#psychopassweek2019

[psychosibyl]

Gray

A mini fic for Psycho-Pass Week (2019). Not rated. 

      It’s raining on her day off. Akane doesn’t mind: in fact, she welcomes it facing an entire day at home. Ginoza had insisted she not think about work, and Kaori had canceled the plans she and Akane had made the night before, apologizing profusely about something having come up at work. Akane smiles at both memories and sips her coffee. She’s sure Ginoza means well, and knows that perhaps he’s speaking from experience when he stresses the importance of time off. Still, he’s not very good at it himself, and even when he’d said it, his comment had amused her.

      Thunder rumbles throughout her apartment, bringing with it an even heavier wave of rain and a gust of wind. She doesn’t dislike it. Still, she thinks as she makes her way to her computer and takes a seat before it, it makes her feel lazy--lethargic, even--and discourages wandering about the city in any form. Laziness isn’t something she feels commonly, and in recent years the thought of it has seemed more like a luxury. She isn’t twenty anymore, and the days she spent wondering about her future and chatting with friends seems like a distant memory. Yet it also had its downsides, she thinks as she logs on and puts on her headset. Downtime often left her alone for too long and allowed her mind to drift to places she’d rather avoid.

      Akane taps her finger rhythmically against the desk as the screen flickers on. She considers opening her most recent save on a game she’d teamed up with Sho on, but knows he’s on the clock. Likely, Shion’s giving him an earful of gossip or other information that’ll turn his ears pink, or perhaps they’d be discussing some side of technology Akane didn’t fully understand. Instead of opening the game, she stares at the wallpaper she’d set earlier that morning. It’s boring, drab--a photo of the ocean in a grayish color of blue that seemed calming when she’d selected it. Yet now it makes her feel nothing, and for a moment, she considers changing it again or asking Candy to select one at random.

      Her eyes begin to scan her deskspace. Already, she’s taken the time to clean it this morning, leaving herself a tidy workspace she’ll make good use of tomorrow. Aside from her computer, she’s left on it a few items: a pen and notebook of her own, a small potted plant (an unexpected twenty-fifth birthday gift from Ginoza that she’s struggling to keep alive), a pale pink and clear coat nail polish set from Yayoi, and an odd but endearing little gaming figurine from Sho. Her eyes settle on the last two items, though, and for a moment, she considers lighting one of the cigarettes from the Spinel box. The ash tray’s recently been emptied, and she reminds herself she doesn’t need to overthink things today or hone in her focus on anything in particular.

      “I guess it’s becoming a habit,” she mutters to herself, her lips threatening a small, disapproving smile. Ginoza had noticed that too, and lately she’d tried to limit herself to lighting them only within the privacy of her own apartment. Still, she found herself reaching for them when cases got tough, and while those types of cases didn’t happen terribly often, she couldn’t deny it was her pattern.

      She pushes the box and ashtray out of reach and removes her headset again. The only other item on her desk is temporary: her mug of coffee steam still twists into the air and fades from in a way that’s not unlike smoke. She reaches for the mug and takes a sip, letting her lips linger against the warm ceramic for a bit before taking another. The flavor is rich, and she’s been generous with the hazelnut flavor even if it seems a bit too warm and sweet in her current setting.

      Thunder echoes through her apartment again, this time causing the floors and walls to tremble. Akane glances back, listening to the wind whipping the rain against her windows. At some point she’d realized she’d forgotten how to pass the time when there was simply nothing else to do. The thought is almost comical, and she traces the mug’s small MWPSB logo with her thumb. She wonders if things are quiet on their floor. She hopes they are.

      She stands up again and makes her way to the window. If she had nothing else to do, maybe she’d simply watch.

Thank you for reading! For more fics, please check out any of the following: AO3 | Writing Blog | FF.net. 

