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peachyysugaa · 3 years

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blood castle i. || enha 02z

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♜ main pairing: vampire! 02z x gn! reader

♜ genre: hogwarts au, mystery, fluff/angst

♜ wc: 2k

♜ warnings: mentions of blood (pg13), purposefully lowercase

♜ other pairings: lisa x namjoon, slight rose x jungkook

♜ a/n: disclaimer that i don't actually ship these pairings, i just find it fitting for the story :] also kinda boring chapter but we're setting things up <3 also hearts at the end of each chapter to keep track of how oc gets along with 02z hehe lmk what you think!

♜ index: teaser | next | masterlist

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i. make the most of it

"what will i do when you're both gone? jennie just left and you two are next!" you pout in your train seat as your best friends exchange teasing smiles. as you get closer and closer to hogwarts, you can't help but keep thinking about rose and lisa inevitably graduating this year.

"i don't know y/n, maybe find some friends your age?" lisa teases. you groan outwardly, tilting your head back.

rose, the ever-exemplary hufflepuff, extends her hands out to yours on the table and grabs hold of them. you stop your obnoxious groaning to stare back at her kind smile. "lili has a point, y/nie. it wouldn't hurt to branch out this year so that lisa and i don't have to worry about you."

your eyes widened. "worry?! what's that supposed to mean?"

rose lets go of your hands to cover her mouth as she laughs while lisa is losing it. the gryffindor 7th year is wiping joyful tears out of her eyes, which isn't helping your case.

you sit, pouting once again and waiting for them to explain.

"two words, y/n," lisa begins while holding two fingers up in a peace sign that you know is anything but peaceful. "you're. clumsy."

"am not!" you defied. your best friends exchange looks once again before raising an eyebrow at you. "tell me one time when i was clumsy!"

"remember that time you tried to shut a mandrake up by putting your hand on its mouth and then it bit you?" rose asks.

"oh! that was so funny!" lisa says, trying to hold back her laughter. "my favorite is when she made a lizard instead of a mini dragon in transfiguration but then it burned her eyebrows off!"

as they share your most embarrassing moments, your ears begin heating up and all you want to do is transfigure yourself into the train seat.

"i stand corrected..." you mumble out unwillingly.

"we love you, y/nie. we only want someone to look out for you when we graduate," rose says as lisa nods.

"fine, fine. i get it, moms."

"you love us."

"yea, yea, i love my two moms who come after my clumsiness all the time."

"as you should, now let's get changing. the train is almost at school."

the older hufflepuff was right. you could see the tall towers of the second home you've come to love in the distance as you glance out the window. this year may be bittersweet since the last of your friend group would be leaving you behind, but you were determined to make the most of it with them and perhaps make some new friends this year.

"i'll stay to keep our spot, you two go ahead," lisa tells you and rose.

"going to text your joonie?" rose teases. the gryffindor's ears have a red tinge at the sound of her nickname for her boyfriend.

"just go before the changing rooms fill up," she mumbles. but as you close the door to your shared booth, you can see that she has already pulled out her phone with a cheeky smile as she waves hi on facetime with namjoon who is slightly older than her and currently working as a magizoologist for the ministry.

you smile to yourself, remembering their relationship when you were just a first year. "come on, yn!" rose calls out.

you break out of your daze and see her several feet away from you. "sorry, eonnie!"

you take your hand off the handle, which you didn't register it was still on, and start to move towards her, carrying your blouse, tie and skirt. before you could reach her, you bump into a hard chest.

you hear a deep oof noise from the figure as you rub your forehead.

"i am so sorry!" you hurriedly whisper.

"you're alright, y/n." you recognize the voice and look up to see sim jaeyun from your house and year. "did you hit your head too hard?" he kindly worries.

"i—"

"yn!!" rose shouts.

"sorry, jaeyun," you apologetically smile as you brush past him. "coming, eonnie!!"

you could've sworn he said something like it was nice to see you, but you were far too focused on not letting rose wait any long. she's definitely amicable like most hufflepuffs, but like most hufflepuffs, you probably don't want to see them angry. you should know since lisa says you're already bad hangry.

it's a quick in and out of the changing room and back to your booth where lalisa waits, staring out the window and watching the castle come closer. it's like a wrestler tag team as you and rose high-five her on your way in and her way out. immediately, the two of you settle down and as you get comfortable in your seat, you notice that she's smirking with you, her eyebrow raised.

"why are you looking at me like that, eonnie?" you ask hesitantly. your fingers look more interesting picking fights with each other.

"oh, nothing," she replies, not giving up her smirk. "just wondering when you and jake were close."

"he's literally the same year and house as me. i can't go a year without a class with him."

she hums like she doesn't believe you. "really?"

"really, really."

"really, really, really?" you groan at her response as she starts to giggle.

"do you wanna talk about your crush on jeon jungkook then, eonnie?" she shuts up then and there, and it's your turn to smirk. "thought so."

"that's hogwarts' idol right there, yn. everyone likes him one way or another, so hush!"

"hush about what?" lisa asks as she slides the door open.

"nothi—"

"jeon jungkook." rose glares at you.

"ohh, rosie's crush of 6 years?" your other friend confirms as she closes the door.

"the one and only."

"you know, he and i are co-captains this year for quidditch. you should just come to our practices."

"will he even notice me? i mean..." your focus on their conversation starts to waver as you glance through the door window. outside your door is the familiar trolley witch with all her pastries and drinks, and you can't help but have a craving for your favorite chocolate frogs. you also can't help but notice the other figure with the trolley witch: the very same sim jaeyun you bumped into earlier.

"eonnies, i'm going to buy some chocolate frogs. do you want any?" you ask, keeping an eye on the figures outside your window.

"cauldron cake for me please!"

"let's have every flavor beans for old time's sakes!"

"alright," you say as you slide the door open and close. they go back to their conversation about a plot to get the hogwarts idol that you're sure is bound to go wrong.

"7 blood lollipops please." you hear jake order. you recall him having a large group of friends across different houses and different years, but for all of them to like blood lollipops is quite unheard of.

"you're not going to have all of those, are you?" you ask him, approaching the trolley.

"y/n," he greets with a smile and a shake of his head as he hands his coins to the witch. "no, my friends and i all really like them. i think i would have a headache if i were to eat all 7."

"2 chocolate frogs, bertie's beans, and a cauldron cake please," you order before turning back to him. "does it really taste like blood, or is it just to trick people into thinking you're vampires?"

jake's face pales though it's hard to see because he's already on the pale side and you're counting out your coins to give to the trolley witch. "personally, i think it tastes like cherry."

you hum as you gather your goodies together, and jake is thankful that you're not paying too much attention to how he reacted. "i'll take your word for it."

the trolley witch moves along, doing what she's done for many years and more to come. you're finally focusing on him more now that you have all your snacks and accomplished being a good citizen by paying the fees. your eyes search his face, go past his sharp jawline, and make their way to the shiny prefect badge on his black and gold robes. the prefect engraving is hard to see against the blinding gold of the hufflepuff badge, but it's hard to miss.

"oh, are you a prefect?" you ask curiously.

"yup, so don't stay out too late. i might have to write you up," he teases.

you playfully roll your eyes at him. "please, when am i not a model student?"

"i would say right now because we're about five minutes away from the castle, and you still don't have your robes on, miss l/n," he jokingly tsks at you.

"ahh, but you see, that's not my fault there, mr. prefect," you banter back.

"oh? then maybe i won't have to give you the first detention?"

"well, mr. sim, i was only taking care of my precious eonnies and buying them snacks. i paid my fees and also engaged in conversation with my fellow classmate, so i've been a little preoccupied," you acted out, playing the role of an innocent student.

"hmm.. engaging in conversation with your classmates on the first day does seem to follow the rules," he lightheartedly agrees. jake is about to add more, but his friends call out to him.

"hey, jake, what's taking so long?!"

"you'd better go take care of your friends, mr. sim," you tease. "be a good hyung, won't you?"

his beaming smile causes your heart to skip a few beats. "alright, miss l/n, but make sure not to let me catch you out of uniform." he waves before hurrying to his own booth.

when you open the door to yours, a chorus of oooh's from your eonnies is what you receive. you roll your eyes at them before shutting the door and grabbing your robe. you can see theirs were already on, the equally shining, gold head girl badge pinned on rose's robe.

