Run, which would make her 65 here. She's looking good, but not too good. Araki keeps introducing these older women in his stories and forgetting to make them look old, like Holly Kira and Caato Higashikata. That might be because Araki himself is getting up there in years, so maybe he's developed a blind spot with this sort of thing. But with Lucy, he seemed to get it right. She's got that Angela Lansbury face going on. She doesn't turn as many heads these days, but that guy at the train station who's here to pick her up? Yeah, he's checking her out. He won't carry her luggage to the car, so he's not that interested, but he's checking her out.

Some guy offers to carry her stuff, but he actually steals it instead, and no one will help. But the thief bumps into a young man as he runs, and then...

Coming through, coming through, coming through now

Coming through, coming through, coming through now

Coming through, coming through, coming through

Shake it like it's heat, Overdrive!

Yeah, it's Joseph Joestar. This doesn't quite get revealed until Chapter 110, but come on. It's 1941, and we all saw his name on the family tree. From the beginning of Part 8, I wondered if we'd get a flashback to other Joestars besides Johnny, and since Holly's already in the story and George was seen in Johnny's dead scene, that just leaves the one option. So as soon as a young man appeared in this flashback, I was wondering if it could be Joseph, and this bit where he foils a thief with his shoe basically clinched it.

And you know, Part 2's my favorite, so I can't get too mad at Part 8 for ending on a flashback to some Part Two-y goodness. Just the setting it nice. Battle Tendency never went anywhere near Japan, but the late 30's/early 40's aesthetic is still there.

Joseph carries her luggage to the car too, because he's such a nice young man, but he balks when Lucy offers him a part time job assisting her with her research. She wants to check out this orchard because she learned about some weird new fruit and she thinks people are bringing it to Japan. But Joseph is here to pick up his date from the train station, and besides, that place is the site of the "Radio Gaga incident". He doesn't think she needs to be snooping around there, regardless of whether he helps her or not.

But when he goes to meet his date, he suddenly realizes his wallet is missing. That thief grabbed it when he bumped into Joseph earlier, and Joseph was so focused on saving Lucy's stuff that he didn't bother to stop the thief from getting away. So now he wants the job. I'm not sure if his date canceled on him or if he's still got time to make enough money to make it up to her, but he's all in on Lucy's offer now. What confuses him, though, is that she's not with the police or any other authorities. She's with the Speedwagon Foundation, and she's here to study the land the orchard is growing on. Joseph is amazed that she didn't come here to investigate a crime, since the Radio Gaga incident might as well be a crime.

I like this bit here, where she explains that as you get older, you find a purpose for yourself in life. Not a job, but something chosen for you by heaven, or the universe, or fate, or whatever you want to call it. "Something you do for the world at large or for the sake of one particular person". That captures the spirit of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure pretty well, and Part 8 in particular.

So what was the Radio Gaga Incident? On the way to the site in the photograph, Joseph explains that there was a young couple on this road, near that guardrail, and the woman thought she heard someone calling out to her. Then she approached the guardrail, apparently took off all her clothes, and vanished. I don't think Lucy particularly cares much about this story, since she only came her to investigate the land, and this just happens to offer a great view of the orchard for photography, but as she starts setting up her equipment, the chauffeur starts hearing things and he approaches the guardrail, just like the woman in the story.

Then he loses his clothes, and vanishes. A truck drove by, so they couldn't see what happened to him, but it just doesn't make sense.

Joseph wants to leave immediately, but Lucy is fascinated. She came here looking for the Locacaca plant, but finding something else weird in this place is familiar to her. But as she ponders this mystery, she hears a strange voice calling to her, and it leads her closer to the guardrail. At first she thinks it's Joseph, but he's calling her to the car, so they can leave. Also, there seems to be some sort of siren song aspect to the voice, where Lucy can't resist its call.

Turns out, the guardrail itself is the culprit behind all this. It lures its victims toward it, then it sucks them into the thin gap where one section of rail is bolded to another. The victims lose their clothes first because this suction is powerful enough to rip the clothes right off a person. Then they get pulled in themselves, as we see in this page with the interior view of the driver's mangled body inside the guardrail.

So yeah, it's another bullshit Rock Animal. Well, this one's probably a Rock Insect, like the ones Toru used against Josuke. I mean, there's nothing insect-like about this thing, but that goes for the other Rock Insects as well. They just seem to disguise themselves as other objects and completely fuck up their prey with mind powers and other crazy powers.

Joseph pulls Lucy to safety before it's too late, but then something comes out of the guardrail to try to pull her back in. To their horror, they realize it's the driver.

Somehow, against all reason, the Guardrail creature is keeping the driver's body alive, and even using him as a proxy to recapture Lucy. That seems pretty far-fetched, even for Rock Insects, but then again, I'm still trying to figure out if Josuke ever pulled out a big wad of asbestos from his butt.

