#which is turning the show into my own personal comedy of errors so unfortunately for everyone it's incorrect quote time again 😂💖 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

miraculouscontent · 3 years

Text

(miraculous asks)

Anonymous said:

Oh My Gosh!!!! I was just thinking about Party Crasher and man I hate how they had Ladybug get captured for the men to save! It's a continuous thing you see in media: strong heroic woman gets put in peril so that the men can shine. I didn't even realize it until you said it! I get that it was probably meant to be a "role reversal" of Chat always getting kidnapped or brainwashed for Ladybug to save, but the fact that this is the "guys' episode" it read like "well damn, we can't have the guys be strong if a girl is in the way; let's have the girl get captured so the boys can prove their worth by rescuing her!".

At least in Sandboy, Ladybug was still competent and came up with the plans, but this?! It makes me sick, and it's all too easy to fall into these traps; even Kim Possible did it! In my magical girl story, the heroine does get put in a magical coma and require someone to bail her out, but it's her female friends AND her boyfriend who save her, so it's not just a girl being weakened so a boy can be powerful, especially since said boy actually does a minority of the work required to save her; the focus is on the female characters so it's her girl friends who do most of it. I still ended up scrapping that side plot anyway, and do you know why? Because regardless of who saved her, I still didn't want my female protagonist to be put in distress at all due to the unfortunate implications! Needing help in a fight? Sure. But outright being captured or kidnapped? Nah fam.

I was honestly thinking about that when the first episode came out. Like, they could’ve just had Marinette NOT SHOW UP in time so the guys take care of things, which at least gives more of a message that Paris wouldn’t go to hell just because Ladybug is a little late or something.

And yeah, the “boys squad episode so gotta toss the girl out” is... sigh.

Anonymous said:

I think the writers were trying to show Chat angsting to show his regret instead of an actual apology. Still doesn't explain why Aeon didn't bring up her death afterwards. Did Olympia delete that from her memory banks?

I guess? :|

I don’t know why Chat can’t just apologize without fishing or trying to earn sympathy. Like JUST SAY YOU’RE SORRY, DAMMIT.

Anonymous said:

If you haven't read Maribat, then you won't regret it. I am not in the DC universe but I started reading it and WOW. Literally every single time Marinette is a badass queen and gets her complete revenge and is actually happy! Even if you absolutely love Lukanette (which I have nothing against) you should totally try it.

Appreciate the comment, but I find it hard to ship other Marinette ships outside of Lukanette. Ivanette is a very loose exception and it’s not like I ship it hard or anything.

Anonymous said:

Despite not being a Lukanette shipper I love you. Why? Because you amazing, so right in literally everything and I love you <33

gkdfjgfdngjkfdg thank you

bat-anon said:

The NY Special made it so that Max is literally the only Black/Brown kid that doesn’t exist to make Love Square happen and that just makes me hate it even more.

I wish you didn’t make me have this realization because I hate it.

At least Delmar existed in the New York special???? I guess???? I dunno, I’m trying here, I don’t recall him doing anything love square centric.

Anonymous said:

I honestly don't mind Alix's outfit as Bunnix! I feel like it fits her, plus she's an adult so its not much of a problem, not saying it can't be improved however. I DO have issues with the designs for the underage girls outfits however....those are very sus

Yeah, the problem I take with Bunnyx’s is that it’s a bodysuit. If there was just more definition, like having actual boots, I wouldn’t complain as much.

Anonymous said:

I actually just really like the idea of the new bee being a genuinely nice person who becomes friends with Marinette. Not exactly close friends (since I like the idea of friendly working relationships without actual personal stakes in them). I also enjoy the idea of the new bee having some small animosity for Chat Noir- just because their personalities aren't the greatest mix. I also think that it would make sense for the miraculous of subjection to be at odds with the miraculous of destruction

Full agreement but we know how much the writers are resistant to have characters go against Chat.

Anonymous said:

Not gonna lie the scene where the girl squad gets akumatized almost makes it seem like they got akumatized on purpose, similar to Manon in Puppeteer 2(although she was a little kid who was probably just imagining she could enact revenge). And why can't they have a uniformed design, like they're a team but wear different colors, similar to the Sailor Senshi(like, Alya's the leader and wears orange, Rose wears pink, Alix wears green, Juleka wears purple, and Mylene wears yellow). It's so boring.

Mood.

Not to mention that WE ARE SO TIRED OF THEM GETTING AKUMATIZED INTO THE SAME AKUMA.

AT LEAST PALETTE SWAP THEM.

Anonymous said:

Relating to the Didn't Need Burrows and Treatment of Marinette bingo cards, have you considered making one for whenever the show fails at girl power? It could say things like "sexualized frames of teenage girls" "boy tells girl what to do" "girls don't get to keep Miraculouses", and "girls are forced to apologize whenever a situation goes wrong". And in the center, it could say "Don't show this to your daughter!"! Lol! What do you think?

lol I feel like I have enough cards, otherwise I would.

Anonymous said:

I saw another post that talked about Miraculous New York, and they theorized that it was rewritten to focus more on Marinette and Adrien in order to get viewers invested in the Love Square again after more people started to lose faith in the ship. Do you think that's a possibility?

I think so. The whole special comes off as trying to reassure love square shippers because of how hard it goes for him. I cut out Marinette’s crushing and it cuts like 18% from the episode, meaning it’s even worse than Season 3 (15%).

Anonymous said:

Maybe the point of the [break-up episodes] is meant to discourage people from shipping Lukanette and Adrigami too?

Spoiler alert: didn’t work.

Anonymous said:

Are we not gonna talk about how in one ask, somebody legit said "(long dreamy sigh) Viperion"? Like same.

RIGHT????

Same.

Anonymous said:

Ml fandom: I hate how Ladybug keeps secrets from Chat Noir! He sacrifices himself for her all the time and she never appreciates him for it! He has EVERY right to get mad at her!!

ML Fandom when Chat Noir does the same thing in the special: ....Wow Ladybug was way to harsh on Chat Noir!! She doesn’t appreciate him at all!! Shes so mean to him!

i hate it

Anonymous said:

Idk if it's just me, but a majority of the fandom is split in two; it's never one or the other "MARINETTE SUCKS AND IS A HORRIBLE PERSON GUARDIAN MARY SUE WHO SEXUALLY HARRASSES" or "ADRIEN SUCKS HE WAS NEVER ON MARINETTES SIDE" but im personally on the latter, but not to that extreme. i hate videos bashing marinette and then never acknowledge adriens faults

Yeah, the fandom gets more divided as time goes on because of the writers trying to increase the drama/tension.

Anonymous said:

I am PERSONALLY offended they gave Luka the snake miraculous. Snakes have such a negative connotation. A lot of people insult Lila by calling her a SNAKE. And now those ML writers DARE insult the best character in ML?! HOW DARE THEY!?????

I adore Viperion but I agree that I first heard he was getting snake and was like, “BUT MY BOI???”

It gets awkward too because other animals like the pig have negative connotations, like how Daizzi basically means “idiot/stupid” and they’re giving it to the freaking blond character, really???

Anonymous said:

I think that Ivanette would be even better if Marinette was plus-sized character.

I see why you’d think that. I just disagree because then it turns the ship into “let’s pair the heavyset characters together because they heavyset.”

Anonymous asked:

On the topic of romance failures and general series salt, my main issue right now is how the series puts so much focus on romantic relationships while failing to consider other levels of relationship or what they affect.

On the L² front I can completely buy Marinette being in love with Adrien. Most of the time she genuinely wants him to be happy and is ready to take a step back for him, however much it hurts. But in terms of romantic love? It. Is. A. Crush! But if we step back from the formula, what is there left between them? Their civilian relationship is held together by a “comedy” of errors and without that there is surprisingly little left. Well, besides two “best friends” desperately trying to make it happen because somehow they lost their individual characters and instead of being friends became matchmakers?

I too like Luka and Marinette together. Their relationship is pretty nice to see and all. But sometimes it feels like it happens in a dimension of its own, like the writers want to make the endgame clear in that the “sideships” can be easily cut out of the big “how they got together”-recaps. I especially miss reactions from and interactions with Juleka. She is Luka’s sister, Marinette’s friend, and IIRC someone aware of if not even a bit player in the great shipping game. She is in a prime position to step up and bring progress on all fronts: She can talk with Luka. She can either give Marinette helpful pointers or go “All in or nothing”, i.e. trying to make Marinette get her Adrien-feelings in order as she does not want her brother to get less than Marinette’s full heart. Similarly, she can counteract “friendly acts” and stop humiliating situations from escalating, or she herself can escalate them in the “All or Nothing”-scenario. Yet she remains basically a background character who gets little attention from the camera and almost no “non-focus identity”

As for Kagami, I may be too biased. *Any* positive Kagami/Marinette relationship is to me what Lukanette is to you. So naturally I have lots of opinions when it comes to her role ;) But can I just say that Adrien/Kagami is the weirdest ship for me? They have a few cute scenes and I think if they’d spend a lot more time together, they’d do each other good but I don’t know how they work. “No Hesitation” Kagami would lob Adrien’s head straight off with all his…everything. If we are meant to take Adrien’s love for LB seriously (and I guess we have to because how in the name of sanity is any form of the stated endgame gonna work otherwise???), how does Kagami fit into that picture as a girl who can hardly express emotions while Adrien is the definition of a guy who can not stop flirting or goes for all kinds of romantic gestures? Sometimes it feels more like a “social fit” and “Mommy/Daddy approves” kind of deal which is quite the shame! Normally I like these kind of relationships in fictions but they need a solid underlining or good development. One they haven’t and one the series has not been giving to anyone so far.

Yeah, the whole thing with the love square versus side ships ends up feeling extremely forced. Keeping Luka away and forcing Adrien into Lukanette episode are the biggest giveaways, basically a big fat sign that says, “We know Marinette would forget that Adrien exists if she hung around Luka for more than five minutes.”

AND YEAH, KAGAMI WOULDN’T PUT UP WITH ADRIEN’S GARBAGE. I liked Adrimi but it’s definitely more flawed than Lukanette.

Anonymous said:

Watched your opinion on the New York special and I agree with you. It was mediocre at best. It could have been something nice, like if they added Kagami and Luka, for example, so that we can get a bit of development from the new couples on season 4, so that it doesn’t feel rushed when they start dating on season 4. It could also be a good opportunity to see the other temporary heroes one last time, since Marinette technically has the miracle box.

They could have had an epic fight with the American Superheroes, maybe even giving the bee miraculous temporally to Aeon or Jess so that we didn’t need to see their awful and uncreative superheroes designs. It would have been nice if they made something more useful other than being characters that believe that Adrien and Marinette are “Meant to be”, like, we already got a ton of these already, couldn’t we get someone who didn’t feel something about this ship? It has so much wasted potential that I don’t even know how to start. Do you agree with anything I said?

I agree, yes. They could’ve easily thrown Luka/Kagami into the mix (or had Marinette/Adrien stay behind while flipping perspectives or something; flawed but they could make it work).

Anonymous said:

I'm rereading ladybugout and wow... the moment of silence after "chat deserves that kiss" gets me every time. Everyone stopping and just staring because wow he really just said that

Me whenever Chat Noir opens his mouth in the show.

Anonymous said:

I saw the Backwarder post you just talked about and yes, it is so totally ridiculous. They forgot another thing, though. Miraculous isn't just about comedy, action, and romance, it's about embarrassing Marinette. And the fact that almost everyone in the comments was acting like the medicine scene at the end was funny was just stupid and saddening to hear or read about, because it shows how people have been conditioned to hate and rally against Marinette without even realizing it. Granted, there was one lady who said it reminded her of her husband, so I guess that's okay(but all it means is that Adrien will be Marinette's--aka "his lady's"--husband like eeerrrgh!). And there was one person who said they liked that Juleka's advice because "If you're friend isn't willing to commit crimes for your happiness, is she even your friend?". But everyone else liked the ending. And I don't get the person who said we got "Subtle progression with Adrien and Marinette". We're right where we started.

Weeeeell, I understand the “comedy, action, romance” comment because all of those basically boil down to embarrassing Marinette or invalidating her. Comedy and romance goes without saying while action involves her dealing with Chat “Nice Guy” Noir.

Anonymous said:

Is it just me, or does Snow White's "Red Shoes" form look a lot like Marinette. I know, I know, Marinette is Chinese and Red Shoes is Korean, but they still look strikingly similar. They're bodies are really similar, too, but that might just be because animation tends to use eerily similar body types for its female characters on a whole. It's sad and it makes me think of how cute Marinette would be if she was fat. I also think Snow White was cuter than Red Shoes but that's kind of the point.

I think it’s the body type thing but that’s just a guess since I didn’t immediately make the connection.

I agree that Snow White is cuter.

Anonymous said:

Am I the only one who's never liked "destined to fail" characters? Basically this is when characters aren't allowed to be good at/succeed at something or else the whole universe will somehow fall apart. Think of how in The Amazing World of Gumball, if Richard gets a job, the world will be in complete and utter chaos. So he's better off as a lazy, bumbling dad. In Phineas and Ferb, Candace is always trying to rat out her younger brothers but if she gives up or succeeds something bad will happen.

TV Tropes put it the best: "Not only is she not allowed to succeed, but she's also not allowed to stop trying!"(conveniently under the Cosmic Plaything trope). I just don't like it because it shows that the writers just want to lead them on with the promise of success then snatch it away at the last minute. And now we're back at Miraculous Ladybug, where Marinette is humiliated every time she doesn't sign a gift that's for Adrien, and yet when she does, everyone in Paris DIES. Except for...HIM.

you: *mentions Candace*

me: [a million awful flashbacks]

Also, yeah, it’s so hard to watch, especially in “Chat Blanc” because it’s like, “Oh, you want to give a gift to a boy and you dArEd to use your powers for it? Congrats, but everyone else is DEAD and you can hang out with him as much as you want! You’re welcome!”

Anonymous said:

I think it’d become a “faintest idea blackout card”rather than a bingo.

(referring to my “Faintest Idea” card)

We’re getting there.

darkmoonravewolf said:

I hate that everything on that list could happen and very likely will

(referring to “Didn’t Need Burrow”)

Yeah, and it makes me sad :’)

Anonymous said:

That’s be real here. Miraculous ladybug is not a show about Marinette; Miraculous Ladybug is a show about Adrien. Adrien is the real main character.

Notice that when they focused on Adrien in “Lies,” they only cut back to Marinette (IN A SCENE THAT CAN’T EXIST) to have her fawn over him.

Anonymous said:

Is it just me or are Lady Noire's eyes huge? Maybe it's just the green but they seem way bigger than Marinette's

I’m not sure, but considering Rena’s facial structure being different from Alya’s, it wouldn’t surprise me.

asexual-individual said:

With what you've said about Adrien lacking a reason to exist outside of development for Marinette and Gabriel, I have to wonder how different the show would be if Chat Noir's identity was also kept from the audience. Adrien would still be there as himself, but he only gets as much focus as Alya, and Chat Noir's identity is treated as a mystery (a Tuxedo Mask type mystery, but a mystery all the same).

I see what you mean but it might cause Adrien+Chat’s screentime to feel excessive once the reveal happens, because suddenly their screentime gets combined and it’s like, “oh wow so the combined screentime is his then.”

Anonymous said:

I know that the kwami's really only exist so we can hear our protagonists' thoughts outloud (like what the Coraline movie did with adding Wybie to the story). But honestly, what's the point in having magical gods in the jewelry if you're not going to do anything with them?

Marketing with “cute” side characters.

guisendisguise said:

It's funny, originally, I had shipped Marichat in the sense that Chat and Mari start hanging out and both fall in love with the other's supposedly less perfect, more real selves. Then Luka was introduced and I ended up putting both lukanette and marichat at the same level. Then S3 hit and killed any love I had for Marichat. The writers themselves killed the Love Square for me. At this point, it's very clear they are living in a delusion where the Love Square could ever work narratively without Deus ex Machina or Deus Lo Vult (God wills it). Basically, they've gone past scraping the bottom of the writing skills barrel and are now shoulder deep in the hole they dug thru the bottom of said barrel. I'd like to point out that the bottom of the barrel is writing poop and now they're digging thru the useless plastic landfill the barrel was sitting on top of

Uggggh, yeah. Any appreciation I could’ve had for Marichat died in “Weredad.” I already didn’t like Adrien/Chat and then “Weredad” just showed his complete lack of... well, ANYTHING.

cosmostellar said:

Honestly feels like MLBs writers are going based off the "JUST IMAGINE EVERY POC CHARACTER YOU'RE WRITING AS WHITE" instead of, yknow, fleshing them out while developing them also in the context of their cultures and giving them these little things that the audiences who belong to the same minority can identify with. I don't mean "have Marinette walk in qipao 24/7" bcs thats just... bad on its own but man, /some/ casual acknowledgments of her culture would be nice.

Reading the sentence “JUST IMAGINE EVERY POC CHARACTER YOU'RE WRITING AS WHITE” physically hurts me.

Anonymous said:

Ok, I've always thought that Chloe was robbed of redemption (they held it in front of us, but then jerked it away while Astruc says, "She's irredeemable! We thought she was redeemable, but she wasn't :)!" What are your thoughts! Also, I just recently found your blog and I really like it :)

Thank you!

But I have no sympathy for bully characters, so I didn’t want Chloe redeemed. Maybe I’m still bitter about my own bullying experience, but I just wasn’t here for Marinette being forced to forgive Chloe, which is basically what they did until they backpedaled.

The time spent on her was wasted though and that I can agree on.

Anonymous said:

Me: Writes a 1k rant about how the tweet makes no sense as the "mistake" is about motivation and not the critical plot. Also me: Remembers that in MLB the plot always comes back to the romance. Finally me: Wonders why he got involved with the series post-S3 when all the red flags were already everywhere.

Mistakes were made.

Anonymous said:

I'm semi-catching up on miraculous, and- is it my impression, or does Kagami rebel against her mother more in few episodes she's in (even though her mother's influences on her seem to be stronger in general), than Adrien in the entire show? I /know/ that I don't want to see Adrien free himself from his father w/ the desperation I want to see Kagami free herself from her mother and realize that the standards she's held up to are unhealthy and too strong.

Yeah, I’m way more invested in Kagami than Adrien.

Anonymous said:

Am I the only one confused about whether the staff stopped caring and half-asses the series or cares too much and over-produces the hell out of it?

Nah. It really feels like they secretly hate the love square so they have to keep forcing it.

Anonymous said:

ngl I haven't watched any new episodes since Chameleon and I've been getting all that Miraculous News via tumblr to avoid that Marinette Brand Second Hand Embarrassment™

Understandable.

Anonymous said:

If they aired the 6th one first WHAT WHAT HAPPENED TO LEAD UP TO THIS???? WE ARE ON SEASON FOUR WITH TWO SPEICALS, GETTING A THIRD, AND ANY DEVELOPMENT WE HAD HAS GONE BACKWARDS, SUCKED, OR STATUS QUO YO-ED AWAY!!!!! HOW THE HECK DO WE GET ADRIENETTE FROM FOUR SEASONS OF NOTHING?????? I USED TO FANGIRL AT THIS NOW I AM TERRIFIED.

Answer: We don’t get Adrienette. We get forced love square and rushed/fake “development” of it while being constantly confused as episodes air out of order.

Anonymous said:

im sorry But adrienette has been suck in this limbo of one sidedness for 3 seasons. neither of them have become closer, neither of them have confided in one another, but somehow people still ship it? at least luka was able to make a move on marinette lol adrien still repeats the same boring “shes just a friend” line. adrienette is a really boring ship.

lol don’t apologize, you’re absolutely right.

nahte123456 said:

Very minor bit of salt to throw to the pile, but can this show just decide on how strong Miraculous holders are? Yes it's a cartoon and not the focus but in the Furious Fu episode we literally get Ladybug dodging lighting and then Su who seems mostly human and is at least slower then Fu was outspeeding her. It's distracting trying to figure out what is and isn't a serious threat in this show.

The deciding factor in the strength of the miraculous holders is “whatever works for the plot.”

Anonymous said:

At this point the only thing I'm excited for concerning Miraculous Ladybug is when it gets a reboot in like, a decade with actually competent writers

Best case scenario is that Zag goes bankrupt and Disney/Netflix picks up the series and gives it to competent people.

Problem is that the love square has been ruined so badly for me that even a “good” version of it wouldn’t be something I’d be into, but still.

Anonymous said:

Honestly, the problem with having all of Marinette's mistakes result in huge disasters (ex. Feast), is that is gives off the impression that teenagers aren't allowed to make mistakes. This show clearly doesn't like giving second chances to the protagonist, so why would life give one to you? Am I right, kids?

Exactly.

Marinette makes mistakes and suddenly the world is ending.

Anonymous said:

If your gonna watch the show, at least pirate the episodes so the writers dont get your support

Don’t worry, I have no interest in financially supporting the show.

Anonymous said:

ml in a nutshell: wasted potential, then giving themselves more potential, only to turn the rest of it into a dumpster fire

Yup, that’s it.

Anonymous said:

u know, when My Little Pony, Sofia The First, and fanfiction carries out character development, respect, romance, and the main plot better than the original show, especially when the shows mentioned above are aimed more at little girls and the original show is aimed at slightly older audiences... somethings wrong

*sigh*

And then it’s like--people will excuse the show because “it’s a kids’ show” and then I’m just “okay then, why are there actually good kids’ show?”

If shows get a pass for being for children then all childrens’ shows should just not try and be garbage since the standard is so low.

Anonymous said:

ive seen some cool fic ideas/concepts/reviews that made me think: ml could use so much more looking into how a character thinks in some situations. one fic i read had alya in chameleon (i know its been forever since the ep came out but hey) not question lila cus she thought: "hey, lb wouldnt befriend a bad person" w and added a plot line of lila making her think lb was cobsidering replacing rena rougue. like, just a few lines to make them seem better pls?

YES. Like, show us characters’ perspectives and why they’re rolling with the facts that they’re rolling with, otherwise they just end up looking like jerks.

We sort of got it in “Ikari Gozen” with Kagami but of course it was just to make Marinette look bad.

Anonymous said:

You know I’m honestly considering making reviews of this show and if I do I could create hour long rants about the show just from that mans twitter.

Yeaaaaaah, once you had in the Twitter stuff, it just becomes, “okay so this is going to add another hour or two then.”

Anonymous said:

Okay one thing that bothers me is how plain marinette's suits are despite being a DESIGNER. Her multimouse suit it just blocks of color and her ladynoir suit is just grey with green lines. I think the lines are supposed to represent actually clothes. Like the limes on the calves are supposed to make it look like boots but why not actually GIVE her boots. (Right, because she has to have a skintight suit unlike the boys who get some layers.)

THE SHEER DISRESPECT OF HAVING THE FASHION DESIGNER WEAR SUCH A PLAIN SUIT.

It also goes to show who really designs here, like oh, interesting, the girls get skin-tight simplistic bodysuits and the boys gets all the cool stuff--

Anonymous said:

I heard some people in my class saying they watched Miraculous Ladybug for the first time, and they were saying how good it was, and I was like: 'Oh you poor fools. You have NO idea what it's truly like.'

You know what they say: ignorance is bliss.

bat-anon said:

Isn’t it INTERESTING how in Frozer, Luka understands that Marinette is torn between her crushes and continues to support her even though he knows she probably won’t chose him, and in the exact same episode Chat Noir refuses to help save the city because Ladybug told him AGAIN that she wasn’t romantically interested in him? HMMM 🤔😑

dbfgjbdfjkgf

I’M REMINDED OF “FELIX” WHERE IT’S LIKE--THEY WERE CLEARLY TRYING TO SHOW HOW MUCH “BETTER” CHAT NOIR IS THAN FELIX, BUT LUKA WAS THE RESPECTFUL ONE.

Anonymous said:

You know what I want to see? An evil kwami, like they just want to commit crimes. No moral high grounds, just chaotic evil.

That’d be amazing just because I wouldn’t be able to take them seriously.

Anonymous said:

Watching S1 and S3 episodes back to back, it feels like reading salt fics at times, especially in regards to the L². Like, Marinette was happy about weird plans, she both needed and wanted the final push, and most of the time there was at least something coming out of it. Nowadays it just makes her sad, Alya and the girls act *against* her, and we get shipping for shipping's sake.

That’s a good point. The shift from Seasons 1 to 2 to 3 is rather noticeable.

Anonymous said:

I hate how Adrien's busy schedule seems to only matter when it's used to make Marinette feel bad, but the second Marinette has a bit more to do, it somehow has a negative effect on not only her, but also everyone/everything she cares about, like, what's up with that??

I’m reminded of “Lies” here and I hate it. :|

Anonymous said:

Honestly, the way the show treats teenage girls is horse ass. The show treats the teenage girls of this show as if they're stupid, naive, emotional, clumsy, and need a boy to tell them what opinions to have. Marinette is always treated like the show's punching bag and blamed for everything that goes wrong because she's "emotional" or "obsessed with Adrien", Chloe could've been redeemed but the writers would rather keep her a brain-dead Alpha Bitch Valley Girl(even though Gabriel and Felix, the latter of whom is a teenage boy introduced in one episode, get to be treated as redeemable, despite the things they do being far, far worse), and Lila is a conniving, self-absorbed fox.

And even though Kagami seems better, she's still roped into the "girls catfight over an oblivious guy" cliche and so far, all of her akumatizations have been because of Adrien. Whenever Marinette tries to move on from Adrien the other characters tell her what's good for her and steer her in the "right" direction because she apparently can't think for herself, and the writers LOVE to use the girl squad to tell us who Marinette should be with, because they apparently know better than she does.

Plus the show loves to treat all the girls as the same, making them all either fight over Adrien or be obsessed with shipping, as if teenage girls are all one assimilating, homogenized group(also when they treat Marinette as if she's "just as bad as Chloe", rinse and repeat for the other ladies.). Honestly, the show feels like it was written by those types of people who think "teenage girls are the worst" so they make them all mood-swingy, obsessive, showoffs, emotional, and downright clingy.

