#translation: we made something and i don't know what i'd do if something happened to you. please don't leave my side.

[rogueddie]

There are a lot of rumors about Eddie Munson. From his sexuality, to his religion, to him being some sort of supernatural creature.

Steve doesn’t put a lot of merit in most of them. They’re usually just bullshit people make up to entertain themselves with whilst beating down on the weird kid. Steve thinks it’s boring… usually.

He’s seen enough weird things happen around Munson to know that something isn’t right. Something about him is unnatural. And Steve is staying clear out of the way of whatever the hell he is, or whatever the hell he’s messing with.

Unfortunately, his friends haven’t gotten the message.

“Do it at your own house!” Steve complains, though he makes no move to stop them. He’s sure it’s nothing, that it’ll only lead to an annoying clean-up job, but there’s a nagging sense of dread writhing in his gut. “This shit is bull anyway.”

“If it’s bull then what’s the problem?” Tommy counters.

“Because none of you dickheads are going to help clean this shit up!”

“I promise to help you clean up,” Carol says. “There. Problem solved. Right?”

"It's still stupid," Steve mutters, glaring at the janky make-shift pentagram they've made. "And a bad idea."

It's drawn on nine pieces of paper- they wanted to draw it big on the floor, but Steve had but his foot down. He lets them use some of his moms candles as a compromise.

With the lights off, sitting with the two of them in a circle, it suddenly feels too real. Even Carol looks suddenly nervous.

Tommy is the only one still smirking, though Steve is sure that it's forced. His voice shakes a little as he begins reading off the paper he'd torn out a library book. His Latin is clunky.

At first, nothing happens.

Long enough that Carol says, "did you even say it right?"

"Yes, it even has-" Tommy starts.

The candles all blow out, suddenly. The light Steve had left on in the kitchen flicks off too, plunging them into complete darkness.

After a horrible moment, where they're still and silent, Carol yelps.

"Don't grab me, Tommy, that's not funny!"

"I didn't grab you."

"Wh- Steve?"

"No," is all Steve can get out.

"I'm turning the lights on," Tommy says. "This is ridiculous."

Steve listens to his footsteps and, when he sounds like he's almost at the light switch, he yelps.

"Fuck this," he says.

"What the fuck, Tommy!" Carol yells when they both hear him running past them. She's up on her feet immediately, chasing after him.

He wants to scream after them, plead with them to come back, that they shouldn't be abandoning the circle.

But, the same gut instinct that insists he stay where he is, keeps his mouth shut. Everything in his being is telling him that if he leaves, if he speaks first, horrible things will happen to him.

Something tuts, like a parent admonishing a child.

The living room light flicks on, so bright that Steve has to blink a few times to clear away the white spots.

Eddie Munson sits in the space they left empty.

"Someone didn't read the terms and conditions," he snickers.

"What..." Steve pauses, clearing his throat. "What are the, uh... terms and conditions?"

"Oh, they're simple, really. Look," he holds up the page Tommy had read the incantations from, pointing to the little paragraph at the end. "They even translated it to English! But all you need to know, big boy, is that you are A-OK."

"And... Tommy and Carol?"

"Eh, they're fine. Lucky, really. I'm trying to relax up here. I'm only gonna pay them back with a minor curse or two. Nothing lethal."

"Fuck."

"We haven't even got to you yet!" He spins around so hes laying on his belly, resting his chin on his palm. "You didn't technically summon me so you can just tell me to leave... or."

"Or?"

"Deal with no consequence, baby. One wish, whatever you want, free of charge. Well... I'd want your silence about the whole... summoning thing. Let's consider that payment."

He doesn't need his gut or book to warn him that it's a bad idea. Munson could be lying, easily. There could be fine print. It's a bad, very bad idea.

"There's... definitely no consequences? I won't, like, go to hell for this?" Steve finally asks.

"Do some charity work for a week, you'll be fine," he says, waving his hand around. "What do you want, King Steve?"

"Could- could you make someone love me?"

"Oh, ho ho ho! Who's the unlucky lady who said no to you?"

"No, it... it's not like that. I mean, um... my mom."

Munsons smile drops. The temperature drops with it, making a chill run up Steves spine.

"Your mom," he repeats.

"They're busy like, all the time," Steve automatically defends. "And they're barely here so, uh... of course they wouldn't- I mean, it's normal, right? You can't love a stranger or... whatever. It's fine. It's just... I don't know."

"Steve..." Munson pauses.

He groans, throwing his head into his hands, dramatically. He almost immediately flings his head back up, hair flying everywhere, giving Steve wide and pleading eyes.

"I can't make people fall in love or any shit like that. I can make illusions, that's it. Love is, like... way out of my jurisdiction."

"I- I'm ok with an illusion. Like, just one day or something."

"Steve, baby, you're breaking my heart."

"Please?"

"Jesus- ok!" Grumbling, Munson shifts so he's kneeling. "And in return, you won't say shit about any of this. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Great. Ugh. This next part is... weird."

"What do you mean, weird?"

"It's weird, I don't know. Deals about, like, love are sealed with a kiss."

"You're joking."

"Nope, and that's not even the weird part. Now, come on and pucker up, let's get this over with." He gestures for Steve to shuffle closer, waiting until they're sat close enough that their knees almost bump together. "You can still change your mind. Anything at all, Steve. Anything."

"I thought you wanted to get this over with?"

"On your head..."

Munson leans forward, kissing him. It's just a peck, simple and easy. No big deal, right?

Steve feels possessed. It's like someone lit a match in his stomach, leaving him lightheaded and confused. He's not sure how he ends up in Eddie's lap, clutching onto his shoulders, desperately trying to lick into his mouth. He feels so-

He wakes up in his bed, the morning light blinding him.

"What the fuck..." he mutters to himself, grabbing at his throbbing head.

At first, he thinks he's hungover. That he'd just had a weird dream... but he's wearing the same clothes. And, sat on his stomach, is a guitar pic. It's got 'corroded coffin' written on it too- Eddie's band.

"Steve!" He hears his mom call. "Time to get up!"

He scrambles out of bed, dashing down the stairs.

She smiles when she spots him, so bright and warm. She even raises an arm, laughing when he practically throws himself into her side and hugging her tight.

"Morning, sweetheart. Good dreams?"

"Yeah. Yeah, great. But, uh... I feel sick."

"Oh no," she frowns. She puts her hand to his forehead, cooing when she brushes his hair out his face. "Is it your stomach?"

"Yeah. Just... might be better to stay home today. If that's ok?"

"Of course it is. I'm sure we can find something fun to do together, yeah? How about we get a vhs movie, hm?"

"I'd love that."

"Great. Well, if you're feeling up to it, I've made breakfast." She steps away, plating the food she's cooked up. "Oh, did I ever tell you about Paris? It was beautiful, you would have loved it. We should bring you, next time we go."

Steve can't stop smiling. He's sure that his cheeks will be aching by the end of the day.

He'll have to thank Eddie- as soon as he can even think about him without blushing. He'll need to ask if it's normal to still feel... affected, even after the deal is done.

Part of him knows it isn't the deal. Part of him is too curious about how Eddie will react.

#stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #steddie fic #ficlet #creaturefeature

[stellas-and-tonitruses]

Everything we know about Project Apple (and, by extension, Anya's past) thus far

thought i'd compile all of that now while endo's on break Just In Case the next chapter happens to start anya's backstory (i don't Think it will but endo likes surprising us LSDFKLFS)

important disclaimer that project apple and the organization in charge of anya's experiments have not been confirmed to be related! there's evidence that they have things in common, in particular employees, but that's our only real connection between the two thus far. still! worth looking into

more under the cut!

so, starting very strongly with the very first mention of anything related to the project: anya's introduction in chapter 1

despite her being a main character, we know very little about her past at the moment, and this little blurb at the beginning makes up a very big portion of what we know.

things to note here:

as an experiment, her name was "Test Subject 007". important to note that the notation differs between her and bond: she was Test Subject 007, bond was Subject 8, no zeroes in there;

she had been made thus by accident, the phrasing itself implying quite heavily that she was just a normal child before said accident (but this is the translation! i don't know japanese so i can't cross-reference with the raws to clarify if the phrasing changes anything, but the fanbook uses the word "gained" to describe her powers too);

because her mind-reading is an unintended consequence, that means the scientists were presumably not, at least initially, trying to achieve cognitive enhancements in humans, and were instead trying to achieve something else, whatever that might've been;

she escaped from the facility and then moved from institution to institution, looking for a family.

so, crucially, through this little introduction we learn that there is an organization, government-funded or otherwise, that is or was conducting human experiments for unknown purposes. we also learn that whatever family anya had prior to being involved in the experiments is more than likely unreachable, at least as far as she knows, and so she has settled for finding a new family to take care of her instead.

in terms of the facility itself, here we see they clearly drilled it into her that she can't ever reveal her secret (and the darn plush is there too -- in the anime it's even more emphasized, as you can see in the gif i made)

through her reminiscing though, we get our very first look at the scientists that were in charge of her! they're in the gif above but here they are in the manga too. it's so interesting that the anime actually shows their eyes behind the glasses though, fascinating choice.

the insistence on world peace is important, as it explains her own personal obsession with it and shows that it's not just because of twilight's own focus on preserving the peace. i also don't think twilight ever really talks about "world peace," only about "preserving the current peace between westalis and ostania" -- anya seems to be the only one talking about WORLD peace (even in the very first scene where either of them mention it in proximity to each other in ch 1, loid says "understanding the other party is the first step towards peace" and anya's interpretation is "understanding me makes world peace?") but take this with a grain of salt because i might be wrong! going through every single mention of peace in the story just to fact check this one little trivia fact is a bit much i think so i'm not doing it JSDFKLSD

but yes

remember mr hair strand and baldy, we'll see them again. not her though, ig she wasn't in charge of bond

now, fast-forwarding to chapter 19, we finally get a name and a premise for the experiments:

"but oana," you might say, "this is talking about animals only! how do we know it's the same project as anya's, which involved human experimentation?"

i don't think it is, is the thing! i think it's related to the experiments anya was a part of, which is evidenced by the same scientists being featured in project apple too, but there's more going on that we don't know about. there wouldn't be such adamancy on keeping the two separate in every official mention of them if they were just the same thing, imo!

back to the evidence, we learn that the project, conducted and funded by the previous ostanian regime (meaning donovan's related to it one way or another, since he was prime minister), was marked by franticness and desperation -- a prime place for accidents like anya's telepathy and bond's future vision.

we also learn that the project was sacked by the new administration and that the former test subjects ended up on the black market.

(this makes it very important, imo, to learn when anya escaped the facility vs. when the project was sacked. it's clearly no longer in function, but while we've heard nothing from them thus far, i'm willing to bet the shady dealings around the desmond group are NOT related to the war, as W.I.S.E. has been led to believe, but rather to reignite project apple. that is speculation however so i'm going to refrain from theorising much on why the desmond group is focused on acquiring pharmaceutical companies!!)

ok speculation tangent over, back on track

so, that's already a decent amount of info! but moving to chapter 22, when bond is finally home, and we finally see some familiar faces

behold! baldy and mr hair strand!

and 2 other guys we don't know but will see again in another bond flashback!

that's 2 out of the 3 scientists we've seen thus far from anya's own time as subject 007, confirming that there IS a connection between anya and bond's experiments, regardless of whatever the project anya was a part of might've been named.

this is also the chapter in which we learn that bond himself was subject 8 (or, if we take it from the fanbook, subject #8. still, diff notation from anya!)

in chapter 31, we learn an interesting tiny piece of trivia. we don't get any further info on it, but it IS mentioned as something that is known by W.I.S.E.:

ostania is rumoured to have done human experimentation! and W.I.S.E., and by extension loid, are aware of that.

do i know how them knowing may be important later? not really!

the next droplet of info we get is in chapter 40. we see that project apple had collaborators that are still functioning unhindered.

of course, born industries is only rumoured to have been involved with project apple, but regardless of whether or not they actually were, the rumour itself implies that the project likely pulled scientists from various other companies' R&D departments.

(this makes the desmond group's acquisition of glooman pharmaceuticals shadier, but anyway)

as a side note, twilight is emoting so much at just his wrong assumption that bond is seeking revenge against the scientists. imagine how he's going to react when he finds out about anya JKSDFKLFSD

and now aaaaall the way in chapter 58, we see the bald guy who anya also knows, the two scientists from bond's previous flashback, and one whole new guy!

and thus ends our current knowledge of it all!

the only other thing worth discussing is anya's knowledge of classical language

but plenty people have already discussed these scenes, especially recently, so here are some links: 1 | 2 | 3

the only thing i can add is that i'm fairly certain that classical language is a lot more likely to be latin than old english, because it's a very common language to learn in school (in europe at least, and ostania is based on east germany so it makes sense to me. i learned mandatory latin in school for a few good years too, even if i wasn't that good at it lol) and because one of the most common modern usages of latin are in medicine and science, it would make sense that she'd be better at it due to exposure.

a possibility is also that the scientists would think in latin to conceal their thoughts from her, and that's how she ended up learning so much. she's not fluent in latin, she's just well acquainted and that cicumstance would explain the how.

BUT THAT'S SPECULATIONNN

also i don't think "ANIA" is an acronym, nor do i think anya's been misspelling her own name out of lack of knowledge. "ania" is a polish diminutive of anna and an alternate transcription of Аня, so i think it's far more likely that anya isn't ostanian or westalian than it is that her name comes from an acronym.

now,

TL;DR!

what we know about project apple (and the "mysterious organization"):

project apple was funded and conducted by what appears to have been donovan's regime and, from what W.I.S.E. knows, aimed to create highly intelligent animals for military purposes;

W.I.S.E. is aware that ostania is at the very least rumoured to have dabbled in human experimentation;

the project is presumably no longer on-going, though it is likely there are efforts behind the scenes to revive it;

it is rumoured but not confirmed that project apple had collaborating companies that are still functioning perfectly fine;

the same scientists who were in charge of bond were also in charge of anya, signalling that there is a very significant connection between project apple and the "mysterious organization;"

based on what they were telling anya, they were/are very focused on "world peace";

their experimentation methods include but likely aren't limited to electrocution.

and what we (vaguely) know about anya that relates to this:

she is at the youngest, 4 years old, and at the oldest, 5 nearing 6. we don't know her real age, all we know is she definitely lied about being 6;

she is very fixated on specifically world peace while twilight is focused on peace between ostania and westalis. the scientists are the very first we see talking about this, so it's likely their fault;

she is unreasonably well acquainted with classical language;

she has escaped the facility at LEAST 1 year ago;

and, one tidbit from the fanbook (page 29): "Anya has been reading minds for as long as she can remember," implying that her memory of a life before the lab is muddy at best and absent at worst.

that's all we know that i know of!!

if you got this far, thank you for reading :D hope any of this was interesting or sparked any theories >:] have a good day!

#sxf #spy x family #manga spoilers #project apple #anya forger #bond forger #sxf manga #spy x family manga #sxf manga spoilers #spy x family manga spoilers #analysis #meta #I DIDN'T OWN THE FANBOOK WHEN I FIRST MADE THE DRAFT FOR THIS BUT THEN I BOUGHT IT well my brother bought it for me #bless his heart #AND SO I WANTED TO READ THE ENTIRE THING BEFORE CONTINUING ON!!! didn't find much out in relation to this post specifically but #there's quite a lot to infer on how anya's powers work #and there's a distinction between what she reads (internal voices vs mind reading which would be digging into someone's subconscious) #so that would be super interesting to talk about but uh not in this post KLSDFJSDKL since it has little bearing on the project itself

[viviennevermillion]

When you faint because of the heat

notes: new theme. i am speed. set during tamashina-mina and yasamina silk events. there's also no translation out yet at the point of writing this so I apologize if I accidentally fuck something up, i'm piecing this event story together from twitter threads and japanese-speaking mutuals exposing themselves to my annoying questions. varying lengths again because what is consistency?

contains: character x gn!reader, established relationship

characters included: leona, jamil, malleus, lilia

warnings: spoilers for new event, heatstroke

dark content creators & consumers dni

Leona may have acted like he wasn't very keen on going home and bringing anyone from Night Raven College along, but he did care a lot about his homeland and he was feeling a little proud that he got to show it to you. He just wished he wasn't the loathed second prince while doing that. The others? It didn't matter to him if they enjoyed their trip. But you were his significant other and he wanted you to have a good time. So if he already had to go back to the Sunset Savannah? He might as well bring you along. He didn't want to admit it but you brightened up every moment at least enough for it to be tolerable for him. And even though he felt like the trip was going to be quite the hassle, he was looking forward to it at least a little bit in the aspect that he'd get to spend some time with you in his homeland. Maybe he'd even show you the palace. The others could wait outside.

You wandered the plaza with Leona and the others, sneaking your hand into his at one point. "Careful, y/n~", Leona teased and looked at you with his signature smirk, "the people of Sunset Savannah still don't know I have a significant other, we don't want anyone from the royal guard to tackle you for your affection now, do we? They might throw you in jail and then you'll never get to see me again." You rolled your eyes at your boyfriend. "If you weren't the prince, I'd dunk you in the fountain." "So violent, huh?", he said with an uncharacteristically dramatic sigh, "drowning in the fountain built to commemorate my beloved nephew would be a fitting end for me, huh?" You poked his side. "I'd be foolish to believe I could get rid of you by drowning you in a fountain", you joked and now Leona took your hand in his for a moment and squeezed it gently, still smirking at you.

"Could you people stop flirting for two seconds?", Vil looked at you both with a disappointed expression. "This is their version of flirting?", Lilia put a finger to his chin in confusion. "It is and I hate it", Vil replied dryly.

All of you noticed that it had become even hotter in the plaza and none of you were really dressed for the occasion. When Jack fainted, Leona was shocked and needed a moment to process what was happening. "Y/n, could you hand me the water you packed? Y/n...?", Leona turned around to see you unconscious in Vil's arms after he had caught you. "Oh for fucks sake", Leona held his head.

He made his way towards you. "Move, prickly queen", he hissed at Vil and picked you up from the ground bridal style. Vil stared at him like "tf did you just call me?"

