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songmingisthighs · 9 months

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[22.13] outlaw!jongho × detective!reader (ft. yunho)

⇀ the slippery son of a bitch has been making a fool of you and your work. you were going to stop him even if it's the last thing you do because no one can make you look foolish. especially not him.

⇁ disclaimer : the author does not support any and all criminal/illegal acts. the narrative written in this story is purely fiction out of the author's imagination. the things written here does not portray real mafia life nor is the author aware of how the mafia life is like. the author is a hermit loser.

genre : suggestive (??)

tw : illegal activities, mentions of weapons and ammos

wc : 2.8 k

You knew you couldn't trust him. The son of a bitch who made a fool out of the police force. What kind of a cop moonlight as a car shop owner in the shady part of town?

"A diligent man who inherit the shop from his parents" people defended but it never sat right with you. The excuse seemed too... thin. As a detective yourself, you've learned to trust your gut and you knew you could trust it because it has been giving you nothing but solved cases. So when you found out that Jongho was the one who has been supplying a known gang with information and even untraceable ammunitions, you were not that surprised. But knowing that he went through the academy and even working and rising to ranks as a detective himself all the while being part of the dark world, you figured you had to work fast. Within a day of you submitting your paperwork, Jongho went MIA. Last time you saw him was when you were on surveilance and you spotted him parking his bike, minutes away from when you called for backup to raid his car shop. Everyone on the scene couldn't find him which means that he know you know the truth way before the raid. Which also means there could be a bug planted somewhere. It had been three days since then and every time you tried hitting all the gang's known hotspots, you were met with emptiness. You had even contacted one of the outlaws, Mingi, who you struck a deal with and even he didn't know that Jongho had gone missing.

"Any news yet?" You asked, rushing back into the bullpen as you make a beeline towards your partner's desk. Your voice echoed in the vast emptiness, the only sound coming was from your partner hanging up his phone in disappointment. It was nearing 1 am and it was the third night you were there in the day shift floor to try and look for Jongho so you can capture him and finally have a breakthrough with your case. Yunho sighed and tossed his phone to his desk while massaging the spot on his forehead, "Not yet, my informant said the drop was a failure because Jongho never showed up and we can't even arrest the people who came there because we can't find an affiliation between them and Ateez." The revelation made you kick his desk and muss up your hair with a loud groan. "Whoah," Yunho said, eyeing you carefully with wide eyes.

Out of everyone in the precinct, you can say for sure that Yunho knew you the best because he had been your partner on this case since you started it. He was the golden boy of the academy; straight A, keen eye and instinct, and he was a great strategist not to mention an athlete with the way he could easily slip through hurdles like a well oiled street rat. You were so grateful of the nights you both mapped out the gang's spots and taking charge in stake outs because from that, you were able to quickly make discoveries upon discoveries. There were days when you wanted to give up but Yunho would cheer you up, telling you not to give up just yet. It was safe to say that he was truly your right hand man and you were glad that you could trust him. So of course you told him about your suspicion on Jongho and he agreed that he seemed fishy. Everyone else said that you were just paranoid and petty because Jongho seemed to have taken quite a keen interest in you. You remembered him snagging cases you wanted or stealing your lunch, not to mention his seemingly targeted flirtation towards you that might've made other girls swoon but you were just infuriated with him. It didn't help that you shared a moment where you both made out as a cover during your stake out and there were two things you couldn't forget that night: how soft Jongho's lips were and how the gang members seemed to recognize him but there were no fear in their eyes, it was as if they didn't recognize him as a cop. After that, things got more annoying because you do want to feel his lips again and every time he flirted you just wanted to pull him closer and kiss the living heck out of him but also because despite the mounting evidence of an activity, you couldn't prove that it was Jongho abiding the gang.

That was, until you managed to get a video of him in his car shop handing a police report in an exchange for money with someone who couldn't be identified because of the position you were in. The file number was clear as day and it was about a branch of the Ateez gang, their band of motorcycle enthusiasts that housed a couple of undercover agents under a guy named Park Seonghwa. From there, Yunho helped find out that Jongho pri

Seeing as you were distressed, Yunho got up from his chair and walked to you carefully. Once he got close, he patted your shoulder and leaned down to search for your face. When you looked at him in the eyes, there were sympathy that was accompanied by a gentle smile. "I... Ordered something for you to eat so you just stay here and wait for the food while I go to the convenience store next door and get something cold to drink, huh?" He said before taking his coat from his chair and jogging off.

You moved your feet and somehow you found yourself in Jongho's desk. You plopped yourself on the chair and looked around the items there. "Where the fuck are you, Choi Jongho?" Ypu muttered as your eyes scanned through his untouched laptop, framed photo of him in front of the academy, and lastly onto a potted plant with a single green chilli pepper stuck in the middle of the soil with the thin, pointy end at the surface. It was only when you remembered how chilli peppers grow that you realized how weird it was. So you pluck the chilli pepper from the soil and you almost immediately noticed something hard inside the plant. You squeezed the pepper, trying to feel what it could be when the top part came off and the hard inside was pushed up slightly. When the light bounced off the metal peeking out from the pepper, your eyes widened in surprise. "He has been distributing the damn ammo in chilli peppers," you muttered to yourself.

You were so deep in your own thoughts that you only snapped back to reality when you felt both of your hands yanked and maneuvered to the back of the chair from the space of the armrests. Then something cold pressed onto the skin of your wrists which you immediately realized were handcuffs. "What the fuck?" You tried to shrug the cuffs away but it was no use, the cuffs were police-grade which means that this person...

"Jongho," you scoffed when a figure walked from behind you to stand so cockily with a helmet that he soon took off and placed on his desk. You hated how his grin was so boyish it hid the fact that the man was evil and dirty and so damn sexy with his stupid newly dyed purple hair. No wonder you hadn't been able to track him down, the fucker did something no one expected since he last dyed his hair deep red for an undercover case. "Bold of you to show up here," scoffing, your first instinct was to taunt the buff man. Seriously, how can you see how broad and big he is underneath his leather jacket?

Jongho grinned and leaned on the desk with his foot on the leg of thr chair you sat on, pulling it easily with the help of the wheels closer to him. "Oh come on, you really think I won't come see my favourite girl before leaving?" Though you could feel your heart skipping a beat from him calling you his favourite girl, your eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "You're leaving?" You asked. The man leaned down to be eye level with you and with a tilted head, he once again taunted you, "Why? Gonna miss me? Want me to share my new address so you could send mea care package?"

The voice in the back of your head was telling you to lean down and kiss him but your physical reaction was to scoff and knee him in the gut. Jongho let out an "oof" before doubling back slightly. "Damn, (y/n), and here I was trying to make you happy by sending you food," he grunted nodding his head towards the food he had put on Yunho's desk. "What, you wanted to poison me? And how did you know there was a delivery for me anyways, did you kidnap a delivery driver?"

Before Jongho could answer, the door to the bullpen was opened and Yunho stood frozen at the sight with wide eyes. Once he realized who he was seeing, Yunho tensed and his eyebrows furrowed.

"Yunho, get him!" And you almost jumped in delight when Yunho reached into his plastic bag and threw a banana milk at Jongho. But much to your dismay, Jongho caught it with ease in one hand and raised an eyebrow at the older guy. "Really? Banana milk?" Jongho asked and in an instant, the serious look on Yunho's face cracked which sent chills down your spine. "Sorry, they're out of breast milk for you," he teased.

"What the fuck?" You choked out, eyes not blinking as you see Yunho casually approaching Jongho and gave him a bro handshake. You hated that. And not only because it was dawning on you that Yunho was betraying you, but they were so cheesy and you can't believe two cheesy guys bested you. You were trapped. Trapped like a rat. By a guy who you claim moves like a well-oiled rat. Damn irony.

Once the two separated, Yunho ducked down to grab the ammo-stuffed chilli pepper and you wished he'd eat it and choke. "Can't believe it took you this long to crack everything, (y/n). Jongho had had this damn pepper for a whole year. Of all the things you were suspicious of, you let the most important clue fly under your radar. For over 365 days," Yunho chuckled as he shook his head in disbelief. The condescending sound of his voice made your heart drop to your stomach and you couldn't help but let angry tears pool in your eyes. Seeing this, Jongho sighed and shoved his friend away to the direction of the front door, "Wooyoung hyung and San hyung are waiting for you outside, go first and make sure the surveilance camera is still off," he instructed. Yunho shrugged and left but not before patting you gently on the head and said one last thing that let youknow that you were not going to see him around much anymore. "See you around... Partner," he smirked, jogging away out of your peripheral vision and you willed yourself to not react.

"You were playing me this whole time," you croaked, voice strained and slightly shaky from your bubbling anger. Jongho crouched down in front of you and wiped your tears gently with his thumbs. Despite your absolute anger and humiliation along with your desire to kill the man, you let him do what he wanted and even cupped your face, "Glad you were able to admit that we played you like a fiddle." "Why?" "Well... Why not? You put yourself in this situation because you decided to open a case against us despite everyone telling you that it would be futile," he sighed, shaking his head slightly. You furrowed your eyebrows and your eyes squinted in disbelief as if you had just heard the stupidest thing ever. "How can I not, Jongho? You guys were distributing untraceable ammos and you were leaking information from the police. People were getting hurt and it was all because of you and your buddies!" The words you spat at him made him raise an eyebrow at you, "You think we were distributing untraceable ammos?" And you couldn't help but scoff at his attempt to play stupid. "Oh bite me, Jongho, you know you did! That damn chilli pepper is concrete proof so don't even try to act innocent, it really doesn't suit you."

Suddenly, Jongho leaned in before you could even process what he was doing. You could feel his hot breath on your ear and your legs immediately clamp from the tingle that cascaded from the back of your neck down to your tailbone.

"You'd like me to bite you, huh? Continue what we started in that one case? Boy, I bet you thought a lot about me in your spare time," the sound of his chuckle, though away from you, vibrated from the side of your neck that was so close to his own, down to your chest and it made your stomach flutter. You could smell his clean, manly scent with a hint of vanilla that made your brain go fuzzy. And the heat of his body, or maybe just the heat from the presence of his body, made the hairs on your skin rise as if alert. Senses were unlocked and you hated that you love the feeling.

Reeling his body back, he couldn't help but notice how your body seemed to want to stay connected to him and it made him bite down a satisfied grin. "Here's a little tip for you, my dear favourite detective, call it a favour for letting us, especially Yunho hyung, use you as a pawn to bust and capture our immitators," he hadn't even finished his sentence but you were already surprised because you hadn't even considered the fact that there might be copycats. "Our ammos are manufactured and used in house, they don't just go through targets, on impact, they bloom which slashes everything on its exit. The ammos you got in your evidence locker number C-18 and F-25, are immitation used by three separate gangs as of now and trust me, there are two more and counting. Now, we don't target other gangs because we are targeting a bigger fish, the fish who was responsible for the brainwashing device that's being tested in a project private school, you get me?" Jongho's words sunk into your head quicker than you expected and your brain started taking everything in as it tried to churn out answers. "Oh my God," you gasped, "You guys are going after New World Corporation," and when you looked at Jongho in the eyes, you could tell that he was telling the truth, there were no ploy to use you this time, he was genuinely giving you an answer for your case. "I thought the brainwashing project was a rumor," you said, recalling the articles and even the statement the CEO himself made on public television. Jongho shrugged his shoulders and stood up from his crouching position, "As did we but one of us was actually an escapee of the project, he was in the first batch and we rescued another escapee from batch 5. So we're getting more serious now."

For some reason, you forgot that you hated him and you forgot that he had made a fool of you by using you and your work and also trapping you in that position. Jongho seemed to have been distracted by you also until his phone buzzed and his eyes widened when he checked the message. "Okay, I gotta go now," he said before taking the helmet he had put on the desk back into his hands.

"Wait, you can't leave me like this!" You yelled at him, stopping him in his tracks as he was just about to turn and walk away. As much as you hated to admit, but you were glad when he approached you again.

Only to be disappointed (not really) when he leaned down and took your chin in his hand and kissed you deeply on your lips. You let out a muffled exclaim at the sudden impact, absolutely surprised of what he did. But you couldn't help but melt slightly and even so easily be so welcoming of the pair of soft, pillowy lips you've missed. And when he pulled away, you couldn't even hold the whine that escaped which Jongho so happily accepted with a gummy smile.

"I'll be seeing you around, babe. Look out for me," he teased before dashing out of the front door.

"CHOI JONGHO YOU BASTARD, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!"

You swore to yourself, in the same position Jongho left you, steaming in anger, humiliation, frustration, whilst beimg flustered of the kiss that you knew you hadn't had your fill on, that you will have your revenge on the son of a bitch. Be it with your bare hands or the law, you will get what you've been wanting. And maybe put him in jail too.

