Tumgik
#also I suspect some of the dislike comes from watching it in the wrong order (which is the fault of some streaming sites).
toastybugguy · 4 months
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dude why did ppl hate The End of Hope’s Peak High School sm
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mephinomaly · 5 months
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[TL] BIOHAZARD/Chapter 5
[ This post uses Ois~su ♪ ]
Time: That night
Location: In living quarters of the AIIE experiment grounds
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Rei: Uwaa, we’re having a sleepover with all of UNDEAD~♪
Fufu. The SS preliminaries was the perfect opportunity for one, but Kaoru-kun was thrown into a desert and separated from us.
I’m happy that the four of us can have a sleepover together peacefully– gah!?
Koga: ...
Rei: Koga? Don’t throw an omanjuu at me? Is this your way of telling me you want to play?
Koga: Stop bein’ so happy-go-lucky, vampire bastard. The hell you mean, pajama party.
Rei: Oya, how nostalgic. Could this be that you want me to call you ‘wanko’ for the first time in a while?
Koga: I ain’t callin’ you that for nostalgia purposes, I’m insultin' you.
Rei: How troubling. Please don’t take your frustrations out on me.
We’ve all given our consent to take part in this experiment.
We can’t complain now, can we?
Koga: We was basically forced to? If it hadn’t been us, it woulda been like, Ra*bits who haven’t done nothin’ wrong.
Then we’d hafta live with the knowledge that them lot are now the victims whilst we watch from the sidelines.
It’s better for our own mental health to just do it for real, right?
‘Cos I don’t like this at all. Don’t forget that.
Kaoru: Ahaha. It’s definitely a little off putting and shady sounding, but it makes for an interesting story, right?
AI idols and stuff– no, technology and science in general has come a long way. Really, it’s like an old sci-fi movie.
If this was just a movie, or even just someone else’s problem, I think it could have been a lot of fun.
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Adonis: I also don’t feel great about this but I am interested in terms of the development of science and technology.
This is the future we thought of when we learnt about Voc*loid and drawing AIs, and it’s becoming a reality right in front of our eyes.
We’re now living in a near sci-fi world that people from the past could only imagine.
It’s like a dream, whether that’s a good or a bad thing.
I’m excited.
Kaoru: Ahaha. That totally has the vibe of a boyish heroic novel.
I don’t particularly like that sort of thing either. At the end of the day, I’m still the son of an academic who reached for the sea in search of romance and mystery.
Adonis: I also dislike jumping into areas I don’t know about.
Rei: If we think realistically, if we had refused to take part, there was the likelihood of RhythmLink turning their backs on us.
I suspect they would be rather unpleasant in the matter.
This is a necessary step so we are not thrown to the side. The compensation is rather impressive, and, in simple terms, profitable for us.
Well, we made quite the sum of money during the SS, so we have some to spare.
If an experiment such as ‘AI idols’ is successful, implemented, and announced to the world, won’t they look to us as we were the test subjects? Doesn’t that make this all worth it?
Koga: But this doesn’t solve the problem we’re havin’. They’re just killin’ time, it literally has nothin’ t’do with our situation.
This better not turn into a goose chase, wastin’ time runnin’ ‘round lookin’ stupid.
Rei: Umu. We should all brainstorm some ideas in order to solve the root of the problem, as Koga said. Fortunately, we have been blessed with plenty of time to do so.
Kaoru: Mmm… I was kinda on guard when they said experiment, but if they’re just asking us to stay the night here?
Rei: Umu. We will be given medicine, which will cause us to sleep for about half a day. In that time, via the devices connected to our heads, data will be collected and compiled.
During the time we are not asleep, we will exercise to prevent our bodies from weakening, and eat to keep up our energy levels. Let’s all get on, the four of us.
The testing period will last approximately one week. During this time, any other forms of work are banned, as the extra stimulus may skew the results.
Our phones will be confiscated, and we will be separated from the outside world.
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Kaoru: Kinda feels like being a prisoner or a hospital patient… Welp, this’ll be easy money if all we’ve got to do is laze around.
Rei: Umu. I suppose we can take it easy. We will be paid regardless as to whether the experiment produces useful results or not, so it’s not a complete waste of time.
Fortunately, this location is better than a hospital or a prison.
Look, there are some cards and board games we can use to kill time. Let’s play until it’s time for us to sleep.
Koga: Ain’t you bein’ too relaxed ‘bout this whole thing?
Rei: That’s a good thing, is it not? I’ve been acting unusually mature since my youth, so I do not have many experiences like this. Such as having a sleepover with friends of the same age—
That’s why. I can’t be sure of the future, but I know I am very happy right now ♪
[ ☆ ]
Chapter 4
Chapter 6
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bunnydongsik · 8 days
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I've been thinking, and I want to talk about why I sometimes find other fans' interpretations of this show and especially its characters, so bothersome. Now, I want to preface this by saying that it is fandom and therefore simply not that deep, and if you say that I don’t have the right to criticise other people’s engagement with a gosh darn tv series - I completely agree and this is not an attempt to police how people do so.
Now!
i hate hate hate hate the "dongsik is a genius master manipulator sex god and joowon is a poor little vulnerable baby at his mercy" I hate it, and I still don't quite understand where it comes from, but here is my attempt to explain it anyway and then explain why that interpretation is wrong lol.
To put it simply, some people get caught up in the little show that Dongsik puts on in the beginning, which leads to a distortion of their understanding of Dongsik. Furthermore, there is a certain tendency in fandom to misread Joowon and present him as a timid little boy who just needs to be loved and certainly doesn't need to confront being a huge piece of shit. (Joowon certainly needs support to move on from being a huge piece of shit, but he is still very much a huge piece of shit when we meet him)
I also think this is on purpose for some people - they simply enjoy the apparent dynamic that is present here. But I don't! at all! so I will do my best to argue against it now. please enjoy.
in the first 5 episodes or so, we see everything from Joowon's point of view. we have a few scenes where he is not the point of view character, but these are the exceptions.
Now, Beyond Evil makes use of its limited POV - later on the uses expand, but in the first few episodes, we pretty much only know what Joowon knows. And Joowon is not omniscient - thus a lot of what we "know" is wrong, partly because everything is distorted by Joowon and his biases.
And Joowon is very convinced that Dongsik is a genius manipulator psycho killer, thus everything that Dongsik does is seen through this lens, the camera even literally acts as Joowon's eyes sometimes, such as the confrontation outside the police station where Joowon angrily tells Dongsik that he is not someone who disappears. Dongsik seemingly, constantly taunts Joowon with his murders while flaunting his complete control of the situation and the people around him as well as Joowon's lack of evidence. While Dongsik does taunt him, in order to keep his attention, none of the rest is true, which we find out when we switch to Dongsik's point of view. In reality, Dongsik was never in control of the situation at all, and Joowon has access to key pieces of evidence (sometimes literally!!), he just doesn't realise it.
What is a key piece of evidence? Minjeung's key. Joowon literally pointed it out to Dongsik - he should know that Dongsik could walk right into the house as he wished, but he seemingly just forgets about it.
Now, I don't think this is the most important part at all, but I just wanted to mention it somwhere and point out that there are several reasons for Dongsik being tense when Joowon tells him he has new evidence lol.
More importantly, Dongsik is scrambling to keep up with everything and in the process makes several mistakes that can easily fell him, and would have if it weren't for his friends.
nr 1: the key. besides the stuff already mentioned, the key also leads to dongsik casually entering the house without worry, thus putting his fingerprints everywhere. I feel like a point is made of watching Dongsik slooowly put his hands on everything - keys, padlock, door handles, light switches. maybe some of these could be explained away - but probably not the ones in the "basement" area where minjeung was murdered. This is also one of the reasons dongsik decides not to tell anyone - he is in an incredibly vulnerable position as a former suspect, and it is his word against the beloved member of the community that is Kang Jinmook. Dongsik is disliked and ostracized by the community at large, and its authority figures actively work against him, because he is their scapegoat and has been so for 20 years (which Dongsik himself doesn't know).
nr 2: the texts. this is already explored a little in one of my other posts, but Dongsik is so tormented by Jihwa and Jihoon's pain when jihoon is made the scapegoat, that the recklessly texts Jinmook. This has so many repercussions and Dongsik would have been caught by Joowon immediately - if not for Jaeyi. Which of course puts Jaeyi in danger, and Jinmook taunts Dongsik about it right in front of Joowon, during the interview at his house when Jinmook is like "hmm actually Jaeyi left at some point…" and we are treated to Dongsik clearly panicking. but again, my point here is that this was in no way shape or form the acts of a genius and Jaeyi saved his ass.
nr 3: Dongsik joining the dinner party at Jaeyi's way later than everyone else. Now, this isn't really something that Dongsik could do anything about, he hadn't planned on attending at all, and only shows up so that he has at least a smidge of an alibi. This alibi is still easily pulled apart, and Dongsik is protected by Jihwa when he is interrogated by her, and he asks her to confirm it - she conveniently never points out he joined late, only that he was there when the party broke up. This is, in my opinion, why Dongsik never relies too hard on the alibi - which Joowon of course notices. Dongsik is exposed by Jo Gilgoo (the little rat) later on, as he mentions that Dongsik arrived late - this leads to Joowon checking for the CCTV footage that Dongsik actually wanted gone (and not the lost footage that Joowon first discovered):
nr. 4: Dongsik was literally recorded entering and exiting jinmook's house around the time of the murder. This is extreeeemely hard to explain away and so he has to ask Nam Sangbae to delete it - which he does, along with the footage inside the archives to cover up the trace. This was NOT Dongsik's idea - and Sangbae even calls him an amateur for it. This is also the piece of evidence that does fell Dongsik in the end, because, and I want to point this out again, Dongsik loses the little competition between Joowon and himself. The only reason Dongsik is not arrested is because Jinmook makes a move, which in turn makes Jaeyi make a move - which makes Dongsik actually tell Joowon what is going on.
nr. 5: Lee Geumhwa's phone. This is not Dongsik making a mistake, but an example of Joowon's distorted viewpoint. When Dongsik drops the phone on the mountain, he doesn't know that it belonged to Lee Geumhwa and he doesn't know that Joowon is in any way involved with it. From Joowon's point of view, this is of course another taunt from the psycho killer Dongsik, while it is a "happy accident" from Dongsik's.
nr 6: this is just a point about Joowon's distorted viewpoint in general with regard to Dongsik's emotional stability. Whenever Dongsik cries or is kind to someone, Joowon interprets this as manipulative behaviour, or as a kind of delayed guilt reaction - probably a large part of why Joowon pretty quickly switches to the theory that Dongsik is an accomplice and not neccessarily the actual murderer. Of courses, in reality, Dongsik is just very sad in general and also suffers from a huge case of "survivor's guilt", so yes he does feel guilty, no, he is not actually guilty. But Joowon can't tell the difference yet.
I think these are the main points I wanted out of the way with regard to Dongsik being like, some sort of puppetmaster. I'm not saying Dongsik isn't quick on his feet, but he was very much scrambling to keep Joowon interested in the case while avoiding being arrested on actual, useful evidence, all the while crying his eyes out, and he only got as far as he did because he has some key figures in his life who would do anything for him.
Regarding Joowon, I won't go too far on this post, because it's already quite long, and I have a lot to say about him, but here goes: Joowon is simultaneously incredibly competent and the biggest idiot in the world. He is an extremely competent investigator in the sense that he is incredibly smart, observational and analytical - and yet he keeps missing the obvious. why?
Because he is also extremely arrogant. This is the man who said, with his mouth, "I can't help being better than everyone else". Furthermore, he is extremely privileged - when he fucks up, "the law" is always on his side, because his father is the (second) most powerful man on the police force, and he has a pet lawyer who also happens to be Joowon's former tutor.
In other words, Joowon is not used to being wrong, and he doesn't understand his own power because he has lived it all his life - hence why he doesn't quite understand what he did to Geumhwa before being forced to by Dongsik. He also, crucially, has no idea what's it's like to be targeted by the law, wrongfully or otherwise - see his egg "conversation" with Jaeyi. Thus, in his mind, Dongsik must have done something wrong or he wouldn't have been arrested.
Joowon has to overcome a lot of ingrained ideas before he can reach the conclusion that Dongsik is an innocent man who has been used by powerful figures for 20 years to cover up their own crimes, and I don't think he fully realises what all of this means until the whole "I will go to hell" scene.
All of this is to say that it is in fact Joowon who holds all of the power. The only thing Dongsik can do is look vaguely menacing and say vaguely menacing things, and this only works because of Joowon's idea of the situation, and has the double sided effect of maybe actually putting Dongsik in prison before he can expose/kill Jinmook.
According to Shin Hakyun, Dongsik was legitimately scared of Joowon at this point.
But Dongsik is used to being the target of suspicion and he uses his experience throughout the entire series to try to appear unbothered and play the game. Yes Dongsik humiliates and uses Joowon, but Joowon actually has him arrested, and while it goes nowhere the first time, the second time he tries, he really would have had him – (ironically, Jinmook saves him), and really the threat is in and of itself powerful. Frankly, I think that is a significantly stronger demonstration of power lol.
And one of Beyond Evil’s many themes is abuse of power – which is something that Joowon very much engages in – that is the point! Joowon uses his power to target someone who turns out to be an innocent man, based on flimsy evidence. And this man is hurt by it - further ostracized and humiliated by his own community, while he is grieving the death of his niece and the loss of the man he called hyung.
This is partly why Joowon feels so guilty at the end, besides his father’s actions ofc. And trying to keep this dynamic between the two characters as first presented, is to refuse to look beyond Dongsik’s facade, and just generally to ignore who Joowon is and and ignore the journey he had to go on to become the mature hero and saviour he is at the end.
And it annoys me!! But obviously, again, this is a tumblr fandom about a tv series, it is not that deep and everyone is free to engage with this show as they like.
These were my thoughts, thanks for reading if you made it this far.
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funkymbtifiction · 1 year
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Hello, Charity! I have a dilemma regarding my enneagram.
I suspect that I'm a so 6, but I am not sure. There are some aspects that I don't identify with. For example, I read somewhere that so 6 can seem cold and aloof, but I'm quite the opposite of that. I'm usually very friendly and warm.
Wherever you read that about 6s, it's wrong. All the Enneagram teachers make it a point to emphasize how warm and friendly and likable 6s are, even if they are fearful. Being warm, likable, and personable is how they make sure no one is going to target them -- and, as Suzanne Stabile says, 6s are the most altruistic of the types, who give generously and are loyal without expecting gratitude.
If you watched my typing video, even though I was handed a very "strict" Enneagram type as the result, the teachers noted how warm I was -- and where I shared it elsewhere, everyone else commented on it as well. That's just my pure 6 core being funny, cute, warm, and likable. So if your only hangup about 6 is that you don't come across as aloof or cold, that's not a good argument. ;)
But anyway, everything you wrote below is 6w7 to the max.
I like making people smile, making small talk and stuff like that, even if we are complete strangers. It just makes me happy. (Also Fe)
I avoid conflict when it's possible, but I also have very strong likes and dislikes that I express. If my family, for example, says or does something that I don't like, I won't hesitate to tell it to their face, even if that means conflict. I'm more repressed with non-family members, but I will still engage in contradictory discussions if I feel that what they said offends me <- 6.
