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milk-ly · 9 months

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So fellas, it seems as though Kazui likely won’t make it back up to the innocent pool this trial💀

This is definitely one of the biggest situations the community has had with voting, and there’s apparently already been a few over the years.

So I want to talk about it, but with speculation in regards to in universe Milgram lore and themes!

First off, I’m not sure what the creators can do at this point. Because Kazui’s votes have long since dipped into the unforgiven pool, ending the voting early like they did with Shidou’s in trial 1 likely won’t accomplish much. The damage has already been done.

It’s not like they can remove the faulty votes like they did with Fuuta’s Trial 1 botting incident either. They can’t exactly hunt hundreds of people all down and remove their votes. So, I don’t think there’s much they can do.

My best guess is that they’re going to try to make it work in the story as much as they can.

Not sure how it’s gonna work, but they kinda did it with T1 Mikoto, no? They had jackalope bring up the fact that he caused quite a stir, referring to the tiktok incident.

A friend brought something to my attention a while back when I told them what was happening.

Obviously what’s happening sucks and is disingenuous to the project. However, this situation says a lot about people’s biases and psychology as well. It ironically fits the theme of the project.

How far are you willing to defend your favourites? How far are you willing to screw over your most detested characters?

Also this line in undercover:

“the fine line between “hate and OK”

Poetically enough, the person who started gathering people to mass vote Kazui guilty was a Kazui FAN was it not? And it was then some people who hated Kazui and what he did that jumped onto the opportunity to ensure Kazui being voted guilty.

We really are treading a fine line. Despite the wildly different opinions towards Kazui between the people voting him guilty, they’re still coming to the same verdict.

People are literally monetarily bribing people completely unrelated to vote. Like they are going REALLY far to just screw over a character, aren’t they?

The story of how the votes pan out is important too, not just the results. This is why Jackalope brought up how the votes actually played out during trial 1. It tells a story. It shows how we came to different conclusions during the voting sessions. It shows how strong our verdicts are. It shows our biases.

Here’s a quote from Jackalope’s report of the end of the first trial that’ll probably show what I mean better:

“Prisoner no. 04, Mu. Innocent […] but what’s with this one? You were completely on the road to forgive, but decided to change the judgement at the end. Seems you were bent on making a judgement until the end. Did you notice something with this one?”

While Muu still ended up with an innocent judgement in trial 1, this line shows how important the trip to getting there is no matter what the final verdict turns out to be. What happened in history can not be changed.

I wasn’t there for Muu’s t1 voting so I can’t say for sure what Jackalope was referring to, but I assume it’s talking about more people catching on to her “true self.” There were always hints of it in trial 1, you could deduce it from the messages written on the chalkboard and her phone messages. (Granted, non-Japanese speakers would have more trouble)

In our current situation, it’s the people with the most power and influence that’s affecting the votes the most. And that in of itself is saying a lot too. People are feeling so strongly about wanting their verdict to prevail that they’re using their influence to ensure it.

But on the other hand, this is definitely not what was intended when they said that we could vote however we wanted💀 still praying that the unforgiveness shrine will die out. And that people will stop trying to bot or bribe people. But I don’t think that there’s really anything we can do aside from just continuing to vote how we want.

Related to that, I want to give a wild prediction for trial 3, hear me out.

I am slightly concerned about what’s gonna happen to Kotoko in t3. Kotoko ticked off most of the community when the t2 designs were released. And because of that, I know a lot of people are already planning to vote her guilty.

Hypothetically, if she is voted guilty, she’ll be restrained right? But you know who won’t be restrained?

Orekoto.

We’ve learned that even if Mikoto is restrained, orekoto will not be.

This is a huge problem for Kotoko because if you saw their timeline conversation, they literally directly threatened to kill each other.

Here’s a snippet of the timeline conversation on Kotoko’s birthday during t2:

Mikoto: Ah, Koto-chan. It's been a while. We were isolated for some time but, how are you doing? Lots of things happened, but for now let's get along. Here, it's your birthday right? I figured that noone would come celebrate it for you, so I came to wish you a happy birthday.

Kotoko: ...What a carefree person you are. Someone as atrocious as you won't be forgiven next time too, surely. When that time comes, it'll be your last. Next time, I'll kill you.

Mikoto: Haah? Why don't you try it then, you lunatic. I'll crush anyone who tries to harm me.... I'll make sure to thoroughly beat you at your own game...!!

It’s pretty implied that the one talking in that conversation isn’t Mikoto. Mikoto has never talked like that from what we’ve seen. (I’m actually not sure if he uses Ore pronouns there, I’m assuming he did, but feel free to correct me if I’m wrong!)

So if Kotoko IS attacked by Orekoto because of the beef they have from the two fist fights they’ve had, Kotoko will not be able to defend herself.

Originally, the only caveat I had to this thought was “well, if it comes down to that, won’t Kazui be able to protect her?”

However, now that Kazui’s likely heading into a guilty verdict because of everything’s that’s been happening, he may be physically restrained in t3. Which means that if a prisoner is being attacked and Kazui wanted to help, he won’t be able to.

It’s already pretty likely that we might lose someone when t3 rolls around. Through Mahiru’s condition, Milgram has already warned us that death is indeed possible. So there are a lot of characters that are already showing slight death flags.

Also this line:

This line about Jackalope taking action if Mikoto “becomes an obstacle for all” is peculiar. I’m not sure if they would put this line in here if it wasn’t ever gonna play in somewhere.

It’s totally possible that Orekoto wouldn’t actually go for Kotoko unless she was going for him first though. So I guess we’ll see.

Sorry this isn’t written the most clearly, I just wanted to get this out there. I’m very open to hearing what others think too! I’m hoping for the best once t3 rolls around. I personally don’t want anyone to die, but I know it might be inevitable. Maybe this post will age poorly though, I don’t know. Just some thoughts!

#Milgram #kotoko yuzuriha #kazui mukuhara #mikoto kayano #Milkly ramble

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rivalsforlife · 8 months

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God, I want to study Takarazuka Gregory under a microscope. What is wrong with him.

Because Suzuki Kei COULD told a good story there; a story about unpacking Miles' hero worship of his father, learning that Gregory was just as human and flawed as anyone else, or that he hadn't always been the paragon of justice that he remembered as a child…

But there's a difference between being a flawed human being and. Not giving a shit about his clients or about the truth, forging evidence basically out of laziness, and taking both his winning streak and his own girlfriend for granted. That is absolutely not a character flaw that fits with the Gregory we see in AAI2.

And what's weirder is that:

1: The dialogue shows that all of that was a recent & unwelcome development, and that his experiences with the bullshit of the legal world wore down his idealism and passion, but…

2: It doesn't really take much to snap Gregory out of it and back to the characterization he's supposed to have? Miles just has to tell him the same thing he tells Phoenix in FMT; about how 'being a lawyer is't about winning or losing, it's about finding the truth.' That and one musical number is all it takes to fix basically everything; he's rekindled his passion for lawyering and Sara is happy to see him back to his real self. It's like the ghost of Manfred von Karma or Robert Hammond had been possessing him, and that Miles had performed a BttT-style exorcism on him through song.

god this show's writing was so weird. at least we got some good music out of it. the remixes of 'a defense attorney's knowledge' slapped (both the fucked-up dl-6 interpretive dance nightmare version, and the swanky, jazzy version at the end of the show)

yeah it's SUCH a weird take on gregory. I want to say I'm not inherently opposed to gregory having a little morality crisis but some part of me is going to resist against it unless you handle it well (which the musical does not). there are ways to, say, present an attorney with a client they believe is innocent faced with the choice between forging evidence vs letting someone innocent be convicted, for example, and you could probably do something interesting there, if they, y'know, cared about nuance at all.

and it's extra weird because miles DOES have an influential mentor figure in his life who turned out to be extremely corrupt and forge evidence. yknow. AS WELL if they REALLY had to go this route with Gregory they could have had some kind of conversation between Miles and his former view on doing anything for a guilty verdict, and it's been a while since I've watched musical 3 but it didn't seem they ever did that at all?

I don't really like the idea of criticizing stories with "but if you did this completely different plot it would be better" but the whole evil gregory thing is such a mess I really don't have much of a choice.

the "defense attorney's knowledge" remix is probably the single song that makes me the angriest because "a defense attorney's knowledge (original)" makes me want to cry whenever it comes up in aai2. and they do This with it. The translation I had had some similarities to the song "the truth reborn", AND the ending of it in particular reminds me of musical 1 edgeworth's song "my rule" (to the point in my head I'm listing this song as "my rule evil gregory edition") which are all cool things to do with an antagonistic character IF IT WASN'T GREGORY EDGEWORTH WHO WAS THE ANTAGONIST.

I do think the musicals got steadily better with music though, I agree. did you know musical 1 plays "I believe in you" no less than six times? they did not need to do that.

#asks

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tartrazeen · 11 months

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I added this to my other post about Angus probably having his own magic, but since there's so little content on here about Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog, I might as well make it its own post. :) Don't wanna bury it in a reblog.

So to pick up from what I was saying about Angus probably having magic and Cathbad knowing about it, part of my evidence comes from Cathbad putting so much emphasis on him being a thief. And - yes, he is one, but Cathbad takes it like it's a personal slight. Like "You aren't living up to your full potential," building off that time when Angus even admits that Cathbad doesn't think much of him.

There are so many episodes where he refers to Angus as 'a common thief' or 'a petty thief'. It's the emphasis on the adjective - like, "Being a thief is one thing, but being a common or petty one is supposed to be beneath you." Torc says it once too, but it's in that fully disparaging way 'cause Enemy™ - so it's totally different from when Cathbad goes on to get pissed at one point that Angus is "running around like the village thief." There's a sense of disappointment from Cathbad that's even highlighed by that little note for when Angus tries to steal the bravery powder.

So I am in love with the idea of it all being because Angus is magic, knows some magic, or is trying to learn more magic from Cathbad (and probably did!)... just to use it to steal shit. Completely squandering the 'true' talent Cathbad thinks Angus should have.

Like - when that bratty little prince showed up and showed Angus how to put his hand through stone, that might as well have been screaming "JACKPOT." Cathbad mocking who he thinks is Angus (but is really Midar) for getting shrunk and being stuck that way? It's definitely 'cause he assumed Angus only did it to sneak in somewhere. The extra-tickled amusement from Cathbad in the scene could've come from how he was at least impressed Angus had learned enough to even be stuck that way.

It's also probably why Cathbad looked willing to say Angus was innocent during that trial, since despite the evidence and an obvious reputation, it was too much like common theft for him to fully believe Angus could stoop so low.

I feel like the stakes were higher than 'just' jail that time. It seemed to putting their relationship directly on the line, and as happy as everyone was to find the real thief, Cathbad must've been the most relieved person in the room. A guilty verdict would've shattered something between them that I don't tooootally think they even realized existed to shatter ('cause while I'm all here for "I Have Two Sons Actually 😌" Cathbad, I'm delighted by the idea that Cathbad has no goddamn idea what to really do with kids and has never wanted to admit why he puts up with this one, eVeN iF Angus happens to be very damn smart. And Angus sure as shit doesn't think Cathbad likes him, beyond occasionally being able to talk the druid into doing Angus a favour now and then.) For Cathbad to casually go like, "Oh wow I guess we'll never know if I thought you were guilty" after that is the biggest fuckin' tell for "I was praying you weren't, you would've broken my heart :'(" there is.

So yeah, Angus wastes his life picking pockets, probably a little more for fun than any honest need at this point, but Cathbad seems to think (mostly despite himself) that there's something in there destined for more. They've just gotta... kinda... get to it somehow. :/ And every time they don't, Cathbad just sees Angus slipping further away.

🤣 No wonder he shuts Angus down so hard near the end when he asks about creating illusionary walls. Think of how much Angus could take if he could also conjure walls as cover.

I'm happy enough with where the show ended, but I'd like to think that in a future episode, there would've been one with Cathbad and Angus where it was all about that. Like Cathbad would finally snap over Angus throwing his potential away to just steal again, get caught again, go to jail again. He could actually try to cut Angus off or force Angus (somehow) to give the thievery up. Maybe it starts by trying to reason with him, then with (poorly) attempting to have a heart-to-heart, and then in a fit of anger and frustration, almost definitely because Angus steals some important potion to play around with it, actually casting some sort of spell that's supposed to 'fix' the problem of stealing. And it works! Angus suddenly becomes very well-behaved and polite.

But it also saps Angus' motivation and creativity. He has to be told what to do every step of the way, because he can't even conceive of doing something out of order anymore. He loses his ability to fight effectively, maybe even loses the ability to summon his armour (because the part of him that earned it is gone), and he stops going anywhere at all because he doesn't 'technically' belong anywhere. He doesn't have his own hut, he's not royal, he's presumably an orphan, and Cathbad doesn't ever permit him to be around. And he just gets quieter and more miserable until Cathbad agrees to reverse the spell, but the damage is done: the message was sent when it came to using magic to 'cure' him.

(Yes, this could fit into 22 minutes. The pacing of that show's quick, and going from 'Angus is in jail again' to 'We have to do something about Angus' to 'Well, that's just how Angus is, Cathbad' to 'Fine, I'll do something about Angus myself' to 'bad attempt to talk' to 'Angus steal more shit anyway' to 'Magic anti-steal' to 'Angus is sad' is like... six scenes.)

Anyway, I'd want it to end with Cathbad actually doing the heart-to-heart properly. He apologizes for going so far to control Angus like that, and then moves right into "But I can't have you running around as a thief!" And it'd be over to Angus to basically say, "It's all I'm good for around here," which - hopefully - would snap a bit of shit into focus for Cathbad. With all of the insults and teasing and unsolicited lessons, Angus really has been left with the idea that being a thief all he is. Is it a good thing to be a thief? Maybe not, but Cathbad's always declared him as one, so Angus is pretty confident in that identity. And it's challenging and fun, and when it wasn't fun, it was necessary - for him and Rohan both (hint hint starving orphans).

Because I'd like that to set the stage for Cathbad to finally list some positives about him: Angus is smart, and he has a talent for seeing opportunities no one else can. He wishes it was more respectable, but the fact that Angus earned his mystic armour should've been proof enough that he was worthy. It wasn't like he stole that armour, after all. And part of his ability to see things makes him uniquely talented at combining magic powders. Something happens when he does. It's rarely ever less than chaotic, but it's always something, and that's a sign that there's magic in him that simply needs to be focused properly. (And Angus sees there's that 'focused'/'controlled' thing again 🙄 - so Cathbad's going to have assure them both this has nothing to do with casting another spell on Angus. I want him to have to earn back a little of Angus' trust for once).

It wouldn't go on and on for hours, but eventually Cathbad would say that if it's a challenge Angus is looking for, then perhaps it's time to have a proper lesson in magic. It might be even be overdue. And as a show of goodwill, Cathbad agrees to show Angus what that potion he stole even does. He goes to get it. Just to find...

... nothing. 🫠

And Angus looking like 😬

And Cathbad going like, "... okay. That's... We'll have to make another one then, won't we?" Really, really trying here. Then saying he needs certain ingredients and has to find them in the slow mess that his inventory's become without Rohan to (badly lmao) tend to them.

And Angus is like, "oh I know where everything is :) here here here here and here :)"

And Cathbad's actually really impressed by this, because he's realizing Angus has always been an oddly precise thief when he goes through Cathbad's stuff - because he's stolen so much of it that he has an even better inventory in his head than Cathbad does.

But then Cathbad says, "Now we just need one last ingredient. I know I had some yesterday."

And Angus is like 😬

And Cathbad just picks up his herb basket and says, "At least you're aren't simply a common thief" (or something like that, whatever the kiddies would understand :P)

From there, I'd want episodes to reference Angus getting some lessons from Cathbad. He's like a weirdly unofficial apprentice - actually more like an unofficial student - and we start having him be the one to explain magic stuff that the knights run into rather than Rohan as much. It'd be a great set up for another Rohan versus Angus fight, where Rohan starts to feel like he's being replaced (and maybe ungratefully throws a lot of shit into Angus' face that cuts deep). I hope that'd end with blah-blah-blah the three of them are a family pretty much, everyone makes up, Rohan feels secure in his place again and Angus gets some actual approval from Rohan about anything for once lmao

Importantly, it'd set the stage for Angus to be practicing magic, and then very suddenly fucking revealing he's got his own. Or if it's not a reveal to him, it's a reveal to the others, because he's never been able to use it for things that aren't related to theft and he's never been consistent enough or experienced enough to want to test it in an actual battle. But the fact that he's learning from Cathbad at all would be the foundation of him being his own full-fledged magic user on the show.

As a bard. :3

A bard who knows a lot of Druid spells. :3

'cause that's my damn head canon and I'll be as self-indulgent as I pleeeeaaaaassseeeeeeeee

(also keeping a Magic-Using Angus away from Maeve is important, but imagining Nimaine finding out about it?! Maeve would force a wedge between Angus and Rohan, but Nimaine would drive it between Angus and Cathbad. Both of them, though, I can see trying to trick Angus into being afraid of himself or what others think, not really being lured in by being promised more power. That's more of a Rohan plot 😅)

But I'd also love to see some sort of treasure-hunting episode. Imagine an ancient temple or ghostly cave that Cathbad needs something from or gets trapped in. The only one with the right mix of skill, magic and experience - more than even Cathbad's as a druid - is Angus, who explicitly knows how to sneak around and disable the various traps that these kinds of places have. As in, he's been to other places just like this all over Ireland to swipe shit. Very Tomb Raider, basically. 💖 And being able to get into those places to find the hidden secrets of magic thought to have been lost generations ago is something that could instantly bring the two of them closer together.

:( and since I heard that Vincent Walsh supposedly wasn't gonna come back for a second season (THAT'S WHY I'M HAPPY IT ENDED WHERE DID, SORRY, I'M SELFISH, HE NEEDED TO BE THERE), it would've been a great handwave te explain his abscence.

'Cause they were not gonna recast him 😤 My eight-year-old self would've fuckin' refused.

#mystic knights of tir na nog #my stuff #good job tartra

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alpacaparkaseok · 3 years

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Where you should be

Chapter 1: Prevaricate

Genre: Hobi x oc

Warnings: this series contains stalking, blackmail, and similar stressful/fear inducing situations. Also unrequited love, which is perhaps the most terrifying of all.

Word Count: 5.6k

Prevaricate (v.) : to speak or act in an evasive way

Present Time

There’s a reason why I’ve been working under a pseudonym for the entirety of my career at Bighit and never show up in photos that are going to be sent out on social media. There’s a reason why the very people I work for have hardly seen me.

After Bang Si-hyuk met me as a junior producer at another agency and saw that I was hardly working enough hours a week to survive, he gave me a one-time opportunity to prove myself. I would work at my agency in the mornings and then head out to the Bighit building in the evenings to meet up with Pdogg and Slow Rabbit who were more than happy to give me a shot behind the producer’s chair.

In the end, Adora was my biggest advocate. I heard her the day I was waiting for the verdict, speaking firmly with Bang PD in his office.

“If you let her go you’ll be screwing yourself over. I’ve seen her work, she’s a machine. I haven’t seen anyone like her. She’d be an asset to this team and we both know that we need that right now.”

It was the beginning of 2018 when Bang PD marched into Pdogg’s studio where I was working with him and told me the plan.

My contract at the other agency still had six years left on it, there was no way out of it. That had been Bang PD’s main concern, but when he looked at his star studded BTS and saw just how badly they needed a fresh perspective, he decided to go all in. So what did he do?

He bought out my old agency.

Naturally.