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privateinvestigator-australia · 1 year

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Private investigator

It's likely that your first impression of something being off is correct.

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When hiring a private eye, how can I make the most of the time I have with them?

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It's reasonable to anticipate getting value for your money. I will explain to you how to get the most value out of your private investigation dollar. With proper planning, the cost of engaging a private investigator may be contained within a reasonable range. Check out our surveillance service as an example. If you have a recent photo of the person we're looking into, it would tremendously help us in confirming their identity as we continue our investigation.

You should not provide a private investigator an outdated photo of the person you want them to investigate. If the individual in issue owns and regularly operates a motor vehicle, you have a duty to furnish the Private Eye with further information. Important bits of information are the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), the Vehicle's Manufacturer, and the Vehicle's Brand. Don't assume anything based on the description of the car; doing so might lead to your being shown the wrong vehicle. If you could be more precise regarding the car's make, model, and color, it would help me to be able to better serve you. Prior to having us maintain tabs on the target, we recommend you first ask the target some very oblique questions about where he or she could be. We won't be able to begin monitoring the situation for you until this is completed. It is required that you give a real-world location, such as your house or place of business. Sadly, numerous of our clients have refused to provide the required information and have asked for the investigation to be suspended since they discovered it would take much longer than expected; as is often understood, time is money.

To prevent misunderstandings and unnecessary costs, Investigative Solutions does not implement mileage fees. We don't add on fees as some private investigators could if you want us to provide photographic or video proof. Contrarily, we don't sugarcoat or otherwise lessen any harshness. If you can't pay each employee $100 per hour, you won't have our business. After the first five hours of service, our hourly rates will increase to reflect our new, higher rate. To ensure you can rest easy and catch some shut-eye, we may be able to provide it for you for the low, low price of $500. We investigate a wide variety of cases, including infidelity, cheating spouses, missing persons, teen activity, workplace theft, drugs, alcohol, gambling, and insurance fraud. We also track down and question witnesses in cases of adultery, dishonest partners, and the disappearance of loved ones.

The local Australian police and courts usually work together to provide licenses for private investigators. Since licensing is a group effort, this is the case. In other parts of Australia, however, a different government agency, such Fair Trading, is in charge of the licensing procedure. All areas of the United States share this reality.

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pwarkcore · 3 years

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NCT FIC RECS

fluff (✿), angst (✧), mature content (☾), personal fav (♡)

NCT 127

taeyong

concussions and cracked heads : schoolnurse!taeyong, topstudent!reader, rivals-to-lovers!au, high school!au ; humor ✿ (3.9k)

doyoung

fiction : forest spirit!doyoung ; fantasy, comfort ✿♡ (9.6k)

subscribe! say ‘yes’ to me : youtuber!au ; comedy ✿ (3.7k)

carrot : ✿ (1.3k)

one day (pm 01:27) : ex!doyoung ✧ slight ✿ at the end (2.6k)

what a loser : school!au, “badboy”!doyoung ✿ (4.6k)

dream boy : zombie apocalypse!au, strangers to lovers!au, soulmate!au ✿ (4.2k)

jaehyun

seven letters : soulmate!au, childhood friends to lovers!au, slight fake dating!au ✿✧ (10.1k)

the story untold (sequel to seven letters) : soulmate!au, childhood friends to lovers!au ✿✧ (6.6k)

blooming : flower shop!au ✿ (6.7k)

NCT DREAM

mark

the roasted bean : coffee shop!au ✿ (5.9k)

perhaps; maybe : college!au ; romance ✧ (9.7k)

nervous : badboy!mark ✧ (16.9k)

unravel : vampire!mark x vampire hunter!reader ✧ (11.7k)

jeno

well, you have me now : bakery!au ✿ (2.3k)

obsession : psycho!jeno, yandere!au ☾ (26.6k)

6:44 ✿

haechan

hands to myself : high school!au ; romance ✧♡ (7k)

winter epiphany : enemies to lovers! au, fake relationship!au ✧✿ (9k)

jaemin

everything : soulmate!au ✧ (3k)

all those times are now memories (bye, my first...) : college!au ✿✧ (4.3k)

speechless : university!au, selectively mute!jaemin ✿✧ (4.6k)

murder replay : murder mystery, social media!au, high school!au ✿✧

spring melancholy : neighbor!au, best friend!au ✿✧♡ (9.2k)

saudade : childhood best friend!au ✧ (2.8k)

midnight into morning coffee : college!au ✿ (5.8k)

don’t need your love club - recruiting now! (welcome, na jaemin!) : high school!au, community service club president!jaemin ✿ (16k+)

till death do us part - yandere!au, richkid!au ; thriller ✧☾ very slight ✿♡ (17.2k)

10:47 ✿✧

jisung

even if it is, just for tonight : best friends to lovers!au, slice of life!au ✿ slight ✧ (7.3k)

only forever (sequel to passing clouds) : highschool!au ✿ (7.7k)

heather : high school!au ✧ (6.2k)

sweeter than honey : best friend to lovers!au, rich kids!au, private prep school!au ; comedy ✿♡ (30k)

pizza, doubts, and adoration : comfort, intense ✿ slight ✧ (2.5k)

lightweight : PURE FLUFF ✿ ✿ ✿ (2.3k)

this universe : highschool!au ✿ (7.8k)

1:44am ✿

9:24pm ✧✿

7:23am ✿

WAYV

winwin

blossom : soulmate!au ✿ (3.7k)

lucas

almost midnight : friends to lovers! au, coming of age!au ✿✧ (5.6k)

birds of a feather : soulmate!au ✿ (4.6k)

xiaojun

remember me : ex!xiaojun x ghost detective partner!reader, ft. renjun as ghost detective partner, unrequited love!au ✧ (5.4k)

#nct #nct 127 #nct dream #wayv #nct fic recs #nct imagines #nct scenarios

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m-y-fandoms · 3 years

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COMMISSION: Kokichi Ouma x Female Reader - Love-Hate Relationship

Thank you to my patron/client! Kokichi is always fun to write

Summary: Kokichi starts to fall for the only person in the killing game who likes him. His best friend is always on his side and has true feelings for him both platonically and romantically, but will he ruin everything with his harsh words and lies?

Friends to Enemies back to Friends to Lovers LMAO - ANGST and FLUFF

Warnings: Vulgar Language, otherwise SFW - Admin Myah

Word Count: 5.1K words

When it all began, people didn’t like Kokichi. (Y/N) found this little fact out quite quickly. It was quite obvious. He was loud, and obnoxious, and stubborn, and whiny, and a great many other negative adjectives one would use to describe, say… an elementary school student.

But! … he was also a great many other amazingly fantastical things, such as cunning, intelligent, hilarious, perceptive, adorable. These were the things (Y/N) saw in him, these and a lot more endearing qualities, these things the others seemingly refused to see in him. Even the more intelligent and reasonable of her peers, such as the intuitive detective Shuichi Saihara or the studied anthropologist Korekiyo Shinguuji could admit Kokichi was intelligent, but not much else. (Y/N) didn’t understand it. She truly didn’t think Kokichi was all that awful. Why weren’t they seeing what she saw? From the moment they all arose, groggy and confused in that eerie gymnasium together she knew he would be something special, someone to watch. She had a gift for reading people like that: their souls, their intentions, their true talents.

The two of them, in time, had even started to become friends where he had none, and she essentially became his only link to the rest of the students. It would often go something like this:

Kokichi would reveal something critical, something hidden or potentially deadly that they all must know.

Kokichi, being the stubborn ass that he was, would lie about the details, or the information altogether, switching facts around and embellishing the story with fictional bits and bites.

The other Ultimates would ignore him, call him a liar, engage in some petty squabble.

(Y/N) would vouch for the little lord of lying, and the group would reluctantly scrounge up enough good faith to believe the pair.

In times like those, (Y/N) would often chastise the tiny tyrant, forever asking him why he couldn’t just play nice and help the group out of the kindness of his heart?

There was always some nonsensical, facetious, nonchalant response.

And without fail, the more outspoken students would try to talk some sense into (Y/N), asking her why she put up with him, why she even tried to get to know him, why she liked him.

But it was no use, she was drawn to him, and there was no stopping or changing it. (Y/N) was always one to latch onto the people who piqued her interest, who plucked her heartstrings, be it romantically or platonically. She found herself enraptured by his mind at first, then his looks, then the way he spoke, and more specifically... the way he spoke to her.

Yes, despite what the others thought, she found herself always defending him, and then, she found herself falling for him.

And he would never in his life admit it, but he was starting to fall for her, too.

When the killing game first started, the others thought of him as a brat, just a nuisance. They ignored him and at worst, they told him off like the annoying kid on the playground. Back then, she would still hang out with him, ignoring his teasing jabs or even jabbing back. He found himself surprised with her comebacks and playful insults at times.

She was always around, and would never abandon him, a fact he most definitely took advantage of, for when the first killing happened, when Rantaro was taken from them and the killing game transformed from a hypothetical danger into a very, very real one, people started doubting and turning on each other. At that moment, he also was transformed in their mind. He was no longer a brat, he was becoming a villain and potential threat. People were choosing sides, forming cliques, trios, duos, going solo, and so on.

And she was always on his side.

When it came time for their terrified little class of ultimates to enter the trial grounds for the very first time, her podium was directly across from his, as if by fate. Kokichi didn’t believe too much in fate… but he didn’t mind getting a perfect view of her all trial long. He found out quickly that he may come to regret the placement, however, as it also gave her a perfect view of him, and she was no fool like the rest of them. She would watch his expressions, catch the smallest twitch of his lip or raise of his brow. Much like Shuichi, she was one of the only ones who could study his words and actions and weed out the lies… at least most of the time. She wasn’t afraid to call him out on it, and she knew the tone of his voice better than anyone else there. She was making it terribly difficult for him to confuse others, extend the trial, stir up some fun… and he liked that about her. Someone who could keep up with him was certainly not boring… and extremely attractive.

Even with so many people against him, dismissing both his lies and truths, verbally attacking him, she would hear him out, and by the end of it all, the innocent got out alive. The thrilling and bone-chilling trial ended with a correct verdict. Without their teamwork, even with Shuichi’s genius, it may not have been so.

With the first trial’s conclusion, Kokichi’d made up his mind to stop simply admiring her and actually get to enjoy that not-boring personality to the fullest. That’s the most he’d give her: that she wasn’t boring, unlike the rest of them. Grabbing her hand, he whisked her away to uncover the newest research labs that Monokuma’d allowed them access to. They inspected them all top to bottom, together as a team. They eventually would do this to every unlocked location in the academy, making short work of the campus while harassing each other, badgering and bantering, hurling insults the entire time. She was the only one he couldn’t exhaust. Just when he began to think it might be a tad bit more romantic to pull some punches for her sake, he discovered he didn’t have to. She’d punch back, and just as hard.

In fact, he liked her so much, that when his poor classmates were subjected to the horrendous Insect Meet-and-Greet event, she was personally invited by Ouma himself, and not hauled over Gonta’s gentlemanly shoulders and carried, or worse, knocked the fuck out only to wake up surrounded by bugs.

“How charming,” she teased, rolling her eyes as he stood in the frame of her dorm room’s door.

“Yeah, you should feel pretty special! I wasted precious energy coming down here to ask you to come!” He exhaled loudly, far too proud of himself.

“Well, as much as I’d love to be covered in roaches and piss myself when beetles attempt to crawl into every orifice on my body, I can’t. Again, love to, truly, but-”

“Awwww! But we hang out every night! And you’re lying! You’re never busy you dirty, rotten, lying loser! Who else hangs out with you beside me?! What else do you have to do if it doesn’t involve me? Your life’s a yawn unless I plan your daily itinerary!” He huffed, crossing his arms with a small stomp of one foot. “Gosh, I hate liars!” He pouted.

“Pout all you want, I’m not going to your bug fest. I hate bugs.”

“Wait ‘til Gonta hears about your very controversial opinion!” Kokichi gasped, feigning absolute shock.

“You wouldn’t...” her eyes widened, knowing instantly that she’d fucked up. He didn’t reply, but simply smirked, an evil, plotting, crooked grin creeping across his visage. She sighed deeply, head hanging in defeat.

“Be my date?” He held out a hand, wiggling his fingers temptingly. Her head shot up, an uncomfortable, flustered warmth running through her cheeks and to the tips of her ears. He caught this immediately, as he caught most changes in the air, and his face twisted into an equally awkward expression for a split second before his brow furrowed and he snarled. “Hurry the fuck up, shithead! You know what I meant! Let’s go or I’m having Tarzan put your ass to sleep!” He spat, and she simply giggled, grabbing his hand before being pulled off.