"This really isn't the time to get jealous, you know?", Vil sighed and Leona carried you to the shade as the others helped bring Jack there. They could see Leona seemed a little distressed over you fainting though. He put you down on a bench and sat next to you, waiting for you to regain consciousness before he helped you drink some water.

"Ah shit, how are we supposed to win if y'all die on me like a starving gazelle with three broken legs?", Leona growled and rubbed the back of his head. Despite his annoyed expression, anyone who knew him well enough could tell he was worried about the two of you.

"Do you think you two can walk with us or should I call the corpse wagon?", Leona asked about your condition, ignoring Vil's sarcastic commentary of how charming he was yet again.

At the hotel he has you sitting sideways on his lap and resting against his chest. His tail is wrapped around your waist and he holds your cheek with one hand before pressing a kiss to your forehead. He looks up at Vil and Lilia smirking at him in a teasing way and Kalim letting out an "aw" sound.

"Fuck you starin' at?", Leona commented dryly. "I'm sorry", Kalim apologized and looked to the ground.

Jamil was glad you were coming along because not only would he get to show his homeland to you but you would always cheer him up and help him relax when he was feeling too stressed with his responsibilities. When he joined you in the evening after a long day of running after Kalim, you'd sometimes massage his shoulders or kiss the tension away. He'd need that today, he mused. He'd make sure to show you all of his favorite things about the Scalding Sands in return.

What he wasn't expecting was for you to faint from the heat. If anyone was an expert in keeping people safe and comfortable, it was Jamil. He had warned you about the harsh desert heat. Repeatedly. Yet it had still happened.

So now that you had fainted despite him making sure you're hydrated and otherwise protected from the sun, the only thing that was left for him to do was to make sure you'd get back on your feet as soon as possible.

It wouldn't be Jamil if he didn't bring a first-aid kit so he uses anything in there that could possibly help you.

He ignores Kalims worried commentary of the situation and makes sure you're provided with the best possible support.

Kalim orders food for you specifically so you get your energy back.

Jamil has an arm wrapped around you and makes sure you drink enough water. When the food arrives, you enjoy the exquisite meal. "Out of all things, you had to order a gourmet lunch that's more expensive than a street food vendor's entire shop?", Jamil stares at Kalim with his typical half-lidded expression, "you know a wet burger would have been much cheaper and been here earlier right?" You immediately stop eating, still having a bite in your mouth while staring at your boyfriend in shock upon the realization of what Kalim had ordered for you. "Just eat it now, Kalim is just like that", Jamil sighs, gesturing for you not to worry about the cost.

Jamil presses a kiss to your forehead and holds your hand as you continue your trip, urging you to take things slow for now. He stays by your side and keeps you safe. Once you're wearing the outfit Kalim's family had specifically prepared for his friends, Jamil at least doesn't worry anymore about you not being dressed appropriately for the desert climate. "You look beautiful", he squeezes your hand and presses a kiss to your lips, relieved you're safe and seem to be doing well.

Malleus is so hyped when he not only gets to go on a trip to the Scalding Sands without his retainers but gets to be with you on top of it all. It's like Halloween and Birthdays and International Gargoyle Day (something he may or may not have made up) in one.

If he's waiting for three hours in front of the dark mirror before the trip out of sheer excitement you can bet you're waiting with him. "They're not going to forget about us, we don't have to get up at 4am for this, Mal-", you protested as he dragged you out of bed to get ready for the trip.

He wants to share every moment with you. The trip has barely begun and he already feels like these are going to be memories he'd treasure forever.

When you faint because of the heat, he's super worried. He catches you and holds you in his arms with a panicked expression. So terrified he's losing you for a moment. "Viper, y/n is dying", he calls out with noticeable fear in his shaking voice. The people around you are raising an eyebrow and staring at your group. "They're not dying", Jamil corrects Malleus hastily and tries to signal to the concerned spectators that you were going to be fine, "they've just fainted from the heat. Let's get them somewhere in the shade and provide them with water."

Malleus nods and water droplets start forming from thin air everywhere around you. "Not with magic", Jamil gestures wildly and is happy to see the car Kalim called arrive, "we brought bottled water. No. more. magic." Jamil is so stressed out already, he's glad when you wake up again because that makes him avoid more fun surprises from their royal guest out of worry.

The thing is that Malleus getting into a relationship with anyone is not something to be taken lightly and could have a huge impact on the political landscape of Briar Valley so until you're sure you actually want to rule over his kingdom with Malleus, your relationship unfortunately has to stay a secret. Which means none of your classmates except for Lilia, Silver and Sebek are actually aware you two are an item.

"You're all seeing this right? This is not a mirage?", Cater whispers audibly with a shocked expression while in the limousine. The reason for his bafflement is Malleus gently holding you in his arms while you were resting and recovering from your heatstroke. Malleus holds Twisted Wonderland's equivalent of a Capri Sun, letting you drink from the straw while he had an arm wrapped around you. There was still worry in his voice and he would have loved to be alone with you right now to give you some affection in order to cheer you up.

He stays super close to you throughout the rest of your trip to make sure you'll be okay because you really did a number on his poor inexperienced heart.

He's simultaneously so relieved you're okay that he's even more affectionate than usual. He shares one of those melons with you and says it's so your love lasts forever. ❤️

Lilia was so excited to take you on this trip. The last time he visited the capital of Sunset Savannah, it hadn't been urbanized yet so he was looking forward to exploring the modern metropolis with you and being able to provide you with some stories and trivia about the past during the trip.

Lilia himself is pretty sensitive to the sun and he definitely warned you about the heat.

Nevertheless, you faint early on in the trip due to a heatstroke. Did I not pay enough attention to them?, Lilia asks himself as he carries you to the shade.

He thinks it's unlikely anything too bad is going to happen to you but he's still worried. He holds you in his arms the whole time until you wake up. He gently rubs your wrist with his thumb and kisses your forehead gently. You come to your senses not long after, your eyes flickering open and looking into the face of your lover who is giving you a soft smile. True love's kiss, Lilia mused and chuckles.

"We were quite worried about you, dear", he pats your head, hugs you and Kalim hands him the water bottle. Lilia helps you drink if your hand is shaking and you struggle to hold the bottle on your own.

He raised Silver and one overgrown dragon fae, he knows how to take care of someone, so you're in good hands unless he brings up his cooking. Then it's time to hit the bricks.

Lilia has an arm wrapped around you all the way back to the hotel, so you have some support if you're still low on energy or feeling a little dizzy.

He makes sure you get something to eat and drink enough water once you're back at the hotel.

He holds you for a while and kisses your lips gently. "Don't scare me like this again, okay?", he chuckles as you nuzzle his neck and hug him back.

He'd let the medics do a check-up and he'd be really happy if you're in the condition to continue exploring the capital with him and the others but if not he vows to take note of everything that might interest you and show it to you before you go back to Night Raven College.

#twisted wonderland #leona kingscholar x reader #jamil viper x reader #malleus draconia x reader #lilia vanrouge x reader #leona x reader #jamil x reader #malleus x reader #lilia x reader #twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland headcanons #leona kingscholar #jamil viper #lilia vanrouge #malleus draconia

[mirai-e-jump]

Avataro Sentai Donbrothers: Final Live Tour Memorial Photo Report with Main Cast Farewell Messages ft. Special Contribution from Toshiki Inoue (pages and translations below)

Publication: September 2023

"Memories of Donbrothers" from Toshiki Inoue

"Would you like to do next year's Sentai?"

In the Summer of 2021, I recieved a LINE from Toei's Producer Shirakura.

"Alright," I responded.

This is basically how it was decided that I would be working with Producer Shirakura on this. That might have seemed like a ridiculously easy decision, but it actually held unspoken implications. Ultimately, what Producer Shirakura meant was, "Hey, Inoue, give yourself to me for a year. I hope your skills haven't gotten rusty. Better not do anything that'll disappoint me." As for myself, I though, "Relax, do you not know who you're talking to?" Basically, a serious competition had already begun with the first exchange of LINES. We held our first meeting at a bar, along with Assistant Producer Minato. It may seem inappropriate to hold it at a bar, but in a way, it's a necessary ritual to share a year's worth of drinks.

It was there that I first learned of the title,

"Avataro Sentai Donbrothers."

I couldn't do anything about my rapidly declining excitement for the Sentai I hadn't seen in such a long time.

"Avataro? Donbro? Are you screwing with me? This some kind of bad joke?"

No, no, I began to rethink as I sipped my whiskey.

It's fine, isn't it? When you first hear such a title, you won't forget it, and most importantly, it gave me the determination to do something new. To be honest, at the time, I had already secretly made up my mind.

Okay, let's start off the first episode of Donbrothers with a high school girl. We'll have a slightly dysfunctional high school girl drag the story along.

As far as I know, this was a first for Sentai.

This is because it's long been a taboo for Sentai that has boys as its main target. This time, we'll challenge the taboo. All because it's Avataro Sentai Donbrothers.

After many general meetings, when I'd finished the first draft of the first episode, as expected, many staff members raised their concerns, or rather, they decided by going, "….."

Is this really ok? Is this really Sentai?

I wouldn't argue. I had confidence. If my manuscript had power, that power would persuade those in the lower ranks, no, the entire staff, to go along with it. Well, it sounded idealistic, but the truth is that time ran out, and filming began while everyone was still in doubt.

Donbrothers is a bizarre show, and by the time we got to the fifth episode, the lower ranks, no, the entire staff was lost. Moving past the question of whether this was really Sentai, the feeling was more, "What is this show even about?"

With the fifth episode, "The hide away dog," the TV station's Producer Inoue (Chihiro) said, "I don't know what this show is about, but it's interesting. this is good." with that, most people began to agree with him.

Finally, let me tell you of an episode that happened after the show ended.

One night, as is the usual case, I was drinking alone at the bar.

The bartender there was a weirdo who was a huge Donbrothers fan that would buy me a drink if I told him about the next story. Naturally, when I went to that bar, I drank for free.

He was generous enough to give me a bottle as a gift for writing the last episode.

Then, the patron next to me started talking to me.

Patron: "Is it possible, are you the screenwriter Inoue-san?"

Me: "Yes" (said in English)

Patron: "I'm a big fan of Donbrothers. My girlfriend recommended I watch it, and I became hooked."

Me: "What a wonderful girlfriend."

Patron: "Actually, I've been addicted to XX for a long time."

It would be best for me to not disclose what XX is.

But, I'll stop myself at saying that many of the customer's teeth were chipped to the point of looking like they were completely missing.

Patron: "You see, that's the thing. I've recovered from my XX addiction. After watching Donbrothers, I think I've got a positive outlook on life."

I opened the bottle that the bartender gave me. Then, I proceeded to drink with the patron until morning. _ Higuchi Kohei (Momoi Taro)

After I graduated high school, I spent my time as a trainee player for a professional soccer team. I had no desire to join the entertainment industry at all. Ever since I was in elementary school, all I would think about was becoming a pro. During the Fall, at 19 years old, when I was told by my coach that I wouldn't be able to go pro, my face went pale and I shut down. There were times where I would wake up thinking it's 6 a.m., only to realize it was 9 p.m.

But, I wish I could tell myself this at the time:

"Three years from now, you'll become a hero. You'll be taking in amazing scenery."

Once again, I'd like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to those that I'm most thankful for. To MORISAKI WIN-san. He sang wonderful songs for a whole year, songs that both gave me goose bumps every day, and that made really happy. And to the cast of eight who really supported me. I'd also like to say this to my old self: "You can make it with this cast. You're going to be truly blessed with such amazing members. Please be happy to be alive."

For the past year and a half of "Avataro Sentai Donbrothers," thank you all so, so much for your support! _ Beppu Yuuki (Shinichi Saruhara)

First off, Let's all laugh, shall we? Donbrothers is a piece of work that's made me once again realize how much it's taught me. It's allowed me to grow alot.

For me, last summer I wasn't that confident with the character of Shinichi Saruhara, as I wasn't able to do what I wanted. I'm sorry to say this to all of you who love Donbrothers, but there was a time where I was on the verge of giving up. I don't understand what Shinichi Saruhara is thinking, he's alone all the time, and I don't get why he can't touch money. And yet, something about him made the people who watched smile.

At the time, what gave me the most support was the letters I received from everyone. Sending letters isn't that common these days, but everyone worked so hard to write me so, so many of them. Every single one of them really helped me.

Without this cast, I don't think Shinichi Saruhara would be standing so confidently here before you. Donbrothers is a piece of work that suits any emotion, whether you're experiencing something difficult or something happy. It's a work that I'll cherish for the rest of my life. I also met members whom I'll cherish for the rest of my life. Thank you all so very much. _ Shida Kohaku (Haruka Kito)

For the support of Donbrothers over the past year, for coming to see us at the venue today, and to everyone who is watching the stream, thank you all so much.

Many things have happened over the past year, ofcourse there were fun times, but there were also times of hardship and alot of worrying. In the beginning, I sometimes expressed my complaints to my mother. However, I've been able to work very hard to get to this point thanks to everyone who came to these venues, my beloved members here who are like my big brothers and sister, and the staff who support me.

Donbrothers is loved by so many people. There has not been a single time that I've taken this love for granted. I will continue to cherish the love, courage, and energy that I've received from all of you, and will do my best to return as a bigger and better Donbrother. Thank you all very much again for the past year. I love you all so much. _ Totaro (Tsubasa Inuzuka)

The past year and a half seemed like a long time, yet it was incredibly short. Tsubasa Inuzuka has been pursuing love, busy with love, conflicted with love…..That's the kind of year it's been. It was a year in which I also truly thought about love.

For the past year, many of you have loved Donbrothers and have been coming to the venues. The world is truly full of so much love. I really felt that Donbrothers was loved alot. As you can tell from everyone's speeches, the love for Donbrothers is very strong. It was a truly wonderful production, we talked about how we could've done it better, had alot of arguments, struggled alot, and we all shared the same moments together.

The past year and a half has truly been the most important time of my life. Because I really didn't want to leave the set, I didn't want to go home, I just wanted to keep watching everyone act. I felt that everyone worked hard, so thank you very much for the opportunity to perform in such a pleasant environment. And to everyone watching me here now, with this cast by my side, it was truly a wonderful experience. Thank you for all the happiness. _ Suzuki Hirofumi (Tsuyoshi Kijino)

I've been an actor for alittle longer than the others, but I have no experience at all. I was never given a chance to perform in front of the cameras. In the few occasions where I would, I'd say a few words and that would be it. There was no need for the makeup artists to do me. So, I usually had to do my own makeup, travel to the site by myself, and prepare and bring my own costumes.

The wonderful, dedicated staff here worked from morning until night, and always put us first. I could've never imagined so many people coming to these venues to support us, or the support we've received behind the scenes. I've never experienced anything like this before, and I'm very pleased with the past year. I'm so grateful. There wasn't a day where I felt ungrateful.

For most of the past year, these eight people have been with me every day, more than my family, the members of my agency, and more than the teams I once belonged to. I love these eight people so much. When I look to my side, they're always there. I really, truly think that the faces of these eight will be the ones that I'll remember before I die. Thank you for letting me be apart of Donbrothers. And to everyone in this audience, to all the staff involved with the show, and to everyone behind the screen, for such a nobody like me, thank you for having me. As an actor who's graduated from Donbrothers, I'll live the rest of my life as an actor with pride. _ Ishikawa Raizou (Momotani Jiro)

I was in the dark until Donbrothers began. Whatever I did, it wouldn't continue for too long. I had nothing where I could say, "I feel confident about this!"

I've been walking alone in the dark from a place where there was truly nothing, that was until the bright light of "Donbrothers" suddenly flashed before me. I though, "Wow, guess I have no choice but to go along with this!" but, I was really nervous in the beginning because I had the role of the additional warrior, a role that you take on around the middle of the show. Furthermore, Donbrothers takes place in a world where you don't know what's going on just by watching one or two episodes.

Even still, everyone in this cast is upbeat and has fun, they have an unbelievable amount of enthusiasm for this show. I love them all and Donbrothers so much. I've heard that people will sometimes meet together like this. I was also very excited about filming and had alot of fun. Donbrothers is the kind of show that made me imagine a new, slightly brighter future, even though I've been unable to see anything until now. I'd like to thank all of the fans, everyone here today, the staff, and all the performers of Donbrothers for making it possible for us to be here today. Thank you all so much. _ Tominaga Yuya (Sonoi)

I've been crying so much that my head is alittle fuzzy, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep it together.

For the past year and a half, I've sincerely enjoyed my time here. Now, we, the cast, are going our separate ways. I'm more than sure that in the years and decades to come, you'll find something you love more than Donbrothers. For example, if it were Sonoza, he would become a manga editor, for Sonoi, she would run away with Tsubasa Inuzuka to know love, and Sonoi would meet up with Tarou and fall in love with oden together. The future is bright, because each of us can make our own decisions and find our own form of happiness. Just as I was able to become a member of Donbrothers because I continued to be an actor, the experience of working on Donbrothers has made me realize of the many possible opportunities ahead.

I will always love Donbrothers. Even if I quit acting or go down a different path, I'll never forget these bonds for the rest of my life. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. _ Miyazaki Amisa (Sononi)

First of all, I'm happy to have been able to attend this farewell performance. This may be abit personal, but Donbrothers was my acting debut. In the beginning, I was always thinking about the negatives, like whether I could actually play Sononi or why I couldn't do it every time we'd start filming. There were many times when I wondered if I was even suited for the job, and times where I didn't want to go on set.

Even so, I received kind words of encouragement and support from everyone in the cast. Sonoi and Sonoza especially helped me out alot. Thank you both so much. Throughout Donbrothers run, I started to enjoy acting alot more, and I started to think that I would like to pursue this kind of career in the future.

I'm sure everyone has their own dreams and goals, and I truly hope that Donbrothers can support you in your journey. We hope to be a Sentai that is loved by everyone and that you will continue to think of even in the future. Thank you all so much. _ Takahashi Shinnosuke (Sonoza)

I know I don't have enough time to express my gratitude, but there are still some people I haven't properly thanked. I've written a letter. I'd like to take this opportunity to quickly read it.

