#But then this went waaay above what I expected

[watcheraurora]

Princesses and Family

Finally had an idea for a continuation of "The Ranchers unintentionally adopted a kid" AU 3.1k words

(Part 1)(Part 2)

—

Tango paused on his way up the path to the front door of the ranch house, scrunching his brows. "Uh... hi Gem," he greeted loudly.

Gem waved from the balcony of his and Jimmy's bedroom above the covered front porch. "Hi Tango!" she greeted.

"What are you doing here? Not that it's not good to see you. I just wasn't expecting it."

"Oh I came to show Jimmy a new way to braid Skye's hair for flying," Gem said, showing off the single braid wrapping around her head like a crown or halo.

"I see. So why are you on the balcony alone, then?" Tango's pointy ear flicked almost in sync with Gem's pointy ear as a breeze made the wheat field roll with waves like the sea.

Gem glanced through the small window into the master bedroom. "Oh I'm the princess," she said with a perky, bright smile. "Skye is rescuing me from the dragon."

"The dragon?"

At that moment, Jimmy cried out from inside the house. Tango bolted inside, dropping the bag of supplies he'd brought back from town on the front path and throwing the door open with magic before he even reached it.

Jimmy was sprawled on the kitchen floor, his enormous yellow wings taking up most of the floorspace and his hair flopped back, one arm draped over part of his wing. His knees were bent with his feet on the floor. There was a wooden sword caught between his arm and his side.

Skye was standing beside his knees in an old leather armor chestplate that was waaay too big on her, and dyed purple. One hand raised triumphantly and wings spread wide. There was a small yellow feather tucked into the plait of the white braid ringing her head just over her ear.

Both of their eyes turned, wide, to Tango at the sound of the door flying open.

"Oh hi Tango," Jimmy greeted first, lifting his head a bit.

"Gem said something about a dragon," Tango said.

"It's Jimmy's turn to be the dragon! And then he gets to be the knight, and I get to be the princess, and Gem gets to be the dragon!" Skye explained, a little out of breath but beaming. She leaned forward, holding a hand up to her mouth so Jimmy "couldn't hear" what she was going to say. "I think Gem likes being the dragon the best."

"She's certainly got the fierceness for it," Tango agreed. He set a hand on his heart. It was racing. "I thought you were being attacked. I heard Jimmy shout."

Jimmy smiled. "I'm nothing if not committed to my role. Including the death scenes. If I was actually hurt, you'd feel it."

Right. The SoulBond. Tango forgot about it sometimes.

"I like being the princess because Gem and Jimmy actually swordfight," Skye said matter-of-factly. "But I think Gem goes easy on him because he's not actually very good."

Jimmy's jaw dropped open, playfully offended. Tango tried not to snicker. Truthfully, they both were abysmal in combat.

"I think your princess is waiting on her knight to rescue her," Jimmy said softly to Skye.

Who gasped. She whirled and ran toward the stairs, rushing up them.

Jimmy chuckled and got to his feet, folding his wings in and dusting them off.

"Having fun while I was gone?" Tango asked, smirking.

"We, er... kinda got carried away," Jimmy said, ruffling and fluffing his feathers to reorder them after lying on the floor. "Gem and Skye were talking while I braided Skye's hair and it turned into playing Knight-Princess-Dragon."

Tango chuckled. "Glad you had fun." He went outside and retrieved the supplies he'd left on the path, bringing them inside. Skye was "escorting" a very-hunched-over Gem down the stairs. "Hey ladies," Tango said.

"Hi," Gem replied.

"Sir Tango, you need to refer to the princess as Your Highness," Skye corrected, smiling.

Tango flung his arms out and bowed deeply. "Sincerest apologies, Knight Skye."

"No, no, no," Skye said, her wings puffing up as she pulled off the leather chestplate. "I rescued Gem, so now I'm Princess Skye." She beamed when Jimmy chuckled. She pulled his yellow feather out of her braid behind her ear and tucked it into the plait at the top of her head like the point of a tiara.

"Ohhh. My sincerest apologies, Princess Skye," Tango said. He took the supplies into the kitchen and dropped the bag on the counter, beginning to unpack them.

Gem snatched Skye around the waist with a playful, "Gotcha!" and ran up the stairs.

Skye squealed and laughed. "Jimmy help! I'm being kidnapped by a dragon!" she screamed.

"I'll save you, Your Highness!" Jimmy called, picking up the wooden sword Skye had "stabbed" him with and running for the stairs. But Gem came thundering down them with a dramatic roar, her Elytra now equipped and fluttering with her movements. She picked up another wooden sword and together they ran for the front door while Tango watched. Once they were out on the path through the wheat field, they started swordfighting, the wooden blades clacking together. They left the front door open, and Tango could hear Skye cheering on, well, Gem. Even though she was probably supposed to be cheering on Knight Jimmy.

Tango laughed and went back to unpacking. Once everything was put away, he went outside and leaned against one of the support pillars for the porch to watch, folding his arms and grinning.

To Jimmy's credit, he was better with a sword than Tango was.

Tango quirked a finger, tugging on one of Gem's curly plaits with a little magic.

"What the—?!"

Tango did the same to the little bit of hair on the back of Jimmy's head that always stuck straight up from the whorl of his hair.

"Eh?!"

Amusement flooded down their SoulBond from Tango, who was trying not to snicker.

"Tango! Stop messin'!" Jimmy protested.

"What?!" Gem demanded. "Tango! No cheating!"

"There's no cheating here!" Tango retorted. "I mess equally."

Gem shot him a glare over her shoulder and briefly the phrase If looks could kill passed through Tango's mind. Tango briefly gestured for her to turn around. She did in time to block Jimmy's swing, not even really looking.

Yeah. She was good with a sword. Something Tango had noticed was that she never really went for critical hit points. She just relentlessly pursued her trajectory, never giving an opponent the opportunity to fight back, until she won.

Which was better than what Tango could do.

He couldn't see Skye. The balcony was built into the porch roof. But he could hear her wings flapping as she cheered on Gem and called for Sir Jimmy to save her in equal measure. Tango smiled.

He hadn't wanted kids, when he and Jimmy committed to one another after discovering their SoulBond. He had never seen himself as much of a caretaker. He'd lose his own head if it wasn't attached to his shoulders—how could he expect to take good care of a child if he could barely take care of himself?

But that changed when Jimmy rescued Skye. She had slotted into their life like she was always meant to be there. Neither Jimmy nor Tango could imagine not taking care of her. They weren't perfect, but their best was usually enough. She was happier now, healthy, and learning to fly. She was moving past the grief of losing her parents and the trauma of being kept in a cage at a pillager outpost. She filled their lives with sunshine and they loved her as their own.

Jimmy eventually drove Gem into the path in front of the house, pretending to slay the dragon. Then ran inside to go rescue Skye, who squealed in excitement while Tango and Gem chuckled outside.

Tango liked his life. But he liked it even more with this little family in it.

—

"So I ran into Cleo in the market today," Tango said, winding some of Jimmy's hair around his fingers while they laid in bed.

"Yeah? How are they?"

"Good. We chatted for a bit. I mentioned that we've taken in an orphaned Avian girl. And that she's about six. And..." Tango bit his lower lip and hesitated.