"i think she'll be just fine on our own when we're gone, rosie," lisa teases as you slip your arms through your sleeves and tuck your wand in your pocket.

"just don't keep one of my prefects distracted, y/nie," rosie adds.

"so long as you aren't distracted by your head boy, rosie," you tease back.

"no way, jeon jungkook is head boy," she gasps at you.

"i don't know, but i just caught you simping in 4k!" you stick your tongue out at her as she whines and lalisa throws her head back in laughter.

"there really is only one choice though, so it probably is him," lisa affirms.

"i swear, if you two are wrong..." rose pouts.

"but if we're not, you'll get to spend more time with him and get to know him instead of just admiring him from afar like everyone else!" you console.

"well, we'll find out soon enough. we're here," lisa announces as she grabs her trunk from the top rack, helping you get yours and rose hers.

"thanks, eonnie! so glad your long legs are so useful!" you thank.

"yah! they'll be useful for kicking you too, ungrateful brat," she jokingly chastises.

"oh no, lisa eonnie is going to kill me!" you shout dramatically. "rose eonnie, save me!"

"it's going to be a long year," she sighs with a smile keeping close behind as you run off the train and lisa chases after you.

jake's expression mirrors rose's as he watches the trio run off to the nearest carriage. a crack forms in his blood lollipop as he sucks on it harder, the sweet taste of blood running across his tongue. "hyung, come on. let's get in the carriage," jungwon calls to him, his own sucker making his words slightly muddled.

"coming," he mumbles, securing his trunk and stepping into the carriage where his 6 friends wait for him.

their fangs are dripping with the blood of the lollipops.

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jake: ♥ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ (lvl. 1)

jay: ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ (lvl. 1)

sunghoon: ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ (lvl. 1)

#enhypen #enhyphen #enha #enhypen x reader #enha 02z #hogwarts au #enhypen jay #enhypen jake #vampire au #enhypen fanfiction #blood castle #enha x reader #kpop fanfic #hp au

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akaluan · 3 years

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Erich/Kisuke: One Night Stand Turned Serious + Balcony Wooing Scene Part 6

Kisuke slips out of the house while Sora is distracted with the cleanup from breakfast, and heads straight towards Erich’s place. He hopes the young man will forgive him for that, but… he can’t wait any longer.

(Assurances aside, he needs to see Erich with his own eyes to rest easy.)

(He just… he needs to know!)

Several people nod at him as he pass, warm-welcoming-kind despite him being a stranger, but no one stops him as he makes his way through the town towards Erich’s building. They just acknowledge his existence and keep going, as if he’s one of them, as if they’ve accepted him.

(But why?)

(He’s saved towns before and they’ve never reacted like this.)

(What’s different?!)

Kisuke gives himself a mental shake and shoves his curiosity aside: he can figure it out later. Or not. It doesn’t really matter. It’s just… weird.

(Very weird.)

He reaches Erich’s building and swiftly climbs the stairs to the second floor and strides down the hallway, stomach knotting tighter with each step he takes.

(What if Erich doesn’t want to see him?)

(What if Erich hates him?)

(What if—)

(No.)

(He just… he just needs to make sure Erich’s fine.)

(How Erich reacts to him doesn’t matter.)

Kisuke swallows as he reaches Erich’s door. Forces his hand up, his fist to clench, his arm to reach out—

The rap of his knuckles against the wooden frame echoes sharply through the empty hall.

Kisuke freezes. Forces himself to breathe. Forces himself to ignore the feeling of eyes on the back of his neck.

(There’s no one around, no one watching, he knows this, knows his mind is playing tricks on him but he can’t— he can’t dismiss it, can’t brush it aside because what if he’s not, what if there is someone watching, what if he’s about to be attacked—)

Breath hisses through Kisuke’s teeth as he ruthlessly shoves his paranoia back and locks it away.

(It’s fine.)

(He’s fine.)

(Everything will be fine.)

(It has to be…)

Kisuke resists the urge to fidget as the silence stretches and the door doesn’t open. Takes another calming breath and knocks a second time, calling out, “Erich?” as he does.

Jangling power flashes against Kisuke’s senses, tangled-confused-shocked, and vanishes just as quick; it’s enough to indicate that Erich is there, that Erich is awake, but nothing else, nothing solid. It was too quick, too muddied, for him to parse anything from it besides shock and confusion, and he has no idea what to do with that fragment of information.

Still, at least Erich knows he’s here.

Surely he’ll come to the door, will at least let Kisuke see him—

Silence stretches.

The door doesn’t open.

“Erich? It’s Kisuke,” Kisuke tries again with a third knock. “I just… I just want to see that you’re okay,” he adds, hoping that the explanation will help.

(Even if Erich has washed his hands of Kisuke, surely that will convince him to at least tell Kisuke to go away?)

Kisuke leans closer to the door and strains his ears, hoping to catch the sound of Erich moving about, but hears nothing. Nor is there any further flare of Erich’s power, not that he really expected any; Erich is a very controlled man, so flares like that are definitely the exception, not the norm.

Still, it does give Kisuke an idea. He lets traces of his power fill the air, and says, “Erich, I know you’re awake. If you don’t want me here, just tell me, please, and I’ll go away.” It will hurt, it will burn, but he’ll go. He knows better than to push his luck beyond the limit, and right now he’s probably dancing right along that limit.

His ears strain against the silence, trying to hear something, anything—

There! A creak, like someone rising to their feet, and Kisuke is familiar with that sound, familiar with the meaning, but there’s no sound of motion following it.

(It’s as if Erich is…)

(Ah.)

(Hmm.)

Kisuke rocks back on his heels and contemplates the idea that Erich is just as uncertain, just as nervous, as Kisuke is. Erich’s always seemed so certain, so confident in himself, but… well…

Kisuke’s run from him every time they’ve met, hasn’t he?

(The last time, he was even in the midst of a flashback triggered by Erich’s own actions.)

He heaves a sigh and runs a hand over his face, wondering how the hell he’s going to convince Erich that he means it this time, that he’s not going to run away, but nothing comes to mind.

(At this point, he wouldn’t trust himself either.)

(Well… maybe if he did something dramatic?)

(At least then Erich would have enough motivation to break his hesitation?)

“If you don’t at least tell me to go away right now, I’m going to do something horrifically embarrassing for both of us,” Kisuke announces, making sure to fill his power with all the determination he can. When he still gets no response, he huffs a laugh and says, “Last chance to keep your dignity intact, because I certainly have none left.”

He catches a faint brush of amused agreement before Erich once more clamps down on his power, but nothing else. Taking that as tacit acceptance of whatever happens next, Kisuke turns on his heel and marches down the hallway and towards the stairs. There’s a messy, half-formed plan in his head, and he can already feel the edges of embarrassment creeping in at the very thought, but he’ll do (almost) whatever it takes to get Erich to respond.

(Hopefully this will be enough.)

(Oh heavens above, let this not be for nothing…!)

Kisuke descends the stairs back to the ground and then circles around the building, eyes trained on the second story windows as he counts balconies. If his memory is correct… ah there.

He steps back so that he can see better, takes a moment to gather himself, and then freezes at the sight of a little old lady on the balcony right next to Erich’s. She’s tending to her little balcony garden and pretending to ignore him, but her sidelong glances and tiny smirk are hardly subtle.

She even flashes a grin at him when he keeps hesitating and makes a cheerful little ‘well? Go on!’ gesture.

Kisuke can’t resist making a face at her — which only makes her shoulders shake with silent laughter — and turns back to Erich’s balcony. If she wants to watch his embarrassment first hand, then by all means. He did say that he had no dignity left, after all, so might as well prove it.

“Eriiiiiiich~” Kisuke calls up, adding as much playfulness as he can to his tone. “Beloved light of my life! Won’t you come out and talk? Pretty pretty please? I promise not to run this time!”

The old lady brings a hand up to cover her mouth, her eyes bright with mirth, and leans on her balcony to peer over at Erich’s. The two of them wait for any reaction, but Kisuke has a sneaking suspicion that Erich currently thinks he’s dreaming. The man’s power is flickering in and out of sensing, filled with shock-disbelief-incredulity, and he seems to be frozen in place because of it.