Plus the way Thomas Astruc talks about the female characters on Twitter is even worse, and only serves to make this more evident: he claims Marinette "has poor control over her emotions"(all the while calling Adrien "perfect"), that Chloe was racist in Kung Food "because she's stupid"(so rather than having that scene serve as a lesson on respecting other's cultures, he just did it to pick on Chloe and make her look "stupid"), that she's incapable of being redeemed, that Lila's unlikable but Gabriel and Felix aren't(even though he claimed Felix was a terrible character and a "cliche", that's not what the show says my guy), and other such nonsense.

Other Twitter users have also called out Miraculous Ladybug and its stereotypical treatment of teenage girls. The only shows I've ever seen do this worse are those pretentious "darker" Magical Girl "deconstructions" aimed at grown men such as Madoka Magica and Yuki Yuna, as well as most shonen/seinen shows such as Naruto and Death Note, which says a lot. Honestly, whenever I feel like watching a show with empowering and respectful depictions of teenage girls that treats them as bright and intelligent and actually unique from one another, I just watch Equestria Girls, Liv and Maddie, LoliRock, ANT Farm, Moesha, PreCure, or Sailor Moon. Because the way the show acts towards them is deplorable, absolutely deplorable.

Yes to all of the above. Almost all of the girls are involved in love affairs in some way, the two teenage girls are irredeemable while Felix got a sympathetic backstory right away (Chloe took forever to get hers which is a failure), and Marinette is flawed because she’s “too emotional” (a misogynistic stereotype).

Anonymous said:

Hi, I'm the anon who got upset at the lady who made the "Miraculous Ladybug is a Mess" rant, and yes, thank you zodiacspirit17 for liking and agreeing with my rant! I'm glad someone else saw that video! And ugh, Marinette learning to love Chat Noir? Really? I don't remember that line but I also don't want to go back and revisit it to make sure so I'll take your word for it. Ew. That was actually one of the things I hated about the Glaciator scene. Chat was supposedly comforting Marinette by taking her to the rooftop where he planned Ladybug's date, and yet only Marinette finds out about Chat's crush on Ladybug and comforts him on that(while rethinking her feelings), while all Chat knows is that Marinette's heart was also broken. He never asks who it is, or tries to help her get over her crush even if he doesn't know it's coincidentally him.

I know it's because of the "love square" but it's unfair that only Chat's love problems are directly addressed. Come to think of it, the reason Chat took Marinette to the rooftop...I know he was doing it in-universe to help her instead of intruding on her personal feelings(which might have also been why he didn't ask her who her crush was, he was probably thinking along the lines of "we don't have to talk about it right now, we can just have fun!"), but meta-wise, since we know she's Ladybug, the writers were probably trying to tell her "See? This is what you could've been doing, but you missed it. Shame on you!" That's a huge issue I have with the show: characters will do things in-universe to help Marinette, but the show has a different motive in mind. Compare to how Tikki gave actual advice to Marinette in Puppeteer 2, but the writers intended that for the statue scene so they could embarrass her in front of Adrien and the thousands of eyes watching the show(except we're not laughing.). Even if characters do support her, the writer is using them as props for her ritualized humiliation. And yet Luka is the problem somehow.

If Marinette needs to learn how to love Chat Noir, then it should at least be balanced out by Adrien learning to Marinette. I'm sick of this double standard that "girls need to learn to accept boys who like them but guys can do what they want". Another thing she said was that "Marinette needs to learn to define herself outside of who she's crushing on." NOPE. NOPE. NOPE. You see, unlike Adrien, Marinette HAS a life outside of who she's crushing on: she has school, she has Kitty Section, she has her "girl squad", she has her parents, she has her outside family, she babysits Alya's and Nino's siblings, and she has OH YEAH HER FASHION DESIGNING! I didn't even count being a superhero since Adrien does that, too. She has so many things to do outside of Adrien, and yet the fact that she makes gifts for Adrien or dreams about Adrien or wants to have kids with Adrien somehow makes her nothing but an "Adrien fangirl"?

First of all, she's the bloody protagonist?! That's such a "Real Women Don't Wear Dresses" argument, that she can't have her own life AND be in love at the same time! And somehow her crushing on Luka also means her life revolves around him, too! But Adrien's life doesn't revolve around Ladybug even though he doesn't really have anything going for him in his ordinary life? Outside of being rich, hot, white, and male, that is? What are his interests and hobbies, besides what Gabriel lets him do to pass the time? He doesn't even like modeling! And the Agreste plot is more about Gabriel, Emilie, and Nathalie than it is about him.

And what about his friendship with Nino? He didn't even care that Nino was getting strung along by Lila with the others! What about his friendship with Chloe that also waxes and wanes? Granted, Chloe's not a GOOD person, which that lady acknowledged, but she at least tried to change and has more development than him, the writers just won't let her change. I hate when people come for Marinette for doing literally anything when the show won't let her have agency and progress. It's so unfair of her and I wish they could see that. These double standards are driving me insane and they're sexist(maybe even a little bit racist, too), and it hurts even more when a woman's doing those things.

(I had to cut off some of this ask because I didn’t get all of it, so I cut it off at the point where it still seemed like a full ask.)

I FEEL THE “GLACIATOR” THING SO BAD. It hurts even worse when you realize that “Frozer” has to take place after “Glaciator,” so Chat Noir heard that Marinette has love problems and then ignored it to ask her for advice about his own love problems later on. The total lack of insensitivity???

Also, the idea that Marinette’s life would revolve around her crush on Luka is stupid. It’s the exact opposite, in fact.

Meanwhile, Adrien has so little going for him and the “interesting” parts of him involve who he’s connected to or what his father has forced him into.

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ordinaryschmuck · 3 years

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Top 20 BEST Animated Series of the 2010s-2nd Place

If you’ve been paying attention to Disney’s televised animation, you’d noticed that there’s been a weird trend going on with their shows. Recently, most of Disney’s shows begin as random comedies only to have a deep story to them in later seasons. Some shows soar as they do this right, and others tend to flail as they do it wrong. Personally, I would like to think it’s all because of one show that Disney has made. And since its series finale, the network tries their hardest to replicate it due to how well received it was. And despite the many attempts, no one can do better than--

#2-Gravity Falls (2012-2016)

The Plot: Twin siblings Dipper and Mabel Pines are forced by their parents to spend the summer in Gravity Falls, Oregon. But don’t worry, their parents are not entirely careless. They just sent their only children to spend the summer with their con artist of a great uncle with a deep, dark secret...okay, so they're a little careless. In fact, the parents might be more irresponsible than you think because Gravity Falls isn’t the small backwater town as it seems. Soon enough, Dipper and Mabel will learn that it’s a town with monsters, demons, and a mysterious author who recorded all of the town’s weirdness in his journals. Will the Pines twins solve the town's mysteries, or is their summer going to be over sooner than they thought?

By the way, I FREAKING love this premise! The idea of an entire town being filled with mysteries and monsters is so compelling to me because the possibilities are endless. One episode could be dealing with zombies, and another could be dealing with an entire society dedicated to keeping the town’s weirdness a secret. On top of that, every monster/weird oddity that Dipper and Mable face is just so creative, from a multi-headed bear to even the main antagonist being (and I kid you not) the Illuminati symbol wearing a top hat. And even when the show does use monsters you’ve seen before, they utilize them in a way you wouldn’t have expected. For example, there are two episodes where the characters deal with ghosts. In both scenarios, the methods these ghosts use to haunt the living are not just creative and scary, but in some instances, they can also be kinda funny. There’s just no telling what this show is going to pull off. Or at least, not entirely.

Because another great thing this show has is its mystery element. And I don’t mean just how well it handles mystery within a single episode (although it does that phenomenally too). What I mean is that Gravity Falls has a great overarching mystery that you, the audience, can solve for yourself. With that comes the show’s impressive attention to detail. From the secret codes to solve, to the lines/scenes you wouldn’t have thought twice about, to even a single license plate. That’s right. A single license plate is an essential clue to the show's most significant twist ever. In fact, it’s a twist that fans have solved years in advance due to all the hints that were left within previous episodes. And most of the credit goes to Alex Hirsh and his team. They really put a lot of effort into what many would describe, a kids cartoon. Even though this might just be the most adult kid's cartoon that I have ever seen.

You know how Pixar movies try their darndest to make films suitable for both children and their parents? That’s basically what Gravity Falls does. Whether you’re an adult or child, odds are you will be entertained in nearly every episode because rarely does it feel like an episode leans too far in either direction. If there’s an episode with a serious story, there’s always a silly/lighthearted subplot to keep the kids entertained. And if there’s an episode that is just silly all the way through, there are adult jokes that make you ask, “How the hell did a Disney cartoon get away with that?” Even when the show gets genuinely creepy, it works just perfectly above the line of going too far for kids (except in “Northwest Mansion Mystery." S**t gets real in that episode). Many kid's shows in the 2010s struggled to find this balance, and Gravity Falls is another one of those rare exceptions that somehow feels like it does it without even trying.

And what keeps that balance? The show’s sense of humor, that’s what. Even in the darkest episodes of the series, there is almost a well-placed joke to lighten the mood. And with Gravity Falls, the show relies on four types of humor. Being random, being surreal, being smart, and being dark. And not just dark for a Disney cartoon. I mean that Gravity Falls has a dark sense of humor that I would have expected in something like Rick and Morty (which is fitting because the creators of both shows are actually close friends in real life). As for how funny the jokes are in this series, they. Are. SO. Funny. I’m not kidding when I say that every single episode--and I do mean, every. Single. Episode--has made me laugh at least once. Not even the best comedy shows that I’ve seen have been capable of doing something so spectacular.

But do you want to know why the comedy is so hilarious? And do you want to know what really kept me invested in all 40 episodes? The answer is simple: It’s all because of the characters. Most jokes are funny because the right person said them. I care about the show’s mysteries because the characters make me care about those mysteries. And when the stakes get high, I’m invested because I care about the characters so much that I fear they’ll get hurt. In fact, I was so invested in all of these characters that the series finale made me cry FOUR TIMES due to how heart-wrenching it was. And I don’t weep that often when it comes to specific media. Most of the time, I get a little misty-eyed, and even when it feels like a scene has yanked at my heartstrings, I usually get myself under control before any real tears show up. But with the series finale of Gravity Falls, I was so emotionally invested with this cast that I was tearing up with them as tearful goodbyes were said. This is because Gravity Falls’ writers know that the key to making any story work is to have a great cast of characters. Because it doesn’t matter how epic your plot is. If I’m not invested in the characters winning the day, then I won’t be invested in the story.

Now at this point, you’re probably wondering what is wrong with this show. To that, I say virtually nothing...Okay, that’s not true. There are some problems the show has, but trust me when I say that the good heavily outweighs the bad. Are there occasional continuity errors? Yes. But they’re usually intentional for misdirection or made up with really great attention to detail in other scenes. Are there occasionally bad jokes? Of course. But like I said: EVERY. EPISODE. IS. FUNNY. So who cares if not every joke lands? Are there also a couple bland characters? Obviously. However, they’re either made better in later episodes or forgotten quickly due to even more memorable characters. And now the big one: Are there bad episodes? And there are...in comparison to the show’s usual quality. Even when Gravity Falls is at its “worst,” the writing is still somehow entertaining in its own right. Hell, the real complaint I have involving the series isn’t even about the show itself. It’s about other shows on the network.

Like I’ve said in the beginning, as of late, there has been a lot of modern Disney cartoons trying too hard to be the new Gravity Falls. And they’re all best intentions met with poor execution. The best (or should I say worst) example I can think of is Tangled: The Series, a television series based on Disney’s Tangled. The first batch of episodes was cute, harmless, and downright charming. Then halfway through the first season, it becomes dark, dark, and even darker. And unfortunately, the show’s quality feels like it took a dip with its direction. As for other Disney cartoons, they follow a similar pattern, with the thought that Gravity Falls did the same thing. The problem is that it didn’t. From the very first episode, the show started off by hinting that it isn’t as cute and innocent as it seems. Sure the stories got significantly darker in season two, but they slowly worked their way towards earning that by slowly becoming more dramatic with each episode. And like I said, even at its darkest, the writers still knew when to keep the tone light. So that’s really the only logical problem I have with Gravity Falls: It made people think they need to be more like Gravity Falls.

When I hear that people wish the show was brought back, I honestly don’t get it. The series ended on a perfect note, with very few questions left unanswered. And the unanswered questions were actually answered through other media such as books or comics. And if you ask me, I’d rather have the series come to an end in the way that it did. It had a perfect premise told with fascinating mysteries, funny comedy, infesting characters, and even a kickass theme song (I know that I didn’t mention that last bit, but trust me when I say that it’s so GOOD). Why ruin that by turning it into something like The Simpsons, where a show would just get stale after too many seasons? In the end, while I was sad to see it go, I’m still happy to say that this is always going to be a show that will make you Fall in love with it.

(But the real mystery is: What series is going to top a cartoon that was practically perfect?)

(...)

(Who am I kidding. You’ve probably already figured it out by now.)

#top 20 of 2010s #gravity falls #what i thought about

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worryinglyinnocent · 4 years

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Fic: Orchestrations

AU-gust Day Twenty-One: Professional Rivals AU Fandom: Once Upon A Time Pairing: Rumbelle

Rated: T

Summary: The members of Storybrooke Chamber Orchestra are taking bets on how long it will be before sworn rivals Belle French (flute and piccolo) and Cam Gold (cello first chair) finally admit their feelings towards each other…

Orchestrations

The general membership of Storybrooke Chamber Orchestra were not entirely sure how it was possible to have a rivalry across entirely different sections of the orchestra, and they were impressed that Gold and Belle had managed it.

Rivalries within instruments weren’t uncommon. There was always someone in the first chair leading the section and there was always someone else who wanted to be in that position instead.

Rivalries within sections weren’t unheard of, although it was usually a friendly rivalry stemming from the fact that the violins got all the good melodies whilst the cellos were stuck with the harmonies. (Pachelbel’s Canon in D was often brought up as an example whenever these arguments occurred.)

Rivalries between sections themselves… These were not as likely unless rehearsals had gone spectacularly wrong and all the sections were blaming each other for the mistakes. Of course, there was always the casual one-upmanship of strings being better than brass or woodwind being better than strings, but deep, personal rivalries? Definitely not as common.

Which was why the open professional rivalry between flute player Belle and cello player Gold was so much of a mystery to all of their colleagues.

Several people wondered if it was not so much a rivalry as personal hostility that had been translated into something more professional for the workplace.

Trombone first chair Cara Mallory, who had been with the orchestra for longer than most of the other members and who knew Gold very well as a result of their longevity in their current positions, had hit upon another idea.

“I think they’re flirting.”

Rory looked up from cleaning her flute and raised an eyebrow. The two of them were sitting in the auditorium after rehearsals, watching the interplay on the stage between the two rivals. Well, Mal was watching. Rory had decided, ever since she had joined the orchestra two months ago and been initiated into the strange spectacle that was Belle and Gold, that she wasn’t going to get involved.

Unfortunately, since it appeared to be the most frequent topic of conversation among the other orchestra members, it was getting increasingly hard to remain detached. She did have to admit that there was something intriguing about the whole affair.

She looked over at Mal, who was still watching Gold and Belle arguing on the stage. From this distance they couldn’t be heard, but if pushed, Rory would admit that it was entertaining.

“Are they at it again?” Ursula and Carrie came into the auditorium, taking seats next to Mal. “You know, the next time this happens we really ought to bring popcorn. It’s turning into a wonderful comedy of errors.” Carrie sighed. “Do you think we ought to lock them in a cupboard together to get them to admit their feelings for each other? Then it really would be something out of a film.”

Ursula rolled her eyes. “For at least the fifteenth time, Carrie, no. I’m sure that they’ll come to the realisation that they’re madly in love with each other in their own time. Well, madly in lust at least. The UST is almost palpable.”

“But waiting is so boring!” Carrie groaned as she flopped back in her seat, staring at the ceiling for a while. “I want to start planning their wedding now!”

Mal laughed. “Carrie, don’t you have your own wedding to plan?” Ursula cleared her throat pointedly, and Carrie waved the concerns away.

“Yes, yes, that’s all in hand. That planning is done. Now I need something more! Besides, I don’t think that Belle and Gold would want the kind of nuptials that I’ve been working on for me and Ursula. It would be a challenge to come up with something that suits them both.”

“Anyone would think that you were a professional party planner rather than playing the violin for a living.”

“It always pays to have an extra string to your bow, if you’ll pardon the pun.”

“Are they at it again?” This time Mulan had come into the auditorium, sitting down next to Rory. “Can we draw straws as to who yells ‘just kiss you morons’ at them?”

“No one will be yelling anything at them!” Ursula was getting increasingly frantic. “We need to leave them alone or we’ll scare them off! Whatever happened to watching things in their natural habitat and not interfering? You lot would make the worst naturalists ever. I said naturalists, Carrie, not naturists.”

Ursula buried her head in her hands as Carrie continued to snigger.

On stage, whatever the latest feud between Gold and Belle was had finished and Belle had walked off whilst Gold was fastening his cello case. Presently he looked up and saw the gathered crowd in the auditorium, giving a visible sigh.

“Mal, you’ve got to stop this,” he called. “And you’ve got to stop encouraging everyone else as well.”

“I’ll stop watching you when you stop being such a wonderful spectator sport.” Mal smiled beatifically and Gold stomped angrily off the stage. Carrie sighed.

“Well, it looks like the show’s over for today.”

With the entertainment over, people started leaving the auditorium, although Rory stayed where she was, mainly because Mal was giving her a lift home and Mal was showing no inclination to move. A couple of minutes later, the two of them were alone again when Gold came out, leaving his cello on the bottom step and trudging up to meet them.

“One of these days I’m going to get back at you for all this,” he said. “I don’t know how yet, but mark my words, it will happen.”

Mal just patted his shoulder. “I know, Gold. You say that every time we catch you playing slap-slap kiss-kiss with Belle. Although you haven’t quite made it to the kissing part yet. I’m sure you’ll get there soon enough though.”

Gold stared at Mal with a very affronted look on his face. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Mal rolled her eyes. “Come off it, Gold. It’s blindingly obvious that you both have a crush on each other and you’re trying to hide it by bickering all the time instead. Rory will back me up here.”

Rory threw her arms up in defence. “I’m staying out of it.” All the same, she was very intrigued to hear what Gold and Belle’s thoughts on the situation were. She just didn’t want to be the one to initiate that conversation. Mal, apparently, knew no fear and was very content to keep poking her friend.

“Gold, of all the people to pick fights with, why would you choose a flautist? You cannot have a rivalry with an instrument you can’t play that lives on the opposite side of the orchestra to you.”

“It’s not the instrument that’s the problem, it’s the player,” Gold muttered.

“Hmm. And what exactly is the problem with Belle French?” Mal was evidently very amused by the turn that the conversation was taking; Rory could see how hard she was trying not to laugh.

“She’s just so… so…”

“Beautiful? Witty? Not putting up with any of your nonsense? One of the only people able to go toe to toe with you when you get into one of your moods? Although, you know, I think you’d both get on a lot better if you started talking and stopped just needling each other. Face it, you’re perfect for each other.”

“We are not!” Gold spluttered. “Besides, she probably thinks I’m just some curmudgeonly old man with outdated ideas about orchestra composition, I don’t stand a chance.”

“So, you admit that firstly, you’re a curmudgeonly old man, secondly, you care about what Belle thinks of you, and thirdly, you would like to be in with a chance?”

Gold opened his mouth to say something in his defence, but under the force of Mal’s knowing smile, he visibly crumpled. “Ugh. Yes. Fine. I like Belle French, but we got off on the wrong foot on her first day, so I’ve been forced to keep the charade up ever since. There, are you happy now?”

“Perfectly.” Mal reached out and patted his arm. “Just tell her how you feel, Cam. I’m sure that you can get it all worked out.”

“I can’t if she hates me,” Gold pointed out. “The rivalry does go both ways, you know.”

“Oh, I know. I know. Believe me, we all know. We’ve been watching it for months now, and you’re not the only one we’ve been watching. I think you might be pleasantly surprised by how easy it’ll be to get yourselves straight if you actually have a normal conversation for once.”

Gold sighed. “Are you sure? I very much like playing for this orchestra and I don’t want to have to leave in embarrassment because I can’t face the flute section having laid my heart on my sleeve and had it trampled on.”

Mal rolled her yes. “You are the most dramatic person I know; did you know that? And I know Carrie de Ville, so that’s saying something. You’ll be fine. Trust me. Besides, Rory here happens to sit next to Belle in rehearsals so I’m sure that she can sound out her feelings in the same way that we have sounded out yours.”

“Stop bringing me into this!” Rory protested. Although, that said, having heard one half of the story, she was very intrigued to hear Belle’s point of view. Maybe she could get Mulan to help her tomorrow. The idea of locking the two of them in a cupboard together seemed to be looking ever more likely if they were ever going to get to the bottom of this.

“Belle.”

“Yes?”

“You and Gold.”

“Yes, what about us?”

“What’s going on there?”

It was the next day and Mulan had readily agreed to help Rory to work out what was going on between Belle and Gold from Belle’s perspective. As aloof as Gold could be at times, he really was a brilliant cellist, and no one actually wanted him to leave the orchestra as a result of romantic humiliation.

“What do you mean? There’s nothing going on there, why would there be, you know we don’t get alone, it’s a professional rivalry, there’s nothing more, it’s just what you see.”

Belle had gone distinctly pink and was avoiding everyone’s eyes as they set up on the woodwind section. Rory saw the moment that her eyes glanced over to Gold in strings and then quickly back to her own instrument on her lap.

“Belle, you can admit that you fancy him,” Mulan said, completely matter of fact. “I think it’s been obvious to everyone for a while now that you keep fighting with each other in an attempt to hide your feelings for each other. Wouldn’t it make life a whole lot easier if everything was out in the open and you didn’t have to keep bickering all the time? You could get onto much nicer things. Like kissing and hand-holding and all the other more licentious aspects of dating. We’d have a true orchestral romance on our hands, like Carrie and Ursula.”

Belle sighed. “Do you really think that would work? I mean, he’s him, and I’m me, and we’ve been on each other’s nerves for so long now that it would look strange for me to now turn around and say that actually, my feelings towards him are very different to the impression he’s been working with for the last few months.”

Rory shook her head. “No, I really think you’ll be fine. Honestly.”

“Honestly?” Belle raised an eyebrow. “Do you have some kind of insider information that I don’t?”

“Well, remember that Gold is good friends with Mal, and Mal is currently my taxi service whilst my bike gets fixed.”

Belle looked from Rory to Mal to Gold in such quick succession that Rory was concerned she’d get whiplash. For a long while, nothing was said, and even when she spoke again, the only word out of her mouth was ‘right’.

At that point, the conductor arrived, and all notions of professional rivalries becoming professional romances were put to the side as rehearsals began.

Despite the fact that, for once, there was nothing happening on the stage, there was still an air of anticipation among those who were hanging around in the auditorium, Rory, Mulan and Mal among them.

“I think I ought to start taking bets,” Mal announced presently. “Who thinks that they’ll make a move tonight, and who thinks that they’ll get cold feet and wait a bit longer?”

“Well, whatever happens, we’re hardly going to see it if we’re in here, are we?” Carrie sighed. “Why are we all in here instead of wherever they are?”

Ursula batted her arm. “We’re giving them some peace and quiet in which to make their anguished declarations of love. I think that’s best done without an audience.”

“We had an audience,” Carrie said.

“Yes, but that’s because you never do anything by halves. Although I do have to admit that proposing on the conductor’s rostrum was a nice touch, as embarrassing as it was at the time.”

“Hey, you said yes. It can’t have been that embarrassing.”

“IT’S HAPPENING!”

Jefferson raced into the auditorium, no mean feat whilst dragging a double bass along with him, and he waved the gathered group frantically towards the theatre foyer. “All systems are go, we have lift off, it’s happening!”

Everyone looked at each other for a moment before there was a mass exodus from the auditorium, everyone grabbing their instruments and rushing out into the foyer, where Gold and Belle were locked in a kiss that could under no circumstances be classed as chaste.

Rory was not quite sure who started the cheering, but it was probably Carrie and if not her then Mal. Soon everyone was swept up in it, but despite the racket, Belle and Gold didn’t appear to have noticed.

“Well, it took them long enough,” Mal said. “All in all, I think we orchestrated that quite nicely.”

Rory could only agree

#rumbelle fic #rumbelle #Belle French #Mr Gold #Maleficent #Aurora #told through the eyes of others #Professional Rivals AU #AU-gust #Worry does AU-gust #Fic: Orchestrations

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happyweddingblogs · 4 years

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17 Movies Every Bride & Groom Should Watch Before Their Wedding Day

Source: Happy Wedding App

When it comes to watching movies, Romantic movies top the list. Most people prefer to watch cheesy romances on the screen. We all love to see, boy meeting girl, and then they fall in love with each other, then they go through several problems, and finally, they marry. No matter how regular the whole stuff looks like, romantic movies have a flavor of its own. And these movies look more beautiful when you are about to get married. So here is a list of the 17 best movies every bride and groom should watch before their wedding day.

Let’s have a look on the selection….

1. My Big Fat Greek Wedding

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a 2002 independent romantic comedy film and is one of the classic movies. It is a cheerful love story, which revolves around an unconfident sheltered woman, Fotoula “Toula” Portokalos (Nia Vardalos), struggling to discover her own identity before meeting the man of her dreams, Ian Miller (John Corbett). It is a good romantic dose in case you need a little inspiration before the big day. Do watch and see how a Greek American woman falls in love with a non-Greek man and what happens next.