Donbrothers. As the name implies, it's always overwhelming with its disorderly rampages.

Even though I'm the Chief Editor, she'll cheerfully drag me along. Even though she's easygoing, she's the most considerate. Even though she's the youngest, I'm always touched by her serious attitude. There are also those who seem to be "soft" but actually support you from the shadows. There's someone who'll laugh with you from beginning to end. Or, someone who joined us late, but we admire the way they say they don't want to be outdone.

I love all of you.

And then there's these two Noto's, warriors who I've fought together with in the face of an uncertain future. You spoke passionately about your thoughts and feelings, and I was able to do my best because of it. You were "soft" but dangerous, and I saw you genuinely trying your best, and that in turn made me try my best too. I love you both so much.

Thank you for letting me be one of you. I was very happy to be with you guys.

#avataro sentai donbrothers #donbrothers #super sentai #momoi tarou #momoi taro #my scans #my translation #sonoi #sononi #sonoza #kito haruka #haruka kitou #tsubasa inuzuka #tsuyoshi kijino #shinichi saruhara #toshiki inoue #FLT #donbros #tokusatsu #kingohger #after waiting 5 months this arrived yesterday #but now I feel more sad than happy...

[entertext]

HGSN 26-1

Chapter (Japanese)

(Please hit the green thumbs up at the end of the chapter to show support)

Rough translation by me

(+ last week's twitter comic also)

P1

Rie: Anyway, for now, you should go on home today...

P2

Hikaru: Thanks...for the raincoat...

Rie: Take care

(sfx: door closes)

Rie: (At 'Hikaru'-kun's home right now..., he has a family that doesn't know anything. They're surely waiting for him to come home for dinner today too.)

P3

Rie: (When I think about Tsujinaka-kun and 'Hikaru'-kun's family...)

Rie: (There's just no way I can...)

(sfx: ding-dong)

Rie: (Is my daughter back?)

Rie: Alley-oop

(sfx: door opens)

Rie: Yes?

Rie: ...!!

Rie: ...You're...

P4

(sfx: cicadas)

P5

(sfx: squeak squeak)

Hikaru: Hey, is it really okay to get that as a "swim ring"? It's not exactly a "ring".

(sfx: squeak)

Yoshiki: Kaoru did say to get "the cutest one"

Hikaru: I'm glad that Kaoru's been going to school a bit more these days and made a friend she can go to the pool with.

Yoshiki: But why do I have to go all the way to Mion to buy a swim ring for her?

Yoshiki: Carrying this around is such a pain

Hikaru: It's 'cause you bought something that was already inflated

Hikaru: You could have just deflated it and folded it up.

P6

Yoshiki: I'd feel kinda bad for it

Yoshiki: The poor giant salamander...

Hikaru: Pftt. You're attached to it

Yoshiki: ...so, after that, I found out some stuff

Yoshiki: The "sin of the Indou family" was actually...

(sfx: cicadas)

Yoshiki: ...'Hikaru'

Yoshiki: do you not have memories from your time as "Nounuki-sama"?

P7

Hikaru: I have them...at least I should

Hikaru: It's like, for some reason, I've forgotten them for a long time and have recently started to recall them...

(sfx: squeak)

Hikaru: Especially the stuff about "granting wishes"...

Hikaru: I'm not sure why, but for some reason I think it's true.

Hikaru: I can grant any wish you ask for...I have that feeling anyway.

(sfx: squeak)

(Hikaru: ...and I'll do whatever you ask me to do...)

Yoshiki: ...you have such a big mouth, haha...

Yoshiki: Any wish, for real?

P8

Hikaru: Yeah

Hikaru: Go ahead

Yoshiki: (This "wish"...if it really did get granted...)

Yoshiki: (I feel like it'd be bad news)

Yoshiki: No. It's fine.

(sfx: squeak squeak)

Hikaru: ....

Yoshiki: *sigh*...Even though we know about Nounuki-sama now, we still don't know anything about the most important part, doing something about the impurities...

P9

Yoshiki: (And what was that sketch, too...)

Yoshiki: (It's just one inexplicable thing showing up after another)

Yoshiki: *mutter mutter*

Hikaru: Heeey

(sfx: cicadas)

Hikaru: Ah!

P10

Hikaru: It's Mincemeat!

Mincemeat: ....

Hikaru: Yoshiki, look at this!

Hikaru: He's dancing

Yoshiki: He's gotten pretty used to you

Yoshiki: Figures, he still hates you

P11

Hikaru: That guy... he was just after a cat treat, huh?

Hikaru: He's surprisingly strong

Yoshiki: Hahaha

Hikaru: Hey

Hikaru: There's no point in thinking about stuff in a place like this

(sfx: cicadas)

Hikaru: It's summer break right?

Hikaru: You wanna go to the beach today?

Hikaru: I'd like to see the ocean at least once

Twitter Extra (link):

==

Next chapter: in 1 week

==

Yoshiki (13yo): Look, Kaoru, here's a souvenir for you. It's a beetle larva plushie.

Yoshiki: You said you wanted something cute right?

Kaoru (9yo): I didn't want that....

Yoshiki: Huh?

==

Things that are a little annoying about Yoshiki

Last week's twitter comic (link):

Maki: He can kinda look down on people.

Also the fact that he's taller than me makes me mad!

Yoshiki: Are you stupid?

Maki: Hah? What?!

Asako: He never tells me about the important part. Too secretive?

Asako: Huh!? You're hurt, what happened?

Yoshiki: Nothing...

(He took a big fall)

Yuuki: That even though what he thinks quickly shows on his face, he won't say anything. I'm the one who ends up having to guess.

Yoshiki: 's really good

The first time I gave him something sweet

Even though he obviously didn't like sweets, he didn't say anything about it. (The next time I gave him something that wasn't sweet, and he enjoyed it)

'Hikaru': He's always nagging, such a busybody. He's quick to start brooding and worry himself sick. And he's kinda needy. Also he's like argumentative? He watches videos about beating other people in debates. Also sometimes he grows beard hair.

Yoshiki: Hey! Wash your hands!

Maki: Well you told me to talk about it!

Asako: Sorry!

'Hikaru': (LMAO)

Yoshiki: Beard hair...

#hikaru ga shinda natsu #the summer hikaru died #hgsn spoilers

[genericpuff]

This is stupid, but you know those new LO hoodies the Webtoon shop has? I know the font they're using. It's Eckmannpsych which is an Adobe font.

That's not the stupid part though. The dumb part is the capital H and G in the Eckmannpsych font do not match what is on the hoodies, which would obviously be on the hoodies that have Hera or Goddess on them. So, Rachel looks to have taken the time to hand draw her own H and G to match the font style for those hoodies but did not take any time to make new, better art for the merch, but instead reused ugly panels from the comic. Talk about a strange look into her priorities. She doesn't like how the G and H look on a font? She will remake those to fit what she wants. Rachel when the assignment gives her the chance to make specialized, better designs for those same merch? She can't be bothered to even try. WTF!

for the love of god-

I'm assuming and hoping they had the commercial rights to that font LMAOO But it did kind of make me go 🤨 because while I didn't know the font EXACTLY off the top of my head it still felt... weirdly out of place for something like LO? Why are these hoodies being stylized like they're from Austin Powers LOL

On another note tho, the LO merch is just like... disappointing in how bad it is for what's supposed to be WT's #1 series, which is, btw, a series with so much unique stylization that it shouldn't even be this hard to make merch for it! it just feels very "first attempt at redbubble merch", but unlike genuine first attempts at making merch (which is obviously a learning curve that I wouldn't judge anyone for being new to) this is a company that's sunk shitloads of money into LO so I don't know why they can't get better merch made?? so much of it is just the default drawings taken and slapped onto a tote bag or t-shirt, which like, yeah cool fine you're using art that's recognizable and considering the art is already made, it stands to reason that they should use it for more than just the comic. It's just disappointing to see how lazy it often is and how little effort is put into translating it onto a t-shirt/tote bag/etc. like we can't even have ONE exclusive t-shirt with a unique design that isn't just poorly copy pasted from the comic?

Case in point, those t-shirts that Rachel was advertising a while ago that were actually straight up falsely advertised. I can't find the post about it on my Tumblr (I'm pretty sure I talked about it here) so here's the IG story rundown I did on it ages ago:

Again I'd really like to have benefit of the doubt here that Rachel isn't the one making these designs, usually that's not how the merchandising process goes in these types of deals, so I'm not gonna point the finger at her. But it's just so odd to me that it happened in the first place. And this goes for a lot of LO's merch, so much of it feels cheaply made and rushed off a conveyor belt for the point of making money without much expense. Which yeah, that's a business model for sure, the goal is to profit, but like this?

You can't even argue that it's like people criticizing LO the comic because like, as much as I'll justify what I spend my time doing here in my free time, it's true that at the end of the day I don't have to pay for LO, so really the only thing I'm doing is inflicting psychic damage to myself, it's not like my actual money is on the line LMAO That's why I stopped paying for LO ages ago and only do it when I have a specific episode I need to review (such as the midseason hiatus review series I did). At the very least, if I really want to keep reading LO but don't want to pay for it, I can just avoid FastPassing it and read it for free so I can save the coins for other series I'd rather read. The Webtoons' FP system is very fair that way.

But this is merch explicitly made to generate revenue. It is a product, front to back. You can vote with your money by not buying the thing you don't like, absolutely, but the fact that it's this poorly to begin with is just so indicative of Webtoons' business practices and so shitty for the people who genuinely enjoy this comic and are being advertised and sold shoddy merchandise that doesn't even come looking the same way it's advertised. It's really not a good look for Webtoons, Rachel, or LO that this is what they're selling to people.

Especially for what they're charging, good lord-

Like, okay, they're hoodies and they're gonna be expensive to print and ship so the higher overhead cost makes sense, but jesus christ, with the kind of merch Webtoons has already given the stamp of approval on, would it even show up in decent condition? How bright are those colors gonna be? Are they gonna strip off as soon as I throw it in the wash? I'm half-tempted to buy a hoodie for myself just to do a review on it but I can't justify dropping $75 CAD on a hoodie that only has art on the back. Maybe it's just me living in the hellish lands of Canada where we play with toy money that's the problem, but it's just not a gamble I wanna take LOL If I bought one it would probably be the Hecate or Hermes ones because they're the only ones that are at least somewhat legible and have decent character art that isn't a character looking like they need to poop LMAO

(these are literally the two worst drawings they could have chosen of these two i stg lol the only thing that would have made this worse/funnier is if it was Handsome Hades and Persephone Kidnapping a Baby LMAO)

It has me worried about what the LO figures are gonna look like when they release. Are they gonna have some creative liberty with making them chibi-fied (like a Nendoroid?) or are they gonna try and replicate the art style exactly and wind up making literal blow-up sex doll Persephone? 😭

NGL, if the figures are done well enough and don't cost an arm and a leg, I might consider buying one just for the shelf collection, but again, it depends. If Webtoons released a tarot deck with really good panels from LO (like the Tower 4 scene or Persephone sitting on the rooftop with her comb or Eros flying down into the Mortal Realm) I would buy the shit out of that. I would even just take the Major Arcana if 78 cards was too much to ask :'0 I'm not against Webtoons/Rachel trying to profit off LO merch at all, I just wish it was BETTER- (╥﹏╥)

#lore olympus critical #lo critical #anti lore olympus #ask me anything #ama #anon ama #anon ask me anything

[nxrdamp]

Miguel O'Hara x Fem! Assistant! Reader | Unmasked

TW: language, no use of y/n, some google translate Spanish because I do not speak Spanish.

Word Count: 2,228

| Your POV |

Miguel O'Hara.

I'd use only one word to describe a man like him.

Arrogant.

Extremely arrogant in fact, so arrogant he hired me. Why is that so arrogant, one might ask, well he's arrogant because his personal hobby is to make my life a living, breathing hell! Why is this? Only his big, arrogant, sadistic mind knows. How is he arrogant? Well...

"I thought I said no cream," Miguel said, his eyebrows furrowing for the 20th time today. It's 8:30 in the morning. He sighed and placed the coffee down on his desk hazardously as if everything doesn't have a price tag with a pretty penny attached to it. Miguel O'Hara, one of the leading scientists at Alchemax, what does he do? I don't really know to be honest, I tried to ask once but that made him even pissier, saying something along the lines of "the fate" of something and "confidential to civilians".

"That's what I ordered sir," I said, picking up the coffee cup that was almost tipped over due to his carelessness. God, can this day really test me anymore? It's only the beginning and I've already had to go back for coffee twice.

"I don't care what happened, make it work. I don't want cream and I don't want decaf, I just want plain, black coffee." Yeah, plain like your soul O'Hara. Whatever, this assistant gig pays extremely well since, shockingly, he can't seem to keep an assistant. I wonder why.

"Right away sir," I say, rolling my eyes as I threw away the second coffee cup. Poor coffee, never had the chance. Poor barista who made it, a waste of time. Ungrateful, O'Hara is, he's so stuck up being rich and all from his dumb job in his big stupid lab that he expects someone to just wipe his ass.

"Ah, you said that last time, look where we are." He tutted, sitting at his desk in his office. You heard me, his office, he has a personal lab and an office. What does this guy even do?!

"You have quite a humor." I sarcastically reply, which made him furrow his brows once more. He started to say something, probably along the lines of "I'm your boss" yada yada, before I shut the door to his office, walking back to the elevator to grab yet another coffee from the poor stand on the ground floor of the Alchemax building. The Alchemax building is huge, probably all designed for O'Hara since everyone just adores him here, but it's right next to this....odd building. It's about the same size as the Alchemax Center, they even own it, hell it's connected to our building, but it's off-limits to everyone. Ha, even O'Hara. I'm glad at least some things don't revolve around him.

"Hi again," I said to the barista while monologuing I arrived at the stand, "I need a plain black coffee, please, just please don't put anything in it."

"Um, okay," She said, with her signature snarky attitude. This barista always gets on my nerves. She always screws up Miguel's simple order multiple times a day. I think she has it out for me, honestly. I watch as she is about to pour cream into the cup, smirking like it's the funniest thing in the world.

"Hey." I said, making her jump a little, "I've been down here three times today, four yesterday, you know that I know that you know how to make a damn plain cup of coffee."

"Fine." She said, handing me the cup," free of charge if you don't tell my manager."

"Free of charge for a month, this happened all of last week too," I said, grabbing the cup from her.

"Ugh okay." She said, embarrassment rising to her cheeks as she sees other people in line watching the spectacle.

I give her a smile. before dropping a ten in the tip jar. What, I just haggled the poor teenager into giving me free coffee for a month, while she was being an asshole and I needed a win, she's still a kid. Well now I feel bad, but I don't think I'm going to feel as bad as I am when I walk through O'Hara's office doors.

"So, you learn how to order a plain coffee yet?" O'Hara snarled, his eyes glaring at me. God, this guy sucks. His reddish eyes are just asking to test him, begging even, he must be so dreadfully bored that he just wants me to stick it to him.

At this point, I'm too mentally exhausted to make a witty comeback and I defeatedly hand him his cup, sighing as I walk away. Honestly, I think this job might be too much. This is a calm day compared to last week, running back and forth for food, because everyone everywhere in this building screws up his order. This...is odd, because instead of doing paperwork, ha, paper, that's funny, thinking the word 'paper' makes me feel old, like I'm from the 2020s or something like that! But regardless, my job requirements when I got the job was mainly to fill out his busy work, but 99% of the time, I'm running his errands!! So weird now that I think about this, but anyways, it doesn't matter, at least I hope it doesn't.

| Miguel's POV |

I watch as my assistant leaves, seeing her defeated look as she walks away from my office to go to what I assume is the break room. Even if it isn't lunch, I don't care, I just need her away. I don't need a damn assistant. It's all for looks so these nosy scientists don't meddle in my business, so it looks like I'm still acting as a geneticist. Honestly, if there was one word I'd use to describe her, it's insufferable. So very insufferable.

I would say she messes up my orders on purpose just to spite me, but I know that isn't true. Why isn't that true? Well

"You're so rude Miguel." LYLA said, popping up beside him, "I know she can't know your real work, but that doesn't require you to pick on her!"

"LYLA, go away," I grunt, furrowing my brows once more, that must be the twenty-fifth time today.

"Well Miguel, you're needed in Spider-Society, Jess needs you to conduct that mission report." She said, tilting her little heart-shaped sunglasses.

"Do it yourself LYLA, I don't have time for this. If I keep leaving this building, those scientists are gonna keep harassing me on 'how do I get extra time off?' when I'm working much harder than they ever will, especially that Dr. Ohnn-"

"Save it for Spider-Therapist." LYLA said, "I'll see you in HQ". She disappeared before Miguel could argue further about excuses on why he shouldn't leave Alchemax today.

"Ugh!" He groans, furrowing his eyebrows yet again, it's really a wonder he hasn't developed wrinkles yet, well, more wrinkles than he already has.

| Your POV |

I walk back to Miguel's office, ready to stick it to him. Frankly, I don't care if he's my boss, he can't keep treating me like this. It's a toxic work environment and I'm this close to reporting him to HR.

As I walk closer and closer to his office, I see him speedily walking down the hallway, so, in a moment of stupidity I follow him. Staying silent as I see him walk further and further away from the department of whatever the hell he does, walking closer to the biology sector, by the spider section. Gross, I'd hate to work with a bunch of spiders all day, they give me the heebie-jeebies.

He keeps walking, past where anyone works, and by the......sky bridge. What the hell? He can't go in there! That building is strictly off limits for everyone, even arrogant bosses.

I watch as he turns the corner, looking around to see if anyone was watching him. I duck behind a potted plant, praying he doesn't see me, and unfortunately, he does.

"Are you going to explain why you're hiding behind a snake plant?" Miguel asks, walking over to peer down at me. He cocks his eyebrow, smirking as if he'd found a cat in an amusing position like those old internet videos from a hundred years ago.

"You gonna explain why you're walking into that creepy, off-limits, building?!" I said, popping up from behind the snake plant, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"That's none of your concern, why are you stalking me?"