I like following and ideology, which I hear is very so 6. <- yup
[...] I find it quite annoying actually, when people are so misinformed. From my experience, they are also the easiest to be manipulated, which is a VERY big fear of mine. I fear the thought of being fooled and following the "wrong ideology" (or at least the one that is wrong in my opinion). That's why I try to document myself as much as possible and I read a lot, even stuff that is not necessarily political. I believe that if I inject as much knowledge into my brain as possible, then that will make me smart and harder to manipulate. <- 6
I question EVERYTHING. My judgment, my intuition, even what I believe in. There were times during which I felt I couldn't trust my Ne when I had a hunch about something because there was just not enough proof. <- 6
As much as I'm sure about my ideology and will defend it no matter what everyone will say, I still doubt it sometimes. I wonder if I'm making the wrong choices, if I'm being manipulated in that very moment and if the side that I'm on is actually the good one or not. That's why I prefer to have people who actually agree with me, so I can feel more secure. I'm also quite the overthinker, as I can transform even the simplest question into an endless train of "what if...?" and "it depends...". <- 6
When I'm stressed, I like venting to someone. I noticed that I can get stressed easily and when I do, every small thing becomes a task. I HATE being overwhelmed or having too many things to do. It feels like I'm going to drown in tasks. I need to organize myself and start doing them in order to relax. And you bet you're gonna hear me all the way complaining about stupid tests, or stupid exams, stupid homework, projects, all that. <- 6
I'm also very loyal. I thought for a long time that I'm a 2 because of how nurturing I can be with my loved ones. But now I know I'm not a 2 because I realize that the affection doesn't come from a place of pride. I'm simply terrified of getting abandoned and being all alone in the world. I refuse to let go of people easily. I focus a lot on maintaining old relationships rather than creating new ones and I hope to make them last for a lifetime. <- 6
I find that I have a complicated relationship with authority and authority figures. Sometimes, I despise it (in a lot of cases, authority comes across as oppressive, violating, controlling and discriminatory), but other times, I feel the need to cooperate with it (follow the rules so I can stay out of trouble). I've always had this fear of going against the rules, scared that I'd get punished or scolded, which I hated. Better play it safe. But, that was more when I was young. Now, if I think that the authority figure is abusive, then I will not waste a second to revolt against it. If it's not, then I conform and do as I am told. <- 6
So, what do you think, so 6 or nay? (The only reason that I ever thought I'm not a so 6 is because I thought I'm too friendly, warm and emotional for one and because of my complex relationship with authorities. Also, I'm not always dominated by anxiety, nor am I a worst-case scenario thinker... uh, well, maybe only sometimes, actually.)
6w7 so/sp with a competency fix (3 or 1). 6s are the most emotional types, 6s are one of the warmest types, 6s are generally friendly, especially as extroverts, and 6s have a love/hate relationship with "authorities" (governments or parents or teachers to react against).
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mrfandomwars · 2 years
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In Defence Of Ki-Adi Mundi
Heyo! I'm here because I am Done™ with the general hate he gets.
So! Consider this post a defence against common misconceptions that there are on the fandom, I promise I will do my best to make this reasonable.
Warning: As some parts of the fandom hates Ki-Adi for things that are now Legends, I will do my best to include them as well.
More under the cut.
First things first:
Ki-Adi does not care about his men (Clone Troopers/The Vode):
I, personally, never saw anything that may indicate that, if anything I saw the opposite.
Proof A:
Episode 6 "Weapons factory" season 2
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As you can see here, Ki-Adi clearly cares for his men in this scene, so saying that he doesn't care should already be disproven just from this scene, specially adding the fact he orders the wounded into the tanks in "Landing on point rain".
But let's continue, as I know some antis would turn around and say that he only did the later part so that they weren't slowing them down, even though he could have easily left them behind or go into the tank himself and left the vode to try and figure how to get the tanks around instead of, y'know, doing literally this while injured:
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Proof B:
He leads the Marine's in front of the battle, something we have proof that people that did not care about the vode didn't do it.
The proof? Krell, a fallen Jedi.
Ki-Adi did not care about his (now legends) family
For this, I pull this:
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-and this line from wookieepedia:
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So, based of this two things alone, I wouldn't immediatly say he didn't care, maybe because of his duties as a Jedi he couldn't put their lives as his most important thing but I assume that his wives were given a choice on whether or not they could marry a Jedi.
"But MR!" you may cry, "what about how he didn't care that his family was dead!?" for that I say:
The panel most people use to reference that, Ki-Adi is literally trying to convince Anakin to not get stuck in the past by thinking that Obi-Wan might be alive because they couldn't find a body and he used his family as an example to the fact that not always it was possible to recover the bodies of dead loved ones, there's literally nothing wrong with that.
Don't believe me that it wasn't what he meant? Then read the comic page yourselves:
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Also, he still dislikes Jabba the Hutt for capturing his daughter and almost killing her:
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Ki-Adi went too far in suppressing his emotions
Two things:
1. I find that this misconception usually comes from the idea that Jedi, suppress emotions, which they do not, and you can see that if you actually watch the series, or read any meta honestly.
2. People show emotions differently, sometimes their actions speak louder than their words. Besides, Ki-Adi does show emotions throughout of the series:
Regret over the fact that his men were hurt:
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Sadness:
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And that's just off the top of my head (and what Tumblr allows me to put with the image limit).
And so no, he is not emotionless.
Ki-Adi disliked/hated Anakin and/or Ahsoka
First of all, there are already some posts talking about how the Jedi Council Did Not Hate Anakin, so if you are basing off your opinion that Ki-Adi hated Anakin because of one of the Council scenes where he spoke, I recommend reading them before coming back here with it in mind that being stern and pointing out when people are lying does not equal hate.
Second of all, relatively on the Ahsoka matter, most people use the whole Temple Bombing arc as a reason to show that he at least disliked her.
When, might I remind you, she was a suspected criminal, you can't argue that the only evidence was the video, as by the time she was judged by the Council, not only had she had that but also had her escape (which ended with a few vode murdered may I remind you), her working with a known Separatist, resisting her re-arrest even if she was captured at the end and being found with the nanobombs.
And as Mace Windu said:
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And we all know what Palpatine would have done had he seen any opposition early (it rhymes with Border 76).
"But MR!" you may cry, "The Council (which included Ki-Adi) had already decided that she was guilty before that on To Catch A Jedi!"
Oh? You mean after she escaped, and dead clone troopers obviously killed by a lightsaber were found, after there was already a damaging video against her + an investigation (implied that it was run by Tarkin, I will give you that) declaring her guilty of their murders? After that?
(And Yoda uses the word "may" btw, when he says that they believe that Ahsoka was behind the crime, if that means anything to you.)
Add the fact that she was later found with Ventress and the bombs + the whole conversation with Tarkin earlier in The Wrong Jedi ... well, tbh, they didn't really have a choice.
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Finishing on this matter, I recommend you to read some meta on the matter to also further your understanding on where I'm coming from.
ALSO,
Do I need to remind you that he literally went along with Anakin and Ahsoka's game of who killed more droids in Landing on Point Rain, when not even Obi-Wan joined? If he hated them, he would have scolded them or at least scoffed at them, not join them.
-------------
In conclusion, Ki-Adi often times receives hate even though it is unfounded and undeserved, and suffers from this fandom echo chamber.
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cloverthirteen · 3 years
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Was Ace Attorney made as a satire on Japan’s legal system? -- An analysis
I wouldn’t really call myself an Ace Attorney fan--I’ve never played any of the games, the closest I’ve come being watching other people’s let’s plays. I do like reading about the series on wikis and interacting with fan content for it, though, so I do know a fair amount about it.
One thing I see being said pretty often by fans is that the series was intended as a satire/parody of the Japanese legal system, which is why the courts are ridiculously biased towards the prosecution, prosecutors often care more about perfect win records more than putting actual guilty people behind bars, etc. If you’re familiar with this, you’ve probably heard of Japan’s 99% conviction rate. This interpretation of the games and the way they work definitely makes sense.
But after hearing this many times I eventually noticed something. There isn’t a single actual source (creator statement, interview, etc.) that backs up this claim. Every time I see someone online say “the series creator made Ace Attorney to parody Japan’s actual legal system” there is never a link to an interview or anything that proves their statement correct. If someone has an actual, verified source from Shu Takumi or someone else who had significant involvement with the series, please prove me wrong and show it to me. But according to all of the creator’s statement’s I’ve read, there’s no evidence of the series being an intentional parody.
So, what do we know about the creation of the Ace Attorney series? Well, it was created by Shu Takumi, who wrote and directed the first three games. After working on the dinosaur survival horror game Dino Crisis for Capcom, he was given the opportunity to make any kind of game he wanted. He really wanted to make mystery and adventure games, and from that came Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.
MC: Before developing Ace Attorney you worked on Dino Crisis. How does one go from dinosaur survival horror to virtual courtrooms?
ST: Dino Crisis was the brainchild of my then boss, Resident Evil creator, Shinji Mikami. Working on his projects taught me not only how to make games, but also how to think about them. After Dino Crisis 2 wrapped, Mr Mikami gave me six months in which to create any kind of game I wanted.
I was still pretty wet behind the ears, but as I'd originally joined Capcom with a desire to create mystery and adventure games, this was a huge chance for me to make my mark as a creator. In the end it took a team of seven 10 months to produce the first GBA Ace Attorney title. Having the freedom to create exactly the kind of game I wanted was amazing and it was a real pleasure to work on that project.
MC: Can you remember when the idea of Ace Attorney first came to you? How did your bosses respond to the idea of a lawyer-based adventure game when you first described it to them?
ST: It was in 2000 when Mr Mikami said I could make my own game and my original idea was a fairly typical adventure with a detective as the main character. Most mystery adventures have the player choose from a number of different dialogue options for their character in order to progress the story, but I wanted a new gameplay style that enabled players to deduce for themselves what was happening, rather than just selecting canned responses. I developed this into the concept of facing off against the suspect in a crime and exposing the contradictions in their statements.
I was sure my new idea would be a fun and original take on the genre, so I started to revise the main character, since a detective would be too traditional for such an original concept. I asked myself, "What kind of professional would face off against a suspect and expose their contradictory statements?" The answer, of course, was a lawyer and so the Ace Attorney concept was born.
(source, from an interview on the making of the series)
Takumi’s original concept for the game involved Phoenix as not a defense lawyer, but as a detective. The gameplay was to consist of “facing off against the suspect of a crime and finding the contradictions in their statements.” However, Takumi eventually realized that taking apart contradictions wasn’t really a detective’s job, and decided to change the protagonist to a lawyer and the setting to a courtroom instead. And thus, the game’s concept was finalized.
Janet: As you know, “Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy” is coming out world-wide this winter, and as I was brainstorming what to write about for this week’s blog, I remembered your tweets from 2010.
Takumi: Tweets from 2010?
Janet: …Well, it was a long time ago…
Takumi: ???
Janet: I-It’s OK if you don’t remember…
Takumi: …Oh, THOSE! Yes!
Janet: I remember reading them and being shocked by how different the original draft of the game’s story was – how Phoenix wasn’t even a lawyer, but a private eye!
Takumi: Yes, AA was originally supposed to be a detective game, so naturally, Phoenix was to be a private eye. But then, one day, I made a startling realization: the gameplay concept I was going for was for players to enjoy finding and taking contradictions apart, but that was hardly related to investigating or detective work at all. In that moment, I had it – I realized that the main setting for the game should be the courtroom.
Janet: That’s quite the jump, but you know, I can’t imagine this series being anything else at this point. 
(source, from an interview by Janet Hsu about the game’s early development)
During the development for the game, Takumi actually knew very little about the intricacies of the legal system--and in fact, he’s been very transparent about that fact in interviews. There’s even a story he talks about in a blog post where he was asked “shouldn’t we do some research on law before we make this game?” and agonized over it for a bit before deciding that being accurate about courtroom processes wasn’t important--what was important was that the game made the trials exciting and fun.
November, 2000. The characters were coming together, and I was working desperately on my first scenario (the current Turnabout Sisters). One day, I was asked about the one thing I didn’t want to be asked about.
“Mr. Takumi. Don’t we need to do some research on law?”
The knowledge I have about the law, pretty amounts to the one fact that in Japan we have the Roppō Zensho ('Complete Book of The Six Major Legal Codes').
“Don’t bother with that. This is a detective game. “
It should have been over with this one line, but…
“But this isn’t a detective game, it’s a lawyer game!”
“If it’s not going to be realistic, I don’t see why this should be about trials.”
“People who play this might get wrong knowledge from the game!”
“We might get sued by the Bar Association!”
“They’ll start complaining!”
…Gyakuten Saiban (Ace Attorney GBA) is simply a “mystery game.” “Being realistic” is not what is important. What’s important is emphasizing, and recreating the unique “atmosphere” and “tension” of the courtroom. That is why the judge uses a gavel, even though no judge uses that, and why Naruhodō shouts "Objection!" even though nobody does that either. This game does not need a “realistic courtroom”!
Chasing the true murderer down to the end, and then getting applauded for that in the courtroom. That feeling of thrill and excitement. It was only by February of the following year when we finally manage to recreate that in the game. The couple of months after this had happened, we looked around, got lost and troubled our minds in search for the answer of the big question of “How do we make a trial into a game?”.  Fall was passing by, and the cold winter was close upon us.
(source, from an archived blog post by Takumi)
So, realism and knowledge of law wasn’t important to Takumi during the development of the series. But there’s also the fact that Takumi has actually personally denied that the Ace Attorney series was an intentional satire or criticism of the court system at any point. In fact, according to a blog post (done as if Phoenix and Maya were reading the column and commenting on it), he actually dislikes people seeing his work this way, as he never intended the games to have any big political statements.
A major prerequisite for Gyakuten Saiban is it’s so simple “even my mother could play it”.  So there is only one point at the core of the game: “Seeing through lies”.
Naruhodō: It wasn’t even supposed to be a game about the trials at first. Mayoi: Eh! Really?! Naruhodō: “Simple” is basically all this game is about, according to TakuShū. Mayoi: What do you mean? Naruhodō: He didn’t want to add all kinds of elements for the player to think about, like alibis, tricks or about the culprit. It’d just confuse them. Mayoi: Really. Naruhodō: Basically, you can proceed in the game if you just think about where the contradiction is. He figured that with that, the controls of the game could also stay simple. Mayoi: But, but, why the trials then? Naruhodō: “A story about a detective seeing through lies” wouldn’t be any different from the other games out there. So that’s why he decided to have someone whose job is seeing through lies as the protagonist. Mayoi: So a defense attorney. Naruhodō: Occasionally  TakuShū sees magazines introducing the game as “a work that dared to take on the theme of trials”, and that actually hurts him. Mayoi: He never meant to be something as big as that…. 
(source, from the mentioned blog post)
Ultimately I see how easy it is, if you know a good amount about both Ace Attorney and Japan’s legal system, to come to the conclusion that the games were made as a dig against the latter. However, somewhere along the line, people apparently stopped seeing this as merely a theory and instead as a definite fact. Now, that doesn’t mean that the theory is entirely unfounded--given that Takumi focused only on making trials interesting and fun in the games, you could say that the games work as an light, comedic parody, not meant to make any political statements. And hey, maybe there’s something I missed--maybe there were other people working on the series who did have significant knowledge of law and wrote some parts of the games as intentional satire of the system. Again, if anyone has evidence of this, don’t hesitate to provide it. But with what I know, I don’t think going “well actually” to people who point out the ridiculousness and unfairness of Ace Attorney’s court system is necessary. It’s simply that way to make the games more fun.
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theicemer · 3 years
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so after a night of sleep and (mostly) silencing the constant brrrrr that my brain was doing after that kiss, I once again have Thoughts that are nothing new but that need to find an outlet. (also bc some of y'all asked and thank you for that????)
[some tw for very brief mentions of suicide]
so we got relatively few scenes with the mains in this ep, but what was there was significant. we have doom, who actually seems to have shifted his perspective from wanting to end the world to actually choosing to die himself, if possible. and this gets more heartbreaking the more we consider the entire context; remember, this is a man* who was sure that he cannot die, the implications being he possibly tried multiple times, in various ways, with no effect. having no possibility of ending his existence, he projected his suffering onto the world itself to deal with the pain. but now, with dong kyung entering the equation, he cannot do so anymore. together with what the promo showed us, it's easy to conclude that he now wants her not just to live, but to have a life without suffering--something that he thinks he himself brings to the world. (this is, of course, another wrong assumption on his part, since it's clear that people's suffering comes from different life circumstances, personal struggles, other people too. that's his self-hatred doings its work tho.)
this change of heart is clearly caused by dong kyung. before, he was ready to use her feelings to make her fulfill his own goal, but he can't possibly do that now. but it's not only the fact that she recognized him and his pain, but also his own growing feelings towards her that make it impossible to still want to end the world. because what happens to her if the world is destroyed? and will she be happy? this is why he says he will happily die for her if she loves him. I think that, as far as he's concerned, the world could still be doomed, but now he takes her life into consideration, thus him laying down his life is the next best thing for him.
doom himself acknowledges that a lot of this is entirely new to him. this is also why he is completely out of his element, often stopping himself from acting on his feelings. this is also how we end up with the last scene too. people already pointed out before that doom seems to dislike the loss of control that comes with his emotions. his feelings making him act and the instant confusion and retreat that follows seem to be standard now.
so now, the kiss. doom said before that he has an idea of what dong kyung wants to use her wish on, but it looks like he was caught off guard when she actually said she wants him to love her. now, he usually seems to be in control enough that he stops himself in time before acting on his feelings. here though, he is helpless. it looks like her wish struck something in him that made it impossible not to kiss her. the breath he lets out before he leans in, like he gives up, because he just can't possibly stop himself. so, of course, what follows is him stepping away and disappearing once he comes to his senses. I also suspect there could be an element of him actually being scared of what all of this means, and how their mutual feelings could affect his plans, because how can he let go of his own existence when he knows this is potentially something he'd be sacrificing?