Not exactly what Kisuke was hoping for, but he can probably cajole the man out with a bit more effort.

(Hopefully.)

“Erich love, I know it’s hard to believe, but I do have moments when common sense asserts itself!” Kisuke tries, clasping his hands together and hoping desperately that he’s not giving too much away with his words. Part of him hates acknowledging that he’s overlooked something obvious, but… in retrospect, it is obvious that Erich’s been concerned about him. He doesn’t know why — though Sora’s comment about Erich sulking over him is a great big flag that he’s trying not to think about too hard — but he does know it’s true. “Pretty please? I promise I’ll leave you alone if you tell me to! I just want to make sure you’re okay…”

The old lady casts him a thoughtful look at that, then leans a bit further over her balcony and fixes her attention on whatever little she can see into Erich’s place. She waits for a moment, then clears her throat and calls, “Erich dear, won’t you come out and reassure your cute little paramour?”

Kisuke chokes at her words and shoots a wide-eyed look up at her; he certainly didn’t expect her help, much less to be called Erich’s cute little paramour of all things!

She just winks at him and turns back to Erich’s balcony, calling out, “Erich—”

“Alright, alright, I heard you both!” Erich finally shouts back, then shoves the curtains aside and steps out onto his balcony. His skin is paler than usual, his shoulders drooping with exhaustion and his hair tangled, but he’s alive. He’s alive and he’s on his feet and despite his clear exhaustion he’s standing without swaying and he… he…

He’s looking at Kisuke with wide, disbelieving eyes, but there’s an edge of hope about him as he carefully leans against his balcony and gives Kisuke a full once-over. Hope that shifts towards uncertainty as he takes in Kisuke’s clearly borrowed clothing and the nerves that Kisuke just can’t quite hide.

(Kisuke doesn’t like that uncertainty at all.)

(He… might be a bit more involved than he thought.)

(Whoops…?)

“That healer of yours is a very determined young man,” Kisuke says with a wry grin, hoping his phrasing will put Erich at ease. “When he saw me coming to check on you yesterday, he was very insistent that I stay where he could see me.”

Erich purses his lips and glances away, uncertainty melting into mirth, and then says, “Sora does have a way about him, doesn’t he?”

“Like many healers,” Kisuke agrees dryly, fingers tightening around each other until he can almost feel his knuckles going white. “Are you— I mean, uh, I… I heard— uhm—”

“I’ll be fine,” Erich reassures, then glances past Kisuke at the town beyond. “I take it I have you to thank for the town still standing?”

Kisuke swallows and resists the urge to squirm. “I… may have cleared off the last of them and closed the Tear,” he confirms, then licks his lips and adds, “I saw the Behemoths you took care of and— and— I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help. I didn’t think— I mean… you didn’t seem to want me around after, uh… the last time, and I know how ridiculous that sounds right now but I wasn’t exactly thinking straight and I’m sorry, I really am, but you seemed to be avoiding me so— so I just—” Kisuke grimaces and ducks his head, shoulders rounding as he runs out of words to try and explain.

He’s just digging himself deeper, he knows he is, but part of him can’t help it; he’s never been good at people, even when he can predict their plans and how they’ll react to things. And personal interactions aren’t as clearcut as combat can be, leaving him floundering for the best way to act. It’s why he usually resorts to some variant of obnoxious, since that tends to have reliable reactions.

Erich sighs, the sound oddly fond, and says, “Kisuke, get up here.”

Kisuke blinks up at the man, then gives a shallow nod and gathers his power, leaping from the ground to land lightly on Erich’s balcony rail. “Maa, here I— mmph??” Kisuke freezes as Erich grabs his shirt and yanks, pulling him down into an unexpected kiss. The motion forces Kisuke to brace himself, one hand latching onto the railing and the other landing on Erich’s shoulder, and he still feels unbalanced, still feels like he’s going to fall, but he’s not going to complain.

“Thank you, Kisuke,” Erich murmurs against Kisuke’s lips, his free hand reaching up to brush across Kisuke’s cheek. “I mean it. And I forgive you for running all those times.” He pulls back enough to fix Kisuke with a steady look and adds, “Except for the last time, because that was entirely my fault, and I’m sorry for that. And I’m sorry that I gave the impression I didn’t want you around afterward. I was trying to give you space and… well… I suppose I assumed you didn’t want me around after that.”

“What a pair we make,” Kisuke can’t help but comment with an amused huff. “I assumed you didn’t want me around for the most part. Especially after Benihime… interrupted that one time.”

Erich makes a thoughtful noise and asks, “About that, what exactly did she do? Sora mentioned that my old wounds seemed to have changed but he couldn’t put his finger on how, and I’ve noticed… differences ever since that happened.”

Kisuke sighs and carefully lets go of the railing to run a hand over his face. “Benihime isn’t a healer-type, but she can…” he pauses, struggling for a phrasing that doesn’t sound as horrifying as most people feel her powers are, then shrugs awkwardly and gives the effort up as useless. “She can remake ‘broken’ things. People. Er… it’s a… she tears things apart and puts them back together better?” he tries, watching Erich’s face for the expected horror or disgust to rise.

Instead, Erich just looks thoughtful. “That’s the difference, then,” he murmurs as he tips his head back to stare up at the sky, gaze distant. “She fixed all the internal damage, didn’t she?”

(*Oh I like him,*) Benihime purrs in Kisuke’s mind. (*If you don’t keep him, I’m going to be very displeased with you.*)

“You’re… okay with that?” Kisuke tentatively asks, a bit weirded out by the easy acceptance and Erich’s specific phrasing of fixing it as opposed to how people usually view her actions.

The look Erich gives him is all fond exasperation. “Kisuke, why wouldn’t I be happy that I can move and fight without as much pain anymore?” His hand cups Kisuke’s chin, then slides around to cradle the back of his head as he tugs Kisuke down into another brief kiss. “I would have appreciated a heads up, but based on your reactions at the time, I take it she didn’t exactly consult with you either.”

Kisuke shakes his head, mind buzzing with a tangled mess of thoughts-feelings that refuse to resolve into words that he can actually speak.

(He never expected Erich to react so well to this.)

(He never expected any of this…)

“Then you have nothing to apologize for, though I’d like a bit of heads up if you think she might be planning to do the same again,” Erich says firmly.

(*He’s a polite young man,*) Benihime muses, then gives a mental shrug and adds, (*Well, so long as he keeps amusing me and keeps you satisfied, I’ll tell him whenever I plan to use my powers on him.*)

Kisuke snorts at Benihime’s words, then says, “I’ll do my best,” instead of relaying her words exactly. He doesn’t know how Erich will take the idea that he amuses an Otherworld entity, but he’d rather not find out at the moment.

“That’s all I ask,” Erich says softly, then smiles up at Kisuke and takes a small step back, opening up a space for Kisuke to hop down off the railing. “Would you like to come in? I’m not up for much, but… we can always just… spend time together?”

Kisuke swallows at the hopeful edge to Erich’s voice and nods as he slips off the railing and stands up. “That… that sounds good,” he says roughly. “I think I’d like that.”

Cheerful laughter snaps his focus away from Erich, and he scowls at the old lady still standing on the balcony next door. She grins at him — grins at them — with enough mischief to raise the hairs on the back of Kisuke’s neck, and then gleefully says, “Remember your silencing spells this time, Erich dear! Though listening to the two of you the first time was quite—”

“Grandmother!” Erich yelps, his fair skin flushing bright red in embarrassment. “You promised you’d never mention that again!”

She just laughs, flashes them both another mischief-laden grin, and then shuffles back to her plants with a wave.

Kisuke rubs at his face, trying to tame the blush spread across his own cheeks, and then gives it up as a pointless effort. “Well, uhm… shall we go inside?” he offers instead.

“Y-yeah, let’s get away from certain busybodies,” Erich agrees, raising his voice just enough to be pointed, though the old lady just snickers at them in reaction, clearly unbothered by the accusation. With a huff, Erich turns away and gestures for Kisuke to follow him as he steps through the balcony door.

Kisuke watches Erich move deeper into his home, something warm-soft-hopeful growing in his chest, then casts a brief, thankful look at the old lady and follows.