“Your date huh? I can’t think of anything I’d love more than some worms in my shoes.”

♡

That morning when they awoke, Ryoma was gone, stolen away in what they assumed was either the night or the early morning. Kokichi was usually very much unfazed, desensitized to most shock and awe in life, but this time… it was different. He was upset, and visibly so, stomping around the crime scene like a child, brooding.

It wasn’t the loss of a Ryoma, nor the gore and tragedy of the scene that had him so agitated, it was her reaction to it. (Y/N) wore her heart on her sleeve, and she wasn’t afraid to cry in front of others, so it was no surprise that she was in tears now. She’d cried over both Rantaro and Kaede’s deaths, but that was different. Kaede was a girl, and he didn’t care about (Y/N) enough back when Rantaro was killed to be jealous of her tears, but now… he was practically green.

(Y/N) had actually been pretty close with Ryoma. Like she did with most people, she dug past Ryoma’s appearance and the story he wanted everyone to know, and what she found was a pretty amazing guy. She wasn’t as close to him as she was to Kokichi, but still…

These weren’t tears of horror from seeing a dead body, or of witnessing a young person’s life cut short. They were tears of mourning the loss of a close friend, and Kokichi was positively boiling.

By the time he’d managed to cool himself down while effectively hiding his meltdown from the rest of them, (Y/N) had wandered off to start the investigation and avenge her friend with Shuichi. Yeah no, that wasn’t going to happen. She was quickly swept away to start their own little search party. The two of them, the way it was supposed to be. Of course, he would never say all of these embarrassing thoughts aloud. He’d make up some stupid excuse for why she just had to come with him. But it wasn't personal, and he didn’t care about her.

He didn’t

He. Didn’t.

Did he...?

♡

When it came time for the second trial, Kokichi made sure to make fun of (Y/N), calling her a crybaby, mocking her “endless blubbering” and all the valuable time she wasted doing it. He tried desperately, now at war with his own heart and values, to convince himself she was nothing to him, that she was just another pea-brained opponent in this death game, that she was a source of entertainment at best, and nothing else.

“Shut the fuck up, Miu, nobody wants to hear that gross shit! Cream your pants later!” (Y/N) spoke across the circle to the blonde exhibitionist with a scowl on her face. Miu, in response, shriveled and whined. Kokichi couldn’t help but crack a smile. That was one of the things he loved about (Y/N), how she put people in their place.

What?! Shit, no! Not loved… I mean she was cool, but... not - his mind raced, trying to shake himself back to the place he wanted to be. Shit!

The trial went on, and with every word she worsened the self-made conflict within him.

“How could you say that Kaito?!” (Y/N) howled at the Ultimate Astronaut, who was taken aback by her anger. Kokichi, too, found himself taken aback. Kaito was the “good guy”, the macho action hero, the protagonist’s best friend. While many called Kaito names, dismissed his ridiculous ideas, and even told him he was plain stupid and wrong at times, no one ever truly challenged the trusted hero duo that was Shuichi and Kaito, and certainly not with such unbridled anger. “You must have no idea what it’s like to go through depression, to not see the point in living anymore! How dare you speak ill of Ryoma?! How dare you say he used to be your hero?!” She knew what it was like, those dark thoughts Ryoma must’ve been having for years.

Kokichi watched her, like a spitfire, a firecracker. He forgot all about his decision to let her go, to stop interacting with her altogether after today, and couldn’t help being pulled in. They spent the rest of the trial working as they usually did: together, as a team. He spoke up more, and they teased each other, flirting harmlessly and carrying on.

And the others were starting to notice…

“Man, can’t you two save it for when you’re alone?! Damn! I can practically see you undressing each other with your eyes, bleh!” Miu gagged before letting out one of her infamous cackles. (Y/N)’s face ran hot, instinctively leaning back on her podium. Her bottom lip caught itself between her teeth, at a loss for words as she met Kokichi’s gaze.

“Yeah right, as if! I’d love to be discussing with literally anyone else here but you guys all have the personality of dirty pond water…” Kokichi sighed defensively, looking at his nails as if Miu’s words meant nothing to him.

(Y/N) knew how he was, she knew harsh words and lies were his coping mechanism, but she couldn’t help the way her shoulders sunk.

♡

Despite her hurting heart, when Kokichi - the shit-stirrer that he was - revealed Maki’s truth to the group after Kirumi’s execution, (Y/N) was the only one to throw herself between them, prying Maki’s hands from her best friend’s throat.

“Fuck, now she’s out here tryna die for this asshole!” Miu crowed. “HA HA! They’re definitely fuckin’!” She held her stomach, practically in tears from her laughing fit.

“Shut up! Just shut up!” (Y/N) pushed past the crowd, tired of them, tired of the humiliation, tired of Kokichi, tired of all of it. She left the trial room, running all the way and not stopping until she was locked up in her room.

After the public embarrassment and Kokichi’s heartless dismissal of their… complicated relationship, maybe….

Maybe now it was her turn to cut him off.

♡

Days passed and she refused to see him. She stayed locked up in her room at night and avoided him during the day, well... avoided him as best she could. Kokichi wasn’t one to be ignored if he didn’t want to be. He persisted, harassing and tracking her around, begging her to talk to him, to play, to prank others with him, to investigate the new research labs, but she simply pretended he wasn’t there. It hurt, it really hurt to shut him out, but to go on with him acting like she didn’t matter in public and then deciding she did in private hurt even worse. Her loyalty could only go so far. She wouldn’t allow him to mess with her heart any longer… or so she thought.

♡

Hours before the third trial was to commence, (Y/N) found herself outside of Korekiyo’s research lab when what looked like a walking corpse stumbled by. She cried out, running over to a dazed Kokichi, bumbling about light-headed and pale, with fresh blood running freely down his head.

“Kokichi!” Her feelings be damned! She couldn’t just sit there and watch him suffer or worse. Who knew how much blood he’d already lost? Crazed with worry, she threw his arm over her shoulder, looking around frantically wondering why no one else had noticed him yet.

The answer was simple: no one else cared. They probably had noticed and simply written him off. (Y/N) pouted, contemplating leaving him there… she was supposed to be mad at him.

“Ohhhhh… gah! ...Damn you, Kokichi!” How did he keep doing this? How was he worming his evil little ass into her heart again and again?! She began dragging him down the stairs and toward the dorms. The investigation would have to wait.

“(Y-Y/N)...?” Kokichi mumbled in his ditzy state. “Hoo hoo! I thought we weren’t talkin’?!” He nearly tumbled from her arms, weak and wobbly.

“Oh, shut up, asshole!” (Y/N) growled, nearing the dormitory area and pulling him into her room.

♡

“Man, that sucked!” Kokichi sat leaned against the glass of the sliding shower door in the small personal offshoot bathroom attached to her small dorm room. A cold washcloth sat covering his forehead, wetting the messy strands of his long bangs.

“Tell me again why you didn’t just call for help once you realized how badly you were bleeding?” (Y/N) made small talk, wringing out the soiled rag she’d initially used to clean him off. He took a swig of some icy bottled water she’d provided and glowered, his bottom lip out in contemplation.

“ ‘Cause I didn’t think anyone would come…” he spoke flatly, exhausted with the loss of blood and shittiness of it all. She froze, turning to him.

“I’m sorry…” she sighed, replacing the washcloth on his head with some gauze that she started to gently wrap around the rather deep wound.

“You should be! Hmpf!” He crossed his arms and she pulled on the gauze sharply, tightly constricting the oozing sore. “Shit!”

“Don’t start, dickhead. You’re lucky I’m choosing to forgive you!” She chided. He shot her a dirty look, and for moments they sat in silence.

“... For a moment I thought you hated me… like the rest of them,” he finally spoke up, any amount of silence torturous to his child-like psyche. She felt her heart sink.

“... I could never.” She smiled softly, fighting off a nagging frown that threatened to present itself. Before he could make this even more awkward, she stood, taking control of the situation. “Okay, I’ll be right back, you stay right here. I don’t want you passing out again.” She took off, closing the bathroom door and sneaking away into the main room.

Shuffling through her closet and by extension her Monokuma-provided wardrobe, she peeled off first her shirt then her uniform’s skirt, both now completely ruined by dark patches of Kokichi’s blood, her reward for carrying his sorry ass all the way here. Now in only her underwear, she reached for a replacement uniform and wandered over to her bedside table for her deodorant and some facial wipes. As she wiped the grime and sweat from the crevices of her oily face, the bathroom door slid open with an impatient force behind it.

“I’m boooooooored-”

“Ahh!” She screeched, rushing to cover herself up before she could even process what was happening, but the only things nearby were her comforter and intricate uniform.

“Oh, God! Why are you naked?!” Kokichi hollered, his face turning beet red. (Y/N) pulled the comforter up and around her body, her uniform falling from the bed.

“I told you to wait there!” Her cheeks felt engulfed in flames, the skin all over her body hot and her feathers effectively ruffled.

“You didn’t say why! You didn’t say you were doing a strip show in here!” He retorted, covering his eyes with one arm, more for her to save face than out of his own desire.

“Get out! Just get out!” She screamed, tears pricking her eyes.

“But-!”

“Now!!” Full of a genre of rage he almost never felt, he conceded, stomping out of her room without another word.

(Y/N) fell to her bed, screaming into her pillow like nobody’s business. She felt ashamed, mortified, infuriated. Why, for once, couldn’t he just listen?! Her body was never something she was confident in or proud of, and now, to have him, the guy she had feelings for see her like that, and not only practically naked, but caught off guard… it was as more than she could handle.

♡

The trial room was relatively quiet that afternoon. The usual suspects were chatting, defending themselves, accusing others. Shuichi was having a pretty smooth trial - a blessing in his eyes - with Kokichi not giving him an easier time than usual. When he did speak, it was his usual lies, with an underlying irritated tone, but he never spoke a word to (Y/N), and (Y/N) hardly spoke at all. After some time, someone addressed the elephant in the room… err, other than the murders, that is…

“Soooo, uh…” Kaito, courageous as always, spoke out, “(Y/N), you awake over there? We could use some help to, you know, find the culprit so we don’t all bite it?” He was only somewhat gentle with his words, having already made up with her after the last trial’s argument, but anxious over the current situation. “Shuichi and I can’t handle this on our own! You usually have a lot to say!”

“I resent that comment, Kaito, as I believe I help plenty, but yes,” Kiibo rolled his metallic eyes to the sky, ever focused on the current goal, “you do usually have more to say, (Y/N). We could really use another opinion here.”

“Something wrong with (Y/N)?” Gonta, always concerned for his friends’ feelings inquired, brows furrowed in concern.

“Hah!” Miu spat. “Of course something’s wrong! Haven't you noticed that little prick over there ain’t feedin’ us his bullshit nearly as much as neither?!” She pointed at Kokichi before placing a haughty hand on her hip. “He probably slipped her his little prick, and it was so tiny she was turned off for good! Probably can’t even speak, she’s so disappointed! Hella awkward!” She roared. Everyone exchanged the familiar looks of disgust or scorn that came after one of Miu’s outbursts, and as (Y/N) opened her mouth to defend them both, she was cut off.

“More like the other way around!” Kokichi hurled Miu’s statements right back in her face, his knuckles crunching down on his podium with a vice-like grip. “After I saw her naked earlier, I was the one leaving with a softie!” He growled, his frustrations, self-loathing, and need to be in control and defend himself all culminating in these toxically destructive words.

A few audible gasps were heard in the room, a few laughs from Monokuma and his remaining offspring, and the more mature students such as Maki and Shuichi simply sighing in exhaustion, wondering why they kept getting off track with useless information. (Y/N) felt her knees almost buckle.

No. Not this time! She heard her mind shout at her heart, and she slammed her hands down on her podium, all embarrassment melting into pure rage.

“YOU- GOD!” An encore slam down onto the flat metal, “You FUCKING asshole! That’s not what happened you goddamn fucking LIAR, and you know it!” Her voice was hoarse with the force of it.

“Uh oh! Struck a ner-” Miu began to speak.

“You shut the fuck up!” (Y/N) pointed to the busty instigator before directing her venomous ire back at Kokichi, who refused to look her in the eyes. “I did everything to help you after your dumb ass fell through the fucking floor, and this is how I’m repaid?! I do everything with you and for you, and this is how you treat me?! Why do you always sit here and lie to these people about us?! Fucking shithead fucking-” she was struggling for words, holding back tears. “You tell them the truth, that I had your blood all over me from patching you up because no one else likes your sorry ass! Everyone else would’ve left you passed out on the floor or worse dead from blood loss or killed by the culprit who seems to be on a fucking spree!” She gestured wildly, talking with her hands. “You walked in on me changing my bloody clothes! It was your fault! Just like it’s your fault that you have one fr-” her voice broke, and she looked to her feet. “No friends. Fuck you… Shuichi just finish the fucking trial we all know who the culprit is.” She looked down the rest of the trial, saying nothing, hearing nothing, just a ringing in her ears.