Somehow, Lucy gets clear, but Joseph is getting pulled in, and as his clothes are shredded, she notices a star-shaped birthmark on him. That gives her a clue, so she tells Joseph to use the car to save himself. She doesn't know how he can start the car from so far away, but she's sure he can do it, and she knows he knows it too.

So he flings his shoe at the car's trunk, which causes a bunch of stuff to spill out of it, and then...

HERMIT PURPLE FUCK YEAH!

Lucy can't even see it, but she's still making out for this. As far as I can tell, Part 8 Joseph needs a physical cable to make Hermit Purple work. Part 3 Joseph would have just sent the thorny vines to the car, but here it's like he had to pop the trunk first, get that power cord and channel Hermit Purple through it in order to reach the car with it. Maybe this is just how Hermit Purple works when you're just starting out. Part 3 Joseph might have had the same issues with it until he learned how to extend his range without a rope.

The end result is classic Joseph, though. Guardrail monster got you down? Just hit it with an entire car! That's how we do things in Part Two, you silicon-based motherfucker!

But Joseph's not done yet. It's called "Overdrive" not "A regular amount of drive". We achieved that with the car, of course, but Joseph needs to put an exclamation point on this. He briefly spots a pair of balls on a string? Like, this is supposed to be a reference to his Clacker Volley technique from Part 2, and that's awesome, but I have no idea what that would be here in Lucy's luggage. Joseph doesn't know either so he tosses 'em away and attacks the guardrail with some Part 2 beef. Also, Hermit Purple has a face in Part 8. Well good for him. I'm glad Hermit Purple is trying new things.

But we're still not done, because there's one more technique Joseph needs to employ...

Nigerundayo! Lucy!

As they flee, Lucy asks Joseph his name again, since he introduced himself as "Fumi-kun" earlier, but the birthmark identifies him as a relative of Johnny Joestar. Joseph explains that he's Johnny's grandson, and his grandmother Rina named him "Joseph", which in Japanese is "Josefu", and so people call him "Fumi-kun".

Lucy gets wistful over this, since the last time she saw Johnny was when she followed him here in 1901 to retrieve the Saint Corpse, and he was already dead by that point.

Actually, now that I think of it, this starts to add up. I thought it was Lucy who chased after Johnny in 1901, but the scanlation I read at the time left me thinking she was working for the government. But now we know she was with Speedwagon, and that makes more sense. At the end of Part 7, there was this big vault that the Saint Corpse was supposed to be hidden in, but Lucy stopped Dio from using it, and it was unclear what happened to it afterward. But maybe in the aftermath, Lucy searched for someone to help her decide how to deal with the Saint Corpse, and ended up getting to know the Speedwagon Foundation. It makes more sense for them to be the ones keeping the Saint Corpse, since leaving it in the hands of the U.S. government was Funny Valentine's plan from the beginning.

Anyway, as Lucy rides Joseph to safety, she catches a glimpse of Toru planting Locacaca plants in the orchard. Well, sure, it makes sense that he was around back then, but if he was bringing Locacaca fruit into Japan for seventy years straight...

I mean, the smuggling ring seemed like a recent operation. They needed Jobin to launder their profits, and that didn't happen until 2009 or so. And the research at TGU Hospital probably didn't start until 2001, when Toru began posing as Dr. Akefu.

I guess what confuses me is that he was at this for decades, but why did it take so long for him to execute this plan? Maybe he got sidetracked with some other project? Anyway, it's possible that Toru put the Radio Gaga creature out there on the highway to keep people away from his work, but it also might have been living their naturally. And Lucy does start bleeding from the mouth after she sees Toru, but she already had a lung disease leading into this story, so I'm not sure if she experienced a calamity.

Joseph leaves his sandals behind, and he was so worried about Holly that he accompanied her back home to New York. Then World War II happened, so they couldn't return to Japan. Holly died in 1944, and Joseph got a job in America and eventually became a naturalized citizen. Years later, Joseph would marry Suzie Q and have a daughter, Holly, who would become a doctor in Morioh, etc. etc.

Then we return to the present. Josuke and Yasuho are leaving the hospital after visiting Holly. Now that Kei is dead, Josuke is the only family she has left. Yasuho asks Josuke if there's any hope for Holly now that the Locacaca branch is gone. Josuke doesn't think so. Maybe someone could find a Locacaca plant in New Guinea, but there's no one left who would know where to look.

And this bothered me a lot, because it seemed like the whole point of JoJolion was Josuke's mission to save Holly, and it looks like he's failed. I think fans held out some hope that this would get picked up in Part 9, except JoJoLands is set about a decade later, and there's no way Holly could have survived that long in her 2011 condition.

I think it might have been easier to take if Holly simply died in this story. That would have provided some closure, but instead she's still in a coma. And maybe the hospital will have to move her to palliative care, like they tried to do after Kira's payments stopped, but her only chance was the Locacaca and that's gone now. Part 8 ends with her no better off than when she started, and it's implied that she'll just continue to deteriorate until she finally dies.