Author’s Note: “The color gray is subdued, quiet and reserved. It does not stimulate, energize, rejuvenate or excite. In the meaning of colors, gray is conservative, boring, drab and depressing on the one hand and elegant and formal on the other, yet never glamorous...It can stifle and depress energy but it is also the stable base from which the new and positive can come.” - source

“Gray is a cool, neutral, and balanced color. The color gray is an emotionless, moody color that is typically associated with meanings of dull, dirty, and dingy, as well as formal, conservative, and sophisticated. The color gray is a timeless and practical color that is often associated with loss or depression...The gray color affects the mind and body by causing unsettling feelings.” - Jennifer Bourne

[rennarenofao3]

Psycho-Pass Week 2019

(Belated) Day 3: Turquoise/Communication

For both Ginoza and Masaoka the color turquoise, particularly when embodied by a turquoise colored teacup, would always remind them of a time when they were part of a happy family. And even after those bonds were nearly severed entirely, and communication had become painful and eventually impossible, there was still a message to be found in those same turquoise cups.

This story can also be read on AO3.

When Masaoka stepped into the room after waking up from the short sleep he’d gotten after coming off shift from his work at the Public Safety Bureau the first thing that met his eyes was the sight of his son. Nobuchika was sitting at the table drinking milk from a turquoise cup that must have been brand new, given that Masaoka had never seen it before now. At least not in the size of the cup Nobuchika was currently using.

 As Nobuchika caught sight of his father he smiled broadly glancing down at the cup sitting in front of him before picking it up with both hands, making sure that Masaoka was watching before taking another drink.

 Masaoka made his way over to the table, taking a seat across from Nobuchika, watching for a few minutes as Nobuchika continued to fidget with the cup, and take slow, deliberate sips of his milk, all while watching intently for signs of Masaoka taking notice.

“What’s that you’ve got there, Nobuchika?” asked Masaoka with a grin, happy to give into his young son’s excitement over the cup that he was drinking from.

 Nobuchika straightened in his chair, proudly holding out his cup for Masaoka’s inspection as he explained. “…It’s just like yours and mama’s!”

 “It sure is.” said Masaoka smiling as he looked the cup over before reaching out to ruffle Nobuchika’s hair. “…What do you say Nobuchika? I think we ought to make some tea for you, your mom and me, so we can all use our cups together.”

 Nobuchika’s inky bangs shifted across his forehead as he nodded vigorously. He carefully set his cup down on the table before scrambling up onto the step stool near the kitchen sink, using it to climb onto the counter to get to the tin where the tea was kept.

 “Whoa, careful son.” said Masaoka as he reached out to steady Nobuchika, allowing him to sit on the edge of the kitchen counter to watch and help out under Masaoka’s supervision.

 By the time that the tea was nearly ready to be served Sae had joined Masaoka and Nobuchika in the kitchen. As he passed by where Sae stood Masaoka placed a kiss on her cheek, playfully tickling her side as he looped an arm briefly around her waist, before going over to take his and Sae’s matching teacups out of the cabinet carrying them over to the table where Nobuchika’s cup waited. Masaoka remembered he and Sae having picked out the pair of turquoise teacups shortly after they had gotten married as a way to commemorate getting their first house together.

 As they settled at the table Masaoka poured tea into each of their cups, watching with a content smile as Sae helped Nobuchika add some honey to his tea to sweeten it after their son had wrinkled his nose after taking a first sip. After she finished Sae looked over to Masaoka a small smile playing across her lips as she threaded the fingers of her free hand through Masaoka’s.

“I ended up having to have the cup made specially, it seems like it was the only way to get them all to match.” She said as they both watched Nobuchika proudly drinking from his turquoise teacup.