(now, a small theory time: the little girl that is now our god villainess it seems, is clearly talking about doom and resetting him since he's malfunctioning. it's entirely possible, especially with what promo suggests, that she will torture him in order to reset him in some way, possibly to make him once again cruel and uncaring towards dong kyung. if any of y'all have watched spn, you probably know what that looks like. it's also possible that it wasn't him who ran away, but her snatching him away. either way, dong kyung is probably gonna take it the wrong way. on another note, the pot that god is carrying has now been confirmed as a direct parallel of doom. so we have our small villainess possessive over him, but unable to make him bloom. but guess what dong kyung did a little while ago?
damn you, hades and persephone parallels.)
and the last note, which is dong kyung's actual wish. she asks doom if she can ask for him to love her, and he says no. he could be saying that it is impossible to manipulate his emotions with a wish like that, or that he doesn't want to fulfill that wish. however, he follows with a kiss. so what's the conclusion?
it doesn't matter either way whether that wish is possible or not, because what doom is saying is that it is simply useless to wish for his love. with that kiss he is saying that, if he doesn't love her already, he is well on his way there.
and thus my brain goes brrrrr.
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mcheang · 3 years
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Lila’s 3 wishes
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Yeah, this is kind of a dark story. I honestly found Lila’s punishment harsh, but that’s what happens when you mess with magic.
Let’s say Lila found a genie’s lamp. Considering the fact that she never does thorough checking on her classmates’ backgrounds, or considers the consequences of claiming to be Ladybug’s Best Friend, assume that Lila knows the general basics of a genie granting wishes. She knows she has 3 wishes, but not that they come with drawbacks.
1. “I wish to be a wealthy celebrity!”
Lila’s mother had a lucky streak. For some reason, she won a lottery prize, casino slot machine prize, and received a lot of money from a dead relation she had never heard of before. Lila is now an heiress. She is also famous as a philanthropist and has been invited to the Wayne gala to make donations to charity. Lila wasn’t keen on giving away money but she loves to make rich friends! Ka-Ching! 🤑
2. “I want Adrien to be my devoted boyfriend.”
Indeed, Adrien was the perfect, attentive gentleman. Lila cackled when she saw Marinette run away to cry in the bathroom. Plus, now Adrien brings her out on expensive dates, gives her branded gifts, and introduced her to the media as his girlfriend.
3. “I want Ladybug to suffer a crushing defeat.”
Yeah, Ladybug was defeated because her partner was absent for some reason (giving Lila a massage). But rather than risk Hawkmoth winning, Ladybug surrendered her miraculous and ordered Tikki to escape. as a result, Hawkmoth could not get the earrings and Marinette was exposed as the teen hero. She died a gruesome death since there was no cure. The town claimed her as a hero. It wasn’t what Lila had been hoping for. She wanted Hawkmoth to win. But hey, at least she also got rid of that annoying Maribrat.
Yeah, this is where things start to go downhill for Lila. Plagg was already alarmed by Adrien’s behavior and met the genie. Tikki came to visit Plagg and furiously blamed Lila for Marinette’s death. She was willing to grant their wish to the genie, offering him freedom without a cost if he would wish for Marinette’s resurrection and Adrien’s free will (otherwise for sure he will suffer too). The genie suggested they let Lila suffer the consequences of genie magic first.
1. Lila got robbed. Now instead of being rich, she is poor. But not before the Waynes exposed her for being a fraud and stealing the money meant for charities. They already disliked her even before she starting talking their ears off.
2. Adrien is obsessed with Lila and it is creeping her out. Ever watched Archie’s Weird Mysteries where Veronica wished for Archie to love her and got a love zombie instead? It’s like that. Adrien stalks her and he can’t sleep so he looks horrible. Lila screamed when she saw his scary appearance as he knocked at her window in the middle of the night. Fortunately, the police got him into a hospital and sedated him. But now Lila is suspected of feeding him a love potion because WTH!? Not to mention Adrien’s fans never liked her, and after seeing his state, they are out for blood! Lila begs protection from the police, but hey they were already going to arrest her anyway for stealing money.
3. Ever since Marinette’s death, the class realised there was no way Lila could be Ladybug’s Best Friend. Guilty and enraged, they decided to investigate. Alix may have used her watch miraculous to find out what happened and learned about the genie. The class manage to retrieve the lamp. They are hesitant about using his powers though.
No worries. The genie decided it was time to use Tikki and Plagg for his wish.
“I wish for Marinette and Adrien and myself to be free of Lila’s wishes.“ Or some wording like that.
Now the genie was free of his lamp and went on his way. he wasn’t interested in being a bad genie and getting zapped by Zatana or Dr Fate. but he was definitely going to live an easy life.
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Marinette was brought back as Bridgette, someone who could live without being pestered by the paparazzi. Adrien woke up from the love spell and wondered why he was in a hospital.
But what was the cost for a resurrected life, freedom, and the breaking of a curse?
Lila thought she would be safe from the hatred of the public, but she was wrong. Someone managed to murder her in her cell. But instead of her soul being sent on to the afterlife for punishment, Lila awoke as a genie spirit, now trapped in a lamp. Well, at least she will be able to cause mayhem with her new powers right? Wrong. The lamp was sent, via Pegasus, to the centre of the earth’s core. Lila was stuck in that lamp, unable to die from this immense heat.
Yikes. Well, maybe if Lila repents, surely the heavens will send someone to rescue her.
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hops-hunny · 3 years
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Distance Makes the Heart Grow
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CHAPTER 5.5
Series Masterlist
Pairing: Mafia Boss!Neville Longbottom x Reader
Pronouns: She/Her
Word Count: 2.7k
Summary: (Y/n) lives a normal life. But that’s the issue, it’s normal, it’s plain, and it’s growing boring. Everyday she wishes for something, anything to spice up her life. But, when her old school friend (and crush) shows up at her bakery with a new look (and what looks like a new life), what will it bring for her? Will their puppy love grow? Will his big secret lead to the end of them or will it spark a new beginning?
Warnings: wizards experiencing muggle items, one line about sexual temptation, illegal bribery
A/N: LMAO WHY IS THE HALF CHAPTER LONGER THAN CHAPTER 5 PLS THIS IS SO EMBARASSING
(Y/n) rubbed the sleep from her eyes, still tired despite going through her entire morning routine. Although she was exhausted, she also felt an extreme burst of excitement. Although she grew up wealthy for a small portion of her life, her parents had never liked to travel. They much preferred sticking to themselves and associating with other pure bloods. The furthest they had ever traveled was from their main home to their summer home and even then the two weren’t that far from one another. She nuzzled into Neville’s neck further, tightening her grasp around him as he carried her down the stairs.
When they got to the landing, he brought them to the main living room where everyone was waiting. She heard a familiar squeal causing her eyes to snap open just in time to see a camera flash.
“Sorry you guys are just so cute together! Plus who knew you were this adorable when you’re sleepy?” Twyla said, cooing as she walked over and pinching the girl’s cheek. She grumbled, smacking her hand away as she buried her head back in Neville’s neck.
“Twyla? What are you doing here? You’re coming too?” she asked, watching as the girl nodded, jumping in excitement. Her (e/c) eyes narrowed as she peeked at her. “Really? I also suspect that you requested this time off?” the blonde scratched the back of her neck, backing away from the girl slowly.
“Listen, (Y/n), baby, dear boss of mine. Permission to have time off in order to go to Italy?” she pleaded, flashing her a sickly sweet smile. 
“Request denied.” she replied almost instantaneously. She giggled some at the girl’s reaction, trying to keep the straight face she had going on. But she couldn’t, Twyla’s over dramatic scene she was causing was far too funny. “I’m only kidding Twy, there’s no one I’d rather spend time in a new country with. Well, maybe there is.” Neville squeezed at her thighs, lifting her up higher at the announcement. He went to tease her before Harrison cleared his throat, standing on a stool so the mass of people could see him.
“Alright well I’ve got some news.” he started but was cut short.
“Good or bad?” the twins said in unison, glaring at each other for having the same thought.
“Well, it’s news. Because there’s so many of us, it’d be a bit strange for us to use floo powder. It’d cause way too much attention which would already have people quite suspicious about our visit.” he said, clasping his hands together. “Which means we’ll be using muggle transportation.” The main eight chimed up, all their speech lapping over each other. Twyla whistled, causing them all to stop speaking. “Thank you. Now if there’s any questions, please ask them one at a time.”
“How the hell are we gonna drive to Italy?! Can cars go in the water?” Seamus blurted out, causing everyone in the room to give him a disappointed look. Ron smacked the back of his head, letting out a troubled sigh.
“Whoever said there was no such thing as a dumb question must’ve never met you, Finnegan.” Harrison said in a fake sweet tone. “We’re going by plane which means we’ll need to go through the muggle airport.” Neville cleared his throat, causing everyone to turn their attention to him.
“And what about our guns? Weapons? Correct me if I’m wrong, but those can’t be taken through airport security.” he said, everyone else to make noises of agreement. The bearded man sucked on his teeth, releasing a soft breath.
“Well, we’re all smart, capable people. Plus you know muggles, money talks with them. Shouldn’t be too hard to get ourselves through with our weapons intact.” he said, causing everyone to go into thought about what they’d do to evade security. “Any more questions?”
“Yeah, how long are we going to be there for? I sorta have a job.” Twyla said. (Y/n) rolled her eyes, squinting them at the back of the girl’s head which caused a small jolt of electricity to shock her. She let out a yelp, glaring knowingly at the girl. “I know that was you!”
“Alright if there’s no more questions, let’s get to the airport!”
---------------------------------
As they got out of the car, (Y/n) looked around in awe. The airport had to be one of the busiest places she’d ever been, and she attended Hogwarts. Many different tunnels, windows, and levels all stacked as high as her sight could reach. The worst part of it all was the abundance of people, especially with them being muggles. It wasn’t that she disliked them, it was more so she feared them. She constantly felt anxious like they could see right through her and would call her out on the spot. As she felt her breath get shallow, she ran up to Neville clinging to his arm as they walked. He looked down at her smiling before intertwining their fingers.
She gasped as the door walked open automatically as they went through, eyes growing wide. Neville heard the noise looking down at her. She gave him a confused look. “I thought you said there was no magic here?” she said, confused by how the doors were doing that. He chuckled some, pecking the top of her head.
“There isn’t. It’s all muggle technology. If you think that’s cool, I’m curious what your reaction to the plane will be.” 
(Y/n) kept close to the tall man’s side, ignoring the weird looks they were receiving. She couldn’t blame them. Her and Neville were complete opposites. It was as if they both climbed out of two separate books and had formed a new one which in a way, they had. Everyone continued to follow Harrison, watching as he slid a large numbered bill to the man. He moved out of the way, letting them skip the line before they got to the metal detectors. (Y/n) began to sweat nervously knowing that every single man with her right now was fully armed and loaded.
“I’ve got this, don’t worry mini boss!” Seamus said, walking up to the front of the line. Neville groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. He cleared his throat as he stepped up to the short man in the uniform. The man crossed his arms, glaring up at him. “Hello…” he trailed off, looking at the nametag on the man, “Alfredo! Listen, why don’t you be a champ and let us by?” he said, handing the man a few 20s. However, he didn’t budge.
“You think I’m going to let you through for 40 bucks?” he snapped. “I happen to take my job as an airport security member very seriously. I’d have half the mind to call the cops on you right now for not wanting to follow the mandatory metal detector procedure.” At this point the girl was shaking. Blaise rolled his eyes, walking up to the man. He gave him a charismatic smirk. Grabbing the man’s hand he placed a kiss on his knuckles.
“Alfredo, right?” he asked, watching as the boy nodded along in a trance. “Charmed. I’m Blaise Zabini. Listen, I know my friend here insulted your character and you seem like a very nice, good boy,” he purred, staring into his eyes intently. Whipping out his wallet he pulled out four hundred dollar bills tucking them into the boy’s front pocket, leaving his hand to linger there. “So why don’t you let us through, yeah? And maybe when I come back you can give me a call.” The boy stumbled behind the machine, looking both ways before turning off the sensors. They all began to quickly file through before anyone would notice. Blaise being the last one threw the man a wink before catching up with his friends.
“That’s not fair! Blaise has pretty privilege!” Seamus whined, causing Fred to snort.
“Perhaps you should invest in some then. You seemed like you could use it back there.” he said, snickering as George joined in. Draco even gave a few chuckles before covering it with a cough.
(Y/n) looked around the airport, still curious about everything. Sure Hogwarts had a few moving floors and stairs that moved but these were..different? Maybe they were some more of that muggle technology Neville had mentioned earlier.
“You see that?” the boss said, pointing to a set of the moving stairs. She nodded, continuing to eye them curiously. “Those are called escalators. You stand on them and they move. We’re about to get on one in a second!” she gulped at that but nodded.
“U-um, will you hold my hand on it? It’s kinda scary..” she asked, jumping in surprise as he wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her into his chest, embracing her tightly.
“God, you're so precious. Of course I’ll hold your hand.” he reached his hand out, grabbing her smaller one in his large one. As they neared it, she found she wasn’t as nervous as she had been previously. Especially not with the twins running up the wrong side, screaming at each other in confusion about why they weren’t moving anywhere.
“They seem to be out of order!” George said, continuing to run up them. Ron turned around glaring at his pathetic older brothers.
“They’re not broken, you’re just on the wrong side, idiots! Why do you think we got on this one?” he yelled to them, watching as they froze. As they reached the landing again they ran up the correct side, giving Ron a smack on the back of the head as they passed him.
“Oh you know, for flavor!”
As they neared the terminal, her eyes began to sparkle with curiosity. Even though the majority of it was covered by the window panes, she could see bits of the different planes in between.
“Alright for most of you, this is your spot. The boarding should be beginning soon so keep an ear peeled.” Harrison said. The extra men that had come with the nodded before making their way to the long line. They looked very out of place compared to everyone else in line. Although some had disguised themselves in Hawaiian shirts, a lot of them still adorned their usual attire of all black suits. (Y/n) went to join them but was pulled back, the tattooed man giving her a look.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“To get on the plane? I thought we were taking one?” she said, a lost look on her face. He smiled at her, dragging her along.
“Oh we are, we’re just taking one of our own.” he said, a smug look present on his face. She went to ask him what he meant but stopped as they made it to a private section of the airport, walking straight through a terminal with no line. 
“Woah! This is yours, Nev?” she asked, running around the interior. It was larger than she thought it’d be. There were a few couches inside along with a few cushioned chairs. Tables were embedded into the ground, stationed around the various seats.
“Yep! All mine, petal. Only the best for you, pretty girl.” Her heart began to race at the name, looking back at him with a smile. 
“Geez, he really is Mr.Moneybags! This thing is loaded, bigger than any plane I’ve ever been on.” Twyla chimed, throwing herself onto one of the couches with a sigh. Draco took a seat beside her, lifting her legs into his lap.
“I have one too, you know.” he said, causing her to jerk up. Giving him a teasing smile, she pinched his cheek lovingly.