2. Wedding Crashers

An excellent movie for all those who are going to miss all of the fun of being single. It is a 2005 American romantic comedy film; it follows two divorce mediators (Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn) who crash weddings in an attempt to meet and seduce bridesmaids. Both Wilson and Vaughn jump from one marriage to another, to meet and have sex with women. They keep doing it until they realize that sometimes all you need is that one perfect person.

3. Bachelorette

Bachelorette is a 2012 American romantic comedy film starring Kirsten Dunst, Lizzy Caplan, and Isla Fisher. All three women are featured as the troubled women who reunite for the wedding of a friend (Rebel Wilson) who was ridiculed in high school. You will surely love this spicy and sweet romantic comedy. You may even relate yourself with any of the three characters in the movie, from party girl Lizzy Caplan to control freak Kirsten Dunst.

4. The Wedding Singer

The Wedding Singer is a 1998 American romantic comedy film starring Adam Sandler as a wedding singer in the 1980s and Drew Barrymore as a waitress with whom he falls in love. It has it all! It’s funny, it’s cute, and overall, it’s a fantastic movie every bride & groom should watch before their wedding day.

5. Meet the Parents

Meet the Parents is a 2000 American comedy. Starring Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller, the movie chronicles a series of unfortunate events that befall a good-hearted but hapless nurse while he visits his girlfriend’s parents. You will be surprised to see the sequence of events that take place in Meet the Parents. Do Watch!

6. Runaway Bride

Runaway Bride, a 1999 American romantic comedy film that stars Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. Maggie Carpenter (Julia Roberts), a spirited and attractive young woman who has had several failed relationships in the past. Maggie, nervous about being married, has left a trail of fiancés waiting for her at the altar on their wedding day. All of these were caught on tape, earning Maggie tabloid fame and the dubious nickname “The Runaway Bride.” The lead character in the movies shows that most important love in life is for their own self. No matter how many times you get a heartbreak, you undoubtedly get the right guy.

7. 27 Dresses

27 Dresses is a 2008 romantic comedy starring Katherine Heigl and James Marsden. Jane Nichols (Katherine Heigl) who has been a bridesmaid for 27 weddings meets Kevin Doyle (James Marsden), who helps her get home while attending two weddings almost simultaneously, Doyle discusses his cynical views of marriage with her and with whom she falls in love later. A great movie to have some gorgeous ideas on your bridesmaid gown selections.

8. Bride Wars

Bride Wars is a 2009 romantic comedy film starring Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Bryan Greenberg, Kristen Johnston, and Candice Bergen. Emma Allan (Anne Hathaway) and Olivia “Liv” Lerner (Kate Hudson) are best friends who have been planning every detail of their weddings, since the time they were little girls. They have been planning each and every aspect of their future weddings, which include choosing the same destination: New York’s famed Plaza Hotel. However, when a clerical error causes a clash in wedding dates, Kate and Liv became hostile to each other.

9. My Best Friend’s Wedding

My Best Friend’s Wedding, a 1997 romantic comedy film starring Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Rupert Everett, and Cameron Diaz. Both Julianne Potter (Julia Roberts) and Michael O’Neal (Dermot Mulroney) were childhood friends, and they had a deal to tie the knot if they were still single by age 28. Right before Julianne’s 28th birthday, she discovers that O’Neil is marrying a gorgeous 20-year-old girl named Kimberly (Cameron Diaz). Suddenly she realized that she’s in love with him, Julianne vows to stop the wedding at all costs. Just watch how things get complex after that!

10. Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids is a 2011 comedy film starring Maya Rudolph. Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Ellie Kemper, and Wendi McLendon-Covey. The film centers on Annie (Kristen Wiig), a single woman whose own life is a mess. But when her lifelong best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph), got engaged, Annie has no choice but to serve as the maid of honor. Lovelorn and almost penniless, Annie suffers a series of misfortunes after being asked to serve as maid of honor for her best friend, Lillian. Just watch how she winds her way through the strange and expensive rituals associated with her job as the bridesmaid.

11. Monster-in-Law

Monster-in-Law is a 2005 romantic comedy film starring Jane Fonda, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Vartan, and Wanda Sykes. The movie centers on Charlotte (Jennifer Lopez), who was smitten when she meets Dr. Kevin Fields (Michael Vartan). So when Kevin proposes her for the wedding after they start dating, Charlotte happily accepts. But soon, she realizes that Kevin’s mom, Viola (Jane Fonda), is not very happy to have her as his son’s bride. Viola, who is a newscaster, has just lost her job, and suddenly, she starts feeling attached to Kevin. She regards Charlotte as her new competition — and does anything to make her son call off the wedding.

12. The Proposal

When it comes to watching a wedding romance, then “The Proposal’ probably is the most preferred choice of most couples. The Proposal is a 2009 romantic film starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. The story revolves around a pushy boss (Sandra Bullock) forces her young assistant (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her in order to keep her visa status in the U.S. and avoid deportation to Canada. You will love to watch the crazy chemistry between the two. Don’t miss to watch this movie; it is simply magical!

13. The Wedding Planner

The Wedding Planner is a 2001 American romantic comedy film starring Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey. Mary Fiore (Jennifer Lopez), an ambitious San Francisco wedding planner starts to believe in love when she is rescued from a near-fatal collision with a runaway dumpster by handsome pediatrician Steve Edison (Matthew McConaughey) while she celebrated her newest and most lucrative account — the wedding of Internet tycoon Fran Donelly (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras). After she spent the most enchanting evening of her life with Steve Edison (Matthew McConaughey), Mary thinks she’s finally found a reason to believe in love. What happens later is the thing to watch…..

14. Sweet Home Alabama

Sweet Home Alabama is a romantic comedy film released in 2002 starring Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, Patrick Dempsey, and Candice Bergen. The story revolves around New York fashion designer Melanie (Reese Witherspoon), who suddenly finds herself engaged to the city’s most eligible bachelor. But Melanie’s past holds many secrets, which include Jake (Josh Lucas), the man she married in high school, who refuses to divorce her. Bound and determined to end their relationship once and for all, Melanie sneaks back home to Alabama in order to confront her past. But, rather, they rediscovered the love that they lost.

15. License to Wed

A 2007 American romantic comedy film, License to Wed stars Robin Williams, Mandy Moore and John Krasinski. Newly engaged couple Sadie (Mandy Moore) and Ben (John Krasinski) plan a traditional wedding in St. Augustine’s Church. But, sadly, for the lovebirds, the Rev. Frank (Robin Williams) refuses to bless the union until they pass his onerous marriage-prep course. While the clergyman puts the couple through holy hell, Ben and Sadie had to believe that they are truly destined to love each other till death and that their love could withstand any test.

16. Father of the Bride

Father of the Bride is a 1991 comedy film starring Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Kimberly Williams, Martin Short, B. D. Wong, George Newbern, and Kieran Culkin. George Banks (Steve Martin) and Nina (Diane Keaton), are the proud parents of Annie (Kimberly Williams). They love their daughter to the point of almost losing her. When Annie returns from studying abroad and announces that she is engaged. The very moment their whole world turns upside down, especially George’s, who is overprotective father. Watch how George get into troubles, from meeting the in-laws to planning the wedding with an over-the-top consultant (Martin Short) and his buoyant assistant (B.D. Wong). Throughout the movie it seems as if the troubles are never going to end.

17. Corpse Bride

Corpse Bride, famously known as Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride is a 2005 stop-motion-animated fantasy film voiced by Johny Depp, Emily Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, and Richard E. Grant. The movie is about Victor (Johnny Depp) and Victoria’s (Emily Watson). Their families arrange their marriage. They like each other, but Victor is nervous about the ceremony. He heads to the forest to practice his lines for the wedding, suddenly a tree branch becomes a hand and drags him to the land of the dead. It belongs to Emily (Helena Bonham Carter), who was murdered after she eloped with her love and wants to marry Victor. Victor must get back aboveground before his fiancé Victoria marries the villainous Barkis Bittern (Richard E. Grant). If you’re looking for something outside of the norm, then this the movie.

AND FINALLY…..

So, these are the 17 best movies every bride and groom should watch before their wedding day. If you are also set to get hitched, do watch all these movies with your partner-to-be. Have a great time!

Happy Wedding…..

#wedding movies #movies #movie #Wedding Movie #Movies for Bride #Movies for Groom #Best Wedding Movies #Best Movies #Best Wedding Movie #Weddings #romantic movie

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willow-salix · 5 years

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The Seven Basic Plots and how they work.

OK, so this subject is a little controversial, and many will argue the points made, but I thought I would include it, because when I was taught them, they made perfect sense and helped the whole class to identify with the type of story they were actually writing.

This is a really important thing to discover, probably even before you start to plot out your book, because knowing the type of story, and the general structure that they usually take will make the actual construction of your story, so much easier.

The theory goes that there are only ever seven basic plots for stories. 7 in the entire world! They say that any story you can think of will fall into at least one of these categories, though more often they are a mixture of two, three or even more.

The plots are

- Overcoming the Monster

- Rags to Riches

- The Quest

- Voyage and Return

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- Rebirth

- Comedy (in which they have included Romance)

- Tragedy.

Now, lets look at them in more depth.

Over coming the monster. This may have you conjuring up visions of a snarling beast looming over a fair maiden who is swooning and screaming for her knight in shining armour to come and save her.

And while that’s fine, if your story is going that way, if you do have a physical monster that is terrorising villages, you do you, dude, but as a plot it’s much broader.

Monsters can take many forms, from a physical threat, a bad guy, an evil boss, and old enemy, an ex-partner or friend, or even something more symbolic like the badness of society or even mankind itself, an organisation, or a political party.

An overcoming the monster story, as with all of the plots, usually follows a formula, although it is easily moved around to make the story your own.

It starts with the creature itself tormenting and torturing its prey, so it could be the boss picking on the young, inexperienced intern, or a nasty teacher bullying the class.

Then comes the call, when the hero hears of this wickedness and comes to save the day. This could be someone in the office overhearing the nasty things said to the poor, sobbing intern, or one adventurous member of the class that decides enough is enough, this evil teacher must be stopped.

There will usually be a brief, first confrontation where the hero and the monster meet face to face for the first time.

There is often a period within the story that is referred to as the dream state, where everything seems to be going ok for our hero, this turns into a nightmare with another confrontation, which the hero shows every likelihood of losing.

And finally, victory, usually including a lesson of some kind which is designed to make the reader think about the moral of the story.

Rags to riches and comedy/romance will often be blended together. We will often see a small, insignificant individual who will step forward and become our hero. Like the nerdy best friend in a high school drama who turns out to be the perfect person for them all along.

Our unfortunate and reluctant hero will have been treated badly by those around them, family, friends, society and is often orphaned by at least one parent. This gives them some vulnerability and odds to overcome.

It is believed that Cinderella is the oldest rags to riches tale with thousands of known versions today, the oldest dating back to the 9th century.

The unfortunate hero is usually the youngest child, one that is shown during the story to be growing up and to mature.

There is usually a part of the story where there is some kind of crisis, where everything is going wrong, but in the end, everything will work itself out and change for the better.

This is often paired with romance because it’s a good formula, we as readers, like the thought of a humble hero being the one to get the love interest rather than the rich, arrogant rival.

Aladdin is a perfect example of both plots mixing together, an orphaned boy who steals to survive, getting his big break and meeting the girl of his dreams. But just when things seem to be coming up roses for Aladdin, he is knocked back down, having to find the guts and determination to keep fighting, clawing his way back to win the heart of the princess and defeat the bad guy.

The quest is often twinned with voyage and return.

No type of story is better known than the quest, some of our most beloved stories, like treasure island, lord of the rings and the holy grail are all a quest.

The story itself can take the form of a physical journey, where they hero is actually travelling from one place to another, or more of a mental journey, a voyage of self discovery if you will. Maybe one relating to their mental or physical help, self improvement or some other life goal.

When looking at the story the goals are usually pretty simple. Some fabulous treasure or mysterious mythical object, or they surround a homeward journey, be that a mental one of self discovery, back to the person you once was, or a physical one.

They often begin with the call to action, as many others do. A community in uproar, a lost treasure or even a missing person.

All quests begin with a sense of unease, a desperation which pushes them on, often the plot will also involve a time limit to make it feel tenser.

The hero will often have to leave their home and battle to find their way back, returning a better person than when they left.

These stories often involve companions of some kind who will travel with them or be picked up along the way and help them on their journey, their unique abilities making victory possible. This has a moral reason for happening, to show the reader than no one can triumph when they are alone or unsupported, trying to take on too much themselves, to not rely on others, or in the case of a more arrogant hero, thinking they don’t need help. There is no shame in allowing friends to offer a hand.

Sometimes the writer will pull a sneaky on their reader and have one of the companions actually work against the hero, instead being in cahoots with the enemy. This is a good way of involving a plot twist into the story, but it is one that has to be managed very carefully, it should not be obvious that they have been actively trying to cause trouble. It should come out of nowhere and completely blindside the reader, but, when they look back, there should be enough to make it true. It’s a hard one to pull off and it does require practice, but that’s no reason to avoid doing it if that’s how your story is worked.

Once the hero and companions have assembled, they will venture forth. Usually they will encounter their first scary or dramatic situation, entering unknown territory, facing a monster or even lack of resources or food. The possibilities in this, are endless.

Mystical intervention along the way is also a common theme, where our heroes will receive some much-needed help and advice which will save the day.

When the journey is almost over, when we think they will make it, comes the final ordeal. All is lost! Or so we think. But of course, the hero will overcome the odds and win the day.

A twist to this kind of story is the dark quest, and my personal favourite, where we see the dark, brooding anti-hero who seeks to destroy an object or person who is working on the side of good. just when it looks like darkness will overcome the light, he has his redemption.

I do love a sexy, anti-social man who needs kicking into shape, and I am usually just the girl to write them, but, enough about me, lets continue on to our last two plots.

Tragedy and rebirth are another two that are often partnered up for the sake of a story.

Tragedy comes in many forms, from the loss of a parent, a lover, a child, even a whole town or city, leaving the protagonist, our hero, as the only one left to deal with the situation.

They are obviously grieving, emotionally destroyed by the tragedy they have just dealt with, but they must soldier on.

Some stories just stick with the tragedy and refuse to have a happy ever after ending, which is fine, its your story and no one said it had to be a happy happy feel good book, but if you did want to give your hero something to strive for, some home, a light at the end of the tunnel, that’s where the rebirth plot is usually utilised.

We, as readers, love to see something good come out of a tragedy, we love to think that no matter how bad things get, there is always hope of something good just around the corner.

Rebirth stories are always popular. Think of a Christmas carol, with mean, skinflint Mr Scrooge meeting 3 ghosts who take him on a journey of self-discovery, where he will have to face up to the inevitable, if he continues as he is, he will die alone and unmourned by anyone.

He learns the error of his ways and wakes the next morning as a changed man, determined to do better for everyone around him.

So, there you have the 7 basic plots, and as I said before, although others may disagree, I believe they are useful to know and perhaps look at in more depth, especially if you have an idea for a book but are unsure on how to structure it.

Identify the type or types of story it is and then study the formula, fit it all together and get writing.

I once did an article explaining how the 7 basic plots all managed to fit into my book, Two Minutes to Midnight, before I even knew what they were. If you are interested in reading this article, let me know in the comments or DM me and ill get it up online for you all.

That’s all for today, so ill say blessed be and happy writing.

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#willowsalixauthor #paranormalromance #witch #bookseries #books #vampires #writer #how to write #writing tips #writing time #Seven Basic Plots #blog post #Youtuber

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dcarevu · 5 years

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DCAU #14: I’ve Got Batman In My Basement

“Say, Batman, you wouldn’t be single, would you?”

… Let’s just do this.

Villain: The Penguin Robin: No Writer(s): Sam Graham, Chris Hubbell Director: Frank Paur Animator: Dong Yang Airdate: September 30, 1992 Grade: F

So my original plan for this episode was to write a really sarcastic review where I would jokingly praise every aspect of the episode and write it up to be some kind of masterpiece. I was even going to give it an A++++++ grade, but then slip in the real grade at the end (and as a reminder, I’m not a professional, skilled, or trained critic. The grades simply mark my general enjoyment of an episode for those who are into that type of thing). Well, I tried a few times to write the damn thing, and I just couldn’t do it. Truth be told, it’s even difficult to jokingly praise this episode because it’s not like it’s entertainingly bad, minus one scene where we see Batman using a screwdriver as a weapon (ugh, puh-lease). It’s just kinda dry and unentertaining to watch, so it does not make for any kind of decent comedy. Instead, let me start with a little story.

Back before I owned this series on DVD (and hopefully Blu Ray soon), I would watch it everyday on The Hub network. This is how I got back into the series after a long time of sort of forgetting about it (Nostalgia Critic helped re-spark my interest as well). I got exposed to many wonderful episodes this way, such as Sideshow, You Scratch My Back, and Vendetta. I was starting to figure that this show could do no wrong, and so when my dad sat down once when an episode was just starting, I got pretty excited! I was happy that my dad would get to see what great cartoon possibilities could be produced out of a superhero that he mostly remembered from the Adam West TV show (I would argue that this show is great too, but in a very different way). Well, guess what episode came on that way. No, seriously, I want you to just take a guess. Ayup. Now this is before I had ever seen or heard of I’ve Got Batman In My Basement. And with a promising title and title card (although Char thought that the title sounded a little bit creepy, and not in a good way…I will admit, I do get some BDSM vibes), I wasn’t worried. And then the episode started. Wow! Then Penguin! Hadn’t seen him in an episode yet! But I did have his action figure (from the show), and I had heard that Birds Of a Feather was absolutely fantastic. I wish I could even say that there was more buildup before the unfortunate letdown, but really, this episode doesn’t even start out good, particularly if you don’t have any expectations about the Penguin. Hell, if you’re an outsider, I wouldn’t say that the Penguin looks particularly exciting in the slightest. Yeah, he’s got those flipper-fingers, but paired with the sloppy animation of this one, I’m pretty sure Char thought that it was an animation error or something at first. And by the time we get to the two main characters of the episode which are a couple of children, and especially when Batman gets knocked out, I started to realize that not every episode of Batman The Animated Series was perfect. In fact, I knew then that there was at least one that I never wanted to watch again. And this was the one episode my dad happened to see! I almost wanted to change the channel, but I was holding onto a little bit of hope that things would improve. Even if it wasn’t until the end. But, well, you saw the rating. Now, I’ve since seen this episode twice more, via my own decision, merely for the sake of watching the entire series. I’m assuming that if I ever watch through again, I’ll skip this one, but for right now, this is business, and I’ve gotta get the word out about this episode, even though I’m apparently far from the first. Don’t watch it, man. It’ll break your spirit faster than the ground will break an egg from 5 feet up. Oh. And to make things even better, my dad caught another episode a little while later. It was The Forgotten. Yeah. I’ll leave it at that.

So one of the things that I see constantly complained about is that this episode is supposedly pandering to kids, and overall taking a show that was evolving to become more adult and wonderful for all ages to watch, turning it into a typical Saturday morning cartoon. And yeah, I won’t necessarily disagree with this all the way. It certainly does feel like a more typical Saturday morning cartoon. But let’s not throw Saturday morning cartoons under the bus here. By this point, we did have some established quality in cartoon-land. Ren & Stimpy, The Real Ghostbusters, Ducktales, and Tiny Toon Adventures had each been airing prior. Yeah, the episode does focus more on being aimed for kids, but this isn’t inherently bad, and only explains the problems on a very base level. There’s a difference between being aimed at kids yet still being god damn awesome, and talking down to your audience so that the only ones able to enjoy it are kids who a lot of the time will watch anything that moves. This episode seems kiddish because of two main factors; as stated it talks down to the audience, and the two main characters are children (and I swear, they look like they could be Velma Dinkley’s kids). I guess to add a bonus reason, it simply was not approached with love. The team behind the show has basically come out and said that the writers and storyboarders of this one didn't care, and Frank Paur, the reluctant director, tried to shape it up a little bit, but when you have deadlines, there is only so much that you can do. Keep in mind, we are less than 20 episodes into the series. Not everyone they were hiring was necessarily going to be on the same page. When this episode was started, it’s very possible that not a single episode had even been aired yet. After the show was watchable, that’s probably where new writers (and old ones) could watch other people’s work and determine what would work in this newly created DC Animated Universe. I’m a little interested in what Sam Graham and Chris Hubbell could have done with more knowledge of what was expected, but hell, for all I know, Bruce Timm could’ve gone over the series bible 234 times over to them. Lazy work is lazy work. Hard to redeem that because, well, often times the person is too god damn lazy! This is all just some speculation based on things that I know about the show, but ultimately I don’t even care that much. Only watch this one if you’re a completionist like I am.

Now, if held at gunpoint (and maybe I am, given that I really wanna move on to Heart Of Ice instead of finishing up this post) and made to find some positives, I would first tell you that the screwdriver fight is so stupid that it has to be seen. I’d rather just search that scene up on youtube or fast-forward to it, but hey, I didn’t say these were positives that turned that F into an A, did I? Ha ha haaaaa, I don’t think so. But the fact that Batman would wage a tink-tink battle with the Penguin in such a way, oh my god. it’s baffling. This is straight-up Adam West territory, guys. But y’know, I’m probably talking this scene up to much. I always say that it’s ridiculous, that it’s hilarious, that it’s so awe-inspiringly bad, but then I watch it, and it's never quite as entertaining as I remember. Not quite. Maybe being one of the only action sequences (and the only memorable action sequence) causes this effect on me or something? I don’t know. I feel like as goofy as this is, it’s soooo much funnier on paper when it’s purposely comedic. And alright….another positive quality before Sam and Chris push that big red button… Well, Roberta was actually pretty likeable, surprisingly. She was Char and I’s favorite character from the episode, believe it or not. Weird how even though episodes about kids don’t often end up stellar, they can still create a big strong kid character. It’s a case of personalities vs scenarios. Being delicate when it came to children-related plots was maybe a requirement? Then again, Robin’s Reckoning, guys. Robin’s Reckoning. And lastly, uhh, there were a couple of lines that made me chuckle a little bit, and in a way where the line was meant to be funny. Batman’s “Ma’am” at the end was perfectly in character, and Sherman’s response was great. Penguin gets a few good lines as well, despite such a lackluster debut. This episode went ahead to turn Char completely off to the Penguin, which is reluctantly expected, but hopefully after a nice long break from the character, a future episode can turn her around on him. We shall see. This debut is pretty hard to shake.

It embarrassed me a little bit when I first watched it, and it made Char want to vomit. Now that is some quality…Sherman. (Kill me)

Char’s grade: F

Next time: Heart Of Ice Full episode list here!

#batman tas #batman the animated series #i've got batman in my basement #dc animated universe #dcau #the penguin #penguin #batman

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raendown · 6 years

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Pairing: MadaraTobirama + HashiramaMito Word count: 1676 Summary: Everyone in the world has two soulmates, platonic and romantic. Only your platonic soulmate can find your romantic soulmate for you. Hashirama should have known who Madara was the moment they met. Tobirama did know who Mito was as soon as they met. Everything would be so much easier if they were able to just say something about it to each other but since when does the universe like making things easy?

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI

Chapter 1: Of Popcorn and Plotting

If Hashirama had been able to tell as soon as they met that Madara was his brother’s romantic soulmate then all their lives would probably have been a lot easier. Clumsy and obvious in any attempt at subtlety, it would not have been hard for Tobirama to tell what was going on even at such a young age. Unfortunately for all Hashirama’s emotional and interpersonal intelligence he still lacked in a few other areas – things like situational awareness or telling the difference between an upset stomach and the internal alarm which should have identified his brother’s other soulmate at first glance.

Why the universe had to make things so complicated was beyond him. Once he figured it out, Hashirama spent countless hours commiserating the fact that forces beyond his understanding prevented him from simply opening his mouth and spilling the beans to Tobirama. He’d tried, oh how he had tried. Many a night had been spent sitting next to his brother as the younger man watched television, opening his mouth and yet unable to force himself to just say the words Madara is your romantic soulmate. He tried to write it down but his hand wouldn’t move the pen. He’d even tried telling someone else so they could pass on the message but ran in to the same problems.

“Hashi, you’re staring at me again.” Tobirama didn’t bother to look away from the movie they were watching, chastising him gently while he reached for the bowl of popcorn between them. Hashirama wrinkled his nose.

“I wish I could telepathically make you hear my thoughts,” he grumbled. Tobirama shuddered.

“Don’t ever suggest anything that terrifying to me again.”

Pouting now, Hashirama turned away. A lot of people considered him very lucky to have been born in to the same family as his platonic soulmate, a rare phenomenon. Most people had to search for years to find their platonic soulmate in order for that person to identify their romantic match for them. Hashirama didn’t know if he was very lucky at all because his little brother was a big old meanie and even though he himself was creeping up on thirty years old already Tobirama still hadn’t shown any signs of finding Hashirama’s romantic partner.

Why did it all have to be so complicated?

“Quit staring before I dump the popcorn in your lap and make you clean it all up.”

“Tobi!” Hashirama whined and sank back in to the corner of the couch. “I was staring at you for a reason!”

“But you’re not saying anything so all you’re doing is annoying me.”

“Hmph!”

If he could just open his mouth and say what he wanted to then he would have had a lot less on his mind over the past couple of months. So far all his hopes that someone else might notice on their own had come to naught. No one else seemed to see what he saw, that Madara and Tobirama would be absolutely perfect for each other, but that might have had something to do with the way they constantly bickered over the smallest things. Hashirama was at least mostly certain that it was friendly bickering, similar to the way Tobirama gave all his brothers a hard time when he thought they were doing something the wrong way.

Or his version of the wrong way. Tobirama had very rigid opinions on some things.

He knew Madara’s platonic soulmate but, oddly enough, Izuna didn’t seem too interested in helping him get them together. The other young man was just a little too laid back about the whole affair for Hashirama’s comfort. This soulmate stuff was serious business! Sure, Tobirama was a whole and complete person by himself and okay yes he didn’t need his soulmate to survive or anything. He could even fall in love with someone else, it was possible. But a romantic soulmate was a best match and he had always wanted the best for all of his siblings. This was no different.