Jimmy's eyes opened, meeting Tango's gaze. "And?" he prompted.

"Cleo offered to teach her. You know Cleo used to be a schoolteacher, right? Before the whole... zombie thing?"

"I think I knew that?"

"And there's really no other education around here. There aren't really any other children. I told Cleo that I'd talk to you about it, but that was probably a good idea."

"So... what? We take Skye to Cleo's every day?"

"It's better than her just sitting inside every day once harvest is over," Tango said. "When winter hits, she'll be really bored. But we can fly with her to and from, drop her off at Cleo's for at least a couple hours. Even if it's just one or two to start with. She does need to learn. I don't... can she even read?"

"A little," Jimmy said. "She reads labels at the market when I take her. But she could stand to learn more. And she'll be better at maths than me in about two weeks."

Tango tried not to laugh too loud. "That's not true."

"No. No it is. I'm so bad at maths. I ran into Cub at the market one time talking to Scar and they were doing some sort of calculation about groceries and I felt nauseated just listenin' to them." Jimmy was definitely exaggerating for the sake of effect, and Tango snickered.

"If you say so."

"So are we going to tell Cleo 'yes'?"

Tango yawned, covering his mouth to hide his sharp teeth, and nodded. "I think so. I think, ultimately, it would be good for Skye."

"I agree," Jimmy said. Tango went back to playing gently with Jimmy's hair. Jimmy's eyes fluttered closed again. He nuzzled a little into Tango's hand. Tango smiled and kissed his nose. Jimmy giggled softly. "Goodnight, Tango."

"G'night, Jimmy."

Jimmy was asleep within minutes.

Tango tried to follow Jimmy's sleep pattern. He really did. But, as an Avian, Jimmy really embodied the Early Bird concept. Tango just... didn't. He liked the darkness. His mind seemed to work better in the late hours of the night. He'd rather go to bed deep into the night and wake up late in the morning. Usually, Jimmy let him.

And recently, in the last six months, Jimmy always took care of Skye in the mornings while Tango kept sleeping. In the month-and-a-half since Skye's first flight, their routine had altered a little. Jimmy would slip out of bed and into Skye's room, gently wake her, and they'd go for a flight. She was nearly ready to fly on her own, and her wings were getting stronger. Then when they returned, they would have breakfast and get started on ranch chores. Skye didn't have to work out in the fields or with the animals all day. She would do an hour or two, then go inside and play.

And sometimes she'd already be at playtime by the time Tango woke up.

A bit after Jimmy finally fell asleep, Tango slipped out of bed. His Blaze Rods flared into being around his head and he used them to glide over to the door, down the hall, and down the stairs. He reached through the narrow gap between two double chests and pressed a button. Moved to its new location so Skye didn't accidentally press it.

Pistons retracted and revealed a staircase to the basement in the kitchen floor. Tango hurried down them and into his redstone workshop.

In Tango's opinion, redstone was not, inherently, dangerous. Handling the dust could be. If it floated up into the air. You didn't want to inhale it. But he didn't want Skye down here in case something fell and crushed her, more than anything. Hence he'd hidden the entrance.

He slipped a book and quill out of a chest and flipped it open to where he'd left the quill. People around town liked to request redstone devices. Tango liked making them, and it brought in a few extra diamonds on the side. He knew Etho and Impulse did the same, but the townsfolk knew Tango's particular type of redstone. He was the one asked for the whacky contraptions. The silly ones. Impulse and Etho could make the efficient, effective ones. Tango got to make toys a lot. And he loved it.

He got to work on a project request. It was nearly done, and he'd been fiddling with it for a week. He was eager to deliver it.

As he tinkered, his mind wandered a little. To Skye. Wearing Jimmy's feather in her hair. He had some of Jimmy's feathers himself. He usually kept the small one on a bracelet chain somewhere safe, only wearing it when it felt important that he display his commitment to Jimmy. He was too scared of burning it to ash otherwise. The other feathers of Jimmy's were scattered around his workshop as quills for writing. Sure they had a lot of chickens on the ranch, but why use those when Jimmy's feathers were so much sturdier and he shed them all about once a year? Most of them were properly disposed of, but Tango always kept a few—with Jimmy's permission—to turn into quills.

The fact that Jimmy had placed one of his shortest feathers—typically from near his spine—in her braid meant something. Tango wasn't overly familiar with Avian culture, but he knew enough to know that exchanging feathers was a big deal. Jimmy gave Tango a feather he'd plucked specifically for Tango the first time. As a sign of commitment and love. The one Tango had on a bracelet chain.

Jimmy gave Skye one of his feathers for her hair as a show of family.

Tango leaned back in his chair, taking a short break to stretch his spine. His Blaze Rods burned into existence, spinning around his head. One of them an inch shorter than the other ones. No one had ever noticed but Jimmy.

Tango had given Jimmy a small portion of that Blaze Rod as his own sign of commitment and love. Jimmy had it on a leather necklace cord. Tango had used magic to seal its fire deep within so it wouldn't burn anything—especially Jimmy.

He reached up and caught the shorter one, bringing it down in front of him. It hovered just over his hand, rotating slightly. The end that had been broken off was only slightly slanted, compared to the near-perfect perpendicular of the unbroken end. He hadn't cut it perfectly, but he'd shaved the jagged edge fairly well.

If he used all his Blaze Rods, he always spawned more. He just hadn't used many since he'd given that piece to Jimmy. And hadn't needed enough at once to use this one.

If he cut another inch off this one... it would start being noticeably shorter than the other whole ones around his head.

Was that really a bad thing?

He reached for his axe and went to the crafting table.

—

"Psst! Skye!" Tango whispered as he slowly opened her door, knocking gently with one knuckle. She shuffled in bed. "Psst!"

One eye peeled open, deep blue and dark in the light from Tango's hair. "Wh... wha's goin' on?" she asked, voice slurred with sleep. The weak light of dawn was peeking past the pink flower banners that had been added to her windows as curtains.

"I have a little present for you."

Her other eye opened. "A present?"

"Uh-huh."

She sat up in bed. "What is it?" She'd left her crown braid in, and the flyaways that had escaped it were a messy mad-scientist halo of white around her head.

Tango crept into her room. "You know how Jimmy gave you a feather for your hair?" He perched on the edge of her bed. She nodded. "Do you know what that means?"

"My mama used to put her feathers in my hair, and mine in hers when they fell out."

"That's right. For people with feathers, exchanging them is telling them you love them." He lifted his arm to show her Jimmy's yellow feather, preserved by magic to not get too brittle, dangling off a gold chain. "Jimmy gave me one because he loves me. And he gave you one because he loves you." He smoothed down some of her flyaways. "Have you noticed the necklace Jimmy wears?"

"The brown one with the little orange... yellow thing on it?"

"Yeah, princess." Tango's Blaze Rods reappeared, orbiting his head. "Like these." He looked up at them.

"You use those to fly." It wasn't a question. Skye had noticed that he only ever really displayed his Rods when he flew. He couldn't fly without them, and he didn't want to burn anything with them accidentally.

"That's right. I gave Jimmy a small piece of one of these to show him I love him." The shorter one stopped in front of his head. He flicked it so it spun, and then caught it to stop the spinning, bringing it down in front of him to show her.