Source entertainment, the previous house of GFRIEND, still had their logo and a hand in their decisions. However with Bang Si-hyuk their new CEO they really didn’t have much of a say in my promotion.

Two and a half years later, life is pretty good. Well, besides the fact that I’m still living under a rock.

Let me explain: Source entertainment gladly sold their company to Bighit entertainment...under one condition. They didn’t want anyone to know why they were bought out in the first place. Not being able to keep a hold of a young female producer sounded pretty pitiful to them.

It just so happened that my name was starting to circulate around the different agencies around the time Bang PD took me in, and a few were out shopping for a new producer. Once word got out that I was the one behind “Navillera” things started to go downhill.

Sometimes I really feel like I can empathize with Rapunzel, locked up in her tower. At least my tower has a sweet stereo system. Equipped with a pseudonym and surrounded by speculation, I live an interesting life.

You see, nobody actually knows that I bailed Source for Bighit, although many suspect as much. When ‘trackers’ from other agencies began to snoop around for my whereabouts, Bang PD gave me a choice.

Either work so far behind the scenes that I would never see any action but would stay safe from prying eyes, or adopt a pseudonym and be alert for people showing up at my door offering me a higher salary.

There are a lot of things I wish I’d known before I began my career. However, there is one thing in particular I would have liked to known before jumping over to Bighit: cameras have never been able to capture Jung Hoseok in his full glory, and I doubt they ever will.

Mid July, 2018

“Have you eaten?”

Hoseok’s voice is muffled through my headphones, but I quickly slip them off my head and turn to see him standing in the doorway.

“Me?” As soon as I ask the question I know that it isn’t the most intelligent. The room is empty except for me.

Hoseok doesn’t tease me too much, instead stepping into my small studio that I share with a couple of other producers. “Yes, you.” Producing a giant bag of takeout, he lofts it up in the air. “You’ve been here all day and I’m pretty sure you haven’t left this room once.”

I’ve begun seeing Hoseok more frequently around the company building, he’s taken up the habit of stopping into Slow Rabbit’s studio more often during the day. We’ll make some small talk, talk about work and upcoming plans. But this? Just showing up at my small studio with food? That’s definitely never happened before. We’re not even on a first name basis.

I didn’t even know he knew where my studio was. If we’re ever in the same room together it’s either in a big staff meeting with all the producers or in Slow Rabbit’s studio.

Taking a long look between the food and my workload, I sigh and push some of my stuff away, creating a space for the food. Hoseok hollers and grabs a chair for himself, wasting no time in plopping down beside me and pulling out the cartons.

I must be staring at him like he has three heads, because he’s freezing in his tracks when he catches my eye.

“What?” He asks innocently.

I laugh lightly, hoping that he doesn't misinterpret what I say next. “I just wasn't expecting to see you, much less with food.”

“Oh,” he hesitantly passes me a carton. “Yeah, kind of weird, I know. I just thought you might like something to eat. I know how grueling work can be when you’re just starting out, and you’ve got a lot of competition here. No matter how hard it all gets you can’t forget to eat and sleep, alright?”

I nod slowly, watching as he looks utterly unfazed and begins slurping up his food. That’s when I realize that we’ll be eating together.

It’s oddly quiet in the studio that’s usually filled to the brim with music, but it’s nice. “How did you even know that I’d be in here?”

Hoseok shrugs, glancing my way. “Slow Rabbit said that you haven’t showed up for your usual lunch with him all week; I figured today would be the same.”

He talked to Dohyeong about me? Somehow that thought leaves me feeling a little off-balance.

“Thank you.”

Giving me his award winning smile, Hoseok nods. “Hobi. Just call me Hobi.”

Busying myself with my food, I nod. “Thank you, Hobi.”

“You’re welcome...” He looks at me expectantly and I realize that he’s not interested in calling me by my stage name, Sunny.

“Oh. Ha-rin.”

He nods, satisfied for the moment. Diving into his food again, he clears his throat. “Mind if I come back tomorrow?”

January 2019

Lunch with Hobi becomes the new normal. Whenever he has a free spot in his schedule he just shows up at the studio. Sometimes we have lunch around 12, other days it’s more like 8. Either way, he always sends me a text asking me if he can eat lunch in the studio, and chances are I’m still hanging around. He gives me a tentative time, and I always find a way to say yes.

I don’t think I’ve paid for lunch for six months straight. To be honest, it’s really nice. On the other hand, I feel a little guilty. Whenever I bring it up, Hobi just waves me off.

Nearly on the verge of tearing my hair out as I struggle with the title track of TXT’s debut album, Hobi sends me a text telling me that he’s on his way over with the goods. It doesn’t take him long to show up, plopping down beside me and placing the food in front of me before I can even take my headphones off.

“I’ll order next time?” I ask tentatively. We’ve had this conversation several times already, but I can’t quite seem to win.

“Don’t worry about it,” Hobi says as he continues on in his meal. I glare at him.

“Well, I do worry about it. You don’t need to keep doing this, Hobi.”

Now he sets down his food and turns to look at me. He’s wearing a white t-shirt today, and his hair has been recently dyed with honey-brown highlights. When I first saw him in the doorway of the studio with his usual bag of food, I had to remind myself to breathe.

He looks good.

“Yes I do.” He said it so matter-of-factly that I nearly agreed with him before stopping.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, a little annoyed. “I’m not some pity case that you have to foster until I make a name for myself, you know.”

As soon as I say it I gasp, covering my mouth with my hand. Hobi blinks before starting to laugh, applauding my bravado.

“Wow!” He says through his laughter. “You think that’s why I’m here?”

I just shrug, too mortified to say anything else. Heaven knows I’m too high-strung at the moment to be trusted to say anything else.

“I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours, but you’re not a pity case. Do you feel like you’re a pity case?” Hobi turns what should have offended him into a shovel to dig around my brain a bit.

Shaking my head, I sneak a peek over at him. He’s sitting with his legs and arms crossed, looking at me intently.

“...no.”

I don’t sound that convincing, that much is clear on Hoseok’s face. Leaning forward in his chair, he looks like he’s thinking over something important but remains silent for a moment. I take the temporary silence to eat a bit more of my food, only then noticing that it’s ramyeon.

The thought of Hoseok taking some of the packets of ramyeon from the break room and sneaking down here with them makes me want to laugh and cry.

“Pdogg said you’re working on TXT’s title track. It’s your first big project here; how are you feeling?”

The question takes me off guard, and I slurp up the rest of my noodles before I respond. “Alright, I guess. It’s been a while since I had to start on a track from square one.”

A look of understanding dawn on Hoseok’s face. “That’s stressful. But that also says a lot that you’re trusted with so much.”

Shrugging, I drink the last bit of the broth before tossing my cup in the trash. “If I didn’t know any better I’d think Bang PD is trying to kill me.”

“Really?” J-hope frowns before also finishing off his ramyeon. “I could help you, if you want.”

I shake my head firmly, watching as he laughs as though he’d expected as much. “No, I need to do this on my own. I think I’m nearly there, anyways.”

“So that’s why you never leave the studio these days,” he muses.

“Exactly.”

Normally Hoseok is pretty quick in his visits; we eat and he leaves as soon as he’s finished. I’m honestly surprised that he has enough time to eat with me nearly every day. Today though, he lingers. I can tell that he’s chewing on a thought, and I turn to him, raising my eyebrows.

“Are you about to tell me I can get us food next time?”

He blinks at me, laughing. “No, not that. I know you won’t let me help you with producing; that’s fine. But will you at least let me listen to the track when you feel like it’s good enough?”

Hoseok and I are at a strange crossroads in our acquaintanceship. Are we friends yet? From the consistency of his lunches and willingness to help me, I believe we are. But then again, this feels completely unbalanced for a friendship. After all, isn’t he the one putting in all the work?

“That sounds like work, though.” I fold my arms in front of me. “You already work all the time.”

“You won’t even let me listen to it?”

Looking at him, I see how sincere he is in his intentions. Maybe that’s what makes me loosen up a bit, letting go of my insecurities just enough to let him in.

“You promise to tell me if it sucks?”

He giggles, the sound of his little laugh making me smile. “Oh, absolutely.”

Giving him a curt nod, I grab my headphones, ready to get back to work. “Ok.”

He hesitates. “Ok? That’s it?”

My chair swivels to face him, one side of my headphones off my ear so I can hear him. “That’s it. I’m kicking you out now so I can come up with a track decent enough for J-hope to listen to.”

Cackling at my behavior, he holds his hands up in surrender and makes his way out of the studio. “See you tomorrow, Rin-ah.”

I don’t hear him, my headphones firmly planted on my head. Chuckling to himself, Hoseok closes the door on his way out.

Two weeks later

“I think that one’s my favorite,” Hoseok says as he slips the headphones off. I raise my eyebrows.

“Really?”

He nods, smiling softly as he hands the headphones back to me. I put them on, immediately beginning to toggle with the track before me.

“Really. Why, do you not like it?”

I shake my head, eyes glued to the monitor. “No, it’s not that. It’s just...I think that’s the song I hated producing the most. It was by far the most challenging.”

“I can see why. But it sounds like your hard work paid off.”

I forget to breathe for a moment as he reaches out and gently removes the headphones from my head. Placing them on the desk, he crouches beside me and saves the changes I’ve made before closing down the computer.

“What are you doing?” I ask once I’ve remembered how to expand my lungs again. Hoseok straightens up, patting his thighs as though checking he has everything he needs in his pockets.

“That was the final track, right?”

I nod slowly, not catching on. “Yeah, but I’ve still got to review everything and-”

“No.” He looks serious as he shakes his head. “Not tonight. You’ve been locked up in this studio for over a month, I swear.”

Frowning, I turn my swivel chair in a slow circle, glaring at the wall and then Hoseok. “You make it sound like I never leave.”

“Well, do you? I’ve only ever seen you in a studio.”

Scoffing, I stop spinning and face him. “I go home at the end of the day! I shower! Do you really think I don’t shower?!”

Laughing, Hoseok extends a hand out to me which I stare at. My brain is completely fried.

“Sure, ok. You shower. But you leave here late and come back early. You’re finished - you’re practically finished, don’t give me that look - with the album and if you really want to review it, you can tomorrow. But I’ve listened to all the tracks and you deserve a break. Come on.”

He keeps his hand out, waiting for me to take it. Groaning, I grab my phone off the desk and take his hand. Hauling me up and out of the chair, I realize that his hand is larger than I thought it was. And warm.

“I can’t believe you’re kicking me out of my studio- it’s only 9 o’clock!” I shout as I see the time. I haven’t been out of the studio before 9 in weeks, usually opting to leave around 1 or 2 in the morning. Hoseok chuckles before me, looking at me over his shoulder until he slows down enough to walk beside me.

“When was the last time you were actually outside for longer than it takes to walk to your car?”

I shrug. “I take the bus. Can’t relate.”

“Whatever, you know what I mean.”

Squinting up at him, I curse those honey-brown highlights that are still prominent in his hair. He looks like some sort of model that got lost in the agency building, not my friend that sits with me and offers unsolicited advice.

“I don’t know…” I pout as he opens up the door and we head out into the night air. “A while?”

Laughing, he nods his head. “Yeah, I bet. Here, I’ll give you a ride.”

Stopping in my tracks, I shake my head. “No, that’s fine. I’m ok to take the bus, it stops right in front of my street and everything.”

Hoseok stops with one foot hanging off the curb, ready to head into the parking lot. He tilts his head to the side in that cute habit of his. Struggling to maintain an innocent expression, I watch as he marches back over to me.

“First off, do you consider me a friend?”

I’ve never seen Hoseok’s intense professional side before, but I can see that same tamed fire lurking behind his eyes as he draws nearer.

“I...yes?” I assume that’s the correct answer.

He nods his head before moving on to the next question. “Good. Secondly, I don’t remember saying that I’d give you a ride home. Did I?”

Blinking up at him, I shake my head. “No...but then where are we going?”

In an instant his intense gaze turns into the happy-go lucky expression I’ve come to associate with Hobi. “To celebrate! You just finished producing almost an entire album with only Pdogg for company; that’s a feat in and of itself.” He pauses, looking at me with a soft gaze. “You’re ok with that, right?”

Once I nod Hobi jumps off the curb and leads me to his car. Where I’m expecting a sports car I’m pleased to see a normal, albeit nice, car waiting for us. Opening the door wide for me, he gives me a big smile as I reluctantly get in.

Once he buckles up and starts the car, I turn to look at him. He looks a bit worried behind the driver's seat.

“Are you ok?” I ask. He quickly nods.

“I’m fine...I just don’t tend to drive that often. It’s not my favorite.”

I can’t help but laugh a little at his concerned expression. “Right, I forgot.” He eases out of the parking lot at a slower speed than necessary, but I let it slide. “Why did you drive today?”

He shrugs. “Just felt like it. Are you hungry yet?”

I raise my eyebrows. “I think I could eat again.”

“Great,” Hobi smiles at me before returning his full attention to the road. “I think the boys ordered pizza.”

Heart dropping to my toes, I nearly smack him before I stop myself. “The boys? What are we doing?”

He’s too focused to laugh at my obvious worry, but the ghost of a smile flits across his mouth. “Well, you don’t really seem like the type to hit up clubs and stuff to celebrate, and I figured you’d be tired after everything. So we’re heading to my apartment to eat and maybe watch a movie or something.” He spares me a quick look. “Unless you’d rather go home. Really, I don’t want you to feel pressured. I can just drop you off.”

A part of me wants to shrivel up with embarrassment at the thought of hanging out with the rest of BTS tonight; I’ve only ever seen them at work. Unlike with Hobi who I see nearly every day, I’ve only seen the other boys a handful of times.

I doubt they even know my name.

The small part of me that has kept me up staring at the ceiling and replaying every moment spent with Hoseok; his warm smile and soft eyes, the way he says my name and seems so kind...that part has me smiling at the man in the driver’s seat.

“If you can get us all the way to your apartment without crashing this car, I’m down to watch a movie with you guys.”

His eyes light up with something I can’t quite catch before he’s focusing on the road again.

“Perfect. Here, can you figure out how to call Jungkook on this car phone? Tell him what kind of pizza you want.”

Hobi’s apartment can be summarized in one word: clean. When he mentioned going to his apartment, I thought he meant the apartment he shares with the other six members. Instead, we’re at his own apartment. I didn’t even realize he had one of his own.

I say as much when we pull up.

“I tend to split my time between both apartments,” he says, opening up the front door. “However, the floors are being rebuffed at the shared one. So for tonight we’ll be here.”

The smell of pizza intercepts my thoughts as I kick my shoes off and watch with no small amount of amusement the way Hobi delicately places his shoes on the rack. I make sure to follow suit, grinning as he lets out a sigh of relief when I appear to be tidy.

“Helloooo,” Hobi calls as he leads me into the dining area. Jungkook already has his mouth full of pizza when he spots me.

“Oh- mmf...Sunny!” I smile at the boy I just spoke to on the phone. I guess they remember who I am, after all. “Your pizza is...oh, Jimin’s got it.”

Sure enough, Jimin is opening up a pizza with pineapple, olives, and chicken on it. He raises his eyebrows upon seeing my strange assortment of toppings.

“And this is good?”

I laugh a little at Jimin’s attitude, surprised to see him so at home with me.

Instantly feeling more comfortable around them, I grab one of the plates sitting on the table and make my way over to the pizza. “Of course it’s good. Haven’t you ever tried it before?” Hobi follows suit, looking over the options with a sharp eye.

“Can’t say I have. Mind if I steal a piece?” When I shake my head Jimin reaches over to ease a slice out of the box. “Thanks. Also, congrats on surviving the debut album. Hoseokie hyung said you were crazy busy with it.”

My eyes widen a bit as I look to the man in question. Hoseok gives me a guilty smile before returning his attention to the pizza.

“You talk about me?”

The question leaves my lips before I can stop it, and I once again chalk it up to the lack of sleep, fresh air, nutrients, and peace of mind that I’ve been getting lately. Jungkook immediately starts laughing, nearly choking on his pizza.

Hobi shrugs, giving Jimin a brief look that details his plans for his murder. “I’ve mentioned you a couple of times. It’s been a while since we’ve had a new producer under our roof- much less one that works so hard.”

While the compliment doesn’t fail to make me blush, I also can’t get over the fact that J-hope has told Jimin and Jungkook and probably the rest of the boys about me.

“In his defense,” Yoongi says, striding into the dining room wearing a large hoodie, “we did grill him for questions when he kept skipping out on meals with us.”

“Especially when he was smuggling ramyeon out of the break room,” Jungkook adds.

I’m not sure where to look as Hoseok’s face goes bright red under the chandelier. Either way, I can’t hold in my laughter.

“I was wondering where you got all that ramyeon,” I muse. The other boys chuckle, grabbing the last few things before heading out into the living room. I wait for Hobi who’s currently staring holes into his pizza.

“You coming?”

He jumps a little at the sound of my voice, looking up at me with his mouth in a small frown before smiling. He dips his head to the side in that way he always does.

“Right behind you.”

February 2019

Things slowly begin to change. The debut album is reviewed and accepted, and suddenly I’m no longer eating in my studio with Hobi. Instead, I’m showing up at his apartment after work for dinner.

His schedule has gotten busier since mine has relaxed now that TXT is debuting in less than a month. Unfortunately I can’t just show up on set or in his studio or wherever it is he’s working for the day, so instead I begrudgingly accepted his offer of dining in at his apartment.

He’s never alone, our meals now consist of Jin usually choking on something or Yoongi making sly comments under his breath. Namjoon has only been there once, according to the rest of the boys he’s a workaholic. It doesn’t surprise me at all.

Jimin is a constant at Hobi’s apartment; apparently he’s none too happy about his roommate spending more time at a separate place. Jungkook and Taehyung usually tag along, although Jungkook has a bad habit of wandering about and leaving early.

Dohyeong has come over a couple of times as well, he made sure to make fun of me for no longer stopping in at his studio.

“You’re busy these days,” I say as I try to defend myself. “I don’t want to be a distraction.”

Dohyeong shrugs, completely ignoring the dark circles under his eyes. “We’re not too busy. And you could honestly be a big help to us, if you bothered to drop in.”

I’m in the middle of rolling my eyes when Hobi speaks up from where he sits beside me. “Actually, you really should. I was talking to Bang PD about it and-”

“You talked to Bang PD about me?” I shriek, dropping my spoon in my soup and turning my full attention to the man beside me. “Are you trying to get me fired or something? Jeez, Hobi, you’re going to give me a heart attack one of these days!”

Hobi looks like he’s not certain if he wants to run off screaming or burst into laughter at my sudden outburst. He holds up his hands in an innocent gesture. “Hey, all I did was mention the fact that you’ve been working very hard and that you show a lot of promise. If we could get you on a project of ours, it might really open up a lot of doors for you. You know, more than the occasional song.”

I stare at him, the table completely silent as I study out his face. He’s casually eating his food, keeping one eye on me as though waiting for me to start beating him up. He straightens up and grabs a bit of the meat from his soup, blowing on it before extending it out to me.

Glancing between him and the meat, I sigh before leaving forward and biting it.

Later that night, as we’re watching “Inception” and everyone is lounging about the living room, I look over to Hobi who sits between Jimin and I. The light of the movie dances across his face, leaving me a bit starstruck as I mull over his words.

I’ve worked on a few small parts of songs with the other producers for BTS before, but I’ve never headed a project for them. Granted, I’ve only been at Bighit for a short amount of time. I was thrilled to know that Bang PD wanted me to be one of TXT’s main producers. It’s a big deal, especially for someone as young as I am.

So why is Hobi trying to get me to jump onto some project for BTS?