“Aww! Dray’s so cute when he’s jealous! C’mere!” she said, lunging forward onto the man as she covered his face in kisses. (Y/n) giggled some letting out a small scream as a pair of arms pulled her back. Neville nuzzled his nose into her neck before littering kisses all over her face.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist. You look so cute when you’re excited.” she smiled at his words, hiding her face in his chest. She still had yet to ask him about the room situation. There was only 2 hours till they were set to land so if she wanted to get it out, she had better do it soon.
“Hey Nev? I-I-I was wondering i-if you wanted to maybe..maybe um...share a room together?” Neville froze at the words, the movement of his hands ceasing. Had she really just said what he thought she had? So many thoughts were running through his head, some less savory than others. “I just thought it would be nice. I know you’ll probably be busy during the day so I-I’d enjoy being able to be with you at night. N-not like that! I just-”
“Of course, baby. I’d love to.” he said, turning her around so he could place a kiss on her lips. Before he could begin to deepen it, a childish chorus of ooo’s echoed across the plane. He pulled away, rolling his eyes as he pulled out his gun. “I’m not above using this. I don’t care how high we are.”
--------------------
An hour into the flight, things had really taken off. During the small duration of time, many blunts had been rolled, meals had been eaten, and alcohol had been consumed. (Y/n) found herself looking out the window, admiring the way the clouds flew by them seemingly weightless. Her attention was pulled away from the sound of a glass breaking along with a loud thud. Seamus was on the ground, his shirt tied around his shoulders like a cape. 
“I don’t think I can drink another round. You two win.” he said, commending the twins for their effort. They exchanged a look before beginning to cackle.
“We were drinking water the whole time! Do you really think we’d drink 14 shots a piece?! Man, what a moron you are, Finnegan.” Fred said, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes. George nodded along, slapping his knee in amusement.
“Right before we have to scope out the place too? Boss isn’t gonna be too happy with you.” he said in a sing-song voice. (Y/n) couldn’t help but feel bad for the boy. She knew what it was like to go and mess things up before something important. Lifting her purse, she began sifting through it carefully, stopping once she found what she had been looking for. Walking over to the boy she handed him a small potion vile.
“Here, drink this. I always give this to Twyla when she shows up black out at my house. It should sober you up in a few minutes.” The boy looked at her like she was a god before drinking the thick liquid.
“God, who knew the boss would get such a useful girlfriend? Thanks (Y/n)! ‘Ppreciate it.” he said, handing her the now empty bottle. Her face began to heat up at his words.
“O-oh I’m not his-”
“(Y/n)! Come here, I wanna show you something.” he said, motioning her over to the chair. She nodded before walking over to him, sitting in the chair. “Okay, ready?” he asked, waiting for her approval. She nodded, sending him a smile. With a press of a button, the chair she was in began vibrating, light pressure being applied to her back. She practically purred at the feeling, closing her eyes.
“What is this?” she asked, words bumping together from the sensation of the chair. He chuckled before sitting beside her, grabbing her hand in his.
“It’s called a massage chair. It’s a muggle invention. Nice innit?” he asked, watching as she purred some more, nodding brainlessly. His eyes traveled over her relaxed expression, tracing all the curves and contour of her face. However, he couldn’t help the tightening of his pants when she began to moan in pleasure at the feeling of the muggle device. If he could barely get through this, how was he supposed to survive an entire mission with her? Especially one where they’d be sleeping in the same bed, every night? 
“Showers, a lot of cold showers.” he muttered to himself. He smiled once he realized she had fallen asleep, deciding to join her in slumber.
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lovely-angst · 4 years
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secret child pt.3
part 1 | part 2
uwu, let’s fangirl at how much hibiki is a momma’s boy and how much he loves youu
i had a vision for this and my writing followed in a squiggly line
Another day, another training session with the water pillar, Tomioka Giyuu—also known as his “dad”. 
Tomioka had taken him a few minutes away from home to an open field where the two could train better. Sighing to himself, Hibiki sat on an empty tree stump that hid him from the sun as he thought back to the conversation he had with his mom the other night. 
“Mom, you’re beginning to fall in love with Tomioka.” Hibiki suddenly states as he watched your eyes widen. Words tried to fall from your mouth, but Hibiki could only manage a sigh.
“And I think Tomioka is falling in love with you too.” Hibiki finished off, setting the now dried plate aside. 
You watched quietly as Hibiki continued to store the plates away. You hadn’t realized what was happening until Hibiki had confronted you and as much as you wanted to deny his words, it was the truth. 
“Does that make you upset, Hibiki?” you asked quietly, Hibiki turning to glance over at you before averting them back onto the plate in his hands. 
Even from the side of his face, you could see the conflicting emotions running through him. 
“A bit,” he confessed before placing his dish on the table, turning over towards you. “I just don’t understand, mom. How could you still love him after everything he’s done to us? To you!” Hibiki cried, his hands thrown out infront of him as you watched him getting frustrated. 
He never liked even the thought of Tomioka. 
“I want you to be happy, mom. But Tomioka doesn’t deserve to come back into our lives after these 15 years without him. How could you let him in so easily?” Hibiki’s eyes burned angrily towards you, but you knew he only wanted the best for you.
“Hibiki-” before you could finish your sentence, Tomioka had walked back in, cutting the conversation short, and also leaving a slight tension between the two of you.
Staring at the male a few feet ahead of him, Hibiki frowned at the sight of him. Who does he think he is? Trying to wedge himself back into the family when he has done nothing but harm.
“Hibiki, time to get started,” Tomioka shouted from under the sun before Hibiki let out a groan before jogging over towards the male. 
Standing in front of the man, Hibiki’s thoughts ran back to the fact that Tomioka was trying to woo his mother—after everything he had done to her. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.
‘What a loser,’ Hibiki thought, glancing away. 
“Is something bothering you?” Tomioka asked, a raised brow as he studied Hibiki’s frown. “It’s nothing, let’s just get started,” Hibiki grumbled, trying to stay polite to the man training him. Though he wanted nothing more to do with Tomioka, Hibiki respected him as his student, and because you wanted him to be nice or you would get mad. 
“I don’t want to train you with your emotions in the way,” Tomioka informed flatly, causing Hibiki’s eye to twitch. 
“If you really wanna know why, I’ll tell you why. If you haven’t noticed, I don’t want anything to do with you outside of training, so stop trying to come into my life. Especially my mom’s,” Hibiki confessed angrily as Tomioka watched him unphased. 
Ever since Tomioka had met Hibiki, he could tell the child had a dislike towards him—mainly because Hibiki had fought him during their first encounter. 
“You’re always trying to be all sweet with her by buying her gifts and all, and while she might appreciate it, know that I’ll be here to make sure that you will never come back into the family,” Tomioka glanced at the younger male with a raised brow; he sure knew how to choose his words. 
“Oh, so are you upset at me?” Tomioka questioned, already aware of the young man’s answer, but decided to push him a little. 
“Don’t act stupid,” Hibiki responded as he quickly grabbed the wooden sword from the ground beside him, but Tomioka reacted just as fast, a wooden sword in his own hands, blocking Hibiki’s attack. “I’m going to make sure my mom will never fall into your hands again.”
Hibiki was fast with his sword and made significant attacks, Tomioka observed but found that whenever Hibiki was frustrated and angry, it left him with a lot of openings.
Tomioka swung his sword with such power he knocked Hibiki back. Though Hibiki wasn’t the greatest swordsman, he was undoubtedly a lot better with his fists. With a swing, Hibiki landed a hit on Tomioka’s cheek, causing the older man to stumble backward, his cheek reddening.
“She loved you while you threw her out and left her struggling to live with your child,” Hibiki’s anger caused him to throw another punch, but Tomioka was faster and dodged the young male with a step.
Tomioka continued to side-step and dodge the younger male’s attacks, “Hibiki, I’m not going to fight you over this,” but Hibiki was quick as he grabbed Tomioka’s uniform top, pulling Tomioka towards him. 
“Did you know she had to starve herself in order to provide for me? How desperate she was to find a job in order to keep me alive? To find a roof for me?” Hibiki shouted, voice cracking as tears filled his blue eyes. “Even after all these years, I can still remember her in the streets, begging for food, or change all for me to have a good life!” 
Hibiki retracted his hand before landing another solid punch on Tomioka, causing him to fall backward onto the hard ground as Hibiki hovered over him, but Tomioka accepted the hit with a heavy heart, Hibiki’s tears slipping down his cheeks onto Tomioka’s.
“My mom would cry herself to sleep every night after I fell asleep, while she awaited another difficult day. I didn’t have the slightest clue of the troubles we went through because she gave me everything she had in order to make sure I was happy,” Hibiki pulled on Tomioka’s uniform with a shaky breath.
“Did you know that? Did you know what you had done? And you think you can love her so easily as if you didn’t cause this?” Tomioka knew, but he also didn’t. 
“Hibiki, I’m sorry,” Tomioka whispered as Hibiki’s face became strained, “Sorry won’t change anything.” 
As each tear fell from Hibiki’s eyes and fell onto Tomioka’s cheeks, he watched as the strong, stubborn 15 year old cried his heart out because of the guilt he carried. 
Nothing was Hibiki’s fault, yet he carried the brunt of his mother’s hardship.
Before Hibiki could land another punch, Tomioka quickly grabbed the wooden sword beside him before landing a hit on the back oh Hibiki’s neck, causing the young man to pass out on his chest. 
With a sigh, Tomioka stood up before lifting the unconscious Hibiki onto his back as he departed back towards the house where you were waiting for their return. 
-
“Hibiki!” You cried as you ran over towards Tomioka, who had just arrived at your house. Placing a gentle hand on Hibiki’s forehead, Tomioka’s voice caught your attention, “He’s alright. We had a little spar that spiraled out of control,” 
You finally glanced over at Tomioka before hovering your hand over his cheek, “Your cheek! And your lip is busted! Don’t tell me Hibiki did this?” Your stern mom voice was coming out as Tomioka flashed you a small smile. 
“It’s my fault for pushing his buttons a bit,” Tomioka confessed as he walked into the house to lay Hibiki down on his futon before the two of you sat in the tatami room quietly together. 
“What caused this?” you questioned as you leaned over to clean the cut on his lip. Tomioka’s blue eyes observed you before glancing away with a sigh. 
“Hibiki told me about what happened after that day,” your hand retracted back towards you as you sat there with a saddened expression. “Oh,” was all you could manage as you set your small medical kit aside. 
“I understand that it was wrong of me, but would it be wrong of me to want to love you now?” his question was full of honesty and though you weren’t expecting it to come from his mouth, you weren’t shocked to hear. 
“Giyuu,” you started with a sigh. “As much as I’d love to try to have a real relationship with you, I don’t think I can, not yet,” you confessed, looking down at your hands. 
“Not just because Hibiki isn’t too fond of you, but because of what had happened. I can’t let you come right in just after a week of spending some sort of time with each other after these hard 15 years.”
Tomioka nodded, “I understand.”
You gave a small smile, “Well, how much did Hibiki tell you? I swear, that boy doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut.” you joke and it earns you a small chuckle from the male. 
“He told me how hard you worked to provide for him.” Tomioka started with a soft smile, “He told me that you gave him a great childhood even though he knew you struggled to get by.” 
You glanced back down, embarrassed of what Hibiki could have exposed, “That’s just what mom’s do for their children,” you chuckle. 
“Even after 15 years, you’re still just as lovely as ever,” Tomioka confessed out of the blue, causing your cheeks to heat up, but just as quickly as the rose blush dusted your cheeks did they vanish as your locked gaze on him harden. 
“Giyuu,” your sweet voice filled the air before your words came crashing down on him, “why did you throw me out?” 
The sudden question made his eyes widen, a bold question indeed. Recollecting himself, Giyuu continued to hold your gaze. “I didn’t want that life. To have a child, be responsible for anything—for you or for our child, especially because you were just there for my pleasure.” 
Your brows arched sadly and although you had suspected this answer, it hurt coming from the man himself. 
Before you could reply, Tomioka quickly cut you off, “but I missed a big part of what could have been my life when I threw the two of you out.” Tomioka placed his hands in front of him before bowing to you, “I’m sorry for what I have done to you and Hibiki,” 
“Giyuu, please, raise your head,” you scrambled as you reach over to lift him from the ground. When he finally sat back, tears filled your eyes as you stared into the blue ones that matched Hibiki’s. 
Leaning over, you wrap your arms around the male with a single sob, “I wish you could have been apart of our lives.” Tomioka’s arms slowly wrapped around you as well as the two of you held each other in the silence, reminiscing on what could have been your life together. 
“Hey, hands off my mom,” Hibiki’s sharp voice cut through the air as you jumped, quickly letting go of Tomioka to look at Hibiki. 
“Hibiki, you’re awake!” you cried in relief as you stood to your feet, squeezing you against him. “Are you hurt? Are you feeling okay?” you worry before Hibikisqueezes his way out of your arms. “I’m fine, mom,” Hibiki responds before his gaze focuses on Tomioka. 
“I heard everything,” he confesses, coming to sit down beside where you had sat. “Don’t act like your apology will solve everything. An apology can’t cure what 15 years of pain can do. My mom might be softer towards you, but it won’t be that easy,” Tomioka acknowledged Hibiki’s words. 
The child was smart and, more importantly, loved his mother more than anything. 
“But because my mom seems to love you so much and because I want to see her happy, I’ll do my best to treat you with more respect,” Hibiki gently bowed toward the male, before sending a glare, “but if you do anything wrong again, I won’t hesitate to jump on you-”
“Hibiki! You don’t need to say that!” you scold as Hibiki let out a playful smile towards you. Rolling your eyes, you place a loud kiss on Hibiki’s forehead before he groans of disgust.
Tomioka watched with the softest smile. He knew it was going to take a while, but to be rewarded with such a loving family, he wouldn’t mind however long it took. 
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ninjastormhawkkat · 3 years
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Another Wordgirl Au: Morally Gray Wordgirl
Morally Gray Wordgirl au
I don’t know if anyone else in the Wordgirl fandom thought about this at one point. A what-if I thought one day was what would have happened if Steven became Dr. Two Brains before Becky became Wordgirl? Such as what if Steven became Two Brains when Becky just came to earth as a baby? This is where the au begins
In this au, Becky is adopted by Dr. Two Brains. After Becky and Bob crash land on earth, Bob carries Becky around for a bit and enters the city. This is around the time Steven first becomes Two Brains. Bob, while carrying Becky, runs into Two Brains. At this point, Bob has no idea that Two Brains is a villain. Two Brains has cheese with him and Bob is hungry. Two Brains awkwardly hands some of his cheese to Bob. Two Brains may be a villain now but he is not heartless to not offer someone that is hungry food. Bob eats the cheese while Two Brains holds Becky. Two Brains is nervous at first because some random monkey just gave him a baby to hold😟. When Becky looks at Two Brains, she curiously calls him daddy. She is just a little kid who think that this new man holding her is her parent now. Two Brains heart just melts😍after hearing her call him daddy and looking into her innocent, alien, eyes. He immediately begins to dote on her as a dad would, ex. baby talk and cooing. Bob watches the interaction between Two Brains and Becky and decides that Two Brains would be a great person to stay with and raise Becky. He later regrets his decision.😓😆Here is an outline for how this au would go:
1. Becky still becomes Wordgirl. Bob tries to implement heroic morals into Becky during the time she is being raised by a villain. Becky wants to become a hero because she does not want to see the lives of innocent civilians hurt. However, since Dr. Two Brains also implemented villainous ideals into Becky growing up, her moral values are kind of mixed in her actions as a hero.
2. Becky is more sympathetic towards villains. Ex. When Chuck and Butcher claim to be innocent after being framed by Amazing Rope Guy, she immediately believes them and tries to figure out another angle of who really committed those crimes.
3. She isn’t as upset as when the spotlight is turned off her such as when Tiny Big came onto the scene or when Granny May became bingo champion. She is still upset, but Becky is not as focused on the limelight as canon. She, from Huggy’s teachings, believes that a superhero’s true reward comes from protecting the citizens and just helping when needed to prevent or avenge the cruelest of injustices. Wordgirl will accept gifts or keys to the city out of politeness. She uses the limelight to give the people of Fair City comfort and assurance that she is still there to protect them. Becky views heroism as a job more than a pleasure. It is basically, “You get good results based on how hard and well you do the work, not just what others say.” mentality.