“This is reeeeeeal fuckin’ awkward and I hate it here,” Miu cooed, rubbing her hands together.

♡

As soon as the trial was over, Kokichi, feeling the weight of his best friend’s words, searched high and low for her. The campus was huge with many places to hide, but he knew her well, and he knew her favorite spots. He checked the AV room, library, casino, her research lab, and her room first, then everywhere else, asking anyone he came across about her whereabouts.

“Dude you messed up, even by your standards,” Kaito demeaned with a righteous fist in the air.

“I think it’s completely reasonable that she would not want to speak with you,” Kiibo sighed.

“Kokichi, you probably really hurt her. Just let her be, that’s the right thing to do,” Shuichi offered guidance even to the worst of his peers any time he could.

“Why are you speaking to me?” Maki walked away.

♡

At long last, finding himself in the basement after wallowing around the school for a while, he opened the door to the AV room for some space and privacy, seeing as it was rarely used since Rantaro’s death. He gasped.

“(Y/N)!” She turned from her position reading on the little couch, startled, and immediately turned back upon seeing the owner of the voice. He closed the door behind him, shuffling over with his tail between his legs. Quickly, before she could notice, he forced a rather convincing peppy voice. “The heck?! I already checked here!” She knew that. She’d been there earlier, and left when she heard he was making the rounds only to return later, but she didn’t say as much now. “Soooo? Whatcha readin’?” He grinned, plopping down on the floor beside her seated position on the couch. She didn’t respond, didn’t change her expression, and merely kept reading. “C’mon!!! Reading’s boring!!! Well,” he tapped his finger on his lip pensively “not always! But your taste in books is! Let’s at least go find some good shit to read together!” She had not the mental or physical energy, the want nor the need to banter with him. As far as she was concerned, this… whatever it was, was over.

Kokichi sighed, taking the hint to stop talking but not the hint to leave her the fuck alone. She would not physically kick him out, he knew this, and it seemed she wouldn’t do it verbally either. It was safer not to be alone, she rationalized in her mind… well, only if the group knew who was paired up and when, but he would never hurt her… physically. And she would never hurt him. And so, Kokichi resolved to sit there, just sit there and stare: at the ceiling, at her, at his thumbs. After the first thirty minutes he began to make pretend snow angels on the ground with his arms and legs flopping together and apart. He lapped around the room a few times, looked through the DVD options, sat with her on the couch, moved closer, then further, then closer, back and forth trying to get some reaction. Usually he could at least annoy someone into paying attention to him. Even negative attention was still attention. She was never like this with him. This was bad… he could feel his selfish little heart ache.

An hour passed, and then another. She’d picked up a sketch pad she’d stored in the couch cushions, doodled, changed books, and now was reading again. He’d begun running his fingers up and down her thigh, making explosion and car noises when he hit her knee. And finally, he spoke.

“You know, you’re super brave to be down here alone, you know... before I got here I mean… or at all really. Place is spooky… haunted since Rantaro got murked. No one comes down here but you. Surprised you’re down here… but I guess you always are.” He could feel the stone wall she’d put up between them. “You know, it kinda sucks, that we lost Rantaro…”

“...and Ryoma, and Tenko, and Kirumi, Angie, Kiyo, Kaede…” she spoke up, irritated by his flippance. “Don’t forget them like they don’t matter.” He twiddled his thumbs in response.

“At least you didn’t die…” he tapped on the back of the book you were reading, making the pages shake before her eyes.

“Like you’d care if I did,” she replied without hesitation.

“I woooooould,” he pulled at her sleeve like a toddler aching to be picked up.

“I’m ugly. I’m fat and hideous and a turn off and just disgusting, right? So who cares if I die?” She spoke like she was reciting a grocery list: monotone, uninterested.

“Well… I can still care about ugly people…” he batted his eyelashes innocently. The look she shot him told him she was not in the mode for jokes. “B-but, you’re not ugly! You’re way hotter than Maki or Miu or any other hag here! I just said all that stuff to catch Miu off guard! It was all a lie!” He was getting nervous now, sitting upright beside her on the couch.

“That is not an apology,” she rebuked.

“Aww come on, forgive me!” He collapsed, resting face down on her stomach and stretching his body out on the cushions behind him. “You’re my best friend…” His words were muffled, but she could make them out still. “You’re more than that…” her ears perked up, and she began to hear sniveling. Slowly, a wetness began to seep through her shirt onto her abdomen.

Was he…?

She placed a single hand on the back of his black locks and ran her fingers through the messy mop. The other placed the book on the floor then joined the other. For a few peaceful moments they sat silently while she stroked his scalp and played with the waves.

“I’m sorry…” an apology came through his sniffles, but he would not lift his head up, never in a million years would someone see him cry genuine tears.

“I can’t hear you,” she lied, something she learned from him. A devious smirk he could not see crossed her lips.

“Yes you can!” Muffled frustration vibrated her tummy.

“Well since I can’t hear you anyway this conversation is ov-”

His head shot upward, a snarl crossing his red, moist, puffy face. He pulled his knees up, leaning forward with all his weight

And pressed his lips deeply into hers.

309 notes · View notes

maxwell-grant · 3 years

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May I please ask what your preferred dynamic between Holmes & Lupin would be? (From what I can tell, the term 'frenemies' might have been invented for these two - if any two characters in fiction WOULD spend all their time trying to one-up each other it's these two, if only their diverse other commitments, challenges & interests left them the free time to do so: I'm also morally certain a sadly-hypothetical Holmes/Lupin team is one of the few things that could bring down Fantomas for Good).

I think "frenemies" is what ultimately works best for these two specifically, because there's a certain untouchability to icons as big as these two that limits the potential stories you can tell with them (although yes, definitely on board with the two having what it takes to bring down Fantomas, although probably not as cleanly and easily as they might expect).

The original Leblanc stories involving this premise are very much centered around one-upmanship, even embracing a theme of national rivalry of England vs France. They acknowledge Holmes's talents but without the awe, with a somewhat aged Holmes with mundane imperfections easily exploited by the daring young thief, someone deserving of his legend but who doesn't quite live up to it. Obviously Lupin's gotta have the upperhand, not just because it's his author writing it, but because the whole point of Lupin's creation was to be the new hotness, the counterpart to both the stuffy old Great Detectives as well as the aristocratic master burglars, and really, what kind of rising superstar would he be if he couldn't put one over the other guy? If he's gonna live up to his claim of being the greatest criminal ever, he's gotta be able to humble the greatest detective at least a little.

The treatment of Watson (Wilson) is tasteless and it's frankly a bit saddening to see that even back then writers were still shitting on Watson far too much, but on the whole I think Leblanc was a lot fairer to Holmes than he could have been (certainly other writers from this time period who added Holmes to their stories were not as fair), he makes it very clear Holmes is not just another Ganimard out of his depth and is very much as close to an equal Lupin's ever had. I think the description used to cap off their final meeting is very much on point:

"You see, monsieur, whatever we may do, we will never be on the same side. You are on one side of the fence; I am on the other. We can exchange greetings, shake hands, converse a moment, but the fence is always there.

You will remain Herlock Sholmes, detective, and I, Arsène Lupin, gentleman-burglar. And Herlock Sholmes will ever obey, more or less spontaneously, with more or less propriety, his instinct as a detective, which is to pursue the burglar and run him down, if possible.

And Arsène Lupin, in obedience to his burglarious instinct, will always be occupied in avoiding the reach of the detective, and making sport of the detective, if he can do it. And, this time, he can do it" - Arsene Lupin vs Herlock Sholmes

The consistent outcome is that Holmes "wins" the material battle while Lupin gets away with the spiritual or karmic victory. The first story, Holmes has Lupin figured out from a glance, robbing him of his greatest asset, and Lupin even tells Holmes under a guise that he has no greater admirer than himself. Holmes choses not to arrest Lupin, and instead solves the mystery as quickly as Lupin would. But he is also, well, inferior. His "commonplace appearence" dissappoints the guests and detectives at the crime scene, he doesn't resemble their expectations, he is gruff, ungracious, arrogant and all-business, an Englishman all the way, and Lupin one-ups him by returning to him his stolen watch, and Holmes is not a good sport about it.

The whole "Herlock Sholmes" name change, although it was out of legal obligation, almost reads like a cheeky courtesy of Leblanc, like he's giving Holmes enough of a courtesy in sparing him the embarassment of being the loser. And the following adventures stay consistent: Sholmes is smart, as smart as Lupin, and he's a gentleman. But he isn't as smart as he thinks he is, and he isn't as much of a gentleman as Lupin. He resorts to unsporting tactics like intimidating Lupin's lover and involving the police in their conflict, and in the end, he's solved the crime, but "sown the seeds of discord" in a family Lupin was protecting, becoming the villain for a change, a role reversion Lupin openly laughs at. Holmes wins the "loot", he wins the material battle, but Lupin has the last laugh, and despite being a self-proclaimed villain, Lupin gets the moral victory.

It's a quite unflattering view of Holmes and one perhaps not suited for a crossover outside of the specific context of Holmes being the old and stuffy intruder in an Arsene Lupin story. Then again, every great hero needs a lesson in humility every now and then.

There's a particularly interesting variant of this dynamic to be found within China's own takes on Sherlock Holmes and Arsene Lupin.

Sherlock Holmes was quite the breakout hit for Chinese audiences at the time of his release, revered as an alternative to Judge Bao and the court-case novels. It's estimated that from 1903 to 1909, detective fiction constituted over almost 50% percent of all Western translated fiction, and with Holmes followed others like Nick Carter and Charlie Chan, and then Arsene Lupin, and soon their own local versions. The most famous and popular of which was Huo Sang, created by Cheng Xiaoqing, who was one of the main translators for Conan Doyle's stories. Cheng Xiaoqing even wrote his own take on Sherlock Holmes vs Arsene Lupin called "The Diamond Necklace", intending on correcting Leblanc's take, although interestingly, he unintentionally recreates the exact outcome by giving Holmes an unsporting attitude, where he "wins" only because Lupin lets him, and Lupin gets away again with the moral high ground. He would fare off much better in correcting Holmes with his own character, Huo Sang.

Huo Sang has a lot of similarities to Holmes, even with his own Watson counterpart, but was also designed to represent a few more traditional Chinese values. He is a science teacher with no addictions who belittles the wealthy class and fights for the poor, and he is praised for humility, one story even making a point to criticize Holmes for arrogance. He is a very Westernized character, with suits and guns and cigarettes galore, but the books were very dictatic and the author marketed them as "disguised textbooks for science", playing up on a newfound social reverence to scientific methods and self-improvement and national rejuvenation.

The stories deal heavily with corruption of the police force and institutions. In the earlier stories he outright calls police detectives useless rice buckets only good for solving petty thefts and preying on those that can't defend themselves, and while they become less sinister in later stories, Huo Sang's relation with law enforcement is much more frayed than Holmes's own. He uses dirty police tactics of his own and sometimes takes the law into his own hands, thinking the law cannot possibly achieve justice on it's own. His biggest loyalty is to his country and he values his reputation above all else. He values justice more than the law, like Holmes. But like Holmes, he still prefers to work inside the law and within Chinese traditions.

"Bao Lang, you scholar, you're too idealistic. Don't you realize how weak the law is in modern society? Privilege and power, favors and money - the law has all these deadly enemies

"We investigate half to slake our thirst for knowledge, half out of duty to serve and uphold justice. In the realm of justice, we are never constrained by the wooden and unfeeling law. For in this society, which is gradually tending to surrender its core to material things, the spirit of the rule of law cannot be put into general practice, and the weak and ordinary people are aggrieved, more often than not unable to enjoy the protection of the law.

Lu Ping, as you'd expect from a counterpart to Lupin, was much different. In fact, right in his very first story, he was already pitted against Huo Sang and outsmarting him, in a story called "Wooden Puppet Play". The character is inspired by an already existing tradition within Chinese literature of the "chivalrous thief", shapeshifting masters of deception and martial arts, and considered admirable and benevolent opposite to the corrupt government officials they outwit.

His stories are more whimsical, energized, more varied, less dedicated to strict science. He whistles while committing crimes, is identifiable by a red tie and wooden puppets he uses to signal his goons on what outfit he's gonna be wearing, and even cracks asides to the reader. In many aspects Lu Ping is influenced by hard-boiled Western detective stories, and naturally, he has a much more contemptious view of the law than Huo Sang

Well then, was he willing, in his capacity as thief, to represent the sanctity of the law and catch the murderer? Yes, he would be quite happy to round up that murderer. But he wasn't at all willing to boost the reputation of the law. He'd always felt that the law was only something like an amulet that certain smart guys had fabricated to get them out of embarassing situations.