 Masaoka hummed, nodding a bit as he squeezed Sae’s hand. “I think that’s fine. …Look how much he’s enjoying having a cup of his own to match ours…”

 ~~~~~~

 Only a few weeks had passed since Nobuchika Ginoza had become an inspector at the MWPSB, and so far he had only had one or two encounters with the enforcers of any Division aside from those in Division One. As of that moment Ginoza was still strangely uncertain if he was pleased, or displeased with such an occurrence. However that evening he had ended up on the floor where the enforcers quarters were located, after his senior inspector had ordered him to make sure that their enforcers returned to their quarters promptly as ordered after their shifts, since they were to be put to work in the field early the next day.

 As he made his way down the hall toward the elevator a door at Ginoza’s side hissed open, causing the young inspector’s gaze to turn to one side, meeting that of one of Division Three’s enforcers, Tomomi Masaoka.

 Both men wore startled expressions for a moment, with Masaoka recovering his composure first. “Ah,… Inspector,… Is there something I can do for you?” asked the older man, one hand moving to rub at the back of his neck.

 Ginoza looked quickly away, his shoulders straightening under his suit coat. “No enforcer, there is not.”

 To Ginoza’s growing unease the man’s voice spoke a second time, sounding as if he had actually come a bit closer to where Ginoza stood. “…Are you sure about that Inspector? …It’s unusual to see you up here in this part of headquarters. …Especially this late in the day.” persisted Enforcer Masaoka, his words pausing for a few moments before he continued. “…You look like you could use a chance to take a load off. …Why don’t you come in for a few minutes?”

 Ginoza scoffed at the suggestion. It was hardly appropriate for an inspector to so casually spend time with an enforcer, even taking in to account the relationship he had with this particular enforcer, which he was in no great hurry to bring up. “That is out of the question Enforcer Masaoka-…” began Ginoza before being interrupted by the man at his side.

  “Humor an old man, Nobuchika…” said Masaoka softly, causing Ginoza’s gaze to turn toward him sharply.

 After studying Masaoka through narrowed eyes for a several moments Ginoza finally nodded fractionally. His gaze flitted down either side of the hallway, as if making sure that no one was watching before finally following Masaoka into his quarters, mumbling something under his breath about Masaoka addressing him so familiarly.

 Once they were inside Masaoka waved a hand toward one of the couches that sat on either side of a coffee table, in a wordless instruction for the inspector to sit down. A faint frown crossed Ginoza’s face for an instant as he moved to the couch, sitting stiffly down on it.

 “Can I get you a drink Inspector?” asked Masaoka his expression over all was nearly impassive save for a faint smile that was twisted faintly by the scar that crossed one side of his lips, the warmth in his eyes as he looked to where Ginoza was sitting not included.

 “Are you attempting to inebriate an Inspector, Enforcer Masaoka?” asked Ginoza his eyes narrowing as he looked over toward where Masaoka stood looking back at him, though it was clear from Ginoza’s expression that he neither wanted or expected a reply as he continued. “…You can’t possibly be unaware of how inadvisable such an action would be.”

 “Ah ha,… Of course Inspector.” responded Masaoka with a dry, humorless chuckle as he turned from looking over his shoulder at where Ginoza sat, making his way into the kitchen area of his quarters. “…Tea, then?”

 Folding his arms across his chest Ginoza looked like he would rather be anywhere other than where he currently was. “…Very well.” He said, the reluctance in his tone making it sound as if he were being forced into complying against his will.

 Masaoka hummed in reply, and when he returned a few minutes later Masaoka was holding a pair of turquoise teacups set on saucers, one of which he placed in front of Ginoza.

 Ginoza’s eyes narrowed for a moment, before widening minutely in surprise as he studied the cup that had been placed in front of him. Closing his eyes briefly Ginoza sighed before slowly lifting his gaze, only managing to meet Masaoka’s eyes for a moment before looking down once more.

 “…Just what is this about?” Ginoza asked, his tone suddenly passive after having reacted with nothing but impatience and abrasion until then.