In the parking lot, they notice Josefumi Kujo's mother, and Yasuho points her own. Josuke knows her name and face by now, because he learned about her from Karera. But he no longer cares about connecting with her, or anyone else Kira or Josefumi may have known. He's spent this whole story trying to recover their memories, but there are none. That's because he's not Kira or Josefumi, no matter how badly he might wish it were otherwise.

And this is the true conclusion of Josuke's character arc. He only took up the quest to save Holly because he wanted to continue the mission Kira and Josefumi had begun before they got merged together. If he couldn't have their memories, he could at least take up their cause. It's like Lucy said earlier, as you live, you find a mission for yourself, something you do for a person or the whole world. The other JoJo's each found their own cause, and had to give up parts of their former lives to take up those causes. But Josuke had no former life. For him, the cause was all he had. He used it to try to define his identity.

And now that quest is over. Yes, he failed to save Holly, but he still saw it through. The truth is that the Locacaca fruit never would have saved Holly. It was the cause of her illness, not the cure, so I think that's one reason Josuke isn't sorry that it's lost forever. Maybe he would have sacrificed himself to save Holly with the New Locacaca's power, but I don't think Holly would have wanted that. In the end, all Josuke could do was avenge Holly, and Yoshikage, and Josefumi, and everyone else who died in opposition to the Rock Humans. That'll have to be enough.

But in pursuing that quest, even if Josuke didn't accomplish what he set out to do, he discovered himself. He has a past now, even if its only a few weeks' worth. He has friends and family, and dead to mourn. That's what this is really all about. Instead of trying to learn more about the men he used to be, he can focus on the man he is today, and live that life with people like Yasuho.

Speaking of Yasuho, she uses her power to go through Josefumi's mother's phone, and finds old baby photos of Josefumi. So even though it seems like she never cared about her son, it looks like she did have some feelings for him, and that must mean something, right?

Also, Yasuho discovers that Josefumi was named for a sandal his grandfather found by the side of the road, and it had "Josefu" carved into the wood. I know what Araki's going for here, but it sounds really awkward for Yasuho to bring this up to Josuke when even she doesn't know what it means.

Finally, Josuke and Yasuho arrive at the Higashikata Fruit Parlor, where the surviving Higashikata family are trying to pick out a cake for when Norisuke gets out of the hospital. He's going to be okay, although you have to imagine he'll never be quite the same after this. I mean, Jobin attacked him, and that's bad enough, but Jobin and Caato are dead now, and that has to be tough on him.

Anyway, there's plenty of cakes to choose from, but they're all too emotional to decide, so Tsurugi asks Josuke to choose. I'm not sure why Tsurugi is still dressing up like a girl if the curse is broken, but maybe Araki didn't feel like redesigning the character so late in the final chapter.

Josuke is surprised that they want him to make the decision, but they all agree, even Joshuu, who usually would be licking every person in the room and talking about his mom's boobs. I guess losing that arm did him some good after all. So Josuke goes to join them, and Yasuho sheds a tear as she leaves him with his family.

And that's the end. I was disappointed with this scene in 2021, mainly because I've resented the Higashikata family all along. They're all dipshits, and it just so happens that some of them are creepier and dipshittier than others. The idea of Josuke hanging out with them instead of Yasuho irked me. I think it irked a lot of people.

But the Higashikata Family was a throughline for this Part, and again, Josuke's character arc was about him finding a new identity for himself. Part of that is his integration into the Higashikata family. At first, it seemed like they only took him in as a means to an end, but then they became allies, and then friends. Now, after all they've been through, they begin to see one another as family.

The thought occurred to me that Josuke might just have taken Jobin's place in the family. Think about it. Jobin was set to inherit the Fruit Parlor, and now he's dead. Tsurugi can still take over one day. Notice how he was the one who asked Josuke to choose the cake. The little guy is already exerting a certain authority over his aunts and uncle.

But Norisuke's 59, and he's probably not going to be quite as exuberant after this whole ordeal. He'll need someone like Jobin to run things, and he can't wait for Tsurugi to grow up. And as I keep pointing out, Joshuu, Hato, and Daiya are completely unqualified to handle such responsibility. Josuke's the only option.

Early on, Tsurugi told Yasuho about the curse, and how the Higashikata family would sometimes adopt people to continue the family line. I think that's what Norisuke just did with Josuke, although he didn't realize it at the time. Josuke can become Norisuke Higashikata V, run the fruit parlor for a few decades, and then pass it on to Tsurugi once he's ready to become Norisuke VI.

That's why Yasuho left the parlor on the final page. She's Josuke's girlfriend, no doubt, and she's definitely part of his life, but she's not part of Josuke, and that's what this final scene is about. At long last, he has a place to belong, and a life to live, and a home of his own, just like Yasuho has. Going forward, they can have a relationship on equal footing. That's what this is all about.

So yeah... that's it. Part 8 is done. I gotta say, I'm pleased to finally wrap up a complete liveblog of this one, but I didn't expect to have this much fun with it. Maybe I should do another Part one of these days...