Such an amulet migh be good for scaring away idiots, but it oculdn't threaten the violent, crafty and arrogant evil ones. Not only could it not scare them away, a lot of them hid right behind it to work their evil tricks!

Conflicts between these two are not just rooted in one-upsmanship or the patriotic conflict between the two, but instead in two differing approaches to justice, their influence on fellow Chinese writers to step outside tradition, and the respective ways they address issues in society. Additionally, it's not just a conflict between Great Detective vs Gentleman Villain, but the Holmesian Detective and the Hardboiled Detective. And, naturally, when the two met, a pattern reocurred again.

Writing a Lu Ping tale in his usual manner, Sun Liaohong deprives the detective of the advantage he typically enjoys at the hand of Cheng Xiaoqing or any other follower of Conan Doyle - narration by the detective's coadjutor.

It is Huo Sang who slinks around like a thief, alarming hotel service personnel. He becomes rattled, and even so is vain and arrogant. He is a bit too positivist about searching for clues, and he spends a remarkable amount of time just relaxing and waiting for something to happen.

The figure of "wooden puppets" turns wicked when the author uses the term to refer to Huo Sang, Bao Lang, and the police. Satirizing the genre as a play in which the author woodenly manipulates his character. But Lu Ping as puppet is a genius, moving from one identity to another, whereas Huo Sang is a dumbbell - wooden indeed, bourgeois, ridiculed.

A gentleman's agreement occurs only at the end. Huo Sang has the formal victory. He frees Lu Ping in order to get the paining, but the exhibition is held a day late and it now bears Lu Ping's seal.

In wartime, peace talks, diplomacy and gentlemen's agreements are just smoke screens, the stuff of puppetry. Both Huo Sang and Lu Ping surround themselves with lies to reach their final accomodation. Perhaps they are both puppets - Chinese Justice, the Fiction: Law and Literature in Modern China, by Jeffrey C. Kinkley

Both characters were canned in 1949 when the CCP banned detective fiction, and it was replaced with anti-spy literature about how the party police would expose counterrevolutionary conspiracies. They never got to have a rematch, and to my understanding there were a couple of films made afterwards about them, Huo Sang had a very recent one in 2019, but never another meeting.

I guess the takeaway here time and time again is that, credit to Holmes and all, but:

#replies tag #pulp heroes #pulp fiction #sherlock holmes #herlock sholmes #arthur conan doyle #arsene lupin #maurice leblanc #lupinchads can't stop winning

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future-dregs · 2 years

Text

About Me

Yo.

I like to obsess over things.

Fictional people in love are very important to me. Doesn’t always have to be romantic; platonic love is the bomb, and found families are my favorite.

But I need the love.

Fandoms/Ships (subject to change and not exhaustive)

Anime/Manga

▪︎ Amachin wa Jishou (none)

▪︎+Anima (none)

▪︎Astro Boy (none)

▪︎Assasination Classroom (none)

▪︎Bakuman (for once? The canon couples.)

▪︎Bleach (Chad/Ichigo, Orihime/Tatsuki, Shunsui/Jushiro)

▪︎BNHA (KiriBaku, Yagi Toshinori/Tsukauchi Naomasa, Inko/Rei, Shinkami, Spinneraki, Miritama, Iida Tensi/Koichi)

▪︎ Chainsaw Man (none)

▪︎Cowboy Bebop. Anime only (none)

▪︎Death Note (none)

▪︎Demon Slayer (Uzui Tengen/Hinatsuru/Makio/Suma)

▪︎Detective Conan/Case Closed (none)

▪︎ Dragon Ball (Bulma/Vegeta)

▪︎ Dr. Ramune Mysterious Disease Specialist (none)

▪︎Excuse Me Dentist, It’s Touching Me! (Yeah if the main guys could get it together and go out with each other that would be greaaat)

▪︎Free! (Rin/Haru/Makoto, Rin/Souske, Haru/Ikuya, Makoto/Kisumi)….I’ve got dirtbrain.

▪︎Fullmetal Alchemist (none)

▪︎Gintama (Gin/Katsura, Hijikata/Sougo)

▪︎ Golden Boy

▪︎Haikyu!! (Asanoya, Tsukkiyama, Queerplatonic Kagehina, Iwaoi, Ukai/Takeda, Kyohaba)

▪︎ Hellsing (Sir Integra/Seras)

▪︎ How To Keep a Mummy

▪︎Hunter x Hunter (Gon/Killua, Leorio/Kurapika)

▪︎Inuyasha (Inuyasha/Kagome, Miroku/Sango)

▪︎ One Piece (Zolu)

▪︎One Punch Man (none)

▪︎ Patalliro! (Banmara)

▪︎Ranma ½ (none)

▪︎Sailor Moon (Sailor Moon/Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Neptune/Sailor Uranus)

▪︎Science Fell In Love, So I Tried To Prove It (Yukimura/Himuro, Ibarada/Kosuke)

▪︎ The Titan’s Bride (Koichi/Caius) of course.

▪︎ Trigun (Vashwood, Meryl/Milly)

▪︎ Uramichi Oniisan (Uramichi/Iketeru) what? They get along. I think it would be cute.

▪︎Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun! (none)

▪︎Yotsuba&! (Kiowai/Jumbo QPR)

▪︎ Yu-gi-oh! (none)

▪︎Yu Yu Hakusho (Yusuke/Hiei/Kurama, Kuwabara/Yukina)

▪︎Zom 100 (none)

▪︎Zombiepowder (none)

Other/Ect.

▪︎ Horror. Movies mostly, slashers especially. (Billy/Stu (Scream))

▪︎Avatar the Last Airbender/Korra (Korra/Asami, Sokka/Suki)

▪︎ The Mandalorian (Dinluke. Romantically and QPR, I'm good with either/or, baby)

▪︎ M*A*S*H

▪︎ Monty Python

▪︎ Legend of Zelda (none)

▪︎ Skyrim/The Elder Scrolls(none)

▪︎Gravity Falls (none)

▪︎Over the Garden Wall (none)

▪︎Kid n’ Teenagers. Comic series created by @z-t00n (none)

▪︎Star Trek TOS (Kirk/Spock, Uhura/Chekhov)

▪︎The Losers (Cougar/Jensen)

▪︎Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (Dirk/Todd, Tina/Farah)

▪︎The Addams Family - original version (Gomez/Morticia)

▪︎Lord of the Rings/Tolkien (Eowyn/Faramir)

▪︎Norse Mythology

▪︎Bill and Ted movies (none.) Though I have been known to enjoy a good Bill/Ted fic. nomelon on Ao3 has the best, in case you were interested.

#Pinning here because the links I THOUGHT were working are NOT and idk how to fix them

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obx-imagines-07 · 4 years

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Being JJ's best friend since always (and eventually being his girlfriend)...

you first meet when you were little kids and it was your first day in OBX

you were just 5 and JJ was 6

when you first saw him, you thought that he would be a good friend for the first day and when he saw you, he thought that you would be a good girl to piss off

your first week was like hell

JJ would make you angry every single day, but then you started becoming friends

and since then, you can’t do anything without each other

you know everything about him and he knows everything about you, from your favorite color to your first celebrity crush

well, you started growing up and you two, first became three with John B and, before you knew it, you were The Pogues

Kie was the sister that you never had, just like the girl-best friend, because JJ was the best, but it wasn’t the same…

even if he loved to gossip with you, it was weird to talk about periods with him..

Pope became your partner in almost all of your classes, you two would be the unique that cares about school, grades and all this shit, and you two would love to watch detectives movies together

John B created a connection with you, that he always called you ‘lil sis’, it’s the cutest thing ever, and he loves to protect you, always making sure that you are safe and okay

and all of this, made JJ sooooo jealous

because, since always he was the one you would tell everything, the one who you would be partner at classes, the one you would beg to watch Criminal Minds with, the one that would take care of you…

but your friendship never changed

sometimes you and JB would be a little touchy and JJ would always be on the middle of you

and then, after a few months with them, you started to have a little crush on Pope

you didn’t knew why exactly, but he was always so kind, funny and totally handsome

when JJ found out, wow, the boy was sooo pissed

because he knew that Pope wasn’t into you - the opposite of half of the guys on the OBX - but he was into Kie, and he knew that if you decided to tell him, you would get hurt

and just the thought about you with someone that wasn’t JJ, made him sick in the stomach

so he helped you to get over him, it wasn’t pretty hard because you weren’t so down for him, but JJ was there the whole time

just like when your heart was break for the first time

you meet the guy at a party on the Boneyard and you started to hang out every single day

then, after a month maybe, you started to date, and he was the perfect boyfriend, except for a moment in the relationship that he started to want to have sex with you, but you weren’t ready yet, you were just 15 and wanted for it to be special…….

so, he cheated on you with a touron

boy, no one was able to hold JJ back

he broke his nose, right wrist and a few tooth, and threatened him with his gun

he just didn’t killed the boy, because you were so bad that he just wanted to be with you (and he wouldn’t be able to do it at the jail)

his heart was breaking with the way that the boy made you feel, you were feeling so useless and blaming yourself for what he did

when Kiara told for JJ why you were feeling that way, the boy just wanted to hold you and protect you from all the bad people around the world and that night he came to your house and saw you lying on your bed, looking at your ceiling, without your bright smile that could light up the whole world

he held you, for the hole night

when he noticed that you were finally asleep, with your head at his chest, your arms around his middle and your legs tangled, oh god, he felt his heart falling so hard for you…

after that night, it became JJ’s job to make you safe, protect you and don’t let anyone break you at the same way that that boy did

and then, he finally started to notice a few different things about you

the way that your skin glowed at the sunset, the way your laugh was contagious, the way your hair made you look like an angel when the wind blowed it, but especially the way you always seemed to show how loved JJ was

before he knew it, JJ became touchy starved

why he would he sit next to John B, if you were at the other side of the boneyard? why would he walk beside you and not hold your hand if he could? why would he just watch you dancing if he could dance with you? why would he lay alone in the hammock if he could have your little body pressed against his? and why would he keep his hands to himself if he had you to touch?

and after a while, you started to enjoy this as much as he did, you didn’t want to do this with anyone else, JJ was the one you wanted to call yours

when you first thought about becoming more than just friends with JJ, was after a dream, where you and JJ were together, and you found yourself pouting after waking up and realizing that it was just your imagination

you needed to tell this for JJ

the same day you went to the Chateau the fastest that you could and said everything to JJ

you said how you started feeling like you were one of the fictional characters from the books you’ve read, how your hands were sweating just by seeing him, how you had goosebumps when his hand touched yours, how you felt a million butterflies inside of your stomach when he looked at you, how your knees felt weak when he smokes or drinks or just exists, and how you thought that you were falling for him

“a-and I think I’m in love with my best friend. I think I’m in love with you, JJ…”

he never felt so happy in his entire life, but the little seconds that he took to sink in all the information you had just threw at him, you noticed that your confession could end your whole friendship, everything that you two had passed through together, would have been threw out of the window by your sudden freak out

and your thoughts were running so fast and loud around your head, that you didn’t notice JJ getting close to you, or his hands on your waist and cheek, until his lips touched yours for the first time

JJ knew that he would love to do it every single second of every single day for the rest of his life if he could…

p o w e r c o u p l e

after the whole drama, you two were the most famous couple of Outer Banks

everyone knew you were his and he was yours even the tourons were warned to not mess with either of you two

and i have to tell you, after this, things exploded

but in a perfect way

you and JJ were closer than ever, you would help him with everything and he would help you with everything

you would be always taking care of him and fighting him if he ever did something wrong

but you were usually always together when he did some shit so–

the pogues would h a t e your pda - but secretly love that you are finally happy with each other

every time that JJ kissed you, they would make gag noises and when he wanted a full make out, they would throw things at you two to stop

but they LOVED seeing how you were fully made for each other

like when JJ sits you on his lap and his head lays in the crock of your neck, when he suddenly says that he loves you, when you play with his hair and all this type of clingy stuff

once, they heard you and JJ talking about the future and saying that you wanted to have kids, John B, Pope, Kiara and Sarah fought for over than a week about who would be the godparents of the future kid

well, everyone would totally love you two together

and even a few people would go to the two of you and ask about relationships advices

JJ wanted to make them pay for a session of therapy but of course you said no

you couldn’t be happier with each other…

you love JJ more than anything in this entire world

and JJ loves you more and more every single day

you’re happy, that’s what matters…

☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾

Taglist:

@ifeelinfiniteee @maybankluvr @queenmegzuniverse @fanficscuziranout @losers-club6 @seaweedthewhale @rozz-alyne @caswinchester2000 @hyluas @mendeshollandhood @p0gue420 @abrunettefangirlnerd @simonsbluee @ilikealotofpeople-younotsomuch @aberette13 @yourbloodyqueen @cherryobx @loveylangdon @fttayla

#jj #jj headcanons #JJ Imagine #jj outer banks #jj obx #jj preference #jj x reader #jj maybank #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank x you #jj maybank x y/n #jj maybank imagine #jj one shot #jj maybank one shot #jj maybank x kook!reader

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echoes-of-the-clockwork · 3 years

Text

Book One: Gold (Prompto x Reader) Chapter I

A/n: This series is inspired by my oneshots, "Mythological Mayhem," (Can be found on my Wattpad) which is also why it will have the same name. You won't be able to choose your eye color in this series since they'll correspond with what gem/mineral each book represents. I hope you all enjoy! Love you all!!! •••••••••••••••••••••

"You can't keep me hidden forever, Prompto."