"I'm not stalking you, I am observing your behavior for the greater good of Alchemax! That building doesn't belong to you, sir!" I said, crossing my arms. The nerve of this guy, he doesn't own all of Nueva York!

"¡Que maravilla! We have a little security guard here! Go back to your desk or I'm docking your pay." Miguel said, scowling. Actually, I don't think his face even changed into a scowl. I don't it's ever not a scowl.

"Ha, that's funny." I say, crossing my arms," You have no control over that! Alchemax controls my pay, not you douche-bag!"

"Watch it." He threatened before his watch device dinged, must be some top-of-the-line Mango device, he always gets new, expensive gadgets. He got the ePhone 80 the other day, it hasn't even come out yet!

"LYLA, I'm busy." He said, turning his back to me like he has something to hide on that dumb, orange holo-watch of his. It's rather bulky compared to other holo-watches. Strange

"Instead of hiding secrets how about we finish this conversation, Miguel?" I said walking around to get face-to-face with him. "What does that thing even do? It looks way too big just to be a holo-watch."

"None of your concern, go back to your desk." He said, trying to cover his watch device. Before he knew it, the picture of the lady from the holo watch started moving around. Damn, this guy and his state-of-the-art stuff.

"Hey there!" She said, moving around, "Im LYLA, an AI assistant. I handle all of the nitty-gritty files, documents, and about everything else for Miguel and the rest of Sp...Alchemax! LYLA stands for LYrate Lifeform Approximation. Pretty neat huh?"

"What the hell, Miguel!" I said, scowling, I guess I'm becoming like him. Ew, scratch that, never say that again. "You have a whole other assistant thing and you make me run around like a dog fetching your food, and magically everyone always gets it wrong!"

"Well that's because Miguel asks them to get it wrong" LYLA answered, leaving Miguel frozen for a split second.

"I'm gonna kill you, Miguel O'Hara. Why would you purposely ask people to make my orders for you wrong?! Is this some kind of sadistic game you get off to? Huh?!"

"No." He finally replied, turning LYLA off before she could make him look any worse, "It's to keep you busy and out of my files." Okay, maybe he didn't even need LYLA to make him look bad.

"Why?!" I asked, throwing my hands up in the air. Thank god this is by that other building where no one comes because we're causing quite a spectacle here.

"Because you can't know!" He barked, gritting his teeth. His teeth...does he have fangs? I squinted my eyes to get a better look, and yes, he has fangs, which are abnormally larger than just some sharp canines.

"Why can't I know?" I asked, my eyesight flicking from his teeth back up to his reddish...no red eyes. Why are they red? How are they red? What is even happening anymore?

"Because no one like you can know. You're not a part of the few who get to know and you better be glad you aren't. This isn't a little day job where you run around with screwed-up orders, this is life or death."

"Just tell me dammit," I said, "it's probably not even that serious. What is serious is if you don't 'fess up, I'm going to report the screwed-up food, the trespassing, the verbal assault, and many other things my wonderful boss has done to me to HR. Then, you'll be fired and no more sneaking around the mysterious building. Spill."

"You could never begin to understand..!"

"Miguel! What is it! Why can't I view your files? Why can't I do my job? Why are you going into that damn building?!"

Miguel taps a few buttons on his watch, sighing. He has to do this Whether he wants to or not, it isn't up to him anymore. He has to maintain access to that building. It's vitally important. Alchemax knows what that building is and why it's Miguel's. It's the only reason he can't sue them for making this monster. How else would a man on a worker's salary, even a good one, afford an entire skyscraper in Nueva York.

I watch as Miguel's entire body fizzles softly before being coated in something anyone who has ever watched the news knows. Anyone who isn't dead or living under a rock so huge they might as well be considered dead. The two red lines that represent eyes look back at me, halting any movement, even my words cannot stumble out of my mouth. For the first time ever it feels as if I didn't have a thought at all.

"I'm Spider-man."

{ Does anyone want a Part 2? }

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[xxwritemeastoryxx]

Ambush

Author: xxwritemeastoryxx

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Fem!reader

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings: Canon typical violence. Use of Google translate for one scentence.

Author’s Note: This has been sitting in my drafts for weeks, left untouched. I couldnt get past a few things, but it's finally done and passing in my standards 😅 Two more parts are left for the main story and then I'll be posting the 'memory lanes'. As a reminder, please be sure to follow @xxwritemeastoryxxlibrary and turn on notifications so you never miss a fic!

I do not and will not ever give permission for my fics to be copied and posted on other sites. Don’t do it. Don’t be that person that ruins it for me and everyone else.

Feedback gives me life and motivation for future things. While likes are appreciated, reblogs are gold. Seriously, if you enjoyed this in the slightest, please reblog ♥

Phantom Masterlist || MCU Masterlist || Taglist

Tony sighed as he looked over at Steve for a moment before looking back at Bucky. “That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. Y/N won't be at either of them.” 

“Why wouldn't she be?” Bucky asked with a raised brow. 

“Unless this is another false lead, which doesn't seem likely, given how Natasha obtained the information, but Phantom has a new mission she's been tasked with.” When Bucky crossed his arms over his chest, Tony continued. “It's us.” 

“What do you mean ‘it's us’?” Steve asked. 

“We're in the way.” Both Bucky and Tony said at the same time. 

Of all of the scenarios Bucky’s mind had come up with on finding her, this one hadn't come up the most. He knew the chances of her being sent to take them out were high. And now that it was here, he hoped it didn't go to the worst scenario his mind came up with. 

“Take out the key players and they have a winning chance.” Tony added. 

“Did they say when this is supposed to happen?” Bucky asked. 

Bucky knew they needed to be ready. His mind was already going through everything they'd need to safely stop Y/N. He knew it wasn't going to be easy but he was going to make sure everyone would do as needed. 

“Don't know.” Tony answered. “We don't know if this will be a hit all three at once situation or attempt to take us out and then get what they need.” 

“She could have been given that mission at any time.” Steve looked over at Bucky. “If she's coming, we're going to need a plan and fast.” 

“The only way to know for sure is if there were any attempts at getting our information.” Bucky noted. “We'll be able to come up with some kind of timeline we're working with. But I gotta say this now. It's gotta be non lethals only, or me going up against her.”

“Of course.” Steve nodded. He was sure if given the right amount of time, several plans could be put into place. The amount of non lethals they had wouldn't run out. “There is the option of Wanda. She could do something to stop her without any harm coming to her.” 

Bucky nodded. “We'll have to make sure Wanda is close by at all times.” Both Steve and Tony nodded. 

“Now the question is how long do we have to prepare before she drops in. FRIDAY, has there been anything flagged as suspicious activity in any of the systems?”

All three of them looked towards each other for a moment. FRIDAY normally answered seconds after anything was asked. But this time there was silence. A moment later, alarms were going off through the compound. 

“I'd say that's suspicious enough.�� Tony said before the three of them began running out of the conference room. 

On the opposite end of the compound Hydra soldiers continued to spill onto the property. The moment Phantom disabled the security systems, they were making their way in. While the numbers weren't one of a strong army, they currently had a bit of an advantage. 

A quinjet flew overhead. One that had been in Hydra’s hold since the fall of SHIELD. Putting it to use today made it almost too easy to get close enough for Phantom to hack into the system and disarm it. 

Hovering over the roof of the compound, the ramp lowered. Several soldiers moved towards the end and made their way onto the roof. A moment later, Phantom was making her way towards the ramp. 

She wore black tactical gear from head to toe. The hood of her shirt had been up, casting a shadow on her face. A black fabric mask covers the bottom half of her face, adding to the illusion of her not being seen under the hood. 

Several tactical belts laid at her hips. Any weapon that would be needed for her was within reach. Straps that holstered guns and blades ran down the sides of her leg ensuring that once the back up bullets ran out, she'd have other weapons to use. 

Before she could put one foot on the ramp, a set of commands were thrown into the air. The words caused her to stop in her tracks and wait for either information or one last check. 

A soldier came to stand beside her. His attention was on the building just below them. Her temporary handler while on this mission. 

“Your mission?” He asked. 

“Take out the Avengers.” She responded instantly. 

“The priority?”

“The traitor to Hydra.” Phantom hadn't moved or looked his way.  “He's problematic to the mission. He feeds information to the Avengers. His death means Hydra can do as it needs to.” 

“Stark and Wilson are already working the perimeter.” Steve said as the group made their way towards the main floor. “We'll meet them in the middle. Take any you can for interrogating.  If you see Y/N, non lethals only or call for Bucky. Anyone see Maximoff?”

“Good. Ensure this mission is successful.” He nodded his head towards the opening. “Don't return until it is. Preferably with his head.” Without any acknowledgement, Phantom was making her way down the ramp. 

“We're down two. Her and Vision had plans.” Natasha added as she tightened the widow bites around her wrists. “Already sent a message to them and they're on their way.” 

“Keep your eyes scanning.” Bucky noted as they reached the end of the hall before the main floor door. “She can come out from anywhere. If she's got all the information she needs-” 

A hunter's knife blew past them before embedding itself in the door in front of them. The way the knife hit the door was a way to keep it from opening. A strategic move to keep someone from leaving. 

For a brief moment as Bucky’s eyes landed on the embedded knife, a quick flash of a memory played through his mind. One where he was throwing the blade to keep Y/N from leaving. And now he was on the receiving end of it. 

“No need to go looking for her.” Clint stated the obvious as they turned to look down the path they came from. “She found us.” 

In the dimly lit halls, the four of them found the silhouette of Phantom. Her face couldn't be seen from their position. And from what they could see, her hands rested at her side, almost as if she was waiting. Waiting for one of them to make their move. 

Bucky moved himself from his current position in the back to stand in front of the others. “Get going. I've got her.” 

There was a part of him that was relieved at seeing her. He hadn't physically seen her in two years and now she was standing in front of him. The other part knew this wasn't going to be the reunion he thought about for the past several months. At this very moment, she wasn't the woman he knew. She was an asset that was sent on a mission and wasn't going to stop until it was done. 

“She won't hold back.” Natasha voiced his thoughts. 

“And I won't stop until I get through to her.” Bucky added. 

A heavy feeling of deja vu was played on the  group. They had been here once before, under different circumstances. If history was repeating itself, at least they knew the outcome would be in their favor. 

“If you need us…” Steve trailed off as he motioned for the other to began making their way down the adjacent hallway. He only received a nod from Bucky before he was following closely behind. 

When Bucky took one step forward, he watched her carefully. He watched for any of her movements that she'd make. He still couldn't see her face but he knew she was watching him like a hawk. 

“We don't have to do this.” His voice was loud and clear. 

He took several more steps closer to her but she remained still, just watching him. When he came to a stop a few steps away from her, her eyes finally became clear within the darkness that surrounded her face. It was as he took in her eyes, the eyes he once believed that he could get lost in them, he was met with a cold and empty look. 

Her mind registered different things about the man before her. His appearance was familiar to her from the several files she had read through the night before. Everything within the file had been accurate. The only difference was that his hair was several inches longer now than it was in the surveillance photos. 

The gun that he carried was down by his side, hanging from the strap on his shoulder. His posture was calm, as if he wasn't currently going up against someone who could take his life. 

But there was something about his eyes. How they moved over her the moment he was close enough to really examine her. The way there was concern in his eyes the whole time he walked towards her. It set off something within her she didn't understand. 

“‘This’ only ends one way.” Her voice was almost monotonous. The moment the words left her lips, she was unsheathing two of the combat knives at her hips and advancing forward. 

Even with it being longer than two years since the last time he had any training with her, he knew every movement she made before she had. Every strike she attempted he was blocking it. Even when she attempted to use the gun at his side, he had it out of her hands and the gun thrown down the hall. 

Her tactics hadn't changed. There were slight differences but a majority of it was the same. And for a brief moment it hadn't been them standing in a hall with her attempting to kill him. They were in the gym with a sparring session. It's why he couldn't stop the words from leaving his lips. 

“You're going to have to do better than that.” It was followed by a chuckle. 

The response had been a lift of her eyebrow before she manuevored herself to connect her elbow to his face, hard. Based on his stance stumbling slightly, the man before her hadn't been expecting it. She almost smirked as it gave her the opportunity to sweep her legs, knocking him down. 

I can't show you all my moves, then you wouldn't spar with me. 

Her own voice echoed within her brain that caused her to hesitate. A response to his remark that she hadn’t even thought about responding to. Yet the echo of her own voice told her that would have been the response. 

Bucky noticed the slight hesitation as he moved to get up off the ground. The shift in her eyes reminded him of his own moments when Steve was trying to break through to him. He knew he officially had one foot in the door. 

“You know me.” He tried, hoping to push further.  

He watched as she shook whatever was happening in her mind off before sending the blade in her hand his way. Bucky caught it by the hilt before tossing it off to the side. 

“You are the Mission.” She responded. A moment later Bucky was blocking more of her advances. Including one that almost had the blade of the second knife embedded in his thigh. “That's how I know you.” 

The words had stung Bucky’s heart as he managed to pull the blade out of her grasp and throw it, with the blade embedding itself into the wall. It was strange to be on this end of things. To be the one fighting to get through to someone within Hydra’s hold. He just needed to break her free from it. 

It didn't take long for Bucky to find himself in a favorable hold with her. One that he knew he could easily get her pinned on the ground. And with one more maneuver he had her on her back, with him following her. 

When her back hit the ground, a strange fuzzy memory quickly passed her mind. One where the man before her had a smirk on his face instead of the serious look he had now as he looked at her. The sound of a giggle echoed in her ears before the memory completely faded. 

Out of instinct, she was able to manipulate the hold he currently had on her, forcing him on to his back. A blade she had attached to her hip was released from its sheath and brought up to his neck. It had been too easy to draw the first drop of blood from his body flinching against the pressure. 

He raised his hands up by his head, practically surrendering to her. “I'm not going to continue to fight you. ” 

She watched as his eyes met hers and never looked away. There was something in his eyes she hadn't believed she had seen before. She watched many with fear in their eyes before they began pleading for their lives. He didn't have the same look in his eyes. 

There was understanding and acceptance. For a man that hardly fought her back during the last several minutes, it made her curious as to why he hadn't tried running like the others had. Or at least attempted to use his arm in defense. 

She had been expecting it. She had read the information before coming. She knew the man used it to his advantage in combat. So why not with her? It had been almost too easy to have him pinned as he was now. 

Her head tilted slightly as she studied him. The blade against his neck never loosened as she did. Deep within her, in a way she didn't understand, there was now a feeling of familiarity. But how could someone she did not recognize hold such familiarity. 

Bucky noticed the way she was hesitating. He should have taken that opportunity to get himself out of his current position, but he was watching her reactions.

He knew from experience what could possibly be happening within her mind. He knew there was a possibility that something was coming over her that she couldn't explain. He knew that the woman deep within the asset was attempting to break through the surface. 

"Do you know who this is?”

A picture was held in front of her, and all she could focus on was the man's eyes. The same one that was currently pinned down to the ground beneath her. The sadness that was in those eyes. An ache in her chest when she couldn't remember his name, but she knew him intimately.

“Now you know me.” He said softly. His eyes still never left hers. Even as her eyes flicked back to his, he couldn’t bring himself to move. “You can't place it, but you feel it.” He slowly brought his fleshed hand up to her wrist. He gauged her reaction as he did, but she didn't move to stop him. “That's what's stopping you.” 

His fingers moved in a pattern against her skin that his mind had once created one night while spending time with her. The very pattern he continued to do any time he was feeling overwhelmed in any way. His signal to her he needed an out from wherever they were at. 

Bucky watched as she didn't flinch away from his touch. It was as if she was just watching his movements, taking in the familiarity of something unlocking within her brain. As she did, he noticed another shift in her eyes. He was getting through to her. 

He just needed something else to help break through to her. To help give that final break through the wall. But a moment later he could hear the sound of someone speaking to her through her coms. 

The shift in her eyes disappeared and she was twisting his hand away from hers as the blade of the knife pressed deeper into his skin. All she had to do was slice and it'd be over. Her mission would be complete. 

“Ty zakonchil zdes’, Fantom.” You're done here, Phantom. The words had quickly left Bucky’s lips in one breath. 

He watched as she paused once more. He knew her programming was working its way through her. Her mind was trying to take in what the word meant. The blade against his skin eased up slightly. 

A part of her mind was screaming at her to stop and stand at attention to wait for the next command. That the punishment would be worse if she didn't obey. And for a brief moment her weight lifted off of him slightly. But the other part of her mind didn't register the command. In all the new conditioning she had over the last several months, that command didn't exist. 

There was no new command to stop. There wasn't a punishment waiting for her if she didn't respond to the command given. The main goal that was embedded this time around: complete the mission. 

When Bucky saw her grip tightened on the hilt, he knew it didn't work. He knew that whatever command he'd throw at her, there would be a possibility of it no longer working. He was out of options. 

When the blade of the knife began sliding across his skin, Bucky grabbed a hold of her wrist with his vibranium hand, halting her movements and pulling her hand away. He adjusted himself to flip her back on to her back as she continued to fight to free herself from his hold. 

With a hard hit of her knee, she had him flipped off of her and she rushed to stand. In the process, she pulled the hand gun strapped to her ankle out and aimed. Her finger pulled at the trigger easily. 

Bucky barely had a moment to steady himself before he was blocking bullets with vibranium. He moved closer to her with each pull of the trigger. Counting each until he knew for sure the clip would be empty. Before the final count, he noticed that she stopped. 

If he hadn't looked up at her eyes, he would have missed the way her eyes suddenly flashed red before returning to their normal color. He watched as the gun dropped to her side as something changed within her. Fear filled her eyes where there was emptiness moments ago. 

He watched as her eyes flicked to him before her eyes welled up, causing a tear to fall down her cheek. He could see that the wall he was trying to break through earlier had finally broken. In the next moment, Bucky was taking a few steps closer as she fainted forward. He caught her easily, pulling her up into his arms. 

“Thank you.” Bucky said as he looked over at Wanda the moment he had a hold of Y/N. 

It was easy enough for Wanda to work her way up behind Y/N. Her target had been keeping her busy and it had been easy for Wanda to give a small hand wave and Y/N was sent into the spell. 