He must sense my stare, because he’s crinkling his nose before looking over at me a moment later. I stare at him with wide eyes, caught red-handed.

Apparently the dark room doesn’t show him how red I am, because he simply looks at me and raises his eyebrows, silently asking me what I’m thinking.

Scooting in a little closer until my head is resting against the back of the couch near his shoulder, I whisper my worries to him.

“It was nice of you to mention me to Bang PD, but I don’t feel comfortable just jumping in on a project with you guys. That feels...wrong, somehow.”

He nods slowly, bringing his arm around my shoulders and giving me a comforting squeeze. “Ok...you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. But I really think you should talk with Pdogg or Dohyeong about it. I just think we could really use your help.”

Once I agree to talk with Pdogg about it, Hobi removes his arm and focuses on the movie again. I close my eyes for a moment, fighting the pounding in my chest as I replay how it felt to be so close to him.

Just jumping in on a project with Hobi doesn’t feel right. I know he’s doing it out of friendship, but I also know myself. The world tends to open doors for people based off of who they know, and I refused to use that to my advantage a long time ago.

Looking around the room at the people I’ve begun to call friends, I wonder if I’ve inadvertently sabotaged myself before I could even begin.

♟

After the movie ends Hobi wastes no time getting up and driving me home like he usually does. It’s quiet inside the car, I lean my head against the window and watch the city lights stream past.

I hear Hobi’s intake of breath before he speaks. “Did you like the movie?”

Glancing over at him, I can’t help but smile. He’s nearly buried in his oversized sweatshirt, his nervous eyes flitting all over the road almost as though waiting for a bear to amble out in front of him.

“Yeah, it’s a good one. I’ve seen it before.”

He frowns. “You didn’t tell me that. We could’ve watched a different one, you know.”

I shake my head, eyes drifting down to where his hands clutch the steering wheel. “No, it never gets old.”

He turns onto my street, starting to let off the gas. “If you say so.” Coming to a stop before my apartment building, he turns to face me. “Hey, about earlier...I know it probably seemed really weird for me to just say that out of the blue, but-”

“Lock the doors.”

“What?”

I lean across him to lock all the doors, grabbing his arm out of fear when I see a burly man edging closer to the car. “Hobi…” I whisper, a sudden shot of fear coursing through my veins.

Hoseok catches sight of the man, who has bent over and is trying to see who’s inside the car. We’re both frozen as he comes ever closer, until he suddenly pounces at the passenger side door, making me scream.

“I see you!” He shouts, his hood dropping from his face. “I see you, you little-”

I don’t get to listen to his colorful language before Hobi throws the car into drive and takes off. I’m still clinging to him, staring out the passenger window. Blood is pounding through my veins, making me see stars even as I gasp for air.

“Do you know him?” Hobi asks, keeping his eyes glued to the road. His voice is exceptionally calm, despite the fact that I know he scares easily.

Finally detaching my hands from his arm, I rub my eyes. “I...I don’t know…?” We pass a speed limit sign, and I jump up in my seat. “Hoseok, slow down!”

He doesn't listen to me, and I swear he almost speeds up. I watch people’s faces as we speed by, a few staring after the nice car with a sneer. If it weren’t for the terror in my system I would have been making fun of Hobi. For a man so terrified of driving, he sure does know how to floor it.

Pressing a few buttons on the steering wheel, the sound of a phone ringing fills the car. A glance at the dashboard shows that Hobi’s calling one of their full-time bodyguards.

My jaw appears to be locked as I can’t even bring myself to open my mouth to ask him what’s happening.

“What’s going on?” The bodyguard, Do-yun, immediately asks. It’s rare for him to receive a call this late at night; it can only mean one thing: trouble.

“Do-yun?” Hoseok’s voice is ice-cold as he begins to deliver instructions. “I’m going to send you an address, I need you to stop by my apartment to retrieve a key and then bring some of Sunny’s items over.”

I perk up a little when he calls me Sunny. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard him refer to me by my pseudonym. The bright name coming from his lips somehow makes me feel cold.

“Yes, sir. Are you alright?”

I don’t miss Hobi’s gaze as he glances over at me with fire in his eyes. “We’re fine. See you soon.”

When we pull up outside of Hobi’s apartment again, I stare up at his darkened windows with wide eyes. He must sense my confusion, because he waits before getting out of the car. Gingerly unbuckling my seatbelt, his icy exterior melts enough for me to see to Hobi that I’ve grown close to over the past six months.

“Rin-ah,” he starts, and I instantly relax upon hearing my name from him. “Did you recognize that man?”

I immediately begin to shake my head. “I told you, I don’t...I don’t know.”

“Have you seen him before? Even just hanging around your apartment, down in the street or something.”

Looking into Hoseok’s eyes, I can see the unending depths of his patience. But there’s something more there, now. Something I’ve never seen before.

A sharp blade hides behind his eyes, one that I’ve never seen him wield. Watching how his hands curl up into fists against his jeans, I realize that I’m not sure I want to see that weapon at work.

Perhaps I’m at my limit, the memory of that man hurling himself at the car and attempting to claw his way inside too much for me to handle. Whatever it is, something pushes me to do something I immediately wish I didn’t.

Looking straight into Hoseok’s eyes, I lie.

Chapter 2

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darkmindsotome · 3 years

Text

Cruel Innocence

Fandom: Tears of Themis

Pairing: Artem Wing x (non gender specific) MC

Word count: 2,658

Warning: pining, lovesick.

Written by: darkmindsotome

---

“Thank you for your help.”

He stood next to his partner watching as they bobbed giving a little bow saying goodbye to their new client. Their voice was as bright as the smile on their face.

“We’ll be in touch after we have the documentation ready for you to read through.” His response felt flat by comparison but it couldn’t be helped. Be it at work or in private he often found it difficult to imbue his conversation with emotion.

Gossip was a thing that followed him through life and he was never truly bothered by it, except when he was told he needed to find a work partner. He had a good idea who he would pick, but what if they heard the hearsay in the office? If one was to believe the things that were said about him then his reputation was that of a stern man with ludicrously high expectations and standards to match. It felt like a horrible misunderstanding was now a cosmic joke following him through life.

He had high standards when it came to working, wanting to give the clients the best experience and results possible. It was something he wished those in the firm to aspire too but even he knew it would be difficult to achieve and he wasn't particularly angry when they failed to do so. They were human and the only time his high expectations ever were enforced on someone was when he pushed them on his own shoulders.

His conversational skills lacked the element of humanity devoid as they were of bits of trivia or sugar coating. Thanks to his issues with crowds and socialising in general he had developed coping mechanisms that had left him with a strong poker face. It wasn't exactly the best if he wanted to be more approachable. He was never good with small talk and didn’t follow anything that was either a trend or on social media. So, his conversations with others revolved around work. The main issue he was aware of was how robotic he could sound when talking. The way the eyes of the people talking to him glazed over or shook with dread and fear as he used direct and concise words to explain things to them. It always hurt to see it, he didn't want to be the bad guy all he wanted was to be reliable and supportive. To help.

The worries he had about his partner proved to be unfounded. Even when he apologised for boring them or sounding too harsh they smiled and reassured him they didn't think of him in that way. It stunned him when they pointed out little things he had previously been criticized for, and said they thought he was kind. He could almost count on one hand the number of people that had called him that with genuine sincerity. They were all the things he wasn’t, amazing him with some of their comments and observations. Whilst they felt the need to compare themself to him and rise to his level. He always found himself wondering if it was not him who was falling short of the mark.

Walking back from the client's meeting was pleasant even if the weather was acting seasonally unpleasant. It wasn't raining but the humidity in the air did make it feel like a heavy blanket was covering them as they walked. During the meeting, the client had the air con on full blast which meant that returning to the outside world was even more jarring. As they passed through the cities shopping district he kept glancing out the corner of his eye to check on his partner. Satisfied with them appearing happy and comfortable he shifted his focus back to the work that needed to be done and navigating back to the office.

A sigh that was so small he thought he imagined it caught his attention. His eyes moved back quickly to the one walking at his side in time to catch them staring longingly at some shops. He looked over at the storefronts the bright decorations did look like something they might enjoy.

“We have no other business for today, that meeting wrapped up faster than planned. If you wish you can go ahead and—” He didn’t wish to part ways so quickly but if this was something they wanted to do then he would let them go ahead.

“Oh! No, it’s ok I was just thinking… today is kind of a perfect day for getting a bubble tea.” They had an apologetic look on their face as they explained. The way they flustered over such a little misunderstanding had him thinking of them as cute for what must have been the hundredth time today.

“Bubble tea? You mean Boba?” He looked again across the pedestrian walkway and saw one of the brightly decorated shops had a happy little mascot holding up a menu by the door.

“Yes! Have you ever had one Mr Wing?”

“… Once. I don’t know if I can say I enjoyed it.” He remembered the strange texture of tapioca and liquid in his mouth thinking a drink should be a drink not chewy.

“Really?” The smile on their face fell slightly and the animated energy they had seemed sapped right out of them in an instant. He felt guilty knowing that it was a result of what he had said.

“If you want one go ahead.”

“Are you sure?” Gaining his approval, they seemed happy once more. This was something else where their differences made things better. He could be cool, calm and calculating. They were able to experience things on a different level and flip emotions as if they were a simple switch. “Ok, I’ll be right back. Just wait here, ok?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at how childlike they were. The excitement of getting a treat had them bouncing along like a happy puppy. If they had not insisted on him staying he would have simply returned to the office without them. Happy to be asked to stay he moved to find a bench under one of the trees in the seating area, sitting down to wait patiently for his partner to return.

Sitting obediently in silence, he noticed the other people. It wasn’t a huge crowd but there were the occasional passing couples that caught his eye. Snuggled up to each other talking as they walked. Pointing to store windows and then buying refreshments and splitting them between them. It was a simple pleasure his heart desired and cursed him for his lack of forthrightness. As much as he might want something he just didn’t have it in him to push for it. A case in point was his one-sided love affair that at times seemed to be all in his head.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and after slipping it out to see what the notification was for a frown developed on his face.

“Don’t need to worry about coming back to work today. Enjoy your date. – Celestine”

It was more of the usual teasing from her and he was used to that but it bugged him all the same. Sometimes it was like the woman had a spy camera on him and it made him wonder if he was that easy to read or if it was simply just Celestine being Celestine. He punched out a reply telling her he didn’t need her to tell him that and put the phone back in his jacket.

“Was it work?”

The voice next to him made him jump. At some point when he had been so focused on his phone, he had missed his partner's return. They were looking at him with a worried expression etched on their beautiful face. He felt sad for being the cause of that smile once more vanishing behind a cloud.

“It was nothing really, just a reminder for something.” He reassured them giving them a faint smile.

“Oh… ok then.” They nodded and looked down at a plastic cup in their hands. An image of the store’s mascot was printed on the film lid and the colour of it was nothing like the boba he remembered.

“What is that?” Curiosity got the better of him as he asked about the contents of the cup.

“Bubble tea.” As if realising that what they had said was inadequate for answering his question they held up the cup to show him. “It’s strawberry milk tea and Lychee fruit pearls.”

“Fruit pearls?” He suddenly felt ridiculous parroting words and phrases. When he had a Boba himself, he had one the staff recommended. It was milk tea with brown sugar and black tapioca pearls. He drank it nearly choking on the tapioca not expecting it to just shoot up the straw into his mouth as he was drinking. He made up his mind this kind of thing wasn’t for him and never returned.

“It's great actually. I mean I was tempted by a few others but I just really felt like getting something summery.” There was that smile he loved. He looked again with curiosity at the drink in their hand. It was pale pink with clear bubbles below the layer of ice. It did look summery.

“Would you like to try some?” They held it out to him and then turned a faint shade of pink that matched the drink in their hands. “Oh! Don’t worry I haven’t had any of it yet. And I got a spare straw too.” They held up two straws like they were evidence in a trial.

“You came prepared.” He nearly laughed at the gesture.

“Not at all I asked for two cos the paper straws always buckle up before I can finish drinking.” The blush on their cheeks was spreading to their ears. He didn’t dare move. If he were a different man, he might have wished to tease them more to see more of that flustered expression. “Well do you want to try it?” His heart was in disarray, happy to be invited to share in the moment with the one he cared for. He was in the process of nodding when his partner joyfully took one of the straws and punched a hole into the lid of the cup before handing it over. “Here you go.”

He took a sip fully expecting it to be far too sweet and was surprised by the freshness of it. When a couple of the fruit pearls popped up into his mouth, he was ready for them but once more was surprised by how easy they vanished after popping them against his teeth. The lychee juice mixed with the strawberry milk tea creating a wonderful combination that gave him a comforting feeling.

“Well, what’s the verdict?” They were waiting for his feedback with bated breath.

“It’s not unpleasant. It’s rather nice.” He took another small sip.

“I know right? I like getting them from time to time but they can be bad for you if you drink too many. Kiki was addicted to them at one point and complained when she gained too much weight.” They were talking happily but stopped after realising he had fallen silent. It wasn’t their fault at all. His mind had decided now was the time to remind him of the happy couples sharing food and drink and stopped processing everything that his partner was talking about. “Oops sorry, I’m rambling.”

“Not at all. Thank you for letting me try something new.” He handed the drink back to them the flavours still mixing on his tongue.

“Anytime!” They punched another hole in the cup with their straw and took such a long drag on it that at least half an inch of the drink vanished in an instant. “Ah, that’s the stuff!”

They looked happy and relaxed. Falling into a comfortable silence they remained on the bench as the tea was drunk.

“Do you want the last bit?” The cup was held beneath his nose at the question. He shook his head happy enough that it was bringing satisfaction to the one at his side. They finished the drink and then dropped it into the recycling. “Alright then shall we—Ow!”

“What’s wrong? What happened?” He panicked when he heard their cry. Their hands were on their face rubbing at their eyes.

“Sorry I think something just went in my eye. I don’t think it was a bug… bit of dust maybe?” They stood there, fingers curled over into fists rolling them against their eyes like a cat grooming. He reached out and held their wrists preventing them from rubbing more.

“Don’t rub you can do more damage than you think. Let me take a look for you.”

He tilted their face up so he could get a better look at their eye. Taking out his handkerchief he ran it under some water from a drinking fountain and used it to pat around their closed eyelids removing any further danger.

“Can you open your eyes for me and lookup? I want to check inside them.”

Following his direction, they did as they were asked. It struck him that this was the closest he had been to them. He could feel their breath on his hand, feel their warmth on his palm. Forcing himself to remain focused on the task at hand he diligently looked for signs of dust in their eyes finding instead only deep pools he could easily lose himself in. The silence between them dragged on like a spell as he found himself counting their eyelashes and lost in the light caught on their wet lips.

“Can you see anything?” Their question broke his spell making him internally chastise himself for his momentary weakness.

“Not really you might have knocked it out. Close your eyes again.” As soon as they closed this time, he was more aware of the soft expression on their face. They were so relaxed and trusting.

He blew softly on their eyelids just in case something might be there he missed. He felt them flinch but they didn’t pull away and they didn’t complain. He felt a pain in his chest imagining that they could act this way with others and a protective surge of jealousy rose in him. He wanted to wrap them up in his arms and prevent others from getting this close. It was a childish selfish thought he shut down quickly. They were not his and he had no right to act in such away. He stepped back reluctantly and watched his partner's eyes flutter open again.

“Better?”

“Yes, thank you, Ar- Mr Wing.” The way they caught themselves keeping things formal between them was as familiar as it was a little disappointing. At work, in front of clients and colleagues, he could accept that but there was a desire to forget formality when they were alone. He might be a senior attorney, their superior and partner but he was also a man not too dissimilar in age to them. The formality made the gap between them feel like a vast chasm.

“Shall we head back now?”

Walking again he naturally matched his stride to theirs. It was like his body was subconsciously trying to bridge that distance between them. They spoke of little things along the way but nothing of significance.

All the time his mind went back to them standing there his hand on their cheek with their eyes closed as if waiting for a kiss. The flavour of strawberry and lychee was still lingering in his mouth and he imagined if he had kissed them how that flavour might have intensified.

To think he would be thrown so completely off his game by something so innocent as helping with a speck of dust. Naiveite is bliss as they say, but only to the ones that remain unaware. To the enlightened, it was a very cruel sort of punishment.

---

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turtlehwa · 3 years

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Here’s my first review. I wrote this a couple months ago after watching the movie with a friend at like 1 am lol. Sorry for any grammar and/or spelling mistakes- I promise I know how to write it was just late💀 I also might have overthought the whole thing too but oh well

⚠️WARNING: WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS⚠️

Film: Juror 8

Rating: 9/10

The film Juror 8 is based on the true story of Korea’s very first Jury trial held in 2008. From my research, it seems that the film decided to change the court case covered in the movie to what it originally was, and that seemed a bit odd to me. If you’re retelling one of the most famous legal stories in the country, why change the actual trial? Maybe there were some legal conflicts in the way- 2008 really wasn’t that long ago, and some things just needed to be kept confidential. But the longer I thought about it, the more curious I became. Upon doing more reading, I stumbled across an article that noted why the trial is so famous. It is not because of the original trial. The original trial seemed a bit dull compared to the one in the film, but it was because of the members of the jury. Each jury member had different backgrounds and moral ideas, but in the end they were able to set these differences aside and come up with an unanimous verdict after deliberation. Each person had a very distinct personality, and the court was even more surprised that the 9 members actually showed up to the trial and were complicit (for the most part).

The movie decided to play upon these themes. The names of the characters were not announced very often, if they were at all, so the members of the jury were addressed by their numbers. By taking away their names, you would think that their individuality was taken away as well. Instead, the director took this opportunity to put more emphasis on each character’s differences and make the numbers associated with them much more significant. The differences between the characters is also played upon with their outfits and backgrounds.

Onto the main character, Juror 8; he was one of the most plain looking characters in the show. Everyone else seemed to have some sort of defining feature whether it was in their appearance or in their backstory that related to the trial, but not him. He was just a bright-eyed kid who wanted to patent his self-defense invention. Instead, he somehow got looped into what was seen as an easy murder trial. The group was originally told that they would only have to decide how many years the suspect would get because he apparently confessed. After much confusion, the trial quickly took a turn, and they were tasked with debating if the suspect was actually guilty at all. This is where more of Juror 8’s personality came into play. If they did decide he was guilty, he would wither get the death penalty, or he would spend most of his life in jail. Juror 8’s empathy prevented him from quickly trying to come to a conclusion so he could go home and take care of his other business like the others. He already had suspicions, and he acted upon these to help come to the final verdict. His empathy is seen as sort of a relief not only for the suspect in the movie, but for the audience as well. In most legal films, characters only show empathy as a weakness, and they are expected to get over quickly. They forget the rule “innocent until proven guilty” because they care only for showing intimidation and power. This film, however, used his empathy as a strength. It was because of this that he stood up to judges, was allowed to investigate further, and convinced the other jurors to research more before throwing a man’s life away. It was very refreshing to see a legal film show more emotion than just stress and eventual regret. Juror 8 may not have known the suspect personally, but he recognized one of his most important traits, he was human just like him.

The story as a whole was very captivating. The trial used in the movie was very dark, and it kept readers on the edge of their seats. In the beginning, the court officials claimed that the suspect was guilty; they even had video evidence of him confessing, but it was obvious something was off. The film kept dropping subtle hints about his innocence such as he was heavily disabled, he had many mental issues, and he confessed immediately after he woke up from brain surgery, a time where he barely had any memories. As the trial progressed, more and more evidence continued to not line up, showing how sloppily the investigation was done, but thanks to the jurors, everything was followed up on. One of my personal favorite parts of the film was the feeling that I was solving the case as well. All of the clues and evidence were shown, and there was not much dramatic irony, so I got to connect the dots with the jury as well to come to an accurate conclusion. By looping the audience into the story in this way, it is sure to captivate them until the very end to see if their predictions were correct.