Not Part 4, though, because I am sick of typing out "Higashikata".

[mikewheelerfan2022]

Book review: I Hunt Killers

Alright, I’ve never done a book review before, but I Hunt Killers was so good I just have to gush about it. Honestly, when I first saw this book at Barnes & Noble my first response was: this looks cringy. The title and cover both turned me off. I literally judged it by its cover. But then I read the description, and was like “Huh. This looks interesting. I’ll get it.” So I did. It took a while, but I started it last night and read about 100 pages before I was so tired I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore. Today, I’ve been reading it on and off, and managed to finish the remaining about 250 pages. Here are my thoughts.

The book follows Jasper “Jazz” Dent, a completely normal teenager, if you ignore the fact that his father is the world’s most notorious serial killer. So actually not that normal. The book establishes very early that Jazz’s upbringing was really fucked up. This has caused Jazz to have a different thought process from most people. When a normal person looks at a body, they’re disgusted and terrified. But Jazz is cold and fascinated. That makes for a really interesting POV. He’s low-empathy, but he hates it. He doesn’t want to be like his father, in fact a major plot point in the book is how he’s trying to stop himself from turning into his father. It’s genuinely one of the most interesting thought processes I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.

At the beginning of the book, Jazz is sitting in a field, observing a crime scene with binoculars. Police are there, investigating the dead body of a woman. Jazz is intruded, yes. But he doesn’t care too much. Not until he sees what’s in a certain bag of evidence. (Minor spoilers ahead). It’s a finger. Three of the woman’s fingers have been removed, although only one remains at the crime scene. This leads Jazz to a disturbing realization: this isn’t an ordinary murderer. It’s a serial killer. The rest of the storyline follows his attempts to find this serial killer, and put a stop to the killings.

The two other main characters are Howie, Jazz’s best friend and Connie, Jazz’s girlfriend. Howie has a severe case of hemophilia, and bleeds very, very easily. I believe there’s even a passage in the book where it’s described that he’ll bleed if you look at him the wrong way. And yeah, without spoiling, there are a few situations where he does end up bleeding pretty heavily. I actually have a severe phobia of blood, and what’s funny is the descriptions of Howie’s injuries made me way more light headed than the descriptions of the bodies. I actually almost had to put the book down a couple of times and stop reading.

But anyways, on to Connie. I find her to be quite an interesting character. She doesn’t seem to care at all that she’s dating the son of a serial killer. And Jazz is thankful for that sense of normalcy. I wish I could say more about Connie, but I can’t without getting into some spoiler territory. Which sucks, because she’s such an interesting character and I love her so much. But oh well. She’s definitely my second favorite, just behind Jazz, if only because I find Jazz’s internal monologue so interesting.

There are also some more minor characters, which I won’t really get into. But practically every single one of them is a suspect, which is amazing. I constantly kept changing my guess of which one was the killer. Eventually, I just admitted “I don’t know.” Which honestly shocked me. Normally whenever I read a mystery book, I have a guess of who the culprit is, even if my guess is wrong. But with I Hunt Killers, I was genuinely stumped. That just goes to show the author is an absolute master at writing this genre. I was kept on the edge of my seat up until the ending.

Now, the ending. I don’t want to spoil anybody, so I’m not going to go into too much detail. But I loved the ending. I found myself shouting a few…interesting words in reaction to how it all played out. And you know a book is good when the first thing you do is immediately search up to get the sequels. Unfortunately my mom hasn’t put them on hold at the library yet, but hopefully she will soon. Until then, I will be desperately avoiding spoilers. If you have read the series, please don’t spoil me. If you haven’t, go read it right now. I’m serious. Right this second. Go on Amazon or Barnes & Noble and buy I Hunt Killers IMMEDIATELY. Or get it from the library, I don’t care. Either way, you need to read this absolute masterpiece.

5/5 stars!

[theultrablog]