(Y/n)'s words rang inside Prompto's head as he stared up at the dark ceiling of the caravan. It had been only two days since he, Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis left Insomnia to head to Altissia for the prince's marriage to the Oracle. They were currently resting in Hammerhead, waiting for the Regalia to be repaired so they could head to Galdin Quay.

Lifting his arm, Prompto stared at the bracelet located on his right wrist. In the center stood a lone golden fragment that resembled a gemstone. Even in the darkness, a faint light radiated from it. With his left hand, he traced his index finger over the golden fragment as he continued to listen to (Y/n)'s words on repeat.

He couldn't sleep, wishing to see the girl he had come to cherish so deeply after the many years they'd spent together. The (h/c)-haired guardian has been with him ever since he could recall his earliest memories of his life. He could feel his strong, unwavering bond with (Y/n) and couldn't help but smile.

Prompto, to (Y/n)'s dismay, had kept her a secret their entire lives. No one except for him knew of her existence, not even his adoptive family or Noctis. Although she was residing in the gemstone whenever he left to go anywhere with his friends, he was saddened because she wasn't physically with him. He couldn't bear to be apart from her, not even for a simple stroll.

These past two days have been torture since he didn't wish to reveal the guardian to his companions. It wasn't because he didn't trust them, but he didn't want to be bombarded by tons of questions he wouldn't have the answers to or for (Y/n) to feel like an outcast.

A few minutes passed and Prompto debated whether to leave the caravan for a little while to see (Y/n). Unfortunately, he didn't realize what time it was until he saw Ignis was gone. The advisor was always the first to wake, his ebony coffee being the main reason why he was able to rise at such early hours of the morning and trudge through the day with no signs of exhaustion. He truly desires to have the stamina Ignis possessed after drinking a single cup of coffee.

Prompto lowered his arm with a sigh, nestling his head back into the pillow. He closed his eyes and tried to get a few more minutes of sleep, but his bustling mind kept him from finding peace.

With a groan, he dragged his body out of bed and grabbed his camera. He left the caravan and greeted Ignis before making up an excuse so he could get some alone time with (Y/n) without him or the others seeing her. He told the tactician how he wanted to take a few pictures of the rising sun and quickly excused himself to find a secluded location.

The moment Ignis turned his back, Prompto made a mad dash toward the garage. He headed around the side and took cover behind the garage. Looking around, the blonde made sure the coast was clear before summoning (Y/n). He whispered her name, the gold gemstone located on his bracelet pulsating with a warm glow.

Once the gemstone's radiance disappeared, a girl with (h/c) locks and gold-slitted eyes appeared in front of him. She combed a few stray locks out of her face and behind her ear with a sigh. "You know this would be easier if the others knew about me, Prom. I could also help you guys fight. And that gemstone is rather uncomfortable..."

"The guys would freak out if they saw your, y'know...real form!" Prompto argued. "I mean, I haven't even seen it yet! I've only read about the possibilities..."

(Y/n) sighed, crossing her arms. "If you're afraid of them attacking me, explain to them what I am! I'm sure they know about spirits. All humans should! We're not fictional characters in a fairytale. There's actual texts that explain who and what we are. If we continue to hide this from them, our time apart will only grow until after we return to Insomnia." She turned her back to him and stared up at the vast, colorful sky. The sun was rising and the sky was being painted with an array of shades of orange, red, and yellow. "After all the years we've spent together, I guess you've finally grown tired of me. I'm not surprised, really. To be honest, I'm not the easiest person to live with and I sometimes can be really annoying. I mean, you've-"

Two arms wrapped around her body, silencing her. She tensed up slightly when feeling her back flush against his body. A small gasp slipped from her lips when she felt Prompto nuzzle his face into the crook of her neck. His warm breath grazed her skin, causing her body to shudder. His blonde locks tickled the side of her face as his arms tightened around her. In her left ear, she heard him whisper, "I'm not tired of you, (Y/n). I could never get tired of you. You've been with me since the beginning and...and I can't believe you haven't left yet. I never thought someone like you would still wanna hang around a loser like me even now..."

(Y/n) pried his arms off her and turned around to face him. Cupping his cheeks in her palms, she stared into his cerulean eyes. "Even if I wasn't your guardian, I know we were destined to find one another. If I was human, maybe we could...never mind."

"Tell me," Prompto begged, gazing into her glistening golden eyes.

She shook her head with another sigh. "Sorry, it's nothing. I'm letting my imagination run wild again."

All of a sudden, she heard footsteps and acted quickly. Her body vanished, returning to the gemstone in Prompto's bracelet. The blonde also heard the footsteps and promptly picked up his camera, acting like he was taking pictures of the surrounding area.

Ignis walked around the corner, his emerald eyes analyzing the photographer. "Is everything all right, Prompto?"

"Uh, y-yeah!" The marksman's voice cracked, afraid his friend had overheard his conversation with (Y/n). "Just takin' some pics of the scenery!"

The strategist's eyes ventured over to the camera in the younger boy's grasp. "You are mindful of the lens cap, are you not?"

Prompto looked down at his camera and chuckled nervously as he removed the lens cap. "I-I knew it was on..."

"Of course," Ignis replied. The advisor detected the blonde's strange behavior and was able to see through his lie with ease. However, he simply spun on his heels and left his companion without questioning him.

The shutterbug sighed in relief when Ignis left. "That was too close..."

"I'll say," (Y/n) said as she reappeared beside him. "You're a terrible liar. Always have been."

"H-Hey, I tried my best."

"I know, but..." The golden-eyed girl looked around at the desert-like landscape. "You realize this isn't a scenic view, right? It's nothing but dirt, rocks, and a few plants scattered about. I'm pretty sure I saw a tumbleweed earlier, too."

"As an avid photographer, it's my job to capture everything," Prompto replied. "Even the ugly parts."

(Y/n) glanced at the boy from the corner of her eye. "A photographer captures the beauty in everything. Even the ugliest parts of this world have beauty hidden somewhere. I'm sure you can turn this desolate landscape into something beautiful. Just make sure you get some breakfast before becoming lost in your photography. Your stomach's growling."

Prompto, having been distracted, finally felt and heard his stomach grumble. A rosy hue dusted across his face, embarrassed at how obnoxious his stomach sounded. "I'll grab a bite at Takka's. What about you?"

"What about me?" (Y/n) replied with her own question.

"You haven't eaten since we left the city. You should come with me! If the guys see us, we can just pretend we're strangers who decided to share a meal together."

She smiled reassuringly at him. "I'll be fine, Prom. I can go a couple more days without eating." She bumped her hip against his, nudging him forward. "Now go get something to eat."

Prompto knew how stubborn the girl was. He didn't stand a chance against her and hung his head with a sigh. "Okay..."

<-----------<<<<<

A couple days later, the royal retinue arrived at Longwythe Rest Area after the Regalia was repaired. They delivered a package as per requested by Cindy and received a visit from Umbra. Seeing as the day was turning to night, the boys headed over to the Crow's Nest Diner to enjoy a quick dinner before checking in at the motel across the street.

Around ten o'clock, Prompto realized the others were all asleep and quietly made his way out of the room. With the spare gil he received from Ignis after their successful hunt yesterday, he headed back over to the Crow's Nest and stood outside the entrance. He summoned (Y/n), who appeared in front of him in mere seconds.

Turning her head, the spirit hummed in curiosity as she peered over her shoulder at the small diner. "The Crow's Nest? What're we doing here?"

"You're hungry, right?" Prompto asked. "It's been four days since you've ate anything so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for you to get a bite to eat. With the guys asleep, it'll also give us some alone time."

"All right, but it's getting late. As much as I would love chatting with you for hours upon end, you'll need to get some sleep. Once I'm done eating, you're heading straight to bed."

"Deal."

Prompto and (Y/n) entered the diner, taking a seat at one of the booths. The man behind the counter walked over and took their order. The blonde asked for a simple glass of water while the girl ordered the salmon with a soda. As they waited for their order, the two chatted nonstop.

A few minutes ticked by and their order arrived. (Y/n) enjoyed every bite of her salmon, listening to Prompto as he shared what she had missed during her time slumbering in the gemstone. She clung to every word even after finishing her meal.

By the time midnight rolled around, the (h/c)-haired girl's eyes widen in shock. "I lost track of time!" She scurried out of the booth after Prompto paid. "You need to get some sleep. We'll be heading to Galdin Quay tomorrow and I wouldn't want to be the reason why you lost sleep."

"I know," Prompto sighed dejectedly. "I just...really wanted to spend some time with you."

She smiled at him. "Prom, we've been by each other's side for a very long time. Besides, I'm not going anywhere. Now go back to bed so you have enough energy for tomorrow. I'm really excited for Galdin Quay! I've always wanted to visit the ocean. I'd love to relax on the beach."

"Me too!" Prompto chanted excitedly. "I can't wait to take so many pictures!"

"All the more reason you should get some rest," she remarks.

He nodded. "Yeah. 'Night, (Y/n)."

Her smile blossomed. "Goodnight, Prom." Her body vanished, returning to the golden gemstone.

Prompto rushes back to the room and crawls into bed. He closed his eyes, delving into the world of dreams.

Almost two hours later, Prompto was startled awake by a nightmare. A cold sweat consumed his body as he flew up into a sitting position. Trailing his hand across his forehead, he wiped off the small sweat droplets before climbing out of bed and slipping his boots on. Leaving the room, he headed up to the roof to clear his head.

On the rooftop, Prompto sat down and let the cool breeze dry his body, calm his racing heart, and clear his head. He stared across the street, noticing the Crow's Nest was still open. He watched as a couple of hunters pulled into Longwythe Rest Area in a truck and parked just outside the diner. Once they entered the eatery, the blonde looked away with a heavy sigh. With his attention no longer focused on anything, the images from the nightmare filled his mind.

"Bad dream?"

Prompto turned his head and saw (Y/n) standing a few feet away. "Yeah," he replied halfheartedly.

"What was it about?" She pried.

"Noct, Gladio, Iggy, and I were facing off against a horde of daemons. I kept getting in the way and then...they abandoned me." The boy stared down at his hands as he clasped them tightly together. "Am I...worthless?"

(Y/n) clutched her hands behind her back as she focused her attention on the daemons prowling the darkness just beyond the rest area. "You're not worthless, Prom. Everyone is unique in different ways. You may not possess the strength of your friends, but you have your own special abilities that make up for their weaknesses." She hopped on to the ledge of the roof, walking down the narrow strip of concrete. "A team is like a puzzle. If one piece is missing, it's incomplete."

"H-Hey, be careful," Prompto muttered nervously as he felt his anxiety skyrocket just by watching her walk along the edge of the roof.

The guardian continued walking until she reached the end of the ledge. She stared down at the asphalt below. "You may think you're worthless, but in reality you aren't. You might not see it, but the others and I do. You've convinced yourself you are worthless and that's why you dream of such horrific scenarios." Turning around, she stared into his cerulean eyes with her golden ones. "No one is perfect. We all have our flaws. They may appear perfect in your eyes, but that's because your combined strength is able to hide them."

"But you're perfect," Prompto unconsciously said.

She smirked at him. "If I'm perfect, so are you. After all, I am a fragment of your soul."

The blonde's eyes widen at her words. Even though he's known the girl all his life, not once has he heard the real story about guardians. "What do you mean, (Y/n)?"