Overall, this movie was great. For a serious topic, there were a few comical elements such as the background music in certain scenes, or Juror 8 just being confused all of the time, but there were also many emotional topics and legal ones. The trial covered the story of a pretty broken family, and the audience couldn’t help but feel sorry for the suspect and his daughter- who was his only family left- as it became more clear that he was innocent. I usually appreciate a movie’s ability to make the audience feel a vast range of emotions, and this movie did just that. There were a couple scenes that could’ve been thought out better. For example, the scene where they tested if the suspect could throw a hammer. I would expect a bunch of court officials to be smarter than to allow a suspected murderer to throw a hammer in a courtroom. But overall this movie was great, and I definitely recommend.

#movie review #kdrama review #kdrama #korean movie #Park Hyung-sik #i dont really know what im doing #my writing #review #spoilers

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uncloseted · 4 years

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what are your thoughts on the Ansel Elgort scandal and the whole "believe women" movement in general, i just somehow feel iffy about labeling someone as a rapist or as cancelled when the only evidence is someone on twitter saying that it happened but i also feel like women deserve to be heard and be believed

Anonymous said to effys-closet: Jesus christ. I'm reading about what happened with Ansel Elgort and the woman who accused him of sexual assault. She was 17 and he was 20, in a place where it was COMPLETELY legal for him to have sex with her. It sounds like she had a regrettable experience, and he may have been unkind, and not paid attention to her discomfort which SUCKS but this shit pisses me off! This is not rape. Whiny stories like this invalidate women who have actually been raped. I've been raped. Grow the fuck up.

I had no idea about any of this until I started getting messages about it, so I’ve been reading articles trying to understand what happened and what the different sides of the story are. This is my current position, but it’s subject to change when/if we get more information about the situation.

I want to say a couple things about rape allegations before I dig into the Ansel Elgort situation in particular:

First and foremost, rape allegations are complicated.

Unlike other crimes, there usually aren’t eyewitnesses, and sometimes there’s no physical evidence, so it can become a he said/she said situation very quickly.

It’s also a situation that’s fraught with power dynamics, especially in issues of celebrity/underage fan sexual relationships, where the party with less power may feel like they’re not “allowed” to say no.

Due to the way men and women are taught about sex differently, there are also situations in which one party can think of the encounter as a normal sexual experience, while the other views it as a violation or assault. Many women don’t realize they were assaulted until later in their life, when they learn more about what does and doesn’t constitute consent.

Many women are scared to speak up about assaults because they don’t think they’ll be believed or they’re worried about their reputation (and women do have a lot to lose by speaking out, particularly against a powerful, white, male celebrity).

So there are a lot of factors at play when trying to understand what happened in a given situation and whether or not it constitutes assault, and all of those things contribute to why a woman’s account of what happened should be weighted more heavily than the man’s (although I disagree that we should always, without question, believe the accuser).

It should also be said that sexual assault is a spectrum, and does not always constitute rape; sometimes, it’s a lesser charge of sexual violence. “Sexual assault” covers everything from fondling/unwanted sexual touching to penetration of the victim’s body. The United States Department of Justice defines sexual assault as "any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient.” From what I’ve seen, Gabby (the accuser in the Ansel situation) is alleging sexual assault, not rape specifically.

Finally, it’s important to remember that in American courts, people are innocent until proven guilty, and I think that’s the same approach we should take when participating in the court of public opinion. We should absolutely take into account that there are extraneous factors that mean that the testimony of men and women (and accuser/accused) are not evenly weighted in situations like this. But we should also be careful before we assign a “guilty” verdict and cancel someone for the rest of all time.

So. There are a few things that make me feel weird about the Ansel Elgort situation. The first is that this girl was allegedly a minor who had just turned 17 a few days after they began “talking” on Twitter (that’s iffy regardless of whether or not she was over the legal age of consent, which isn’t really the issue here anyway- the issue is whether he assaulted her or not). She was a fan of his, and he took her virginity. Even beyond the power dynamic that exists because he’s a celebrity who she was a fan of and she’s not a celebrity at all, there’s a power imbalance there. He’s experienced, nearly four years older than her, and she was not experienced at all.

Gabby alleges that she was “sobbing in pain”, and that he didn’t stop, which, regardless of its legality, speaks poorly about Ansel’s character. A crying woman is never enjoying the experience (except in very specific, controlled, consensual BDSM experiences), and that should be clear from her tears.

For any normal person, tears indicate discomfort. A normal person would take that as a cue to stop what they’re doing, regardless of if what they’re doing is a conversation they’re having or a TV show they’re watching or sex they’re having. Instead, Gabby alleges that Ansel said, “we need to break you in” instead of stopping. She also alleges that, “he made me think this is how sex was supposed to be. I WAS SO YOUNG AND HE KNEW THAT.” Again, power imbalance. Regardless of if it was a “legal” relationship, she was inexperienced and he took advantage of that for his own pleasure. Gabby is also allegedly 5′2, while Ansel is 6′3. Even if she wanted to fight him, she likely couldn’t have. Many victims of sexual assault say they didn’t fight or protest for fear of their safety.

That said, I can also understand how Ansel might not have interpreted the interaction as an assault. I know that sound strange, so bear with me here... many American men are socialized with weird and problematic views of sex. This problematic socialization includes things like, “women like it rough/like to be pushed around”, “no means no, but no response means yes,” “a girl’s first time is supposed to be painful, you just need to keep going,” and “if they said yes once, that consent extends to anything I want to do”. ALL OF THOSE VIEWS ARE, OF COURSE, UNEQUIVOCALLY WRONG. But if you’re a man that’s been socialized that way, it starts to make sense how you could think a girl who’s experiencing an uncomfortable first time might “want it” since she’s not telling you to stop.

Meanwhile, girls get socialized to believe things like, “your first time is supposed to hurt,” and “if you stop having sex with a guy, they’ll get blue balls, which makes you a bitch,” or “if you don’t want to have sex with someone you’re dating, you’re a frigid bitch and they’ll cheat on you with someone else.” AGAIN, ALL OF THOSE VIEWS ARE, OF COURSE, UNEQUIVOCALLY WRONG. But in that context, it makes sense why someone might feel powerless to say no, or like sex is supposed to be painful and they should just put up with it.

Look, I’m not going to say I know what happened between them that day, because ultimately, nobody will ever know except for the two of them. Maybe Gabby was an enthusiastic participant in this interaction and she’s trying to destroy Ansel’s career because he ghosted her (which in itself does not exactly look good for a guy who claims he cared about her feelings).

But to me, the situation seems to likely be a case of sexual assault, where Ansel Elgort leveraged his fame to enter into a sexual relationship with an unexperienced, young fan of his who felt like she couldn’t say no. Ansel may not see it that way (and from the statement he released, it seems like he doesn’t), but he does acknowledge he and Gabby had a sexual relationship in the time period Gabby alleges.

So what do we think is really more likely- that a young, powerless girl chose to baselessly accuse her powerful, celebrity ex sexual partner of assault, risking her public image in the process, or that said powerful, celebrity ex-partner assumed that she was okay with what was happening, because he’s a celebrity who people rarely say no to and because he was raised in an environment that taught him not to care about female consent?

Ansel Elgort isn’t Harvey Weinstein or Bill Cosby. But sexual assault is not binary like that, and the demands that purity culture puts on celebrities to be either “pure” or “cancelled” doesn’t leave a lot of room for those nuances. Just because it wasn’t an incidence of him drugging someone and assaulting their unconscious body doesn’t mean that it wasn’t wrong or that this girl wasn’t traumatized by what happened. And just because someone didn’t intend to sexually assault someone else doesn’t mean they didn’t.

I also think a lot of women have experienced what this girl has gone through and don’t view it as assault, so I also understand how acknowledging this incident as assault may make people uncomfortable about their own experiences. That said, “being unkind” and “having a regrettable experience” and “he kept going and didn’t pay attention to my discomfort” are assault. Per the letter of the law and otherwise. Just because they’re not cases of forced penetration doesn’t mean they’re not assault, it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be punished, and it doesn’t mean that you “shouldn’t” be emotionally impacted by them.

I hope this all comes off as fair and balanced. I try really hard to not pass judgement on situations I’m not part of, and I try to take into account all the different factors that impact a given situation. I don’t want anyone to feel like I’m invalidating their own experiences with sexual assault or, on the flip side, that I’m jumping on the kangaroo court of public opinion. Like I said at the beginning, maybe more information will come out that will change my mind, but for now, this is where I’m sitting on the issue.

#Anonymous #effys-closet #effys closet

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honeyedquiet · 4 years

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clueless

a small psa: im really bad at titles.

anyways, this is an imagine i wrote for my friend when she was sad so i figured i’d post it here as well. that being said, it has a name and not y/n because it was for her but feel free to read it however you’d like!

word count: 3.5k

warnings: not much, maybe a curse word here or there? possibly bad plot line, and a few typos

clueless- james potter

When James usually expressed how clueless he was, it was not entirely true. In transfiguration, when Professor McGonnagall went over a bout of hard-to-follow information and he said he had no idea what was happening, he usually had a slight idea, but just didn’t know if the idea was necessarily correct. When Filch, the greasy Hogwarts caretaker who always seemed to be on his and his friends’ asses, asked him who set off dungbombs near the Slytherin common room entrance and James told him of his innocence and cluelessness, he was far from being truthful. When Snivellous angrily asked James earlier that week where he had hidden all of his underwear, James confessed profusely that he did not know where his underwear went-- for the record, he didn’t; he merely stole the underwear while Sirius hid them. But, when he said he didn’t know how to handle the certain predicament that he was in currently, he truly meant it.

When James first realized he was in love with his best friend, Sirius’, sister, Diana, he tried to simply ignore the feelings. It was easy to do at first; she was a year below them and Sirius wasn’t necessarily keen on spending all of his free time with his younger sister when all of his friends were performing pranks, sneaking out of school, and torturing that poor, greasy Snivellous. James, at first, feared that this method of bottling and stuffing his emotions deep, deep down into the pit of his stomach would not work, but it seemed luck was on James’ side for once in his life. Diana obtained the opportunity to travel abroad, to Beaubaxtions, which was in France-- which was far, far away from James-- and prayed to the Gods that all hope of keeping his friendship intact with Sirius was not lost. Of course he was saddened and upset by the news-- he even cried about it when he heard, although he would never admit it to anyone no matter how many times Remus brought up him crying alone in the boys bathroom one night in attempts to talk about it-- but he knew it would most likely be for the best. Sirius never took kindly to those who fancied Diana; he was rather protective and would threaten the people that Diana showed romantic interest in-- without her knowledge, that is. So, he knew that Sirius would most definitely not take kindly to his best mate taking up a fancy for his younger sister.

The time that Diana spent away allowed a period of time for James to attempt to “heal”. He tried to forget just how much Diana’s smile light up even the darkest of rooms, how her laugh was so contagious he didn’t believe it was possible for anyone to remain frowning if she was laughing, how her voice was commanding and soft at the same time, how her eyes lit up when she was talking about something she was passionate in, how gorgeous she looked that one day where he, Remus, Sirius, and Peter went down to a lake near Sirius’ house and Diana tagged along-- she was wearing a gorgeous blue bathing suit that complemented her glowing skin perfectly-- In other words, he just tried to forget her. He knew it would be best for him, being as Sirius wouldn’t have a reason to kill him, and for their friendship, since friends technically don’t attempt to kill other friends.

He tried, he so desperately tried to look for someone else to pour his fancies into and occupy his late night thoughts, but he couldn’t find anyone that matched Diana.

Although he was having trouble finding a “replacement” for Diana, his technique of bottling and storing his emotions had worked fairly well; they only came out in longing thoughts as he lay awake in the Gryffindor common room, staring at the dormitory ceiling.

All of his progress, if you could call it that, vanished the moment she came back. It was the summer leading into his and Sirius’ seventh year, Diana’s six and she was coming back, finally, from France to return to Hogwarts.

Sirius, Remus, James, and Peter all were on the blank spot of grass in the Potter residence’s gardens, their brooms scattered about the neatly trimmed, flowering bushes. James was laying on his back beneath an old oak tree, his black hair plastered slightly to his forehead with sweat, a slightly frustrated look on his face, his chest moving up and down with remnants of heavy breathing beneath a black tee shirt, and, in his hand, resided a golden snitch that wriggled to get free of it’s captor’s palm. Sirius was hovering a few feet above the ground, his broom beneath him, with a quaffle in his arms and a stupid smirk on his lips. Like James, he was also breathing heavily. Remus was above James in the oak tree, serenely lounging along a sturdy enough branch. A book was in his hands and his eyes moved rather quickly across the pages and his eyebrows were furrowed in slight curiosity and confusion. Peter leaned his back against the tree, his plump red face adorned with sweat and an eager smile. He looked between Sirius, Remus, and James excitedly, awaiting Remus’ verdict on what caused Sirius’ confident smirk and James’ frustrated composure.

Remus sighed and closed the quidditch rule book, shaking his head before speaking. “Sorry mate,” Remus started, a light hint of his own smirk as he regarded the confident Sirius. “James was completely in bounds. There’s nothing in the rule book that says he can’t distract you.” He finished.

Sirius huffed in his usual “this is stupid, everyone here knows i’m right.” way as he descended to the ground beside James. “Don’t think that because you beat me you’re a better player than me,” Sirius pouted, of course just playing-- everyone knew James was the best player out of all of them and had beaten them all multiple times in two versus two to prove it. “I think you just pulled a blinder,” He huffed.

James rolled his eyes, a smirk just breaking through his feigned frustrated composure before he shook his head. “Not a blinder, just skill-- Which none of you, but my good ol’ chum Remus here, seem to have.” He gloated, letting the snitch free and fly a few feet in front of him before he sat up, caught it, and laid back down against the grass.

“Oi! I’ll have you bloody know that your mum was saying different last night when-” Sirius was cut off by the door opening to the garden and his life flashed before his eyes; he didn’t dare to turn around, fearing Mrs. Potter had heard him.

However, it was not Mrs. Potter. The appearance of Mrs. Potter in the doorway wouldn’t have made James’ heart stop mid-beat with his mouth slightly agape. The appearance of Mrs. Potter in the doorway would not have made his hands clammy and resting knees weak as his mind began to race. And Mrs. Potter most certainly wouldn’t have caused such destruction on the glass jar that resided deep within him that housed the longing, perhaps dangerous, thoughts of Sirius’ sister. The appearance of Diana, however, most certainly would.

And it did.

It was like everything and nothing changed about her at the same time. She was still the same girl he knew since the end of first year and the same girl that he had seen off with Sirius on a train to France exactly a year ago-- but she was still different. The way she carried herself was more confident and airy, however even in the split second he saw her, he could recognize her ability to knock into anything within a mile radius. She seemed more refined and collected. Elegant and angelic. Ethereal. Thoughts raced his mind, going a mile a second as he tried to contain the cracking jar within his mind.

He felt like he was on auto-pilot mode as he greeted her, an appropriately wide smile on his lips, however he knew he jumped up too quickly and hugged her just a little too tightly. He asked her questions a little too excitedly, looked at her a little too long.

That night, he debated on writing his will.

He had it bad; he knew he did. Remus now knew he did as well, being as he forced it out of him just a day after Diana arrived and with every day longer that she was with them, the more the jar broke. He tried his best to play it cool around her, to simply act how a brother’s best friend should act. He tried, he truly did. He also truly felt guilty when he failed.

The more days that passed, the harder it got for James to act in a way that wouldn’t tip Sirius off to even a hint of James fancying Diana. Part of him hoped to be as far away from Daina as possible, so he would not make a stupid mistake of getting caught admiring her, while another part of him wished to be alone with Diana: to kiss her plump lips, to hold her cheeks in his hand, to moved his skilled fingers across the buttons of her shirt while he held her against--

“James! Did you not hear anything that I just said?” Sirius grumbled as he stood from the couch they were currently sitting on.

“Sorry, not really. I think I’m getting a bit of a headache.”

Remus made a face and James sent him a harsh glare. He didn’t need Remus fucking this up.

“I said that I’m going to go to Diagon Ally with Remus and leave you with the she-devil until we come back with her new stupid jersey,” Sirius huffed and Diana laughed from her spot on the couch.

Just hours prior, Sirius and Remus lost a game of Wizards Chess to Diana and were then obligated to get her new quidditch jerseys as a winning prize.

“Make sure she doesn’t tear up the place so mum isn’t mad at me. We all know how dogs can get,” Sirius’ laughter was broken by Diana getting up with an exclamation of distaste at Sirius calling her a dog.

James wished he would have taken a portrait of how scared Sirius looked at his sister before pulling Remus into the fire pit and using the floo powder to escape her wrath.

Now, the thoughtless side of James had gotten it’s wish. He and Diana were alone, only separated by a coffee table between them.

Over the next few hours, things were going fine. He had busted out some of his Firewhiskey to “add a little fun into the mix,” but it was mostly to calm his nerves. He didn’t know what he was to do. Should he ignore her or go to his room? Or should he do exactly what the thoughtless, careless side of him wanted him to do and indulge in his fantasies that he stayed up many nights forming.

The firewhiskey seemed to make that decision on its own once they both had a few drinks. They weren’t drunk or impaired, so to say, merely tipsy and very, very close now. James just realized how close they were exactly.

Diana was rambling about something to do with Beauxbatons, he didn’t exactly know what being as all of his focus was split into two things: her lips, and resisting the urge to place his lips on hers. Something else caught his focus and the three way split was too much for his jaded brain to handle so he lost grip on his control. As a consequence, his hands came up and cupped her cheeks, placing his lips on hers.

He had felt extremely guilty about kissing Diana that night, although not because she didn’t like it, he knew she liked it very much, but because he betrayed Sirius. Though the guilt subsided more and more with each time that found a spot to indulge in each other. They took a chance of any privacy they could get: midnight rendezvous, sweet early morning kisses, “quidditch lessons”, anything being as Sirius staying with James now left little moments of privacy to them where they had not feared of the tall, black-haired boy that they both adored to dearly walking in on them.

Now, being at Hogwarts, things regarding moments alone with Diana were easier and more difficult at the same time. It was easier to sneak away from Sirius under the guise of extra lessons, hanging out with another friend, extra studying, but yet it was harder because he also had to make sure he had the Marauder's map with him. They were officially dating now, and had been for a few months, but had chosen to keep it secret until they could find the right time to notify Sirius that his best friend was now dating his sister.

The predicament in question was brought along by a rush of passion, and carelessness. Diana had been teasing James all day relentlessly, sending him notes of what exactly she would like for him to do to her in the midst of class, mumbling in his ear in Potions as he tried to follow the directions that were scrawled on the board, putting her hand on his thigh during lunch, sitting on his lap in the deserted library during their shared break. All of this led to James ending the day with a large and very uncomfortable hard-on, which seemed to impair his judgement. He had rushed off after quidditch practice to go find the very girl that caused his problem, but had failed to check if he had the map.