4. That being said, Becky will not take a passive stance and try hard to prove her innocence if the citizens suddenly began to take advantage of her heroism or if they turn on her such as with the evil duplicate or when Granny May framed her for crimes. As I said earlier, Becky in this au views heroism as a job she enjoys and doesn't take impolite backlash, constructive criticism yes. Basically she just becomes done when residents of Fair City act like morons who think they know better. (I have always had a problem when a majority of the residents in Fair City act like gullible idiots. It always irks me how they will turn on Wordgirl easily and not often give a proper apology when they realize they were wrong. Sometimes, to me, it seems the villains have better appreciation for Wordgirl than the citizens. I am not including all citizens, just seems like a majority do this.) (Okay rant over.) Becky will be like, “if you guys don’t want me anymore then good luck.” She will intervene again just to keep the city from going into complete chaos. She still cares about the safety of the citizens, she just does not like it when they abandon their trust in her for no good reason. She is not even mad at the villains who cause this. They didn’t force the citizens to dislike Wordgirl, that was their choice.
5. Becky will not often take her dad to jail. She loves her dad and does not like the idea of him not being home (the warehouse; Becky’s living conditions their are like my version of the Becky Boxleitner au, just somewhat better due to her living their all her life.) She also does not like the idea of having to fight him, but has to in order to keep up appearances and not let anyone get suspicious and start suspecting her identity. That being said, she will let Two Brains escape after stoping the crimes depending on the severity. If Two Brains just steals cheese from the grocery store, she may often ignore it (its just cheese and it can easily be replenished). For crimes such as stealing money or turning artwork into cheese, Becky will stop her dad, but later act like he got away (if police are not around. “Two Brains Quartet” still happens because police are there.). Becky may do this sometimes for other villains depending on her or their mood. Citizens and Villains believe that Dr. Two Brains is an extremely tough villain to catch which raises his credibility as Fair City’s #1 villain when Wordgirl does this. Captain Huggy Face is not happy when Wordgirl let’s her dad go, but he deals with it because she cares about her dad. Becky does stand her ground if her dad, and the other villains, do something dangerous that affects the lives of the citizens. Incidents such as the plot to mind control all the city with bunny buttons and the cheesteroid do get Two Brains arrested. (Becky is like, “Sorry dad, but I can’t let you threaten the lives of innocent civilians.”) Since this happens rarely, Becky usually stays at her friends houses until her dad leaves prison. She has a visitor clearance and does visits with her dad when she can. (Still brings him cheese.) Not much interaction with the Botsford family unless they were a focus in episodes.
6. Becky is more aware of when villains act deceitful. (She was raised by one herself.) She pretends to be tricked to let their guard down before turning the tables on them. (She can be tricky and deceitful herself when she wants to be.)
The police force are more competent in this au than in canon. They were able to capture most villains, with exception to Two Brains and other major villains, before Wordgirl came onto the scene. The city was similar to Gotham before Batman showed up. It was fine, but crime rates were still high. The episode “The Wrong Side of the Law” happens differently than canon. Wordgirl is civil and polite to the police, but does really like law enforcement or fully trusts them due to her upbringing by a super villain. (Two Brains taught her she can respect law enforcement because they are capable of doing a good job, it does not mean she has to like them or follow the rules all the time. I sorta think that the villains have some respect for D.A. Sally Botsford because of how she is good at her job.)
Now on to “Normal” girl Becky. Becky is still referred to as Becky Boxleitner. (Dr. Two Brains did not want kids ignoring or making fun of Becky with a last name like Brains, or something mouse related. He wanted people to know and treat his daughter as herself, not just who she is related to. Two Brains also wanted to give Becky some protection so random people wouldn’t bother her because of his actions. So he just gave her his old human name.) Becky is similar to her canon character with a few changes.
1. Becky will empathize with someone if they are feeling upset and hurt. But if they are doing something dumb and stupid, or anything that is concerning to her, she will be upfront and honest with that person (not complete brutal honesty but something like “Please don’t do something stupid, I care about you and your health.”). She isn’t mean, but she is forward and won’t bother to hide feelings if hiding your emotions will only make the situation worse. 
2. Both Becky and Wordgirl are sassy like her dad.
3. She is still passionate about words and respects her teachers and main authority figures.
4. Becky is more clever about excuses.
5. She enjoys science more as well as literature. Becky has top grades in her class. (Next to Tobey). She enjoys science fairs and is a bit better at creating workable, and visually acceptable, inventions.
6. Becky likes puns (Two Brains) and knows every fact about cheese as well as every fact about words (again Two Brains’ fault). 
7. Becky is still a fan of Pretty Princess, but has ponies, books, and science stuff in her room. She is a bit more tomboyish than canon.  
Becky is still friends with Violet in this au. I always viewed Violet’s mom as an open-minded nature women, based on Violet’s character and where they live. She is easily accepting of Becky and Dr. Two Brains despite Two Brains life as a villain. Becky is also forward early on how some of Violet’s traditions make her uncomfortable so there is no issue in the series. 
Becky is more a fan of words and science in this au. She and Violet have fun mixing art and science. Becky does not take art classes, but rather is part of after-school science and reading clubs. (She takes science club with Tobey and reading club with Violet.)
Becky is also friends with Tobey in this au. I have nothing against Scoops’ character. I was just more fond of his character development in the episodes during and after he learns Becky’s identity, plus a few before the reveal. (In the early seasons, it seemed that Scoops would do anything for a big story, even as exposing Wordgirl’s identity as Becky. I was upset in that Vocab Bee episode because Scoops did not seem to consider Becky’s input or feeling when he found strong evidence that Becky was Wordgirl. To me it seemed unfair that Becky had to throw her chances at a competition she was having fun in just to protect her identity because of Scoops’ actions and attitude.) Tobey met Becky when they were between 5 and 6. Tobey just lost his dad (up to interpretation on how) and was just lonely. Kids would make fun of Tobey’s nerd-side and some other mean reasons, or they would ignore him. Becky sympathized with Tobey because most kids, not Violet, would avoid her because of her dad. (They would not dare bully her for fear of how Dr. Two Brains would react.) Tobey and Becky easily began to get along and overtime became friends. Claire McCallister was worried about her son hanging out with the child of a villain. But quickly after seeing how Becky was a good kid plus Two Brains being a good dad despite his status, and that her son was happy with friends, she let her worries slide. Claire, Dr. Two Brains, and Violet’s mom, have made an unofficial single parents support group between the three of them. In this au, Tobey does not become a villain, but still builds robots. (I already have a new villain that takes canon Tobey’s role.) Becky and Tobey are silently crushing on each other. Tobey does suspect Becky is Wordgirl, but respects her secret identity and will wait for her to tell him (or a reveal). (Still cares for her anyway.)
Scoops parents are friendly but are strong law-abiding citizens so they avoid Two Brains and Becky. Scoops in this au is nice, but is more concerned on news stories. He originally talks to Becky in hopes of getting an interview with her dad. Scoops is trying not to be inconsiderate, but he is sorta using Becky as a way to get to her dad. Becky deals with this stuff from other reporters and fans of her dad. Neither Dr. Two Brains and Becky like this attention. (Two Brains likes being in the news and in magazines, but he doesn’t like people using his daughter to get to him. Becky is the most important person in his life with cheese being second.) Becky shuts Scoops down after his first few initial attempts. Scoops is disappointed, but he apologizes and doesn’t bother her anymore. Becky is civil and polite to Scoops in this series, but that is about it. There is no crush. (I don’t know if I will keep the Violet x Scoops ship in this au or change it.)  
I really like this au along with a few other aus I made up which include an Alliance Swap au. I am going to expand more on this au and the characters later.  
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themountainsays · 3 years
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Is anyone else curious about why exactly did Sylvie change her name? I mean, I suspect it’s mostly a narrative device, because telling a story in which the two main characters have the exact same name is a bit difficult, and Sylvie having a different name does emphasize her individuality, thematically, but what are the in-universe explanations? I have a few theories:
Sylvie has met other Lokis in her travel, and she dislikes them so much, she tries to distance herself from them as much as possible, to the point her chosen name is not only a sound, but a way to distinguish herself as a different person. I find this a bit strange because, if I met an alternative version of myself from a different timeline, I wouldn’t change my name lol. Why do I have to change because the other me is an ass? I wouldn’t let myself be moved aside by some asshole. If they’re so much worse than me, then that proves I’m the superior variant. Case closed. If Sylvie is denying her original identity (because remember, being Loki was her true, genuine identity before she decided to change. Being Loki wasn’t imposed on her), then she must believe there’s nothing good in being Loki, and the only way to be good and rise among the other Lokis is... to not be Loki. Which is pretty sad. In order to be good she has to stop being herself, even in name. I don’t doubt “Sylvie” becomes her true, genuine identity in time, but... Loki was also a true and genuine identity before. Ironically, all Lokis seem to want to rise above the other Lokis lol. President Loki wants to rule over them all, Boastful Loki and all others were planning to betray him and take over anyway, Classic Loki and Kid Loki want to change and become morally superior to them, and our Loki repeatedly refers to himself as the Superior Variant. Sylvie wanting to Not Be Like The Other Lokis is a bit counter-productive, but he still gets a gold star for originality imo. This option does open for some interesting character development when she meets a Loki who is good and whom she loves even though he doesn’t want to give up his identity, because if he can be a Loki and be good at the same time, then what does that mean for her?
Similar to the previous theory but not quite, Sylvie believes what the TVA said about Loki, that is, that they’re destined to cause pain and destruction in order to support others’ character arcs, and rejecting her Loki identity is her way to forge her own destiny. In this case, Sylvie changing her name has less to do with comparing herself to other Lokis and more with trying to escape what the TVA dictated she should be, and then “Loki” is an abstract concept, and not a concrete person (er, group of people?) she wants to reject. Which I still think is pretty sad too, because then she’s always the flexible one. She’s always the one changing to avoid condemnation. Again, she believes there’s no hope for Loki, and if she wants things to go well for her, she needs to stop being Loki. I mean, again, I wouldn’t change my name and identity if I found out me from a different dimension was doomed from the start, so this must be really shocking and painful for her, so painful she wants to become a different person. In time, she succeeds, especially as she becomes an adult and and her identity as Sylvie is solidified.
Sylvie’s backstory as Loki is much longer than we thought, and she did some fucked up shit as Loki. Changing her name is her attempt at starting over. This is the most basic option but the one that makes the most sense to me, though something this important should probably be clarified in the show. Posibly in Season 2? That would fit in nicely. Basically, in this theory Sylvie isn’t comparing herself to other Lokis or to the TVA’s Ideal Loki, but to her past self. The line “That’s not who I am anymore” comes to mind. It sounds like something someone on a redemption arc would say, rather than a victim of kidnapping who found out her alternative universe self was a little shit. I like this theory the best, because it’s the one that grants Sylvie the most agency. In the other two options, she’s changing for the sake of others, even if she doesn’t think so, because she’s trying so hard to not be what they want her to be that she’s abandoning parts of herself in the process, like her own name. A name that, again, wasn’t imposed on her! She was Loki, 100% genuinely and truly and she decided to change. Now she’s... still Loki, but a different Loki. Not Like The Other Lokis. And I do like to think she’s doing it for herself and not for the TVA or for other versions of herself she met in her travels.
Now, I don’t think her identity as “Sylvie” is fake or not genuine at all! She is Sylvie, definitely! But that wasn’t the identity she started off with. It’s something that took her some time to build, and I want to know why. Why, exactly, does she reject being a Loki so badly? What did the Idea of Loki do to her? Why does she hate who she was as a child? Why does she try to remove herself from the narrative instead of changing it? For someone so determined to rewrite her own destiny, changing her identity sounds more like trying to escape from it.
And I’d understand if “Loki” was... a title, for example. Like “God of Mischief”. I can see her rejecting that title if it didn’t fit her. But... in-universe, “Loki” is just a sound. There isn’t a specific etymology behind it. It’s not even a gendered sound. The word doesn’t mean anything in itself, it’s up to the bearer. Sylvie could have redefined it as anything she wanted, but instead, she abandoned it and choose a different name on her own. And that’s certainly very rebellious of her! Very thematically profound! I love it! But in-universe... you have to admit it’s a pretty odd thought process. Though I’m 95% we’re meant to suspend our disbelief a little. Sylvie changed her name because the writers needed her to, and it also happens to be thematically fitting even if it was an odd choice from part of the character, but who cares. Lokis are pretty eccentric anyways.
And speaking of that, something I love is that Sylvie doesn’t fully reject her identity as Loki, either. She still dresses like one, her magic and battle strategies are similar to all the others’, and she shares certain personality traits with all other Lokis, like being very ambitious, cunning, a bit manipulative, and liking knives, as well as being bisexual and possibly genderfluid. She doesn’t dress like Loki because she wants to imitate Loki - she’s dressing like herself, and all these things that make her Loki are part of her true nature. if anything, she could say the others are imitating her. She rejects the name, but being Loki is still who she is. There’s still a constant that prevails through all variants. Which leads us to the question - what makes a Loki a Loki? And I like to think the range is pretty wide. You share this Temporal Aura thing? Congrats you’re a Valid™ Loki, you don’t need to stop being who you already are to be... you. If you need to change your name and identity to be you, then that reinforces the idea that there’s only one allowed way to be Loki, which is, to cause pain and destruction just so Thor and Iron-Man and idk who else can have character arcs.
And... I don’t know if this interpretation is correct, because the story isn’t over. The show repeatedly asks the question, what makes a Loki a Loki? And it never reaches a concrete answer, other that a nebulous Not Dying Thing. And I think that’s because both our Loki and Sylvie are pretty confused right now. Especially Sylvie. She denies being a Loki time and time again in Episode 2 and 3, but in Episode 4, she says something around the lines of “Do you think what makes a Loki a Loki is that we’re always destined to lose?”, literally refering to herself as Loki. Later on in Episode 5, she loudly proclaims she and Loki are the same (not to mention Loki describes the other variants as “Us in the future/as a kid/as an alligator”, and later says “We’re stronger than we realize” after watching Classic Loki’s great display of power, and Sylvie doesn’t bat an eye). In Episode 6, she looks at Loki in the eye and tell him she’s not him. These contradictions are very interesting because... I think they show her trying to figure out what this whole adventure means for their identities. She seeks comfort in the similarities and sameness between her and Loki and tries to distance herself from him when he does something she dislikes. She’s heartbroken when he goes against her wishes and wonder why can’t they see eye to eye, after taking comfort in “being the same” for the past two episodes. Given the context, I think her final line in Episode 6 shows her thinking Loki only cares about her because he sees her as an extension of himself. Whis is obviously wrong. He doesn’t think that. I assume future installments will show her learning her judgment here was wrong. And that makes me wonder this question will be revisited in Season 2.
Obviously, Sylvie’s character arc isn’t going to be about her abandoning her individuality, but I’m curious to see if Season 2 explores the nature and origins of her identity and what her relationship with Loki means for it.
EDIT: something I can't understand is why on Earth would she refer to her chosen name as an alias. That's weird. Was that an unimportant off-hand line or is it Thematically Significant? Does it hint at a future identity crisis or am i Looking Too Deep Into It?
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evandearest · 3 years
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The Garden of Eden | Part IV: Betrayal
Pairing: James March x reader (you) | ~Part: (4/4)~
Summary (Part Four): Warnings are to be remembered, although most stored away for future use only to be forgotten. Cycles repeat to teach lessons; to warn of future events. Threats may remain even if not for the blind eye to see. However, ignorance might be the biggest threat of all.
Warnings (in this part): murder, blood, death, poison, religious twists, dark themes
Word Count: 5,018 (haha this part ended up with the most words... to end it off I suppose!)
Notes: This is the last part of the Garden of Eden! I just want to say thank you to all who read - especially @etoile-writings , for supporting me. Please go check out her series Adam and Eve, as it is a literary masterpiece and she deserves so much recognition.
I have seriously had so much fun writing this - it really has been my pleasure. I also want to apologize to all those who may have been waiting for awhile for the final part! Disclaimer: I tried my best to edit the grammar and everything in this but this is the best I could do! I hope there’s not many mistakes I may have missed. Please ask any questions and give me all your comments about this finale - I’d love to hear any and all thoughts! I also hope everyone is safe, healthy, and happy :) Feel free to send in other requests, whether it be AHS or Supernatural.