Pulp Storytime #90: On Ice By Eric S. Trautmann

The Parisian stepped out of the taxi. There was supposed to be a club here, but all she saw was a desperate throng of people, police cars, chaos. She stumbled onto the curb, falling into a strong man’s arms. “Oh, pardon moi,” said Claudette, caught up in the man’s eyes. “I’m Marcus… I was just running late, but I think I found the rest of my life.” Flashback, 1926! In the Pulp Storytime offices, we were wondering… Could our 1930s heroes defeat the Chicago mob at the height of its powers? We put Eric S. Trautmann, the genius behind plenty of West End Games' hits, behind the typewriter and he came up with a doozy. Quod he: ‘We start with the two fiercest brawlers we’ve got. Tacíto Velasco, lawyer and boxer inhabited by the Jade Jaguar spirit. Add JP Diamond, ace detective with a bad case of undeath. But we need an egghead, someone with little sugar to mix with all that gunpowder… we’re bringing back a fan favorite, sister Helene Ynez. Electrical genius, woman of the cloth, trained with Einstein. Put in Devika Velyapur too. Kid millionaire, Velasco’s number one client. JP is hired by the Chicago [anti] Crime Commission. A local wise guy has been doing some killing, some bootlegging, and smuggling gems. So our group goes to reporter Eddie Stanchek… who gets whacked, with our heroes caught in the frame job. Normally, they might fight their way out… but they’re smart. Not ‘too smart to get caught’, but smart enough to take on the system… picture it, a Mexican lawyer, taking on the slimiest prosecutor in the Chi Town machine… and getting off with a mistrial! There’s also this really funny scene where the nun takes off her wimple to sneak into a cruddy smoke joint… but it’s a trap! And how does French Ynez rescue Devi from the mob? By calling in a swarm of truant officers! I guess no one in the Cosa thought to pay them off. The Moon Glow nightclub, that’s gonna be a winner. Owned by the mobsters, but the most glamorous place in town. Our gang will split up. Dressed in her civvies, the sister’ll suffer a case of mistaken identity and get a round of drinks as "Claudette". What French woman could say no? I’m sure the PI will enjoy escorting a drunk nun on a sneaking mission.

Meanwhile, Tacíto is the star of the party. He flirts with the coat check girl and gets a date, as well as the hidden location of the boss’s office. Then, while dancing, a gorgeous woman cuts in to make her palooka boyfriend jealous… when the lunk taps the lawyer on the shoulder, he spins the man around, dips him, makes him look like he has two left feet! The jamoke is laughed out of the room. This isn’t [just] a funny book though, so the danger comes back. The group makes it into boss Tony Torponi’s office… and the first thing the nun does is reach for the champagne. But it’s not cold… Because the ice in the bucket is the missing diamonds!

The detective is about to put everything together, when the mob boss and his hired assassin come in the door. The guy’s all in white, calls himself Frost, a real bad ass. (I know we already had a Chicago villain called Frost, but she had a weather control machine, completely different person.) Frost is a real-deal killer, but JP is ready, jumps in for the gun. Jaguar is a smart customer too, hitting Torponi in the throat. Unfortunately, Frost gets a shot off, and the bouncers investigate the noise. Here comes the mob. Tommy guns at close range! Detective Diamond'll get winged, but the nun is gut shot! She pulls herself together, pulls the fire alarm. Jade Jaguar uses the distraction to barrel through the button men. Our heroes flee the club into the Chicago night, gangsters on their heels… And this is the best part. The only other thing open on the block is a radio station. WXXL* is the hot ticket, and our group gives a diamond to the doorman in order to cut the line.

If you don’t know, radio was often performed for an audience, so our quartet runs into the costume room. While Velasco sews up the nun, JP finds the ultimate disguise, complete with a facemask… The Gray Gargoyle! Mafia leg breakers start to patrol the hallway, so the players duck into somewhere else… Which turns out to be the writers’ room. The Gray Gargoyle has licensed his radio show across the country, but tonight’s episode has hit a snare. This is what they have so far:

(Sound Effect: Seagulls, wind, faint sound of cars passing by) Grey Gargoyle: Give it up Rupert! You've nowhere left to run! Rupert: No, Grey Gargoyle! I've got the gun! And I've got Penelope, your sweetheart. One step closer, and I'll throw her off the bridge! Penelope: Don't listen to him, Gargoyle! Use your Tibetan Mind Break on him! He can't stop you! Rupert: Ha! The Grey Gargoyle can't do that and he knows it! He so much as twitches, and you're history! Grey Gargoyle (internal dialogue, tell Emett to use the echo effect): He's right! If I use my Gargoyle Power, he'll see me start to disappear, and then Penelope is...is...finished. And Kabir Rupert, my arch nemesis, will have beaten me!

JP suggests that the hero reveals his secret Gargoyle gas. The writing team loves it, sends them over to sound effects, where they create a passable noise with a bicycle horn and some spackle wrap. They better hurry though, Marcus, the actual actor who plays the Gargoyle might show up…

Meanwhile, Frost is getting closer, so Velasco explores the building, and finds the VIP audience section. Guess who’s a big fan of the Gargoyle? The Al Capone outfit! Our group won't know how to get close, until JP suggests Al would love to meet the lead actor. We have second until showtime, the group goes through all their evidence… Tony had betrayed the commission, screwed up a framejob, and was clearly after Capone’s money. The would-be kingpin arrives too late to argue his case, earning himself not a crown but a pair of concrete boots. Crime solved, the group has to rush to the stage. The only question left: how’ll the Mexican lawyer do on his date?’ READ ‘ON ICE’ IN OUR NEXT ISSUE! [*Not a sponsor! -Ed] Sister Helene:

[newmoussaland]

Last round…:

🏠 Juliette Richards moved out 💋 Thabita started an affair with Silvester Burke and Zeb Rose 🎂 Raymond and Lolla became teens 💁 Lolla got a job in the intelligence career 📈 And got promoted to Crime Scene Investigator 💋 Randy started an affair with Orianna Henry 💡 And changed his aspiration to Popularity 🏫 Raymond maximized the creativity skill 🏫 Romeo maximized the mechanical skill 🎂 Reese and Sabrina became teens 👄 Raymond had his very first kiss with Iris Clark 💋 Thabita started an affair with Hector Benson and Xaden Washington 💸 Taxes were 5,500 §

This round's taxes were 11,600 §

Andrew was walking by and since they haven't been able to catch up for a while (taking care of six children is hard !), I decided to let Tabby have a chat with him.