James was able to sneak Diana into the common room and to the boys dormitory, being as girls can enter the boys yet not vice versa, and was pushing her against the wall in an instant. Lips, teeth, and tongues were all gnashing together passionately and needingly as he fumbled his way to the bed, Diana locked in his arms. He was on top of her the moment she hit the soft padding of the mattress, his fingers fumbling with the buttons on her shirt while hers were doing the same to his shirt. It was not long until they both were naked except for Diana’s panties and James’ boxers. James kissed down Daina’s body, admiring it and savoring it with each kiss before he reached the hem of her underwear. Without a second thought, his hand moved beneath it and tugged it down her legs, throwing it to the side of the bed before kissing up the insides of her thighs, nearing the crux where he knew she wanted him to be so desperately. His fingers worked small circles against her clit as he nipped teasingly against the soft skin of her thighs. His mouth slowly drew nearer to her slit and he slowly-

The door opened quickly and James almost threw himself back, nearly tumbling off the bed, and scrambled to grab hold of the blanket to cover Diana up. He straightened his glasses that had fallen in the scramble to see who was in front of him and his heart dropped.

Sirius. An angry, heaving Sirius, mind you.

This is exactly the predicament in question that he had no idea how to handle. ‘How do you explain to your best mate that you’re in love with his sister after he found you buried between her legs? Well, i’ll definitely find out tonight,’ he thought.

Sirius was angry, his eyes not looking at Diana as she didn’t dare to move from James’ bed, but they were rather fixed on James. Sirius drew nearer to James and he expected the punch before Sirius even drew back his fist. Just because he expected it, however, does not mean that it didn’t necessarily hurt which damn, it did. James stumbled back, holding his jaw, although he didn’t fight back. He knew he deserved it. He only fought back when Sirius took his wand out and James disarmed him, knowing that the last thing either of them wanted was McGonagall coming up, seeing them hurling spells at each other, James half naked, while Diana Black, a Hufflepuff, lay in James’ bed, completely naked. It would be too many detentions than what it was worth.

It took awhile for Sirius to calm down enough to stop squirming against the body-binding spell that Remus had to put on him. By this time, Diana was dressed and sitting on the edge of James’ bed, her fingers fumbling together anxiously as James rambled off apologies. Remus released Sirius from the spell but kept his wand away from him and a hand on his shoulder.

“What the bloody hell, James! You’re my best mate! You shouldn’t be shagging my sister,” Sirius yelled and James felt the same pit of guilt in his stomach as he had that first night him and Diana kissed.

“Look mate, i’m sorry, I am but-”

“There’s a but to this? You think I'm going to let you keep shagging my sister?” Sirius yelled in disgust.

“No! Well-”

“You have a lot of fucking nerve, Potter. Seriously, my sister!” Sirius outraged.

“It’s not nerve, I’m trying to explain-”

“I’m not asking you to explain, i’m asking you to stop shagging my sister and-”

“I’m not Shagging your sister, it’s-”

“What do you call being-” Sirius almost couldn’t get the words out over a gag, “literally buried between my sister’s legs?”

“I’m not saying that I wasn’t shagging her but-”

“So you were shagging her, this is ridiculous, i-”

This time, it wasn’t James retorting to continue the bickering, it was Diana finally speaking.

“For the love of Merlin, just stop! Sirius, I love you, but you can’t act like I'm yours to keep safe and take charge of. James and I weren’t just shagging,” She started and James felt nauseous. Diana took a gulp, looking at her brother’s angry face. “We aren’t just fucking. We’re dating.” She finished and the room fell silent. Even Remus was shocked.

“You two are dating?” Sirius asked, now completely breathless by the news.

James so greatly wanted to turn away and say no, to turn back the last hour or so and just take care of his boner himself instead of greedily and carelessly meeting with Diana unplanned. “Yes,” James finally spoke and he thought Sirius was going to pass out at once. We have been for a few months. We just didn’t want to tell you because,” He motioned to his now bruising cheek, “ We knew that you wouldn’t necessarily take it the best.” He reasoned, trying to rid his voice of anything that would cause Sirius to throw a fit again. “I’m sorry you walked in on us, it was careless on my part. But I promise I’m not just fucking her. I wouldn’t disrespect you nor her like that,” He said truthfully and Sirius, although still red in the face, was now listening. “It’s not just a short fling either,” James looked from Sirius to Diana and back to Sirius. He gulped slightly, knowing that the only way that he could make Sirius truly believe that he wasn’t just using his sister was to tell him something that he hadn’t even told Diana yet, although he knew it before the relationship.

“I love her.” He finally said and he saw Sirius deflate for a moment before sitting back up. He stayed quiet for a while and so did everyone else in the room. “You love my sister.” Sirius finally said, as if confirming it and James nodded, his eyes trained on Sirius. He didn’t want to see whether Diana was disgusted or accepting of his feelings. “I do, I really do. You know I won’t hurt her,” Those seemed to be the right words to say, being as Sirius gave a soft nod.

“Alright,” Sirius mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. “I guess I can’t do anything about it, either then right?” He asked, as if he was hoping for one of them to say that there was a phrase he could say to undo the feelings that they both clearly had for each other.

“No, nothing,” Diana spoke up and James finally looked at her. Relief welled in his chest when he saw the bright grin on Diana’s face, telling him that she returned his feelings.

It was a long while and after an equally long talk that Sirius finally stood, not fully accepting of the relationship but he wasn’t mad at either of them. They had talked things through, mended the slight crack in the resilient friendship between James and Sirius, and repaired the slight crack in the wall left from Sirius pushing James into it before James finally walked Diana out of the common room and back in front of the Hufflepuff entrance.

He was about to bid her an exhausted goodnight before he was caught off guard by Diana’s kiss to his lips.

“I love you too,”

#james potter #harry potter #james potter imagine #harry potter imagine #writing #hp

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atopearth · 4 years

Text

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Part 3 - Justice for All (2nd game)

The Lost Turnabout Well, that random amnesia to set the game up again for the reader to get used to things again was...random lol. Gotta love the fake dying message that had such beautiful legible writing lol. And I guess these are one of the moments when we should thank parents for using weird and unique spellings of a name, really helps to prove that you’re not a murderer! Kinda baffled with the whole thing though, the defendant and the criminal were both so bland, and the whole case was pretty simple. But, yeah, it’s the first case to get things flowing again so I guess that’s normal! Nice to see Maya back though!~

Reunion, and Turnabout Pearl is an interesting girl…lol. I’m not sure why Mia didn’t want to reveal her aunt as an accomplice for this story, since if she doesn’t reveal it, Maya could be found guilty, especially if Phoenix isn’t able to find evidence for that. Initially, I wasn’t really sure what to think about the whole case being in the village where Maya is from and where she does her training etc, but I guess it’s nice to see her background etc. As for the case itself, although I still suck at knowing when to press statements, I’m a bit better at knowing what to present as evidence hahaha. Anyway, it was obvious that the murderer was the real Mimi who had taken her sister’s face to try and live a new life. So it was easy to know the motives etc, and how she hid in the box behind the screen etc, I guess I was mostly in a bit of a bind in terms of how the murder happened and the reason for the gunshots haha. Otherwise, that was a pretty average case, mostly because I think the witnesses and murderer this time around wasn’t very interesting. Lmao at the daughter von Karma whipping everyone she hates and then whipping Phoenix until he was unconscious when she lost lmao. Hopefully the next case is more interesting~ and I wonder what happened to Edgeworth?

Turnabout Big Top Max…is an interesting character. He looks cool, but dang does he look silly when he reverts to being a country bumpkin lolll. And…I establish that no one in this circus seems normal. Not sure about that daughter of the victim, she looks like she barely cared that her father just got murdered… Great to know that she’s sheltered and so knows nothing about outside of this circus, but dang lmao, she seems to like the puppet more than Max hahahaha. And did Franziska upgrade her whip? It looks different lol. So…Acro has a brother called Bat (loll) who is in a coma after getting bitten on the head by the lion…and this lion got shot by the Ringmaster after it happened… Hmmmm. Oh…Acro is in a wheelchair because he tried to save his brother from the lion… And Bat did what he did because he made a dare with Regina, that if he could do the same thing as her (put his head in the lion’s mouth), she would go on a date with him… How saddening yet ridiculous.

Lmao when Acro comes to court as a witness, and when Phoenix claims that he’s actually the culprit, one of the birds that flies around Acro pecks Phoenix on the head as a background thing lolll. Anyway, once we did more investigations, it was obvious that Acro was the murderer and that his aim was Regina. However, I just feel that the villains this time around in this game have rather dubious motives. I guess it was kinda cool how the “murderer who flew away” came about with the stone bust being pulled up when the coat etc accidentally caught on to it, I just think everything that occurred was still rather anticlimactic though and lacked impact this time around so I couldn’t really like it tbh.. It didn’t help that I didn’t like any of the witnesses lolll. It was understandable how things happened, but at the same time, it wasn’t a very interesting case tbh.

Farewell, my Turnabout Lmao at the Steel Samurai becoming the Nickel Samurai, this show is never gonna end, is it? Omggg Lotta again? Gotta admit, she’s not my favourite witness so seeing her twice in one game kinda kills me lol. On the other hand, I like Wendy Oldbag but she can get rather overbearing lol, so this pairing kills me. When they talked about how the manager Adrian Andrews might be the killer since the ninja actor supposedly hid her mentor’s suicide note, and since she attempted suicide because of how reliant and dependent she was on her mentor when it came to living, I guess it is possible. But I think what hit me the most was when they talked about her “dependent nature”, where she basically always needed someone important enough to her so that she would have a reason to continue living. To an extent, I can kinda relate to that, tbh, although I’m not as extreme as her, sometimes I do feel that if I lost my siblings, I don’t think I’d ever be able to pick myself up.

Anyway, since Edgeworth is back, it was expected that something would happen to Franziska to prevent her from being the prosecutor. It took a while but I’m glad to see Edgeworth and Phoenix in court together. Omggg, Engarde just turned ugly when he revealed his true self!! He was such a pretty boy too, sigh! It’s really interesting to think about the idea that Phoenix’s client is actually guilty for once. He got an assassin to kill Corrida, and Andrews got wrapped up in this when she decided to “frame” Engarde for it. But I think Celeste (Andrews mentor who committed suicide) was the most innocent victim of all this. She first “dated” Engarde back then but was thrown away, and when she thought she could have a happy marriage with Corrida, Engarde decides to tell the guy that they used to be together, so then Corrida called off the marriage, and that led her to commit suicide. But I think the most saddening thing was that even though she committed suicide, none of these guys she so loved were unhappy, instead they were still consumed in their stupid rivalry, where Corrida wanted to use the suicide note she left to show the world Engarde’s true self. It’s so saddening to think of her life just amounting to them as something like that.

It’s interesting that the last case aims at delaying the trial to save Maya since they already know Engarde is guilty, but at the same time, it’s kinda boring? It doesn’t have the same feel as the other cases where you can reveal more and more pieces of the puzzle on what actually happened, and instead focuses on how they can use everything they can to delay the verdict. Which is…quite questionable tbh. Lmaoo at Shelly De Killer (the assassin) being a witness hahahah, and it was so funny when Phoenix presses on one of his statements and asks what’s his fee, and the judge thinks Phoenix wants to kill him lmaooo. Gotta love it when Shelly gets flustered and the transceiver starts leaking oil or whatever lolll. Anyway, I knew that they’d use the fact that Engarde recorded the murder to blackmail Shelly in order to get the latter to turn against his client since he’s so hung up on the trust factor between clients. I mean, you’ve gotta admire Shelley’s work ethic! Lol.

Anyway, I didn’t like the last case in terms of story and how it played out. I think I much prefer the usual Phoenix uncovering the truth bit by bit without really knowing who the culprit is and how they did it until later, against this Engarde case that was just..such compiled with a crappy villain with crappy motives, he was basically a bad villain with no depth. I liked it that they established that both the prosecution and defence work for the truth. But at the same time, I have to say, I don’t feel like the last case really portrayed what it means to be the defence and the prosecution. I had more expectations on how it would be better handled in terms of having a “guilty” defendant as well, but yeah… Oh well. At least everyone is happy and Franziska might be a bit more like the current Edgeworth and not be so hung up on winning all the time.

Overall, I’d say Justice for All was a pretty lacklustre sequel. It rides on a lot of old characters from the previous game, which can be pretty cool, but I think just like how Powers introduces himself as an underpaid action star (LOL), this sequel was underwhelming to say the least. But I guess the biggest problem were just the stories themselves, they just weren’t very interesting, and the way things happened either felt rather cliche or just kinda over the top in a bit of a ridiculous way, whereas in the previous game, it felt like the cases and how they went about it made more sense and was done better. Also, I think Franziska wasn’t a very “fun” prosecutor either, like, I just don’t think she meshed well with Phoenix. Like, when it came to Edgeworth and von Karma, they both were unique enough that they bring a different sort of bantering and connection with Phoenix in court, whereas Franziska is basically just a whipping monster lol. Anyway, hopefully the next game will be better!

#phoenix wright ace attorney

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klaroline-4ever · 5 years

Text

The Pact: Chapter 25

Bonnie got a letter from Davina saying that she wanted proof about Marcel's doings because Davina saw him as a nice guy and incapable of killing innocent people, making her wonder if What Bonnie told her was true or just lies to make her be against Marcel in this fight of getting the throne.

It was now night, so Kol brought a few things in case Bonnie wanted to stay there to sleep after the spells because they were powerful. They had to do this at night because it was when Marcel would make the trial against another witch who was found practicing magic.

"You know what I think this is?" Kol asked Bonnie while helping her preparing the things to let her be in contact with Davina so she could tell her about the spell.

"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me." Bonnie said.

"I think this girl is suffering from sherlome syndrome."

"Do you mean Stockholm Syndrome?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah. I knew it was something like that." Kol said.

"I've heard her story. He saved her life. He made her believe that she had to stay in the attic because people were after her. Which is true. People are looking for her. Not only the witches who wanted to hurt her because of a sacrifice or whatever it is but also the people who want to know who is helping Marcel, who is the only person who can go against the rules." Bonnie said.

"Still. She's a teenager, right? Shouldn't she want to go out and see her friends?" Kol asked. "Which teenager does what is told to? Not even you did that!"

"She has no family. She hasn't been out in months. Marcel was able to make her believe that everyone was out to get her and that he was protecting her." Bonnie said.

"So if we help her... Don't you think she might switch sides and go back to protect Marcel?"

"If we show her we are trustworthy I don't see why she would do that."

"Nik is in charge of this. Nik is the one who wants the throne. You know his reputation. When she finds out..."

"She knows it's a guy with a bag reputation but she also knows that he will make every faction have someone who will fight for their wants and needs."

"Do you really believe he will go through with it? I mean, my brother was never one to compromise for the greater good, that was more Elijah." Kol said.

"I don't know but Caroline seems to believe Klaus will do as he says."

"Then maybe he will really compromise for once in his life." Kol mumbled to himself.

"Why do you say that?"

"Haven't you notice the way she can mess with his head? I mean, every time they get on a fight you can actually feel the sexual tension between them."

"Or maybe it's only them having different beliefs. Klaus believes in power being more important than family and friends and Caroline is against that." Bonnie said.

"Opposites do attract." Kol smirked. "The best and most sexy love stories are the ones about forbidden love... like a princess and the stable boy."

"Oh god! Are you talking about porn?" Bonnie said with a disgusted face.

"There's also the werewolf and vampire. The vampire and human. The vampire and witch... these are all like Romeo and Juliet. Should be against each other because they are so different and from opposite worlds but in the end it gets an amazing love story."

"You like Romeo and Juliet?"

"No. That story was crazy! They were kids who just wanted to get laid."

"Pff! Of course that's your opinion. You think everything is about sex."

"Not everything. But, come on! They were too young. They didn't had to die."

"Whatever. When is Marcel going to make that trial thing?" Bonnie asked to change the subject.

"In a few minutes."

"Okay I'll go talk with Davina."

***

Bonnie contacted Davina and made sure she knew everything for the spell, then Bonnie came back to make again the spell and found Davina in the corner of the street.

"Are you sure you want to see it?"

"I will only truly believe it when I see it with my own eyes. I don't mean to offend but..."

"I understand. You believed him. He saved your life. You barely know me... I understand but we can go whenever you want to. We only need to be careful to people not see us." Bonnie whispered and they walked over to the circle filled with vampires.

"Hello everyone! Tonight we are here to the trail of Miss Eliza Bernard." Marcel said to the group of vampires, who were circulating him and the scared witch. "Everyone is aware that no magic is allowed. Yet... Eliza here decided to break that rule. What do you have to say in your defense?"

"I wasn't hurting anyone. I was simply trying to talk with my brother who is far away. We wanted to see each other and talk."

"Why not video calling, then?"

"It isn't the same!" She defended herself.

"You went against my rules. If I go soft on you, people will start to think that I'm not a man of my word and that whoever tried to break the rules will go unpunished. That will ruin this system. Breaking my rules will originate chaos."

"And living by your rules will only originate fear." The witch said angry, afraid and upset. "You are stopping witches from using their gift, from being who they are. Magic is part of who we are and by not using magic we fee incomplete."

"If you want to use magic, then leave this town. I tried to be alright with you witches but you always want more."

"We have as much right as you to live here. This is our home too."

"I built this town. I am the king. I took this city when was nothing and made it great again. This is all mine. And the verdict is in." Marcel said serious. "You're guilty for practicing magic. And whoever breaks that rule, dies."

Marcel quickly decapitated her with his arm as everyone cheered.

"I can't believe it..." Davina whispered in tears and disappeared.

***

Bonnie told Kol how Davina disappeared and how she was unable to practice again the spell, so Kol tried to use some disguise and went to the church where he found a young girl with long brown hair.

"You must be Davina."

"Who are you? How do you know my name?"

"I'm a vampire but I'm also Bonnie's friend. I came here to take you to her but because it's a protected place I will have to put a blinder so you won't know where it is." Kol said and she nodded.

Once they got to the safe house, Kol took her blindfold and when opened the door, Davina ran to Bonnie's arms.

"I'm so sorry that you had to see that." Bonnie whispered.

"I will help you. I just need to have your word that witches will be safe once this new guy becomes king."

"You have my word." Bonnie whispered with a smile.

Next on The Pact

"Why are you looking at me like that?" *** "Give me your word." *** "I punish who dares to betray me but I also can compensate to those who show loyalty to me."

to be continued...

#the pact

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willsherjohnkhan · 7 years

Text

You Know Where To Find Me

***

MOLLY’S FLAT

Mycroft had just dropped off the security footage from the Sherrinford Facility, showing what had taken place between Sherlock, and his sister, Eurus, when her mobile buzzed.

It was a text message from Sherlock.

You know where to find me. SH

***

SHERRINFORD FACILITY – CELL ONE

“You want to save the governor’s wife, choose either Doctor Watson or Mycroft to shoot the governor.”

“You can’t do it, Sherlock. If you do it, it won’t count. I’ll kill her anyway. It has to be your brother or your friend.”

“Sherlock, pick up the gun. It’s your turn next. When I tell you to use it, and I will, remember what happened this time.”

Sherlock picked up the gun and checked the barrel. “There’s only one bullet left.”

“You will only need one. But you will need it.”

When Sherlock, John and Mycroft exited the cell, the body count was at two.

SHERRINFORD FACILITY – CELL TWO

“Six months ago, a man called Evans was murdered. Unsolved, except by me… Now, if the police had any brains, they’d realise there are three suspects, all brothers, Nathan Garrideb, Alex Garrideb, and Howard Garrideb. All these photos are up to date, but which one pulled the trigger, Sherlock?”

“Now, as I understand it, Sherlock, you try to repress your emotions to refine your reasoning. I’d like to see how that works. So, if you don’t mind, I’m going to apply some context to your deductions.”

No sooner were the words out of Eurus’ mouth than the three brothers, all tied and gagged appeared onscreen They were strung up, outside the building.

“Two of the Garridebs work here as orderlies, so getting the third along really wasn’t too difficult. Once you bring in your verdict, let me know and justice will be done.”