 Masaoka’s eyebrows raised for an instant before he restrained his expression back to something more neutral, though a faint trace of a smile teased at one corner of his lips. “…Does a man need a reason to spend time with a son he hasn’t seen in years?”

 As Ginoza’s lips thinned a heated spark darkening his eyes at the comment, Masaoka shook his head, his fingers lifting from his knee in a placating gesture. Reaching for the bottle that was sitting near his cup Masaoka splashed a bit of its contents into his teacup, then sipped at the steaming mixture, letting a few minutes of silence pass before he continued. “…It really is good to see you Nobuchika.” Masaoka paused, hesitating for a few moments as he studied Ginoza, judging the wisdom in pushing further by adding. “…How have you been?”

 “…Something like that is none of your concern.” said Ginoza a flare of anger unconsciously inserting itself into his voice. He was seriously beginning to wonder what his reasoning had been for going along with Masaoka’s insistence in Ginoza visiting his quarters in the first place. Even so Ginoza couldn’t quite manage to stop some foolishly sentimental part of himself from giving the older man an answer, perhaps only because it had been so long since they had even the opportunity to speak. “…However,… my health has been adequate,… I have no complaints.”

 “That’s good. I’m glad to hear it.” murmured Masaoka, fondness softening his features as he nodded.

 An expression that was difficult for Masaoka to read in the instant before Ginoza lowered his head to conceal it passed across Ginoza’s face. A moment later he abruptly started to come to his feet, clearly intending to leave. Quickly setting his teacup aside Masaoka put out a hand to stop him, hoping desperately that he would be able to convince Ginoza to stay, if only for a few minutes longer. “…At least finish your tea before you go. You haven’t even touched it.”

 Masaoka thought he heard Ginoza mutter something that sounded vaguely like “…will that satisfy you?...” under his breath before the young inspector plopped himself back down on the couch with a huff. As Masaoka watched Ginoza hesitated, biting his lower lip as his fingers reached toward the turquoise teacup in front of him, stroking the handle almost reverently before grasping it.

 Releasing his lower lip from his teeth Ginoza drew a breath, his eyes flicking up to Masaoka’s then away again before he spoke. “…Aren’t these- …Just how were you able to get your hands on these?” asked Ginoza in a soft, tight voice as the fingers of the hand not holding his teacup brushed lightly against the cup’s side to clarify the object of his question.

 Masaoka paused weighing how he should answer, given the barely withheld tension he could sense boiling under the surface of Ginoza’s words. “…Your grandmother sent them after-… She said that I should have at least something to remember her by.”

 “I see…” retorted Ginoza shortly, his forehead knitting as he glared down at the tea inside his cup, his lips now pressed tightly together.

 Letting out a breath Masaoka settled back, trying to appear relaxed as he reached for his own cup. In spite of the outwardly calm setting, the silence that stretched out over the next minutes carried a faint tension in it, quickly becoming awkward. Rubbing the back of his neck Masaoka finally broke the silence, making one more attempt at communicating across the all too evident gap that stretched between he and his son.

 “…I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to be there for you and your mother back then…” began Masaoka before the ear splitting crash of shattering ceramic interrupted his words.

 “How dare you!” shouted Ginoza as he shot to his feet, ignoring the turquoise shards scattered in the puddle of tea at his feet. “Don’t sit there and apologize, and try to make it sound as if it was out of your control. It was your choice back then to leave us! And you made it on your own!” spat Ginoza through gritted teeth, his hands clenched into fists as his sides as he glared at Masaoka for a moment before spinning on his heel and striding out of the elder enforcer’s quarters, leaving both spilled tea and broken cup as well as his estranged father behind him.

 Afterwards in the years that followed Masaoka never again pushed so strongly for the distance between them to be closed, and at home that night Ginoza took out a small, child sized turquoise teacup holding it in an almost too tight grip for a time before burying it at the very back of his cabinet where there was no possibility of it ever seeing the light of day again.