And let's just act as if he was able to knock some sense into her, making her want to change her aspiration too !

Randy got the want to marry Orianna ! Out of every woman he ever got with, she was the chosen one !

I ain't going to waste a single minute !

Meanwhile, Raymond was busy seducing Iris's sister, Leah.

Lolla got her first kiss with a townie named Perry Hamilton, I didn't even know they were relatively close, but there's too many sims to pay attention to.

More teenager shenanigans...

Tabby and Cade went on a date and BOTH of them want to get married !

One of the boys brought home a townie named Alvin Robertson and Natalia made it very clear that he's hers.

She's a tinkering sim (my least favorite hobby), so she has been building many, many, MANY robots.

Randy randomly got the want to apologize to Vernon, despite it being years that he, well, kicked his butt for getting Tabby pregnant. Better late than never, I guess.

Peace has been restored !

Excuse me ? Wilson just came by, Romeo greeted him, then I went to check something else and just heard the "falling in love" sound effect. I didn't get to see what caused it, and there aren't any kissing memories, just this one. Alright then, I guess Romeo is bi.

Shortly after, he got abducted...

And we end this round with another double birthday !

That's it for now.

[theorist-influencer-untitled]

12.12.24 Thursday -- 2nd week of nana on her therapy... I hope INC or Church Of Christ who are my relatives and some invited fakers friends and mixed people will not harm my nana...

Is Mitch part of the mystery? She gave me a simple battery since 2007??? Mitch got so many followers???

The ritual did a crime on my nana last Thursday 11.28.24???

2:03 am

Still,have windblow...

Again,this will be the saddest if nana can't go back to her existence,knowing that some friends and relatives are part of the mystery...

Like these fakers Con2x Ma. Consolacion Herrera??? A tomboy friend that I met in Salitran Elem. School...Is she as well invited by my Biological Mother? Somewhere...

Did Crysette return today???

12:13 noon

Still,have windblow...

Still, waiting for Maco for her charity on me... Other friends as well....I'm thinking of money and job but it will be holiday season.. I'm waiting for next year.

I feel self-pity.. I wanna go back to gym... I wannna have a nose perfection. I wanna see mt cousin-white and how can I see my hero Daniel? I need a group to investigate...

Still,wanna smash the faces of Manalo'S group those Chiffon Organizers!

1:10 pm

Still,have windblow...

Bill Ease personnel left a calling card on Harold ( brother of Aunt Karen ) the man said RV got a loan for a year now... I just said just tell them the person is not here anymore but will relay this message... Harold sounded like he is putting a pressure on it that it is appearing that he is the one who got problems on that loan.I said just tell them you will relay the message... Awhile ago he looked like he was the one who got problems or he is worrying...

Bill Ease? LEONOR JACINTO STOP IT!! 70%It is Leonor Jacinto who is putting a chaos on my brother or us here...

3:36 pm

Still,have windblow...

I was watching "Dexter" imagine a police blood spatter and a killer of muderer can fall in love and very calm as always... Dexter is a tall guy, he loves Rita a shorty woman who has already 2 kids. Rita is somehow old-fashioned wifey, a decent old school mother. Then, Lila came into the scene a tall girl means got long legs ( like Manalo's and their favorite are long legs/ long-legged hating them so much!!!) and an artist, she is a painter and on program some kind of under cover on something... I'm already on Season 2!

Then, one time Rita and her mother insisted to bring Lila for a lunch or dinner with them... Rita was indirectly showed her jealousy but in a nice way that she wanted Dexter to bring Lila in their house to have lunch or dinner with them. Then,when Dexter brought Lila in the date meal with Rita and Rita's mother, Lila was mature she behaved well but was that real? Does a long legs, an artist, particularly a painter can be fair?

Dexter is still a man! Should I say boys will boys??? There is always a hidden horns and tails on them...

During high school I remember my high school friends, we usually say boys will boys, when someone's bf did something like cheating or being unafaithful...

Then, after the date meal with Lila, Rita wanted Dexter to stay with her overnight to have loving2x moment or sexcapades.But Dexter needs to go out for an hour he told Rita he couldn't stay. Then, after that Rita went to the place of Dexter which they talked awhile ago that she will go there after whatever activity that Dexter needs to do...

Rita is already in Dexter's place it shows that she loves Dexter and she is obviously sweetly jealous of Lila. So, when Rita was in the house of Dexter they gave each other magnetic kisses until they both led to Dexter's bedroom...