“Are you ready to condemn the prisoner?”

“Sherlock, are you ready? “

“Alex.” Sherlock responded.

“Say it. Condemn him. Condemn him in the knowledge of what will happen to the man you name.”

“I condemn Alex Garrideb.”

To Sherlock, Mycroft and John’s horror, Nathan and Howard Garrideb were dropped into the sea.

“Congratulations, you got the right one.”

“Does it really make a difference, killing the innocent instead of the guilty? Let’s see.”

And Alex Garrideb joined his brothers in their watery grave.

“No. That felt pretty much the same.”

The body count was now five.

SHERRINFORD FACILITY – CELL THREE

“Whose coffin, Sherlock? Please, start your deductions. I will apply some context in a moment.”

“You didn’t win, you lost. Look what you did to her. Look what you did to yourself. All those complicated little emotions. I lost count. Emotional context, Sherlock, it destroys you every time.”

Sherlock reverently placed the coffin lid on top of the coffin, before losing control, tearing the coffin to pieces with his bare hands.

SHERRINFORD FACILITY – CELL FOUR

“Hey, Sis, don’t mean to complain, but this one’s empty. What happened? Did you run out of ideas?”

“It’s not empty, Sherlock. You still have the gun, haven’t you?”

“It’s an elimination round. You choose one and kill the other. You have to choose, family or friend. Mycroft or John Watson.”

“What are you doing?”

“A moment ago, a brave man asked to be remembered.” Sherlock placed the gun under his chin. “I’m remembering the governor… Ten…

“No. No, Sherlock…”

“Nine… Eight…”

“You can’t!”

“Seven…”

“You don’t know about Redbeard yet!”

“Six… Five…”

“Sherlock! Sherlock, stop that at once!”

From the walls, darts were fired at Sherlock and John, hitting both in the back of the neck.

“Four… Three… Two…”

***

MOLLY”S FLAT

When the video came to an end, Molly hastily put on a cardigan, grabbed her bag and headed out the door.

***

221B BAKER ST

Molly burst through the door to the flat, in time to witness Sherlock, the doting Godfather handing Rosie over to John.

For anyone who cared to notice, and Molly definitely did, the traumatic events, starting with the death of Mary and culminating with the discovery of the existence of a psychopathic sister he had purposefully erased from his memory had had a profound effect upon the consulting detective and self-proclaimed high-functioning sociopath.

Through it all he’d learnt an invaluable lesion, sentiment was a strength, not a weakness.

Nevertheless when his eyes met hers, she read concern.

They had been forced to say ‘I love you’ to each other under the most unprecedented of circumstances. And yet they were words that could not be unsaid…

She smiled reassuringly, letting him know she knew and understood what he, John and Mycroft had been put through.

Sherlock returned her smile, and he made his way over to her, took her hand in his, and led her over to their precious Goddaughter.

Whatever their future held for them, Molly knew without a doubt, that they would face it together.

***

#sherlolly #in the aftermath of S4 TFP 'I Love You' scene

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avidbeader · 7 years

Text

Voltron fic: “Scattered” Ch. 22

Rated T. Genfic/no ships. S2 AU. You can begin at the beginning here or read it on FF-Net and AO3 when I get it posted there, probably in the morning. FEEDBACK IS WELCOME.

<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>

After helping one another to unload their troves of Earth supplies in the kitchens or their rooms, Shiro directed everyone to suit up and report to the command deck. They had let the Garrison and Earthforce stew for over thirty-six hours and they were ready to present their demands.

Leave our families in peace. Contact us immediately if you have any alien activity in the solar system. Here’s some shiny tech to help monitor that.

And punish Darzi for his actions.

Shiro hoped it would be that simple.

Allura entered the command deck first after Shiro arrived. She was wearing one of her gowns, navy with pink trim, but her hair was pulled up, surrounded by a gleaming tiara. “Do you think this will be impressive enough?”

Shiro nodded. “You look beautiful and terrifying.” Behind her, Coran looked up from his console with an amused look for Shiro’s words.

She smiled. “Good.” She moved to stand beside him. “Shiro, there is another option to the issue of prosecuting that man.”

“Another option besides a joint tribunal here on the ship? Because I’m not sure we can persuade Earthforce to go along with that. They’ll protest having any Altean representation among the judge advocates, since there’s a grand total of six of us to choose from and we all have a huge conflict of interest in the proceedings.”

Allura’s expression hardened. “If they expect to be recognized—”

“Princess, they may not care. Earth is still decentralized. We’re a bunch of sovereign states, not a unified planetary government. The closest thing to that is the United Nations, and their authority is limited. Earthforce may be a combined effort at international peacekeeping, but any country can pull its soldiers and arsenals out at any time.”

She huffed. “Well, that’s a silly way to do things!”

“Not as advanced as you, remember?”

Allura sighed. “So primitive. I’m amazed this planet produced the five of you.”

“Anyway, what is the alternative?”

“You need to talk with the Black Lion about it. In the past, the lions could be asked to measure the conscience of the accused and confirm guilt or innocence.”

Shiro’s eyebrows shot up. “They can do that?”

“How else do you think they select their paladins?”

He gulped a little at that. He remembered a feeling of being assessed as the other lions roared, welcoming Black. Weighed and judged and found worthy.

But how did that square with the knowledge that the first Black Paladin had done something that had ended his Red Paladin?

Black growled in his mind, sounding almost petulant. He changed. Besides, everyone should be allowed one mistake.

Shiro shoved his tongue between his teeth, trying to hold in a sudden impulse to laugh.

<> <> <> <> <>

Keith met Pidge en route to the command deck. She moved in and put one arm around him. He tensed for an instant before making himself relax and return the gesture. He had been relaxed about his personal space with Shiro’s parents; Pidge should be no different.

Leading him down the hall, Pidge looked up and asked, “Do you think you’ll be able to do it? Record the memory of the attack? Hunk’s point was really good—it’ll be so much easier on you in the long run. It removes the need for testimony and cross-examination.”

“I don’t know. What’s to prevent them from saying it’s faked?”

Pidge frowned at that, thinking. “True. But if you provide another memory, something that they can confirm independently, that might convince them. Or we can make one of them test it.”

Red’s presence in his head surged as she offered an inspiration. Keith was suddenly immersed in the memory of stepping out of her, extending a hand to Iverson to shake, only to have a medtech make him stand still long enough for snipers to hit him with tranqs. Iverson could corroborate that event and it would be one more piece of evidence against Darzi, who had ordered it.

“Red’s got an idea. That might work. I just…”

Pidge tightened her hold on him. “I’ll be there if you want. We all will.”

They entered the command deck and saw Shiro and Allura. Keith noticed that Shiro was trying very hard not to smile and wondered what was going on. Allura turned to them.

“Keith, have you thought about my suggestion? If it will truly be too painful, I won’t ask you to do it.”

“No, I think I can. Hunk was right, if they will accept that they’re seeing true memories, then there’s nothing they have to ask me.”

Shiro’s expression darkened at that. “How are we going to convince them?”

“Pidge had a good idea. I can record another memory or two that they can verify independently so they’ll know for sure.”

Allura smiled, pleased that her plan was coming together. “Excellent.”

Lance and Hunk entered together and Lance looked around. “Are we ready to do this?”

“We are. Hunk, can you repeat what you did before to connect us?”

“Piece of cake. Come on, Pidge, let me show you what we did.”

<> <> <> <> <>

It had been over thirty-six hours of tension and misery. Iverson and Benítez took turns monitoring the communications center, sleeping in an office down the hall. The media blitz had shifted from reporting on the proof of aliens to either trying to get more information about the five Garrison members or submitting open records requests for more information about Earthforce’s actions during the crisis.

Iverson rubbed a hand over the two days’ worth of stubble on his chin. He had managed a quick shower and a fresh uniform during his last rest period, but coffee was no longer doing its job in keeping him alert.

As he looked around for the aide to ask about the possibility of something stronger, the main viewscreen jumped to life.

Iverson straightened at seeing his Kerberos pilot and the alien woman again. This time she was dressed like a fairy-tale princess, but it didn’t fool him. This person was a force to be reckoned with.

“Commander Iverson. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“It’s understandable, Shiro…Captain Shirogane. I’ll summon the general.” He waved at the aide, who took off. Iverson scrubbed at his face, trying to bring himself back to full alertness.

He watched as his former Kerberos pilot gestured, bringing forth the other members of the team. This time Katie Holt was there as well, in the same armor as the others with green accents. Iverson relaxed a bit at seeing Kogane, looking fit and healthy in the red armor. He tried to control his expression, knowing that the general would be there any minute to reopen negotiations. Then Kogane tilted his head slightly, a quizzical look on his face.

Iverson blinked and Kogane broke into a slightly disbelieving smile. “Guys, have you ever seen him look so…I don’t even know what to call it. Relieved? Pleased? Almost happy?”

“Given that the last time I saw you, you were in a coma that we weren’t sure you’d survive, I think I’m allowed.”

McClain let out one bark of laughter before stifling it with his hand. The others looked like they were fighting back smiles, but the woman frowned and spoke with an icy tone.

“Commander, I need to know where things stand with the prosecution of Darzi.”

Iverson nodded. “General Benítez is the convening authority for the court martial. She has entered and preferred the charges, along with General Caplan as the judge advocate assigned to the proceedings. We expect Darzi to prefer the charges and enter his pleas sometime before the end of the day. He’s hired a personal lawyer instead of allowing someone to be appointed.”

“Pleas?” Shiro zeroed in on the unexpected bit of information, just as Iverson had hoped. “What are the exact charges?”

“Unlawful imprisonment, assault, and attempted manslaughter.”

“Manslaughter? What does that mean?” The woman’s voice broke in sharply.

Shiro put a hand on her shoulder. “It means that they don’t think Darzi went in there intending to kill. In our terms, murder includes planning and intent.”

“Exactly…your highness. We can’t prove intent, so we’re going for the strongest charges we can make stick.”

The woman’s brilliant blue eyes narrowed at him.

“And it’s going to be tough. I’ve been ordered to convene it as a special court martial, not a general one.” Benítez sat down beside him, running her hands through her hair.

Iverson turned to her. “No!”

“What does that mean?” Fury was rising on the woman’s face.

“It means that any punishments would be less severe,” Shiro answered and she whirled on him.

“I knew it, Shiro! I knew—”

Shiro brought his other hand up and held her in place. Iverson was fascinated at the clashing dynamics. On the one hand they were supposed to be a ruler and her…commandant? General? But right now it looked like two friends arguing, one trying to calm the other down.

“They’re doing what they have to in order to get a guilty verdict. If Darzi is declared innocent, then he can’t be tried for it again.”

She jerked back sharply. “Not even if new evidence is found?”

Shiro shook his head. “It’s called double jeopardy and most of our court systems don’t allow it to happen.”

“This will not stand! I—”

“Princess!” The others had moved closer and Kogane reached out, turning her to face him. “Princess, it doesn’t matter. We’ve done what we wanted to do here, we can just leave.”

That got protests from the others, including a fierce “Hell, no!” from Katie Holt. Again, Iverson felt he was looking at a tightly-knit group of friends, almost a family, instead of a squadron of pilots and a royal personage. Shiro and the princess stared at one another briefly, an entire conversation happening in minute expression changes. Then Shiro nodded at her.

The Princess turned to them. “I am invoking the Interstellar Charter of Cooperation, an alliance of over a hundred planetary governments. Any proceedings will be held where I dictate, with witnesses of my choosing to observe your proceedings. You will hold them on board my ship, as the only piece of Altean territory that is readily available to you. We will land near your Garrison.”

Benítez’ mouth had dropped open at this sudden tirade. “I don’t know if—”

“Yes,” Iverson interrupted her. “Yes, General. They deserve concessions to balance everything that has been done to undermine this case.” He heard several people react to his blatant declaration, but he didn’t care. He would push as hard as necessary to try and get justice out of this for Keith.

<> <> <> <> <>

They agreed to schedule the hearing for the next day. Somewhat unexpectedly, Darzi entered a guilty plea for the assault charge, but not guilty for the others. If he had hoped to soothe Allura’s temper by partially capitulating, he had misjudged badly. She was more determined than ever to punish him.

After changing back to their regular clothes and grabbing a meal, Allura had taken Hunk and Lance with her somewhere, leaving Coran to help Keith with the memory device. Shiro and Pidge tagged along without comment. Coran explained the process as he settled Keith in a chair and set a metal headband in place.

“It’s quite simple, really. Concentrate on the memory. Once you’ve got it front and center, touch this control to start recording. Do the same thing to stop it.” He guided Keith’s hand to a place on the headband. “Now, it’s up to you, but you can choose to record privately or you can go ahead and project it for us to see.”

“Projecting means we can make sure it’s working,” Pidge offered.

Keith felt Shiro lay a hand on his shoulder. He nodded, even though he was still unhappy with the entire thing. “Okay, projection it is, Coran.”

He felt Pidge’s hand on his other shoulder and drew a deep breath. He shut his eyes and concentrated on the first memory he wanted, one that would easily prove to Iverson that the machine was doing what it claimed.

<> <> <> <> <>

He sat in the simulator, directing the flight with an easy grace. The asteroid belt had been a breeze and his engineer, a competent girl with a snarky attitude that he enjoyed, had been able to fix the stabilizers problem in under a minute. All that was left was a successful reentry and they’d be done.

“Recon Flight Three India Four Eight Zulu, requesting clearance to land.” The boy on comms spoke with a hint of excitement in his voice. Keith ignored it, noticing something off in the controls. Something was affecting his steering. He started adjusting for it.

“Recon flight, you are advised to continue to White Sands. Canaveral is experiencing strong gale-force winds in the upper atmosphere.”

So that was it. Keith hit a few controls and addressed the boy. “Upper atmosphere, but not lower?”

The comms officer relayed the question.

“Confirmed.”

“Is ground control aware that we may not have enough fuel to get to White Sands?”

“Reserves should handle it.”

Keith continued to correct for the growing winds. The turbulence was minimal at the moment. He looked at the other two.

“I say we land here. Once we get through the winds, it’ll be an easy landing.”

The engineer stared at him. “Are you sure? Can you adjust your lift in that?”

“Yes, if you can keep everything wide open for me. Can you?”

She bit her lip, glanced at the comms officer, and nodded.

“Let’s do this, then. Comms, advise ground control.”

The boy did, the excitement in his voice increasing as the sim warned against the decision and he overrode it. He and the engineer tightened their seat belts and Keith started the reentry path.

He focused like he never had before, letting his instincts guide him as he used the winds buffeting them to add to the drag, adjusting the trajectory constantly. He could hear the gasps from his teammates as the craft shifted sharply to the left once and then dipped. He rode the turbulence like waves, knowing he was in his element.

And with one final terrifying shudder that had the engineer’s hands scrambling across the controls to check for any damage, they were in the clear and descending smoothly toward the runway.

The instant the screen changed to “simulation completed”, the comms officer jumped out of his seat and ran for the door.

“We did it, didn’t we? Did we do it?”

“Do what?” the engineer asked.

“We beat the record! Kogane beat out Shirogane’s record!”

The door opened, revealing Commander Iverson and Professor Harris. Harris had a huge grin on his face. Iverson looked dumbfounded.

“Cadet Kogane, what the hell were you thinking?”

Keith shrugged. “It worked, didn’t it?”

<> <> <> <> <>

He reached up and stopped the recording, opening his eyes. Pidge’s mouth was hanging open while Shiro’s expression was delighted. Their expressions helped shake the mildly uneasy feeling of being pushed through the memory, unable to break away from it without disconnecting the device.

“Good choice. Just about everyone from the Garrison can confirm that really happened.” Shiro squeezed Keith’s shoulder. “I did tell you how proud I was of you, right?”

Keith nodded, still a little embarrassed at Pidge’s reaction. She drew in a breath. “That was…incredible. I remember Matt talking about it at the time, but to see it like that… God, Keith, that was amazing.”

He shrugged, unaware that he was repeating the exact reaction from the memory. “I just wanted to be done.”

Coran finished fiddling with the controls and looked up. “All right, that’s one memory recorded and ready. I enjoyed seeing that, Number Four. You and the Red Lion are a natural fit.”

Shiro ruffled Keith’s hair at his neck, careful not to dislodge the headband. “Ready to get it over with?”

“Almost. It was Red’s idea to show this one.” Keith drew a deep breath and closed his eyes again.

<> <> <> <> <>

Keith walked down the ramp from Red’s mouth and paused, seeing Commander Iverson and someone in a hazmat suit standing near the gates that led to the main hangars. He removed his helmet, squared his shoulders, and stepped out of his Lion.

He went through Red’s force field. Shoving his helmet under his left arm, he held out his right hand to shake with the Commander. The faceless medtech got in the way, waving a scanner. “Hold still, we need to check you over for any dangerous pathogens.”

Keith’s tone was impatient. “I feel perfectly fine. None of us have gotten sick at all. I could…” His voice faded as if something had occurred to him.

“Just another minute while these readings come through…”

Keith’s view snapped to one side and he gasped “Ow!” He stumbled a little. “What the hell?” His fingers scrabbled along his neck and brought something into view. A tranquilizer dart.

The view wobbled as Keith tried to draw his bayard and move back far enough to get inside the force field again, to get his helmet on. But the darts kept coming and finally Keith was reeling forward and losing consciousness.

Iverson was there to catch him. “They pulled rank, son. I’m sorry.”

<> <> <> <> <>

Keith fumbled for the control to stop the recording and felt Coran do it instead. He scrubbed at his face with his hands, trying to shake off the feelings from the memory: the sudden alarm from the attack followed by the panicked attempt to retreat and the helplessness as he lost control of his body to the tranqs.

Shiro knelt in front of him. “It’s okay, it’s over. That’s a smart choice. It gives us a bit more evidence against Darzi. Iverson can verify it.”

Pidge moved behind him, clasping his shoulders. He dragged his hands from his face and reached out, taking her hand and Shiro’s hand.

“That was harder than I expected.”

Shiro put his other hand on top of Keith’s. “Do we need to wait before doing the last one?”

“No, I need to get it over with.”

“Okay, we’re right here. Just remember, it’s over and you survived.”

Keith closed his eyes and touched the control once more.

<> <> <> <> <>

The view was of a dimly lit room, looking up at the ceiling. He looked around, noting the straps holding him down. Beeps punctuated the stillness. He continued to look around, seeing his helmet and armor to one side—

And a woman sprawled on the floor near the door, unconscious.

The beeping accelerated with his pulse, triggering an alarm. The door to the room opened, showing Darzi and Perkins. The smile on Darzi’s face was anything but friendly.

“Now we can talk, Kogane. Just you and me and the right balance of amotrazephine and adrenaline.”

The view shook as Keith struggled against his bonds and shouted. “Guard! Hey, somebody! I need help!”

Darzi moved across and hands came down, sealing off his air. “Now, now. None of that. Just give Perkins here a minute to set up the drip and everything will be all right.”

The view jerked as Keith tried to shake off the hands, but the pressure increased. He tried to get the medtech’s attention but he could produce no more than a rasp in his throat.

His blood was pounding through him, roaring like rapids in his ears. His eyesight was dimming, dark spots blooming in his view. And Darzi stared at him with a maniacal gleam, watching eagerly as Keith fought to breathe.

“Sir, let go!” Perkins grabbed Darzi’s arm, breaking his hold just enough for a trickle of precious oxygen to make it through. Perkins pulled at Darzi again. Finally, finally a hint of sanity emerged and he removed one hand, keeping the other across Keith’s mouth.

“Do it now!”