Bucky gently brought her over to a padded bench against the wall and laid her down. His fleshed hand gently pulled down the fabric away from her face. It was a way to free her from Phantom. To separate the two entities as best as he could for her.  It wasn't long after that he was pulling the coms out of her ear and crushing it within vibranium. 

“I came as fast as I could.” Wanda said as she moved closer. “Though if I had come sooner you wouldn't have been shot.” She pointed towards Bucky’s right arm. 

Bucky looked down at his arm. His shirt had blood seeping through the fabric. He had been so focused on Y/N that his mind didn't register the fresh wound. From the looks of things, the bullet had grazed him. 

“It's superficial. I'll be fine.” He nodded. 

“And your neck?” She asked as her eyes began scanning for any possible threat. 

“Occupational hazard.” He shrugged slightly as he brushed his fingers along Y/N’s cheek. “I almost got through to her. But she got pulled back in.” He looked over to Wanda. “What did you make her see?” 

“Exactly what you might think I showed her.” She began. “Though what she is actually seeing, I'm not sure.” 

Bucky knew Wanda meant fears. He saw the look on Y/N's face before she passed out. He knew that if anything fear would be the thing to break through to her. That maybe once she'd wake up, the mind block would be gone. 

Bucky, what's your status? 

Steve's voice came over the coms. Bucky ’s hand went up to his coms as he looked over at Wanda. “We're clear. She's secured. “ 

The words almost made him cringe. He should have said she was safe. He should have said things were cleared there. He could have said a million other things, but out of habit he said what he did. 

Perimeter is clear. We're working our way in. Sam's voice came over the coms next. Stark got FRIDAY back up. 

The East Wing is cleared. Natasha added. 

Conversations continued through the coms but Bucky was barely listening. His attention was still on Y/N and he was sure it would stay that way for quite some time. 

She may have been unconscious but he could see the movement beneath her eyelids. He wondered what fears she was living through at that moment. What details she was reliving or what story her mind formed as the worst thing she could ever face. 

“The med bay may be more comfortable for her.” Wanda offered. The three of them were still in the walkway. Wanda knew that once the team had full control of the compound, a lot of people were going to be making their way through that walkway. 

“It can't be the med bay.” Bucky shook his head slightly before he moved to lift her up into his arms.  The possibility of Y/N waking up in the med bay and taking it out on the medical staff wasn't something they needed. She wouldn't know where she was let alone what they could possibly be doing to her. “I'll get her set up in one of the spare rooms for now. She'll need space.” 

As he began walking towards the living quarters, he felt the shift in her body. The tension she had from the spell began to ease up. Relaxing into his hold a little more with each passing second. 

“You're safe.” He promised her. “I'm never going to let you out of my sight.”

If he hadn't been holding her as he was, Bucky was sure he would have missed it. It had been soft as if she was sighing. And part of him deeply hoped he hadn't been just hearing things. 

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[thisismeracing]

congrats on 1000!! would love charles, peace, angst (on my folklore shit </3)

Peace | CL16

⸺ the one where they realize that to be in love is not the only thing needed to be together. or rather, that love is not enough on its own. ✓ mentions of breakup.

⁕ one word, a thousand stories blurb night (closed) ⁕ my masterlist and my taglist

Yn watched in silence as Charles gathered his things around the house putting everything inside his suitcase. The four-wheel carry-on used to bring her the best memories such as when they traveled together for the first time, or when they overpacked for a weekend in Miami. Now, it was tainted with a breakup.

"Are you really leaving?" her voice broke breaking through the ice in the room.

The Monegasque stopped with his back to her. And his slumped shoulders were enough indication of how unsure Charles was about it. She knew that if he turned, she would spot tears in his eyes just like in hers.

"I'm sorry, chérie," his voice was hoarse and it scratched against the walls, begging to be heard, begging to form a different sentence, to whisper he was staying, to confess he still loved her, that he never stopped, never would stop. "I can't watch people drag you down because of me, can't watch you lose your privacy just because I don't have one, can't imagine your light dim."

As it happens, dating someone famous wasn't easy. And dating Charles proved to be harder than both of you anticipated. For some reason, the media decided to pursue you and your private life, and at some point, it stopped being about wanting to know more about your relationship and started to be about wanting to drag you around the mud. To find something to criticize in the slightest movement of your head, or the smile that you gave for being either too small or too bright. It was as if you were in a contest, constantly being judged and analyzed, and still, nothing you ever did seem to be enough.

"You know I would sit with you in the trenches, give you my wild, give you a..." she stopped to sob because oh- haven't they talked about kids! "Your brothers are my brothers, my family is your family, how are we supposed to go with this? How are they going to adjust to not having us anymore? How, Charlie?"

Charles sighs, dropping a pair of pants inside the luggage. The pair you gifted him after everyone in the paddock made fun of a particularly colorful one he decided to use. Everything in his life was tied to you, every good and bad moment had you there, "I'd give you my best-"

She interrupts him, "You did- you do! You give me your best every day, love, please. You are enough."

"But the rain is always gonna come if you're standing with me. And I know you always say you're a fire, and you can keep us warm, but, Yn, you deserve a peaceful love, you deserve calm and happy, and smiling-for-no-reason love."

Her sob takes the room again, their sadness coming together in the small space, almost comforting each other.

"Don't leave me, Charles, please. Don't go! It's not fair we're breaking up because of others," her voice is still small, almost like she's too tired to keep expressing her sadness, translating it. But he can hear her perfectly, he can feel what she feels, but Charles is set on his convictions.

He closes the luggage and just stands there for a minute or so in silence, his back to her, his face to the wall. Nonetheless, he can still feel Yn's eyes on him, and when he turns and their eyes finally met, he asks "Would it really be enough if I could never give you peace?"

This time the silence gets heavier, Yn falters and looks down for a brief second, and it's just the time Charles needs to take a step back and leave the room. Leave her. Because how could love survive in a place without peace?

― ⋆🪩 VOICEMAIL: Thank you, babe!!! I hope I did justice to the request *mwah* don't forget to reblog/leave a comment if you liked it, and follow me if you still don't <3

#cl16 #one word a thousand stories blurb night #op: blurbs #charles leclerc #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc imagine #charles leclerc angst #charles leclerc fanfic #f1 fandom #f1 x reader #f1 fanfic #f1 angst #millie writes #requests

[itsmealaiah]

Can you have the reader make a joke about her being unfaithful to Bill? I want something sad but with a happy ending 😩 (2007 submissive Bill, sad and “reconciliation” sex 😜)

YESSSS 🙏

Sorry

tags/ warnings: angst, joking around, bill being hurt, make up sex, unprotected sex (wrap it up!!)

don't like don't read

do not steal, copy, claim as your own, or translate. Read only on this blog.

Your POV:

your laughter echoed through the dimly lit room, filling the empty space between them. It was a mocking sound, one that made Bill's heart ache and his eyes sting with unshed tears. He couldn't believe you would make a joke about you being unfaithful to him. It felt like a knife had been driven through his chest, twisting and turning with each breath. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and grab you, to hold you tight and never let go again. But he knew that wouldn't change anything.

You kept on laughing, your shoulders shaking as you tried to catch your breath. "Oh, Bill, come on. You know I could never love anyone else the way I love you," you said between laughs. "It's not like I'd ever want to hurt you, or leave you… at least not permanently." Your words were like salt in an open wound, making the pain even more unbearable.

Finally, when you seemed to have exhausted your laughter, you looked up at him, your eyes still twinkling with mirth. "So, what do you say? Can we put all this behind us?" You held out your hand, offering him a chance at reconciliation.

Bill hesitated for a moment, staring at your outstretched hand. Part of him wanted to take it, to believe that everything could go back to the way it was before. But another part of him was still hurt, still angry. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing heart, and then slowly reached out, his fingers curling around yours. "Okay," he said softly. "Okay, we'll try."

As you pulled him closer, he couldn't help but notice the tears that still lingered in your eyes. It was a small gesture, but it was enough to make his heart ache anew. "I'm sorry, Bill," you whispered, your voice barely audible. "I never meant for this to happen."

He didn't respond, too caught up in the moment to say anything. Instead, he buried his face in your neck, inhaling your familiar scent as he wrapped his arms around you, holding you tight. It felt like you were the only thing keeping him from falling apart.

The memories of your argument replayed in his mind like a broken record: the hurtful words, the tears, the distance between them. He vowed to himself that he would never let this happen again, that he would do whatever it took to keep you by his side. Because in that moment, as you clung to him for dear life, he realized that you were all he had, all he'd ever need.

You shifted in his arms, your movements making his body ache with longing. "Bill?" you whispered, your voice barely audible over the thundering of his heart. "Can we… can we try to make this right?"

He nodded, his lips pressed against your skin, the words lodged in his throat. "Yeah," he managed to whisper, "I think we should." With trembling hands, he reached down to undo the buttons of his pants, his heart racing in anticipation of what was to come. You watched him with a mixture of curiosity and hope, your breath catching in your throat as he finally revealed his aching erection.

You reached out, tentatively touching him through his boxers, marveling at the heat and the strength of him. "Are you sure, Bill?" you asked, your voice trembling. "I don't want to hurt you again."

His grip on your waist tightened, and he looked down at you with eyes that were filled with love and desire. "I need this, y/n," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "I need you." He lifted you up, cradling you in his arms as he guided you back to the bed, his lips finding yours in a desperate, bruising kiss.

As you sank beneath him, he pulled away, his breath ragged and uneven. His fingers traced the outline of your body, following the dip of your waist and the curve of your hips, before finally settling between your legs. Your skin was warm and smooth beneath his touch, and he could feel the dampness that had gathered there. He parted your folds gently, revealing your slick, swollen entrance.

His thumb circled your clit, teasing and tormenting you in equal measure, as his fingers pressed deeper, finding your sweet spot. You arched your back, crying out his name as pleasure coursed through you. He felt you tighten around his fingers, and he knew that you were close. He increased the pressure, thrusting his fingers in and out, each stroke driving you closer to the edge.

As you neared the brink, he leaned down, capturing one of your nipples in his mouth, sucking and biting gently. The sensation was overwhelming, and you cried out his name, your body shuddering with release. He felt the warmth of your essence coat his fingers, and he knew that you had found your way back to him.

With tender care, he guided his erection to your entrance, positioning himself at your entrance. He paused for a moment, taking in the sight of you, his love, wrapped around him. Then, with a gentle thrust, he buried himself inside you, feeling you tighten around him like a glove.

He began to move, slowly at first, their bodies learning each other's rhythm anew. His thrusts grew deeper and faster, and he could feel you meeting them, your nails digging into his back, your moans filling the air. The pain had faded away, replaced by a fierce, primal desire that consumed them both.

As their passion reached its peak, he felt his climax building, threatening to overwhelm him. He gripped you tighter, his hips snapping forward, his body tensing as he released himself deep inside you. You cried out his name, your body convulsing around him, and he knew that you had reached your own release.

Spent, they collapsed together on the bed, their sweat-slicked skin pressed against each other. He rolled to his side, cradling you in his arms, and kissed your forehead. "I love you, y/n," he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion. "I'll never let you go again." You smiled up at him, your eyes glistening with tears of joy.

#tokio hotel #tokio hotel x reader #tokio hotel x you #bill kaulitz #bill kaulitz x reader #bill kaulitz fanfic #bill kaulitz smut #bill kaulitz x you #bill kaulitz x reader smut

[eokami]

THEORY THEORY THEORY TIME! Can we really TALK or think about a lot of similirities that hit my head more and more every single day? Maybe I'm biased about this, but lemme explain!

qBBH and qAntoine. Yeah, let's start this way. I really think their lore is 100% related to each other. Why? I have some reasons for this:

-Both are Eldritch creatures. (+ qBBH also being Demon or so Fallen Angel) So, They both may have been… met before.

-The temple image. Antoine was the most insistent with asking aBBH about what he think it is. Maybe to confirm if qBBH REMEMBER something about the past. And qAntoine complain to Cucurucho for this thing being "too soon". I could guess the "deal" (The shake hands yellow and black) is something related to both of them in some way.

-The text in the Rebellion about qBBH. The "It is strange that nothing bad has happened. Or maybe it happened a long time ago." Maybe that is about the pact… or what qBBH recently told to his childrens. He has to leave or could be worse. Or, the way he said after talk to qTina: "The more time I spend in a place, the more dangerous it becomes."

-qAntoine has a tittle said by Cucurucho: "The Watchful Scribe". He already has a lot of information about everyone. And it said that Antoine himself know the role of every character for the need of his own role.

-qBBH confirmed in the "Find the buttom" with qAntoine that he "Always watch from afar." in a omninous way. It's possibly a hint about them like a camaraderie elbow blow or just my biased way to think about a randoom chat.

-We cannot forget "The Watcher" himself. It could be other person. it could be something related to both, or just qAntoine, we don't know.

-Egg Island, where "The Watcher" was, appeared more eggs. qAntoine said to Pomme days ago "I know you as if I made you." (Or at least I understand it that way. Could be wrong) So MAYBE qAntoine is the one responsible for that and-

-Could someone finally give importance to the Census Bureau?!?! Is in FRENCH. And okey, I'm like crazy here for some reason but-- qAntoine confirmed to have 3 faces: "Everyone has multiple faces, I'm the only one showing them all" and "I have four actually, the last one is inside, I'd rather not show it" Can we Talk about Cucurucho's original name being ":)" and that are 2 more of them… AND THEN THE DARK ONE?! Am I crazy or not?! qAntoine created them as well?! Maybe are the Cucurucho prototypes inspired by ayrobot?!

-Dapper with his father have become the ones who do experiments like "Elena", the new misterious worker who aparently is part of the hibrid experiments on other residents like qBaghera. Dapper told his dad it could be dangerous if The Federation knows about his investigations. It's a good parallel/way to fusion the concepts. -(I FORGOT THIS ONE !! (Editing editing)) The first day that qBBH returned to Quesadilla Island from Egg Island, he was surprised to see qEtoiles and qBagi and said "how did you get there if you're not dead?" // When qAntoine returned and was chatting with qtubbo, his comment was "I was dead, I think, but not anymore, I was tired of being dead" LIKE--…WHAT.

Sorry my weird english. I talk spanish and now that the translations with the new system are a posibility I'm trying to get into the french lore. I really really love it!

#qsmp #qsmp theory #qsmp dapper #qsmp pomme #qsmp aypierre #qsmp antoine #qsmp bbh #Am I crazy or just somehow that makes totally sense?

[sauntervaguelydown]

what's interesting about Zenigata throughout the Lupin iii franchise is that he doesn't really have a core interiority. Everything about Zenigata is exterior.

Part 4 does this insane thing with him where he's locked into his role as judge/jury/executioner to such an extent that it seems pathological--he has to keep Lupin in prison even though it is making him, personally, miserable with grief. He has to make sure Lupin dies rather than let him escape. It will literally destroy the foundation of who he is as a person if he succeeds in the goal he's assigned himself, but he can't possibly do anything else. The law is the law and his job is his job, and he can't let himself be anything else even for a moment. It's fucking intense! It's Greek tragedy!

Compare that to part 5, which was made like? two years? later. And in this one, Zenigata explicitly states that he wants to put Lupin in jail because it's the only way to make Lupin understand his actions have consequences. To force him to turn over a new leaf, make him go straight, and then meet him on the other side. Literally wants to buy him a drink when he gets out of prison.

These could not be more different--I mean it's Antigone vs A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Are either of them more true to the spirit of the character than the other? Well. It's really hard to say, because we just don't know these things about Zenigata in Part One!

What's his relationship to justice? How does he feel about The Law? Is he a corrupt cop, is he noble? Is his chasing Lupin driven by career aspirations or personal passion?

EDIT: I have now read the manga translations, and uhhh well. Apparently they met in college and Zenigata hated his vibe SO bad he spent the rest of his life trying to kill the guy. Not sure that helps us much here.

As it stands, here's a rough list of the stuff I've watched and what its take on Zenigata is

Part One: in the first episode, Zenigata gives a brief explanation of their dynamic (for the sake of the audience) which is already WELL established in-universe. Here he says something like, "Lupin, if you weren't the Grandson of Arsene Lupin, and I wasn't the descendant of the famous Zenigata..." implying that something about this dynamic would change if it wasn't for their Cosmically Assigned Destinies as products of their Two Houses Alike in Dignity etc. What would be different? Would they be friends? I don't know! But Zenigata definitely seems to be beholden to the legacy of his own family here.

there's also an ep where Zenigata has Lupin in jail successfully. Zenigata stays on site guarding the jail the whole 6 months, and eventually one of the other guards says if I didn't know any better I'd think you were looking forward to seeing him escape.

later episodes led by Miyazaki lean more heavily on the context of his career; his relationship to his boss, a conference he wants to attend in his field, the fear of one's job being outmoded by technology etc.

The Mystery of Mamo: Zenigata has so much personal passion! When they tell him to drop the case, he literally quits the force to chase Lupin as a private citizen! This is the one where he swears he'll follow Lupin to the gates of Hell because they are fated rivals. This is also the one where he literally tries to stake Lupin in case he's turned into a vampire. so. I don't know man. He's fucking unhinged in this movie, it's pretty great.

Mamo is known to be closer in tone to the manga than anything else, but Zenigata is not this rabid in the manga. Manga Zenigata is more contemptuous and put-upon.

The Castle of Cagliostro: this is a neutral good Zenigata at his most admirable. When he can't get justice through the law, he teams up with criminals in order to circumvent corrupt government officials. He's also headstrong and fully willing to risk his own career, but not ready to throw it away at the first inconvenience. He is "very fond" of Lupin. He enjoys the chase, but he can put it aside in order to fry bigger fish. You get the impression that he cares about correcting injustice more than the letter of the law.

Part Two: Lupin fakes his death twice that I can remember and BOTH times Zenigata cries about it. On the first occasion, Zenigata shakes the corpse, begs it to wake up, then wonders tearfully what he's going to do with himself now that Lupin is dead. On the second occasion, Zenigata first tries to KILL himself rather than allow Lupin to rescue him (out of a sense of pride) and then cries and calls Lupin a "great man" after Lupin fakes a fatal crash. The resentment IMMEDIATELY gives way to mourning. He's very cavalier with his own life, but precious about Lupin's.