Wiggling his toes absently, Hashirama wracked his brain for the hundredth time for how he might bring these two stubborn men together. They knew each other already so it wouldn’t be all that suspicious if he were plan some kind of event for them both to attend but that didn’t guarantee they would spend any time together. Maybe…

His eyes widened and it took all his meager self-control not to leap in to the air with triumph. What a perfect idea! He would set the two of them up to go on a date without telling either of them! Surely Izuna would help with that much at least!

At the other end of the sofa Tobirama watched his brother from the corner of one eye, rightfully suspicious. Whatever had put that terrifying gleam in the man’s eye could not be good. He gave some thought to calling him out but at least he was being quiet for once, giving Tobirama a chance to do a little scheming of his own. Last week he had quite literally bumped in to a woman with brilliant red hair who set off all sorts of alarm bells in his head and tied knots in his stomach, brand new sensations that were instantly familiar. Finally, after so many years of searching, he had met his brother’s romantic soulmate.

It had been a little awkward approaching her without the ability to say why, although she seemed intelligent enough that he suspected she knew why a gay man was so interested in getting her number. At least he hoped she knew. She had agreed to meet up at some point this weekend and if she thought it was meant to be a date he wasn’t sure he would survive the embarrassment. If she hadn’t realized he was gay they would both have some fast talking to do but that was a problem easily dealt with so long as he came equipped with a romantic soulmate in his back pocket like six feet of human shield. He would still rather avoid the possible mortification if possible.

Now all he needed was an excuse to get Hashirama out of the house without raising any suspicions. He wasn’t exactly known for enjoying activities out in public surrounded by noisy crowds and pushy strangers but there was one weakness he could play upon which had yet to fail him in twenty-five years: brotherly bonds.

“You don’t have any plans for this weekend, do you?” he asked, eyes forward and tone casual.

“I don’t think so. Why?”

“The fair. I thought it might be nice to go to the fair together.” Mito would be coming along as well, of course, but there was no need for Hashirama to know that just yet. If all went well there would be no need for him to bother with half-assed explanations for why he had brought along an unexpected friend. Tobirama knew his brother’s weakness for a pretty face and even he could see that Mito was exceptionally beautiful. Having a preference for another gender didn’t make him blind.

Hashirama’s manic grin as he lunged over for a surprise hug was a little worrying, though. “Oh, Tobi! That’s such a cute idea! And you don’t mind if Madara comes too, right? I just know the two of you would have so much fun together!”

“Fine, whatever.” He had no idea why his sibling insisted on bringing Madara with them everywhere they went lately but if that’s what it took to get the man out to meet up with Mito then Tobirama would deal with it gladly.

It wasn’t as though he disliked Madara. Quite the opposite, really. The man was distractingly attractive and he showed hints of a high intellect. What Tobirama found annoying was that those hints were buried under the caustic spiky personality Madara used to keep everyone around him at arm’s length. How the man had become ‘best friends’ with Hashirama was a mystery when he barely seemed to even seemed to understand the concept of friends at all. The only person Madara seemed to care much about was his own younger brother and even their relationship was rocky, a confusing mixture of pointed insults and overprotective squabbling.

Actually, come to think of it, that might just be how he showed affection. Tobirama twisted his mouth to one side in thought and completely ignored Hashirama’s enthusiastic chatter as he contemplated the idea that Madara was just a dick. He was aware most people would find that off-putting but he actually found a bit of relief in that theory. If Madara was an asshole he was at least an honest one, not someone who tried to sugarcoat their own personality, and that was something Tobirama could empathize with. After all, he was a bit of an unrepentant dick himself.

With that in mind he found himself a little less worried about having Madara there for their weekend plans at the fair. Now that he had the man figured out it wouldn’t be too painful spending the minimum amount of time with him that he would have to stay before he could slink back home to his research papers and not get yelled at for it.

“Right, well, since I’m taking you to the fair you owe me a favor now and I say we’re watching something else. This movie’s barely halfway through and I have been bored since the opening credits.” Tobirama reached for the remote and smirked when protesting whines began to emanate from the other end of the couch. “Oh be quiet. I’m going out to be social. You can let me have this one.”

“I…yeah, true. That’s fair.” Hashirama sank back down in to his corner of the couch, moodily pulling the bowl of popcorn in to his lap while Tobirama got up and popped out the DVD for one of his favorite romances. He’d thought maybe it would get his brother in the mood but – he smiled deviously at Tobirama’s back – soon enough that would be Madara’s job.

#rae writes #madatobi #hashimito #hashirama #tobirama #fanfiction

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loquaciouseric · 6 years

Text

Read

✆ ~ social media au

⁂ ~ series

❀ ~ mature

☁ ~ angst

❤ ~ fluff

☯ ~ mafia au

♔ ~ royal au

☤ ~ vampire au

BTS

Kim Seokjin

LOVELY LITTLE MESS (M) ~ elling seokjin of your pregnancy should not be so daunting, but you keep it hidden from him as long as you can—at least until you are sitting with him in a bathtub and the secret comes spilling out. (expecting parents au)

⇢ genre: fluff, smut

⇢ word count: 6.14k

the boss ~ Jin comes back from a mission gone wrong, and while it only seems simple, you find it’s really your past coming back to haunt you. ~ angst, smut, gang au, mafia au ~ 12.2k

Golden Boy ~ The golden boy of the porn industry, prettier than half his female co-stars. Will sue if you pull his hair. Always bothering his neighbours with pizza delivery. ~ 9,208

a kiss of marble ~ His gaze trails down your nose and lingers on your lips, before falling to the curve of your neck and the tiny bend of your shoulder visible above your t-shirt, the attention so acute and suggestive that it feels like a tangible brush on your skin. “Hmm… I’ve got a few ideas.” ~ smut, fluff, supernatural, vampire!au ~ 9.9k

BOBSY-DIE ~ Anonymous said to rbuns: Not sure if you’re doing requests but Halloween related I would die for a seokjin or Namjoon or taehyung werewolf fic of them being in heat and smuttyness and knitting and risk of pregnancy?? Like the whole “I’m gonna fill you with my cum have my pups bitch” type fic. I just need a rough dom wolf and extremely horny bratty sub reader and knotting. Even better if the reader is just a hybrid or a werecat?? Love werewolf werecat relationships. ~ smut, angst, fluff, wolf!au, supernatural creatures!au ~ 11.6k

blue scales ~ the plan was to woo the pretty human and make her love him back. it was most definitely not almost kill the human every time he forgot he’s a bloody siren and his taylor swift singing fests in the shower are deadly as shit. ~ fluff, angst ~ 4.3k

SILLY KITTY ~ hybrid au, fluff ~ 21.7k

All Along ~ It’s no surprise when you learn you’ll soon be engaged to one of the Kim brothers. What does come as a shock, is just how determined Seokjin is to make sure that person is him. ~ arranges!marriage ~ 13k

The Pretenders ~ wolf!au ~ 12,339

Pink Panther ~ hybrid!au, smut ~ 13k

The Act of Persuasion ~ When two critters arrive at his doorstep he didn’t know that they would cause a bear who marched to the rhythm of the ants realises there’s more to life walking in straight lines. However in order walk out of those lines he had to make a deal to save others and his two little ones, but at what cost? Then there’s me, the one who only sees in parallel. I walk in the footprints my parents have made in the path. What happens when my perspective changes because of a silly bear? ~ bear hybrid, actress, CEO, arranged Marriage, fluff, angst, single parent ~ 20.9k

off limits ~ you’ve been lusting after your brother’s best friend for a while now, ever since you met him at a house party, flirting it up a storm as you failed to realise who the other was. That was months ago now and things are still awkward, but you can’t ignore the sexual tension that’s simmers between the two of you…and it keeps getting worse… ~ brother’s best friend au; smut, angst, fluff ~ 8 parts/82,795

show me ~ your friend Jin has a proposition for you that you can’t seem to refuse, no matter how hard you try. ~ smut, fluff, little angst ~ 14,138

what 2 do ~ what happens when the college roommate you thought was definitely going to be girl turns out to be the most gorgeous guy you’ve ever encountered in all your years of life? It’s a stupid misunderstanding on your part, but maybe, just maybe, it won’t be so bad after all… ~ smut, fluff, slight angst ~ 13,759

dimple ~ What’s the rule again? How many dates does it take for you have sex with a guy? Three? Five? Ten?! What if all this waiting and you can’t remember how to do it? It’s been so long since the last time you swear you’ve forgotten! You’re desperate, and that’s how you end up asking your roommate for help. Only trouble is, you get much more than you bargained for… ~ smut, comedy, slight angst, romance, slow burn, roommates/friends ~ 14,725

𝕄𝕚𝕟 𝕐𝕠𝕠𝕟𝕘𝕚

CARING IS CREEPY ❤ ~ ❛❛we hooked up last night even though i rarely do that kind of thing and now you’re cornering me in the cafe and oh god apparently you think i’m cute and want to go on a date this is not at all what i anticipated❜❜ (bad boy au; college au)

Conveniently ~ Slice of life, Single Parent!Reader, Convenience Store Owner!Yoongi, lots of fluff, tiny bit of angst because I’m me and cannot be stopped, smut. ~ 22k.

Amor Vincit Omnia ~ Arranged Marriage Gang! AU . BTS Suga /Min Yoongi and OC . The worst thing you can do to a guy? Marry him when he begs you not to. Worst thing you can do to yourself? Fall in love with him afterwards. ~ Violence , Romance, Drama ~ 20 parts

a heart full of love ~ people say that actors are the most dramatic people in the world but those people haven’t met a certain min yoongi.{enemies to lovers!au, high school!au, actor!au} ~ fluff, angst ~ 10k

annoying ✆ ~ enemies to lovers ~ 20 parts

COFFEE TASTE ❀ ~ As in what happens when you disturb your boyfriend late at night in his studio uninvited and try to lure him home. ~ 2963

UNDER CONSTRUCTION ✆ ~ In which y/n is just trying to figure out what to do with her life with the help from her (un)helpful friends ~ 50 parts

THE GALAXY IN OUR HEARTS ~ min yoongi has been raising his daughter on his own her entire life, convinced that he needs no one else apart from their family of two. you come along to change that. (single parent au) ~ 6.16k ~ fluff

ink petals ~ when Yoongi turns to your shop for drawing practice inspiration, neither of you could have forseen the way things unfold and just how deep you both would fall. ~ tattooartist!yoongi, florist!oc, smut, fluff, angst ~ 10.5k

All I Want for Christmas ~ singledad, CEO!yoongi x secretary!reader ~ 13k

aquiver ~ Yoongi can’t remember the last time he was able to successfully bring himself to the point of orgasm, then Namjoon gives him a business card advertising ‘Healing Hands’, and that’s where he meets you; pretty and innocent looking, who gets paid to provide hand jobs for a living… ~ smut ~ 8 parts

Act On It ~ You learn that the cute barista you’ve been crushing on might have an…otherworldly disposition after you accidentally cut yourself. ~ college!au, coffee shop!au, vampire!au, Fluff, Angst, Smut ~ 15,639

Breakfast in Bed ~ “Min Yoongi, a grumpy Ikea employee, is wondering who you are and why exactly you’re sleeping in the display bed at his Ikea.” ~ ikea employee!au, smut, fluff, semi crack/humour ~ 12k

City Lights ~ Min Yoongi is the one man in your life who you love unconditionally, despite having ended your relationship a month prior. It’s not until you spot him at a nightclub do you realise that maybe it wasn’t a great idea to go out after all. ~ fluff, angst ~ 7.033

ivory paws ~ Winter time brings Christmas, and the snow outside brought you a stray cat. But your little companion is far more unique than meets the eye, and in a time of need, he becomes the biggest surprise and best holiday gift of them all. ~ shifter!yoongi, fluff, angst, smut ~ 8.8k

BASKETBALLCAPTAIN ~ 18.4k

keep the change ~ typically an old man works the night shift at Greg’s Place. however, it seems there’s a new cute guy working the register at night now. and it just so happens it’s finals week… ~ light humor, fluff, smut, cashier!yoongi ~ 5.3k

Forever, We Are Young ~ A story in which everyone is a poor college kid, Min Yoongi is a pianist who never seems to sleep, and you are a plucky young art student with some eccentric friends. ~ pianist!yoongi x art student!reader (feat. photographer!taehyung), social media au, fluff, humor ~ 40 parts

hybrid!yoongi

THE SUGAR WARS ~ Maybe tasting everything his soulmate eats wouldn’t be so bad if Yoongi’s soulmate didn’t have the largest sweet tooth Ever. Maybe you wouldn’t need to sweeten everything if he didn’t drink his coffee so bitter ~ soulmate!au ~ 5.3k

CEO!YOONGI ~ 21k

MAYBE I’M A LITTLE DANGEROUS (MAYBE LOVE IS TOO) ~ RARE SOULMATE MARKS DON’T GUARANTEE THAT YOU FIND YOUR SOULMATE EASILY, AND WHEN YOUR SOULMATE IS THE HEAD OF A MAFIA, BEING TOGETHER WILL NEVER BE EASY EITHER… ~ mafia!au ~ 4.3k

At Your Service ~ Your Grandpa adopted him, ex-K-9 police dog hybrid, to kept the auto shop safe. He had to fulfill his viscous guard dog hybrid appeal, but he was putty in your hands. However, when an unexpected event happens you take ownership of Yoongi, your best friend…but when tensions build, will he want to stay with you? ~ Fluff, Smut, Hybrid au ~ 10k

Sticky Honey ~ yoongi’s every day life with you is a gift, you’re his favourite human ~ smut, tattoo artist/vampire!yoongi ~ 6,907

Ink and Honey ~ yoongi has been around for centuries, he’s a tattoo artist when he meets you. he becomes completely, and utterly intoxicated with you ~ smut, tattoo artist, vampire!yoongi ~ 10,203

mastering ~ smut ~ 5,333

show off ~ smut, light fluff & angst ~ 6,044

ANDROID!YOONGI ~ 24k

a brush of silk ~ His lips curl around your around your neck, whispering, “I want slow today. You good with that, baby?”“You say that like you ever want anything else, old man,” you quip back, your voice a tad breathless. ~ smut, vampire au, idol au, supernatural au ~ 5.6k

Late Bloomer ~ wolf!au ~ 21,041

Kitten’s Little Flame ~ You (cat hybrid) have transferred to a new elementary school because your parents have moved towns. You start your new kindergarten class and meet other hybrids, but one special one catches your eye, Yoongi, the dragon hybrid. How will you manage this new environment? ~ fluff, slight angst, hybrid, children BTS ~ 6 parts

settle down ~ An unfortunate event finds you living with the man you practically despise over the summer. However, maybe through a series of fortunate events, you find yourself falling for him… ~ smut, angst, fluff, slow burn, enemies to lovers ~ 14,930

INSEMINATION WARS P1 ~ getting pregnant isn’t an easy feat, especially when balancing work and a stubborn husband. a chronological compilation that highlights the trial and error of good old-fashioned baby making ~ 5k

INSEMINATION WARS P2 ~ after a winded six months of trying to get pregnant, you find yourself seeking help by means of sometimes ludicrous methods. or, part two of a chronological compilation that highlights the trial and error of good old-fashioned baby making. ~ 15k

INSEMINATION WARS P3 ~ as the first trial year dwindles to a close, things begin to settle. or, part three of a chronological compilation that highlights the trial and error of good old-fashioned baby making. ~ 18k

Please Be Naked ~ you find it’s easy to become addicted to a distraction… ~ smut, angst, rebound au ~ 8 parts

RULE OF THIRST ~ vampires were just folklore until yoongi became one. now he’s got only two emotions: you and hunger. and tonight, you let him feed off you. ~ vampire au ~ 12k

boy.girl ~ Boy. Girl. It’s as simple as that. Girl can’t get a good date—scrap that—girl can’t get a good lay, and boy is willing to help out with that… Friends with benefits seems the perfect solution, except for the fact, it’s not. It never is. Not when boy already has feelings for girl… ~ smut, slight angst, romance, friends with benefits au, roommate! yoongi ~ 14,139

Skin Deep ~ Tattoo artist!Reader AU. Friends to lovers, slow burn. Smut. ~ 10 parts

kitten ~ Yoongi’s focus on work has subjected your relationship to having a dry spell, and with a little prompting from your best friend, you tell him exactly what he should do. But you don’t make the rules kitten, and the game you’re choosing to play is a dangerous one. ~ smut ~ 11.4k

𝕁𝕦𝕟𝕘 ℍ𝕠𝕤𝕖𝕠𝕜

enigma ✆ ~ despite having two loud-mouth best friends and a confident older brother by her side, y/n has never been a very outgoing person. however, just because she isn’t the most talkative person, doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a secret or two to share. ~ 36 parts

BLOOM ~ your soulmate’s first words to you will be burned into the skin of your wrist upon first meeting them. no one anticipated that yours would turn out to be a world famous rapper by the name of jung hoseok. ~ soulmate au, celebrity au, flower shop au, fluff, light angst ~ 1.8k

WITHOUT YOU (I CAN’T BREATH) ~ HOSEOK THINKS THAT HOME IS A PLACE YOU CAN PLOT ON A MAP. BUT HE REALIZES THAT LIVING BY HIMSELF IS LONELY. HE GETS A NEW PLACE AND PUTS OUT AN AD FOR A ROOMMATE- WHAT HE DOESN’T EXPECT IS YOU- SOMEONE WHO HAS NO KNOWLEDGE OF BTS- AND HE’LL DO ANYTHING TO KEEP IT THAT WAY. ~ 3.4k

Night Stalker ~ Vampires are a thing of legend, and yet you find yourself being saved by a self-proclaimed vampire hunter. Only your saviour is half-vampire himself, and struggles with his base instincts. What happens when you get to know him more and feel an attraction you can’t help? ~ Angst, violence, smut, fluff ~ 17.6k

guarded hearts ~ when you fall on hard times while taking care of your daughter, and hoseok is there to help. ~ fluff/angst ~ 4 parts

Iridescence ~ he colours your life from day 1 ~ fluff, angst, soulmate!au ~ 7.2k

in the car ~ all you had was a dead car battery, you weren’t looking for romance, regardless if the charming mechanic had other ideas. You’ve heard stories that could put you off… Can he change your misconceptions, or will they prove correct after all…? ~ smut, romance, slight angst, mechanic! hoseok, street racer! hoseok ~ 14,739

THE NIGHT SHIFT ~ working the graveyard shift means you’re exhausted by the time 9am comes around. lucky for you, 9am happens to be your neighbours’ favourite time for obnoxious sex. lucky for them, you’re always up for a challenge. shitty neighbours don’t always have to be a bad thing. ~ smut ~ 11k

𝕂𝕚𝕞 ℕ𝕒𝕞𝕛𝕠𝕠𝕟

Idol!Namjoon ✆ ~ With 7.6 billion people alive, does your soulmate really live around the corner? Namjoon meets you during his Italy trip and keeps in touch with you afterwards. Will your connection endure his lifestyle and the distance? ~ 25 parts

Oh, Baby ~ You wake up tied to a chair. This nice-looking blond haired guy says it’s because you have information he wants, but you have no idea what the hell he’s talking about. Why? Because he’s a bit of an idiot, that’s why. ~ Smut, mafia!au ~ 9 parts

BEAUTY & THE BOOKWORM ~ librarian!namjoon, university!au, fluff,angst,smut ~ 20.8k

BUTTERFINGERS ~ hybrid!au, teacher!au ~ 8.2k

Obligated ~ Married by obligation, weighed down by circumstance. Except for those nights when you’re both drunk, falling into bed with one another and realizing you’re human. Occasionally this happens, occasionally you fuck. Until your life changes and you realize Namjoon, the very man you’re obligated to, might just be the very man that you crave. ~ arranged!marriage ~ 6k

ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝕁𝕚𝕞𝕚𝕟

Fuckboy!Jimin ✆ ~ College Friends to Lovers ~16 parts

FOREVER IS A LONG TIME ~ the benefits of being a psychic include understanding other people’s emotions, intuitively avoiding toxic people, and taking glimpses of the beautiful possible future. the drawbacks of being a psychic include knowing forever that park jimin will be the love of your life and spending years longing for him to finally show up. (psychic au) ~ fluff, very light angst, some implied sexual content ~ 7.84k

shades of wrong ~ In which you’re sure you’ll hate Park Jimin with every fiber of your being for the rest of your existence, even after he is assigned as your tutor for History of Magic. ~ fluff/smut; harry potter au word count: 17.321

Midday ~ jimin refuses to sleep, he wants to spend time with you and maybe today you’ll let that slide ~ fluff, light smut, punk/tattooed! jimin ~ 2,005 (3 more)

Star Light, Star Bright ~ Life has not gone exactly how Park Jimin imagined, and yet he can’t possibly imagine his life any different to what it is now. After six hard and stressful years, he’s now the happy owner of a degree along with being the proud dad of his little girl. But what happens when he meets you and his life is tipped upside down once more? ~ Fluff, smut, angst ~ 17.5k

Blooming Days ~ A typical night for you begins at the library in your favourite chair underneath the lamp in the corner, only to be picked up at 3am by your best friend, Jimin. Despite having slept over in his room several times before, this certain night in Sigma house leads to far more than you ever imagined. But what is to come of your friendship once you reveal those two little lines that will change your lives forever? ~ fluff, smut, angst & humour ~ 15.390

turbulence ~ On your first flight the cute boy next to you helps to sooth your nerves, and on the second flight he soothes something else. ~ smut ~ 9.3k

accelerate ~ Jimin comes to retrieve his jacket on the condition that you then accompany him for dinner, and you can bet he satiates every hunger. ~ smut, fluff ~ 8.9k (sequel to turbulence)

inhale ~ smut, fluff ~ 5,263

TENSION ~ Jimin and you are always flirty. When his childhood friend, Jungkook, visits, they show they’ve always been competitive. What happens, then, when both of them set their sights on you? ~ 6,285

TIMID ~ Jimin was by far the cutest person you’d ever seen, but he always seemed to avoid you, dodging activities and events that included you. That changes when his home is compromised and he finds himself staying with you while it’s being repaired. ~ fluff, soft, hybrid!au ~ 8.4k

A MATTER OF PRIDE ~ You make some comments that wound Jimin’s pride and threaten his standing as Best Lover of the group so he sets out to prove you wrong the only way he knows how. ~ smut ~ 4.5k

a bite of the apple ~ “The thought of Jimin not being able to feed from someone other than you is troubling in more than one sense– there will be times, like the past week, when you physically can’t be there for him, and what would happen in an emergency, if he somehow got hurt and needed a transfusion, if his body rejected the blood of someone else. And that’s not even considering the long term implications of that…. “We’ll deal with that later,” you say, concern building at the thought, but the red in his eyes is growing brighter and brighter, his breathing heavier and heavier, and the wild energy humming under his skin is only growing more static.” ~ smut, supernatural, idol au, vampire au ~ 8.6k

BENEATH THE WATER ~ mermaid!au ~ 20.5k

open 24/7 ~ ❝ you effortlessly testing his patience plus his fiery temper are a deadly mix, aren’t they? ❞ ~ idol au, smut ~ 5.1k

sunny day ~ you’re a veterinary student specializing in hybrid care when you get a call in the middle of the night that a feral hybrid has broken into the clinic where you work. ~ 6 parts

dark side of the moon ~ falling in love at first sight is cliche, not until it happens to you on a dark night in a lonely alley. but you’re only human, while Park Jimin is Alpha of his pack; it could never work out. so you resort to pining for him like a wolf howling at the moon, but when Jimin goes feral, that’s when everything changes. ~ werewolf!au, smut ~ 11.1k

Cupid’s Bow ~ when your pact with Jimin to lose your virginity before Valentine’s Day fails, you decide to just lose it to each other... ~ smut ~ 8357

little monster ~ you’ve been good friends with your roommate Jimin for a while, occasionally flirting with each other, especially when you’ve had a drink, but nothing has ever happened between the two of you…until that is, he secretly listens to you and Namjoon have sex one day…He thinks you don’t know, but he’s wrong… ~ smut, masturbation, teasing ~ 8,844

TRICK SHOT ~ jimin’s the bartender, you’re the billiard hotshot who frequents his bar and challenges him to a clean game of 9-ball after hours. “see if you can make this shot with my hand down your pants” au ~ 8k (p 1.5)

TRICK SHOT P2 ~ you finally meet your match in a game of 9-ball and you’re pissed about it, so you ask your hot bartender boyfriend to fuck your anger out of you. ~ 8k

hard to say ~ you’ve had feelings for your best friend Jimin for as long as you can remember, but you always thought they were unreciprocated. What if it turned out they weren’t…? ~ smut, fluff, slight angst ~ 11,163

NO STRINGS ~ It started off as such a simple question. How to know if you’re bad in bed? Of course when you asked, you didn’t imagine Jimin would actually answer. ~ 10 parts

friends with benefits ~ when your current squeeze dumps you five seconds after sex, you’re led back down a familiar path and into park jimin’s bed ~ friends with benefits au, smut, light angst ~ 11k

𝕂𝕚𝕞 𝕋𝕒𝕖𝕙𝕪𝕦𝕟𝕘

Single mom!au ⁂ ~ 4 parts

Serendipity ⁂ ~ “Hey, you’re my new neighbor and you cry every night, are you okay?” ~ 26 parts

college dad!au⁂ ~ 30 parts

broken rings & queens and kings ~ to make a long, long story very, very short, you and kim taehyung have been sworn enemies ever since childhood, that is, until you find out that you’re betrothed to each other for the good of your kingdoms, and everything comes crumbling down. ~ 24k ~ fluff, light angst, light smut