<> <> <> <> <>

As his memory and the projection of it dissolved into Red’s scarlet aura, Keith groped frantically for the control to stop it, gasping for air. Cool metal fingers deactivated the band and lifted it from his head. He heard a murmur as Shiro passed the device to Coran. Then with a gentle tug, he pulled Keith forward into his arms.

“Breathe, Keith. Slowly. We’ve got you.”

Keith felt Pidge slip into the chair behind him and slide her arms above Shiro’s to hug him, pressing her face between his shoulder blades. Their warmth radiated through him and steadied him. You can breathe. You can breathe.

Coran’s voice interrupted, in a low volume so he wouldn’t startle them. “All right, it’s done and the memories are transferred. I’m going to keep the equipment for recording nearby tomorrow, just in case we need it.”

“Thank you, Coran,” Shiro replied, not moving from his position. He worked his left hand free and ran it through Pidge’s hair, drawing a contented sound from her.

Keith chuckled at that and twisted so he could get one arm around her. “All right, guys. I think I’m okay.”

“You sure?” Pidge snuggled into his side. “Because I can stay here, no problem. Group hugs are great.”

“Won’t feel so great on my knees in a few minutes,” Shiro replied. He gave Keith one more squeeze, ruffled his hair, and stood, pulling both Keith and Pidge with him.

Good cubs, Red rumbled. Much better this time around.

And what’s that supposed to mean?

But Red ignored his question.

<> <> <> <> <>

“You agreed to what?” Darzi surged to his feet, both hands planted on the table in front of him. His lawyer nervously grabbed at one arm to tug him back into his chair.

Neither Iverson or Benítez batted an eye. She looked sidelong at General Caplan, the appointed judge advocate, who raised his eyebrows at the outburst.

“Lieutenant General, you have managed to act in a detrimental manner against a representative of a foreign government, an alien government—”

“So you’re admitting Kogane’s an alien!”

The lawyer almost facepalmed. Caplan looked even more confused.

“As my granddaughter would say, care to share what you’re smoking? No one is saying any such thing. Kogane and the other four have clearly been accepted into this alien society, trusted to fly these ships. And according to the charges preferred by all parties here, you detained him illegally, conducted illegal assisted interrogations against him, assaulted him, and nearly killed him. You should be grateful that we’re being allowed to conduct this proceeding ourselves, no matter where it’s held. If that princess gets wind of our United Nations, she could very well turn this into a global incident and demand that you be tried in her courts.”

Darzi’s face reddened in fury, but it appeared that the message was finally getting through. The lawyer quickly jumped in.

“What is the proposed plan?”

Benítez replied, “We will meet here at 0800 hours tomorrow morning, along with medtechs Perkins and Desai as witnesses. The Alteans are going to land their ship twenty miles south of us, on Garrison property but far enough away not to disturb the compound. We will drive out and be shown to the facilities they have. We will be given the chance to ask them questions. Proceedings will open at 0900. Is that all understood?”

Iverson thought he could hear Darzi’s teeth grinding together, but the only answer came from the lawyer. “We’ll be here.”

<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>

More to come! In the meantime, I tossed in a couple of Easter-egg references. One’s a nod to one of my favorite Voltron fanfics and the other is an (anachronistic) reference to another fandom. Any guesses?

#voltron #scattered by avidbeader #fanfic: voltron #voltron fanfic

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crazyblues162 · 7 years

Text

Why Edgeworth and Maya Is My OTP

This is in response to a question I was asked over the messenger on this site. Also, just pointing out, these two are my OTP across all fandoms; My ultimate OTP.

My reasons for shipping them have to do with the experiences they share and the ways they talk to and about each other. As such, this is going to be a breakdown of those interactions. There will be spoilers in this regarding the entirety of the trilogy, plus the 6th game.

I dedicate this post to @preussens-tugenden, who asked me to do this MONTHS ago, before I stopped posting for a while because of anxiety. (I’m really sorry!!!) I also dedicate this post to @edgeworths, whose interests this is relevant to.

This is going to be LONG, so be warned!

Miles Edgeworth and Maya Fey are two very different people who first met under bad circumstances. This is a reasonable first impression of these characters, although my perspective was a bit different (considering that I played the trilogy in reverse-order, as detailed at the end of this post).

FIRST GAME

They first met in court, Edgeworth prosecuting Maya for the murder of her older sister. At first, Maya really didn’t like Edgeworth. All of that changed by the 4th case in the first game. Edgeworth was on trial for the murder of Robert Hammond. I will be breaking this one down in a lot of detail, because I think the context is really important in this case, more so than the other examples I’ll be giving.

Maya had observed that he wasn’t all bad. She actually played a huge role in Phoenix taking that case. She was rather insistent that Edgeworth let them defend him. She pushed Phoenix to keep trying. She actually did quite a lot of the talking, at least at first. She even praised Gumshoe for his dedication to Edgeworth. What eventually got Edgeworth to reconsider, after rejecting their help repeatedly, was a photo of Misty Fey; Maya’s mother. Her mother was indirectly involved in an incident where Edgeworth’s father was killed. The D-L6 incident, as it was named. That incident that was at the center of the whole case, as it would turn out. The same incident that took Edgeworth’s father away from him had also taken Maya’s mother away from her.

During the investigation into the murder of Edgeworth’s father, Maya’s mother, a spirit medium, was called upon. Gregory Edgeworth pointed blame at a particular person, who ended up being proven innocent. Maya’s mother’s credibility as a medium was lost after that, and she ended up leaving her home and her two children behind. Edgeworth and Maya both have this incident to blame for the loss of their only parents. Edgeworth’s sole guardian was his father, and Maya’s was her mother. Edgeworth was made aware of the fact that Misty Fey was Maya’s mother. I feel like this would be something that could bring them together.

Later in the case, when Lotta’s testimony was about to get Edgeworth found guilty, Maya started screaming at her about it; about how suspicious it sounded, calling her credibility into question, despite being warned that the defense could be held in contempt of court. She managed to goad Lotta into saying something that changed her testimony and she also managed to get Phoenix off the hook, taking the heat herself. Maya was held in contempt of court and arrested.

Maya’s sacrifice in that moment ultimately lead to new information being discovered and the investigation and trial being prolonged. Edgeworth was noted by Gumshoe to be extremely grateful for this. Gumshoe also states that Edgeworth’s lip was trembling as he watched Maya being arrested, and informs Phoenix that Edgeworth payed the entirety of her bail himself.

Later on, Edgeworth details his father’s murder, as it begins to become clear that it relates to the current case. He states that this recurring nightmare he’s had for the past 15 years, wherein he killed his own father, is the truth of what happened during that incident. His memory of the actual incident is foggy, but he feels sure of it now. Maya insists repeatedly that it was just a dream and that he couldn’t have done it. Phoenix says he's not sure there's anything else they can do about this, if Edgeworth is confessing. Maya insists that there is and drags Phoenix to the law office of Marvin Grossberg. When Phoenix was willing to (reluctantly) give up on Edgeworth, Maya wasn’t.

Robert Hammond, the victim in the current case, worked for Grossberg. Not only that, but he was the defense attorney that defended the man accused of Gregory Edgeworth’s murder. Maya intended to find out more about the DL-6 incident from Grossberg, since they have no other sources. She breaks down crying in front of Grossberg before explaining the situation to him. She repeatedly insisted that Edgeworth’s dream really was just a dream. Grossberg explained that the circumstances indicate that Edgeworth probably really was the killer. Maya insists that she doesn't believe him. No matter what the evidence pointed to, Maya wasn’t willing to turn her back on Edgeworth.

Maya repeatedly pushes Phoenix on when it seems he’s about to give up. Granted, there are a few times where Maya seems unsure herself, and Phoenix is the one who does the pushing.

During the investigation, Phoenix and Maya encounter the shady prosecutor, Manfred Von Karma, stealing evidence from the DL-6 incident from the evidence room. Phoenix gloats about a piece of evidence that he has that’s going to help him win, and Von Karma takes that too, threatening them with a taser. Phoenix backs off, but Maya jumps him. The two are tased and Von Karma makes off with the evidence. Except for one piece. Maya stole from him what turned out to be the most important piece of evidence in the whole case. She saved Edgeworth. I feel like that’s a point that could bring them even closer together.

At the end of the trial, she gently scolds Edgeworth for his inability to express his gratitude and offers him quick help and advice. He opened up to her enough to try to take her advice and to apologize for his inability to say “thank you” to her standards. She tells him that he has a lot to learn, but seems genuinely proud of him for making an effort.

That all was just from the first game, but there’s more in other games! The first game is where most of my info comes from, though. It should also be noted that the first game is where Edgeworth’s interest in the Steel Samurai TV show is first hinted at, which is an interest he has in common with Maya. This is something they could possibly bond over. They are the two characters in the series who are the most interested in the Steel Samurai by far.

SECOND GAME

In the second game, in the last case, Maya is kidnapped and held hostage. The hostage taker demands that Phoenix get a not guilty verdict for his client, who turned out to be at least somewhat guilty. Once Edgeworth eventually caught on to the fact that Maya might be in danger, he immediately started cooperating with Phoenix to prolong the trial. He didn’t even take time to try to confirm with Phoenix what was going on first. This is while Phoenix had been being a huge jerk to him for most of the case. I would like to point out that cooperating with the defense to rig the trial would most definitely count as some form of misconduct. If it was discovered, there could be very serious consequences for the both of them. Edgeworth, being very serious about his job, wouldn’t do something like that on a whim.

This could easily be explained by stating that Edgeworth probably would have acted the same way regardless of who it was being held hostage, and that’s probably true. It doesn’t change the fact that it happened, though, and that it could have an impact on the dynamic of their relationship. At that point, it would be true that they had each risked a lot to help the other in difficult circumstances. I feel like that should mean something to them, even if only in a platonic way.

He eventually got an explanation from Phoenix about what was happening with Maya. Edgeworth immediately stated that he would arrange for a search party. Phoenix insisted that he didn’t need Edgeworth’s “pity” and stated that getting the “not guilty” verdict was the only way to save her. Edgeworth responded by insisting that he’s going to leave to make the preparations for Maya’s search party. He wasn’t willing to take “no” for an answer, though this could be explained as Edgeworth not wanting to let a guilty man go free.

The only real interaction between the two of them in this game comes at the end of the case, once Phoenix’s client is dealt with and Maya is free. Her and Edgeworth exchange words. Edgeworth awkwardly tells Maya that he’s glad she’s alright. She proudly tells him that he’s making “real progress”, in reference to the last conversation they’d had, at the end of the first game, where she’d told him that he has a lot to learn.

I feel like, by this point, there would be enough basis to center the ship around. They have limited interactions in the third game, but I’ll get a bit into it. It’s been the longest since I’ve played that one, so I’m gonna keep it short.

THIRD GAME

Maya was deeply involved in the last case of the third game. This case also included Edgeworth returning once more from an absence. This time, he headed over in response to a phone call from Larry, who told him that Phoenix had fallen off of a burning bridge and into a raging river. When Edgeworth arrived, Phoenix had been rescued and managed to survive with nothing more than a cold. Phoenix’s illness had rendered him unable to do his job, so he convinced Edgeworth to pose as a defense attorney in his stead. This isn’t really relevant to the topic, but I just found it amusing.

Maya was relevant, because she was trapped on the other side of that now destroyed bridge while there was a killer on the loose. The killer had murdered a children’s book author by the name of Elise Deauxnim, who Larry was mentoring under. This case takes many twists and turns, but we eventually learn that Elise Deauxnim was actually Misty Fey, Maya’s mother. She was killed in front of her, if I recall correctly.

At the end of this case, Maya seems relatively cheerful, despite all that happened. Edgeworth comes forward to offer Phoenix an explanation, as he thinks he knows how she feels. He remarks that Maya is “a much wiser person than she appears”, and that she must know that “now is exactly the time when she needs to be as strong as she can”. He says that last part with a smile.

Edgeworth isn’t seen again until the 5th game, and Maya isn’t seen again until the 6th. They share a small bit of interactions in the 6th game. I will note those here.

SIXTH GAME

The first time those two are associated in any way is when Edgeworth is noted to be investigating something in Kurain Village at the same time Apollo and Dhurke are there. That “something” turns out to be a situation where Maya is being held hostage (because the two things she’s best at (besides channeling) are being accused of murder and being held hostage). Edgeworth is there at Phoenix’s request, sure, but something has to be said for the fact that, so many times where Maya’s been in danger, Edgeworth has happened to be one of the people to save her. Arguments of this nature could perhaps be better made to support Maya/Phoenix as a ship, but I personally see those two as more sibling-like in their relationship; that’s just my personal preference, I suppose.

They head off to meet the hostage-taker and find Maya in an unconscious state. She’s rushed to the hospital. When all is said and done, Apollo and Athena go off to investigate a murder. When Phoenix says that he wants to visit Maya in the hospital, Edgeworth volunteers to go with him.

Even after all this time, I have not finished the DLC case. Not for lack of interest, but because I got distracted by several games until I lost my momentum. I plan to finish it before SUPER long, but I will just conclude this section with a couple of interactions regarding them from that case, as I’ve seen so far. ( 1, 2).

CONCLUSION

With all that, there is nothing really conclusive. When I look at these happenings, it makes me think of those two as highly compatible. They’ve been through so much hardship, much of it together. They can relate to each other in a lot of ways, while also being different enough to each be able to give the other new perspectives. They have so much in common, even going as far as their trivial interest in the Steel Samurai. At the same time, they’re different enough to keep things interesting between them.

I know that both of them are commonly shipped with Phoenix (among others), but I just don’t see either of them having that kind of relationship with Phoenix.

Phoenix is obviously a very devoted friend to Edgeworth, completely uprooting his life and becoming a lawyer in order to reunite with him (although we learn in the third game that it was a little more complicated than that). Edgeworth doesn’t seem to like Phoenix as much as Phoenix likes him. That isn’t to say that Edgeworth doesn’t like him at all, but just that there’s not really a good balance in that “relationship”.

Maya clearly has great respect toward Phoenix, but he often talks down to her and underestimates her. Not in a malicious way, but in a way that reminds me of an older brother talking to his little sister. He picks on her in that sort of way. That isn’t to say that couples can’t behave that way, but I’ve grown quite fond of the idea of Phoenix becoming a new older sibling type of figure for Maya, after Mia’s death.

I think Maya and Edgeworth go well together, and I think they have a lot of long-term potential. Anyone is free to agree or disagree with me, but I hope this hasn’t been a total waste of time for anyone who read it.

#Ace Attorney #mitsumayo #mayaworth #Miles Edgeworth #Maya Fey #AA1 spoilers #AA2 spoilers #AA3 spoilers #AA6 spoilers #this is seriously over 13000 characters long #I have no life

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brokensmileswritings · 7 years

Text

One Small Change

Chapter 3- Turnabout Trump: Kristoph Gavin’s true colours.

Apollo gets a new co-counsel as he begins to see his employer in a new light.

An: Huge thanks to @tarmahartley for her critique of my writing. It has really helped me improve.

Apollo listened to Mr. Wright’s testimony regarding the implanted card and how he came to find it in his pocket. Despite claiming that he was too good to be caught out by a mere trick (since he knew them all, apparently), Apollo cynically, and correctly, thought otherwise.

Mr Wright’s luck had been present that night since he had discovered the card by chance. Fearing the worst, he had disposed of it in an empty grape juice bottle although the bottle Apollo had in his possession was empty.

When he presented this to Mr. Wright, he remained adamant that he had put the planted card in that particular bottle while Mr. Gavin merely scoffed and added sarcastically, “Maybe there were other people involved in this case?”

If Apollo didn’t know any better, he would say that Kristoph Gavin was working against his own client which begged the question: Why would he do such a thing? Mr. Gavin was a friend of Mr Wright’s so why would he be advocating a guilty verdict for him? It didn’t make any sense. As the cross examination continued, Apollo wasn’t sure what was going on but he was profoundly aware that there was something fishy going on. Mr. Gavin’s continued encouragement to break Mr Wright’s cool demeanor made something click in Apollo’s head which was even more startling when he realized the implications: Kristoph wanted Mr. Wright to be found guilty of murder.

But…why?

Another contradiction came to light in Mr Wright’s testimony: Shadi Smith had a cut on his forehead that was covered by his hat. As it appeared, Phoenix Wright had tampered with the crime scene by putting the victim’s hat back on his head which, being a member of the legal profession, he should have known that was something you didn’t do! At first glance, it made him look very bad but, upon further examination, it turned out that he had had a good reason to and that came in the form of a recorded phone call.

Despite Kristoph slandering Mr. Wright’s testimony as travesty and lies, there was no escaping the harsh truth that was rearing its ugly head: How did Mr Gavin know that Shadi Smith was bald if he only saw him wearing a hat?

———————————————————————————————

Someone cracked that flawless bone china pate.

Those words whirled around in Apollo’s head as he stood in the defendant’s lobby, the implications making themselves only too clear to him. It wasn’t just Mr Wright who was seeing Kristoph Gavin in a new light; Apollo himself was beginning to wonder just who it was that he was working for and he couldn’t help wondering just who his mentor really was.

And something else: Was he friend or foe? Apollo didn’t really know at this point but he had a very bad feeling about it; worst of all, he wasn’t entirely sure himself.

He was pondering what was going to happen after the recess since he was about to hear Mr. Gavin’s testimony. What was he going to do? If he ended up accusing Mr. Gavin of murder, he would be out of a job.

His wandering thoughts were brought firmly back to the present by a voice calling out to him; startled, he looked up to see that the voice belonged to a teenaged girl, dressed in a blue magician’s outfit complete with hat and cape.

“Hello sir!’ she called out pleasantly, holding out a some cards in front of her, a secretive smile on her lips. “Please pick a card!”

Apollo grumbled under his breath. He had no time for magic tricks since this was a court of law, not a circus! However, maybe it would be a welcome distraction from the thoughts plaguing his mind so he decided to play along.

“Very well.” He picked the first card he saw as if it was somehow it was calling to him and, as he held it, the magician’s next words shook him to his core.

“The last hand is about to be dealt and you need a trump card in order to win. Use this card wisely for it is your chance to find the truth.”

Okay, that was weird. What did she mean about “finding the truth”? He shrugged it off impatiently as he turned away. He had no time at the present to think about the cryptic words of some teenage witch since it was almost time to return to the courtroom to commence the trial.

It was only when he saw the card, that he remembered the words of Olga Orly: It was the Ace of Spades.

His eyes widened as he looked down at the card in stunned disbelief. It was an Ace of Spades… with a drop of blood on it.

————————————————————————————————

When Apollo returned, he was greeted by Mr Wright behind the defence bench.

“I can’t remember the last time I was here. Sure looks different from this side. Oh! Hi, Apollo. I am sorry to intrude on your turf; I thought you could use some help.” He smiled. “I am a legal aide, of course. “

To say Apollo was flabbergasted was an understatement. Mr Wright, his hero, was going to be his co-counsel for the remainder of the trial?!

“I am sorry if I was rude or uncooperative during my testimony. Heck, I practically took over the trial! I am sorry, Apollo. but you see… I have my suspicions regarding your employer and well… I don’t want you to go on alone.” His voice was earnest as he looked at him, a grim expression on his face. “Please… let me help you on this. “

Apollo didn’t know what to say to that but he had to agree with Mr Wright on suspecting Kristoph Gavin. Something was off about the whole thing and Mr. Gavin seemed to know more than he was letting on.

————————————————————————————————-

Well, that was that.

Kristoph Gavin was the real killer. He had used a secret passage in the restaurant to access the Hydeout and kill Smith and had even swapped the grape juice bottle/ murder weapon out for another.