Also a heads up - keep a look out for the final review and analysis if you are interested. It is still in progress but it should be out within a couple of days at best.
A few side notes - the Countess and James are still legally married here, as they are in the show, but in this situation it is only because they haven’t gotten the chance to divorce. This part may seem to have very long sentences, but I just wanted to let you guys know that it is a writing technique that I used to create mood, tone, and theme. That’s all, thanks!
Tag List: @etoile-writings @haileyybird @ietss
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Something about the young couple in the bar had your mind reeling. Their hands remained interlocked on the table, both of them staring at one another with all the joy and adoration that only true love can bring. Their relationship was new and exciting. The honeymoon phase was always so perfect. You remembered how that had felt with James; so invigoratingly energizing. It was enough to make you feel as if you ruled the world; love blinding a vision of truth. It was, for many years, what you had considered paradise to be.
Paradise.
You realized now that it never had been perfect with you and James. There were so many things standing in the way, so many hidden threats. When you were younger, it had been your parents and their obsessive need to marry you off like an object to a rich man. Even as he had began his journey to success, James’ social status as new money hadn’t seemed good enough to them. When you had first gotten back with James only just around a month ago, you had thought that you’d conquered everything. You had been blind to the truth which was right in front of you once again. You should have expected some kind of change in James. It was inevitable, after all that time spent apart.
But now, however, right at this present moment... well, now, everything was out in the open. Now, you and James truly understood one another. Now there really was nothing in your way. You could see no obstacles ahead, no threat, so long as James was by your side. All you saw was James, and all that clouded your mind was your admiration and devotion to him. He was your everything; your soulmate, your leader, your God. He had dragged you from the fire and brought your paradise back to you; good, true, and everlasting this time around. Your precious Garden of Eden, controlled by none other but you and your God.
Your God; who had been the utmost of clever in his recent schemes. He’d been outraged when he did it, but it wasn’t to say that he wasn’t brilliant. He was of excellent prosecution; his statement out in the open and clear. A Sunday morning: police finding piles of dead bodies compiled with numerous copies of nothing other than the book of God himself. It was sadistic and morbid, but it was perfect. It was everything that James needed to say. He was on the verge of something momentously renowned.
Once James was finished, no one would ever forget his message: religion was the worst thing to happen to society. It controlled the will of man, when truly nothing in creation could stop anything. Everyone was put equal on the Earth to sin, to live in the most pleasurable way.
It was the entire reason Adam and Eve had been cast down. They were sinners, except the garden was a place controlled by God’s rules. They had wanted to control their own lives, so God banished them to Earth. James, however, had created his own paradise; his own Garden of Eden. He had climbed so far above all other men that he now controlled the garden. He had to prove to others the ridiculousness of holiness--for all were meant to sin. Religion was, essentially, suppression. To some, it may seem horrible, but to you, it was art. A simple expression of belief that most didn’t understand.
Voices floated into your ears, startling you out of your thoughts. Soft echoes through the lobby of your beloved’s name piqued your interest, your feet immediately carrying you to the railing without much thought. You left your drink on the bar’s counter--still full, but long forgotten. Your eyes landed on four men clad in black suits, shiny gold badges on their shoulders reflecting light from the chandeliers above. You scanned the area, noticing a certain maid standing close by, listening in, much like you were.
“We have suspicion based upon evidence that Mr. March was involved in the murder this past Sunday. We have already taken the time to get a warrant for his arrest,” one of the officers explained to the receptionist at the front desk. Time seemed to take a standstill, your heart seeming to stop completely as your brain registered the man’s words. No, this couldn’t be happening.
The cycle was repeating again. They were trying to tear you apart again.
You didn’t understand how this could’ve happened. He said he was careful, and you could never see James making a mistake with something this important. He was detail-oriented, his brain practically ran off of the certainty of perfectionism. He would never let a small mistake ruin everything for him.
The entire empire he’d built, and everything you’d rebuilt, was about to be destroyed all over again.
Your body seemed to catch up with your mind as you sprung into action. You twisted around, your feet pushing you forward only to come to a halt at the close proximity of the once unknown presence behind you. Your eyes widened, a sharp breath escaping your lips at the stop you made compared to your sudden momentum. You stared into the eyes of none other than The Countess, clad in only the most extravagant clothing and makeup.
“That’ll be a hard one to get out of,” she said, although her face was seemingly expressionless. You stared at her, your frenzied brain jumping to the first conclusion you could make.
“Did you...” you trailed off, your breathing suddenly heavy. James couldn’t have made the mistake, so that means that somebody else had to of given the police some kind of tip in order for them to seek James out. The woman standing before you was quite possibly the number one suspect. “Did you do this?” Your voice held tones of disbelief and anger.
Would Elizabeth really go to such extent when she hadn’t even expressed a major disliking? She hadn’t talked to you at all since that first time, in fact the only interactions you’d had with one another were passing glances. She’d seemed to have just steered clear of anything to do with you or James. You had no idea what she had thought, but you had supposed that she didn’t care about you and James, otherwise she would have spoke her concerns. Had you been wrong about her? Could a simple mistake end it all over again? Elizabeth scoffed, her face hardening.
“Oh God no...” she said wryly, a small sarcastic grin forming on her lips as she looked at you quizzically, “what would I get out of it now? As I am still his present wife, I don’t need James dead to use his money. And besides, now that he has you he no longer bothers me.” She was smug as she spoke to you. She grinned, all teeth and mischief, her eyes sparkling. “It’s a winning situation for the both of us if you ask me.” She paused, her grin falling slightly as her gaze wondered off to peer down into the lobby.
“I could bet I know who the rat is, though,” She said, turning back to you. “I’m wagering it’s his loyal minion. That poor woman has been in love with James since the beginning of time.” She paused, her eyes intense as they rested on your face. “And based on your expression you think so too.” She smiled at you and then turned, walking slowly away from you. “Good luck,” she called back to you without turning around, your eyes watching her back as she went.
You stood contemplating her words for a moment. Elizabeth was smart and straightforward, and from what you could tell if she had a problem she would speak her mind. And what she had said made sense. Miss Evers was in love with James, but her love was unrequited, and that’s why she constantly seemed at odds with you. She could never even have a chance to be with him, so long as you were around.
Your feet carried you quickly as you raced to the elevator. The police were still conversing with the receptionist, but you knew it was only a matter of time before they found out where James was. You recalled a conversation you’d had with him in the morning, concluding that he had to be caught up attending to his hobby.
The police would find him in his office, in the middle of his business, and it would all be over. He would be taken from you once again.
You didn’t even knock upon arriving; you opened the door and closed it quickly behind you. You turned to face James, in all his blood-covered, god-like glory. You took in the scene of James’ office quickly, your eyes tracing over every detail. A large bin sat in the center of the room, a rugged corpse contained within it. James had been busying himself with pouring a substance over the body, of which could only be acid, as it had sizzled upon impact with the dead man’s skin. At your arrival, James halted his methods in confusion.
Several items were scattered across the floor, one of which catching your interest. The glass of the vase; a damp spot surrounding the area where the unaltered mess remained. The roses remained too, the petals wilting from lack of nourishment. You paused, your mind trying to puzzle out their unmoved position. Miss Evers had to have been in here since last night, so why wouldn’t she move them? She might have been scheming, but she was extremely adamant on being neat when it came to James’ specific rooms. You couldn’t see her ignoring it, and yet here it was sitting puzzlingly. You were caught off guard for a reason not entirely known to you. Something about their appearance had you alarmed, a string of words suddenly ringing out in your head; perhaps a memory brought to the surface.
“If you betray the rose, the rose no longer profits you.”
The old woman was suddenly prevalent in your mind, her warning dawning upon you, your heartbeat stuttering at the looming echo of her words. James was waiting for you to explain yourself--the police were coming--Miss Evers had betrayed you--everything you and James had worked so hard for was crumbling down around you. Your heartbeat was fast, the pulse beating quickly, perhaps the reason for the pounding in your head.
You looked James in the eyes, studying his features. He was so handsome--even before you knew him, that day in the garden when you had first seen him--you had marveled at his beauty. And that was before he’d become such a man; his features sharp and masculine, beautifully sculpted by the gods. His dark brown eyes and hair, so dull yet so prominent--a symbol of his darkness. You could stare at him for eternity and never bore, your love for him everlasting.
And yet, here you were at the end with no escape, hell a threat once again hanging above your heads, looming just around the corner. Just a few more minutes and everything would be over. Just a few more minutes and you’d be lost again, stranded without your guide; your purpose--your God.
“James,” you gasped, stumbling slightly as you made your way to him. You’d just managed to get to him before you fell over slightly, your arms reaching out to grasp onto his tightly. He caught you, keeping you level as his face filled with concern. The pounding in your head was intense, beginning to drown out your thoughts and quicken your breath.
“Darling, tell me--what is it?” James demanded, his voice panic-stricken. He lifted your chin to look you in the eyes, his widened orbs meeting yours with intensity.
“I-it’s--the- the police,” you barely managed to get the words out, clinging onto James like he was your lifeline. Nothing seemed right; your thoughts suddenly taking too long to form into words, your breathing heavy, vision blurry, and it was becoming much harder to stand. What was happening? You stared into James eyes, shifting all your focus into him. “They’re here to arrest you.” One hand gripped his arm firmly as you brought the other to rest upon his cheekbone, leaning chest to chest as your body began to collapse into him. He held you steady, forever the one and only thing to truly support you. “They’re going to take you from me,” you sobbed, an onslaught of tears overcoming you. “Again,” you cried quietly, gasping for air.
The door opened, your heart skipping a beat at the intrusion, your mind going straight to the thought of the police. Your eyes landed on Miss Evers instead, confusion settling on you once again. She’d gotten what she wanted, hadn’t she? Why was she here now, to prove something? You wished you had the strength to question her, to say anything, but everything felt heavier and heavier as more time passed.
“Tell me,” James barked at her just as she’d closed and locked the door, “what in all creation is happening? Speak right this instant, and quickly.”
“The police are here,” Miss Evers explained, James grip on you tightening as you leaned onto him for support. He glanced down at you, worry glinting in his eyes as you just barely managed to look up at him.
“Darling,” he whispered, “what is happening? Are you ill?” A moment of silence passed as you tried to respond, your mouth opening but no words becoming audible. A moment of silence passed, the only action being James assessing you. Your words couldn’t seem to form, a burning spreading through your entire body. It was unlike anything you’d ever felt. You began to wonder yourself if you were somehow ill.
“It was supposed to be me!”
The maid across the room suddenly shrieked, desperation clouding her judgement as she flung her arms up in the air. “I was the one for you!” She sobbed, stumbling slightly as an expression of hurt formed upon her face. “I always loved you, and these women--they never did! They used you, and I always cared!” James eyes widened, shock coming across his features. He stared at the woman, contemplating her words.
“But you never saw,” the woman said sadly, her head hanging in shame before her face went emotionless. “And so I did the only thing I could.” She looked at him, dead in the eye, a type of malice suddenly overcoming her. “You’d be surprised how easy it was.” Her eyes settled upon your frame, your head moving slowly to get a glance at her. You stared, blinking rapidly as your vision faded in and out. You could barely comprehend what she was saying, but you felt as James’ breath quickened. It was taking all of your willpower to stay awake--you needed to, for James.
“What?” he stated, his voice deeper than you’d ever heard it, a rage within his eyes even you had never seen before as he stared at her. He was tense, as hard as a rock, glaring daggers at the woman who had seemingly betrayed him.
“I--,” Miss Evers hesitated, obviously intimidated by his fury, but decided to continue. “I’ve found that you have a secret stash of cyanide in the bar.” She faltered once again, her eyes shifting away from James and to the floor. “I wanted us to be together, and she-” she pointed at you, “-she was always in it for the money! They all are, all but me!” She burst into tears, falling onto her knees in hysterics. Your eyebrows furrowed as you racked your brain to gather all of the information. She poisoned you at the bar. You remembered brief flashbacks of the one tiny sip you’d taken of your previously forgotten drink.
James seemed to be shaking as he gently moved you to sit in a chair by the wall, turning away from you for only a moment. Your eyelids began to flutter as sleep beckoned you, visions of James’ movement around the room the only thing to hold your focus. A loud pop suddenly reverberated off of the walls as it rang out, causing you to sit up slightly from your slouched posture, your eyelids flying open to search for the source. James stood over the body of his betrayer, smoking gun resting within his palm.
You felt so weak, your thoughts jumbled, unable to focus on only one. Only now you knew it wasn’t just an overreaction. You’d only taken a mere sip of the drink from the bar, but you supposed now that it had been enough for the poison to go into effect. You wondered briefly how she’d gotten the cyanide into the drink in the first place, and exactly how much she had put in for it to have such a potent effect on your body.
Your eyes traveled to her corpse, and to the fresh blood splattered across the wall from the headshot. You blinked, barely registering what had just occurred before you. You were too dazed to process the incident, even if you understood what had occurred subconsciously. Relief was the only thing you felt; relief for one less thing to worry about standing between you and James.
Eyes shifting slightly to the left, you stared at the browning roses, the sweet old lady’s warning once again echoing, a distant memory brought to the surface of your mind. James crouched in front of you, suddenly the only thing in line of sight, his lips moving but you couldn’t hear his voice over your own in your head. The roses were dead. You left them on the floor. You betrayed them for--
You sprung up once again as a loud banging at the door shocked you back into your senses. James glanced briefly at the door before turning back to you quickly. He pulled you out of the chair, holding you up and close to his chest as he stroked your hair tenderly.
“James,” you just barely whispered as he shushed you.
“I know, darling,” He said reassuringly, pulling back to look into your eyes. “It’s all going to be okay, dear. It’ll all be over before you know it.” He smiled charmingly as you nodded weakly, holding tightly onto the cloth of his shirt to maintain stability. And you believed him in that moment, as he always seemed to find a way.
One way, or another.
You rested your head on his chest, closing your eyes as the pounding on the door increased. Or maybe it was the pounding in your head; at this point you couldn’t decipher what was real and what was just a figment of your imagination. Cold metal pressed against the skin of your temple, your brain too bleary to question it. Mere seconds passed as you contemplated moving, but suddenly it was as if everything had settled away. James’ warm body faded from your grasp.
-🤍-
Your eyelids fluttered open, eyeballs moving back and forth as you tried to become familiar with your surroundings. You recognized the familiar room immediately, for it was your bedroom when you had first moved into the Cortez. You felt strange. Zen, almost, but maybe that was just because the pounding was gone. You felt... disconnected. It was the most out of touch with yourself you’d ever felt.
You climbed to your feet from the floor, thoughts running rampant at what was unknown to you. Where was James, how did you get here, how long had you been here, and why did you feel so cold? Flashes of what seemed to be both years ago and only moments ago clouded your mind, filling you with dread. Scenarios of what could be frightened you and sent you into a state of panic, pushing you forward.
Out of the room you went, through the quiet and empty halls, searching, searching, searching--no fixed destination ahead except something, anything, that could lead you to your James.
It seemed that days had passed before you finally found the lobby of the hotel. Navigation through the building was proving to be much more difficult than you remembered. Why was it taking so long?
The lobby was sparsely populated, unlike the usually crowded area that you were used to. You glanced around, noticing only a few people in the bar, the receptionist, and someone asleep on the sofas. Your feet carried you to the hotel entrance, pushing the first door open, the sunlight peeking through the opaque glass surprising you. If it was the daytime, then why was the hotel so empty? On ordinary occasions people came and went like flies; the Cortez was a hotspot in the city of Los Angeles, after all. Your hands reached out to push open the door to the outside, the metal handle of the door cool against your skin, and then suddenly nothing. In front of you was the door no longer; profound confusion coursing through you as you stared at the walls of your bedroom once again. You had been there one second, and in the next it was as if you had been teleported back in time.
And so the cycle repeated for what seemed like years; many times set adrift through the halls, eventually to the lobby where the sunlight no longer shone through the windows and unusually few people inhabited. You were reaching forward for the handle of the first door for what seemed to be the hundredth time, only to freeze at the call of your name from a familiar voice.