"Why is that one so short?" Skye's eyes flicked to the other Blaze Rods, noting their lengths.

"Because I chopped a little bit off either end."

"Did it hurt?"

"No, sweetheart. They can't feel pain. Nothing about them can hurt me." Tango smiled and let the shorter one take its place back in alignment with the others bobbing as they rotated.

He pulled the leather out of the pocket of his jumpsuit. "This is for you. To show you I love you."

Skye took it carefully. "It's a necklace like Jimmy's!"

"Mmhmm. Because you're part of our family, so you get something from both of us to show it."

"I... I am?"

"Of course."

Skye smiled and gave him a hug. "Thank you, Tango."

"You're welcome kiddo."

—

"So... you stayed up all night," Jimmy said.

"Mmhmm," Tango said quietly, tiredly.

"And Skye has a necklace like mine."

"Mmhmm."

"I'm guessing you stayed up to make it?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

Jimmy kissed the side of Tango's head. "I'm glad. Go take a nap. I'll wake you up later."

"Don't have to tell me twice."

[purble-turble]

Battle Nexus: Oops! All Red Sons

Hey friends, so way way waaay back in the day when I was new to the LMK fandom, I did a Battle Nexus style tourney for all the various Red Sons from the AUs I’d made so far. In that one, I came up with the winner on my own based on the characters and who I thought would come out on top. But now, Tumblr has polls! And a sweet anon this past week suggested I do it again. So, here we are :U

Anyway, I’m going to post each of the above matchups in a one day poll and you guys get to decide who would win in a fight! Links for the matchups will be below- treat this as a masterpost to find the links. I’ll also include little descriptions of each Red Son variant in the poll itself and include their relevant tag for my blog in case you don’t know them.

Round One:

Red Boy vs Prince Red… WINNER: Red Boy

Time Travel Red Son vs MMRS Red Son… WINNER: Time Travel Red Son

Bull Red Son vs Red Son… WINNER: Red Son

Demon King Red vs Dragon Red… WINNER: Demon King Red

Round one went almost how I thought it would, with a surprise win from canon Red Son over Bull Red Son! It was also super fun to see what people had to say about why they voted a certain way or how they thought it would turn out.

I’m excited to see how you guys vote in…

Round Two:

Red Boy vs. Time Travel Red Son… WINNER: Red Boy

Red Son vs. Demon King Red… WINNER: Red Son

While I did expect Red Boy to make it to the finals, I’m quite surprised that so many people are picking canon Red Son over his opponents! I guess it could be chalked up to how much everybody loves Red Son so much, although everyone hating King Red and thinking he shouldn’t win is also a possibility (either that or ya’ll are just not reading that this is who would win a fight not who you like more lol)

Anyway, on to the final event,

Round Three:

Red Boy vs. Red Son… WINNER: Red Boy

Ooh it got a little hairy there for a bit, the tide turned a few times but ultimate, the winner is… Red Boy!

This is both appropriate and hilarious. I am sure all of the Red Sons are very mad that they were beat by a literal toddler haha.. Thanks for voting everyone, it was really fun to see what everyone thought of all the different Red Sons 💖

[heckyeahponyscans]

Thoughts on G5 MLP Make Your Mark Chapter 5, Episode 1: Cutie Blossom Bash

Summary: Misty's friends take her to Zephyr Heights for the Cutie Blossom Bash, a celebration for all the ponies who've gotten a cutie mark in the past year. The only one not excited about the celebration is . . . Misty.

Thoughts: Great episode, and I'm glad we get to see how the others got their cutie marks! (So Misty getting swooped into the air by magic as it happened WAS above and beyond how it normally goes.)

It was so nice seeing Argyle again and I liked how he was lingering right next door to make sure everything went well with Sunny's lemonade stand. When the two ponies started fighting, he frowned and started to move around to the street, but Sunny defused the conflict before he got there.

My impression from the G5 movie was that Queen Haven didn't invent the "royals can fly" lie, she inherited it, and that matches up with Zipp's flashback, since I would expect a more massive reaction she was the first pegasus in living memory to (seemingly) fly.

Something interesting about G5 is that cutie marks are both super important (acting as a magical power up) and very understated. Like, I don't think the show ever turned to the audience to explain what they are, nor are there any Cutie Mark Crusaders running around . The information is introduced through context clues, especially with Misty wanting a cutie mark so badly.

(Sidenote, but in my mind cutie marks are 'natural' magic, similar to a seed sprouting, which is why they didn't disappear during the dystopian period. Dalmatians are born white and get their spots later, I imagine a cutie mark is something like that.)

It also seems to matter less what a cutie mark actually shows and waaay less job / talent related. Although even in G4 it was more like a Rorschach test than anything else. Rarity's symbol isn't a sewing needle, it's jewels; Cheerilee has flower symbols and says it symbolizes "the bright smiling faces of [her] students".

I didn't mind G4's cutie marks being job-related, I think it's fine to have a fictional utopia where everyone finds their dream job and their work is like a fun hobby instead of a tiresome chore. (Especially in kids' media.) But I do like G5's take better, where they symbolize who you are more than what you do. As Queen Haven says, it's a step towards becoming "your best, most authentic self."

Speaking of cutie marks, a butterfly is perfect for Misty because, as she realized in this episode, it symbolizes her growth and ability to change.

As Megan said, "When you look at a caterpillar it's ugly to the eye, but remember a caterpillar becomes a butterfly." Thank you Megan.

A lot of this episode was about Misty's anxieties, which I found very relatable because I had terrible social anxiety that I didn't really get a handle on until I was in my thirties. (Don't ever stop working on yourself or feel like you are "too old" to be happier, whether you are thirteen or eighty-three.) It was great seeing Misty expressing her feelings and vulnerabilities to her friends.

It really drove home that although Sunny is a protagonist, Misty is THE protagonist of MYM, the character who grows and changes the most.

Misty's terror and embarrassment aside, the Cutie Blossom Bash events were very, well, cute! I like that it's a communal celebration of all the ponies who got their cutie marks and the silly little flags they carry. (And I like Seashell getting even more of a spotlight, retro ponies represent!)

Overall this is one of the top episodes for me so far.

Random thoughts:

They remembered that baby Sunny didn't have rainbow in her hair . . . but forgot to scrub Mane Melody from the background of one of the shots with Argyle. Whoops!

During the brunch with Queen Haven, it struck me that she is the first kind-hearted mother figure that Misty has ever experienced. (Well, since she was a tiny foal anyway.)

Argyle's color scheme reminds me of G3 Seaspray

When Zipp starts to tell her cutie mark story, Pipp interrupts and Zipp sarcastically mouths along to Pipp's words, great little touch

Izzy got her cutie mark "on the eves of the Translucent Moonstone Moon"

I think I know where Gertrude, Opaline's beloved mane brush, went; Misty gave Gertrude to Pipp as a get-well present in "A Little Horse"! With all my heart, I hope Opaline doesn't seek revenge due to her big evil plans being spoiled, but rather over this hairbrush.

Since I already had the toy of Misty I knew her mane would change color, but I figured it would be due to magic or something, not hairspray. Love the excuse Misty came up with about the magic shrub.

Opaline legit laughs behind her hoof like an anime villain, what a treasure <3

[cryptidsurveys]

Friday, September 27th, 2024.