Apollo was grateful for Mr. Wright’s advice. If it wasn’t for his logic and helping him turn his thinking around, Apollo would never have suspected that his boss was a murderer.

It was obvious why Mr. Wright was a legal aide, but what perplexed Apollo more was the reason for the change in career. Mr. Gavin’s words at the end of the trial led to some insight into the reason.

Seven years ago, a penalty was put on Mr Wright’s record and had caused him to lose his reputation. No one trusted him as an attorney anymore, so he had taken up legal advice instead. He still kept his badge and was technically a licensed attorney, but he never took on clients, his badge still pinned to his lapel on his court suit in the back of his wardrobe.

Apollo felt awful; to think that the great Ace Attorney himself had to go into legal advice instead of defending the innocent was, to him, a sad irony. After having had a stellar career in law, and the catalyst during the Dark times of the law for change, it seemed cruel to have fallen into the depths like this. It’s just not fair…

After the trial, Mr Wright approached Apollo, his expression sympathetic.

“I am sorry that things turned out the way they did, Apollo.” He put his hand comfortingly for a moment on the young lawyer’s shoulder. “I know it must be hard to see someone you respected turn out to be a killer.” Apollo nodded but said nothing more, silence reigning between the two men for a few moments until Mr. Wright broke it, a smile on his face and a cheerful lilt to his voice. “Listen, how about you stop by my office? While I can offer legal advice, I think that we could also take a fully licensed attorney on board, as well. What do you say?”

Apollo blinked as Mr Wright handed him a black, gilt-edged business card with gold scrolling with the words Wright and CO. law Offices- “Offering legal advice no matter what your situation” printed on itin red calligraphic script and Mr. Wright’s phone number and address on the back.

Apollo stared at the card in astonishment before it suddenly dawned on him: Phoenix Wright wanted to employ him!

“Th-Thank you, Mr. Wright!” His face flushed as he struggled to find the words to express himself without stuttering, Mr. Wright looking on with a bemused expression. “C-can I ask you a question?”

He nodded. “Sure, Apollo. Go ahead.”

“I… noticed something about the bloody ace. It seemed… too perfect, somehow.”

“ Ahh…” Mr. Wright averted his gaze for a moment. “I see you noticed. Well, if I am truthful, it is technically a forgery.”

“WHAT????!!!” Apollo exclaimed in shock and disappointment.

“Hear me out first before you judge me.“ Mr. Wright turned to face him. "The correct term for it would be that it is a replica. You see, I have evidence to prove that it was there on the night of the murder and a replica is fine as long as you can prove it existed in the first place. Some criminals are sly and will cover their tracks like Gavin did; if you can make a footprint to catch the fox, it is permissible as long you can prove which way he went. Do you see what I mean?”

Apollo nodded, dumbfounded.

Mr. Wright that put his hand into his pocket and brought out his cell phone. Apollo could only watch the older man fiddle with his phone.

“I’m glad phones these days have cameras. “ He smiled as he handed the phone to Apollo and, sure enough, there was a picture showing an Ace of Spades with a drop of blood on the corner. Exactly like the one that Apollo had in the Court Record.

“Do you really think I would give a rookie attorney forged evidence without proof that it was there in the first place?” His voice was somewhat reproachful and Apollo winced as he handed the phone back to him. “It looks like Mr Gavin forgot to take this before he left although he kindly rectified that mistake when I returned and found the Ace gone. He must have been in such a hurry the first time that he missed it so I am rather glad that he did and I had the opportunity to take a photo to prove it.” He chuckled. “I even took an “after” picture, as well.”

“B…ut.. you could have used that!” Apollo stuttered, his mind whirling. “Why didn’t-?”

“No one asked for proof except Kristoph himself, Apollo,” he interrupted gently, “and it was more of a back-up plan to be used in case things went wrong.”

Apollo was speechless. Mr. Wright surely was one cunning lawyer-well, legal aide-and he was nothing short of impressed by his contingency plan.

Mr. Wright grinned, clapping him on the shoulder.“ Now, how about we talk over some coffee?” Mr. Wright turned and began walking toward the courtroom exit, Apollo following. “I can introduce you to Trucy.”

#apollo justice #phoenix wright #au #one small change

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yellowfeaverpainting · 4 years

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religious influence

Religious influence in utah

Is the religious influence a good thing? I have lived in Utah my whole life and was once a member of the predominant religion in Utah, The church of Jesus christ of latter day saints. I was raised in this religion and so were many of my friends. I remember not being able to play with my friends on Sundays, and always being at church every sunday. When I got a little older I wasn't allowed to drink coffee or dress a certain way. I was told specific guidelines to follow on dates. I was terrified to screw up or question anything. I remember when i would question the guidelines i was told to follow I would immediately get accusing looks, like I was doing something wrong. I never had a problem with these rules until they started to control who I was becoming. I wondered if this dominant influence in my life was really for the betterment of my life or was it just another social trap, another mold that my community was trying to stuff me into. I eventually left the religion when I began to wonder if this religious influence was really a good thing.

Religious influence has touched all over the world from establishing states and countries such as Utah or Israel. Religion also has an influence in politics. Some politicians let their religious views dictate what law should or shouldn't be made. Some countries run on the views of their predominant religion. Religious influence also stretches all the way back to prehistoric humans and how they lived and explained the world around them. Religion became a means of survival for some. Whole countries depend on religion to govern them and the people within. Religion starts wars and slaughters. It also influences us from a sociological standpoint and how we can or can not act around our social circles, but religion will also offer support and hope in people's time of need. Some religions send out volunteers in times of crisis or even just to volunteer at a local soup kitchen. Religious influence is more predominant in people's lives than they realize.

In 1847, Brigham Young led a company of Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley and said, “This is the place.” From that day on the area that would eventually become where the state of Utah was established. Young at the time was also the leader of the LDS religion. He had led that company of pioneers across the west in search of freedom from religious persecution. After being run out of other states the pioneers decided to look for and create their own settlement, which would eventually become modern day Utah.

At the time of the pioneer's arrival into the Salt Lake valley, the LDS religion had been established for around 25 years and was still establishing rules and guidelines for its members. Some of those rules included avoiding tobacco and alcohol use, as well as avoiding coffee and tea. Some beliefs continue to this day while others (i.e. plural marriage) were abandoned as they were a source of contention with the federal government. As these rules and beliefs were developed and established it begs the question, why? Why not allow the consumption of coffee or tea? Tobacco and alcohol use is understandable given the health risks associated with their use but, coffee? It doesn't have the same health risks that smoking tobacco does nor does it come with the social taboo that plural marriage has. Plus, it wasn’t until the religion had been established for years that these specific rules came about.

Most rules within religion have been constant such as avoiding sexual relations outside of marriage or avoiding tobacco and alcohol while others have changed with the times such as allowing African American’s to hold the priesthood. These rules influence and dictate how the members are to make decisions and, in some ways, dictate how they live their lives. But is this type of extreme influence good in a person's life. Does it not take away their independence, their individuality, and their agency? All qualities the church encourages but sometimes appears to do its best to influence.

Last year the lds church sent an email out to the members of its church urging them to vote no to the law legalizing medical marijuana. The Deseret new writes and explains the reasoning behind the church's decision. The question is though would this email be a breach of separation between church and state. No matter the reasoning behind the email it is blatantly telling its members how to vote. “As a member of the coalition, we urge voters of Utah to vote NO on Proposition 2, and join us in a call to state elected officials to promptly work with medical experts, patients, and community leaders to find a solution that will work for all Utahns, without the harmful effects that will come to pass if Proposition 2 becomes law”(Deseret News 2018). The quote I chose is taken directly from an email the lds sent to its members. It is a specific example of separation between church and state. The separation between church and state is the jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the nation state. Religions shouldn't tell people how to vote or what to vote for and politicians should not base their views or how the country should be run on their own personal religious values. Separation between church and state is a way to create balance between everyone's own personal views and morals.

The Scopes Monkey Trials is another example of separation between church and state. In which a teacher was arrested for teaching about evolution in a school in tennessee. Tennessee in 1925 passed a law which prohibits the teaching of darwinism in schools. It was the first law in the United states that banned the teaching of evolution. There are currently 14 states in the United States that use tax dollars to teach creationism within public schools. “The Butler bill, which had been passed in March 1925, made it a misdemeanor punishable by fine to “teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals.” (History.com Editors 2010). I wanted to use the scopes monkey trials as another historical example of religious influence and separation between church and state but the interesting twist about the scopes monkey trials is that the case was lost. The teacher who was convicted had to pay a fee in the end for breaking the law but the verdict was overturned due to a technicality. Even though the verdict was guilty the court recognized the scopes monkey trials raised the public's awareness of teaching theology and/or modoer science in public schools. The trail raises the distinct divide between urban and rural american life in the 1920’s. The scopes monkey trials is used as an emblem on the creationist v. elelutionist controversy.

In the 13th century the puritan church were slaughtering people on the premise that they were witches. The puritain church encouraged its members to condon their neighbors as witches. It was a moment where fear controlled a religion and anything they deemed different or going against their ways was evil and immoral and therefore put to death. The Salem witch trials are an example of religious influence and fear working together to slaughter innocent people. Some people at this time were so brainwashed into thinking that any little thing out of place was because of magic, anything they couldn’t explain through religion or the bible was therefore witchcraft and evil. “Puritan lifestyle was influenced heavily by the church and Christian beliefs. Church was the cornerstone of the mainly Puritan society of the 17th century.”(Blumberg 2007). Puritan laws were extremely rigid and the members of society were expected to follow a strict moral code. Due to this fact, anything that was believed to go against this code was considered a sin and deserved to be punished. The Puritans also believed strongly in the wrath of God and did everything they could to prevent themselves from receiving it. This is why the witch scare was taken so seriously and the accused were punished harshly. The first women to be accused as witches were those who strayed from the Puritan lifestyle and were considered to be social outcasts. Religion can influence a mass group of people for the worse is what this quote and the entire Salem witch trials show. It's a religious group of people who teach to be different is a sin. The puritan s were scared of God’s wrath and had to quel anything they deemed evil and sin immediately or else god would punish them. They used their religious influence to keep people in line and to accuse neighbors, friends, even family. It is an historical example of fear and religious influence coming together to create the perfect storm to slaughter the falsely accused people.

Every major religion has some kind of crusade. Some kind of purification time period in which a religion tries to purge any other religion. Such is the case in the 13 century when the christian faith lead cursades to take back their holy lands such as jerusalem from other major religions such as muslim or jedaism through war and violence. In modern day Iran the christine population has dropped from 1.5 million to less than 120,000 because of the religious persecution in the middle east. “Throughout the remainder of the 13th century, a variety of Crusades aimed not so much to topple Muslim forces in the Holy Land but to combat any and all of those seen as enemies of the Christian faith. The Crusaders slaughtered hundreds of men, women, and children in their victorious entrance into Jerusalem.”(History.com Editors 2010) I used the crusades as an ancient example to show that religious influence is not a new concept. Religious influence has been around as long as religion has. The crusade are specifically a christion example of a extreme way of converting people to their religion. There are religions that still do this today, it has never gone away.

Why do people need religion in the first place? Why has religion always played a part in influencing people's decisions throughout history. There are as many different theories regarding why humans developed religion as there are religions. There is no definite answer, however. One theory is that religion is to enhance self-control. Another theory would be that religion was created to enhance a sense of cooperation. Another theory being explored by psychologists suggests the religion may be a byproduct of trying to find order in chaos. Humans anthropomorphized their environment to believe the world around them was created for their use; to answer the questions they have about the world around them. The american Psychology Association article entitled A reason to believe talks about the history of how religion was first developed by prehistoric humans. It goes on to explain how religion was first developed as a way to explain the natural phenomenons around them. Before science was able to explain the word around ancient civilizations used legends and stories, those legends and stories were their religion. These stories influenced how they saw the world around them. They created the wrath of gods to explain natural phenomenons. The world influenced their beliefs. They needed to understand the world around them and created religion to compensate for a lack of understanding. “Most researchers don’t believe that the cognitive tendencies that bias us toward religious belief evolved specifically for thinking about religion. Rather, they likely served other adaptive purposes. For example, because people are quick to believe that someone or something is behind even the most benign experiences, they may perceive the sound of the wind rustling leaves as a potential predator. In evolutionary terms it was probably better for us to mistakenly assume that the wind was a lion than to ignore the rustling and risk death.”(Azar 2010). This quote is used to show that there are also physiological reasons for religious influence. That before technology and we had the brain comprehension to understand the world around us, before we had complex thinking religious influence was there even before religion had a name. Religion was a sort of prehistoric thinking that kept us moving and aware of the world around us, it kept us alive before we had the understanding to do it ourselves.

Psychology Today writes an article entitled why do people believe in God. The article talks about how people use religion as a safety net in their everyday lives. How undeveloped countries have a higher religious rate than developed countries. This is because people use God and religion as a safety blanket for their cruel world. They believe in a higher power that will keep them or their family safe. The article talks about how affordable health care can also play a role in the religious rates because the United State has a high religious rate but the article argues that this is because we don’t have affordable health care. We don’t have that assurance that our government will come to our rescue when we are sick or injured so the idea of a higher power that will always be there for us looks more appealing. “There are societal factors that influence the degree of religious belief within societies. As a general rule, religious belief is considerably lower in developed countries compared with the underdeveloped world. The United States, with its high standard of living and high religiosity, is the glaring exception. However, as Mercier and his colleagues point out, Japan and Western European have universal health care and extensive social safety nets, as opposed to the U.S. The Japanese and the Europeans know their governments will come to their aid in their hour of need. But the laissez-faire attitudes of American society make people’s futures less certain and the belief in a benevolent God more attractive.” (Ludden 2018). This quote is to reflex that not only does religion influence the world but outside forces also influence a religion. People turn to God when the world has turned against them so it makes sense that underdeveloped countries have higher religious rates. It's the same when a dying atheist suddenly turns toward religion in his last moments, to have some sort of safety net. Religion is the escape, the light at the end of the tunnel for those who have nothing. Religion gives hope and peace, it brings people comfort in times or anxiety but if you're not worrying about where your next meal will come or if you have a safe place to sleep tonight or how you’ll get clean water then you don’t see God's guiding light as a necessity in your life.

Religion can promote people to be more aware of how others in their community view them. But it also leads to judging your neighbors and the way they live their life. It promotes a sense of community but also a sense of keeping up with the joneses. People have to make themselves look better than their neighbors. They convince themselves that the way they are living their life is more moral than another because they are living in a religious community that encourages this train of thought. This article by the Association for Psychological Science explains how religion influences a person's self control. How growing up in a religion can influence how a person views themselves in a community. “It’s not entirely clear what cognitive mechanism is at work in religion’s influence on self-control. One possibility is that religion makes people mindful of an ever watchful God, and thus encourages more self-monitoring. Or religious priming may activate concerns of supernatural punishment. A more secular explanation is that religious priming makes people more concerned about their reputation in the community, leading to more careful self-monitoring.”(Ludden 2018). The quote I have chosen shows how religion influences how people act in their social groups. It is another example of how religion can have physiological effects on people. It influences how they see themselves, how they see their neighbors and how they act around their neighbors. Religion influences how people act the same way we would train a pet, through punishment and reward. You do something good and moral, you follow the rules we set for you, you go to Heaven, Nirvana, Paradise, Moksha, you get blessed. If you're bad and break the rules you go to Hell, Hades, Samsara, you get punished. It is the same idea of when people use cautionary tales to scare young children into following the rules and being good.

While religious influence can definitely have a negative effect on the masses it can also have a positive effect as well. The article by the heritage foundation talks about all of the positive things religion does for a person and community. Religion can influence people to become better by not smoking or drinking. It can encourage people to reach out and help those in need. It promotes the necessity of family and also gives young children a support system in case they can’t go to family. Religious influence has negative effects and positive effects just like anything else. Considerable evidence indicates that religious involvement reduces "such problems as sexual permissiveness, teen pregnancy, suicide, drug abuse, alcoholism, and to some extent deviant and delinquent acts, and increases self esteem, family cohesiveness and general well being. Some religious influences have a modest impact whereas another portion seem like the mental equivalent of nuclear energy. More generally, social scientists are discovering the continuing power of religion to protect the family from the forces that would tear it down." (Fagan). This quote is to show the positive effect religion can have on one's life. It can give people hope and provide a strong moral compass for people. It gives young children strong morals to grow up with and a support system they can go to outside of their parents. Religion can provide good life advice and hope to those living in troubling times. It helps people from dark physiological places and even out of dangerous situations. It offers support and love to those with nowhere else to turn.

Gretchen Ely is a proffessor and assosiate dean at the university of buffalo writes an artical about the abortion policies in other contries and what those countries predominant religion is. She writes about how strict laws are purposly put into effect to create it harder for a person to afford an abortion. She talks about how such laws and acts are advocated specifically by christian politicians in the United states. “Title X funds have never been used to pay for abortion services. But by eliminating funding for facilities that offer abortions in addition to other reproductive services, the Trump administration rule may leave millions of low-income Planned Parenthood patients without family planning care. The new rule is part of an old American effort, promoted by Christian activists and lawmakers, to make legal abortions as difficult as possible to obtain”(Ely 2020). The quote i have choosen supports my reasearch because it gives an example of how religouse influence can affect reproductive health, specifically abortion and how abortion can be a nessecity to women all over the world but due to some out dated laws influenced by certian belifs abortion are hard to get in certian areas of the world.

Huffpost published an article entitled A Detrimental Influence: The Effect Religion has on Laws. The article goes on to explain the influence religion has on laws. It gives example such as how same-sex marrige used to be illegal in some states. It talks about certain forms of contraception are illegal because the predominant religion has placed a large importance on procreation. Not to long ago same-sex marrige was illegale until suprime court ruled against it. The laws against same-sex amrrige where all completly based on religion and personal befeifs. In no way was it causing any harm to anyone and yet it was still illegal. “Religion should remain what it truly is — a voluntary belief, not science and not law. One of the main issues in the world today is the fact that to some people, religion and the Bible or the Torah or the Qur’an is science and the law. This belief has, and still is, causing fatal problems throughout the world. In many places, forms of contraception are illegal. Even if these women are extremely impoverished, and cannot feed themselves (let alone a child), and have a large chance of dying due to unsafe birth conditions, they have no choice but to have the baby. Even more controversial is the issue of abortion. 52 of the world’s 196 countries only allow abortions to save the mother’s life. That is 26 percent of the world. This prevents family planning worldwide and can be extremely detrimental to a woman’s mental and physical health.”(Veselka 2012). The quote i chose from the huffpost article is important because it explains why religion should not be in lawmaking. It gives examples of how religion can influence people's personal lives by changing laws such as who they can or can not marry. Religion in many ways is a person's opinion. While it is important to have an opinion they shouldn’t be the determining factor in law making. If you decide to create a law based purely on your opinion you force everyone to follow something they don’t agree with. You're forcing your opinion on other people. Religion Is good to give people a moral compass. Don’t steal, don’t murder, don’t lie, all good advice from a moral stand point.

Religious influence has touched all across history, from ancient Greeks writing stories of gods on mountains to modern day religious persecution and wars. Religion has had influence in law making and reproductive health policies. Religion gives people a safety net and a place to fall back on in times of crisis. But religious influence has also caused great harm to others in extreme cases when fear and hate controls a religion. It helped ancient people explain the world around them and this does this for others today. People don’t realize how much religion influences everything around them and sometimes for the worse. In some cases religious influence does not belong in society, when it causes fear and hate, when it tries to control its members. But there is no denying that without religion the society and world we live in would be a much different place.

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