When Rita and Dexter were already starting caressing each other leading to supposed to be fucking each other,then suddenly the phone rang in the bedroom of Dexter. Guess who??? It was Lila,talking over the phone leaving him a message and telling something negative about Lila and mentioning something that they had spent overnight and Rita was extremely jealous and angry. She walked-out... The hot steamy sex for that night coz of Rita's sweet jealousy was changed into an extremely hatred emotion that Rita left him...

Then, Dexter went to Lila's place, it was raining...As far as I can remember it rained! It rained! Dexter got wet and Lila comforted him and Dexter didn't use any break...So, it was really an explosion, a steamy sex with Lila... A mind-blowing for Dexter it was as well a rock and roll for Lila... It is more than steamy sex, it was a twister or a tornado...

Then, after that, as far as I can remember, after the scenerio of Dexter and Lila had a super fire ball sex, when Dexter left Lila in Lila's place. Dexter was already preparing in his car,then suddenly Rita called him... Rita wanted a talk that she said sorry coz she didn't give him a chance to explain and Dexter was just quiet listening and said yeah! We should talk and he said to himself that the voices is back again...

My point here,why Dexter will still stick to his shorty Rita if he can still hear voices gets? It is insulting in my part....It means he was lost with Lila, he was into hallucination or high on his mental state but with shorty Rita, Dexter can always keep his sanity.... Gets? I'm not gonna stick with a super tall guy if he is lost with amazons...

In LOVE you shouldn't fake it!

5:12 pm

Still,have windblow...

7:54 pm

Still,have windblow...

There is still a part of me that I'm self-pitying... I feel self-pity... I wanna see my cousin white in blood and flesh not just term to call cousin if he is your bf but not blood related...

Here in the Philippines sometimes we are calling our bf's as cousin or brother but there are some different kinds of being a brother. It is just weird right? But the usual, if Filipinose read the classic English stories,like what I said it is a special case sometimes if you end up with your actual first cousin. There are some "family rules & etiquette"... I explained here on my previous entries...

I always need to stretch coz I still have sciatica,there is still pain... I feel self-pity... Can't afford gym and chiropractor... I can't buy new exercise equipment.

10:49 pm

Still, have windblow...

Drinking coffee... Done,showering....Still, panicking coz I don't have a salary. My final pay will be blown by the wind, in a lil while...

I still feel frustrated angels on so many angles of my life. Sometimes I feel super ugly, I don't know why...

[project1939]

200 Films of 1952

Film number 155: The Captive City

Release date: March 26th, 1952 

Studio: United Artists 

Genre: noir 

Director: Robert Wise 

Producer: Theron Warth 

Actors: John Forsythe, Victor Sutherland, Joan Camden 

Plot summary: Jim Austin is the editor of a small-town newspaper living a seemingly idyllic life with his intellectual wife Marge. One day a frantic private investigator comes to him with a story about local corruption, a gambling syndicate, and the mafia. When the man is almost immediately murdered, Jim becomes determined to expose everything. 

My rating (out of 5 stars): **** 

This film almost escaped my radar, but I’m so glad that it didn’t! It was one of the most enjoyable noirs I’ve watched so far. The story was interesting and well-acted, but what stood out most to me was the look of the film. I would give it four stars for the cinematography alone. Apparently, a new camera lens was used that made deeper focus and wider angles possible, and it really showed. I want to go back and watch it again! 

The Good: 

It was so visually interesting! Right from the beginning it pulled me in with claustrophobically close angles on worried faces, and it kept my attention with lots of interesting tracking shots, low angles, real life views through car windows... and a gorgeous depth of field so noticeable that I was constantly writing about it in my notes. 

The Hoge lens! This is what made all those deep focus shots possible, and it looked fantastic. 

Real locations were obviously used, and the detail in them was like eye candy for me. I actually just learned now that everything was shot on location; there were no sets used.

All of the actors were really effective. Forsythe had a very Henry Fonda-esque vibe to him, and everyone else was quite natural for the time. 

The actors also looked real- there were no heartthrobs or bombshells here- everyone looked like someone you could pass by on the street. 

I liked the character Marge- she wasn’t your typical Hollywood “Good Wife.” She was intelligent, college educated, and wrote a newspaper column. She could be worried and scared, but she never felt like a helpless damsel. 

One of my favorite traits of noirs is the sprinkling of quirky characters in them that don’t specifically propel the plot forward; they just add a little spice and authenticity. This film was filled with them! 

The plot was compelling without resorting to fake melodrama. It was based on a true story, avoiding a lot of histrionics or Hollywood fantasy. 

I love a good Newspaperman/woman hero! This had some convincing scenes of the work involved in running a paper. And it’s always important to bring attention to the huge service that local media provides. 