What is something of which you need more in your life? It's been a rather stressful September, so I could really use more calmness, fun, and ease. Fortunately, at least when it comes to my everyday life and routines, October seems like it should be better. There are still the lingering issues with my mom, though. We are staying in touch after all - we're going to a movie next Wednesday - but after that whole "situation" (ergh, sorry for being so vague), it's going to be weird. I do think I will try to keep our contact to a minimum…

Do you tend to view your existence as more pleasant or unpleasant? Like I said above, it's been difficult lately; but overall, I would say it's more pleasant. My problem is that I have a tendency to over-focus on the negatives and it makes me lose sight of the things that are going right.

Is there anything you do which would be considered unhealthy? Sure. I smoke, I eat junk food, I worry too much, etc.

Would you say that you are an introspective being? Sometimes to my detriment. I would definitely benefit from getting out of my head and living more in the moment.

Which aspect of your daily routine takes the most time? What do you do? Probably eating.

Do you enjoy buying gifts for others, or could you do without this? I could do without it. I just never know what to get people.

What is one thing you are expected to do, if anything? Like a specific expectation someone has for me? I can't think of anything aside from the ordinary (such as housecleaning, being a decent person, and things like that).

How do you tend to view driving? Monotonous or entertaining? It's a little anxiety-provoking at times (it's just such a big responsibility with potentially awful repercussions if something goes wrong), but it's also kind of enjoyable.

When was the last time you ate a great deal of food in one sitting? The last time I went to Golden Corral with my parents. I went waaay overboard on the desserts.

When was the last time you went without eating for whatever reason? I'm not sure (as far as anything prolonged is concerned), but there are still occasional instances when I eat less or skip a meal/snack for eating disorder reasons. I'm doing a LOT better than before, though. I would say my intake as a whole is relatively "normal/adequate."

What colors are the most prevalent in your wardrobe? It's a bit of a mix now that I have so many colorful volunteer shirts/sweaters, but probably black, dark blue, and gray.

How has this changed from when you were younger, if it has? It's changed a lot since childhood, but as for my teenage years…I had a bit of a different style then, but the color scheme is still very similar.

What is something people tend to assume about you? I have no idea what other people assume about me. It's probably different for every individual, based on their upbringing, personal experiences, beliefs, etc.

Do you enjoy talking about music with others? Not really. I do listen to music, but I'm not really into the whole music "scene."

What are some of your favorite conversational topics? It highly depends on the person. For instance, I enjoy talking about politics, world events, religion, ethics (etc) with my dad, but I would be hesitant to enter such a conversation with others. However, when it comes to topics I generally find interesting, it's stuff like the paranormal, conspiracies, (dissecting) current social trends, history, outer space, true crime/unsolved mysteries…

When was the last time you pretended to be someone other than yourself? I routinely pretend to be someone other than myself. It's called BEING PROFESSIONAL. ;D

Is acting something you enjoy? It's not really something I've explored. Well, I guess that's not totally true. I did enjoy pretending to be fictional characters when I was younger, but I don't think I would want to be in a play or film or anything like that.

Are you convincing? Idk.

Are you capable of singing in front of others? Sometimes.

When was the last time you could not do something you wanted to do? I dearly wished to relax over the past couple of days, but I was a complete ball of anxiety. Things are better now, though. At least one stressful situation in my life was resolved this morning.

What are some of your favorite summer-related activities? I hate summer. Even activities like hiking and picnicking are better in spring or autumn.

Are you generally happier in the summer or the winter? WINTER. I mean, that's assuming my life isn't a shit show, but if we're talking purely about the weather, then...yeah.

Do you watch any anime? If so, what genre(s) do you appreciate? Not anymore.

Are there any childish things you do? Such as? Sometimes I can be a bit petty, emotionally driven, lazy…and I still rely on my dad too much for things I should be able to do myself.

In what ways are you particularly ~mature~? I typically do what needs to be done or face what needs to be faced, regardless of whether I want to or not. I'm also fairly good at self-reflection; I can usually take ownership of my part in a problem, see things from someone else's perspective, engage with nuance, and that sort of thing.

What is something you do to calm yourself down when you are nervous? There's very little I can do to actually calm myself down. Anxiety is like a blaring beacon that won't shut up. I just try to go about my life, but there are times when it's so bad that all I can do is hunker down until the figurative storm is over.

Who was the last person to do something kind for you? Either my dad or Leslie and Iris (managers at the shelter - I had a meeting with them today about some things that were going on and it was largely positive and productive).

How inclined are you to help others? Do you do this frequently? I'm a (recovering?) people-pleaser, so I might be a little too inclined to help others.

What kind of impact does the weather have on your mood? The weather doesn't completely control my mood, but hot and sunny days can make me feel a bit dazed and sluggish, whereas stereotypically gloomy days can make me feel dreamy, nostalgic, festive, and cozy.

What is one aspect of the future that worries you, if any? How I'm going to survive without my dad. I've made a lot of progress, but I'm nowhere near self-reliant.

Do you prefer to keep a clean workspace, or are you somewhat messy? I'm somewhat messy, but I do prefer a clean workspace/desk space.

Do you find it easy or difficult to talk about yourself? Easy in some circumstances, difficult in others. I'm very guarded in most social situations.

When do you feel most accomplished? When I think back on everything I've endured and overcome. Especially lately, with all the shit going on in my life, I'm just like damn, I'm strong as hell compared to how I used to be.

When was the last time you felt like a failure? The last few days. The feeling isn't so severe now, but even with evidence to the contrary, it's something I kind of always feel at least on some level.

Do you have a tendency to be irrational, or are you more realistic? I'm much more realistic nowadays, but I still have my irrational moments.

When was the last time you had a bit of a meltdown, and what caused it? Hmm.

What was going on the last time you were in a bed with someone else? Sleep, probably.

What were you doing the last time you went outside? I went to that meeting I mentioned earlier.

What portion of your day is typically spent out-of-doors? Not much at all.

Do you prefer to be around introverted or extroverted people? It's hard to say because introverted people aren't necessarily quiet or shy, and even though extroverted people might be seen as more conversational/social, that doesn't mean we have enough in common for that trait to help bring me out of my shell. (Also, if you couldn't tell by this answer - as well as my answers to several other questions in this survey - this is why I have such a hard time with those MBTI tests. It's all agree/disagree, and I'm just like…it's not that simple?!?!)

What is a trait of yours that would annoy you if it were in another person? I'm not sure if it would annoy me or just lead to prolonged silences, but I have a tendency to not speak unless spoken to. It does get better once I get to know someone, but during the initial stages…ahhh!

When was the last time you felt exceptionally relaxed? Now. At least compared to how I was feeling.