Hopping off the ledge, the (h/c)-haired girl walked over and sat beside him. She hung her legs off the roof, swinging them back and forth. "The fairytales about guardians are false. We're not almighty beings sent from the heavens by the Astrals to watch over the people of Eos. Guardians are spiritual beings manifested from a fragment of a person's soul. Our duty as a guardian is to protect the very soul that created us. Not everyone possesses the power to forge a guardian, though. Very few humans do, and you're one of them, Prompto. When a human does shape a guardian, we take the form of their choice. My appearance is a result of your cognition."

"So, the reason you look like this is...?"

"I've taken the form of your deepest desire. I must say," (Y/n) examined her appearance and grinned. "I look pretty good. At least you didn't make me look like a chocobo. I don't know what I'd do if I was a yellow bird."

Prompto's cheeks ignited a deep crimson and he immediately looked everywhere but at her. He couldn't remember a single time when his imagination created a strong, intelligent, beautiful person. He cleared his throat, eyes still darting around to avoid her gaze. "U-Um..." The boy's mind was blank as he tried to think of a response, but not even a single word came to mind.

(Y/n) realized this and smiled. "I know this is the first time we've really talked about spirits, but I hope I was able to explain it clearly. If not, we can always search for actual text. There are many documented existences of spirits and books that have been published."

Prompto found his voice and said, "I never really asked because, well...I kinda forgot you were a guardian."

"You treat me like a normal person," she stated. "Which I'm grateful for, even though I'm not human."

"You look like a normal girl to me," he answered honestly, finally being able to look at her.

"Yeah, well, your cognition thought of a normal girl."

"Does that mean if my deepest desire was a chocobo, you really would've been one?" He asked, eyes gleaming with excitement.

"No, I was just messing with you. A guardian's human form is based on their master's deepest desire, but it has to take the form of a human. All spirits have a human form and a true form. Alas, our master doesn't determine our true form."

"Y'know, I've never seen your true form," Prompto commented. "Is it scary?"

"Um, well..." (Y/n)'s voice trailed off. She watched the two hunters from earlier depart the Crow's Nest and drive away in their truck. "I...want to say no, but it might frighten you. But trust me, Prom, I would never hurt you or the others."

"I know," he smiled gently. "Now I'm really curious what your true form is! Is it a chocobo?"

The spirit giggled, nudging her elbow into his side. "Don't get too excited. And no, it's not. Guess you'll just have to wait."

The blonde released a dramatic groan as he hung his head. "Aw, man...!"

Next Chapter || Masterlist

#ffxv #ffxv x reader #final fantasy xv #final fantasy xv x reader #prompto x reader #prompto argentum x reader #prompto argentum

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best-fictional-detective · 9 months

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LOSER'S BRACKET: ROUND 5

#best fictional detective poll #best fictional detective: losers #loser's bracket #layton #layton series #hershel layton #professor layton #professor hershel layton #benoit blanc #knives out glass onion #glass onion #knives out #glass onion a knives out mystery #poll

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popculturebuffet · 4 years

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Amphibia Reviews: The Sleepover to End All Sleepovers/A Day at the Aquarium

Last full episode before hiatus! The Kids have a sleepover in the castle that starts like the Princess Diaries 2 and ends in unspeakable horror, while the Plantars try to spend one final day together without getting sad. Sort of like everyone these days without the final part. One last ride under the cut.

Whelp it’s the end for this batch of episodes which is sad, and i’ll genuinely miss covering these every week. Yeah I have other coverage incoming with Ducktales coming back, eeeee, and current Loud House coverage.. but it was still nice to have something to cover this summer and something to watch every week during this blighted year, as i’ve mentioned before there weren’t any BAD episodes just hard to cover ones and I think by the end I figured out how to do that.. mostly by stopping straight up recaps for more condensed ones. Point is I had fun, grew as a reviewer, and it was a good way to kill a few saturdays, sundays and one or two mondays, and that ain’t bad at all. So before we come back for halloween, let’s send off weekly amphibia coverage in style for now, unless it comes back in November and I look stupid, with this week. Let’s go.

The Sleepover to End All Sleepovers

Well this one took a turn. It was also an excellent one as we got more insight into Marcy and Anne’s friendship with Sasha, and some truly excellent horror. Yes, horror. The Plantar kids head to the castle for the evening for a Sleepover. Turns out the king finally did find something, as did Marcy who’s playing coy about what they found in the hidden library I forgot to mention last time because I was covering 4 episodes at once. Anyway King Keith David has a meeting with them tommorow. So the kids are staying with Marcie to have a fun night together while Hop Pop has a night without the kids to get something head to toe.. it’s better not to ask. They also annoy Olivia who goes off to drink.. juice. Yes the hard juice that comes with a lemon wedge and speedoed servant newt.

It’s also our ambigously gay duo’s first sleepover without Sasha, but their confident they can do this themselves while Sprig is hoping i’tll be good as his first sleepover (And has a creepy closeup about formative memories) Cue a fun montage of everryone annoying olivia and getting into hyjinks round the castle from sillys tring, which is shot from critters, to painting moustaches. It’s fun stuff. Then we go from fun stuff to...

As , in order to stay awake, as being the bastion of pleasantness she is Sasha refused to let them sleep till sunrise, Marcy and Anne initate a SCARE DARE! A SCARE DARE! is a scary dare where the person who dosen’t complete it goes in the book of losers. Which of course was Sasha’s idea, both in general concept and the dares done. What a well adjusted young lady! So naturally our heroes go into the basment they were told to stay out of. They get pass Lady Olvia because she’s passed out drunk on hard lemonade, living the dream as it were. ,Anyway they. find a bunch of tombstones, and then Marcy and Anne taking a selfie (Say desecration) wakes the dead... all because they were both playing chicken. One has to imagine how the kids talking with hop pop would go

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So yeah the ghostly horror terrors chase the kids, who somehow end up in Marcy’s room. So she just has a passage from a floating graveyard contaning horrifying eldtirch ghosts to her room.. a room the king put in for her. Someone protect this child.

So our heroes soon have to deal with the ghosts but luckily sprig’s mirror catching it reveals the mirrors, which were foreshadowed earlier by a hall of mirrors leading into the corpse room, making the ghosts solid and allowing our heroes to fight htem back. Our heroes are exausted, Marcy and Anne reveal that they also chickend out on the scare dare so it’s okay, and Oliva arrives. It’s go time. Final Thoughts: A fun episode that quickly pivots into a great and nightmare inducing one perfect for spooky season coming up soon. I do generally wonder just WHAT those things are, and it’s great setup for whatever’s abotu to come. And while I didn’t mention it in the recap we also get sprig finding some sort of painting and it being of the king, a toad and a frog.. we don’t get to see it clearly so it could be someone else.. but.. it’s clear the king likely has ties to what happened before. But what DID happen before? what are those ghost things? what’s the king’s angle?

Yeah I have no answers for now on what the king’s plan is, or how inocent he is or if that’s his dad, just that something’s clearly wrong. And the omonious chess metaphor told us that.. yeah I do think that bit was kind of a mistake as otherwise while we’d probably still question the king, we would be more conflicted as evidence piled up versus “yeah something’s clearly wrong. “ Then again we genuiely don’t know what his motives or plan is or how well intentioned he is or anything other than he SEEMS nice, and that said game could be a necessary evil for all we know. We just don’t have enough information, even with the ominus bits, to truly know what’s going on and what kind of villian the king is. If he is one at all the show could pull a massive swerve on us.. I mean I doubt it he probably is evil, but I wouldn’t put it past the show. For now let’s move on so I can do more wheel spinning and what not...

Day at the Aquarium

So it’s time for another audience with the king. Turns out he and Mar-mar found out a LOT. Or Marcy did at least, as the above makes clear the king may of known ALL OF THIS already, and just needed Marcy and Anne to think he didn’t long enough for his evil plans. But we do learn a LOT about the gems, the box, and what it does as well as how to fix it...

So let’s not waste time since some of you probably don’t have episode acess this early and want to know: Turns out the calamity box is an interdimensional travel device, and, as far as the king tells us anyway, the king’s ancestors went around from world to world as explorers, possibly the group seen in the picture and just as likely the king himself hiding his role in things. Now how much of the explorer part is TRUE remains up in the air, especially since history also painted Columbus an explorer, including when I was in school, and not you know.. an idiot and a colonizing bastard. History is written by the winners after all so it’s hard to know what’s true, only that the book is likely real: While the king COULD’VE planted it to lead marcy, or had one made up, a fake would’ve been spotted immeditly as we’ve established Marcy is a master detective with batman level deductive skills. Or Elongated Man but I wanted most of you to get the refrence and his adaptation versoins so far haven’t been the kindest to ralph. Anyways, point is that con wouldn’t work on her so the book IS real, as is it’s info on the box.. i’ts just hard to tell what was left out or if this was written before utter diastaer and apocalypse insued. After all Gravity Falls Journal 3 is all fine and dandy about bill before the giant passage about bill not being trusted written in blood and Ford going into a paranoid tailspin after realizing his friend is actually a horrifing monster, literally and figuratively, so we don’t know WHAT could’ve been hidden in a nother book the king could’ve removed at any time before Marcy got there or while she was away on a mission. But yeah while we know there’s probably more to it this is sitll big information, the box connecting to 4 other worlds other than amphibia, which not only opens up the story possiblities but the fan fiction, and that each of the gems can be recharged at three temples, each one of the gems responding to a diffrent trait judging by the symbols, each representing our girls; Purple is strength, and thus sasha, Blue is Heart, Anne, and Green is Brains, Marcy. I do like thisd as it tells us more but only raises further questions, hooking the audience more. It’s great stuff. But our heroines now have a goal.. but unforutnately the Plantars need to go back and Anne can’t go with as Marcy wants her close. It’s harvest season soon and the Plantars have been away long enough. So they have one last day, though both marcy and the king are apologetic and the king offers them a large tissue and upon getting no response just gives it to them as next time we see them with it. it’s both a great gag, and a nice show of kindess from the king and possible diabolical mastermind.

So the Plantars decide to spend their final day with Anne at the aquarium, as it always cheered her up. This goes south as eveyrhting from the eels to the giant kraken to the coral reminds them of their past and leaves the poor group sobbing. Even a water show goes sideways as Sprig sees an eel, but it does lead to the group fighting off the stingrays at the show in an utterly stunning fight sequence. Not the best i’ve seen this month.. but only because I binged what I missed of rise of the tmnt this month and that show’s final figh tis an utter showstopper, as are most of it’s fight, but this is easily on par with most of them. Fluid, well done and emotoinal. Our heroes get thrown out of course, but the thought counts and they decide one last throughly them memory is better than nothing. The final scene is naturally an utter gut punch as we get tearfull goodbyes (sprig and anne forever). Their crying, i’m crying we’re all crying and Hop Pop promises they’ll see each other again. Because family always finds each other. My heart.. it’s too full. here have an apporiate song...

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Let’s see how i’m doing.

Yeah so two things: I’m not going to be able to stop sobbing thinking of this scene so let’s move on and how have I only NOW refrenced gilmore girls on this blog?

But yeah the scene is utterly moving as the Plantars leave and Marcy realises something. She likely was keeping Anne close because she just got her back... but realizes she’s being selfish. It’s not SAID on screen but it’s clear both in Hailey’s voice acting and from the animation what’s going through her head. It’s utterly captivating stuff. So she tells Anne to go with them.. offically because they should have someone they can trust keep an eye on the box, which is a good idea honestly given just giving it to a royal messenger is just asking for it to be stolen. So Marcy will stay behind and prepare, and since she mentioned it before likekly try to find Sasha as she earlier stated they HAVE to find her.. and given what we see with the recharging that’s both because she misses her friend no matter what she’s done, and because she’s vitally important, while Anne goes with the Plantars to get the box and have some more time before they say goodbye forever, with Marcy coming to wartwood to pick it and anne up for the first temple. Because nothing terrible’s ever happened when a plucky youth with a sword went to three seperate temples, especially involving a guy with a beard and full plate armor.

Marcy stares off, sad her friend and possible crush is gone.. but unederstanding that this is what she needs, and that she can’t hold her here.. Anne needs to see her family off.. and we get a tearful reunion as Anne chases after them, passing her friends from “Scavenger Hunt”, and reunites with her family. But of course we can’t end on a happy moment, as we cut back to Marcy whose utterly sad.. and the King who says he has a proposition for her, one she’ll find most agreable.

But yeah we end on that bit of ominus as we close till october.