  ~~~~~~

  Nearly three months had passed since Ginoza had become an enforcer, in some ways he was beginning to feel as if he were starting to settle into the role. But still there were some things Ginoza was not quite sure he was ready to confront, and in spite of his need to clear out the labeled boxes that were stacked in the bottom of his closet in order to gain needed space for his own things, Ginoza was not sure that he was ready to attempt coming to terms with what he would find inside them.

 After hesitating a few moments longer while he scratched behind Dime’s ears to settle the husky who had begun whining worriedly at him, likely having sensed Ginoza’s uncertainty, the raven haired enforcer went over to his closet reaching out with his newly gained prosthetic arm to remove the first of the boxes. It was heavier than he had expected it to be, given that apart from the alcohol that he was already aware of, Ginoza had thought that the majority of his father’s remaining possessions would be mostly clothing or art supplies. Checking the top of the box, Ginoza found that the only explanation of its contents was a cryptic label of ‘Miscellaneous’ which had been scrawled across the lid.

Deciding that it was a good a place to start as any Ginoza lowered the box to the floor, kneeling down in front of it as he took off the lid. Inside the box were varied knickknacks that Masaoka had obviously picked up over the years, one or two of which Ginoza recognized as having found a place on his father’s desk for a time at one point or another. And nestled into the center of them were two objects which had for some reason been carefully wrapped in rags, that while clean, bore evident stains of paint on their surface.

…Evidently whoever had packed the boxes had thought that Masa-..., Dad’s paint rags would make just as good packing supplies as anything else they might use. thought Ginoza as he picked up one of the objects, beginning to carefully unwrap it.

 As the stained fabric fell away enough to reveal a patch of turquoise hued pottery inside Ginoza caught his breath, his mind automatically jumping back to the memory of the last time he had seen that particular shade. Carefully unwrapping the cloth the rest of the way revealed both a fully intact teacup and accompanying saucer to Ginoza.

Ginoza’s eyes moved back to the other cloth wrapped shape in the box, his gaze sharpening. …Then that must mean that the other thing wrapped up there is… but I was sure that it broke… thought Ginoza as he gently put the cup and saucer he was holding down, reaching for the remaining part of the pair of objects that was in the box.

 In minutes the second cloth was undone and Ginoza held in his hands a second turquoise teacup and saucer, the cup was crisscrossed with thin lines of gold, which weaved across the object in a random pattern of jagged lines. As Ginoza traced the twisting strands of gold with his finger he finally recalled the name of the technique that had been used to repair the cup. Knowing Masaoka’s bent toward artistic pursuits it wasn’t too surprising that his father would have had it repaired in such a way, as kintsugi in the past had also been considered a particular form of art.

 Thinking back to what he had heard of the technique Ginoza remembered hearing that it had also carried with it the symbolism of embracing the imperfections and traumas in one’s past as a part of the history that made an individual unique, and also that after having been repaired, what had once been broken was made more beautiful and valuable for damage it had suffered and that its imperfections were a mark of strength that should be honored rather than hidden away.

 Ginoza’s gaze moved to his prosthetic hand which cradled the turquoise teacup, letting out a low laugh. After everything that had happened it almost felt as if the cup itself might have been a final message from Masaoka, left for Ginoza to find from beyond the grave. Until quite recently Ginoza would have been unwilling or at best reluctant to pay attention to anything that Masaoka might have said to him, but now…

 Closing his eyes Ginoza lowered his head, both hands now holding the cup as he drew it closer to him. “I’m listening now,… Dad.”

 Sometime later when Akane was visiting Ginoza’s quarters, to check in on how Ginoza was doing lately, she noticed a trio of turquoise teacups sitting on one of the shelves in the former inspector’s kitchen that she didn’t remember having seen there before. A small turquoise teacup that seemed almost child sized sat between two normally sized teacups, one of which was shot through with irregular strands of gold.

“Those cups look nice sitting on that shelf Ginoza-san. …But I don’t remember having ever seen them there,… Are they new?” asked Akane when Ginoza returned to where she was sitting.

 Turning his head Ginoza looked back over his shoulder to where the cups sat, a smile tinged with a hint of sadness crossing his face as he shook his head. “Not exactly,… I just thought that they should be together.”