Do you enjoy interesting-sounding words? If so, list some? Sure. Some fun ones that come to mind are insouciant, obsequious, uncouth, ubiquitous…

[snowandwolves]

questions for when lighthouse au is done:

is there a scene or plot point that you didn't expect to write/surprised you?

how much of the story did you plot out/have in your head before you started writing?

is cold hot chocolate just hot chocolate with ice? / do you have a recipe for it bc i'm intrigued

do you have an idea of what cam was texting bea during that bit when bea basically questioned if ava could top?

does ava have a fav character or ep in grey's anatomy?

how much does bea lift?

does jillian have her own helipad and private jet and all that?

is there a scene you loved writing? or were like so eager to get to?

uh pls don't feel pressure to answer any or all of these! was rereading from the start and had lots of feels and love for this fic <3

lmao i can finally answer this [sobs]

1. definitely diego making a surprise visit. that was supposed to be resolved through a phone call but i got tired of writing phone calls so i was like “hey maybe just have him go there?” 😂

2. i got the idea while i was writing sixth to the ninth hour and then immediately jumped into planning it right after i finished that fic. i have,,, so much content on this fic it’s mildly insane 💀 it started in a notes app then moved to notion then to a word doc then just all of the above. i have fragments of it in work files akhdjadk

3. yes! and i don’t actually have a recipe for it. anything chocolate will do though, and i’d recommend drinking it like 5 seconds after you put the ice in for maximum confusion.

4. also yes! just cam being casually chaotic in bea’s inbox and telling her how they’d be a perfect match because ava radiates bottom energy 💀 and also being a menace by reminding bea that she was the one who told them all about her bedroom activities before she went with lilith and fucked up a homophobe.

5. you know that episode where they sing for the whole of it? ava nearly died laughing.

6. this, i haven’t actually thought about. let’s say exactly ava’s weight and chalk it up to fate 😌

7. she’d get an earful from her children about environmental awareness if she ever tried to buy a private jet 😂 so no, i don’t think so. maybe a friend with all of the above though because rich people connections ig 😂

8. definitely the storm. that was the very first scene that popped up in my head vividly waaay before i started planning this fic. i waited months to write that 😭 also the ending! i spoiled that way back in chapter 5. so for anyone who might catch that easter egg, you have my whole heart.

this was genuinely so much fun, anon. thank you so much 🥹💙 and also sorry it had to wait til now 😂

[clownattack]

Add on: Contrary to what these guys seem to believe, i have not been reading crinkles fic past what he shared with me via google docs. They're flattering themselves, ego issues as per uj. I dont feel the need to read whatever crinkle puts out, not when i know at this point what kind of person he is and how unhealthy his attitude towards his writing is, and that he puts it above everything else, even his spouse & "friends". All i know is that shit was talked about me, and neither my partner nor crinkles spouse were happy about what was said. I dont think it matters much what they spew, seeing how disconnected from reality crinkle and krys are.

Adding some stuff for posterity:

I have never encountered a more dedicated liar than Crinkle. He will act like he loves what people close to him are like and what they do, only to change his mind drastically the moment anyone has an issue with him. Extremely inauthentic.

Romanticizes self harm and suffering - idk what type of person gets envious of people who self harm, but thats Crinkle. Allergic to the idea of getting help.

Dishes it out but cant take it whatsoever. Makes mountains out of molehills while actually being the one to say/do fucked up shit to people.

He mistakes boundaries with extremely questionable expectations for people close to him. Krys thinks mediating means they can talk shit about people behind closed doors. No. You absolute snake.

He can only blame himself for damaging his relationship - i know irl's were telling him what he's doing is unacceptable and he chose to ignore them. Blaming people around him for the messes he causes is just something cr does, doesnt matter how obvious his fault is.

Crinkle was actually the person who couldn't help himself but to keep contacting me even after i said goodbye. He kept going off and was extremely rude and inflammatory, only to then make a surprised pikachu face when it made me justifiably angry (entitlement, acting like i should deliver him a link to my kofi on a silver platter so he can give me a refund after EVERYTHING he already did, name calling someone he already mistreated, petty teenager behavior... like yeah who wouldnt get mad? Both cr and krys acted in snakey, infantile ways and thats that).

I havent gone on a blocking spree because unlike krys and crinkle i dont need a baby gate; i havent looked at their socials since waaay before the fallout, and after the fallout i had even less interest in going anywhere near them. The only time i actually commented on crinkles ao3 was after krys went off on my partner after they left a comment there - an understandably critical comment, considering they are not happy with how i was treated by crinkle. Unlike crinkle and krys, i know what it means to have my partners back and i decided to leave replies of my own. That was the only time i made ANY SORT OF CONTACT with these two, even though cr was baiting me previously.

From what ive heard crinkle and krys were the ones going feral and blocking me everywhere in a panic, even though i made absolutely no attempts to contact either of them, at any point. I do go off abt them in tags on my personal blog posts etc but these posts are never @tting anyone, they can only be found if you lurk on my blog. Which both of them did to an unhealthy extent (obsessive in krys' case. Youre 35, get a grip). Like why even block someone if youre going to be sitting on their blog anyway..?

CrinklyTinfoil bs

Just a collection of receipts since krys decided to go ahead and spew such backwards bs im no longer willing to keep this to myself - i only did in the first place because crinkles spouse (nightjarteeth) asked me to keep it tucked away for a while (Night is aware of the events and supports me in the situation last i checked). Crinkle really hates the idea of their behavior backfiring & someone they hurt speaking about the experience. They will do anything to discredit people, doesnt matter if they caused the sitch in the 1st place. Its all about appearances, distorting events and grasping at straws for them. If you're their reader and you choose to believe them - remember they were comfortable pulling wool over the eyes of their spouse and someone they called a "dear friend". Ask yourself why anyone else would be exempt from this. I might update this when i have more time on my hands.

[artycreaty]

You’re okay, you’re safe

(ShinRanSonoko Friendship for @everyday-thursdays )

Hello Thursdays! I am your @dcmksecretsanta this year! 🎅🏻 🎁

I deeply apologise for this being late! I didn’t get good ideas for writing this fic, but then imagined stuff and tried to write them down days later, and what I thought would be like 1.5k words turned into this monster of a long fic! How scary is that? 😱  I sure did scare myself! 😂  I hope the fact that this got made extra long makes up for my tardiness! 😇 🙇🏻‍♀️ 🙏🏻  I hope you enjoy this gift! Because of you, I loved ShinRanSonoko dynamic the more I wrote it!

Wishing you a very Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! May 2021 bring you hope, creativity and health! 🎆 📣 ✨

Special thanks to Gisa ( @meitanteisachi ) for everything you’ve done for me! ✨ If we hadn’t had discussions about a certain Heiress, this fic would’ve been way late or, god forbid, never been formed! 😱 😅  Thank you also for having shared your thoughts on my fic! You’re the best! 💜

Also special thanks to Blender ( @blenderfullasarcasm ) for beta-ing my work! ✨ Without your help, this fic would’ve been cringey, so Thank You! You’re the best! 💜

Now then, please enjoy!

----------------------------------------------------

Relationships: ShinRanSonoko Friendship, background ShinRan Rating: T (for language and panic attack) Words: 16.8k Additional Tags: Friendship, Panic Attacks, Fluff, Best Friends, Good Friend Suzuki Sonoko, ShinRanSonoko Friendship, Humor, Sassy Suzuki Sonoko, maybe? - Freeform, DCMK Secret Santa, DCMK Secret Santa 2020, Gift Fic, Gift Giving

Summary:

“We’re not leaving you,” Ran says with determination.

“You’re stuck with us,” Shinichi snorts.

And Sonoko? Sonoko wants to cry. She just wants to stay with them, like this. Forever.

.

.

.

Twelve.