“Y/N.”
Your name sounded of honey dripping off his tongue. It was like hearing that voice for the first time again. All your worries deflated and anxieties subsided--for you had found your God once again. You turned to face him, to see his face--the face you had longed to see for what felt like years but may have been minutes. You still didn’t entirely understand the detachment from your body you felt; it was as if you no longer had a life source, no blood running course or lungs cycling air. You felt out of place and trapped at the same time.
Just as your hopes had soared, they plummeted at the sight of the bare lobby. Emptiness sat instead where you had expected James to be, crushing all sense of direction. You wanted to cry, to scream, to tear the hotel to shreds with your bare hands. But just before you gave up all hope completely, your eyes caught on the tiniest of details.
Barely noticeable, unless payed close attention to; unless already a prominent object in one’s mind. Small, dainty, white petals lay scattered in high correlation, leading on to an unknown but obviously specific destination. You treaded lightly as you followed the path closely, afraid any disturbance would somehow make them disappear.
Unease settled through you, possibly just a usual feeling as of late, but considerably appropriate when meeting the isolate hallways once again. You began questioning your sanity; was this just yet another repeat in the cycle? You’d been lost for so long, was this just another loop? What was the energy here, and why did it not feel like you and James’ beloved Cortez, the place you called home? You felt like you were stuck in a punishment of some kind; a purgatory; a hell.
And at last, you arrived; the room in which this cycle had began, or ended. The office of James Patrick March: Room sixty-four. You paused, contemplating, before making a bold decision and gripping the handle, opening the door and entering the room. There you stood in what was once James’ office, now empty of most furniture, only few items remaining. And there it remained: the vase on the table in the center of the room, petals leading straight to their source.
Inside sat the very white roses themselves, southern California glory and all. They looked just like the ones in that very first garden: huge, bright and beaming, petals spread with all the beauty and radiance of nature and purity. And just behind them stood their God; the master of the garden who held the utmost control in his realm. Your God, who’d saved you from hell; who’d broke all cycles.
The feeling you felt at sight of James did not fail to excite you just the same as it had on that first day years ago. Something about his presence next to yours soothed you, for you knew that he was still there, that he hadn’t been taken from you, that no matter what had happened you were still okay so long as he stood next to you.
You rushed forward and into him, basking in his embrace. His arms wrapped around you, but the challenge once again presented itself: an unignorably apparent absence of warmth. It’d been just before you’d first woken up what seemed like years, or maybe just hours ago, that you’d been in his embrace just the same, his warmth seeping into you and igniting your soul as you had faded in and out of consciousness. But now, you couldn’t feel it. You felt his body wrapped around yours, but nothing inflaming, the detachment from your own warmth just the same. It was missing, a shell of a comfort that used to always be present; something you had gotten entirely used to, for to be absent of warmth was to be dead...
You gasped, pulling away from James to look him in the eyes, the reality setting in and the drunkenness fading away. Your mind was becoming clear, all clarity suddenly bestowed upon you.
“James, are we...” you froze in panic, for it felt as if you didn’t have lungs, the normal rise and fall of the simplicity of breathing gone... the feelings of life were all gone...
And it clicked.
“James,” you whispered, your eyes tracing over the details of the room. The blood stains on the floor and walls were the only evidence of foul play left. You felt strange, for people didn’t normally expect to see the place of their death after the fact. Realizations settled over you as you stared at the room, just as you had initially when entering to warn James of the police, the truth of the events that had happened finally dawning upon you. In your poison-induced state of mind, it’d been hard to realize. You had been dying, the poison slowly but surely shutting your body down. You’d barely processed it when James had held the gun to your head and pulled the trigger, ending your pain.
“Yes, darling?” James replied to you, bringing you back to your conversation. You stared at him longingly. Although you didn’t entirely understand why you were still here, or the concept of the afterlife, you were glad to have James next to you. A moment of silence passed as you tried to pinpoint what you wanted to ask him exactly.
“I have so many questions,” you said, deciding to just speak your mind. You furrowed your eyebrows, blinking rapidly as you tried to sort out your thoughts. “I-I’m so lost, James.”
“Of course you are, dearest,” James said reassuringly, his hand brushing the stray hairs away from your face. He stared at you sadly. “I’m terribly sorry for all that happened, you must feel perplexed beyond understanding my dear.” He paused, his eyes traveling over your features as you stared up at him, listening intently. “This was simply my only choice, darling. You were succumbing to the poison’s grip long before I finished your pain. Miss Evers...” He trailed off, his jaw clenching tightly. “Nevermind that. I came to a conclusion upon the authorities’ arrival, and that was that if I was damned to be put away I might as well flee with you, my queen... it was the only right option.” He smiled down at you softly.
You smiled right back at him, your love for him the only warmth left inside of you now that you no longer had your body to call home. You basked in the feeling of being close to him as he pulled you to his chest, his lips leaving a soft kiss against your scalp. Even if you didn’t feel warmth, simply the love you had for him was enough. He tenderly stroked your back, calming your nerves. It amazed you how he could ease your mind so easily, if only just a little. However, you couldn’t shake your thoughts away. Sure, you could just let it all go, but the truth of the matter was simple.
Your entire life had been a cycle. A cycle of undeniable foolishness; you’d been ignorant of the truth for all of your living years. Oh, how it angered you. You hated something truly for what seemed like the first time in your life. You hated yourself; you’d let yourself believe false truths just to live in an illusion that you thought was happiness. You were naïve. And ultimately, that was what had ended you.
You’d ignored all warnings and left the roses to wilt, betraying the one thing that had always been on your side. You’d ignored all threats and committed yourself to making paradise in the land of the evil; it was simply impossible. The Garden of Eden wasn’t a place for the living. It was a place of freedom, and so long as you’re living, you can never truly be free. For in life, one threat always remains: death. You could never truly be protected. You could never truly have paradise.
But with James, in the Cortez, in the paradise he’d created for you... even death didn’t stand a chance. It was a gateway to greatness; a place where nothing truly stood in your way, where no threats were great enough. You couldn’t be harmed, or imprisoned, or separated here; you were finally utterly invincible; real Gods. Hell and Earth were no longer a threat. It was your true paradise that James had promised you.
Your Garden of Eden.
---------
Series Masterlist: The Garden of Eden Series
Main Masterlist
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OC list of the MMO LESBIAN
SarapAlexandria Duvel <3 Vette
Sith Warrior
Human, brown short hair, 1,78, D cups, she likes dressin on armor that is bulkier than a tank or in a tank top and leggings. Dark eyes and light skin
Lesbian. LOVES toys in bed
Headcannons
Has a personal Dreagnough that she uses as a colliseum. She has taken into training new sith in combat. More than her apprentices they are more of gladiators for her to fight.
Kinda crazy. Likes to bounce around and do Tons of damage. She is feroucios about defending the Empire and believes that the republic is doomed. Has archived the impossible more than a dozen times so no plan is to crazy or stupid for her. Gratefully, her wife knows what is too stupid or too crazy and so she fixes those plans so her big sith girl can go fight monsters and other people.
Married Vette. Only she can make her laught so much that she forgets she is angry. The tiny girl is so adorable and so cute and jsut so horny for Alexandria that the two of them spend 3 months on a horny induced honeymoon. Even now after the war with zakuul they keep having more honeymoons whenever they get the chance.
She wasnt all that hurt by Quinns betratal. Like, hey man fatman told you to kill me so no biggie- But from now on you are my bitch and i will bully you over all this k?
Jaesa kinda bugs her. She is Dark side but not SO crazy but still she is kinda...tiny. Alexandria likes to challenge her to crazy stuff and she always gets on trouble with her, but Jaesa is so young and sometimes weak that 
Pierce is her best freind. A total madman when it comes to battle, a blootthirsty man that will not doubt in choosing violence but also super trusthworthy and she knows he will stop her from getting killed in stupid ways
For her Broonmark is her fluffy monster! Just point release and watch blood by spilled. She makes him shower after every bottle and use proucts on his hair cause she likes how soft he gets.
She remains a free agent causing chaos everywhere. She is not quick to kill always tho. If she got a good fight with someone she will usually let them live so they can fight again.
She is the most sexually proactive girl around. She will get every pair of cute or hot tiddies on a bed along side Vette. She is a bit dom and doesnt like playing sub, but she will play passive.
Master of Shien and Juyo, she likes to go crazy with a lightsaber and destroying the place but doesnt really like dual wielding
Seraphine <3 Temple
Sith Agent. New code name: Specter
Cyborg, mostly internal components on her eye, brain and bones. 1,96M, Long hair, usually red but she likes dying it. C cups, She wishses to get more tits but she has to be stealthy. She likes using loose clothes with lots of cleavege. She isnt a fan of bras.
Lesbian Switch. Likes bondage and public stuff. She can and will play any part on roleplay. From the scared virgin to the cruel dominatrix
Headcannons
A master of hidding on plain sight. Seraphine is the kind of woman who blends everywhere. She likes attention from the spotlight just to let it go 5 minutes later. She has the talent of being so likeable that any girl that gets close to her on bed, never gets mad with her for leaving or just going for another girl. She also has a perfect memory and will remember how you like to be touch, how much you moan or what kind of cnadies you like when you are on your days. She is as soft as she is Ruthless. She has never regret killing anyone for more than an hour. Unless she kils someone she has slept with she will pull the triger no matter what. This includes civilians, wounded and allies. After Chapter 3 she left the identity of Cypher 9 and became a shadow agent for the Empire. Her new code name: Specter. 
After the War with Zakuul she was left on charge ofthe Alliance by Darth Nox. Both the Ex Imperial Wrath and the Supreme Huntress stayed behind with her. 
She doesnt like Kaliyo. No. She is no fun. She likes to hurt and doesnt look after girls. She was particulary angry at her at the start because she would try to get on the way of her time with other girls. So Seraphine got Kaliyo a cute chasity belt and allowed her to focus on chaos outside the bedroom. That way they both can get what they want. Chaos and attention.
Vector is her special little guy. Confident. Trusthworthy. But really fun to mess up with. Seraphine tells him to do weird stuff just to get a laught at weird situation. She also helps him send money for Killik Joiners. She likes that he is simple
Lokin is a weird guy for Seraphine.He could do a lot of stuff with the ragkghoul virus but she likes that he is quiet and calm. She likes trying tea with him
Ensign Temple is the only girl that has kept Seraphine attention span for more than 1 night. She likes her a lot because she cant read her as well as other people and so she makes her angry just to learn more about her. She forgot how it felt to get to know someone through time and so she likes to keep her around. She also likes Temple is super organized and loyal
Seraphine can never choose fast between either a big rifle or a tiny blade under her dress. She likes how chaos erupts after a person gets shots down but she also likes to be close when her target takes their last breath
FUCK SCORPIO UwU
Arthemys Delos <3 Mako
Huntress
Built like a tank, She likes lifting Mako to train her big guns. She is a cyborg with lots of internal components and a cybernetic leg (left) She isnt the tallest girl, she is 169 (nice) but she has the biggest tiddies. She carries two E cups that she loves to put on Mako’s face. She has black short hair
Lesbian 
Total top but wont say no to being topped every know and then
Headcannons
Money,gambling, explosions and pretty girls, Arthemis cares for little more than that. As long as she can fire guns, gamble money and have a bed with a pretty girl on it she will do an job. She loves hunting animals and will almost never reject a bounty. What she wont do, is just say yes to any quest or mission. She can get money as easy as she can waste it and so throwin credits at her doesnt work. Only if the work isnt something she dislikes or too easy or boring she will do it. She has a few internal implants after playing with grenades when she was young.
Mako is hers. Hers alone. She wont let her go beyon her sight and will actually get restless for being away from her too long. Arthemis is possesive which Mako kinda likes.
The two of them likes being on top of eachother as much as possible but a extra pair of hands or tiddies make them both pretty happy. Most of the time, is actually Mako who gets the girl.
Gault is jsut too fun not to keep around. Arthemis wouldnt call him his best friend becuase she suspects the guys can be bought but he is fun either way. She like getting a lot of money with him and then wasting it all or just not taking the pay,just to mess up with him.
Torian is fun. Sometimes. He is a mandalorian and she likes fighting strong people. But Torian is a bit more serious that she would like. She doesnt like people dying because then she cant fight them again and so she doesnt like some decisions of the mandalorian. But at the end of the day the trust that the two share is one of a brotherhood.
Blizz. God Damm Blizz. When Arthemis got Mako on her bed and then into her family she thought she coulnt be happier. She was wrong. The little jawa makes everything better. As chaotic as her and even weirder than Gault, Arthemis just cant stop keeping the jawa around
YOU READ MY COMMENT ABOUT SCORPIO? WELL THAT X2
Selendis likes using two big guns to shot down her enemies. She doesnt really enjoy going around in huge armor so she keeps herself kinda light. But her armor is still a bit big. Why you ask? Cause she loves the feeling of having not only a flamethrower but also grenades, missiles, hooks and electric weapons all stuffed in her body. 
Selendis <3 Lana and Senya
Sith Inquisitor
Sith girl with piercing orange eus and long amazing black hair. She is 182 and as sith that focus on range combat, she took the luxury of enhancing her breasts to a nice DD cups. She doesnt like jewelry but she has a few tattoos. 
Sorcerer
Lesbian. The one to dom them all.
No amount of girls is too much when it comes to Selendys
A proud, stylish and master manipulator Selendis believes that the empire can be improved but even in its current state is better than the republic. She is patient and ruthless and wont stop until the galaxy is back on order. She left the alliance and took overthe sith empire after letting Acina step down. Seriously, no killing her just “Try and stop me from getting the throne”
Khem Val is her personal monster. A warrior of another time which she swears wont ever be forgotten. She has taken into redacting whatever information the dashade gives her. She has task him ith protecting everyone she deems worthy of her interest
Andronikos is a fun and interesting man. He is a pirate with experience and a code. Hard things to find. Selendis enjoys him being slipery and smartass. She also enjoys the acces to the underworld the man provides. Over all she likes that the betrayed man has once more put his trust on someone. She wont abuse it but she prides herself of it
Ashara. The little puppy. She has learn about the dark side and the sith and yet she keeps herself on a reaching point from the jedi order. Still she has a point of view that is useful and welcome. She has teached her everything useful that she could learnt.
Talos. Oh Talos. A men of science and interest. Selendis has swear to protect the smart man just so he can see for once history being made instead of being discovered. Most of the time she has free, she will spent researching stuff with Talos and discussing history
Xalek. Selendis attack dog. A simple desire of the young Kaleesh allowed Selendis to craft a magnificent Student. Xalek belived that she was a god. And so Selendis tasked Xalek to forget about being a kaleesh god, and instead become a sith god. Strength, power, and victory.
Lana Beniko. From the first time Selendis met Lana she was intrigue. A sith that kept her rage and hate deep withing her, so she could serve the empire better. Selendis wasted no time in seducing the sith and keeping her under her control. But soon Selendis lost control and ended up loving her. Lana became her source of power. She would burn the galaxy for her. She also fancid her cute ass and the way she lost control.
Senya Tirall. Selendis doesnt do well with betrayal. And so after defeating Arcann, she was left quite angry when Senya saved him. So, after the war with Zakuul, Selendis threw Senya into a prison and slowly made her crumble. Telling her that both Arcann and Vaylin were death, Offering herself as the only ally, and then leaving her alone. Selendis broke Senya and put her back together in a way that she would enjoy. Despite being more of a pet than a lover, Selendis does love her in her wn special way, and wont let her be hurt.