By the way, I love how much this man cries. I ALSO love crying in public and being homoerotically obsessed with my enemies. He's so relatable

the other thing is that this Zenigata is VERY binary about roles; he refuses to jailbreak from extralegal imprisonment because "cops don't escape jail". Doesn't matter that the jail is run by terrorists who are going to kill him, that's Not What Cops Do.

The Fuma Conspiracy: Lupin has faked his death yet again, and Zenigata has--in direct response to this--quit the force and BECOME A MONK, and explicitly says he is busy praying for Lupin's soul so that Lupin can be reincarnated as a law abiding citizen in his next life. What the fuck does this say about Zenigata? Buddy we don't have time to unpack that whole suitcase. In brief: Zenigata is prescriptive about law and legality as equaling goodness/dharma/morality etc. But he also changed his entire life so that he could remain dedicated to THE SOUL OF HIS DEAD NEMESIS. So this is clearly very personal, and has nothing to do with his career.

Part Three: limited familiarity with this one but I HAVE seen the episode where Zenigata gets fired due to his boss's embezzlement scheme and subsequently uncovers the scheme--there's a bit where Lupin pretends to mug him in an alley so they can have a private conversation, and Zenigata IS pretty quick to jump on the trail of this embezzlement scheme instead of chasing Lupin, once he's been tipped off. Perhaps more career driven in this one.

Lupin First Contact: some combination of career-based ambition and, like, Unrequited Rivalry At First Sight. He came here to chase Fujiko and got so distracted by this other idiot that he nearly forgot about her. To be fair, this story is narrated by Lupin so it may not even be an accurate representation of Zenigata within its own canon.

Ten Thousand Movies other from 1990-2005: girl most of these are so bad they are so SO bad. Most of the time Zenigata is not a major player. I can't remember anything he did in these except--oh, in Burning Memories, he uses the jute he keeps in a shinto shrine in his apartment after it survives a major fire. Loved that.

Also, he dresses in drag at the beginning of Farewell Nostradamus. This has nothing to do with anything I just loved it.

The Woman Called Fujiko Mine: corrupt cop. dirtbag. full stop.

okay, no, really. Here he is explicitly concerned with his career; he laments that he had to take grunt work to get by, talks about being busted down the chain after reporting his dirty boss, is extremely defensive of anyone muscling in on his Case even someone he has every reason to trust... this is a man who only cares about his career

he does fuck Fujiko and it IS a corrupt move. He seems to imply he's done this before with other thieves. He KNOWS she faked an orgasm and he doesn't care. He's mean as hell.

He cares about his pride. He seems to think Having Personal Pride is incompatible with participating in corruption. Does not explain why he exploited Fujiko Mine for sex. Maybe corruption doesn't count if you don't respect the person you're violating the rights of.

So, overall, have I got a thesis?

Basically, everyone who writes Zenigata has a different take on what his core motivation is. All the stuff that is core to Zenigata is in his affect, in his actions. He's enthusiastic, emotional, hotheaded, stubborn, prone to cackling, smart but not quite smart enough. What he thinks and what he feels, what he does in his private life, remains surprisingly mysterious.

Several of these takes are mutually exclusive. Mamo and Cagliostro simply do not overlap, just like Part 4 and Part 5 are at odds with each other. You can't put Mamo and Cagliostro and Part 1 in a blender without creating some new third thing inaccurate to all three.

For my money, here's what I think the core points would be, if I was starting out to write a fresh series or something:

the Shinto angle; his duty to the family legacy, especially with a famous ancestor like the OG Zenigata, looms large over the current inspector. He has a lot to live up to.

although they met through his job, he's very specifically attached to Lupin in a way that has nothing to do with his job; in fact, his desire to be close to Lupin is at odds with his career

he started out being ambitious and career oriented--this is why he started chasing Lupin, hoping to make a name for himself.

his career has fully stalled out and he's in conflict with himself about the joy his gets from chasing Lupin vs the expectations he set for himself ten years ago

ACAB; if he's actually ethical and cares about civil rights, he's got to be Insanely Unpopular with other cops. The only reason he might be able to get away with this and still have a job is that he's A) an accidental celebrity now with a weird amount of public clout B) he's got insane tunnel vision and doesn't notice major violations of human rights unless they are Directly In his Line of Vision. Nonetheless, this is unsustainable in the long term.

*I'm also a proponent of "Zenigata used to be more ruthless and corrupt, but he's actually picked up ethics somehow from being around criminals all the time" simply because. it is funny.

In conclusion: probably the reason we don't have solid answers to these questions is because Zenigata is like a dog chasing cars. He doesn't know what he'd do with one if he caught it. Nonetheless, he's gotta chase that goddamn fiat.

#lupin iii #meta #zenigata

[welcometothejianghu]

Welcome to another round of W2 Tells You What You Should See, where W2 (me) tries to sell you (you) on something you should be watching. Today's choice: 君子盟/A League of Nobleman

A League of Nobleman is the unfortunately translated English title of a 2023 historical drama about an idealistic country boy/genius detective/noodle seller, and a wealthy minister on a mission to exonerate his late father from charges of treason, even if he himself has to commit some treason in the process.

I watched this one not too long after it came out, and I was expecting there would be a lot of buzz as soon as fandom got hold of it. There wasn't, but I can understand why. The show is a lovely, ethereal drama that has some genuinely moving moments, stunning visuals, and charming character interactions.

It is, however, kiiiiiiiind of a hot mess.

What follows is an incredibly qualified rec. Unlike most of the previous shows I've recommended, this show is not something you could just throw at your Average American Television Enjoyer. Censorship got its claws into this one, and what's left is ... okay, imagine fliming all of Hannibal just like you want it, and then right before it airs, NBC comes in and says, okay, now we're just going to take out all the parts that are gay and violent and gory! You know what you'd have left? You'd have a League of Nobleman, is what.

(If you want a little more explanation of what's awkward about it, here's a take based on the first ten episodes. Note that not everything that bothers AvenueX bothers me, but they're fair critiques.)

Therefore, I'd have a tough time recommending this to someone who hasn't already built up a tolerance for the experience of seeing a scene end nearly mid-sentence, or hearing described something that happened just offscreen (while seeing no one's lips move). You need to be prepared to look through the jank to see the show we could have had beneath the show that actually arrived.

Even so, I have five reasons I think you should at least give it a shot!

1. That precious baby boy

Look at him. Look at his precious face. Don't you just want to stuff him down the front of your shirt and take him home with you?

That is Zhang Ping. He is the hero and he is a good boy.

He is a darling dumpling who grows up reading novels about how members of the judiciary nobly solve crimes and punish the unjust, so he decides that he wants to move to the big city and become a member of the judiciary to nobly solve crimes and punish the unjust! ...Until he gets there and realizes, no, baby, that was fiction. But gosh darn it, he's going to try anyway.

I have seen people say they read Zhang Ping as autistic. While I'm not sure that's specifically what the show itself was going for, that's kind of the effect -- which, I think, is why I've also seen a lot of people say they don't like Song Weilong's performance. I don't think he's wooden or unemotional; I think he just made a choice to play the character as not always real good about understanding why the people around him are having the emotions they're having. Similarly, I think what makes him read as anachronistic is mostly how he doesn't engage well with the rules of social convention that are such important parts of this historical setting.

Like, you see that picture above, with him and Lan Jue whispering at one another? Zhang Ping is doing this because he is absolutely convinced that this is appropriate subterfuge behavior. Lan Jue is matching him because he thinks Zhang Ping is adorable.

Just the goodest boy. A baby. Please care him.

2. the aesthetic

The show is beautiful. It looks and sounds amazing. For some reason I can't find a clip of just the opening credits, but here's a (strangely bloody) trailer that gives a sense of its general vibe:

As you can see a couple times in there, the show makes great use of tilt-shift photography -- you know, the thing where you change the focal length until everything starts to look fake? It creates a weird, dreamlike effect where parts of the frame are out of focus for no reason, or actual locations start to look like model-train miniatures. Many of the shots are framed like this, giving the entire thing a very pretty, very uncanny look.

And speaking of the dreamlike: If there's one thing I've come to expect from C-dramas, it's bad CGI. That is not the case here! The CG is used so sparingly that it's unobtrusive and actually quite nice. Much more of the weight of the show's look relies on practical effects that are supported and amplified by CG, which is the optimal combo. When it does go all in on CG, it's in the service of dreamscapes that are supposed to look unreal anyway.

The show does admittedly have a mild problem of using a cool effect and then largely forgetting that effect exists. For example, the first episode has a really neat "freeze time and walk through a crime scene" bit! And then we barely ever see that ability again. But the show's doing so many other lovely things that you don't really feel the absence until you stop to think about it all later. So don't stop to think about things! That's my motto! (It really isn't.)

The directors also just have a lovely eye for things -- which is extra-surprising considering that both of them are first-time directors. That can be fun, though, when you get people who haven't gotten stuck in their ways get, so they're still being new and weird with it. ...Of course, I bet that's also some of why so much of the show quite obviously got cut to ribbons, if you're also working with directors who also haven't figured out how to get away with things just yet.

Overall, the production values are very high. This show clearly had a fairly solid amount of funding behind it, but it also used its resources smartly. Most costumes are elegant but not extravagant. Detailed sets are small and beautiful locations are contained. While I have great respect for productions that try to create epics on a shoestring budget, there's something to be said for a project that sets its sights on the achievable, then puts its effort into doing what it can, well.

3. A ship for everyone!

There are so many potential ways to pair up them boys. The show's main pair dynamic is between country mouse Zhang Ping and city mouse Lan Jue, but it surely does not stop there. In fact, I've made a helpful chart that shows you all the potential flavors of gay you can enjoy at this particular danmei buffet:

(And yes, if you've seen the show, you know there's at least one more line that I could've drawn here, but I don't want to spoil anything.)

Now, whether you do read any of these dynamics as sexual/romantic is up to you. The point is that you could. For example, I personally am not that into Lan Jue/Xu Dong, but if you lose your shit when a competent sword guy owes a life debt to the defenseless noble he works for? You could have a lot of fun with what the show gives you.

Obviously, because this is a censored c-drama, there are no canon gay romances. However, a couple of them are more textual than others, especially the ones that center Lan Jue, because everyone clearly wants a piece of that fancy flat ass.

One of AvenueX's comments from the video I linked earlier is that the main couple has less sparkle together than each of them has individually with the man that's supposed to be his bestie. While that changes as the show goes on, these two side pairs never cease to be enjoyable. Whether you read them as sexual or not is up to you! Romantically or platonically, they're still a delight to watch bounce off of one another.

And Lan Jue/Gu Qingzhang (that one terrible ex from the chart) is, uh, basically textual? It's miles into "there is no straight explanation for this" territory. Again, avoiding spoilers here, but trust me. You get to see their secluded love nest and everything. Shit's real gay.

Then, of course, there's the main pair:

This is clearly the one that got hit real hard by cuts to the material. It's a damn shame, because this is clearly meant to be the core of the whole narrative. Despite that, the two of them have a fascinating dynamic that changes over the series from outright suspicion to cautious care to absolute trust. It's a great combo of someone who is too honest for his own good and someone so used to court politics that he lies as easily as breathing.

Ironically, the source material is Not Gay, to the point where the author has basically disowned this series as being so different from her original work as to be unrecognizable. You sort of have to wonder about the creative thought processes that led to taking a gen work and deciding to BL it up for the live-action adatation. I'm not complaining, mind you, but it is a little bit of an unforced error.

So whatever flavor of gay it is you're into, the odds are very good that this drama will have at least enough of it to keep you interested!

4. A very charming cast

I got to gush about Song Weilong's Zhang Ping earlier, but honestly I think everybody's pretty enjoyable, from the main cast to the recurring side characters to the one-off extras who show up for a single episode. Everybody's playing it weird and theatrical, so I get it if that's not your cup of tea. However, I feel all the performances are well-suited to the slightly surreal style of the production.

Here's just a couple of the real gems:

Jing Boran's Lan Jue has the perfect regal bearing of a fussy gentleman, but with a very endearing softness underneath. He spends half his time with eyes brimming with unshed tears, and the other half making heart-eyes at his boyfriends. You understand why everybody in the empire wants to ride him like they stole him, and that's even before he lets his hair down and starts dressing in slutty sheer robes. (I'm not entirely sure either he or the show knew how to play the character in the first few episodes, but he gets way better once he stops being so sinister and mysterious and gets to be cute and/or unhinged.)

There is one female character who shows up in more than one arc, and she is the Empress Dowager, and she is such a wonderful awful bitch. What a monster. Shi Yueling eats up every scene she's in by being the perfect mix of reprehensible and fascinating.

I was already primed to like Wang Duo because I liked watching him be a pretty snake boy in Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity. Well, now he gets to be a pretty metaphorical snake boy here. I'm not spoiling anything by telling you he's bad news. He shows up damn near the end of the show and you know immediately he's bad news. But you don't know what kind of bad news he is, and that's fun to find out.

And speaking of actors I already liked from other places! Guo Cheng has mastered the art of acting with his mouth full. His Chen Chou is a sweet, earnest anchor in a world of tricksy boys.

There is something about Hong Yao's handsome face that makes Wang Yan perpetually look a little red-eyed, like he's trying hard to pretend that he wasn't just crying in his office. It's the perfect soft touch to his incredibly wonderful chad of a character. I'm usually not into the cocky jocks, but I will make such an exception for him.

I love you, fortune-telling gremlin grandpa.

5. Raw materials

Look, I assume if you've made it this far in the rec and you're still hanging on, you're interested for one of two reasons. The more normie reason is that you're into c-dramas in general (and probably period dramas in particular), and gay stuff is a selling point, so you see the appeal of turning on a drama where cute boys have emotions at other cute boys. That is a perfectly good reason to watch this drama, and if this is you, I hope you have fun!

The other reason is that you like making fan stuff, and you need some new blorbos to blorb in new and exciting combinations. Friend, I have that stuff for you right here.

A League of Nobleman has problems -- but they are problems that may be appealing to people who enjoy fixing things. There are literal holes in the series where actual, planned, filmed scenes were deleted! If you're looking for source material that's just begging you to fill in the gaps, look no further.

Of course I'm partial to the number of queer DIY romance options there are (see point 3), but that's not the extent of it. The setting is fascinating: an unspecified premodern Chinese dynasty magical enough to have a Bureau of Incantations, where the emperor is (for once) a cool dude, secluded village people live in semi-communal families, and one of the main characters can play Inception with people's heads. I'll say it plainly: If you are into kinky dream sex, this is the drama for you.

I should note that one of the things that doesn't need fixing is the overall shape of the series. The individual little case incidents seem disconnected, but they all weave together at the end as part of a (let's be real, ridiculously complicated) plot, giving the whole thing a pretty satisfying wrap-up. The show does not just fall off a cliff like Moriarty; it resolves in a way that's more than a little convoluted, but still overall satisfying. Also, a lot of those ships from the chart above, when it's all over, are still together. Some days that's all you need from an ending.

Maybe I sound like a broken record at this point, but to give you a sense of how heavy the hand of censorship clearly was, understand several of these episodes don't even break the 35-minute mark, and only four are even over 40 minutes long, when ~45 minutes is about the episode standard for this genre. (For comparison, every Untamed episode at least 42 minutes long.) I think it's important to realize just how much actual connective tissue got removed, way more than just individual censored shots or single redubbed lines.

And speaking of redubbed lines, the last episode of this show contains possibly the funniest NO HOMO in BL history. You have to see it to believe it -- or, rather, to not believe it, because the first time I watched, I didn't even understand what the hell the show was implying. I'll say no more.

Where to watch it!

I hope I've convinced you to at least give it a try! It's not a perfect show by any means, but it's a show with many good elements, and if you can embrace what's there without getting too hung up on what's not, it's a pretty good time.

If you're up for it, you can find it on this YouTube playlist -- though be prepared that it often mutes the opening music. It's also available on Viki (with ads, but less muting).

Just look at those precious, pinchable cheeks. Adorable.

#a league of nobleman #a league of boyfriends #君子盟 #rec post #i made this

[hephaestuscrew]

I'm a big fan of the way that Gabriel Urbina often includes details within the Wolf 359 scripts that can't be directly translated into audio, for example: the "tears silently streaming down [Minkowski's] face" in Ep31 Securité; Eiffel being "wrapped up in a blanket" when telling Lovelace about his traumatic experience of feeling like he was turning into Minkowski in Ep32 Controlled Demolition; the way "Hera and Eiffel stand together, his arm around her shoulder" when confronting Pryce in the finale; the idea that Eiffel "salutes" Minkowski after his speech to her before the memory wipe... These details make reading the scripts an even more rewarding experience. 

But I do think there's an interesting question here about to what extent these details are canon. After all, when changes have been made in the dialogue between the script and the final recording, I only consider the dialogue that actually ended up in the episode to be canon, although the version in the script might still provide interesting insights. But with details in the scripts that are inherently not audible - and therefore never intended to be literally included in the episode itself - should we consider them to be canon, or bonus content, or Word of God, or simply a tool used in the recording process? 

I know that it is possible to have an entirely full experience of the show without ever reading a single bit of the scripts. The scripts are placed in the 'Extras' area of the show website. 

Obviously the primary purpose of the non-auditory script details is to inform the actors in their performances, and perhaps provide some considerations for sound design. When I read the scripts, I can often feel how the non-auditory script directions are reflected in the feel of the voice acting. 

But once I've noticed these script directions, I also can't help having them feed into my experience of the scene when listening, in a way that enriches the experience beyond purely the audio, and informs my understanding of these moments. The script directions tell us more about what the writer was envisioning for a scene.

I love sharing the script directions that feel significant to me, and when I do so, I feel like I'm sharing something more significant than a behind-the-scenes tidbit. I feel like I'm sharing further knowledge of what happened in that scene. The script directions feel like a true part of the show to me, more so than the comments the writers and actors have made in Q&As. To me, these non-auditory bits of the scripts feel like canon, but a slightly lesser form of canon than the episodes themselves. But I don't know if I can fully justify this view. I'd be interested to hear other people's thoughts.