(There’s still so many things he needs to do, so many mistakes he needs to correct, but this…)

(Maybe this isn’t the mistake he originally considered it to be.)

(The future feels brighter for the first time in years, and he…)

(Well, he finally thinks he knows what hope is.)

#erich/kisuke #erich von rerugen #urahara kisuke #prompt fill #the end at last!#there's probably another story that can come after this #involving erich+kisuke hecking over Aizen's plans and all that jazz #but for now i'm going to consider this au complete #i hope you enjoyed it!

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eyeslikefoxglove · 4 years

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Episode 21 - The PTSD is strong with this one & we need more braincells

Hello hello! Welcome to the commentary. How’s everyone? I’m frozen solid because it’s mid-June in Spain and yet we had 11°C yesterday. Fucking awesome!

I AM NOT WEARING MASCARA SO I CAN CRY ALL I WANT. I DONT KNOW IF THATS GOOD OR BAD THO.

Can I just take a second to appreciate how much this big strong powerful men emote? I mean, I know this isn’t western media where the tough guy can’t show emotions, and I don’t know that eastern media has the same hangups about men emoting but just... it’s so refreshing.

Huaisang bb you’re so sweet.

Oh, oh the PTSD is strong with this one.

Also, bless both JC and NHS, they absolutely noticed WWX flinch and, in their own ways, went and steamrolled over it so WWX wouldn’t feel scrutinised.

WE INTERRUPT THIS BROADCAST TO INFORM YALL THAT I GOT A KITTEN ON MY LAP. (She’s kneading my boob, which, ow, but...)

*BICHEN GRIIIIIIIP*

How do y’all think the guards go deliver bad news to WRH? Like do they paper-rock-scissor it? Draw straws?

NMJ did you have to?

And once again I wonder what would’ve happened if JFM had let sect leader Yao kick it.

Ughvhfnevus it’s this clown. Same as with Su She, if you see a bunch of screaming it’s just me not wanting to listen to Jin ZiXun.

The Nies: let’s throw a banquet to honour WWX’s return

Every asshole there: *gossips about WWX while in the room with him*

Once again I wish I could transmigrate (and speak mandarin lol) and just start delivering tongue lashings.

Listen, I have no idea how to play Guqin, but I did play the guitar for years and even from here I can see how much YiBo’s hands don’t match the melody. Nothing against him but why does this always happen? I know they got classes, so was the music not written by that time or something? Because one thing is not hitting the correct notes, another is plucking slow notes when the tempo is much faster.

JC: Since yours and LWJ’s unhappy separation...

My dumbass: do you mean breakup? *eyebrow waggle*

You will pry my “JC knows his brother is pinning after LWJ, he probably doesn’t want to know anything else” hc out of my cold dead hands thankyouverymuch.

WWX: *spouts a bunch of misdirection to avoid giving JC a straight answer*

JC: Bull-fucking-shit.

Should I count how many times WWX PTSDs all over the place or would you like me to leave your hearts intact? That’s two so far.

Ok ok, I feel that, if someone with a bit less trauma and a bit of insight (NHS maybe?) had seen the bit where ChenQing fucking hurts Shijie thing would’ve gone differently. I mean, yes, LWJ keeps warning WWX that this shit is gonna fuck him up, but as I said in my previous commentary LWJ also has the communication skills of a hermit crab so that wouldn’t work, and JC would be too wound up and WWX too busy trying to conceal his lack of golden core for that conversation to go anywhere. But if someone who WWX knows is a good egg (I’m not gonna say trusts bc paranoia) had sat him down and told him “your new instrument that you use for your new form of cultivation just hurt the person you love most please be careful when you use it.” I think it would’ve worked wonders towards his health overall.

I know Shijie says it’s like Zidian, but she’s not working with the fact that this thing is made for and by the Dark Side of the Force and I’m sorry but I can’t help but see ChenQing as a bit of a horrocrux almost. Or like, if you like me think the Burial Mounds is an Entity, something that’s a bit more sentient that it lets on.

Speaking of reputations and NHS being a good egg, I have oh-so-many ideas (I won’t say plot bunnies because I can’t write for shit) in which NHS for Reasons (time-travel? Letter from the future? His massive brain?) realises just how much damage WWX is doing to his public image. And he might be a sheltered dandy, but he saw what being the son of a sex worker did to Meng Yao despite how hard he worked (I’m assuming he doesn’t know about the whole betrayal business). This is way fucking worse, like hell is he going to let one of his best friends paint a target on his back. So he pulls back his sleeves, engages his slytherin brain and proceeds to lay down a plan to throughly destroy WWX’s reputation as a powerful genius.

I’m guessing LWJ and JC protest, and maybe WWX, and NHS just hits them with “do you want him respected or alive?” And they shut tf up. He glues himself to WWX, and brings up as many instances in which their behaviour can be compared as he can (we got drunk and punished at cloud recesses, we slept in class, we skipped to go fishing, I don’t carry my sword either). And, because assholes be assholes, people like Sect Leader Yao or Clown Cousin are quick to start spouting their own derogatory bullshit and thus WWX the untamed powerful prodigy dies a fiery death. Now he’s just a mouthy kid with a quick mind that “does tricks instead of battle” (I’ll never get bored of using that Thor quote). I also like to think that people who personally know WWX and are not pieces of shit go give NHS a tongue lashing for messing with what they thought was his friend, NHS takes that as a test of good eggness and bring them into the plan. Soon the whole Cloud Recesses class is swearing up, down, left, right and centre that all the shit WWX has ever successfully pulled is just an insane amount of luck and quick thinking.

I don’t know how would they work him into the battlefield (disguise? Mask?) to unleash his demonic cultivation but that’s Plot and I don’t do that.

Also, because I’m a terrible human being I want to say that people assume LWJ is on “pretty but useless” WWX like white on rice because *insert derogatory comment about being good in bed and sexual favours*. Because y’all know the assholes here are Like That. And WWX is horrified because holy fucking shit he’s gonna drag LWJ’s reputation down, he can’t have people thinking HGJ is ok with having him as a concubine pretty much. But before he can act LWJ politely all but confirms that yeah, he’s tapping that, y’all wish you were but he doesn’t share and none of y’all are good enough for his Wei Ying anyway. CUE FAKE/PRETEND RELATIONSHIP BECAUSE I AM INDEED TRASH FOR THAT TROPE.

Muahahahaha y’all thought I was gonna devolve into my personal hcs and not include my fave trope? Shouldn’t y’all know me better by now?

(Btw I like this bit ^ so I might polish it a little and post it separately as well, just a warning if you find yourself reading an eerily similar post by me)

WuJi is playing and LWJ is pining so much. Also, if LWJ did not just realise that, just like Yu the Great, WWX had no other option but tame resentful energy I’ll eat my blanket.

I refuse to believe Jiang Yanli didn’t become the unofficial war camp therapist/sounding board/only sane person/everyone’s mum/I just need a hug and a corner to cry in peace. There are not enough fics about Shijie being her gentle BAMF self while in the camp and it’s a pity. My crops are dying y’all!

Also, I will fight anyone who scoffs at Shijie being the epitome of the “gentle woman who cooks and waits for the men to come back from war”. Look at her mum, do you think it is easy for a kid (she was a kid in the flashback when WWX ran away) to see that day in and day out, to have that as a “role model” and decide that she was not going to be like her mum? That she didn’t like what she saw in her so she was going to be kind and gentle? And do you think it is easy for a person barely in their twenties to deal with years of verbal and psychological abuse for again, being gentle and kind, and not grow a hard shell of bitterness to protect themselves? And to keep being gentle and kind while at war, with your parents dead and your siblings unraveling before your very eyes? Shijie is so fucking strong and I love her.

Hey look, the White Walkers!

“Resentful energy is just energy” ok, valid. But my dude, you’ve got black ghost smoke coming out of you and can hear people screaming in your head. I’m not saying it is evil, like someone’s uptight set in his ways arrogant uncle; but it sure as shit ain’t healthy.

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH (that’s a Clown Cousin scream btw)

Ok ok, just one little thing: IF SOMEONE ELSE CALLS WWX WEI YING AS A SHOW OF DISRESPECT IMMA SCALP THEM.