[psychopassweek19]

Psycho-Pass Week Officially Has a Blog!

This is where all content for the week will be reblogged. Please utilize the tag #psychopassweek or submit your post directly here so we’re able to track it. 

Psycho-Pass Week starts today, though late submissions are always welcome. 

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or difficulties.

Week Date | Theme Information

[psychosibyl]

Psycho-Pass Week Prompt Ideas

Click here for starting information on Psycho-Pass Week (2019). 

I really enjoy coming up with prompts and themes, so I’ve gone ahead and written down a few.

The Foolish and/or The Wise (foolishness or wisdom)

The Darkest Hearts or The Brightest Minds

Justice or Anarchy

Sinners and/or Saints

Crime or Camaraderie

The Innocent and/or The Guilty (Innocent and/or Guilty)

Smoke and Mirrors

Free Day (which will likely be a given--it wins a vote every time and we could set it for the week’s last day).

Feel free to add onto this list or to submit more ideas to my inbox. I’ll include them all when we get to the voting point.

Additional information and voting links:

Save the Date! Choose your preferred month and week for Psycho-Pass Week.

Track the tag at #psychopassweek. Hopefully, these posts will start showing up there soon.

[psychosibyl]

Prompts and Voting: Psycho-Pass Week

When would you all like for prompt voting to begin for #psychopassweek? Obviously, I’d love to get more prompt ideas from you all, so if you have any ideas, we’d have to make sure they’re all in before voting.

There is even another question: do you guys want prompts or do you just want to fill the week with Psycho-Pass content? Prompts provide a lot more structure, but I’m open to anything.

[psychosibyl]

Remember to vote on your choice for Psycho-Pass week before tomorrow! This event will be casual, but we still want to have a plan ASAP so people have time to work on things.

[psychosibyl]

All prompts that have been voiced or submitted are included. Please vote for your favorites! 

[psychosibyl]

Psycho-Pass Week Date Results: January 13-19, 2019

Results are in! There were a total of 29 responses and most of you voted for January 13-19, 2019! That will be our official date, then. For those of you who won’t be able to participate that week, don’t worry. You’re welcome to contribute when you can.

Visual representation of your responses below.

Thank you all so much for voting! I know I’m looking forward to a great week. Next up is to talk prompts. If you have any suggestions, let me know so I can start collecting them for voting. 

When would you guys for voting to begin? Obviously, we would need all prompt submissions to be in by then.

Don’t forget to track the tag at #psychopassweek! Looks like things are finally starting to show up in the “recent” option.

Let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

[psychosibyl]

Psycho-Pass Week Options

I think we can allow for a lot of flexibility with the themed week, but I still wanted to see which option you all thought might work best. Even if the event isn’t moderated, there isn’t much point to a Psycho-Pass Week if we don’t have some semblance of a common deadline. 

I’ll leave this up until Sunday night so you all can vote and we can get the ball rolling on prompt submissions and voting. Month selection is required, but week selection is not if you don’t have a preference. If none of these work for you, don’t fret--you’re welcome to contribute whenever you’re able. The goal is really just to get as many people as possible on the same page to create some fresh and fun content.

CLICK HERE to select your preferred month and week for PSYCHO-PASS WEEK.

For updates, be sure to track the tag #psychopassweek. Looks like that one’s free for our taking!

I’ve gone ahead and started a potential prompts list, so feel free to add on or submit prompts through my inbox. You’ll be able to find that list in the new #psychopassweek tag. These will all be collected and added to a voting form. I strongly recommend not to submit prompts anonymously if possible so that I’m able to directly send you a confirmation that your prompt has been added. 

Just as an added it of advice: vague prompts allow for more flexibility and creativity among fans. So as fun as “Chief Kasei Getting Her Joints Oiled” might sound, it’s pretty limiting.

Let me know if you have any questions. I think right now, the key is to have the week planned ASAP so fans have more freedom to go from there.