DADDY ISSUES ~ fluff, angst, smut ~ 16.1k

Keep Your Chin Up ~ Nobody’s ever been able to get you off, including yourself, and you’re really starting to think sex is overrated until your best friend changes your mind. ~ smut ~ 5,646

the t-shirt thief ~ In the midst of your loneliness due to Taehyung’s absence, you decide that you need a distraction, which somehow manifests itself as going over to his apartment and stealing a t-shirt or two… or three… ~ fluff, smut ~ 9,812

little dove ~ The best things always show up when you least expect them. ~ smut, angst, werewolf!au ~ 14k

1-800-Music-Street ~ you’re enchanted by a street performer and then he saves you, resulting in multiple meetings one can only describe as fate. ~ ↳ au: homeless!taehyung, saxophonist!taehyung, street performer!taehyung ~ 13.2k

Collide ~ Your life had always been wonderfully ordinary. That is… until the day you accidentally bumped into him and ended up with the wrong cellphone and a one-way ticket to a groupchat full of unusual characters… ~ artist!taehyung x waitress!reader, sm au, crack humor, fluff, smut ~ 45 parts

TREAT YOU BETTER ~ YOU AND TAEHYUNG ARE JUST 2 OUT OF THE MANY PEOPLE THAT GATHER ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF SEOUL. BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU’VE GOT A DOUCHEBAG BOYFRIEND AND TAEHYUNG STARTS TO FEEL SOMETHING FOR YOU? HE DOESN'T GIVE UP IF THAT'S WHAT YOU’RE THINKING… ~ 3k

the wings of a devil ~ You grab a t-shirt and jeans from your closet, the phone still pressed in your ear when you pause. “Are you actually hungry, Taehyung? Or was that just to make sure I would answer the phone?”“What? I wouldn’t do that.” Liar. “But yeah, I could use another round, dance practice yesterday was pretty intense.”Dread and excitement mix in the pit of your stomach, your blood warming at the idea. You hesitate. “Are you actually going to feed, or are you going to do what you did last time?” ~ smut, vampire au, idol au ~ 6k

the monster smash ~ When your friend Hoseok drags you along to a Halloween party, the last thing you expected was to meet the Joker to your Harley. ~ halloween!au, smut, fluff ~ 8.8k

Guilty Pressure ~ Notorious pranker Kim Taehyung is adored by all, but all he really wants is your attention. ~ smut, fluff ~ 9486

don’t fox with my heart, sweet tart ~ “Wait, what?” You gaped at him. “Woah, just because I said that you’re the only–no. No, Taehyung. I’m not leaving my apartment this weekend. This midterm is going to destroy me, I deserve it.”“You’ll have fun, trust me.” He winked, and you wondered how long you’d be banned from the library for throwing a textbook at his stupid, smug face. “Wear something other than sweatpants and my hoodie, kay?” ~ fluff, friends to lovers au, shifter au, valentines au, college au ~ 3.5k

BAD IDEAS ~ your best friend taehyung promises you a night of adventure, and by this you know that he means there’s a 90% chance you two are going to get arrested tonight. but you go along with it anyway, because he’s taehyung, and you can never resist taehyung. + midnight sheenanigans and sexy times ~ smut, fluff, best friends!au ~ 7.245

bookmarked ~ ❝ the hours you spend at the library are a little more bearable around him. but the most nightly hours are full of devils. ❞ ~ college au, smut ~ 9.9k

DICHOTOMY ~ You hate him. He hates you. It’s a fine line though, isn’t it – between love and hate? ~ Arranged Marriage!AU ~ 14,566

Retracted Claws ~ he found a poor, stray kitten shivering on the streets, and he was determined to make sure she was kept safe ~ hybrid!au, mafia!au, fluff ~ 2/? (part 2)

Seven Seas ~ Atlantis is a myth; a hidden city, a sunken island, a missing continent. Only…it’s not a myth. Just hidden out of choice. As the daughter of an Atlantean and a human, you are a halfling that is unwanted by the underwater continent and misunderstood by the surface. But what happens when you finally go to Atlantis and meet an Atlantean who is oddly kind to you? ~ Fluff, angst, smut ~ 25.5k

The Firefly that Guards the Fox ~ His mother and father weren’t supposed to fall in love. They weren’t supposed to find a mate in one another.They weren’t supposed to.After losing his father years ago, Taehyung vows to find and avenge the injustice his family has gone through. You were childhood friends with Taehyung. The four of you Taehyung, Hoseok, your older brother and you were inseparable. You were torn apart from Taehyung, your fox who’ve you’ve always vowed to protect and be with, without a warning. He called you Firefly, you called him Tae-Tae the fox. Was your fate supposed to end there in the past with your childhood? ~ fluff, angst, hybrid au, law au, crime au ~ 6.9k

move like you want ~ where you meet the gaze of an incredibly attractive red head at a music bar and one thing leads to another… ~ smut ~ 7,960

FATE OF THE FAST & FURIOUS ~ you’re a first-generation college student and taehyung is the hot guy with a love for motorbikes who lands the job babysitting for your family while you’re away. basically a mix of domestic!taehyung, biker!taehyung, racer!taehyung all at once, and a whole lotta sex. a weird kind of slow-burn. ~ 17k

slowdance on the inside ~ Taehyung has liked you as long as he can remember. He’s unsure when the line blurred from friendship to romantically, but it’s about to get a lot worse when he’s forced to watch you date his friend, Jungkook… ~ angst, fluff, smut ~ 20,476

Apologies ~ After a fight, Taehyung can’t bring himself to apologise to his girlfriend until he realises that she might have moved on. If he wants her he needs to go get her. ~ smut, angst ~ 11620

The Fanmeet ~ Taehyung is jealous over Jungkook flirting with his girlfriend and decides to teach him a lesson in front of their fans. ~ smut ~ 7408

𝕁𝕖𝕠𝕟 𝕁𝕦𝕟𝕘𝕜𝕠𝕠𝕜

✆ ~ The Hyung line cannot deal with the cuteness that is you and Jungkook sleeping ~ 16 parts

PLANS FOR WEDDING BANDS ~ ❛❛i’ve been meaning to propose to you for ages and i have set up the perfect plan but as we’re driving to the restaurant this tiny little cat on the side of the road that you’re determind to save shows up and now everything is ruined oh god what am i gonna do❜❜ (proposal au) ~ 3.32k ~ fluff

SWEET TOOTH ~ you try not to fall for an insistent college kid with sweater paws. ~ 12.1K ~ smut, humour, baby boy!jungkook, cafe!au

ice prince ~ when, due to inexplicable and total clumsiness, your reliable, talented ice dancing partner of five years breaks his leg right before the largest competition of your life, desperate times call for desperate measures. and for a brief, brief moment, you think that everything might actually end up not-that-shitty, until you find out that the aforementioned desperate measures go by the name of jeon jungkook.⇒ figure skating!au, enemies to lovers!au ~ fluff, very minor angst ~ 22k

the millionaire and his lover ~ over the course of your lifelong friendship with jungkook, you can’t say that you’ve ever had the greatest ideas, and a fake relationship with the boy you’ve been in love with for years is no exception. ⇒ self-gratuitous ceo au, friends-to-lovers, and fake relationship trope rolled into one big shitstorm of a jungkook fic ~ fluff, angst, and light smut ~ 22k

something in the water ~ sleeping is a foreign concept to Kim Taehyung and his awkward, mismatched gang of pals. This is made all the more apparent when they rock up at ___’s doorstep at the ass crack of dawn, as if it’s a natural time for any college student to be awake. But when she is informed that it was the youngest of their group who insisted she join them on their spontaneous camping trip, she is suddenly not as reluctant to play along than when she was first awakened by her enigma of a best friend, slamming his fist against her door. ~ 25,836 words

Lowkey ~ Jungkook is the nude model for your art school’s life drawing class. ~ smut ~ 6.2k

vaunt ~ Every weekend Beta Tau throws a ‘little’ party to help students relax and let loose and frat resident Jungkook has a big mouth that talks a lot of big game. You finally get sick of the lack of relaxation on your end and set out to see if he’s all talk. ~ college/fratboy!jungkook, fratparty!au, smut ~ 9387

vaunt ii ~ True to the nature that birthed your relationship, Jungkook loves to set a challenge, and you love to try and prove him wrong. ~ college!au, frat!au, smut ~ 9.2k

TATTOOARTIST!JUNGKOOK

BADBOY

GOLD RUSH ~ freshman Jungkook comes to you with an injured shoulder and a very concerning proposal. ~ humour, smut, track runner!jungkook ~ 11.2k

unexpected ~ You and Jimin have been best friends forever. All the boys love you and consider you family. But there’s one person who isn’t so fond of you and nobody knows why. What’s his reason? ~ social media au, angst + fluff ~ 13 parts

Bloom ~ Touring with some of the biggest names in the music industry should be a singer’s dream. Too bad two of those names happen to be your annoying new nemesis and the guy you can’t seem to forget… ~ sm au, fluff, crack humor, slight angst, idol!au ~ 30 parts

Marguerite ~ After a random number texts you on yet another night, where you’re just staying home at your dorm, you find yourself talking to an annoying, but very determined frat boy, who likes a challenge more than anything… Even if he doesn’t know who you are. ~ social media au ~ 90 parts

a sip of the grail ~ You take in his expression curiously, trying to understand this new Jungkook that’s somehow both bold and shy, before tilting your chin to the left and exposing the curve of your neck. A quick hook of your finger into the collar of your sweater unveils more of your shoulder to his gaze. “Go ahead, Jungkook,” you murmur, voice just above a whisper. ~ smut, supernatural, vampire ~ 3k

Hopping Mad for You ~ For two years you’ve lived with your rabbit hybrid roommate, Jungkook. He’s been a model roommate and you’ve found yourself with little complaints. But his behaviour lately has been a little…unusual. ~ Fluff, smut, Rabbit Hybrid!Jungkook ~ 9.7k

MICROWAVE (MIS)ADVENTURES ~ Out of all things to be afraid of, Jungkook, the seat-stealer of your 8am class and annoying housemate whom you despise with every fiber of your being, chooses to have a phobia of microwaves, but he loves buying microwaveable food – because come on, they’re irresistible – and you somehow find yourself getting dragged into his microwaves (mis)adventures. Cue chaos, sarcasm-laced banter and an unplanned romance. ~ Fluff, slight angst, smut, college!AU, roommates/housemates!AU, enemies to lovers!AU ~ 20k

UNDER THE BRIDGE ~ fluff, smut, slight angst, Hybrid!AU ~ 10.6k

BLACKJACK ~ Bangtan is one of the most vicious mafias on the west coast. Only six members are known by name though, with a mysterious seventh member dubbed only as ‘the shadow.’ When you become indebted to the worst of the worst – how, exactly can you find a way out? ~ Mafia!AU ~ 11 parts

THE QUEST TO BEDDING THE LEAD SINGER OF FRONTMAN ~ Frontman is your favorite band in the world and honestly, the only reason you waited this long in line is to stand at the front for a shot with the lead singer. Enter sexy sound boy, who just won’t leave you alone. ~ punk!Jungkook ~ 9,582

SHOW ME WHERE YOUR LOVE LIES ~ Jungkook knows it’s wrong to sneak around with you behind his wife’s back. but with you he feels whole- he feels loved. And maybe you would feel guilty if she didn’t treat Jungkook like absolute shit. ~ 4.1k

pushing buttons ~ When your boyfriend puts off your date plans in favor of a 24-hour livestream with his gaming friends, you decide to take matters into your own hands. ~ gamingboyfriend!au, smut ~ 6.6k

tell me your secrets (I’m all ears) ~ You’re not afraid of Jeon Jeongguk. Even if he’s probably some kind of bear or giant cat shifter, and just a hint of his irritation had your instincts vibrating beneath your skin like a live wire. Your thumb brushed over the plastic dome of mini-Levi’s head, taking comfort in the cartoon scowl and dead eyes, the tiny grey sticks of his 3DM gear. Small could be pretty fucking powerful too. ~ fluff, romance, humor, shifter au ~ 6.5k

To Own A Hybrid ~ the hybrid world was one y/n never really involved herself in; however, after certain events, she is tossed into a world of uncertainty in the company of a particularly rude hybrid. ~ 14 parts

fine art ~ ❝ meet kook. he’s a spoiled rich bitch who gets mad when he doesn’t get what he wants. and it seems, that he wants you. ❞ ~ gambler au, smut ~ 8.6k

In Bloom ~ wolf!au ~ 11,589

The Rabbit on the Moon ~ The moon was your sun. You’ve grown up working under the moonlight as long as you could remember. You served a man, who controlled the monsters that roamed the city at day and night, or rather the devil himself. When the others around you slowly start disappearing, you start wondering if it’ll soon be your turn. A hand reaches out to you, the hand of a gentle rabbit disguised as a wolf, offering a way out. Will you be able to escape the clutches of the devil in time? ~ fluff, angst, smut, police officer au, mafia au, bunny hybrid/police officer!kook, cat hybrid!reader ~ 5 parts

Who You Belong To ~ Jungkook has noticed you flirting with Taehyung for quite awhile and has finally decided you need to be reminded of who you belong to. ~ smut ~ 8647

…AND ACTION P1 ~ jungkook likes to film illegal stunts around the globe for his dedicated audience. because of you, his right-hand navigator, he gets to travel to beautiful places he’s only ever seen in textbooks. but in the wake of a mishap involving poisonous shrubbery, now’s a perfect time for him to confess his undying love for more than just videography. or, “I know you’re my best friend but I’ve wanted to kiss you since the day we met” au ~ 12k

…AND ACTION P2 ~ jungkook might be homesick and not even the beautiful landscape of Florence can get his mind right. maybe now’s your chance to prove that he doesn’t need home when he has you. or, part two of the “I know you’re my best friend but I’ve wanted to kiss you since the day we met” au ~ 11k

stuffed pumpkin ~ hooking up with the guy you’re neutral towards isn’t how you expected your night to go, especially dressed as a pumpkin… ~ smut,fluff ~ 6,406

playing with fire ~ jungkook seems to have a little crush on you, and no matter how much you try to ignore it, you seem to be losing your resolve with each passing day… ~ smut ~ 8,460

GIVENCHY & GOLD P1 ~ you’re the supervisor of the clothing department with a lot of useless lingerie knowledge, jungkook is the jewelry department’s defiant hot boy who flirts in wristwatch brands. basically an upscale retail au, but with lots of implied under-the-counter sex. and when an opportunity presents itself to fuck each other in the boss’s office after hours, you’re both too hot for each other to say no. ~ smut ~ 20k

GIVENCHY & GOLD P2 ~ jeweler!jungkook gets what he’s got coming to him after getting you both busted in the boss’s office. a continuation of the upscale retail au with a slight change in location ~ smut ~ 24k

GIVENCHY & GOLD P3 ~ you always told yourself you’d be out of retail as soon as you made bank. now that you’re days away from officially leaving, this makes for some interesting changes in your relationship with a certain former coworker ~ 15k

Bunny Boy ~ 6 parts

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toshiro-46 · 6 years

Text

On Ruby’s True Semblance

The general consensus amongst the fndm is that Ruby's semblance is speed, or bursting into rose petals, or something of that sort. This is somewhat understandable, as Pyrrha and Qrow both refer to her semblance as such, but I still don't get it. Because really, it simply doesn't make much sense ~~if you have half a braincell~~ when you look closely. Here's the facts:

Her "speed" is - as of the V4 Short - her literally turning into rose petals. If you don't believe me, rewatch it. At 2:04 she separates into 3 balls of roses, and at 4:05 she's basically a rose petal tornado. Qrow later on in V4C8 even refers to it as such. It's transformation no different from the Branwen's.

Transforming is established (by Weiss's, Nora's, Ruby's, and Jaune's reactions to it and then later the V5 commentary) as a very weird thing and definitely not something that a semblance could be.

This is enough to definitively say Ruby's ability to turn into rose petals is not her semblance. It's clearly magic. This is fact.

Two questions now arise: 1. Where did she acquire this magic? 2. What is her actual semblance?

1. Where did she acquire this magic?

Let's look at the possibilities, going over the three methods of transferring magic that we know of.

Granted by Oz: Ozpin didn't give her the powers personally, as he'd clearly never seen her before prior to V1C1. We can cross this off the list.

Last thoughts: Transformation could act like Maiden powers and transfer to the last person in the previous holder's mind. The most likely candidate would of course be Summer. Her last name - Rose - supports this idea, as currently 4/6 magic users (Cinder, Raven, Qrow, Ruby) have names that reference their powers. And she's probably the likeliest dead person to have thought of Ruby in her last thoughts. I must say though that despite all this, I find Summer's Last Thoughts unlikely. Summer already has SE, it's unlikely that Oz would give her something else (Ruby is a special case since Oz didn't give her the powers she just inherited them), especially since he doesn't mention it when asked by Ruby in V5C7. It just doesn't make sense, and making sense is the most important thing to me.

Hereditary: This is the only remaining explanation. It can't be Summer for reasons I've already stated, so it must be her father. We have no reason to believe that Tai has transformation magic (again, he's not mentioned by Oz), so her father must be Qrow. Surprising absolutely no one. The rock-solid and obvious reasons for why Qrow is definitely Ruby's father have been gone over on numerous occasions, so I won't waste time repeating them. And Qrow can transform, so that fits. One might ask why Qrow transforms into a bird while Ruby transforms into rose petals, and I'd just point to their affinities being different. Oz likely just gave the Branwen twins the ability to transform, and then they naturally went to what suited them best. Think Harry Potter's animagi/patronuses.

2. Ruby's true semblance

It's pretty obvious that Ruby and Qrow share a semblance, as Ruby's is clearly Bad Luck*. Unlike Qrow, though, she doesn't suck ass at using it. She's able to use it on people that mean harm to her (or that she doesn't care for, though this is rarer) instead of fucking over everyone around her. I'd say though that there's a good chance this is entirely subconscious, as it seems that Ruby actually believes her transformation is her semblance. Alternatively, she could be tricking everyone around her (as well as the viewers) and know exactly what she's doing. This is certainly a possibility, see the "Ruby is a sociopath" theory (basically almost canon imo).

Either way, let's look at a bunch of examples of her using her semblance. I'm sure I'm missing some, as I'm mostly focusing on in-battle uses. In those cases, her Bad Luck mostly takes the form of her enemies forgetting something or her being saved by very timely interventions. But I'm confident that 100% of the people reading this will be convinced, as there's simply no other explanation for such prevalent and consistent bad luck. If you're already convinced (as you should be), feel free to skip to the end from here.

*Yes, it's a hereditary semblance. Makes sense that the white-haired/blue-eyed and black haired/red-eyed families would be the two to have such semblances. To explain why Raven doesn't have it, I'd wager it's linked to the X Chromosome, and Qrow received it from his mother (but Raven got her other X). This would explain why Nolan Porfirio (who is clearly Qrow's son) doesn't display any signs of it. There's also the possibility that Raven does have it, and like Ruby she's faking her actual semblance (explaining why she's able to use portals after losing her aura - but then again this could also just be due to aura regeneration), but then you have the question of Yang.

V1:

Roman in V1C1 is unable to kill her due to the intervention of Glynda, a Beacon teacher who just so happens to be on the rooftops of Vale. Unlucky. It should be noted though that Roman seems to be resistant to Ruby's semblance effects as he still manages to escape, but we'll get to that later.

Weiss unluckily misses her target and sets the forest on fire due to Ruby in V1C6. Given how Ruby is annoyed with her, I think it's safe to say that such a comedy of errors from the normally perfect heiress was a manifestation of Ruby's semblance. In fact, I would go so far as to say that much and more of Weiss's later combat failings could be due to Ruby having subconscious (or conscious, malicious, and hidden - again see the sociopath theory) dislike of her.

Now you might question why Weiss succeeded against the Boarbatusk in V1C10, but that's easy: Ruby wanted to make herself (and RWBY as a whole, hence her saying "Represent Team RWBY!") look good, because she told Weiss how to kill it.

Roman in V1C16 manages to best Sun and Blake, but again is unluckily interrupted by Ruby, who just so happens to unluckily have an all powerful android girl with her, thwarting Roman's plans. But he manages to escape for a second time, adding evidence to his resistance.

V2:

Roman shows resistance in V2C4 yet again as though he unluckily loses his precious, newly-cleaned mech to a bullshit power up, he himself escapes unscathed.

Cinder when fighting Ruby in V2C7 is clearly about to overpower her, yet is unluckily interrupted by Ironwood and forced to retreat. Fortunately for her, she'd already accomplished her objective and established an escape route before Ruby came on to the scene and so wasn't otherwise affected.

The White Fang members and Roman in V2C10-11 were completely unaffected by her semblance. Now this might prove a barrier to my theory, but it's actually quite easily explainable: her aura was out from her huge fall and she thus wasn't able to use it. By the way this whole theory also explains how she's using her transformation/speed after that to briefly escape from Torchwick - magic isn't affected by aura levels.

Building off my previous mention of Weiss, she unluckily freezes in mid air for no apparent reason during her fight with Banesaw in V2C11, leading to him winning a fight she was otherwise stomping. Clear example of Ruby's semblance coming into play, since she's nearby.

In V2C12 her semblance affected roughly all of the Grimm in the Breach, rendering them unluckily unable to do anything but sit back and be killed. This is probably her biggest and most successful usage of it yet.

V3:

V3C1, the opponents weren't actually enemies and so they weren't subject to her semblance. Though Reese's sudden inability to land on her feet is rather questionable, so I could be wrong about this.

V3C5 has Ruby in the audience while Weiss is in the arena, and again Weiss completely and unluckily forgets how to fight, leading to her being destroyed by a trumpet weapon wielded by a living meme. Fortunately, after Weiss was knocked out, Ruby's semblance then went to affecting Neon, who - despite skating literally 24/7 - trips right into a geyser. Unlucky.

When it becomes apparent in V3C6 that Yang is about to lose to Mercury, it's clear Ruby takes matters into her own hands and uses her semblance on Mercury, seeing as he unluckily loses the ability to confirm that Yang is down and then unluckily forgets how to exist as anything except Yang's punching bag. This is really the only explanation for his actions (well, rational explanation. Some people will claim he threw the fight but that's fucking ridiculous lmao), and unfortunately it becomes a recurring theme with Mercury - he's never able to show his true potential due to Ruby's interference. Unlucky.

While it may not seem like Mercury is as affected in his V3C7 tussle with Ruby, he somehow forgets how to kick her out of her transformation despite doing so just seconds earlier, which allows her to escape him.

When Ruby isn't present Weiss actually wins against the Paladin in V3C11. She's competent when Ruby isn't around.

In V3C11, Neo's weapon (specifically how the blade functions) unluckily works completely differently from how it did in V2, and this change is in such a way that she's able to be flown off the ship by Ruby. Roman is then unluckily caught in the middle of monologuing while beating the shit out of Ruby and swallowed whole. I should note that Roman likely survived this: As I mentioned earlier, he's shown a remarkable resilience to Ruby's semblance in the past (quite possibly due to his own semblance - which Gray hinted we'd get. There's also a compelling theory out there that Roman is a cockroach faunus, which explains how he easily survives the train crash without aura up and how he survived this encounter with Ruby. It also makes his character much more compelling and puts his prior racism in an ironic light), and I don't see why this instance should be any different. I'd say it's safe to expect his return in V6 or 7.

The big one: In V312, Cinder is unlucky enough to kill Pyrrha right as Ruby appears, thus triggering her SE for the first time ever. That's true unluckiness.

V4:

The Geist in V4C1 is unlucky enough to fall for Jaune's genius strategy of "We hit it, harder." and is also unlucky enough to be the sole victim of Nora's new upgrade as she never ever uses it again even though it has very few downsides and buffs her considerably.

V4C4 - Ruby appears to affect herself for a second as she forgets how many people are with her despite traveling with them for 6+ months. Weird.

V4C6 - Another timely, out-of-nowhere intervention to save Ruby's life. Poor Tyrian.

In V4C7 Tyrian briefly forgets how to see, allowing Qrow to easily beat him up despite having no weapon at the time. Unlucky. And even though he earlier displays the ability to easily react to and block things coming from behind him (the bullets Ruby fires as well as Nora), he clearly forgets how to do so and as such gets his tail cut off. Poor Tyrian.

V5:

Weiss - when Ruby is far away - again manages to take a W against the Lancers in V5C2, further proving that she's actually competent when Ruby isn't there to fuck things up with her semblance. The Knight hitting the engine is curious - could just be standard unluckiness, or could be lingering effects after being around Ruby for so long.

Weiss unfortunately is again subject to Ruby's semblance in V5C11 and unluckily forgets that she has more options in her arsenal besides summoning, leading to her losing handily to Vernal.

Meanwhile, Emerald - while doing fine herself - is unlucky enough to have Ruby's eyes trigger while fighting her, putting Cinder in grave danger against even Jaune.

Next, in V5C13, Mercury unluckily forgets that he's primarily a kick-based fighter when facing off against Ruby and so gets headbutted.

Finally, in V5C13 Weiss gets back up and apparently off screen does fairly well for herself. If I had to guess, seeing her almost dead put shit in perspective for Ruby and she realized she actually cared for her. It'll be interesting to see if she has any bouts of unluckiness in the future.

Taking all this into account, Ruby's magic and true semblance should be clear. I mean, the only other explanation that would even sort of work is inconsistent writing... but lol that's obviously not it.