...are those crows eating that man alive? Yikes on bikes.

(Assume my comment about YiBo’s Guqin playing also goes for Xiao Zhan and his flute. I can’t play the flute but the tempo doesn’t match his fingers)

I’m just gonna say it, I think 3zun (well, 2zun as of now) suspect shit went down badly for WWX, that’s two questions by both of them in a very soft conciliatory tone. They are genuinely interested/worried about the topic, and don’t seem to come off as chiding or judgemental. I mean WWX is a weirdo irreverent kid and they’re sect leaders, they outrank him so much it’s ridiculous. I’m also counting the fact that both their baby brothers like him towards them being so kind. But I also think WWX just triggers all their big brother instincts the second he walks in.

Oh there’s a thought, Shijie, Wen Qing, NMJ and LXC take a look at everyone’s shitty parents and just decide to adopt everyone.

What happened at Yiling was a traumatised teenager (is WWX even 20?) PTSDing all over the place with the Dark Side of the Force whispering in his ear and an all powerful trinket at his disposal. Not saying I approve of all the torture and murder but he clearly isn’t revelling in them.

That is some outstanding bit of big-brothering on LXC’s side and I love it. Also, my dumbass just realised LWJ probably wasn’t quoting WWX when he was being punished (what is white what is black?) I think he was quoting his big brother. Which is magnitudes deep too, but in a different direction and I might love that scene even more.

Ok fuck it, I’m gonna tangent. So I had a terrible boyfriend when I was 15-18. He alienated me from my friends, sunk my self-esteem to the molten core of the earth, tried to convince me my parents were abusive and encouraged (aka threatened manipulated and cajoled) the slow tanking of my high school marks. I have A Problem when I see media where someone latches onto their significant other and everything they are shifts towards that person. Now, love, true genuine love, is powerful, and I believe it can be the catalyst for shifting your world-view for the better. I don’t have a problem with that. I don’t have a problem with people sticking with their romantic partner if it is clear their previous “family” is so much shit. I don’t have a problem with LWJ coming out of his shell and defying corrupt precepts because his love for WWX made them see they were wrong, or getting sassy and unrepentant during his punishment (I have a problem with the punishment bc that’s abuse but...). But I do side-eye WangXian being the only thing in their orbit. People need people, and WangXian have other good people around them. So I kind of love that yes, WWX showed him the system was corrupt, but it is the words of his brother he is sticking by to the defy said system.

Let’s go back to our scheduled slew of held pinning glances shall we?

LXC after That awkward run-in: WangJi I wasn’t gone that long, what the fuck did you two oblivious pining idiots do?

(LXC has “bitching” tea sessions with Shijie and you can’t convince me otherwise)

LWJ: *is being dramatic and not knocking on WWX’s door*

Me: oh my god you fucking idiot

Shijie: *walks in*

Me: oh thank god someone with a braincell.

Ah yes, there we go triggering WWX’s paranoia again. Why would he get a break.

OH MY GOD YOU PAIR OF FUCKING IDIOTS. THATS IT, FUCK THIS SHIT IM OUT.

@ LWJ: bitch wtf was that? I know you’re shit at talking but have you thought about writing it down? Letters anyone? It worked for mr. Darcy.

(Yes LWJ is mr darcy and now I want an au where LWJ writes WWX letters and just pours everything in them, WWX finds them, any everything is sunshine and rainbows)

While this bullshit fight/misunderstanding is all on LWJ’s shoulders, I’m also going to scream at WWX. Because yes, he is in PTSD hell, but he trusted LWJ before, and yet he can’t get past his perceived notion of LWJ’s character (and his own inadequacies) to trust him again and ask for help. Plus, you know, he thinks he doesn’t deserve he’ll bc *waves hand at WWX’s trauma conga line*

These episodes can’t be good for my BP.

Thanks for reading!

#the untamed #cql #mdzs live action #mdzs #foxglove watches cql #foxglove watches the untamed #lan wangji #wei wuxian #wangxian #jiang yanli #jiang cheng #yunmeng trio #yunmeng siblings #commentary

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miraculouscontent · 5 years

Note

Thoughts on Reflekdoll?

This episode is… strange.

Like, first things first: I know I don’t usually comment on the animation quality, but the animation in this episode is… different? I don’t want to say it’s bad, but it’s really noticeable. I think it feels as if the animators are trying to keep the characters constantly in motion, but some of the turns/twists are just a few frames off from where they should be. It’s a bit distracting compared to all the other episodes.

Honestly, it almost feels like some sort of edited back-door pilot to a spin-off series where they decided to switch miraculouses permanently, hence the animation being so different.

Anyway though, onto the real content of the episode.

…Actually, before I get into that, I just wanna say–

[LUKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA]

LUKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

That is all.

[Scraptain Obvious]

I don’t really like the lead-in here. I understand that Ladybug and Chat Noir are going to switch miraculouses, so they’re trying to set up a “they talk about each other’s traits/qualifications for the miraculouses” thing, but it feels really forced. Most swap episodes in shows are very predictable/obvious in how they go about things, and this is no different. While I like the twist that Marinette finds the cat to be “easy”, meaning it’s actually only half the struggle one would expect, the road to getting there is too blatant, mostly because of the word choice.

Reflekta even worsens this by talking about people being in her shoes. Not only do Reflekta’s power have nothing to do with the swap itself (I know that the reason they get swapped is because of Reflekta, but that’s not what I mean), but it’s a ridiculous attempt at tying together the akuma to the conversation that Ladybug and Chat Noir were having. It’s simply not needed.

Like, I get it, episode. You’re doing a thing and you’re not even remotely subtle about it. Can we please move on?

Then there’s exactly how this plot happens, and I simply do not believe that Marinette would take off her earrings that easily. Not only did the outfits she and Adrien wore have pockets (because I understand Adrien taking the ring off since I presume he was supposed to match Marinette exactly), but when even Plagg is telling Adrien that taking the ring off is a dumb idea, it starts to feel like the episode is waving a flag in front of my face while screaming, “THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES TO THIS.”

I also don’t buy Plagg and Tikki hearing none of the fight going on until the car they’re in gets flung into the air. Like, they didn’t even phase out of the trunk to see how things were going? I’d expect at least Tikki to keep an eye out just in case, especially if they were both so worried about the miraculouses being removed.

There are other things too, like Mayura’s comment about how the swapped heroes are struggling (which is not only cliche for standard swap plots but makes no sense considering that Marinette wasn’t struggling very much at all), but they’re relatively brief at least, I guess.

Speaking of Mayura–

[Ruffled Feathers]

Mayura’s introduction to the episode is good… enough. The concept of her sentimonster is relayed to where I didn’t have too many questions about it (as opposed to having many during “Miraculer”). I’m glad that Marinette had to explain it to Adrien just because it confirms that Marinette has a lot more information than Adrien does.

I also like the SWISH of Mayura’s fancy peacock dress during her transformation, but that’s not relevant to the episode, so it will get no SWISH points from me.

I mean, granted, this makes “Miraculer” even weirder considering that this doesn’t show the transition between Nathalie feeling sick over the peacock miraculous and then just being able to move around without concern (is this gonna be established in a later episode somehow?), but that’s technically not this episode’s fault so whatever, I’ll chalk that up to a “Miraculer” complaint.

I think the other weird thing about it is that Nathalie is standing behind Hawk Moth when he goes to send his akuma. I don’t know if he just sensed that it was Juleka again and wanted to take advantage of that so he told Nathalie to follow him, but it’s just odd since I’m used to Nathalie doing business-y things.

Also, thanks to Nathalie’s skinnier body due to transforming (Watching her de-transform is so strange because it clearly doesn’t line up), it now looks like her head’s too large for her body, though that might just be me.

Duusu was a little more “hyper” than I expected, but I was technically correct with my “MC Duusu” I suppose, what with the “feels any emotion strongly” thing. Wasn’t really a prediction and just more of what I imagined but I’ll gladly take full credit–

I also suppose that the peacock is more obviously made not to be abused by someone evil if the sentimonster created just follows the orders of the person it touches. Makes it more convenient for someone who’s akumatized but is ultimately why Mayura can’t have a lot of solo appearances.