It is warm inside the Suzuki residence. Feeling extremely bored, the young Suzuki suddenly decides to do an activity which involves water guns. Having already done their homework and revisions, and with watching TV mindlessly boring her, she just feels like doing something physical. So Sonoko convinces Ran to play, and they wear swimming costumes under casual clothes so as not to catch a cold before grabbing their water guns. It has been thirty minutes since then.

However, there is something missing from this scenario. She ponders the thought. What is it?

It feels like there is someone missing from this group… Ah, yes. Shinichi! She’d forgotten!

She turns around to see Shinichi sitting on a bench, reading another mystery novel that he had borrowed from their library, having already refused to join in on their activities. 

Why is he reading that book and not joining in?

Ah yes, because that little brat has ‘better things to do than get himself drenched in cold water from a fake gun’. His words, not hers. Sonoko is annoyed. Very, very annoyed. 

So when she impulsively decides to forcibly bring him into the ‘pointless’ activity with herself and Ran, the world need not blame her. 

She shushes Ran, then slowly and sneakily walks towards the wannabe detective who is looking at the back of the book with a contemplative expression, and when she arrives at the destination, she raises her hand up, pointing towards him. Barely holding in a giggle, she pulls the trigger. 

SPLAAASH!

“UWAAH!”

A steady fountain of water lands on his head, wetting his hair and splattering onto his clothes, a few touching the book. Ah well, it’s on the back, so it’s going to be readable. Even if it isn’t, her library has one or two extra copies, so it’s fine. He still instinctively puts the book out of the way while shielding his face, so there. A few more seconds, and she stops.

A long silence.

Shinichi is the one who breaks it. He puts his arm down, gawks at her. His mouth opens and closes like a gaping fish. “Did you—” he clears his throat. “Did you just splash water on me?”

“Yup, I did!” she says cheekily, popping the ‘p’.

Somewhere in the background, she hears soft, suppressed laughter at the display.

“...” He looks down, his wet hair covering his eyes. “What the hell?” Sonoko remains silent, not gracing him with an answer just yet. “What the hell are you doing, Sonoko?”

She raises her eyebrow. “Playing water guns. What else am I doing?”

“Well then,” Shinichi’s voice is low, “riddle me this. I have not done anything to you today or ever. I didn’t want to come here but you dragged me here anyway so I borrowed this book and left both of you alone to play whatever it is you like to play with. But then you came sneaking on me, involved me in your game without warning, and ruined a perfectly written novel. So tell me…” His head raises ever so slightly, giving her a glare. “What did I ever do to deserve this kind of treatment?”

Having been around him for long enough to be immune to his glares, Sonoko just deadpans and gives him a glare of her own. “Oh, you’ve done plenty. First of all, you’re boring. Second of all, you left us alone and read whatever that is in your own solitude. I don’t know what the heck is up with that. Third of all, I dragged you here for a reason. And finally, that book is still intact. It isn’t the end of the world if a few droplets just happened to land on that book. Oh, and did I forget to mention that you’re boring?”

“Oh, am I?” He slowly stands up from the bench, still glaring at her. “And what do you want me to do about that, oh gracious heiress?” The last lines are dripping with sarcasm.

“You’re forgetting,” Sonoko drawls as she steps backwards a little, the corners of her lips twitching up, “about the fact that it’s currently the winter holiday, we’re 12, in middle school, we’re still young, and we have perfectly logical reasons to partake in fun activities like this one?”

His eyebrow raises into his hairline, tone curious despite the glare intensifying. “Oh? I didn’t know that you knew such big words.”

“You’re the one to blame. I’ve been infected with your loquacity.”

“Ah, thank you for the compliment, Your Graciousness.”

Sonoko’s eyebrow twitches. “The hell’s with that?”

He skillfully ignores her. “So…?”

She deadpans at him and just sighs as she raises the hand holding the gun, pointing at him. “So, a little bird told me that you’ve learned how to shoot with your dad in the middle of nowhere?” Shinichi’s stare is all the answer she gets. “Won’t you show me those lame skills of yours?” And before he can reply, Sonoko immediately pulls the trigger.

SPLAAASH!

Cold water hits his head, splashing droplets everywhere. Once again, he raises his hand to shield his face. And once again, silence.

“Oh. You actually want to do this? Fine.” Shinichi mutters as he lowers his arm, his glare at Sonoko intensifying once more. His lips curl into a smirk, his teeth showing. For once, Sonoko feels a tiny bit of fear growing from her being, but she skillfully rids herself of it. “Let’s play.”

.

.

.

(Continued in AO3! Please click the link above!)

[clovcherry]

awkward sex moments with luxiem NSFW

pairing: luxiem x gn!reader (separate)

t/w: crack fic, really bad dirty talking, alcohol consumption, sexual intercourse

a/n: I laughed while writing this 💀

he's really really into dirty talking.

vox akuma

I'm sure you can see where this is going, everytime you guys do it, he just babbles on a lot of freaky things

"I'm gonna destroy you baby," you almost cried out laughing at that one.

sometimes his dirty talking gets so bad to the point where you could not even take him seriously.

and today was your last straw, you burst out laughing when he suddenly said, "God daddy's gonna, daddy's gonna fucking-" he was reaching his climax and you just started laughing your ass off 💀

he was so concerned and started asking you what was wrong but you just kept on laughing. when you finally calmed down and told him about the whole dirty talking thing, he laughed with you as well.

this man is HUGE.

luca kaneshiro

you get what I mean, he's also quite aggressive during sex even though it's usually unintentional.

he was really feeling it, he was pounding you like no tomorrow, chasing for his climax when suddenly there a loud snapping sound was heard throughout the room and the bed was suddenly tilted to a weird angle.

that's when it hit you. luca broke the bed while railing you.

luca immediately stopped what he was doing and stared into your eyes, his expressions said it all it was mixed with fear and shame.

seeing the look on his face, you started laughing and eventually he started laughing with you.

anyways, you guys went to IKEA together to shop for a new bedframe 💀

shu yamino

look, this man usually wouldn't do anything stupid in bed. but when he's not sober, it is a completely different story.

shu had just finished his getting over it stream where he drank quite a bit of alcohol. however, he knew better than to get drunk on stream.

you had just gotten home and felt super tired so you asked him to have some drinks with you. shu being the sweet boyfriend he is, he obliges even though he was already slightly tipsy.

the two of you ended up drinking quite a few cups and shu got drunk so quickly 💀 it got to the point where you just stopped drinking and brought him to your shared bedroom.

he was touching you all over when you both got to the bed, kissing you all over. he was really out of it. he somehow manages to strip both yours and his clothing. he had your hands pinned above your head, his face was fully flushed. he finally lines his cock up with your entrance.

suddenly, his whole bodyweight fell ontop of you. yes, he fell asleep when he was about to fuck you 💀

shus a sleepy drunk type of guy so... that night didn't as expected but at least you can tease him the when he wakes up!

mysta rias

oh no mysta... oh no no...

this was the first time you guys did it together. he was really nervous, because of that, while we was squeezing out some lube he squeezed out waaay too much.

but he decided "eh I'll just go with it" and proceeds to use a whole lot of lube on both himself and you.

when he tried to push himself into your hole but his cock does not enter 😭

this went on for a while.. he kept trying to pushing it in and failed at least 10 times 💀

After that he was so embarrassed and you are forbidden from talking about it.

ike eveland

as we all know, ike loves his coke. and he just so happened to drink 2 cans before initating sex with you 💀

i think that ike loves foreplay because he thinks that it helps set the mood and also cause he loves to worship your body.

he just finished prepping you and he started straight up pounding you 💀 (he was really into it)

at that moment, he suddenly needed to pee, really really urgently.