I got to see film footage of Estes Kefauver! During Project 1952 I read articles about him and saw some blurry kinescope television clips he was in, but I had yet to get a really clear look at him. He made a cameo at the end because he was in charge of the real Senate Crime Investigating Committee portrayed in the film. He looked younger than I expected, and he actually came across pretty naturally. He wasn’t nearly as awkward and wooden as some public figures I’ve seen who give these kinds of speeches in movies. 

The Bad: 

The score was sometimes over the top or weirdly random sounding. 

The public service announcement aspect of it was a little heavy-handed at the beginning and the end. I understand it was an important issue to bring attention to, but it was kind of kitschy. 

I’d guess that some people would think the film wasn’t flashy or exciting enough, but I didn’t mind.  

[satorugojooo]

Ok hear me out Tartaglia with his s/o being able to like investigate crime scenes and all that so the fatui are just like hey uh come investigate this traitor thing and s/o is just really smart

A/n: okay hear me out, I can totally see Y/N being a fellow fatui who is always traveling with Tartaglia as his "assistant"! Thank you for requesting and please enjoy this!

Pairings: tartaglia x gn!reader

Warnings: mentions of death (not the main characters so its not angst)

So how did you and Tartaglia meet? Easy, you were working for the fatui in the Zapolyarny Palace. You two met occasionally but he couldn't forget you

You were different from the other fatui, you were very smart and very kind, you didn't like to kill anyone, no you were trying to save the innocent people trough your powers, having a cryo vision

You two started dating once you had a mission with him and got to meet the true "Ajax"

What Tartaglia loved the most was the way you saw how he truly was, not just the mask he put in front of everyone

You were busy most of the time in the Zapolyarny Palace but whenever you had free time you would hang out with your dear harbinger

"Miss L/n could you help us with investigating this? We still don't know who killed Igor..." à fatui mage asked and you nodded.

"Hmm well judging by the pictures you sent me I would say that the cause of his death was sheer cold, he wasn't injured anywhere so we can't say that he was murdered, perhaps he injured his leg and then he just couldn't get in time to heat, taking the temperatures from Snezhnaya it's not stupid to admit that staying 1 hour in very light equipment here it's a deadly experience. "you said and she nodded.

As she left you saw Viktor come to you.

"Miss here are the reports that you should sign, it's about the fatui that were sent in Sumeru." he said and you nodded.

"Hm okay there you go. If something comes up you can find me in my office." you said as he nodded.

"So what is my favorite fatui doing hm?" a very known voice said and you looked with bright eyes over the direction that it came from seeing Tartaglia approach you two.

"Oh sir Childe! I'll leave you both, have a good evening!" Viktor said and left quickly. You smiled as you felt your boyfriend put a hand over your lower back. You looked over to him just to see him give you a warm smile.

"So what brings you here Mr Harbinger?" you said and he scoffed at your nickname.

"Oh I just came to see what my darling is doing but I guess she's doing very fine without me too." he said and you just rolled your eyes.

"Fine fine you silly boy don't get upset now okay?" you said as you leaned in his chest and muzzled your face in his red scarf.

"Okay jokes aside, I've been wondering if you had time right now?" he asked and you nodded.

"Yes in fact I do, I just finished my work." you said and he smiled.

"Okay time to enjoy our time together then, I saw that some inventors from Fontaine created a 'cinema' and I was curious about it, what about we both go and see it for ourselves Hm?" he said and you laughed.

"Sounds amazing as long as it's with you Ajax~" you said and he quickly put an arm around your shoulder covering you with his big coat.

As you made your way out of the palace you saw how beautiful the snow was falling over the place, even if it was cold you loved Snezhnaya for the Christmas vibe that it gave to you. As you got in the building where the movie was about to be shown you took a seat next to Tartaglia.

You quickly snuggled closer to him and he wrapped his arms around you snuggling his face in your hair.

As the movie went on you felt your eyes slowly close. As Tartaglia looked at the screen seeing the traveler fight in inazuma made him laugh but then he felt a pressure on his arm. He looked down only to see his sweet little Y/N asleep.

He called one of his fatui agents to bring a carriage so he could take Y/N to his home without waking her up.

As the carriage came he took Y/N bridal style and sat in the carriage.

After a short time they arrived at his house and he quickly pulled them inside. Once they were in the warmth of his home he placed them on the couch and went to change.

As you opened your eyes you saw that you were no longer in that theatre. You looked up only to see Tartaglia's living room, so you fell asleep and he brought you to his home.

"Oh your awake?" he asked as he came down only in his Burgundy colored shirt and his usual grey pants.

"Mhm, thanks for bringing me here without waking me up, but you should have waken me up." you said and he smiled sitting down next to you.

"Ah c'mon I can be nice to my girlfriend/boyfriend once in a while right?" he said and you smiled.

"Yes I guess so" you said giggling as he pulled you on his lap. You looked down at him only to see him kiss you. You looked a little surprised at him but closed your eyes and kissed him back. After breaking from the kiss he smiled at you.

"I love you Y/n~" he said and you smiled.

"I love you too Ajax!" you said and he hugged you tightly.