#rwby #rwby shitpost #ruby rose #please don't take this seriously #just have fun

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cavehags · 6 years

Note

so what were YOUR top 10 shows of the year?? (yours is the only opinion i actually trust)

first of all, i’m honored, this is the only ~brand~ i’ve ever wanted.

in no particular order:

bojack horseman (bojack is an extremely special show that did really amazing things this year. it is, i think, a lot harder to remove hope from an optimistic narrative (see search party below) than to inject hope into a narrative that lives in a place of despair. in this season, which was about coping and healing, bojack introduced the idea of hope to a lot of very jaded characters (and some that weren’t previously jaded but really went through serious shit this year). it is also a groundbreaking show in other ways - different members of the main cast rarely shared scenes together this year, which was no accident. sometimes you gotta withdraw and be on your own in order to feel better. it’s very cool that this show gets that and doesn’t need to rely on some of the elements of tv storytelling that we take for granted on other shows.)

crazy ex-girlfriend (i didn’t say this list would be surprising. crazy ex-girlfriend works ten times as hard as any other show to both entertain and provoke critical thought because this show is explicitly written to turn off anyone who would watch it in a superficial manner. this season is dark and upsetting, but it is clear as day that this is just the show coming into its own. this tone is where it lives. like bojack horseman, crazy ex-girlfriend is exceptionally gifted at using things like songs and jokes and sexy stuff and bright colors to make you forget how fucked-up and sad everyone and everything can be.)

nathan for you (look, if you don’t watch this show, i understand why, but i think you’re doing yourself a disservice. it is hard to tell from one single episode that this is an extremely funny show that also tells a very subtle emotional story about persona, identity and yearning. unless that episode is “finding frances” and then you just get it right away. nathan fielder is a genius. i kind of hope there is no fifth season, not because i don’t think he can do better than season four, but because i genuinely don’t think i personally can bear to be driven to an emotional heights greater than what “finding frances” took me to.)

search party (search party is perfectly cast and perfectly directed and it happens to also be perfectly written– in that order. it also pulled off an extremely precarious flip from one tone to another from season 1 to season 2 and it did it not just gracefully but spectacularly. s2 feels like coming into its own, both for the writing and the cast performances.)

american vandal (first of all american vandal is smarter and funnier than many other shows that are taken extremely seriously in the comedy world. but more than that, this show also had some of the most ingenuous character design i’ve seen in a while, even when it comes to characters who were barely explored in s1. you don’t see a lot of peter maldonado types and you certainly don’t see a lot of dylan maxwells. it’s very very good writing. can’t wait for season 2.)

a series of unfortunate events (it aired so early in the year that it’s easy to forget it, but it’s everything i could have asked for from a show with this source material- smart, witty and engaging for kids and also for me, the 24-year-old who wasn’t THAT into the books. i’m due for a rewatch before season 2 airs!)

difficult people (what, like i’m not going to celebrate my very favorite show in the last year i get to do so? difficult people would have ranked on this list even if they hadn’t cast john cho as a bitter gay man and even if they hadn’t done an entire episode insulting woody allen and even if they hadn’t done an episode about how new york jews can’t survive in LA. dayenu. difficult people was exceptional at so many things, from recruiting just the right guest stars to writing just the right songs for the occasional drug trip episode, but above all it was so so good at crafting weekly sitcom plots that have never been done before. i will miss it dearly.)

broad city (i know a lot of people are over this show and there’s certainly something to be said for how abbi and ilana could have learned a little more about how to improve on their known weaknesses over the past four years, but watching these characters grow up and adopt new and shifting identities in the weird world they inhabit continues to be very cool! it feels like a bold writing choice that they can leave their jobs and their relationships and try new things, even if this is such a basic idea that it feels long overdue. i also think ilana in particular really outdid herself with her directorial debuts - “florida” and “bedbugs” were both masterpieces.)

trial and error (it’s hard not to love a charming and snarky show about the weird residents of a small town in this post-parks and rec era, but this show also stood out because it managed to create the single most compelling het sexual tension i’ve seen in my years on this earth)

ryan hansen solves crimes on television (i get it, no one wants to watch this. making fun of procedurals seems easy and ryan hansen just has That Kind of Face where it feels like a waste of time to watch his stuff. but it was good! i laughed out loud at least once per episode. i like meta humor and the general indignity of the multiple conceits to viewers watching on their phones and getting the 90-day free trial of youtube red to watch it. it was extremely accessible and immersive – even the jokes about procedurals were made for people who have never seen a procedural, like me. i loved it!

#ask #og post #noelleakopian #11 would have been dear white people and imposters would have been 12 #schitt's creek and always sunny 13 and 14. k done

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one-deranged-son · 4 years

Text

For Wickedness Burn

Written by Gossamere as John and Froggy as Ian Nashton.

Warning:

This plot is rated explicit for language and description of violence. Read at your own risk.

Original story was posted in Twitter but due to it’s obtuse cleaning policy, some parts are unable to be saved.

John

Eyes widened, breaths ragged and harsh.

It's not the predictable pain that strikes the worst, it's the random shits you know is coming, but never when. The anticipation always managed to bring the worst of people. The work on random torture elevates everyone’s primal fear, decreasing logic, and degenerating self-control, and at last, they start to beg.

"End this! End this!"

Because death is kind. Death is better.

"So, Dick," even the Revelator couldn't contain his laugh at the stupid name, "is it Dick as in Dickon, or Dick as in, y'know—you. Get it? 'Cause you're a dick."

His humor didn't reach his eyes, 'cause the muffled scream and the dreadful atmosphere was never a good place to start a stand up comedy. Not that it was funny to begin with, it was straight off stupid.

"Aight, I love to stay a bit longer, but I'm running out of time," he said, "and honestly, talking with foolish fuckers ain't really my thing. Yea, you were children of fools, yea, children of base men, y'know? Y'all viler than the earth.”

"But don't worry, I'll make sure your brothers get the message, and you, mon ami, just happen to be the lucky one 'cause you get the chance to help me out!"

The muffled scream was the last thing he heard when the Semtex ignited in a fiery ball of flame. Roaring fire bleeds upward, leaving a series of smoke-rings which float as gentle in the dull, black sky.

The noise reverberated through the busy streets like a yawning lion, and by now, the police department would be on their way, siren's blazing.

The other police department, of course, because this one is fucked to the ground.

The Revelator marched towards his home.

He got some laundry to do.

Ian Nashton

"What's with the balloons, Cole?" Ian's nose scrunched up. It wasn't that he was a party pooper, but he didn't expect to be greeted with a dozen of balloons when he entered the station. Officer Cole grabbed one of the balloons and bonked Ian on the head with it, the action earning a stern glare from the detective.

"It's Jeffrey's birthday today, he insisted on having some balloons, even when I told him you would protest. Anyway, I'm going to collect my wager from him now. Thank you for proving me right, man."

The detective could only stand in confusion, he wasn't sure what just happened. Officers Jeffrey Hwang and Thomas Cole were the two officers that often helped the homicide department. Those two are great at their job and were fantastic people, but a lot of the times, Ian felt like he was babysitting two overgrown children whenever they were around him.

"Why not bring in a set of—"

Fireworks. He was going to say fireworks. But his sentence was cut short when he heard what sounded like an explosion from a distance. He wasn't the only one who heard it, either. His partner, Sam, immediately stood up and headed outside. Chief Margaret Kennedy also got out of her office with an alarmed look.

Before anyone could ask what had happened, Sam barged in with the answer, "Heads up! I think there was an explosion near that new station in the west. I saw smoke from there."

It could have been just a result of construction errors, but the fact that it was a newer building made everyone present at the time scramble out to the patrol cars to head to the location.

What they saw at the scene was devastating.

The building was engulfed in flames and reduced to almost nothing but rubble. There was a cacophony of screams and cries from the panicked onlookers; while the combined sirens of the fire department, ambulance and police wailed in the distance.

Despite his own shock and the chaotic atmosphere surrounding him, the detective began to analyze the situation at hand.

Fact number one: the destruction was far too large to have been an accident, therefore, someone must have been responsible.

Fact number two: the scale of the destruction and the effectiveness hinted at the experience of the culprit. Whoever they were, they must have been a seasoned terrorist.

Fact number three: the culprit is certainly intelligent. They chose to attack one of the newly built stations, knowing that there would be less people in it.

"Is... is it just me... or...?" Thomas started, he pointed at a mass of... something in the middle of the rubble.

Sam squinted his eyes so he could see it better, and when his eyes finally adjusted, the blonde man's blood ran cold, "That's… an officer."

"Was an officer." Ian chimed in grimly, "I doubt anyone could have survived that."

With that said, Ian reached fact number four: the culprit specifically targeted the police rather than the government directly. Which meant that they didn't want a negotiation; they only wanted to see the world burn. Perhaps it was someone with a vendetta.

Jeffrey and Thomas went their way to help other officers secure the area while Ian scribbled down his thoughts and mental notes in a physical notebook, just to better retain the facts. Sam and Margaret were doing their best to talk to terrified bystanders to calm them down and urge them to go home.

Ian only hoped that at least one useful camera footage would survive the blast. Otherwise, they may not be able to solve this case and more people may get hurt.

John

It's straight-up depressin'.

When some people come home with neatly laid dinner and a clean house after working their ass off, John has to put up with the bullshit that they run out of food, there are two baskets of laundries needed to be clean, and the ceiling in the kitchen was leaking.

Fuck.

He had been careful and responsible, fortunately. After he finished his last step of burning the evidence, he safely stored his gear on a scattered place so that nobody won't find out about where he was heading next. He even picks up Chinese leftovers given by the owner who shoots up with him because he knew they don't have any meals at home! So much for the Revelator.

He made sure his presence goes unnoticed. It's late already and he had made sure that all of the other tenants are sleeping. John made his way upstairs to his floor, leaning close to the wall to avoid the unnecessary creaking from the old planks. He checked his surroundings, and after making sure nobody is following him, he slipped into his room and proceed to bolt his door using four different kinds of locks.

The TV is turned on, and coupla damned kids were tangled across the sofa with drolls rolling over their opened mouth. He found himself smiling at the sight, that, of course, until the voice of a reporter rolling through his ears.

"Three nearby public service catches on fire after an explosion blast off at the Chicago Police Station. Officials told the press that at least 3 people were injured and an officer named Dick Foster died by the heat exposure."

"The explosion is being blamed on a vigilante who called themselves as the Revelator. The police had found some evidence to support the proof, including a message written in red reciting the book of Job, Chapter 15, Verse 34, which said: ‘For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.’"

John almost burst out loud laughter at the way she spoke, but soon covered his mouth 'cause they found his message. Aye, that's a good start! God knows if they actually get it or no, not that it matters.

"Officials said they also managed to retrieve the security camera footage revealing a man wearing a mask and heavily armed."

They started to replay the file, and John’s heart sunk.

Whatever the reporter said afterward, he doesn't recall. Because now he was staring wide-eyed, mouth partly gaping.

"Fuck."

What the fuck.

Alright, that was shitty.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Ian Nashton

It's been a couple of days since the attack, and just as Ian thought, the motive behind it was not to negotiate a deal. It was to send a message.

When he first saw the message painted in crimson, he thought it was the work of some bible-thumping cult. Despite not being a man of religion himself, Ian got the gist of what the message was trying to say. It didn't help that the footage they recovered from the ruins showed a masked man whose hair resembled Jesus. With the help of the message and the security footage they recovered, they now at least knew who they were dealing with and what they looked like (kind of, as far as the mask goes).

The Revelator. By definition, it was a person who makes a divine revelation.

Whoever THIS Revelator really was, he must think he's doing the world a favor by cleansing it of people he deemed sinful, therefore acting as judge, jury and executioner. Ian deduced that that was what happened to Dick Foster. Because Foster wasn't just some unfortunate officer caught in the explosion and blazing fires. No, he was tied to a chair to be tortured and murdered by the Revelator without a shred of mercy.

In this instance, the 'revelations' were anything but 'divine'.

It wasn't the first time the detective had heard of this character. Across the country, the name has been mentioned in the news a couple of times, but never did Ian think the infamous Revelator would come to his city; and as the self-titled representative of Chicago (this being a reference to a Green Day song and his Twitter biography), he wasn't having it.

They know who was behind the attack, but the question now was: where and how could they find him? The detective worked tirelessly to find any clues that could lead him and his colleagues to where the Revelator was hiding. He was actually surprised the FBI hadn't gotten themselves involved by this point.

A number of shop owners have come forward with tips that they had caught glimpses of the masked and deranged Jesus look-alike on their security cameras. Ian marked these locations on a map, intending to use them as breadcrumbs to follow. Unfortunately, as he got more and more tips, the points became more and more scattered.

The detective was willing to admit it, the Revelator WAS as intelligent as he thought; he chose to walk home the long way around to confuse the police. But Ian was certain that—like in a game of chess—the Revelator will make a blunder.

Well, being careless about security cameras could be considered the first blunder, perhaps Jesus' deranged look-alike had gotten careless. It would make sense if he did. In the past, no one has ever gotten good video footage of the man, and even if there was, there definitely has never this many. Ian figured the Revelator must have felt a false sense of security because of that and thought all law enforcement were mindless meatheads who couldn't solve even the simplest of crimes.

It would be fair for the Revelator to think that; but he hadn't met some of the finest members of Chicago's Police Department yet.

The big break came when Jeffrey Hwang came in to work with a few boxes of Chinese takeout. Jeffrey—bless his heart—decided to treat the team for lunch. He would have done that on his birthday if the attack hadn't happened. But the (delicious) Chinese food wasn't the big break. The big break came in the form of a number.

The owner of the shop saw Jeffrey in his uniform and pulled the Korean aside, at first he spoke in broken English, but fortunately, Jeffrey was able to communicate with the owner in Mandarin. Officer Hwang wasn't perfectly fluent yet, but his skill was enough to learn that the Revelator frequented the shop to get food. Foolishly, he also had used a delivery service for his food which explained the phone number.

"Okay, so... if we track this number, we could find our man?" Thomas asked. After finishing his question, the man immediately groaned in frustration as his chopsticks lost grip on a piece of meat for the umpteenth time.

"Hopefully. I mean, the man was quite frightful when he told me about this number. Either he was telling the truth, or he was a really good actor who worked with the Revelator. If that was the case, he probably gave me this to lead us all astray." Jeffrey shook his head in disappointment when he aw Thomas' failure. He proceeded to hold a fork in front of his colleague's face. "Man, you suck. Use a fork, loser."

The way Thomas bitterly snatched the fork out of Jeffrey's hand was so comical it made Ian smile a little. "I think it's worth a shot. I sent the number to the forensic team. Hopefully we can check out the general area after lunch and get a warrant by tomorrow. Well... that is if your man was telling the truth."

"I suggest using an unmarked car when going there. If he really is there, we don't want him to know how close we've gotten." Margaret said. "Good work, Hwang, and thank you for the food. Keep it up and you may earn yourself a promotion. Now if you all will excuse me, gentlemen, I need to speak with the superintendent. Again."

Officer Hwang beamed with delight at the mention of promotion. He bid the chief goodbye with a two finger salute and a wide grin.

Later, the forensic team delivered. A little later than Ian had predicted, but they delivered nonetheless. The number pointed to a location in the Motor Row District. This guy must have walked two hours on foot, or even more if he was trying to avoid police.

Sam volunteered to go check out the location accompanied by Thomas. The two drove around the area in an unmarked car as the chief had suggested. Part of them hoped to catch a glimpse of the Revelator, but another part hoped that they don't, they just hoped to find his place of residence.

Ian and Jeffrey on the other hand, worked to obtain a warrant. None of the four men wanted to imagine what would happen if and when they confront the Revelator.

All they know is that they'd do so with extreme caution.

ㅤㅤㅤ

John

Alright, that was shitty.

It's been exactly 25 hours, 13 minutes, and 8 seconds after the news about the Revelator getting foolishly caught on cam aired throughout the fucking States. And if that didn't make John all giddy and frustrated, then God fucking knows what will.

He had been hoping that nobody will find out about his place, God, he had other people around he obviously doesn't wish to harm, but it seems like the odds are against him right now.

Just after he finished on shoving the damned kids towards his good ol' neighbor's place, somehow, a car managed to park near his cheap apartment complex.

Now, John would probably just slip the damn thing away if it's a normal day, but it was never a normal day with his brain going full alert mode and the fucking fact that he's an open fugitive now. Best luck is he could distract whoever wishes to get near his family away so Pete and El won't have to suffer through the same bullshit.

Fuck, fucking hell.

They can't get to any more trouble.

He won't let 'em.

Just when John was about to get his hands on anything that could help him get a better view of the seemingly unmarked car, his phone rang, and 'twas really embarrassing, but he actually jolted at the sudden notification.

Three new messages from Wang Wei, the Chinese restaurant owner who speaks little to no English, but was always kind to him—well, partly because they're shootin' meth together, but not that it matters now.

Text Message from Wang Wei

Police ask question. Sorry.

"Fuck."

John hissed under his breath, his eyes darting across the space of his living room as he made his way towards where the plank is loose. He tore it in haste and doesn't even bother on closing the goddamn board back as he pulled his emergency backpack and just enough combination of light guns, more fucking guns, and shit tons of dagger that he could manage to strap into himself.

And really, though he's a goddamn arsonist who doesn't give a damn fuck about anythin', John still cringes inwardly.

'Cause he doesn't want to do any more damage than necessary, but he can't get caught now.

Not now, not ever. Not when he had come so far. Not when he had people to protect.

"Domine Iesu, dimitte nobis debita nostra, salva nos ab igne inferiori, perduc in caelum omnes animas, praesertim eas, quae misericordiae tuae maxime indigent."

With a Škorpion held tightly in his grip, he pulled his mask all the way up; covering half of his face.

"Amen."

Then he jumped out of the window, and run.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Ian Nashton

"I really was expecting a run down shack with biblical messages written in blood." Thomas commented, "That would be terrifying."

"Tom, this is also terrifying if you think about it. If the guy really lives here, it'd mean he'd just be like an ordinary guy on the outside. Makes you think about your neighbours differently, doesn't it?"

Their mellow conversation was cut short when they heard the sound of glass breaking. And just like in movies, out pops the Revelator, who jumped out of the window with a weapon in hand. Fortunately, he seemed to pay no attention to the two men (it was a good thing they came in an unmarked car).

"Jesus!" Thomas exclaimed, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't scared at that very moment.

"You're not exactly wrong. Holy shit. We'll surely get a search warrant for his apartment now." Luckily, Sam had snapped some photos of the apartment complex and sent it to his partner's number with a message that reads 'Found his place of residence. He's now running. We'll try following him'.

The two men watched as the Revelator mounted a bike and rode off to who knows where. Neither Sam nor Thomas were as observant as Ian, but even they knew deranged Jesus seemed paranoid.

Sam's quick finger managed to snap one decent photo of the fugitive and sent that to Ian as well. Detective Hooper puts his phone away and waited for a while before he started the car. He hadn't let the Revelator out of his sight, don't you worry; he was giving himself enough distance to be able to follow the arsonist without drawing too much suspicions.

Sam knew all shortcuts in existence when it comes to Chicago; his knowledge of the streets rivalled that of a cab driver.

Back at the court, Ian and Jeffrey were about to leave, after all, they had already obtained what they wanted from the magistrate: an arrest warrant. But just as Ian reached the doorway, a message from Sam came in.

Attached to the message was a photo of an apartment complex, one of the windows have been broken, the glass shards outside indicated that it was broken from the inside. Another photo showed the Revelator on a bicycle, probably stolen.

The crazy bastard must have known the police were on to him and made a run for it. Ian wasn't sure how he knew, but one thing was for sure: the Revelator made yet another blunder.

"Jeffrey, we got him. Shit, we got him. Quickly, start the car." Officer Hwang did as he was told, he ran outside and started the squad car. Before he left himself, Ian quickly turned his phone around and showed the images to the magistrate. "Sir, we'd need a search warrant for his house, we found him."

Ian apologized to the magistrate because he couldn't stay any longer, but he knew he'd get that search warrant later. He met with Jeffrey in the squad car and immediately contacted Thomas through the radio.

"Tom, talk to me. Where is he headed?"

"Sam said he just left the Chinatown area, we don't know specifically where he's headed yet. But he hasn't noticed us following him."

"Damn. You two be careful. Jeffrey and I are coming. Keep us updated."

It's been more than half an hour of tailing, but finally, it seems that the Revelator chose a church to serve as the location of his last stand. It didn't take long for Ian, Sam, Jeffrey and Thomas to regroup. Other officers have also arrived, effectively surrounding the area. Any civilians present in the area has also been told to evacuate for their own safety.

Ian spoke through a loudspeaker to address the Revelator.

"You're surrounded. Give yourself up, this doesn't have to be harder than it already is."

Of course, he and the other officers knew that a man like that wouldn't give up easily, so they all positioned themselves in such a way that it would be easy to get behind cover should a shoot out begin.

ㅤㅤㅤ

John

John sat on the ground of the abandoned church, his eyes shut tightly as his lips begin to chant incoherent mumbles of old rosary. By the sound he managed to hear, it was already obvious that he was surrounded from all sides.

He didn’t know if he should feel shitty or grateful, 'cause he was trying to run away and failed miserably, but at the same time, he had managed to buy time and distracted 'em all from his home.

He just needed to look at the bright side, eh?

When he managed to open his lids, he eyed the sprawled weapon in front of him with bleak, gray eyes. All perfect combination from the Heckler & Koch MG4 to an M203 grenade launcher placed neatly on top of a cheap tarp.

In other situations, he might feel proud of himself by how neatly arranged and well kept his gears are, but it wasn't the ‘other situation’.

It was the situation.

"You're surrounded. Give yourself up, this doesn't have to be harder than it already is."

John wished he could laugh at the warning. It was already hard from the beginning and he bet his path will never, never, never, ever get easier after this. The only choice left was to either fight or give in, and the latter was never a goddamn option.

Better to die on the field than rot in a fucking cell.

The Revelator stood up, his body blocked by the high walls of the church as he secured his firearm in his hand. A soft sigh exhaled from his lips as he positioned himself near the tinted glass.

His ears weren't lying about it. Dozens of officers were surrounding the area with their muzzle aimed towards his position. Their faces stiff with fear and anticipation, but he can't blame them, though. He just killed their buddy and blown a whole station up, it's only natural that the Revelator had a special throne in their mind as the first person they wish to kill.

He laughed.

Mostly, he preferred not to think of his target, but when he did, it was as if they were already dead; sprawled on the road after an explosion with bleeding guts or simply because a bullet through their head.

So it's only natural for him to pay attention to their faces one by one, inhaling every expression and noticeable distress he could manage to pick up because that's his only opening. A distracted mind is always the weakest mind, so he can't help but cringe whenever someone looks as if they could beat him.

Like that goddamn officer whom he recognized as the voice behind the prior warning. That fucking face. The Revelator ain't giving him the satisfaction.

It all came naturally to him. His senses sharpened with adrenaline. The cool air whispered through the church ventilation as he positioned his gun.

He drew his first shot with a loud bang.

The first bullet was perfectly nested into an officer's head; effortlessly piercing through the soft tissue, allowing the arteries to split.

And so his body went limp before tumbling to the ground like a broken cartwheel. Then it was all it takes for all of the remaining forces to switch into a full berserk mode, and though, John was clearly outnumbered, he ain't having that shit today.

He ain't gonna die tonight.

Each gunshot rent the still, damp air. Each one of it wasn’t simply loud, it cracked into the air and echoes around the empty street. In every bullet shot, there were times when one person behind the trigger might have felt something; remorse, guilt, or compassion, perhaps, but the Revelator ain't feeling it today.

He wishes to see 'em fall.

Every tin projectile comes thick like a winter hail. Each one of it ripped into something, be it inanimate or living, spilling tree sap or blood, crashing through the glasses or bones with equal emptiness.

It felt like it lasted for days when in reality, it was barely one hour until his side ain't shooting no more. The Revelator dropped his last piece of weapons down to the hard concrete. He's almost out of bullet and his skin was scratched by the impact of shattered glasses. His body was all sore from the rapid shooting.

The other ain't stopping, and he knows for sure that it only needs a split second for the goddamn cops to realize he was utterly defenseless at this point in time.

"Fucking hell."

Desperate times call for desperate measurements, so he let his instinct kicks in. He lets his lingering desire he wished he could actually forget to take over his sanity.

The Revelator stares at his hand, a heavy sigh escaped through his lips. He knew that the grenade had one purpose. Killing. Every aspect of it was designed for this goal, from it's exterior to gunpowder inside.

Yet he can't help but frown.

He doesn't want to kill anyone, but he wants to watch them burn. And that is wrong, 'cause it was the same as killing.

So when he threw the first projectile with the last stretch of his power towards the commotion, he quickly slammed his back against the cold walls and listened closely.

"Take cover! Take cover!"

Screams and shout of pain fade away in the background as he stared down towards the other pieces of hand grenade he had. He throws it out, aiming towards whatever he could get.

And it came to the last one. However, this time he didn't throw it outside.

He throws it to the far corner of the church, just enough to 'cause himself harm, but not enough to kill himself.

Then it blew.

It was as though a fist of orange flame had decided to punch it's way out. Windows shattered. Smoke and fire rushed out. Thousands of pieces of glass and steel showered down on him. The building was crumbling on the side and the remained stature was set on fire. Every pillar fiery with smoke and dust, boiling and roaring out loud.

"Is he out of his goddamn mind?!" A voice rose from outside the church.

The Revelator made his way outside the burning church. He stood in semi-blindness and ringing ears, eyeing what's left amidst the chaos he had caused.

Some officers are laying on the ground, some in a fetal position trying to protect their ears and organs, others splayed like dead dogs on their pools of blood. The remaining standing officer was gifted with a sucker punch and some he found disturbing gets a bullet to their chest. Everyone was screaming, shouting, bellowing, and he loves it.

John stormed through the crowds and get himself in whatever vehicle he could get. He stopped dead track before starting the engine. Cold gray eyes locked towards a pair of dark orbs. That fucking face.

Nashton.

John batted his eyes. Starting the engine without hesitation this time.

Then runs away, once again, from the chaos he had caused.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Ian Nashton

Ian watched as that first officer fell. That officer stood not too far from he was. Really, it could have been him. The detective gritted his teeth and tightened the grip on his Glock 9mm issued by the department. Compared to what the Revelator had, it may seem laughable, but Ian knew that sooner or later, the bastard would run out of bullets.

The last time he recalled a situation with this much chaos and bloodshed was when he had to deal with a shooter at a hospital; and even then, the body count wasn't as high.