[Kwamfree]

So, the kwami swap and how it’s worked upon…

First, I gotta say that… like–

It’s baffling that we have to be reminded yet again that Chat almost caused Ladybug to mess up because, just in production order, we know that “Oblivio” will continue this trend. If this comes before “Oblivio” then it shows that Chat hasn’t learned anything from this. If it comes after “Oblivio” (hypothetically; I know what Thomas said about watching in production order), then the lead-in is completely pointless because we could’ve had this be a flashback episode rather than “Stormy Weather 2″ (and no, not an excessive one like “Stormy Weather 2″; I’m talkin’ brief flashbacks as in “here is actual legitimate evidence from previous episodes that show our claims).

Chat saying that Ladybug is a killjoy is rather uncalled for considering that they’re known in the fandom for their playful banter. Ladybug isn’t above puns either; she just takes her job more seriously than Chat does. I mean, the lack of balance (with the scales clearly tipped in Ladybug’s direction) does make for a more satisfying moment later when Ladybug can deal with Chat’s job just fine while he struggles with hers, but I think an extra minute or so would’ve gone a long way to creating a scenario in which the heroes would start discussing their roles in things.

It just feels odd after we’ve already seen “future” episodes like “Gamer 2.0″ where Chat carries along a very similar attitude of not understanding where Ladybug’s problems lie. It’s a good character flaw in theory but it doesn’t go anywhere.

Also, unrelated, but the whole intro could’ve been avoided entirely if “Reverser” had been the kwami swap episode (in which “Reverser” would literally switch their powers; something that Hawk Moth would put into Reverser’s powers to plan accordingly). That episode even mentioned Queen Wasp, which leads all the way back to “Syren” (since the “giving other people miraculouses” and “Chat gets let in on the Master Fu situation” plots are kind of tied together) in which Chat expressed distaste for how Ladybug was keeping him out of things.

We also get another instance of “don’t call me Bugaboo” here, which isn’t something related to Ladybug’s sense of humor at all, so I don’t know why Chat played it off as such.

It’s probably the scene where I’d say that Chat lays it on extra-thick with his ego and “you don’t have a sense of humor” (which I’d like to think is a callback to Adrien in “Frightningale” when he tells Marinette that Ladybug wouldn’t be as funny as her, but I’m not willing to stretch that far). It’s pretty typical Chat fare, but because it’s squeezed into such a short scene, it establishes things too quickly, hence things feeling “forced.”

Onto a positive note real quick though, I do like how it’s immediately noticeable how well the swapped heroes will fare upon transforming. Marinette adjusts her movements accordingly, making slashing/punching motions to show that she’s getting into the “destruction” mindset, whereas Adrien doesn’t change his style at all and does kicking motions despite the ladybug miraculous being a passive one. Makes sense too; Marinette is the versatile type whereas Adrien seems more like a one-trick kinda guy (which Marinette even points out upon calling him “simple;” it’s not really a bad thing, but just stating that Adrien isn’t as flexible as she is).

Now, despite how much I rag on Chat, I will admit that he’s really excessive in this episode, to the point where he doesn’t feel like himself. I already said that he lays on the ego, but even with the ladybug miraculous, he brags about his “mastery” of it after managing to get a mirror (i.e: what he wanted) using Lucky Charm. He also complains about how Marinette chose to make fun of him instead of helping him when helping him is exactly what she’s doing.

And like, I don’t have a high opinion of Adrien, but even I don’t think he’d doubt Ladybug when she tells him that Lucky Charm won’t give him what he wants. He’s talked about how Ladybug is so amazing and everything, but if that’s the case, it’s so strange when he completely ignores her advice and acts as if he’s better.

I mean, at the very least, I suppose it was nice when he finally admitted that he needed her help, acknowledged that using the ladybug miraculous wasn’t easy, and told her that he understood why she doesn’t have time to make jokes. I’m not even against the idea of them having their own roles, because sometimes a person just isn’t cut out for a certain miraculous.

And, in a vacuum, I don’t have a problem with the statement that “the heroes have their roles” because, I mean… as I’ve just stated, certain people fit certain miraculouses, but the issue is that it’s left too simple and doesn’t make sense within the context of the opening.

Giving Adrien the ladybug miraculous helps him feel the pressure that Marinette goes through, but that’s not helpful because it only shows him the mentality that has to go into a miraculous that he does not use. Ladybug was calling him out in the opening because his goofing off almost caused her lucky charm to fail, and what does he do?

He deflects and goes into a completely unrelated ramble about why he’s the humor of the team. Giving him the ladybug won’t fix that.

The episode tells him why Ladybug doesn’t have time for jokes since she’s thinking, but it doesn’t tell him why he shouldn’t be goofing off. Ladybug (as the cat) finds a balance between having fun (which does lead to her teasing him a lot and she’s sure to slip in advice occasionally to go with it) taking things seriously, but Adrien isn’t going to catch onto that.

Now, if the episode had somehow done some crazy fantasy magic and put Adrien in a situation where he had to deal with both being the ladybug and dealing with himself as his partner, then maybe that could’ve been different (also, Mister Bug and Chat Noir would be a horrifying combination, just sayin’).

Also, Chat needs to see that his actions have consequences. Ladybug’s always there to bail him out, and his screw-ups are either fixed by her or are things he doesn’t remember (*side-eyes “Oblivio”*).

If Ladybug is there, Chat won’t have a need to learn anything. Miraculous Ladybug fixes whatever in the end, so he has little worry about his actions. He’d need something bad–truly bad–to happen to shake him enough to get himself in gear.

Seeing the heroes swap was interesting. Seeing their civilian forms interacting with the opposite kwami was interesting. Seeing the difference in their de-transformed miraculouses was interesting.

But it just… doesn’t serve the story in a sense of character progression.

[Alya Out of Style]

Oh, Alya. I’ve talked about you so many times and now it’s time to do it again.

So, okay, it was bad enough in “The Puppeteer 2″ when Alya both forced Marientte to talk to Adrien and caused the villain of the day to happen, but now we have both of those things on top of Alya being even more insistent on the matter. This is also yet another time when Alya brings up Adrien and races off despite Marinette’s protests.

Alya tries to play it off as some sort of perfect opportunity when it isn’t, and I am so tired of Alya acting that way when there are clearly more important things to deal with.

In “The Puppeteer 2,” it was “I know Marinette is babysitting but Adrienette is more important!”

And here, it’s, “I know Marinette needs all her focus but Adrienette can happen, I’m sure it’ll be fiiiine!”

Also, Alya plays it off like Gabriel will never know about Adrien helping them, but Gorilla would know (since Gorilla has to pick him up), and let’s not forget “Origins” where Adrien begged Gorilla and Nathalie not to tell his father and Nathalie blabbed to Gabriel anyway. There’s no guarantee that Gorilla wouldn’t find a way to tell Gabriel, so Alya is ignoring both Adrien’s record with Gabriel and Marinette’s anxiety to make this work. This isn’t just about Marinette (even though it mostly is); it’s about Adrien too (just like “The Puppeteer 2″).

If this was just Marinette hanging out with her friends, that’d be one thing, but this is a situation that needs Marinette’s focus and Alya prioritizes getting “her ship” together instead. I literally cannot fathom how Alya sees Marinette trying to get all this together and go, “You know what would make this better? Let’s toss Adrien into the mix!”

Marinette even warns Alya that this isn’t going to work and Alya doesn’t listen. She has no concept of what the right time to do something is.

Also, not to be that guy, but Alya wants someone for the technical aspect of things and Adrien is just a model. It doesn’t make sense that Adrien would know what looks good because he’s not the one behind the camera. Nino at least was the one filming in “Horrificator” so maybe he’d have an idea of what a good shot would be, but he literally appears and then promptly disappears from the episode.

Also also, Marinette is trying to focus on the modeling stuff (you know, the stuff that’s IMPORTANT for her FUTURE WEBSITE) which Alya is ignoring entirely to make it about Marinette asking Adrien to the movies.

Like, “Animan” was a perfectly acceptable situation for Alya to help in; that was something where Marinette was just casually at the zoo and didn’t have to worry about messing anything up with.

Actually, furthering a point on “Animan” as well, it’s laughable at how wrong Alya was when she claimed that she “doesn’t go making decisions for other people” when that’s a vast majority of what she does to Marinette.