After a few moments of trying to hold it in, he decided that enough was enough. he fucking pulled out so quickly and bolted to the toilet 😭

he could hear you laughing to yourself at him and he never felt so embarrassed..

After that incident ike never ever drank more than 1 cup of water or a can of coke before sex ever again.

[dnvrsmedia]

Omg 7 for Casey Gardner

Fixing Your Mistake

Casey Gardner x Reader

summary: you caught Casey with her ex Izzie as the track holiday party.

warnings: bit of angst, but fluff at the end!

AN: I got distracted a whole lot so i spent waaay too long on this lol, but i hope you enjoy! stay safe <3

holiday prompt list

2020 holiday masterlist

Running out of the house, you could feel the bite of the cold winter air brace across your face. Tears streaming down your face, you refuse to wipe them. You couldn't believe what you saw. It was a week after you started holiday break. Casey and the other girls on the track team invited you to a sleepover. The plan was to just hang out and do stupid holiday stuff, but just your luck, it doesn’t end that way. Casey and you have been in the talking stage for a few months. You weren’t official yet and you know you shouldn’t be this upset, but you can’t help it.

Everyone was acting weird when you first came, but you thought you were just getting in your head. Casey was definitely keeping her distance from you. Everytime you would try and talk to her, she always looked over your shoulder like there was someone behind you. It was about an hour later when you decided that you were tired of this. You got up from your seat in the corner and went to pick up your stuff. Muffled voices grow louder as you round the corner. You saw Casey making out with what seems to be her ex, Izzie. You automatically scoffed at the sight before you. That causes the two of them to separate. Casey looked terrified when she saw who caught them.

“Y/N,” Your eyes start to fill with tears as you grab your bag behind the pair.

“I just needed to get my bag. You two have fun.” You turned the corner once more, Casey was calling after you, but you didn’t let that crack you and bolted out of the door. Now, here you are, Fumbling with your bag as you look for your car keys to go home. You left your coat in your rush to get home and you were freezing.

“Fuck!” you scolded.

“You left these inside with your coat.” A familiar voice calls out from behind you. You wipe your face ferociously and turn towards her.

“Thanks.” You bluntly said as you take the coat out of her arms. You go to reach for the keys, but she holds it above your head.

“Casey I don’t want to do this, just let me go home.” You fight back more tears.

“Please Y/N, just give me a couple minutes, deal?” She begs and you nod your head insinuating for her to continue.

“I am really really fucking sorry Y/N. I just didn’t expect any of this to happen and I just didn’t know what to do when Izzie kissed me. I was in the middle of telling her about how we weren’t going to work out and she just kissed me.” She tried to get you to look at her, but you just couldn’t.

“Am I just supposed to believe that, Casey? What about all night? You don’t think I noticed how weird you were acting towards me? You don’t think I didn’t notice you looking over my shoulder whenever I tried to talk to you? I have no excuse to be this upset about you, but I can’t help you. I fucking care about you so much. You’re all I can think about, but you want to know the sick part?” Your tears start streaming down your face. “I don’t mind one bit. I cannot bring myself to not care about you and it fucking sucks to know that you don’t want me.” You wipe your eyes and reach for your keys.

“Who said I didn’t care for you? You are the best thing to ever happen to me, Y/N. I know I fucked up and I know that you are hurting and I hate myself for that. I just was shocked that she was here and I don’t know,” she wipes her tears and tugs on her hair. “I just wasn’t thinking, okay? Please, Y/N I fucked up, but please forgive me.” She takes her hand and caresses your cheek.

“God, Gardner, we’re making a scene.” You both chuckle as you stare up into her beautiful eyes.

“I want to hate you so bad right now, but I know you. Just please promise not to hurt me.” You quietly ask and she immediately nods.

“I, Casey Gardner, solemnly swear to not be the biggest dick to you forever and ever. Now, can we please go to your house? I want to make it up to you.” She playfully wiggles her eyes. You smack her arm and gasp.

“Not that way silly! Get your mind out of the gutter! I was thinking of maybe turning this into a date?” She shyly asks. You caress her cheek and press a gentle kiss to the other.

“It’s a date.”

[cienie-isengardu]

axelzp replied to “The Bad Batch”:

I think most people take issue with Omega and TBB due to concerns over whitewashing. Also, what do you have against the explanation of the biochips? Personally, I always thought it fit Palpatine's controlling nature better than the idea of clones just getting a command from some random guy in a hood, telling them to kill the Jedi.

First off, I apologize it took me so long to answer. I tried to explain my reasoning in a short and coherent way as possible, but apparently the years of frustration about this issue needed more space to be properly addressed. So, in advance, sorry for text length.

From all TCW changes done to star wars, the chip-in-brain is one of my top 3 reasons to dislike the whole TV show, despite many of its good moments. I understand why authors chose this sub-plot that allows them to separate the visibly individual "good" clones (thus making them more likeable for the audience / marketing) from the “bad” that kill the Jedi but frankly, I find it a cheap and kinda problematic excuse. Clones were victims regardless of which version people will accept but I really despite the idea that Jedi were their beloved generals and commanders - so beloved that clones actually had nightmares about killing them waaay before Palpatine ultimately won which undermines the whole point of Order 66. 

Jedi could never expect clones to shoot them in the back because they were used to their unquestioned obedience from the start of war. It was common knowledge, repeatedly mentioned in sources like “Jedi Trial” that clones were “bred to war, bred to discipline, bred to obey without question the orders of the powers that paid for their services”. Clones were made that way by genetic manipulations and years of intensive training; an indoctrination that makes clone troopers believe they have obey, no matter what cost.

Some sources, like Clone Wars Adventures’ “Orders” outright show us the mindset of clones:

and We’ve got nothing but each other ad our orders.

Because of that worldbuilding, I prefer Legends take on clone obedience and the Jedi approach to the problem than what TCW created. I talked about it more here, but the general sense is that I feel cheated by the idea of chips that turn people into some “programmed” machines because in such way, TCW erased the Jedi & Republic part in abuse & enslavement of clone troopers, while at the same time giving an unrealistic idea that Jedi were so liked / respected when most of clones did not have any special bond with them. And this is less about if Jedi were good military leaders or not and more that as generals/commanders they didn’t interact that much with common troopers. Because the chain of command doesn’t work like that. I’m willing to buy the close(r) bond between Anakin & 501st because frankly Darth Vader himself from the start was built as someone with better relationships with common troopers / “normal” officers than with most of the high ranking officers presented on screen. I’m pretty sure some other Jedi were caring and liking clones (and vice versa) but it is impossible for generals to know and be so close to all of their troopers.

Above everything else, Legends created an interesting situation in which the Jedi Council / Order knew clones would follow orders no matter if those were right or not and were aware how dangerous it could be yet they still didn’t do anything about it, because the obedience of clones were beneficial for them. Jedi not only took for granted their obedience, they mistook it for respect.