#Wolf 359 #w359 #It's important to acknowledge that the lack of proper accurate transcripts is an accessibility issue #and I'm not dismissing that some people need the scripts to be able to experience the show for various reasons #but I'm kind of thinking about this as a separate question #Given that we do have recording scripts instead of transcripts #what is the relationship of those scripts to canon? #Does this question even matter and if so in what way? #Do any other podcasts have a similar situation with non-auditory moments in scripts? #The moments that I've picked out as examples are ones that I'd still enjoy if they were just headcanons #or comments Gabriel had made in another context #but they feel more significant because they are in the script #I think about the tears silently streaming down Minkowski's face constantly #the empty man posteth

[mirai-e-jump]

Beautiful Catalog Vol.1 ft. Kamen Rider Ryuki Cast Members Suga, Matsuda, Hagino and Ryohei Interviews & Photoshoot (pages and translations below)

Publication: December 16, 2002

Takamasa Suga (Ryuki) Interview

"We're enchanted by his soft and gentle smile~❤️❤️❤️. Maybe it's because he plays the role of a handsome man (?), but the image of Shinji Kido, played by Takamasa Suga-san in "Kamen Rider Ryuki" makes us feel relaxed when we see Suga-san~❤️❤️❤️. Shinji seems like an honest and hardworking guy, but we wonder, what does he and Suga-san have in common?"

Suga: For one thing, when I think like this, I really get into him, which I guess is all that there is? There are many things I can learn from him. Hmmm~, the same goes for his honesty, and also for his strength.

"Suga-san is also very laid back, yet he seems to have a strong core ❤️. You originally took lessons at a training school to become an actor, right?"

Suga: I've always loved and admired movies. When I was 18, I saw Iwai Shunji-san's movie "Swallowtail" in theaters, and when it was over, I was really shaken up. For awhile, I was in agony over what this feeling was. As time went on, it became clear to me that I wanted to express myself on that screen, and so I entered a training school to study acting. But, it wasn't interesting at all (laughs). I spent about a year wondering if this was the kind of expression I wanted to express. One day, I was sent to a movie set as an extra. I quit the training school because I realized that important things can only be learned on site.

"And? And? What happened after that????"

Suga: I had some free time, so I was given the opportunity to perform on stage. It was right around the time that I was introduced to my current agency, so that's how I ended up here (laughs).

"What was it like auditioning for Ryuki?"

Suga: I just wanted a job. I felt like I was grasping at straws. I was approached by my agency and accepted, but at first, Kamen Rider didn't really sound appealing (laughs).

"Eh~?! When you were a child, weren't there any heroes you admired?"

Suga: I only watched baseball, so I don't remember watching shows like that. I was a (Yomiuri) Giants fan, and it was around the time that (Masumi) Kuwata made his debut, so I think I remember saying, "Kuwata is the future!" (laughs)

"We wonder, what was Suga-san like as a child~?"

Suga: I was mischievous. My family owned a sushi restaurant, and I was always running around the store (laughs). There were many shops in the neighborhood. There was a grocery store next door, a soba noodle shop across the street, and a Chinese restaurant next door, as well as others. It gave off a downtown kind of atmosphere, you know?

"If you were to start a family, what kind of father would you want to be???"

Suga: In my family, both of my parents worked at the restaurant, so we rarely went anywhere as a family. That's why I hope I can create an environment where we can be together.

"Would you participate in the housework?"

Suga: I'll leave the housework to them!

"Would you cook?"

Suga: I don't do it.

"Cleaning?"

Suga: Not at all (laughs).

"Laundry?"

Suga: Well, when the time comes (laughs).

"I see. If it were Suga-san, I'd do anything for him ❤️. However, Suga-san is very fashionable and has a serious image, doesn't he? The outfits for this gravure photo shoot were also Suga-san's personal clothes, and even during talk shows, he wore a turban and a red western hat as his personality shines through⭐. Where do you find these Western styled clothes?

Suga: I'll wonder around Daikanyama, Harajuku, and Aoyama, and think things like, "Ah, I found something!" I don't decide what I'm going to buy today, I just go out on a whim and buy what I think looks nice. I'm not particular about brands either.

"Do you have any fashion references?"

Suga: There's nothing in particular. However, I do read fashion magazines. There's also alot of women's magazines, such as "Figaro," "Vogue," and "High Fashion"……I like women's fashion. The shapes and styles are beautiful.

"I see. The secret of Suga-san's cuteness may be because of the fact that he's honestly attracted to what suits his sense of style. His face is as beautiful as any girl's ❤️. I like girls who wear this kind of fashion when I walk with them! I wonder if he has any particular fashion preferences?"

Suga: That's not really true. I tend to dress up in various styles. But, I like girls who dress up and take care of their appearance. I think that's definitely more attractive as a woman.

"Well, who's your favorite actress?"

Suga: It's Kuroki Hitomi-san! My family loved Takarazuka Revue, and I thought she was beautiful from her Takarazuka days. I still admire her. She's both elegant and attractive, isn't she?

"I see, so older women are okay ❤️. I'm sure there are many mother fans whose maternal instincts are tickled by Suga-san, do you have any message for them?"

Suga: Please take care of your children! There's no exceptions (laughs). I think that Ryuki depicts a world that's truly profound even for adults, so please be sure to look at the content carefully.

"The show is coming to an end and the Riders are fighting a brutal battle. If it were Suga-san, what reasons would you have for fighting?"

Suga: Hmm, when I listen to the other Rider's reasons for fighting, I nod in agreement. It's a reason that only that person has. I think that's the theme of Ryuki as well. It's not about what's right and what's wrong, but since there's many different Riders, I think I've also asked questions like, "What is justice?"

"For example, would you fight for your family?"

Suga: I think so, if it were for family……I think I'd fight for someone I care about and want to care for.

"We know you're extremely busy right now, but what do you plan on doing after Ryuki is over?"

Suga: I'd like to try designing clothes. Also, I'm thinking of going to learn Japanese dance. After that, I'd like to get a license for a large motorcycle. There are so many things I want to do…..

"Finally, some words for the fans!"

Suga: I always do things at my own pace like this, so please continue to support me!

"Of course~ I hope you'll keep being Suga-san, and continue to move forward without losing that current freshness!"

Satoshi Matsuda (Knight) Interview

"A sharp gaze, and a tight body reminiscent of a wild beast. Satoshi Matsuda-san has a cool, wild, and mysterious feel to him, just like the image of Akiyama Ren (Knight) who he plays in "Kamen Rider Ryuki." However, he keeps quiet (laughs). When the hair and makeup artist said to him while setting his hair, "You have more than one whirlpool, don't you?" he responded with, "The official record is five." He also has an outstanding talent for winning the hearts of those around him! And when he smiles, it's so cute, your eyes will become dizzy~💙💙💙. There seems to be quite a gap between Matsuda-kun and Ren's character, but the actor himself feels no discomfort at all. He's an actor 💙. But still, it's tough having so much work, isn't it?"

Matsuda: I think one Kamen Rider is tougher on a schedule than having multiple jobs (laughs). Filming for the final scene of the movie version took a full 24 hours, starting at 6 a.m. and ending at 6 a.m. the next morning. After that, we were taken to a hotel, slept for 20 minutes, and then started filming for the TV version at 7 a.m. Filming would continue until 5 p.m. It really made me think that I was going to die (laughs).

"Normally, Matsuda-san is said to be the mood maker on set, and yet he was in such low spirits?"

Matsuda: No, I was in really high spirits. I was just going with the flow. I would fall asleep while in a standing position and wake up to the sound of "Test!" (laughs).

"Such a hard year is finally coming to an end, and we wonder what the end of Ryuki will be like~"

Matsuda: We don't even know if Ren will survive or die. But, even if the name of the show was "Kamen Rider Knight," I want to make sure that the story comes to an end, and I want to do my best to finish the story as Akiyama Ren.

"Despite his tough schedule, he made his debut as a singer with the maxi single "DISTANCE" on December 4!"

Matsuda: I was originally scouted as a singer. After 3 years, I was able to release a song with confidence. And, I think I did a great job~. We recorded 3 songs in 3 days, but we had to shoot Ryuki in the mornings, and the second day's shooting in particular was the scene where Knight screams in agony (laughs). There are no singers like that. Everyone was telling me to take care of my throat and use a humidifier instead of a heater (laughs). On top of all that, I couldn't even eat. I was told that if I put solid food down my throat, it would make my voice noisy, so I wasn't allowed to eat within 2 hours of it. I got through it with things like jelly drinks.

"Oh no~, you poor thing~!"

Matsuda: There's a bonus video on the CD that includes an interview with Manager Kawaguchi right after we finished recording the 3 songs. I was so careless with my manager that I was already dizzy. Since I was dealing with my manager, I let my guard down, so I was alittle unsteady~. I don't think you'll ever see such a burnt out look anywhere else, so it's quite a privilege (laughs).

"You released your personal DVD & Video "Colors" at the same time as the CD~. It also includes footage from the recording process. If you want to see Matsuda-san's true face, then there's his column "Matsuda Lab," which is currently being published on his website. It's a collection of hilarious and interesting writings, which set him apart from the plain diaries that are found on other talent's websites."

Matsuda: It's just for fun (laughs). When people who only know me as Akiyama Ren saw Matsuda Lab for the first time, they were shocked, and I still get emails saying, "I was surprised."

"It's certainly a surprising true face, and it's completely exposed. Apparently, he now types it on his computer, but before that, he'd write it on manuscript paper and have it retyped."

Matsuda: I would get very angry if I got even one punctuation mark wrong, so the person typing was very nervous (laughs).

"You pay attention to every detail 💙. If you join the fan club, you'll be able to see more in depth (?) columns and special videos. I'm curious. We heard that you used to always respond to fan letters and e-mails, but the support of your fans is a source of energy, right?"

Matsuda: Energy's also a big part of it, so I'd like to know what you are looking for from Satoshi Matsuda. There's another "me" who's controlling "Satoshi Matsuda," and he wants to know your opinions (laugh). These days, I don't have much time to reply, but I do read all the letters and e-mails.

"I think there are alot of fans who are older than you, but how old would your lover be?"

Matsuda: It doesn't matter if they're 30 or 35 years old. My grandmother is eight or nine years older than my grandfather, and because of that, every couple in my family has an older female member. I'm not particular about it either.

"Well then~💙. So, have you ever thought about what kind of family you want to have?"

Matsuda: I don't really feel like it. But, there are moments where I'd like to get married. I like seeing happy families at events. And yet, I can't imagine myself as a father. I wonder what it'd be like to become a second generation, when I myself haven't mastered anything yet.

"I think you're abit like Ren in that he's stoic 💙. When you were a child, who was the hero that you idolized?"

Matsuda: Hmmm, there was no one there. I was just a kid who fished outside all the time.

"Your hobby is still fishing, right~?"

Matsuda: To be honest, I want to hide a fishing rod with me on set. If they found out, they'll probably say, "Are you serious?!," but it's frustrating when filming finishes first thing in the morning and there's a good fishing spot right over there. But, my rod is long and stands out. It's a 50,000* yen rod with a reel that costs 40,000-50,000 yen, so it feels like a professional grade weapon for catching fish (laughs). (*over $300)

"He specializes in black bass, with his largest official record being 52cm (20.5in)! Ama~zing! When I asked him to give a final message for the fans, he thought for a moment before answering with……"

Matsuda: Some people seem to think that singing is a side job, but I'm doing my best in singing as well. I can't say which is most important, acting or singing. I hope that people will watch and listen to my performances and judge them for themselves.

"Never cutting corners! So cool~💙💙💙. What else would you like to do in the future?"

Matsuda: I'd like to try radio. With the same spirit as Matsuda Lab.

"We're sure it'll be fun! We'll warmly welcome your efforts that make use of your unique character, and of course, your looks 💙."

Takashi Hagino (Ouja) Interview

"His eyes, with their intense shine, are truly those of Ouja! Once you've caught a glimpse of him with those eyes, you'll be captivated~💜💜💜. Takashi Hagino-san starred as Akira Suzumura in the cult classic show "Choukou Senshi Changerion," and also appeared in "Kamen Rider Ryuki," which was produced by the same Producer, as Takeshi Asakura. His blonde hair matches the mood of his role, and with a leopard print shirt, and slim black pants……it's too intense, isn't it scary?"

Hagino: It's really scary. Nah, I'm kidding, I don't actually know (laughs). I don't mind if people think I'm scary.

"He has the sex appeal of a man, but also has the innocent smile of a boy~💜💜💜. That's how he attacks when his prey is distracted~ (laughs). We wonder if Asakura, a brutal murderer and escaped prisoner, has anything in common with Hagino-san."

Hagino: I think there's some. When you've been doing it for a long time, you become influenced by the role you play. When I'm tired, I'm like, "I'm irritated!" (laughs).

"There it is! Asakura's famous line (?), "I'm irritated!" How does it feel to play such an intense role?"

Hagino: Regardless, it's alot of fun. It's not a role I get to play very often, so I want to enjoy it even more until the end. I don't want to relax in my private life right now, rather, I want to finish the story in the same way that I've been doing it so far. I want to keep the tension, and perform with a sense of urgency. In the meantime, I try to watch the news and live a normal life.

"I guess you could say you've broke new ground as an actor, huh~?"

Hagino: As a job, I was enthusiastic and thought, "Let's do this!" But it was my first time playing such a role, and I didn't have any hesitations about how I was going to do such an amazing role, but strangely enough, I was able to play it quite naturally from the first day. So I'm not sure I can call it breaking new grounds.

"That's true, your performance suggests that you've had plenty of experience. Given your career, we wonder, are you like the older brother on set?"

Hagino: Until now, I've often worked on set with senior actors, and there weren't many people younger than me. That's why it was interesting to see where I stood on set this time around. Suga-kun and Matsuda-kun are really good kids, and I've become inspired by the younger people. I've learned alot from their youthful energy and the way they use it. In my role, I often interact with Ryohei-kun, who's the same age as me, so we have alot of fun together.

"As a fan, it's very moving to see Hagino-san, who used to play the role of Akira Suzumura with all his heart, grow like a snake, shedding its skin, and happily playing the role of Takeshi Asakura. What has the reaction from viewers been like?"

Hagino: There was an episode called "The Girl and Ouja," and since then, I've been getting an incredible amount of fan letters. Until then, I had received letters from people who said they liked, "scary things" and "bad guys" in a cult like way, but when they said, "I saw a different side of him, even though he is a bad guy," the number of letters increased rapidly.

"So, what kind of hero did Hagino-san himself admire during his childhood?"

Hagino: There was no one in particular, but I think I had a desire to become a hero. When I was a child, I genuinely thought that helping the weak was heroic, and I admired it. Doing things like helping girls even if they're elementary school students. In my role now however, I bully girls (laughs).

"Even so, for some reason, Hagino-san always plays "unusual" heroes, right? He's so handsome, that maybe he plays untraditional heros without any complaints?!"

Hagino: I think the roles I've been given to play are wonderful. Both Akira Suzumura and Takeshi Asakura are honest with themselves. I'm not saying that heroes need to be honest, but I think that it's very important. There's something in me that's attracted to that part.

"We wonder what kind of child Hagino-san was~?"

Hagino: I was naughty. But, I studied for entrance exams and went to cram school (laughs). I liked being called "boy." There are pictures of me studying until midnight, and of going to school with dark circles under my eyes. I'd get so excited when it came to studying, that I'd suddenly realize it was 2 a.m. (laughs). I was like, hey, I'm pretty amazing. I liked doing those kinds of things (laughs).

"Kya~! That's just like Hagino-san 💜. What kind of father do you think you'd be if you had children?"

Hagino: I can only imagine, but I think I'd really love it. After work, I'd feel like going home right away.

"Would you let your own child watch Ryuki?"

Hagino: That's……They can watch it, because it's their own father (laughs). If they complain, I'll just slap them. I'm just kidding about that last part (laughs).

"By the way, you also tried your hand at singing for the first time with the CD, "Kamen Rider Ryuki Song Collection", right?"

Hagino: It was alot of fun! I was able to experience recording for the first time in my life, so I was very satisfied with it (laughs). The voice training and the production process were also interesting. Also, I was really nervous. The engineers and everyone else were professionals, so I knew I had to do it right. But, I'm not a professional singer, so I had no choice but to do the best I could, but when I actually tried it, it was alot of fun.

"Does this mean, you'll debut as a full fledged singer?!"

Hagino: It's not like I said to myself, "I want to be a singer!," but it was an experience that I'd like to do again if I get the chance.

"As expected, you'll continue to focus mostly on acting in the future, right?"

Hagino: That's right. I want to play various roles in various situations. I want to play roles that I've never played before, and I want to play roles that I have played before.

"I see. If the current Hagino-san were to play Akira Suzumura, I'm sure we'd see a new side to him. Now then, some final words to the fans!"

Hagino: As long as you enjoy it, that's the most important thing. I'll do my best, so I hope everyone enjoys watching.

"We had a great time during the interview with him, with his skillful storytelling and sexy beams bursting 💜. We hope he'll continue to entertain us more and more as an actor and singer (?)~💜💜💜.

Ryohei (Zolda) Interview

"Kya~! He's sooo~ tall~! Furthermore, his handsome and chiseled face is so cool that it makes us dizzy~. That's because Ryohei-san, who plays the role of Shuichi Kitaoka, a talented lawyer known as Zolda in "Kamen Rider Ryuki," is an active fashion model with a career spanning about 7 years~💚."

Ryohei: In the modeling world, there are people taller than me, but in the entertainment world, I'd say there's only Abe Hiroshi-san (laughs). I don't mind it anymore, but I used to have a complex about it.

"He has long, slender legs, which we think is one of his charming points. Although he has experience from appearing in commercials, this is his first real acting job!"

Ryohei: I've always liked Kamen Rider and other heroic show, and when I was a child, I would wrap myself up in the curtains around my house and say, "Henshin!" That's why I was genuinely happy. You'd never think that you can become a hero, or that you yourself can transform, right?! When I got the role, I was just so happy, that I couldn't stop cackling.