And obviously, Alya doesn’t know that Juleka wanted to be a model, but she stepped in when Marinette was trying to calm Juleka down. Anyone could see that Juleka was distressed and bordering on hyperventilation, but Alya fixated on Adrienette happening instead, even to the point of just snatching the hat off of Juleka’s head. It’d be one thing if Alya and Juleka weren’t close (like, if the girl squad still existed but it was more of Marinette having female friends and Alya having female friends and it’s a “friend of a friend” situation) but Juleka is in the girl squad.

Alya also continues to make everything worse by stressing the time that Adrien has to leave, so she’s making Marinette’s little event all about getting Marinette together with Adrien. Even if it had worked, that doesn’t make it okay for Alya to highjack all the operations.

And, I mean, this wouldn’t even be a problem if Alya just felt bad about it or even took responsibility, but she doesn’t feel a thing after Juleka is akumatized. When Marinette is the one to apologize, Alya doesn’t step in to be like, “I’m sorry too,” or, “it’s my fault for trying to make everything go how I wanted it to.”

Alya basically goes into the foreground only to force the entire situation and then drops into the background once she’s served her purpose. At that point, she’s less of a character and more of a plot device, which is never a good thing.

…That said, Alya isn’t the only poorly-handled one here.

[Reflekdull]

Juleka, not you too!

…Okay, I mean, being fair, it was nice to see that Juleka does have a goal in life with wanting to be a model despite her obvious anxiety on the matter. It was both surprising but also made sense for her character (and simultaneously makes “Reflekta” more tragic because of her photo curse).

I also think it’s great how perceptive Marinette was on it since–y’know–it’s Marinette, it’s natural that she’d be perceptive to anxiety.

…Unfortunately though, that brings things to the fact of Juleka being mad at Marinette.

Because why, what, and how.

Like, I am so sick of characters/episodes turning against Marinette for things she either didn’t mean to do or literally did not do.

Marinette was helping Juleka. She was asking Juleka what she wanted to do and only started suggesting that she should handle things when Juleka was not giving her an answer.

Marinette checked on Juleka multiple times yet, when Juleka finally gets akumatized, it’s Marinette that Juleka goes after, and then they have Marinette claim that Juleka said that she didn’t want to model just to make Marinette look to be in the wrong.

Reflekta argues, “You didn’t let me explain!” but no, that was Alya who cut in. Alya was the one who started going on and on about Marinette and Adrien being the models. Marinette was taking responsibility and checking on Juleka (again, twice) to see if she was okay.

I’m not even mad that Marinette apologized, because it is in-character for her to do so. No, I’m mad at the episode for failing in everything else completely. Everything about the lead-up, the process, and the aftermath of the akuma is wrong.

And it’s not just Marinette either. Rose is also very attentive towards Juleka, but Juleka insists that she’s fine to both Marinette and Rose, only to then target them directly once she’s akumatized.

This is exactly like the original “Reflekta,” where Reflekta shot Rose without any focus or thought on the matter. I hate to complain about it here because it’s not a fault exclusive to this episode but, like–

I get that being akumatized means taking away a lot of the original traits of the person being akumatized, but they should still have something. Akuma like Rogercop still had attachments even when said attachment had nothing to do with their akumatization, so I don’t understand the logic that someone who’s akumatized just becomes a completely different person. It’s boring and makes the akumatized person less like “a person we feel for and are attached to” and more like “a generic villain-of-the-day.” Reflekta is flashy and confident, unlike Juleka, which is totally fine, but if she has no hints of who Juleka was, I find it too hard to get invested when she’s rampaging around Paris.

I dunno. It’s just weird knowing that Reflekta is the worst example of this while her brother is one of the best.

And on Reflekta herself as the villain-of-the-day here, I’m not sure how I feel about her coming back as a repeat akuma. I mean, Stormy Weather and Gamer 2.0 made sense given their build-up, but Reflekta feels like too much of a stretch here. I don’t even have a problem with repeat akuma in concept, but the situation that Juleka goes through doesn’t correlate to Reflekta’s idea of “I want to be seen by everyone.” Like, yes, Juleka wants to be a model, but the lead-in to the akumatization is the main problem; Hawk Moth’s lines fixate on Juleka wanting to be seen when the problem was that she didn’t have the confidence to model Marinette’s outfits.

Also, if Juleka wants to model, making everyone look like her is literally the opposite of what she should want to do. Luka’s whole line about her being pretty and Juleka’s want to model clothing only hold up if she’s actually modeling clothing as herself.

I know it wouldn’t be a kwami swap episode if I did this, but if Reflekta’s goal is to make people understand how she feels, then her powers should center around giving people crippling anxiety, like what she had when she was trying to model for Marinette. I already suggested the same for my version of Reverser, and I still add that it’d be hilarious for her powers to not affect Marinette/Ladybug because she’s already an anxious mess normally so she’s used to it (plus, then Reflekta would’ve seen that Marinette is just like her and, if the episode still went with Reflekta being mad at her, that would’ve made her realize that she was wrong, even if Juleka herself would have to be corrected later). This also would’ve had the same effect that the original episode has on Chat where he realizes how Ladybug feels on a daily basis.

Heck, this episode even fails to point out that this is on Juleka as well. I’m not criticizing Juleka for having anxiety to the point of not speaking, but getting mad at Marinette was completely out of nowhere.

Right before Juleka is akumatized, Juleka blames herself for the situation, which isn’t entirely wrong. I’m glad that she made an attempt to put herself out there, but throwing blame onto Marinette was uncalled for. I would’ve happily excused Reflekta being mad at Marinette and Rose if Reflekta was just deflecting (heh) the self-loathing onto others to compensate, but she also would have had to:

a - be mad at Adrien too because Adrien is ALSO “stealing” her spot as a model (and, suddenly, I’m reminded of “Gamer”) and also get angry at Alya for the hat snatching

b - not be huffy at Marinette after being de-akumatized; if she is, it’s only deflection and she immediately feels bad once Marinette apologizes and then Juleka assures Marinette that’s it’s not her fault

This is the problem when there are four writers writing one episode. Regardless of how much it “helps continuity,” too many ideas are being thrown in and it turns the episode into a mess that feels like it was written by writers who all wrote different scenes but then didn’t consult each other enough on what happened in those scenes, so one writer will go in with a vague idea of, “oh, Marinette took Juleka’s spot in modeling so this must be Marinette’s fault; I’ll have Juleka be mad at her for that and then have Marinette apologize!”

Just… ugh. Some of the interactions are wonderful and the swapped heroes are interesting, but I don’t know if it’s worth it for the rest of the plot.

#category: critique #episode: Reflekdoll #category: long post #word count: over 3000 #other: ask and answer

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Danganronpa Kirigiri (3) - Chapter 4, Part 7

Table of Contents | Previous: Chapter 4, Part 6

“I’ll start from the beginning. First, you prepared a string—a steel wire would be even better—and you strung it through the metal guard of the katana. A typical guard has a hole in the center for the blade to pass through, in addition to one hole on either side. The holes serve different purposes, but for you, they were perfect to pass the wire through.”

The police confirmed the guard of the katana used in the murder had two open holes.

“So? Thanks for the riveting lecture on how to string a wire through a katana. So what?”

“One end of the wire was tied to a heavy weight. The heavier, the better, especially if it was an object that could float on water. A piece of firewood or a log would work well.”

Wood was scattered around the backyard, so a quick search for a sturdy piece would likely prove fruitful. Or perhaps she cut down some bamboo to do the job.

“To finish preparing the wire, you twisted the other end into a loop.”

How was that strange setup used...? I had no idea where Kyoko’s deduction was headed.

“You tied the loop around one of the icicles on the water wheel. Those icicles aren’t frail; they’ve grown thicker throughout the winter and won’t break easily.”

“And then?”

“The next part required some skill. You opened the double doors. At this point, you had already wrapped rubber bands around the handles. Once you opened up a large enough gap, you wedged something in the doors—the jack would work quite well—to prevent them from closing. Then, you slid the katana through the rubber bands, stretching them back with the guard of the blade. The mechanism resembled a large slingshot, or a bow with the katana as an arrow.”

Even I could imagine the scene.