With every seconds that passed, the body count seemed to increase exponentially. These fallen officers would have their stars displayed in a case back at headquarters. Nashton wouldn't lie. The thought of his friends' or his own name being displayed there did scare him. But he always put that thought aside to focus on the situation at hand.

So far, it has kept him alive.

Pane after pane, each stained glass window burst into thousands of little fragments, thus making it easier for the officers to see their target. As much as they'd like to kill him (just as he'd like to kill them), the officers also wanted to see who it was behind the mask. They wanted to know specifically WHY the bastard chose to blow up one of their stations. Hence, they aimed for non-vital areas. The intention was to incapacitate. But if he succumbed to his wounds afterwards... well, they can't do anything about that. If he survived, he will most likely face life imprisonment.

The state of Illinois abolished the death penalty in 2011.

From the west side of the church, someone shouted that a grenade had just been thrown. The officers frantically tried their best to avoid each one. The body count rose yet again, but more were seriously injured than dead.

And as if they could not catch a break, another explosion occurred, it caused the small abandoned church to burst into a deadly debris combination of glass, steel and stone particles. Ian took cover behind a car, but the shock wave knocked him down until he was flat on his back. He instinctively covered his head to avoid any debris that may still shower down on them.

It didn't take long for the detective to get back up on his feet. His once neatly combed hair was no more; it was disheveled and slightly dampened from his sweat. He pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, just in time for the detective to lock eyes with him.

The Revelator. His gaze was as cold as Ian expected them to be. Now the bastard was in a car, obviously trying to make a run for it.

Detective Nashton stood his ground. He was a distance away from the vehicle, but right in front of it. He shot at the windshield, then the front wheels. He was trying to do whatever he could to stop the car.

Once the car came close, Ian dived out of the way and quickly scrambled to his feet and entered another vehicle. Officer Cole joined him in the passenger's seat.

"Shoot his tires." Ian's order was given through gritted teeth, he stepped on the gas and chased after the arsonist. As the best sharpshooter Ian has ever known in the department, it didn't take long for Officer Cole to shoot the back tires of the runaway police car.

It skidded to a stop accompanied by an unpleasant screech. Without hesitation, Ian left the vehicle, either it was the adrenaline surging through him or brave stupidity, he decided that he'd go after the Revelator himself, despite Thomas' protest.

"Are you out of your mind, Nashton?! What if he—"

"It's either me, or you. Your children need you alive, Cole." Ian didn't look back. He slowly approached the eerily still police car with his pistol drawn. It was silent. Aside from the soft police radio chatter and the murmurs of his colleagues and his own heartbeat, thumping loudly in his rib cage, there really was nothing else.

Now, Sam wasn't about to let his friend—no, his best friend walk into the jaws of danger alone. So he trailed not too far behind, also with his weapon drawn.

He hoped that Ian wouldn't be another casualty.

ㅤㅤㅤ

John

The crash seemed to take for ever before it finally settled with the bumpers intensely making out with a tree. John’s body jerked to the dashboard, his forehead almost colliding with the window. Steam rose from the back, the smell too intense for words, stinging into his nose and ruining all of his senses.

He groaned loud at the sudden intrusion. John made his way outside, legs going limp and trembling out of pain. Then he saw him again.

Nashton.

Nashton was wearing different clothes than the rest of the officers. The muzzle of his Glock 9mm aimed towards the Revelator's head.

"Detective," he says; less than talking, more of a whisper. The fabric of his mask covered half of his face, making it harder for anyone to actually know what he said.

John threw his gun away from him, the metal surface clanked against the concrete road. He raised his hands above his head in full submission, walking in limp yet steady steps towards the Detective.

His gray eyes remained fixed towards the other man with the intensity of ten thousand burning suns. The Revelator didn't even flinch when they're only foot apart with a gun still aimed towards his head and his life inches away to be taken away from him.

But the Revelator ain't backing away just now. He ain't going down without a fight.

So he leaped towards the man, avoiding the bullet at all cost and disarming the man as quickly as he could. Never for a second, he tore his gaze away from the eyes behind the spectacle, even after he landed a harsh punch across his cheeks, John eyes still followed the movement of Nashton's head.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Ian Nashton

Take the shot. The tiny voice in the back of his head said to him. Take the shot and end it now.

But he didn't.

The Revelator, how he still managed to stand and walk after the shoot out and the crash, no one knows. Maybe it was some sort of twisted miracle, if Ian believed in miracles, that is.

He has met face to face with serial killers and mass shooters in the past. But none of them had a gaze as intense as the Revelator. Perhaps the mask made it even more so, as it only left the man's eyes visible.

Despite the arsonist throwing his weapon away in an act of surrender, Ian refused to let his guard down. Because he knew that even if the Revelator wasn't holding any weapons now, he might have some more on his person.

"Get on the ground! Hands behind your head!"

Yet the Revelator doesn't comply. No, the man kept walking. Closer, and closer.

Ian should have taken the shot earlier.

Nothing could prepare the detective for what happened next. The crazy bastard lunged forward towards him, and expertly disarmed him; his own weapon dropped to the ground. The split second where he froze caused the detective to miss his shot, and now his face paid for it. The force of the punch was so great that it sent his glasses flying a few meters away.

Ian never liked wearing contacts.

Instinctively, Ian withdrew his police baton and used that as both a blunt weapon and a shield to protect himself. He aimed his strikes on the other's extremities.

If they weren't moving around so much, Sam would have taken a shot, but he knew that if he did so, he might accidentally shoot Ian instead, and he doesn't want to take hat risk. Not yet.

Ian himself wasn't a fan of using deadly force. Even in this instance, he felt like he still had it under control. He didn't want to get used to the ease and convenience of using deadly force. He didn't want to be like those cops they often talk about in the news.

ㅤㅤㅤ

John

The Revelator wouldn't lie, it hurts like a bitch. God knows what happened, but he felt like he's going to collapse at any moment. His movement was all nothing but rigid and random punches, unlike his usual quick and lethal blows.

The police baton wasn't even his main concern, it's his stamina. Fuck. All those chasing and waiting made his muscles all tense, even the goddamn cop could get the upper hand if this keeps happening.

"You should've fucking shot me dead."

The Revelator held Nashton's wrist in a tight grip and landed another blow to the man's guts, his jaw, kicked him solidly in the midsection, struggled to knock the man down because he ain't killing the man. He ain't doing it when all Nashton did was pissing himself with that glare full of determination.

Fucking, fucking Nashton.

"Shit!" he barked, landing another punch to the man's face. Then he stopped his fingers at the detective's neck, hand tightening around the flesh with the last energy he had.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Ian Nashton

Now, Ian wasn't useless in hand-to-hand combat, but he was no expert. If this is what the Revelator was like when he was worn out, he wouldn't even want to imagine what the bastard was like at full capacity.

There was no time for him to shoot back a witty remark. It happened so fast. One moment he was standing and striking the Revelator with his baton; he next moment, his baton-wielding hand was gripped so tightly that it caused him to drop the baton. Ian was certain he'd find bruises later.

In a rapid succession, he was punched and kicked down. He wasn't even given any time to react or reach for the baton again, because the Revelator had climbed on top of him with fingers wrapped around the detective's throat.

With all his might, Ian tried to pry those fingers off of himself, but to no avail. His legs kicked frantically as he struggled. But the Revelator was intent on crushing his windpipe; Ian could see it in those cold eyes.

Maybe going after the Revelator alone wasn't a great idea after all. Fortunately, he wasn't really alone.

"Sam—" he rasped, the words struggled to come out of the detective's mouth, "—take the shot!"

Detective Hooper didn't hesitate anymore. For one, while this position was dire for Ian, there was less chance of his partner getting hit. So, Sam fired the shot.

The shot landed on the Revelator's shoulder. Horrifyingly, it didn't stop the arsonist from trying to choke the life out of his partner, but it did direct his attention away for a short moment.

But it was more than enough for Ian.

Ian frantically reached for his taser and held it against the arsonist's side, he didn't waste any time and shocked the other man. Not enough to kill, obviously, but enough to incapacitate him.

Detective Nashton breathed a sigh of relief once he felt his airways have opened again. He pushed the Revelator off of his body and allowed himself to lie on the ground for a couple of moments, just to catch his breath and recover from what had just happened.

Sam, on the other hand quickly handcuffed the Revelator and checked to make sure that he had no other weapons on his person. Once that was taken care of, he helped his partner up with a concerned look on his face.

"Looks like he hurt you bad..." Sam muttered softly as his eyes darted across Ian's face.

"Yeah, I... he did. I'm lucky my windpipes hadn't been crushed yet. Thank you, Sam. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Their (tender) conversation was cut short when Jeffrey approached with Ian's glasses. Luckily, they weren't broken. He put them back on and glanced at the Revelator. His own breaths were still ragged from the struggle, but he knew he could manage.

"Search him again, get him patched up. And then we can question him. Fuck. Can you imagine the news headline when this guy goes on trial?"

"Easy, big man. Let's get YOU patched up first." Sam said, still worried, but Ian being Ian, he waved a hand dismissively and said that he was fine and that he only needed some ice and painkillers.

The others present knew well that Ian was a stubborn man, so they didn't argue with him any further.

Other officers had come to the area and they loaded the Revelator into a car, first to treat the gaping gunshot wound on the latter's shoulder. But many felt he was undeserving of such a treatment, especially after what he has done that day, but they kept those opinions to themselves.

ㅤㅤㅤ

John

He remembered everything about the fight. His hands were on his throat, then there was a gunshot from across the field. He remembered the bullet which hit him right on his shoulder blades, then he remembered the stinging pain, then he remembered nothing but blackness.

His consciousness was floating through an empty space filled with a static. Throughout the emptiness, his heartbeats pounded loudly, echoing in his ears.

John jerked upright, vision hazy as the bright light snapped him back into full consciousness, but his wrists refused to budge. Something cold digs into his skin, rattling and sharp, resulting in a faint whine from his lips.

As he peered his eyesight downwards towards the table, he wasn't even surprised that there were handcuffs holding down his hand.

John tore his gaze away. His eyes were still blurry and his body was screaming for rest, but all of his five senses were still working. Yeah, his head hurts, the fucking throbbing headache will be the death of him, but at least he was alive.

For now.

He noticed the stature in front of him calling out his name, perhaps. He didn't know. Everything was still too blurry.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Ian Nashton

Whilst the Revelator was being treated at the hospital, the magistrate issued that search warrant. It seems the entire city of Chicago (and possibly the state of Illinois itself) was keen to see this arsonist put to trial. Bruises had formed on the detective's face and neck, but he was no stranger to them. He had accepted that it just comes with the job.

Ian actually waited a day before he searched the apartment; as much as he'd like to start right away, he knew his body needed rest, especially after nearly losing his life like that. It took him a while to fall asleep, but having Monty (his cat) by his side sure helped.

The next day, he drove to the apartment complex along with Officer Cole. Just as they all expected, the apartment complex were littered with weapons of all sorts. He left Cole to take photographs of the place to be used as evidence.

Ian, however, had noticed a couple of things.

One: there were a couple of cups of instant ramen in the kitchen. But a man of the Revelator's strength and stamina couldn't possibly live on a diet consisting mostly of instant ramen, so he must be sharing these with someone.

Two: there were a few pairs of socks scattered on the ground. The designs and size of the socks indicated that they could not have belonged to the Revelator.

Three: there was a box of monopoly in the living room. Someone like the Revelator was likely to be a lone wolf, but you cannot play monopoly by yourself. So whoever else lives here must be someone that the Revelator trusted.

Based on these observations, Ian had come to the conclusion that the Revelator must have a child or even children living with him. How old they were, he wasn't sure. One thing is certain, though: the detective wasn't sure how he felt about that. The idea a terrorist like the Revelator having some semblance of family life with a child or even more somehow bothered him.

Do they know about what he does as the Revelator? Have they been told that it was for the greater good, thus they saw nothing wrong with it? Did they help him in his activities somehow? Where are they now?

So many questions. Boy, the interrogation would be something.

When Thomas and Ian had finished their search of the apartment, they returned to the police station. Thomas handed the camera he used to a technician for the photos to be developed.

Ian specifically said that he wanted to do the interrogation, but before he could enter, he heard Jeffrey’s distinct voice which stopped him in his tracks.

“Wait, wait. Let me go in first.”

It wasn’t the fact that Jeffrey wanted to get in the interrogation room that baffled Ian; it was the fact that the officer had with him a goddamned guitar.

"I'll give you twenty seconds to explain to me, just exactly what the hell you're going to do with that guitar." Ian tried his absolute best to sound unamused, but he was actually intrigued by his colleague and whatever it was he had planned.

"I'm not going to beat him up with the guitar, don't you worry. But I will make sure that, after I'm done, he will want to speak truthfully to you."

Ian gestured towards the door, thus allowing Jeffrey to enter the interrogation room. The overjoyed officer carefully patted Ian on the cheeks as his way of giving thanks. Their small social circle had gotten used to Jeffrey's antics now, even Ian, but the bespectacled man still frowned.

Mostly because his face still hurt.

Jeffrey sat himself in front of the Revelator. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't scared, even with the mask off, this guy still somehow managed to strike fear into his heart. Nonetheless, he smiled politely, though it looked more like a grimace.

"Hello, I'm Jeffrey Hwang. I'm not the one conducting your interview, but I will be helping him."

Ian, joined by his faithful partner, Sam, watched from the other side of the one way mirror. Both were still confused as to what it is Jeffrey was intending to do, but their question was answered when through the intercom, they heard the guitar being strummed randomly and Officer Hwang began to make screeches resembling a pterodactyl.

Ian and Sam exchanged glances for a few seconds, before the two men burst into a fit of laughter. Apparently, Jeffrey's plan was to be as annoying as possible towards the Revelator, possibly so that Ian could use the act as a threat.

Ian won't lie, he thought it was a brilliant idea.

After about five minutes of... whatever that was, Jeffrey left the interrogation room with a proud smile on his face and took a dramatic bow in front of the room.

"He's all yours, Nashton."

"Let's hope you hadn't ruptured the bastard's eardrums, Jeff."

Ian took a moment to calm himself down and return to his normal resting expression. Then he entered.

"Good afternoon. I'm here to conduct your interrogation." Despite what the Revelator had done to him, Ian somehow still managed to hold an air of politeness in his tone. He sat across the other man and began observing him.

Slightly blackened fingertips and dirty fingernails. Probably from soot or gunpowder. Slight yellow stain on the nails themselves indicated that the Revelator often smoked; Ian wouldn't say he was a chronic smoker, but he probably did so more often than the average person. It wouldn't surprise the detective if the man in front of him used drugs as well, judging by how pale he looked. However, Ian wasn't entirely sure about that, the paleness could possibly be due to exhaustion.

"I have so many questions, I'm sure you know this. But first, your name. You know mine, yet I don't know yours. In fact, we've only put you in our system as 'John Smith'. It's as if you were a ghost; no name, no data... nothing. That could, of course, be changed. So, what do you say, hm?"

ㅤㅤㅤ

John

Everything was blurry, yes, and for once, John wished it would get better soon, but now he wished he was in a coma—or anything. Fuck, anything except for listening to the awful screeches which pierce through his goddamn auditory organs.

Oh my fucking God, perhaps he was in hell? Yeah, that would be the correct explanation why everything was happening so quickly and torturing the life outta him.

John exhaled a content sigh when the man he recognizes as Jeffrey Hwang exited the interrogation room, but his peaceful solitude doesn't last long. Someone else came.

Someone will familiar face with familiar bruises.

That fucking face.

Detective Nashton sat in front of him, still with a pair of glasses on the bridge of his nose. His voice was calm and polite, contrasting the sharp gaze of his eyes as he scanned through the Revelator, itching to know everything or anything about him.

John wished he could enjoy the attention, but obviously, he didn't.

"What can I say, detective?" John said, emphasizing the last word with a smirk. His lips curled upwards, but it didn't reach his eyes. Heck, it wasn't even a sincere smile to begin with.

He was just making it hard for both parties.

He shrugged, head titling sideways but his gaze remained locked towards the other's. God, how he wished he could tie his hair or brush it away from his sight.

"Smith is such a boring last name. It's only John."

ㅤㅤㅤ

Ian Nashton

"Fine. John, it is." Ian uttered flatly. That wasn't really what he was interested in; it's just that he didn't want to address the other as 'Revelator' all the time.

"Where do I even begin?" His eyes were narrowed and fixated upon the other. "In just the course of this week, you've caused dozens of casualties, destroyed two buildings and attempted to murder me with your bare hands. And that's just this week! what about your other doings in the past? You know, you have made quite the name for yourself."

The detective leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. There was a puzzled look on his face. "Really, I wonder what goes on in that head of yours whilst you were doing all of that." Ian paused and heaved a sigh, "I—these people had families, John. Really, I thought you'd have some sort of understanding with regards to 'family'. Then again, you could just be selective with it, isn't that right?"

All of Ian's questions and thoughts were swimming through his mind, but he had to hold himself back from blurting them all out. He wanted to be as thorough as possible.

"Why? Why murder Dick Foster?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

John

John wasn't even paying attention to the man's word until he mentioned anything about family. All of those daydreaming session crumbles away when Detective Nashton begins to blurt out the trigger words.

Does Nashton find out about Pete and El?

Is his neighbor alright?

John squinted his eyes. He, again, wished he wouldn't give a damn fuck about it, hell, he was supposed to not give a fuck about anything. To work effectively is by not have anything to lose, now look at him now, worrying about people—worrying in general.

As the Revelator, this surely is a goddamn personality flaw.

Nashton probably noticed the sudden distress across his face, but John didn't mention anything about it. He will let the detective guess with that super deductive skill he only ever saw on TV thinks about it. Who the fuck cares. Instead, he flashed another smile. Leaning away from the detective in a rather mischievous demeanor.

"Huh. Let's see," he begins. The corner of his lips rose even higher as his gray eyes intently stare at the other's figure.

"Perhaps we could get some coffee before I start?"

ㅤㅤㅤ

Ian Nashton

He may be avoiding the topic, but John's sudden discomfort only confirmed Ian's earlier conclusions. Truth be told, the detective was satisfied to know that he was right.

"I can tell you're trying to avoid my questions, John. Are you worried?" Ian didn't need an answer to that, he could observe it on the other man's face.

"Not about yourself, I figured that out when you chose to blow up that church; when you walked towards me without a care in the world despite having a gun aimed at your head." There was a pause, Ian glanced at the one-way mirror and gestured towards John, he knew his colleagues on the other side are hearing this conversation, Ian didn't need to leave the room for John's coffee. He then turned to face the other man and locked gazes with him once again. "You're worried for them. You're worried about what would happen to them. You live a double life, don't you, John?"

Ian was no psychologist, but the more questions he asked, the more he realized how intrigued and fascinated he was with John's psyche. When the detective saw him on the news for the first time, and when that station blew up, he thought that the man in front of him was an emotionless killing machine. But that gesture, that one little gesture that someone else would have looked over told the detective that there was so much more.

"Who would have thought, right? This... family of yours isn't involved with your... activities, is it? Answer this truthfully, John."

The door to the room suddenly opened and in came Jeffrey. Just in time. The man had with him a styrofoam cup of coffee and he placed that on the table in front of John.

"Don't make me screech at you again, man. Because I'd love to do it again."

Hwang didn't need to be told to leave, because he was already out the door by the time he finished that sentence.

"Now you have your coffee. You might keep avoiding my questions and make other requests, but you know something, John? I can do this all day."

ㅤㅤㅤ

John

He never thought he would feel this way, but John felt his heart sunk. Hell yeah, he's worried, he's worried sick. God knows what will happen to the damned kids if they get involved in this. Shit, his boy already get suspended for setting the school pool on fire, what will happen next?

John drank the coffee in a very non-fashionable way. He was struggling to keep his hair out of the way and his cuffs were making it harder for him to actually do anything. There goes his reputation as the goddamn Revelator, but it's not like he minds.

Hell, he doesn't even care about anything. Except for his family, of course. Yeah, right. The goddamn detective really hits the spot.

He groans internally.

"Y'know what, detective?" John was smiling, 'cause damn right he's going to avoid all of the goddamn questions.

Sure, his kids never actually get involved in any of his Revelator jobs, but if Nashton wants to know shit about him, then he better hustles harder than this. 'Cause nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, even death, could make the Revelator speak.

"You sounded like Captain America."

ㅤㅤㅤ

Ian Nashton

He chuckled at the comment, it wasn't his intention, but he supposed it works.

"I am right, though. Aren't I? About your family?"

There was a ghost of a smile on the detective's face, the smile he often had when he knew he was right. He stood up from his seat and began to walk slowly, circling the other man.

"You won't tell me, but that's fine. I'm sure my colleagues can find them and question them ourselves. But tell me this, John. How long until you will consider them a liability? What will you do then?"

The detective stopped behind John's chair, and he stood there for a few moments, observing the other man yet again. Even if the detective had no morals and was easily corruptible by power, he knew that using physical means of interrogation would NOT work. John simply had little to nothing to lose.

If only he could peer into the mind of the infamous Revelator.

Who knows what horrors he would see.

"Did you know that Illinois abolished the death penalty in 2011?"

ㅤㅤㅤ

John

He chuckled back, and he didn't even bother with eyeing the man's figure as he disappeared from his line of sight. John took a sip of his coffee that's no longer warm. He's grown far accustomed to the detective accusation to the point he didn't even flinch anymore. All he did was stare blankly at the wall before tearing his gaze it away, his eyes traveling from the boring white to the one-way mirror.

John couldn't see anything from it, and he didn't know if he was actually staring at something, someone, or anything at all.

Still, he stared. Not paying attention to the detective behind him. Then he smiled.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Ian Nashton

"What is it that motivates you? Can't be money, I doubt that. Power? Self-righteousness?" It felt as if he was talking to a brick wall.

Other criminals may have been dishonest or outright ridiculous in the interrogation room. But at the very least, they all said something. John? John just smiled and avoided questions.

And it was starting to get on his nerves. With every question asked and the hours that passed, Ian began to slowly lose his patience.

Nashton rant in 3, 2, 1.

"It's funny, actually. We don't need this interrogation. Really, we didn't. We have more than enough evidence and eye witness accounts to charge you. I am a patient man, John, I really am; but even I have my limits, and you know what? I HAVE HAD IT. You obviously showed no interest to even acknowledge that I am here. You—you really are just a misanthrope. A misanthrope and terrorist beyond redemption. Really, I shouldn't have bothered!"

The detective wasn't flat out yelling, but his voice was raised, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out his patience was running thin. Ian figured that he might as well unload whatever thoughts he had, it wasn't like John would respond in any meaningful way, anyway.

"I don't know what happened to you growing up, and somehow I doubt you even know or care yourself. You may think family is some sort of a second chance, a salvation, perhaps, that's a word in your vocabulary, isn't it? But, no. No, they're not. And they won't ever be. Now the world knows what you are, they've seen what happened over the past few days. History has its eyes on all of us, John."

Now the detective was in front of the man again, but he doesn't sit down. Instead, he gripped the edge of the table so tightly to the point where his knuckles became white. His brows were furrowed and his eyes narrowed, a clear sign of the detective's irritation.

"You might think you're justified in killing some of those people that you've killed. Your... 'revelations' or whatever it is. What about the collateral damage that you caused? Innocents have been killed. Do you really think that you, a single, lone man, can prove guilt beyond a shadow of a doubt? To be judge, jury and executioner? If even courts can make mistakes, then what about you?"

In the back of his mind, Ian knew he shouldn't waste his breath, but he wasn't quite finished with his tirade yet. All those pent up frustration were just eager to bubble up. But he caught himself and took in a deep breath which he released slowly. Now somewhat calmer, he started again, with the same calm tone he spoke with at the very beginning of the interrogation.

"You're just using this all as an excuse to satisfy your pyromania. Almost, if not all your victims have had their homes blown up or set on fire. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. Not only would doing so get rid of evidence, but it does something to you."

Throughout his rant, his glasses had slipped down his nose, so he fixed its position and headed towards the door.

"Have fun rotting in a cell, John. I doubt even your 'God' would have mercy on you. Let us hope your family would do well in your absence." Ian doesn't actually believe in God, but really, the detective was running out of things to say.

"Oh, and your little cult of supporters? They're just as messed up as you are."

He stormed out of the interrogation room and slammed the door behind him. He wasn't sure how long he had been in there, but it was long enough that Sam had gone home and Jeffrey had fallen asleep on his desk.

Ian Nashton decided that he'd go home as well.

ㅤㅤㅤ

John

John wished he could ask for another cup of coffee before the detective stormed out of the room, 'cause he was tired, fuck, very. His tiredness was similar to wet jeans, clinging into the skin after a pouring thunderstorm. His body felt like it was torn apart, his muscles all sore and tense, and he wished, oh God, he goddamn wished, that he's home.

He needed some sleep, but did he?

He didn't.

John was, frankly, afraid.

He's afraid of his dreams. He's afraid if anyone knowing about the nightmares he had and he's even, for sure, more afraid that the goddamn detective received any report about his fucking episode. What if he scream in his sleep?

John knew he shouldn't show any weakness. Moreover, he can't.

He can't leak a single information.

Thus John sat still. Bleary-eyes locked towards the wall as if it was the most interesting thing across the whole universe.

"How long has he been staring?"

He heard the guard asked, he knew they were secretly scared shit about tonight's shift.

"Dunno, this dude is fucked up in the head."

Every minute felt as if it lasted for an hour when you're doing nothing, even John didn't know how the fuck was he able to go through the night without shifting a single inch.

Only then, when he heard the cell getting opened and an officer—never mind, there was a lot of 'em—shuffling into the already cramped space with guns pointing at his head, John stood up. His bones popping and his muscles screamed in relief.

He wonders what the kids are doing now as they cuff him up. The muzzle of their AK-74 still pointed at him as if he was a fucking dog ready to be shot dead whenever he made any simple mistake. He wondered if they did their homework, if his neighbor feed 'em well, if they're happy or at least worried about him.