REPUBLIC OCS
Cassandra (Cassie) Jedi Knight <3 kIRA She tiny! She is 165, amber eyes,C cups she likes to hide on a sport bra and to fight, she has a few scars over her back and shoulder (horny origin) She specialies on Djem So but likes using two lightsbaers instead of one Lesbian Total Bottom girl. Tsundere (will be all agressive but you pet her once and she will melt on your arms)
T7-01 The crimemaster, Teseven will always be there to push Cassie towards any female individual just so Cassie can stop winning about not having a girlfriend. Each time it works, but Cassie ends up lossing the contact or getting pulled out from plannet by the council
Kira. Or like Cassie likes to call her, babe! Cassie was sweap of her feat by how chaotic her padawan was an how incredible persistent she was on taking baths together, giving eachother massages and just being close. Cassie lasted 2.6 seconds the first time she gave her a kiss and fron that day on, she is either fighting or on her girlfriend’s arms. Kira likes to tease Cassie and on nights she makes sure to give her all of her love
Doc. The best partner. Doc is always there for Cassie, wherever she is doing good or bad. Or doing ilegal or legal stuff. He knows Cassie will jump towards danger and he will be there to help her make the galaxy a better place Rusk. There are few things that Rusk hates more than the empire and one of them is how Cassie jumps on top of his back because she is to tiny to get food by herself. Even then, he will die for his little sister becuase he knows she will defeat the empire some day
Scourge. The big old sith might have forgotten what means love, pain or feelings, but he respects Cassie. He knows that despite her size the little jedi is more than capable of busting whatever walls appear on her way, even if it means tapping on the dark side. 
Bella Jedi consular <3 NADIA
She is a curvy girl. D cps on a tallish girl, 178, with a dump track ass. She is thick and she is SHY about it. She likes baggy clothes so her body doesnt show too much. She feels that healing people with her skills is the best call for her but she also agrees that sometimes throwin a massive bould to minnies is good
Qyzen.  Qyzen and Bella are good frends. Mostly, because Qyzen will gladly shoot anyone who calls Bella on her fat ass, and Bella will drop a boulder on anyone who calls him green skin or lizard. The two of them are the type of people who fixate on stuff and they enjoy their hobbies
Tharan. To be honest. Bella didnt think it thorugh when she got Tharan to come with. She was doing it mosly out of pity and because she needed some help. But mostly she just liked Holiday and would be more interested on keeping her rather than him. 
Zenith. Oh dear Zenith. Bella enjoys Zenith attiude. There is little more than that. She isnt as extremist as he is, but she knows that he will do everything on his power to defeat the empire and protect the inocent
Iresso. Oh Ireso is fun. Bella likes to bully him in little wyas. Sometimes she will just pick something ilegal to do to get on his nerves. Thats alls. Well he is all good and good for fights but Bella likes how correct he is and that she can make him mad
Nadia: Her love. Her mistress. Her everything. Everyone has thirsted for her body, and so Bella usually isnt ready to believe most words of love and affection, but Nadia persisted for months, being almost addicted to her body. And so one day Bella let her padawan into her bedroom and cried over her love. Nadia is the type of girl who will devote her heart and soul to her love. She CANT keep her hands off Bella’s body tho, which makes it hard for her to keep clean underwear around
NEW OCS FROM THE NOT PC OCS GAME. 
PRESENTING. THE ARTIST
Sarah Novadust
The lead singer and dancer of the Imperial Idol group “Royal Novas” 
A tallish girl (175cm) a bit petite looking but upclose you notice she has a good pair of thighs and some nice ass. She has GOLDEN hair. Not blonde. Golden. She keeps it on a long ponytail that reaches all the way back to her ass. She is a human girl of 22 years old with Purple eyes due to some alien grandparents
She leads the Royal Nova an Idol Group originated on the Empire. The group is formed by her, 3 back up singers, 5 back up dancers, 2 guitars, piano, drums, violin, and 1 trumpet. The 15 girls are all REAL close to Sarah.. More on that later
Sarah was born on Sarapin. She worked on being an artist since she was young, but when she was around 15 she was blacklisted from most musical firms on the republic over a incident with a manager that wanted to taste her body. Sarah left to spent some times with friends back on Balmorra when the empire attacked. FOr a couple of years she layed low working on some cantinas singing to earn a living. It was there when some sith lady saw her and brought her to Kaas City. Sarah would keep singing for more and more excentic public until she had the favour of enough people that she could stay safe and solo. Then after saving up for some time, she went and convinved a few sith lords and sith officers to put some credits on for a full on idol group. She invited friends and scouted for talent all over the galaxy
As an artist, Sarah likes mixing her young excitement with imperial overconfidense. She knows that playing it safe wont work and so she makes every song and perfomance into a way to improve herself more and more. With a big group of girls to help her she has managed to perform or even Dark council members and Senators from the republic. 
As a young woman, Sarah attracts a lot of people. She isnt the most strong willed person, nor she is particulary aggresive. That is excaclty the reason why each and every member of the Royal Novas is madly in love with her. Each girl looks over their leader as a little kitten to be protected. Of course, Sarah doesnt mind the attention and as long everyone plays nice, she will open her heart to the entire group. With 22 years old, a massive fallowing, more credits that she can count and a polyamourous relationship with 14 girls, Sarah's life is just the best
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strangertheory · 3 years
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After you so thoughtfully answered that last anon, I'm wondering a few things. Most importantly, how do you think The Duffers could write it, if mileven ends up not being endgame, in a way that was accessible and easy to understand and like for casual viewers?
The “shipping war” between Mileven and Byler fans has never sat well with me because I think there’s an elephant in the room that is rarely acknowledged by fans of either ship. I’m unsure if it’s because they don’t want to acknowledge the elephant, if it’s because they haven’t noticed the elephant yet, or if it’s because they have heard rumor of the elephant but have decided to dismiss it as unimportant.
I believe that what is going on in the story is truly not what most fans think. I think there's a meta layer that hasn't been shared with us yet but that will start to be unraveled in season 4 or 5. I cannot say for sure what that layer is: but I'm thoroughly convinced that it is there. Things are not as they seem.
El and Will are mirrors of one another, and there are details that connect each of them in a way that goes beyond mere coincidence. Their stories appear to be intertwined intentionally, and although the reasons for this remain mysterious to us currently, I suspect their connection will become relevant in later seasons.
Yes, I believe that "Byler is endgame" in the sense that I believe that Mike is in love with his childhood friend that he's known since he was 5 and he met them on the swings and that he's played D&D with and that went missing in 1983 and he was devastated upon seeing the body being lifted out of the Quarry and was relieved to find was still alive and that he greeted at the hospital when they woke up.
But I believe that something is going on here that we (as fans) are not completely aware of yet and that El’s story and Will’s story are deeply intertwined.
How do I think The Duffers could write the conclusion of Mike and El’s romantic relationship in a way that is accessible and easy to understand?
I hypothesize that the writers will eventually reveal a very specific connection that exists between El and Will. It will surely be a huge plot twist.
I believe that characters will begin to be more open and honest about their feelings in season 4 and season 5. Season 3 lacked open communication and honesty. In my opinion there was so much lying and miscommunication that it verged on being the main theme of season 3! (You can read my notes on that in this blogpost.)
I think the writers will reveal that Mike has been afraid to allow his true feelings and his true self to show because of his fear of being judged by society and by his friends. I think that we will have a storyline that involves Mike realizing that he's comfortable rejecting society's expectations of him and embracing who he really is and who he really loves.
But we can completely disregard my suggestion that El and Will are connected in some mysterious way and simply look at this as a “boy-meets-girl and boy and girl decide to stop dating” situation too.
Telling a story in which a lead character suddenly realizes that they had feelings for someone else is not complicated and is not unusual. It would only be surprising to fans that have funneled their attention and their devotion into believing that a long-term romantic relationship between Mike and El is an unchangeable certainty.
How do I think The Duffers could write the conclusion of Mike and El’s romantic relationship in a way that is easy to like for casual viewers?
The truth is: there will always be viewers that dislike discovering that a main character has feelings for a different character than the one they hoped they would stay romantically involved with. Add to that the unfortunate existence of homophobia and some fans might also be upset because they don’t like the idea of two teenage boys having romantic feelings for each other, either.
Sometimes the story a writer wants to tell might deviate from the fandom’s expectations. It happens all the time. A writer’s goal is to tell a good story, and sometimes telling a good story involves subverting expectations rather than affirming them. The Duffer Brothers seem the type to enjoy a good plot-twist. I could be wrong, but I think they enjoy layering Stranger Things with secrets and carefully crafting scenarios so that when the truth beneath the surface is revealed everyone watching the series can say "Wow! What a twist! We should have seen the foreshadowing but we can only see it now in hindsight.”
I think that Mike and Will realizing and confessing their mutual feelings for one another is a very likeable story. Mike and Will’s love story can be an incredibly well-written friends-to-lovers, slow-burn, mutual pining, angst-with-a-happy-ending, queer coming-of-age love story in the midst of a supernatural scifi fantasy horror adventure. I find it very easy to like this story. It’s FANTASTIC. And I don’t see why “casual” viewers couldn’t love this story, too. I do think they might have to be open-minded and unprejudiced in order to enjoy it, however. They will also have to be open to respecting that El is more than capable of having a happy ending that isn’t dependent on a teenage boy dating her. I hope that fans that invested all of their hopes and dreams into El dating Mike indefinitely will still have an interest in cheering for El and her new dreams and goals even if (hypothetically) she is no longer romantically involved with Mike by the end of season 5. If they care about El dating Mike more than her happiness, then perhaps they need to re-evaluate how they relate to fictional stories and also make sure that they respect when people in their real lives decide that they are better off as friends.
Whatever is going on in the story: I look forward to seeing what happens between Will, Mike, and El in seasons 4 and 5. I understand that my theories and my interpretations of the series might be incorrect, but these are my thoughts on what has happened so far in the story and what I predict might happen next.
Thanks for Asking!
...
If you’d like to read my blogposts regarding what I think is going on between Will and El and read about the Stranger Things theories that I find the most compelling you can find them all listed at my pinned index post here at this link.
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kitkatopinions · 3 years
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RWBY volume 8 has a problem with conflict resolution, and it’s that the writers took situations where more than one person was at fault, and treated it like it was on only one person’s shoulders.
Ozpin shouldn’t have lied to Team RWBY, even if it was understandable, and I can accept that and think it’s fair that the writers had him apologize for that action and try to make amends with the group. But, Team RWBY shouldn’t have forced all of his secrets and very personal past out while he was begging them not to, they shouldn’t have treated him badly after the fact, and once Jaune was involved, he shouldn’t have been physically violent over it (it makes it worse that Oscar was the one he was hurting and that Oscar’s body is the thing that’s hurt, but physical violence wouldn’t have been okay even if it’d been Ozpin’s body.) Team RWBY acted entirely dismissive of and angry at Ozpin for two and a half seasons and multiple months of in show time, showing no sympathy towards him, despite lying to Ironwood themselves about many of the same things. But instead of having Team RWBY also apologize to Ozpin for the way they treated him, instead vaguely acknowledging that trust is a risk, and act serious and gracious, don’t even say they forgive him, and don’t apologize at all themselves. I have no problem with the concept that Team RWBY screwed up by forcing Jinn to reveal all of Oz’s deeply personal trauma in high definition, and then reacted badly when they realized how deep Oz’s secrecy went. They felt offended and hurt, they were doubting their mission, they’re flawed, human characters who are allowed to make mistakes. But having the writers have Ozpin apologize only to have Team RWBY not acknowledge their own flaws and act as though Oz was the only one in the wrong makes it seem like Team RWBY - and the writers - don’t think they were at fault or need to change or grow themselves. That’s very frustrating.
The conflict with Ren and Nora is two sided as well. Yes, Ren was bottling up his emotions and lashing out at his friends who were only trying to help him. Having Ren apologize for that? Completely fine, valid, love it. But Nora reacted to Ren pushing her away by yelling at him and lashing out herself, acting like she knew his wants and needs better than him, and yanking him into a kiss without his consent after he’d made it very clear he didn’t currently want to pursue a relationship, and then acted angry and sulky and accused him of being a bad partner when that unsurprisingly only made him shut down more. Then when Ren apologized, he had to really apologize and confess his feelings in order for Nora to start accepting it, and she never apologized to him for the way she’d treated him. Once again, there’s nothing wrong with the fact that Ren apologized, but it’s a problem that Nora didn’t also apologize. Once again, the way it’s framed as only Ren having to make the moves forward makes it seem like Nora doesn’t think she was at fault, and therefore doesn’t need to change or grow herself, and the writers look like they think the same thing. That’s very frustrating.
Then you have the conflict between Whitley and Weiss. Was Whitley a snarky jerk to Weiss in V4? Yes. Was he acting like a brat even in V7? Yes. Should he therefore take steps towards healing his relationship with Weiss? Sure, absolutely. I loved them having Whitley bring in Klein to help Nora, proving he’s at heart a caring person with morals who just also happens to be a snarky person who lashes out when his feelings are hurt. That was great. But, once again, Weiss is also at fault when it comes to their relationship. For most of our time seeing Weiss, she acted like she didn’t have a brother at all, like if Whitley wasn’t in the same building as her, she couldn’t be bothered to remember he existed. (To be fair to the show, I suspect Whitley was invented during the writing of season four and I’m not mad about it, so I can discount the first three seasons of no mention of Whitley. However, the other seasons still present a problem.) Weiss had every right to her hurt feelings and reacting coldly in my opinion in V4. Unlike with Nora and Team RWBY, Qrow, and Jaune, I don’t think her behavior in V4 was an over reaction. But I definitely think her behavior in V7 and V8 was an over reaction. Weiss treated Whitley (who is in an abusive situation) with no sympathy, she was rude and acted like he was a nuisance. Even after her mom spelled out for her why Whitley acted the way he did and begged Weiss to not forget him (I’m not gonna get into how I dislike Willow right now lol) Weiss still left Whitley behind and later pointed a weapon into his face and threatened him before dismissing him up to his room like she couldn’t be bothered. Let me say just one more time that I have no problem with the narrative making Weiss act like a brat every now again and having her be presumptuous and judgmental - these are consistent and trackable, realistic flaws for her character that add interest and conflict. No protagonist should be perfect, characters like that are very boring. But Whitley is the only one to take steps forward. Weiss only responds kindly to Whitley after he does something she likes, and even then, makes no move to acknowledge her own flaws, like now that he proved himself worthy of kindness, now she’ll remember him and act kindly to him, but beforehand, she was justified in her actions. It makes Weiss’s love and affection feel conditional.
And this one is a much smaller note because idk what Blake was supposed to be sorry for, but another example is Blake and Yang’s supposed ‘argument’ that Yang was worried Blake would think less of her over - Yang leaving to help Mantle while Blake went to launch Amity (something we’re meant to think doesn’t make them any less unified that wasn’t treated as any sort of falling out) and Blake looking somewhat bothered despite Yang seemingly not even seeing her expression. Blake acts nervous and sad, and Yang comforts her and is tender. The problem here is that Yang did the leaving in the Fire Swamp. If we’re meant to see their temporary separation as a fight and therefore worthy of guilt and forgiveness (I don’t,) then the person who should be looking guilty is Yang. Blake never even picked a side out loud, Yang’s the one who walked out of the room, Yang’s the one who seemed to leave the group on a note of contention (even though she quickly took back her doubts later,) and - through no fault of her own - Yang was the one who wound up leaving her mission and being unable to be tracked. There wasn’t a ‘this was my fault,’ but there was weird expressions of guilt on Blake’s side, and no expression of guilt on Yang’s. Like I said though, this is less important to the topic at hand, I just thought it bared mentioning because it was another one sided conflict, even if it made no sense. Neither of them should’ve acted like this was a big deal.
I think the problem here is that the writers themselves just have some morals I don’t agree with, but it makes it very frustrating to watch. “If someone isn’t trusting you, or isn’t opening up to you, or is snarky to you, it’s therefore okay to react with XYZ” is something I personally can’t get behind especially in situations like the ones we’re confronted with. “Ren isn’t expressing his emotions, it’s therefore okay for Nora to yell at him and force him into a kiss” is something I see as wrong, and it’s the same for the other instances. The main characters being flawed is good, I’m not mad that the writers had them act in these certain ways (you know, to an extent,) but what’s frustrating is how they’re not portrayed as in the wrong at all, seemingly because the writers don’t see a problem with their actions. Oz and Ren needed to give heartfelt, shamed apologies, but Team RWBY, Jaune, and Nora are treated as in the right and totally justified by the narrative. Whitley needed to prove himself worthy and make the first moves, but Weiss was treated as in the right and totally justified by the narrative.
It honestly hurts the characters involved. It makes them seem like they want more from people than they’re willing to give themselves.
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