“Finally, you took the free end of the wire, crossed the backyard, hopped over the fence, and stretched it all the way to the cliff. Once you secured the weight to the wire, you kicked it into the ravine. The weight plummeted into the river and got caught in the rapids, creating tension in the wire that kept the katana taut. But the weapon didn’t fire immediately, because the icicle on the other end kept the wire fixed.”

I pictured the setup in my mind. The double doors and rubber bands formed a bow, while the katana being pulled by the weight functioned as an arrow. The icicle was used as a device to delay the katana from being launched.

“At this point, you could remove the jack from the gap. The force pulling on the katana was sufficient by itself to keep the doors open.”

And thus, the wire device spanning the entire backyard—from the water wheel, to the dojo, to the cliff—was complete.

“Tension was constantly pulling on the loop around the icicle, and the pressure caused the ice to slowly melt. But the icicle didn’t snap. The segments of ice melted by the wire would refreeze, thus keeping the wire trapped in the icicle as it passed through to the other end. Eventually, the wire was released. Without the tension in the wire pulling on the elastic rubber bands, the katana was fired.”

The entire time we were trying to open the dojo door in the hallway, the katana was waiting patiently to be released.

“But... how would it hit its target?” I asked. “Did it stab the victim by sheer chance?”

“That’s where the armor came in. Those two warriors weren’t simply decorations adding to the mansion’s haunted aura.”

“What do you mean?”

“The warriors were in the center of the room, standing behind the corpse on either side, right? Take a step back in time and imagine the scene when the victim was still alive. Yui, do you realize now?”

“Oh... don’t tell me.”

The suits of armor were positioned with bent elbows. The unconscious victim could be propped up and forced into a standing position.

“The warriors were there to secure the target,” I answered.

“Correct. Blood splattered onto the armor because it was used to hold the victim up.”

The force of the launched katana propelled the victim forward, thus completing the crime scene that we stumbled upon.

After the katana was released, the rubber bands caused the double doors to automatically shut. Those doors weren’t just part of the locked room; they were part of the murder trick as well.

“The wire was swept away with the weight. It may never be found, even if the police conduct a thorough search downstream. Perhaps it left traces in the snow at some point, but the additional snowfall would have removed any evidence. That nick on the fence would be indistinguishable from the countless other scratches once covered by snow. The only evidence that wouldn’t disappear by itself was the trail of the wire in the icicle.”

Kyoko crossed her arms and slowly approached Kakitsubata. “I knew the killer would return to destroy that evidence. That’s why I first accused Mizuiyama, just as the culprit planned. I knew the true killer would lower their guard and reappear.”

Kakitsubata hung her head. Her shoulders sagged. The battle had been settled.

“Who the hell are you?” Kakitsubata asked with her head down. “Isn’t that Yui Samidare girl over there supposed to be the detective? Did she hire you? Or are you really one of Ryuuzouji’s underlings?”

“Who I am is irrelevant... It’s all over for you.”

“Over?” Kakitsubata muttered. She stared at Kyoko with hollow, ghost-like eyes.

The crowbar in her right hand slowly rose into the air...

“Stop!” I ran across the snow and leapt in between the two of them.

Kakitsubata’s arm stopped above my head.

“It’s against the rules to harm the detective!” I warned, throwing my arms out to protect Kyoko.

“Are you stupid?” Kakitsubata burst out into laughter. “You think I care about those silly rules when I’ve already lost?”

“Oh... I guess not...”

“Taking my anger out on you won’t do any good.” She sighed before tossing the crowbar away. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t care about the game. Don’t think I’m a sore loser; all I wanted was revenge.”

“Was revenge really the answer? Surely there must’ve been another—”

“I hear them.” She cut me off and raised her voice to nearly a shriek. “I can hear them on the other side of a door. Any door, the moment it shuts, I hear them coming from beyond. ‘It’s hot...’ ‘Help...’ Those voices calling out to me...”

“‘Hot?’ ‘Help?’”

“Do you remember the news about a fire in a mountain railway tunnel eight years ago? It made headlines. It was an accident caused by an electrical short circuit, but during the evacuation, one man shut the emergency door leading out of the tunnel. Twenty-eight people lost their lives that day. My family was among them. I survived because I made it out ahead of them, but that man came out right behind me, and I watched helplessly as he shut the door. He said he had to do it to survive... Even though many others were still on the other side...”

I vaguely recalled the incident. Due to a passenger closing off the emergency exit, many others were left behind to perish in the flames. There were some who testified that shutting the door halted the advance of the smoke, allowing the other two hundred plus passengers to safely escape.

The media and the police were unable to uncover the identity of the passenger in question. Nothing came of the matter, as public opinion opposed turning the incident into a witch hunt. Could that passenger be blamed? Nobody could answer that question, especially not those who weren’t directly involved.

“So... did his murder bring you salvation?”

“I don’t know,” Kakitsubata laughed at herself and looked down at her hands. “The truth is, it doesn’t feel like I killed him. All I did was set things up exactly as I was told. My hands don’t feel dirtied. When I saw his corpse, confusion overwhelmed me more than joy or relief, so much that I wondered if someone else had killed him for me. It still feels like I’m in a nightmare...”

“Then what purpose did his death serve?”

“I can only believe it saved not just me, but all those people beyond the door.” A gentle smile crossed her face. “I’m sure that even if a door closes, I won’t hear those voices calling for help on the other side anymore... They’ve been appeased through my salvation.”

She was another person who was cursed to battle against a tragic fate. The Crime Victims’ Salvation Committee had its eyes on people like her, prisoners of the past.

“Do you have a way to pay the 151 million yen?” Kyoko asked.

“Do I look like I’m made of money? If I did, I wouldn’t have gone through any of this in the first place.”

“Then listen to my advice.” Kyoko whispered close to her ear. “Turn yourself in to the police. If you go to the station with the officers here, you’ll be unharmed.”

“What are you saying?”

“You’ve now become a target of the Crime Victims’ Salvation Committee. They’ll be coming to collect your debt by any means necessary. Of course, that includes murder.”

“No...” Kakitsubata’s lips shuddered. “Can’t I do something? You know a lot about them, right? Help me!”

“Understand that you’ve already crossed the line. From my point of view, you no longer exist in this world.” With her hair freely blowing in the wind, Kyoko stared off into the colorless night.

“No...”

“You should’ve asked for help before you resorted to murder.”

“Please, come on! Help me!”

The police had surrounded us. They led Kakitsubata into a police car. The cars and officers were likely real; I had watched them arrive at the start of the investigation.

The door to the car shut with Kakitsubata inside. Her expression was frozen onto her face. She covered her ears with her hands, and with eyes wide open in panic, shook her head back and forth over and over again. She was trembling with terror, just like a frightened child.

Had salvation come to her? What was salvation to her in the first place?

Before long, the flashing red lights disappeared beyond the bamboo.

4:00 AM. The police dropped Kyoko and me off at a hotel in the closest city. They paid for our lodging, still under the impression that we were Ryuuzouji’s assistants.

With the television playing on mute in the background, we sat atop the bed with our backs against the wall until the crack of dawn, stringing together words into a conversation that went nowhere. Reflecting on all the events of the previous day, it seemed like several days had passed by. But the fresh marks on Kyoko’s thin, white neck reminded me of our cruel reality.

“Does it hurt?” I touched her bruises with my fingertips, causing her to turn away with a frown. “S-Sorry...”

“I won’t get off this easy next time,” she said with little emotion. “I’ll be expecting you to protect me, Yui.”

She cradled her knees, pulled the blanket up to her chest, and leaned against my body before shutting her eyes.

As long as Kyoko’s remarkable abilities remained intact, she’d continue to face danger head-on. Each time, she’d risk getting hurt. If she renounced her role as a detective, she could live a comfortable life, but that option was out of the question for her. And I wanted her to have a long career as a detective. This world needed a beacon of light to cast away the darkness.

At some point, while mindlessly staring at the infomercials flashing on TV, I fell asleep sitting up. The world beyond the curtain was growing brighter, and the snow glistening on the windowsill signaled the arrival of dawn.

Next: Chapter 5, Part 1

#dr kirigiri #danganronpa kirigiri #danganronpa #kirigiri #novel #translation #light novel

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