He wondered if they're safe.

John bit his bottom lips until he was able to taste a hint of copper in his tongue. Without the detective and his super observation skill, he figured out he could at least express his frustration without anyone pointing about it.

They said they were taking him for a trial and really, John almost laughed forreal this time.

Even Nashton already said that it was useless to interrogate him. John was being a good boy by not talking back, not barking back, and obviously not flexing his amazing memory about the content of the Bible in front of the man. Nashton should be grateful and everyone should learn from him.

A trial will be useless.

The ride was quiet and the tension between 'em was so heavy, he thought it will crush ‘em dead. John was about to say 'boo' just for shit and giggles. Even the thought of the officer's startled face was amusing enough to bring a smile into his face.

"Don't smile, goddamit. We already have a lot of situations because you blow the station and now your followers are raging because you're going to rot in jail. Seriously, are you Jesus?" said the cop, his voice was slightly trembling and his chin was sweating.

John couldn't blame him. Everyone would be scared if they're in a car with the Revelator.

He stared outside the window and witnessed a lot of people across the street. Some holding up signs with profanities directed towards the officials, some screaming his name as if he was some kind of hero, and some even trashing the public facilities around, spraying empty threats or just straight-up ruining everything.

Everything was chaotic, and he caused that.

He did that.

"I don't know, officer," he said, a smile creeping out across his visage, "who am I to play God?"

It shouldn't feel so good.

Then it all happened without him noticing it.

A moment ago it was just a simple crowd. Sure, there was probably someone passed out due to suffocation or whatever, but there wasn't anywhere coming near them. Nobody is harming them.

Then everything was burning.

The sound of molotov cocktail startled him at first, yet it didn't stop. The Dodge Charger swerved out of control. The two on-coming cars tried to avoid it, but failed. Both of them hit in a three-way head-on collision.

The explosion didn't stop. Tires burning throughout the street. The mass coming towards the other police car with bat and eyes filled with rage. Their faces covered in mask, similar to what he used to wear whenever he went out doing his job. There was another explosion, a ball of flame and a fist of gray smoke. A moment later there was another explosion. And there were more. More, even more. The sound traveling too fast, the glasses and steel rained afterward.

There was a third car which had been traveling too fast. It plowed into the burning wrecks, flipped over and continued, screeching along the runway on its back before it too burst into flames.

John watched in slight horror as his car was burning. His eyes hazy due to the crash and he feels blood in his lips. His consciousness fading away.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Ian Nashton

Even in the comfort of his own bed with his cat by his side, Ian struggled to fall asleep. He couldn't seem to shake off the thought of the Revelator from his mind. Ian tossed and turned restlessly, to the point where Monty let out a meow, as if the feline was annoyed with his owner.

At the very least, he did manage to catch a few blinks of sleep, though he didn't feel well rested. He hasn't felt that at all ever since this case began.

He couldn't get a break yet, no. As one of the primary investigators in the case AND the victim of an attempted murder, Ian had to be present in court.

Already, the media had spread news of the Revelator's arrest and subsequent trial at the speed of wildfire. Ian had mixed feelings about this (as he does towards mainstream journalists) as he felt that the case was getting an uncomfortable amount of coverage. Knowing that the Revelator had garnered a large amount of supporters, he felt that this wasn't the best idea.

Surely, the news would have been spread all over the country. He wondered if his brother was aware of what's been happening.

Ian Nashton dressed himself one of his best suits for the court appearance. He even decided to wear contacts, just for today.

Despite nearly all of the residents of Chicago witnessing the Revelator's disturbing and destructive acts, despite it being obvious what it is he had done; due process still had to be followed. This particular trial felt more symbolic than functional.

Getting to the courthouse itself was a challenge, as a crowd of rioters blocked the streets or made it difficult to get there, but in the end, he made it. It was a good thing he decided to go by car rather than public transport. It still baffled him how a terrorist can have such a large following. It concerned him, actually; to know that some citizens of the city he loved so much actually agreed with the Revelator's ideologies. Were they that desperate to find a place of belonging?

Ian rushed past the hungry reporters and journalists and went straight in the building. It's not that Ian hated them, it's just... he'd rather not deal with them right now, he already had so much on his mind.

It's odd to not see his closest colleagues nearby. It felt as if this case brought them closer than ever. He figured they might be helping with riot control or back at the police station, or better yet, at home. Maybe they were watching the live news coverage.

Ian wasn't sure why, but he felt restless still. Something wasn't right. Despite the courtroom being a place he was familiar with, this particular moment felt suffocating for the detective. He excused himself out of the courtroom with the reason being that he wanted some fresh air.

And that's when he saw it. The officers who were controlling the riot crowd outside broke into a frenzy. No, not just the officers, but the crowd as well.

Oh no.

No.

Ian doesn't have his equipment on him. Suddenly the situation turned from unnerving to straight up dangerous. Ian overheard from a nearby officer's radio that a crash had occurred on the street not too far from the courthouse. And of all the cars involved...

It just had to be the one carrying the goddamned Revelator. He couldn't find out EXACTLY what had happened, at least not now.

Ian knew he needed to get out of here. He'd be surprised if one of these rioters didn't make an attempt at his life. After all, John wasn't the only one who had his face in the news lately. Speaking of news, the reporters turned their camera towards the fight that had broke out between the police and the rioters. At the same time, they tried to stay out of the way.

The atmosphere was almost as chaotic as when the station blew up. The only difference? THIS was more chaotic. Seeing some kind of path to the car he came with, Ian made a run for it. You know, before the rioters realized who he was. Once inside, Ian locked the doors and hastily drove out of there.

Not an easy feat considering the crowd seemed to get larger and larger like a swarm of bees.

He probably ran over some toes. Who knows?

Before he even got far, he heard an explosion behind him. It only took a glance on his rear view mirror to know that a molotov cocktail had been thrown by one of the rioters. The Revelator did this. Ian's grip on the steering wheel was so tight, it felt as if he would break it. He needed to get back to the station. Now that the arsonist was (presumably) free, he'd likely try to target HIS station.

When he arrived, Ian nearly leapt out of the car and stumbled his way into the station, in his haste, he bumped right into an older officer, who (somehow) managed to catch him.

"Hey, hey, son. Easy. Why dont you—"

"Detective—detective Hooper? Is he—?" Ian struggled to catch his breath, but he thanked the stars when he saw the familiar face emerge from the chief's office. Ian left the confused officer's arms and grabbed his partner's shoulders.

"He got away! He's—out there! People are hurt. Shit. How could this happen?"

"Ian, Ian, buddy. Breathe. You'd think clearer, come on." Sam knew Ian best for his calm and cool composure in a lot of situations, but today, the dark haired man seemed to be uncharacteristically on edge, and to be honest? It concerned him.

Ian closed his eyes and took in a slow, deep breath, and already he regained most of his composure.

"Were you here, the whole time?"

Sam shook his head, "I just arrived recently."

"Shit, Sam. He'd be coming for us, probably." Ian muttered, seeming like he would go into a pessimistic monologue, but he followed with, "I hope not."

It had been a couple of hours later, but the riot was finally taken control of. There were at least four casualties and a dozen more critically injured. Many people were arrested that day, but thankfully, it won't be his department that dealt with them.

Jeffrey came back to the station with a bloody nose and bruise on his jaw. Thomas was mostly unscathed, but he did complain of a sore spot on his arm, It was great to regroup.

They were alright, that's all Ian needed to know.

ㅤㅤㅤ John

The Revelator woke up not long after the crash. His body, once again, feels like it was getting torn apart. Pain surged through his body. His head, his limbs; everything hurts.

He thought he was done for, no, he was sure he was done for. The explosion was so big and everything was fucking burning, how the hell does someone actually managed to live through that?

But he wasn't. He was alive. Breathing.

His legs are trembling, but he managed to stand up. His eyes were bleary, but he was able to see everything.

Then came flashes of anger, jeers, shouts. The mob was mindless and dangerous. Throwing explosives, burning tires, burning cars. Everyone is looting, smashing, destroying property with no thought to whom it belonged to. Anyone who tried to stop them was beaten severely.

And the next thing John was conscious of was the sound of his name. People, like a swarm of bees chanting the word 'Revelator' as if he was the goddamn President of United States. Police in black uniform with their transparent shields and full face visors marched towards them in rigid formation, but if anyone think they would just back off, like a typical rioters, they didn't.

John thought he was in hell, but he wasn't. He was alive. Breathing.

And he caused this.

Instructions were given through loud speakers and then the tear gas was unleashed. Everyone was running, screaming, throwing counter attacks with explosive and marching like dogs. They marched with the anger, joy, emotion of themselves and a thousand others.

John the Revelator stands still with his heart thumping furiously against its cage. He could feel a tightening of his throat and a short intake of breath, and there was a moment where he couldn't get his feet to move, but in an instant he was running. Running away from the crowds.

He choked back his whine, forcing himself not to groan or moan as he drags his limbs outside the raging mass. Whereas some people were kind enough to shove away from his line, the rest was far too overwhelmed by the police until he feels like they're going to step on him.

At last, when he felt like he's about to collapse, a hand scooped his shoulder, some even push through his back. John was far too tired to protest. He didn't know if they're on his side or if they're going to lock him in jail. But then everything makes sense when he was outside the crowds, 'cause that's where he sees it.

Kerosine, old school matches, hand grenades, firecrackers for the Fourth of July, and oh.

Semtex.

John stared in the direction he's about to head.

His mind wandered to that fucking face.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Ian Nashton

"Remind me to never be a part of riot control again... it hurts, man." Jeffrey whined as he held an ice pack to his bruised jaw. Despite being the same age as Ian, sometimes officer Hwang's actions made him seem younger than he really is—this was one of them.

"Damn it. All our hard work. It's all gone down the drain." Ian held his head in his hands and let out a groan of frustration. "If it hadn't been so heavily televised, maybe this wouldn't have happened. And I thought serial killers having fans were bad. This is a whole new level. That being said, we still have his fingerprints and photos, getting around the country would probably be a hell lot harder for him."

Some of the breaking news footage showed the rioters chanting the Revelator's name as if he was a celebrity figure. It made Ian's stomach turn to see his fellow Chicagoans support a literal terrorist. As if he doesn't trust people enough already.

The Revelator appeared again on the footage, but only for a moment. He seemed to just... dissolve into the crowds. Who knows where he'd go.

No, Ian knows. He knew that, sooner or later, the bastard would come for him. The whole station was on high alert, Ian even more so. He hoped that there would be no more casualties today.

The detective traded his contacts for his glasses (good thing he carried the lens case). The contacts tended to make his eyes all watery and dry, and he liked the look of his glasses better, anyway.

Thinking the police station would be guarded enough to be safe was a mistake.

BIG mistake.

The relative silence of the station was broken when a loud crash was heard at the front end. Someone had thrown something through the windows.

But...

It wasn't a rock or brick they threw.

It was a grenade. A live grenade. That older officer from earlier was the first to notice it, he warned the others to take cover and attempted to take cover himself, but he wasn't fast enough. He took most of the blast's shockwave.

The unmistakable, deafening sound of an explosion, the shattering of windows and the ripping of doors from its hinges—those were just some of the sounds Ian registered. Add on to that the same cacophony of panicked screams and shouts from his colleagues combined with the angry shouts from an incoming mob. How big the mob was or if it could even be called a mob at all, he wasn't sure, but he knew that there were more than one person attacking. It wasn't long before shots were fired from his side. Aiming for the legs or shoulders was more than enough to bring down these stray rioters. Behind their anger and masks, they were still just your average Joe.

Another crash from the far left side of the building. The closest officers dived behind whatever cover they could find and hoped for the best. Hoped that they would at least survive this. As he had his head down and covered, Ian only saw the flash from the corner of his eyes, even then, he knew what had happened.

Not even a full minute later, a terrible, thunder-like clap ripped through the air. A fiery ball of orange and yellow flames invaded the building and smoke began to rise. Pieces of metal became like darts, the glass cut through the air as if they were like throwing knives, wood and shattered brick dangerously rained down on the officers. Many of them lay on the ground in a fetal position, whilst others were splayed out lifelessly like forgotten rag dolls.

Through the smoke and his irritated eyes; through the gaping hole that had formed in the back of the building, Ian swore on his life that he saw HIM. Just for a brief moment.

The next moment, however, he was gone. As if he disappeared with the smoke.

All sorts of emergency vehicles wailed in the distance, but none of the officers were able to hear it clearly. Their auditory senses were assaulted by the horrible screams of their comrade and the roar of the flame from the back of the building.

The group of rioters that ambushed them were all on the ground, writhing in pain from the gunshot wounds that have been inflicted on their arms or legs, but some lay motionless on the ground. It seems, in a twisted version of poetic justice, they had became victim of their own chaos.

The whole building had been engulfed in a ferocious flame. Suffocating smoke slowly began to replace the oxygen in the room.

They needed to get out.

Ian struggled on to his feet, but his eyes landed on a sight he WISHED he hadn't seen. His partner, Sam, was on the ground. He was alive, but with his leg trapped under a wooden support beam, he might not be for long. Without thinking, Ian leapt through the raging fire; he didn't give a damn if he got burnt.

"Ian! Ian, please—" Sam hissed in pain, he kept averting his gaze away from the block of wood trapping his leg.

To avoid burning his palms, Ian took off his suit jacket and used it as a makeshift glove. He grunted as he lifted the wood. It wasn't much, but Sam managed to drag himself from under there. When he was sure his partner's legs were out of harm's way, Ian dropped the support beam and his jacket, which became trapped under the beam.

That's fine, he can always get new jackets.

Ian rushed to his partner's side and grimaced when he saw the pained look on the other man's features.

"Can you stand? Shit, I'm—I'll help you up."

Sam knew that the answer was probably no, but either he forced himself or burn alive. Ian pulled him up by the arm and bit his lower lip when his partner groaned in pain. It must have hurt him terribly. But they both knew they would rather go through the pain than burning alive. So the pair slowly made their way towards the nearest exit.

The main entrance wasn't an option, the front of the building had collapsed and thus blocked their path, the same goes for the back. Their only option was a shattered window.

Detective Hooper knew that that option meant even more pain for his injured leg, but it was his and Ian's only option.

Sam was the first to climb out, fortunately, the fire department had arrived and they helped to pull him out.

Unfortunately, however, the ceiling above them crumbled, thus blocking Ian's path to escape and fresh air.

"Ian! No!" Sam could only watch helplessly in horror as his mind began to think of the worst.

Inside, Ian was just as horrified, but he refused to give up just like that. The whole building could collapse any moment, and if that happened before he got out, it'd mean his star would be displayed alongside all the other deceased officers'.

He wasn't going to let that happen today.

The bespectacled man once again ran through the inferno to reach the opposite side of the building. His once crisp white shirt was now a crinkly mess of ashy gray.

He reached a door, and in his state of urgency went straight for the hot handle. His hand recoiled from the heat and he shouted in pain. He frantically kicked the door down and was grateful when he saw the sky once again. The detective stumbled out and found himself face down on the concrete. He was coughing profusely, trying to get the smoke out of his lungs.

At least he was out, now.

But what about his friends? Where are they? Are they alive?

Detective Nashton struggled to stay conscious. He was put on a stretcher by the paramedics and was given an oxygen tank to aid with his breathing. Though his vision was blurry and out of focus, he could see Sam's figure, also on a stretcher.

Officer Hwang had escaped the building with a few mild burns and a broken arm, which was now wrapped in a makeshift sling. He (foolishly) leapt away from the paramedics that were attending to him and approached the ones that were carrying Ian on the stretcher.

"Hey, is he going to be okay? Are you going to be okay?"

This idiot, Ian thought. Running away from the paramedic while they were treating his broken arm. But Hwang's concern for his teammates was always admirable, so Ian nodded and weakly formed a 'thumbs up' to answer Jeffrey's question.

"Thank goodness. Hey, uh... Cole's already being taken to hospital right now. I hope he's—"

Before Jeffrey could finish, a strong hand slapped him (gently) on his good shoulder. It was one of the paramedics that were treating him.

"Kid, you're a crazy bastard. Just because your legs are fine, doesn't mean you can just run off from me like that. I'm not done treating your arm."

"Sorry, I was just—"

"Concerned about your friend? I know. But... from the looks of it, he'll be fine. Now, come on, you're also injured." The paramedic's tone softened as he led Jeffrey away.

So it seems that his friends had survived. He hoped they could recover nicely without any problems or disfigurement.

The oxygen tank had been removed, but still, he felt lightheaded and faint. It must have been the heat exposure.

Despite his best efforts to stay awake, the detective passed out.

ㅤㅤㅤ

John

Three days after the riot started, everything went well again. There were no sightings of the Revelator and everyone who supported him doesn't even know where he went.

Duh, of course, since John has been hiding outside the area for a while. Blending with the civilians after he finished shaving away his beards, wearing dark contacts every now and then that contrasted his bright colored wigs and makes him look like a clown. And considering everything he had done, it can be concluded that he's, indeed, a goddamn clown.

Three days after the riot started, John knew that the Revelator will always be on the government radar. Best luck is, he could still get a job with his covers, but then again, the main problem was never the government or job to begin with.

It was his kids.

Will they be cool with him after all he had done? Holy fuck, he's having a headache just because of this.

John took a deep breath and decided to shrugs it off. He had another important schedule to attend to.

So imagine a blond man walking into the hospital with a complete suit. Everything from head to toe screaming prince-like aura. His smile never for a second left his face as he greeted the eldery woman with sparkling blue eyes.

John is being that figure right now.

"Visiting a friend, sir?" the nurse asked, perhaps shaving his beard off was doing the job.

"A colleague of mine, actually," he replies, still with his ever-loving smile. A bouquet of tulip in his hands. He's going all out to meet the man he wishes to kill the most.

John peered over the room 714 quietly, his eyes grazing over to see if there's any other visitor at this hour. When he finally decided that the coast is clear, he didn't even bother on knocking., deciding that they will eventually let him in, and that they don't have any power to actually resists his visit. He placed the flower at an empty vase, not bothering on greeting the patients and sat down across the room with his legs crossed.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Ian Nashton

What are the odds that he and his partners would be put in the same hospital ward? Maybe someone told the doctors that they were a team, maybe it was by chance. Either way, Ian was grateful for it. He'd rather see their faces than any other officers.

Sam had his leg in a cast, the doctors told him that he had nothing to worry about and that the leg will heal eventually. He'd be able to walk again.

Jeffrey, aside from a broken arm, had suffered some mild burns on his leg, but it wasn't anything major.

Both Ian and Thomas had inhaled some of the smoke, but out of the four, those two were relatively unscathed. The doctors said that, if their lungs don't become infected, they would be permitted to leave the hospital within a week.

Even if Ian had a burn on his palm and Thomas some minor cuts caused by glass shrapnels on his face.

Ian's parents had called just an hour earlier, turns out they've been watching the news religiously ever since the first attack happened. His mother was in tears when she first spoke to him, despite Ian telling her that he would be fine.

Can't blame a mother for worrying.

The days at the hospital was a stark contrast to the fast paced life he was used to. But aside from the bland food, it wasn't that bad. It felt nice to have a break, somewhat.

But Ian couldn't keep his mind off of the goddamned Revelator. Where is he now? What's his next move? Will they meet again?

Ian had his back turned towards the door, the poor man was trying to catch up on some sleep. When he heard the door open, he thought it'd be one of the nurses. And yet... the footsteps sounded different.

It's not hard to tell people apart just by hearing their footsteps. So he turned in his bed. Ian wasn't wearing his glasses at the time, but he could make out the man's figure. How odd, none of his teammates were expecting any guests, nor do they knew anyone with that shade of blonde hair.

When Ian put his glasses on, he nearly jumped off his hospital bed. The wig and the contacts and the clean shaven face may have fooled other people, but they didn't fool him.

"You! What the hell are you doing here?!"

Sam, who had been asleep, jolted awake due to his partner's sudden raise in tone.

"Ian, what is it? What's the matter?" Sam asked, his voice was still a little groggy. It seems that he hadn't noticed who this visitor was.

"It's him, Sam. The fucking Revelator!" Ian frantically searched through his belongings for something, anything that he could use as a weapon. But the sad reality is, he had nothing.

(No, don't panic, Nashton. Think.)

Hearing the name 'Revelator' made Jeffrey spring up in an upright position, he must've thought: to hell with the arm, the Revelator is here!

"I-I'm gonna call a nurse!" It WAS meant to be a threat, but being defenseless like this, Jeffrey's voice came out small.

"No! Jeff, don't."

Both Sam and Jeffrey looked at their bespectacled comrade as if he had just gone insane, but Ian held a finger up, trying to get himself time to allow him to explain his reasoning.

"If he wanted to murder us, he'd have done it by now. And I don't think he would have bothered with the shitty disguise either. Look at him, he's almost perfectly blending in like a normal civillian. There is no way that he would have gotten past hospital security if he had any weapons on him. And even if he were to try murdering one of us with his bare hands, three of us are able to use our legs to go and get help; this is the seventh floor, he couldn'tjust simply jump out the window to escape, unless he wants to splatter on the concrete below." Detective Nashton sucked air through his teeth before he continued, "John is here for a reason, and that reason ISN'T to finish us off. At least not here, a hospital is too risky for you, isn't it, John?"

Ian peered over his glasses, there was a look of hatred and disgust in his dark eyes as he locked gazes with their 'visitor'.

"Talk, damn you."

ㅤㅤㅤ

John

John smiled, this time it reached his eyes. He was truly amused by the fact the man had spare energy to actually say that. If it were John, he would just say fuck off and went back asleep.

"You're truly bright, detective," he said, "although, you might be wrong on that part. I am willing to jump off the seventh floor. I have nothing to lose, remember?"

John smiled brighter, wider. Interlacing his fingers as his eyes remain fixed to the detective's face. It didn't take long until he was leaning to the chair, comfortably observing the whole room with his sight.

He said, "I was just going to drop by and say sorry for, well, blowing up the building and almost killing y'all," and though, John did say he was sorry, the words were truly unbelievable as his expression didn't hint any single regret.

"And I figured out you might appreciate flowers," he continues, his fingers flicked towards the vase of tulip.

John didn't wait for a single reply before he eventually stands up. Flashing another brief smile to the quartet and head towards the door.

"Good day, officers."

ㅤㅤㅤ

Ian Nashton

How the fuck is Thomas still asleep through all this? The man straight up sleeps like a log.

Ian accepted that he was wrong with one of his deductions, he's aware that it could happen. Ian scoffed at the apology. Even a naïve person wouldn't buy it.

Although... the tulips WERE nice. There's no way that John would have known this was his favourite, right? It must be by chance.

"You? Being sorry? Having guilt? Since when do you feel guilt?! That's gold, John. I didn't know you were such a comedian." Yet Ian Nashton didn't laugh. After all, how could he? The one time John actually answered his question, the man intended to leave again.

"Should have called security..." Jeffrey muttered. The man was terrified, Ian could tell.

"Cut the crap, John. Why are you here? What has that sick little mind of yours planned now, hm? Are you going to blow up this hospital, too? Kill more people? Women, children, the elderly?"

Ian stood up from his bed, but he didn't walk any closer. He supposed if things go bad, an IV stand could be used as a weapon.

"What goes on in that twisted head of yours?"

ㅤㅤㅤ

John

John stopped midtrack before he managed to get out of the room, his eyes darting from the knob towards the raging detective. He could see how mad he is now, he got himself on his feet and IV stand near him. John was super impressed with the man's staying power.

"If you're so curious about it, detective..." John paused.

Then he walked closer, not minding the glare which has probably been shot at his stature. Only when he was inches away from the man he stopped, smiling at Nashton with what it seems to be a mischievous look across his mien.

He stared at the man for a moment before bringing his hands to the other's cheeks, again, not minding the completely fumed look thrown at him from all sides as he leans his head closer, until their foreheads rest against each others. His thumb running along the curve of Nashton's cheekbone down to his jaw, before he pressed his lips against the other's.

And there wasn't anything passionate about it. It was soft and slow, and it wasn't a kiss filled with hunger or primal instinct. It was just a platonic, almost like how a mother kisses her child.

John pulled back, his fingers haven't left the man's cheeks as he said, "I've been thinking how cute you look whenever you're mad."

He turned his heels away, smirking at himself over the things he had done, and the thing he just did.

Then he left.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Ian Nashton

When John started to walk closer, Ian took an instinctive step back. Was he going to be strangled again?

They were right in front of each other. And even though John was wearing coloured contacts, there still was that fierceness in his his eyes.

No observation or deductive skill could have prepared Ian for the contact. Ian couldn't stop the small gasp when he felt the other's hand on his face.

Hey, they felt cold.

But it was different from the first time. It was uncharacteristically gentle, yet firm; as opposed to rough and brutal. It sent a shiver down the detective's spine.

"Let go, you crazy—"

Before the detective could finish his sentence, the crazy bastard had pressed their lips together. Right then and there, his mind went into a panic, yet his body froze, and his eyes were wide open.

What. The. Fuck.

When John finally pulled away, the detective was still so confused that he couldn't push the other man away or retaliate in any way. All he did was sit back down on the edge of his bed with the same dumbfounded expression as he watched John walk away.

When the door closed, Ian exchanged glances with Jeffrey and Sam, who looked surprised and horrified, respectively.

After what felt like an eternity of silent glances, Jeffrey finally cleared his throat and broke the silence. He was probably trying to lighten up the situation as well, as he usually did. "Well... uh... god's joke went a bit too far."

"Shut up, Jeffrey. Oh, fuck. Let's... let's pretend that never happened. Let's pretend, that we all had the same nightmare."

Ian slowly laid back down on his bed and stared up at the white ceiling.

But he knew, no matter how many times he'll tell himself, what just happened, actually happened.

He can't forget it.

Detectives rarely forget.

#deus det nobis suam pacem #4 #tw: blood #tw: gun #tw: graphic content #tw: violence

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