Final Thoughts: Yeah if it wasn’t obvious this was a great one. Great plot progression, great animation, great emotional hook, good jokes which I dind’t get into for time, and tons of stuff to leave fans wanting more just before the break, but without a HUGE cliffhanger. Sure we don’t know what the King’s planning, but that aside our heroes are still together outside of marcy, and we haave a lot to look forward to whenever the show gets back. I’m hyped. Your hyped. IT’s a good note to go out on, especially since last weeks eps were also excellent and it looks like things are about to pick up. When next we meet it’s an inconsequential, probably, anthology episode, though it should be fun, then whenever new episodes return, wether it be just in november or more likely in February, our heroes return to wartwood! And we’ll find out what everyone’s been up to. Hopefully Ivy didn’t leave sprig. We’ll see. Until then, you can check out this blog for more recaps, as I said i’m covering ducktales as it comes back monday and loud house whenever I can get my meat hooks on the new episodes, and until then say safe and go team venture!

#amphibia #recaps #reviews #animation #day at the aquarium #the sleepover to end all sleepovers #marcy wu #king andrais #keith david #Anne Boonchy #hop pop #hopidiah plantar #sprig plantar #polly planatar #lady olivia #disney channel #disney

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sublimateradiate · 4 years

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For anyone wanting a distraction...

Bury yourself in fic! I’ve been rereading my favorite long (10k+ words), completed Bughead fics in my two favorite genres: mystery and scifi/fantasy. Please feel free to add any I missed.

LONG MYSTERY FICS

1. Teenage Talk by DarlingDearestDead

A classic, Betty and Jughead reunite at their 10 year reunion for the most romantic of reasons- to solve a murder.

2. Chiaroscuro by FormerGirlWonder

Everyone loves noir, right? Jughead is a PI helping the beautiful and mysterious Ms. Cooper find her missing sister.

3. Before There Were None by @typing123

Like your noir a bit more modern? Detective Jones solves a murder at Pop’s diner while all the suspects are locked inside.

4. The Final Girl and the Thaw by ThePointOfTheNeedle

Betty’s the detective here. Something’s rotten in the St. Clair family, and she’ll figure it out once she figures out the mysterious (but hot) stranger hanging around her job.

5. Death of the Author by @happilyshanghaied

Betty the FBI agent learns that the worst time to reconnect with your one-night stand is when you’re responsible for keeping him from being murdered. Or is it the best time?

6. Degrees by @mistressofmalplaquet

In a strange, almost post-apocalyptic world, Jughead knows there’s something strange about the new girl and won’t stop until he figures it out.

7. Snakes and Crowns by @cooperandjonesinc

Betty would have the murder of Clifford Blossom all figured out if she didn’t have to deal with her sudden, unwanted soul-bond.

8. Born Losers by @sylwrites

Two writers who don’t like each other but love investigative journalism are thrown together both by their friends and some hot tips from Betty’s investigative news beat.

Bonus amazing WIPs (that have been updated recently):

A Revelation in the Light of Day by @iconic-ponytail

Sheriff!Jughead and (redacted)!Betty try to solve an old murder that Betty may or may not be tangled up in.

Three Wise Monkeys by Meditationonbaal

I just started this one and I’m obsessed. 1980s magical realism at a prep school full of secrets, taking bits from every season of canon.

LONG SCI-FI/FANTASY FICS

1. The Space Between Us by @mistressofmalplaquet

Meta-aware comicverse Jughead and Betty are suddenly thrust into Riverdale and have to figure out how to survive in a strange world.

2. Clear Signals by @darknessaroundus Jughead is secretly the superhuman teen with superhealing that’s destined to guard Riverdale and Betty is hiding some superhuman powers of her own.

3. Glass Darkly by @writeradamanteve Jughead knows something is wrong with his life but doesn’t figure it out until he meets the ghost in the mirror.

(also check out ‘Wicked‘[Witch!Betty and Slayer!Jughead], and the entire Cowboy Jones series [Space bounty hunters!] from the same author)

4. Hearts Desire by @lovedinapastlife A lonely djinn finds herself captivated by a human boy. This fic made me happy-cry for fictional characters.

(also check out 'Show you What all That Howling is For'[werewolf!Betty] 'The Second Coming'[Fairie!Jug], and 'Strange and Unusual' [Beetlejuice AU] from the same author)

5. Cooper's Monsters by @cooperandjonesinc Betty takes care of a monster boy she finds near her house, not realizing that a real monster is closer than she thinks.

6. Devils Don't Fly by @thetaoofbetty Betty’s got a (supernatural) secret and Jughead is determined to figure it out.

7. Red Sunrise by Lusterdust

Love & surviving the zombie apocalypse. (Kind of depressing for the current situation, tbh.)

Bonus amazing WIPs (that have been updated recently):

Wild Creatures by AvaRosier

Bughead’s soul-bond is accidentally tripped, then tripped up by Jughead’s secret life as a werewolf. Werewolf!Serpents.

The Hunger by @mistressofmalplaquet

Jughead is a vampire set on helping Betty escape from the brutal Evernevers that kidnapped her as a child. Vampire!Serpents.

Daemon Bound by @writeradamanteve

Steampunk-magic-talking-to-the-dead amazingness!

#bughead #riverdale #fic recs #op

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amillioninprizes · 4 years

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Some thoughts on Veronica Mars, fan service, and noir

I’ve been on winter break and at home with a nasty combo cold-ear infection-stomach virus the past couple of weeks, and as so often happens when I don’t have much going on, my thoughts have turned to ruminating over the steaming pile of excrement that was season 4 of Veronica Mars. Why yes, almost six months and one cancellation notice later and I’m still complaining about it--as I told someone on Twitter, it was so stupid that it’s going to take years to unpack.

This particular rant is brought to you by a common refrain seen in both professional critics’ and S4 supporters’ reviews of S4: the movie was schlocky fan service, while S4 is TRUE NOIR. I’m here to argue that neither of those things are true, and that in the grand scheme of things trying to definitively call Veronica Mars noir or not isn’t the best qualitative judgement of the series.

A note on “fanservice”

Something that’s been very strange to me in the critical discussion around S4 is that the fan-funded movie has been retconned as a fanservicey failure. This is weird because it did get a positive Rotten Tomatoes score, actually turned a profit despite the unorthodox distribution model, and was overall well-received by fans except for maybe the 5 Piz lovers out there (he absolutely did not deserve better you guys; he works at This American Life and lives in Brooklyn, he’ll be fine).

A lot of the things pointed to in the movie as fan service actually weren’t. In every interview about the movie and S4, RT and KB always talk about how they started with the image of Veronica punching Madison at the high school reunion and worked from there. The problem is that almost no one had been asking for that. If they had bothered to read any online discourse about the show (and we know RT definitely does), they would know that fans are actually somewhat sympathetic to Madison--after all, she was the intended recipient of the drugged drink Veronica received at Shelly Pomeroy’s party, plus growing up in a family that she wasn’t meant to be a member of must have negatively impacted her. When the preview scene of Veronica encountering Madison at the reunion welcome table was released, Veronica didn’t come off sympathetically. In a similar vein, as much as I liked Corny as a side character in the original series, I didn’t need him to come back for that random scene at the reunion. Nor was anyone asking for an out-of-nowhere James Franco cameo (which given what we know about him now is super gross in hindsight).

So why was the movie well-received by fans? Veronica was in character after an unevenly written and performed S3, and she was back in Neptune, doing what (and who; Ay-yo!) she was meant to do. So while the mystery was subpar (and what Rob Thomas mystery isn’t?), the character side of the story made sense and was satisfying. I wouldn’t call that fan service so much as good writing. Plus, what is even the point of wasting time, money, and effort on making a tv show or movie if it’s going to actively alienate the audience?

S4: more trauma porn than true noir

Admittedly, I’m not exactly the world’s foremost scholar on film noir (in my opinion, the height of cinema is teen romcoms c. 1995-2005), but I do feel I have enough pop cultural knowledge to have a working understanding of what film noir is, and as internet folk would say, S4 ain’t it chief. Sure, S4 was bleak subject matter wise, but that does not automatically equal noir. HappilyShanghaied, who does have a film studies background, wrote a pretty excellent post about why that is shortly after S4 dropped that I could not improve upon, so I will just leave it here.

In addition to this analysis, I would also point out that S4 was lacking in a unique visual style common to noir films, especially compared to the original television series and the movie. The original series made use of green, blue, and yellow filters to fulfill a high school version of the noir aesthetic (quick shoutout to Cheshirecatstrut’s color theory posts for more on what we thought this meant before it turned out that Rob Thomas did not actually intend to imbue meaning into any of this), while the movie adopted a more mature muted blue-grey palette. S4, however, was more or less shot like a conventional drama and was brightly lit, perhaps signifying Rob Thomas’s apparent plans to turn the show into a conventional procedural.

The movie: more than fan service

If anything, the movie was more noir than S4. Take Gia’s storyline for instance. While Veronica was off obtaining elite degrees, Gia spent 9 years in a virtual cage being forced into a sexual relationship without her total consent (because that’s the only storyline women can have on this show), and then set herself up to be murdered at the very moment she could potentially break free. That’s pretty fucking grim.

Then there is the whole police corruption storyline, which is a hallmark of noir fiction. The glimpses we get of the Neptune sheriff’s department point to a larger conspiracy at play than just crooked cops; Sachs lost his life trying to expose it and Keith was gravely injured. This was the story I was excited for future installments of Veronica Mars to address, especially given its relevance to today’s politics. Unfortunately, this thread was entirely dropped in S4, where the police department (because, as Rob Thomas revealed in interviews but not onscreen, Neptune has incorporated) is merely overwhelmed by the scope of the bombing case rather than outright corrupt. (Side note but Marcia Langdon was also a more complex and morally grey character when introduced in the second book than she was on screen in S4. Another wasted opportunity).

Noir is also marked by a sense of inevitability or doom as a result of greater forces at play. An example of this in the movie is Weevil’s storyline. After building a life and family for himself, he ultimately ends up rejoining the PCHer gang he left as a teenager due to a misunderstanding based on his race and appearance and the assumptions authority figures make about him because of those things. No matter what he does, he is still limited by an unjust and racist society. Contrast this with the final explosion in S4; it’s not inevitable, just based on Veronica’s incompetence. Rob Thomas claims that he tried to create a sense of doom to LoVe’s relationship between the OOC Leo storyline and the last minute barriers before the wedding, but those aspects just served to make the story unnecessarily convoluted.

What is noir anyway? Was Veronica Mars ever noir? Does it matter?

But this is all assuming there is a set template for noir anyway. This New Yorker essay points out that trying to definitively establish a set of rules for noir is difficult and that the classic noir films were more a product of midcentury artistic and political movements than a defined genre. The noir filmmakers working at the time would not have described their work as such. The kicker of this essay is the final sentence: “But the film noir is historically determined by particular circumstances; that’s why latter-day attempts at film noir, or so-called neo-noirs, almost all feel like exercises in nostalgia.” I found this particularly amusing because as Rob Thomas infamously proclaimed in his S4 era interviews, he wanted to completely dispense with nostalgia going forward. Rob Thomas and S4 supporters have said that Logan needed to die because noir protagonists can’t have stable relationships; but, if there isn’t a defined set of rules other than “an element of crime”, then was it strictly necessary? Hell, writing a hardboiled detective who does have a stable relationship and maybe even a family could have been an interesting subversion of genre expectations. Unfortunately, Rob Thomas isn’t that imaginative.

There’s also the issue that noir and hardboiled detective fiction aren’t interchangeable genres. This article lays out that idea that they aren’t the same because noir is ultimately about doomed losers; in contrast, detective fiction, while dark, contains a moral center and has an ending where a sense of justice is achieved. An interview with author Megan Abbott makes a similar argument; she states that in hardboiled detective fiction, “At the end, everything is a mess, people have died, but the hero has done the right thing or close to it, and order has, to a certain extent, been restored.” Based on the descriptions laid out here, I would argue that in its original format Veronica Mars far better fit the detective fiction model; while she wasn’t always right, she was never a loser, and she solved the mystery. S1-3 all had relatively hopeful, if not totally happy, endings, but you never see anyone complaining that they weren’t noir enough; if anything, they were more emotionally complex than the ending of S4, where Logan’s death is essentially meaningless. One could make the argument that S4 did push Veronica towards a more noir characterization by the definition of these articles by making her more incompetent and meaner than she was in previous installments, but that is a fundamental change in character, which is not coherent writing.

And that is ultimately why S4 was so poorly received by longtime fans and why there will be no more installments of Veronica Mars anytime soon (at least on Hulu). Even if S4 had been noir (or at least shot like one), the serious issues with plotting, characterization, and lack of adherence to prior canon that this season exhibited would still exist. Defending the poor writing choices made in S4 with “it’s noir!” does not mask them or automatically heighten the quality of the product. Perhaps ironically, in ineptly trying to be noir in S4, Rob Thomas likely prematurely ended Veronica Mars by failing his creation and fans with lazy storytelling.

#Veronica Mars #Burnt Marshmallow #Yeah I'm still angry what of it #If only RT had put as much effort into writing the show as I did into this post

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