"When he's silent, he looks just like Kitaoka, cool and mature, but when he speaks, he gives off a playful, boyish look that's very cute~💚💚💚. But, you couldn't "cackle" once filming started, could you?"

Ryohei: I think that acting is the same whether it's a regular drama or a tokusatsu production, the creators are always on site, and they're always trying to produce high quality work, so you can't go to a production site just to have fun. There was such a sense of urgency on set, that I felt my back tense up.

"Your schedule was tough, wasn't it~?."

Ryohei: There were times when I didn't perform, so it wasn't that tough. It was a relief for me since I had no experience in acting, but still, I was always nervous whenever I entered the set (laugh). If I go in every day, I can stay in the mode of my role for a long time, but after a 2 week gap, I'm back to my normal self. It was quite difficult to get back into the role. I also tried to imagine how Kitaoka would spend his time off screen.

"What are some similarities and differences between Ryohei-san and the lawyer Kitaoka?"

Ryohei: The movements and gestures are as close to mine as possible. I don't usually talk like him though (laughs). When I first received the script, I thought he was a lawyer, had money, and was a slick guy who could do anything. I hadn't heard that he was suffering from a disease, so I wanted to make him come off as arrogant, obnoxious and unpleasant.

"I see. Kitaoka, a confident man who carries the shadow of his illness, is attractive, but Ryohei-san, who is friendly and talks about many things, is also wonderful~💚. Did you ever feel confused on set?"

Ryohei: To be honest, I never ever knew what to ask. I saw various cast members coming in later and asking the Director questions about things they didn't understand, and that's when I realized that it was okay to ask questions. Since then, whenever I have a question or an opinion like, "Isn't it better to do something like this?," I'll say it as much as I can.

"The setting is that, "Riders are fighting each other!" There are alot of different actors in the show, which is interesting as a viewer, but isn't it also exciting when on set?"

Ryohei: Even though they're younger than me, there are some people who are my seniors when it comes to acting. There's so many different styles and personalities, and it's both instructive and stimulating. I realized again how interesting acting is, and I also realized how difficult it is. It's so deep that when you look up, there's no end to it. I always try not to make mistakes the next time, but when filming finishes, I find myself regretting something again, and the cycle repeats itself. But, I wonder if it'd be bad if that stopped.

"I wonder, what's the difference between modeling work and acting? When I looked at the gravure photoshoot earlier, I saw that your poses and facial expressions were so perfect, and I felt that this is what you'd expect from model!💚💚💚"

Ryohei: It's been a long time since I've done a gravure shoot, so it felt really good. Modeling is all about having fun in the moment. Once I enter the studio, I look at the atmosphere, the photographer's personality, and the clothes they're wearing, and I instantly think about how I want to act. It's an instantaneous decision. As an actor, you spend alot more time developing your character, so it's a great feeling of fulfillment after you're done. There's differences between the two, kind of like short distance running and long distance running, but the sense of accomplishment is the same and both are enjoyable.

"When it comes to future activities, we wonder, what are you thinking about~?"

Ryohei: Regarding roles, I'd like to play a variety of roles without refusing any that are presented to me. It could be a murderer or a comedian. I think that my current popularity was gained as a result of the popularity of tokusatsu, and not because of my ability. From now on, I want to work on closing the gap that has opened between my popularity and my ability. I don't want to let down my fans, so I want to do various things to improve my skills, and I want to acquire as many things as possible as an actor. In that sense, I'm very "hungry."

"Kya~! (starts clapping) Now that I think about it, Ryohei-san also has experience as a salaryman. Now that he's had alot of experience, his words carry alot of weight to them, anyway, tell us about the type of woman you like and your views on marriage~!!!"

Ryohei: I don't have a specific type, but my type is the person I'll fall in love with (laughs). Marriage is about your partner, so I hope to meet someone who has similar values to mine.

"We're curious, in Ryuki, what's going on with the relationship between lawyer Kitaoka and his male secretary Goro-chan?"

Ryohei: It's a mystery, isn't it? (laughs). Since we don't see much of Kitaoka's private living space, we can only imagine how they live together. Personally, I think that maybe Goro-chan is a live in worker, and that they each have separate rooms and are living a normal life.

"With some mysteries remaining (laughs), Ryuki is finally coming to an end, huh?"

Ryohei: I don't know how things will turn out myself, but please look forward to more drama towards the conclusion, as well as the future of Shuichi Kitaoka and the Kitaoka Law Office!

"We're really looking forward to what Ryohei-san will do after he plays Kitaoka~💚💚💚."

#kamen rider ryuki #kamen rider #my scans #my translation #beautiful catalog #kido shinji #shinji kido #akiyama ren #ren akiyama #asakura takeshi #takeshi asakura #shuichi kitaoka #kitaoka shuichi #toku cast #tokusatsu #kr ryuki #changerion #takamasa suga #takashi hagino #matsuda satoshi #obsessed interviewer my beloved (me too) #it only took a week of procrastinating to type out ryohei's #rewatching old sentai/rider is dangerous...

[natsgrave]

IN THE NEXT LIFETIME | natasha romanoff

But in those photos, I saw us instead and, somehow, I know that you and I would've found each other in another life. You still would've turned my head even if we'd met. You're always gonna be mine, we're gonna be timeless. → warnings: mention of blood and shooting. ( kinda cheating as well ) ps; some tenses may be wrong and i'm so sorry for that. again, english is not my first language so excuse my poor grammar and writing style. but i do hope you enjoy this story of mine! ( song inspired. the song is made by Ben&Ben ) i do not give permission for my work to be copied or translated on other sites. plagiarism is a crime! masterlist

I'm Y/N Y/L/N also known as the perfect daughter of the General in the Philippines. But let me tell you a secret, I like girls and no one knows. not even my parents because as their daughter, I need to live with their expectations. not just for them but also for the public, I need to protect our family name and reputation.

While I'm reading a book there's a knock in my door that caught my attention. I shouted a "come in" and when the door opens, it revealed my father with a wide smile.

"Someone looks happy," I pointed out and he laughs before sitting beside my bed. I fixed myself and lean my back at the headboard.

"I have something to tell you, a good news." He said, "Really?" I said with a smile and he nods.

"Well, you know the son of General Rogers in America?" Father asked and I nod, "Both of you are getting married." He finishes and I felt my world crashed.

Not only because I'm getting married to a man but also because I'm getting married to someone I don't even know.

"They'll be coming here to prepare for the wedding in a few weeks." He added snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Wait, that soon!? I don't even get a chance to know him, to bond with him then all of a sudden we're getting married?" I said seriously.

"Don't worry, daughter. We just gonna prepare for it but you still have 2 months to know each other," He said and kissed my forehead, "I'll leave you now, I have something to do." And with that he left my room without saying another word.

I closed my already forgotten book harshly. I was so shocked by the news that I stayed at my place without doing anything. What the fuck just happened?

Now, that was 2 weeks ago. And today, here we are greeting the Rogers family.

"General Rogers, it was nice to finally see you again." My father said with a smile which Mr. Rogers returned.

"It was nice to see you too again, General Y/LN. This is my son, Steve Rogers." He introduced the guy standing beside him.

He's tall, muscular, and let's say he's handsome but that doesn't change the fact that I like women and not guys.

"Well, it's nice to finally meet you, Steve. This is my daughter, Y/N." Father said and pulled me beside him. I put a fake smile and extend my hand, "Hi, it's nice to meet you." Steve gladly accepted my hand with a smile on his face, "You look gorgeous, miss Y/LN." He said and if I can just say it out loud, I'd totally tell him that it cringes me.

"Thankyou, Steve. You don't look bad yourself." I complimented back and we stayed silent just looking at each other's eyes.

"Come on in, let's talk about the wedding." Father said breaking our eye contact and I extracted my hand from him.

Few hours later, and here they are, still talking about the wedding and let me tell you, it's boring as fuck and I don't know how Steve can be so interested in this. I excuse myself and walked to the garden seeing a redhead standing alone.

"Hey," I said making my presence know, she turned around and when she saw me she bows a little before looking at me with a small smile.

"When did you get here?" I asked as I stand beside her.

"Along with the Rogers family, miss Y/LN." She respectfully said and I chuckled making her look at me confused, "Why are you laughing?" The woman asked and I shook my head. "Nothing, and please call me Y/N." I said and she smiled before walking around the garden.

"What's your name by the way? and are you Steve's sister?" I asked looking at her while following.

"I'm Natasha and no, I'm not her sister. I'm... their maid." She said whispering the last part.

"Hey, don't be ashamed. Being maid is nothing to be ashamed of, it's a decent job." I said causing her to smiled at me widely. "Thankyou."

The day continues and we're getting to know eachother, she have a sister and her name was Yelena. Her parents name was Melina and Alexei. Talking to her was comfortable and there's no awkward space between us like we've known each other for so long.

Her laugh is so good to my ears, her eyes that I can look forever along with her smile that made me feel weird things. As the day comes to an end, she excuse herself to do her job. She goes first before I followed few minutes after.

"Where have you been?" Father asked once they saw me entered the dining room.

"Just walking around the garden. I'm sorry, got lost track of time." I said and sat down noticing Natasha standing on the other side along with the other maids. I sent her a smile which she returned.

"How's your day everyone?" I asked while the maids do their job, serving us.

"It's good, but it'll be much better if you're there with us to organize the plans." Steve said with a smile which I return.

We continue the night talking about what they want and plans while I kept stealing glances at Natasha. When she caught me sometimes, I'll just send her a smile which gladly, she returns.

As the days goes by, I've been learning more and more about Natasha. we're hanging out more than we should have. more than me and Steve would probably talk.

Everyday, I tried to act enthusiastically in front of everyone until I got tired and go to my spot, where I met Natasha for the first time. It becomes our spot.

Until there's this night that I realized, I fell inlove. with her. It maybe be risky but that's what I feel and I decided to face it.

"Steve?" I called out for him.

"Yes, Y/N?" He asked and gave me his full attention.

"Can I borrow Natasha? I need to talk to her." I said and he furrowed his eyebrows. "Did she do something?" Steve asked and ready to go out and find Natasha.

This is also the thing that I've learned from him, he's nice, caring, and sweet. Steve Rogers is a very good man. A gentleman and thoughtful. He is every girl's dream boy but not me.

I stopped him, "Steve, no, she didn't do anything. I just needed to talk to her." I calmed him down, "Are you sure?" he asked and I simply nodded.

He gave me a warm smile before letting me find Natasha. I went to her room and knocked for a couple of times before hearing a foot steps followed by the door opening revealing the newly woke up girl.

"Hey, I'm sorry, did I wake you up? I can go if you want." I said and ready to leave when she stopped me. "No, it's okay. Please, come in." She said yawning before stepping aside.

"I have something to tell you." I told her seriously sitting at the edge of her bed.

"Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry, please don't tell them to fired me." Natasha begged and kneel in front of me.

"Hey, no, please listen to me first." I said and pulled her to sit beside me.

I lift her chin and wiped the tears that fell into her beautiful face. She looks at me in the eyes and I swear to every guardian, I'm falling for her even more without her doing anything.

"I like you." I suddenly blurted out. My eyes widen and she looks at me shocked.

"I- uh, what?" She asked can't comprehend what I just confessed.

Fuck! now or never?

I took a deep breath before holding her hands, "I like you. I realized that I fell for you already and I just, I can't hide it. I like you and I don't care if you like me too or not. I just like you." I confess.

She smiled at me with a blush on her face, "I-I like you too," Natasha confessed and it makes me smile widely. "Really?" She nods and I hugged her tight.

"Oh my god, this is definitely one of the happiest moment in my life." I said making her giggle. "Me too, Y/N. Me too."

After that night, we now always keep stealing glances at eachother. We keep our relationship a secret for obvious reasons. We would sneak out late at night to each other's room and come back soon before the others woke up.

Then, this night comes. The night before the wedding, everyone was here. My father and Steve's family's friends. All of them are having fun while all I want is this night to end and be on Natasha's arms.

We dance around, talk, and laugh while I felt two pair of eyes watching me. I look around and found Natasha looking at me. I gave her a smile and mouthed 'I love you' which she replied with 'I love you too'

We continued the night until this one soldier came to my father and whispered something to him changing his all happy demeanour to anger.

He left the room and I excuse myself following him behind. I saw him went to the garden and found Natasha was there also. I stayed behind waiting what he's going to do until I saw him pulled his gun out and pointed it to Natasha.

Before he can pull the trigger, I put myself between them catching and feeling the bullet goes to my back. Natasha turned around and saw me, she instantly smile but fades away when I collapsed in her.

"Oh my god, Y/N? Are you okay? What's going on?" She asked panicking and saw blood comes out to my mouth, "Y/N?" Natasha looked up and saw my father holding a gun. "Shit, Y/N? Don't close your eyes, please." She said and tears start to form on her eyes, the people started to fill in and saw the situation.

"What happened?" Steve asked and sat beside me, "Natasha? what happened?"

"I-I don't know, she just- her father," She said unable to speak straight without being interrupted by her tears.

"It supposed to be you! You're supposed to be the one who's laying down there right now!" I heard my father shout, "you- you're having an affair with my daughter!"

Steve looked at her with a mad expression while she focused her attention to me, Steve was about to say something when I beat him to it.

"Please, don't blame her on anything. I confessed first, I did this because I want this. I'm sorry Steve but I never loved you, I-I just don't want to disappoint my father that's why I said yes to this," I stopped catching my breath, "Let her live. Let her be with her family, please, for me." I said as tears start to come out.

"Please," I whispered and he nods, I look at Natasha and smiled weakly, "I love you, always and forever. Meet me in another life, my love." I felt my eyelids starting to feel heavy while they were begging to keep my eyes open, there was screaming, crying, and all.

"Please, don't leave me, I love you!" I heard Natasha until all I heard is nothing but silence.

Few months after, everyone's been moving on with their lives. It's hard for them especially your parents but it's harder for Natasha. You showed her the love she deserves, you loved her for who she is, and didn't leave her side until the end.

When she lost you, she also lost her life. Her motivation to live and not even her family can make her happy anymore. She can't find any color to her life now that you're gone. She barely eats and go out to her room, all she do is to think about you, cry and grieve for you.

Thinking, what her life would be if you're still together and building your dreams for each other. Slowly, she's starting to feel ill and don't want to drink any medicine or to be better. She wants to be with you and if this is the only way, then so fucking be it. ---

"That's the story of them, they both died in the end," The tourist guy said, "You may continue your journey now, thankyou for listening."

"Wow, that was something." The girl said and continue walking around the museum until one painting caught up her attention.

A painting of a woman holding a book. The woman of the guy's story, the woman who looked exactly like her but she's sure that they are not related.

She took a better look at the painting and saw the notebook in the painting has a page indicated to it. Page 28.

After a few strolls, she couldn't take away her mind from the painting. She went to the nearest coffee shop and start to do a research.

'Y/N Y/LN daughter of General Y/LN of the Philippines.'

They even have the same name, she looked for some more and came across an article that says about the love life of the woman in the painting. An image is attached to the article. It was a part of the notebook and it was on page 28.

"I don’t know how it is you are so familiar to me or why it feels less like I am getting to know you and more as though I am remembering who you are. How every smile, every whisper brings me closer to the impossible conclusion that I have known you before, I have loved you before– in another time, a different place– some other existence.”  - Lang Leav

She read it out loud and felt something weird in her heart. The woman started to think that she and the woman in the painting are the same person. She looks back at the article and scrolls down some more and saw a painting of a woman with red hair holding the same notebook and indicates the page 31.

“It feels bittersweet to love you, as though time has already run its ruinous path and everything good is over before it begins. It feels perilous to love you, like a dust scorn swallowing up the sky or a comet skimming the stratosphere. But it is an honour to love you. Like the snow drifts giving way to spring, I will hold you for as long as I can.”

She lean back to her chair and let all the information sinks in. She looks at her watch and didn't even realise she was late for her errands today. She quickly fixes her things and practically ran out of the coffee shop but then she bumped into someone and spill the coffee that is left.

"Holy shit, I'm so sorry. Please, forgive me, I'm really sorry," She begins to apologize, then looked up and she was shocked. It was the same woman at the picture with red hair but now she's blonde.

She shakes out her thoughts and apologize one more time, "I'm sorry, miss. I didn't mean to."

"It's okay, don't worry I have a spare in my car. What's your name pretty lady?" The woman asked making her blush.

"Y/N miss—" She stopped and look at her waiting for the name.

"I'm Scarlett." The woman extend her hand which she gladly accept and shakes it. "Nice to meet you, Scarlett."

"You too, Y/N..." She stopped, her words trailing and looked at Y/N trying to figure out something.

"Do I have dirt on my face?" Y/N asked and touched her face.

Scarlett shakes her head before speaking, "Do I know you? I feel like I met you before."

"We haven't met ever Scarlett like ever." Y/N replied with small never hand gestures making Scarlett giggle.

"What about we get to know each other? Could I ask you to join me for a coffee? Even I know you just had one." Scarlett offered.

"It's okay, I don't want to intrude your me time, Scarlett." Y/N declined.

"Come on, please. It's the least thing you can do for spilling your coffee all over me." Scarlett said with a bright smile.

"Fine." Y/N said with a sigh and playfully rolled her eyes. Fuck errands.

"Let's go!" Scarlett cheerfully said.

The lovers succeed in what they want. They promised that they will meet in another life and they did. In this lifetime, the lovers will start over again. No more secrets. No more expectations from others. Just two of them in each other's arms.

Their love was a burning fire that never extinguished. They said forever till the end and indeed they were forever until death and after it.

Even through all those hardships and obstacles, they were guided by god to each other once again.

#female reader #lesbian #wlw #imagine #oneshot #x reader #angst #black widow #natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff angst #natasha romanov #natasha x reader #natasha x you #natalia romanova #black widow x reader #scarlett johansson #natasha romanoff imagine #sapphic #lesbian pride #wlw love #wlw post #mcu #marvel mcu #mcu fanfiction #marvel #marvel cinematic universe #natasha #fanfiction #fanfic #natsgrave