Which really speaks a lot about Jedi's own moral failing and/or lack of understanding the difference between those two terms.

In the Legends sources, there was no need for chips, really, when from the start Kaminoans tinkered with clone genome, created the effective system of “proper” education to mold clones into obedient soldiers and Republic wasn’t really interested to undo the damage done by such indoctrination. 

Before TCW brought the chips and “nightmares haunting clones” there were officially established Contingency Orders for the Grand Army of the Republic: Order Initiation, Orders 1 Through 150. A guideline for unexpected and/or critical situations, so the Great Army of Republic [GAR] would know how to proceed - especially when troopers were given contradictory orders. The orders (also known as Clone Protocols) weren’t secret and there is a big chance that Jedi knew it, if someone bothered to learn the manual. The whole formula of Order 66 was described as:

"In the event of Jedi officers acting against the interests of the Republic, and after receiving specific orders verified as coming directly from the Supreme Commander (Chancellor), GAR commanders will remove those officers by lethal force, and command of the GAR will revert to the Supreme Commander (Chancellor) until a new command structure is established."

And here how the scene played in the RotS novelisation:

That concealed compartment held a secure comlink, which was frequency-locked to a channel reserved for the commander in chief.

Kenobi nodded and spoke to his mount, and the great beast overleapt the clone commander on its way down into the battle.

Cody withdrew the comlink from his armor and triggered it.

A holoscan appeared on the palm of his gauntlet: a hooded man.

"It is time," the holoscan said. "Execute Order Sixty-Six."

Cody responded as he had been trained since before he'd even awakened in his creche-school. "It will be done, my lord."

The holoscan vanished. Cody stuck the comlink back into its concealed recess and frowned down toward where Kenobi rode his dragonmount into selflessly heroic battle.

Cody was a clone. He would execute the order faithfully, without hesitation or regret. But he was also human enough to mutter glumly, "Would it have been too much to ask for the order to have come through before I gave him back the bloody lightsaber. . . ?"

The order is given once. Its wave-front spreads to clone commanders on Kashyyyk and Felucia, Mygeeto and Tellanroaeg and every battlefront, every military installation, every hospital and rehab center and spaceport cantina in the galaxy.

So there is really no “random hooded guy” calling clones to kill Jedi but Chancellor himself using an appropriately secured military channel with confirmation of his identity to issue a legal order in a critical situation (an opportunity created by the Jedi Council themselves who went into the Senate building to kill Palpatine). So why the clones shouldn’t listen, when the order came directly from the Supreme Commander of the Great Army of the Republic? 

Of course, the movie (and novel based on it) alone has this weird addition like “yes my Lord'', what I personally consider as the cinematic way to show the switch from Chancellor Palpatine to Emperor Darth Sidious. Still, I’m willing to give some benefit of doubt about the modification made by Kaminoans and if Order 66 could trigger anything hidden in clone subconscious. But even if there was something, it didn’t erase their personalities or changed the way clones behaved like it happened in The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch.

One way or another, the Order 66 worked out because clones “have no malice, no hatred, not the slightest ill intent that might give warning. They are only following orders”. Which I guess comes down to how clone troopers were presented - or maybe rather how they were seen by other characters in the Legends. As more detached, combat pragmatic, toned down, to some degree isolated from the outside world, less individual. Regardless of what Jedi or Republic citizens thought about clones, it did not make them any less human beings.

And here comes the paradox of The Clone Wars. The TV show made great effort to humanize clones by presenting them as very individual, outstanding people which in itself is a great thing. The names, the tattos, the different paintings of armours, visible variety of behaviour. All great to make the audience see clones as human beings, to get emotionally invested into them, because the more likeable clones were the better for marketing the story (and the cynical part of me thinks it really comes down to making money, isn’t it?)

But this effort became also the trap and the inhibitor chips is the excuse to make such loved, caring and brave characters into the detached clones gunning down the Jedi in Revenge of the Sith. 

The things that irks me a lot about this situation is the feeling like fans started care for clones because they were made into different type of characters than what they were (similar like Anakin’s movie characterization was thrown out of the window, to make him more suitable for fans who wanted the badass typical male hero instead of introverted, conflicted and traumatized young man). The clones get the visible individuality to make them the heroes we should root for, but then there is the “magical” switch that will cut down their heroic deeds because now they are “bad” and stormtroopers can’t have any personality. Which is just… frustrating. 

Don’t get me wrong, I adore how clone troopers get more visible individuality (even if sometimes if felt too exaggerated), but the “not standing out from the group”  was something that kept clones alive on Kamino and I can see why it was used as coping mechanism (the safe option) during the war. I regret that The Clone Wars didn’t show the transition from AotC nameless troopers into such individuals and how much it happened thanks to Jedi, what may help to build the feeling of supposed strong bond between Jedi and troopers. Because frankly, when we met TCW!clones, they already have names, different colors and marks on armor plates and helmets and for all we know, they could create their own “culture” without Jedi influence.

The final part of why I hate the chip-in-brain sub-plot is how it changed clones. Because even if that was a means to force clones into killing Jedi & ensure that Order 66 will be carried on no matter what, it shouldn’t change them into bullies toward their own brothers. But now in The Bad Batch, the clones don’t speak between themselves, are aggressive toward others and generally act like assholes for no real reason. And yeah, I get this may be a cinematic metaphor for a change from “good” republic soldiers into “bad” imperial stormtroopers and most likely something along the way “Republic/Jedi gave you individuality, Empire takes that away” but frankly, Republic did not give anything to clones. It did not acknowledge their human right, didn’t have any plan for their future, didn’t pay for their service or more expensive medical treatment for that matter, did not teach them they could - should - make their own choices.

Now clones are cheering for the Empire because inhibitor chips! They are assholes, because inhibitor chips! They shoot their *beloved* Jedi generals because of the chips! 

And in a way, I get this resolution, the chips make it clear clones were victims. But even without them, they were victims from the start. Except now clones are “programmed” while in Legends the senate (a power paying for their life) officially and legally renamed Republic into Empire and clones were glad for still having a purpose in life. The war ended (thus their usefulness), but they were still needed - still wanted - instead of being put down or closed at Kamino or whatever. I can see why the uncertainty of the future made clones cheering up for the Empire. And frankly, I personally prefer them not caring for the political change (because why should they? It never was their job to *judge* the rightness of their superiors) instead of being “programmed” like some droids and playing the role of fodder to kill for the “good guys”.

Dunno, if I explained properly my issue with inhibitor chips, it just feels to me as not really convincing and a too risky concept in the bigger picture of the things and the fact that Jedi just like that ignored this suspicion matter of Tup and Fives and biochips doesn’t help either. Like I said, I understand why the chips were introduced to the story, as the excuse in the change of clone troopers’ behaviour but at the end of day, Legends worldbuilding will always make more sense to me. I don’t need overly done differentiation of clones to care for them as an individual human beings (and it kinda seems to me like that, clones suddenly became fan favorite when every looks or act differently but not when the AotC literally presented them as an army created to blindly obey Jedi/Republic) and I don’t blame them for sticking with Empire because what better option they had, considering their upbringing and the pathological system in which they lived all their life?

Dunno, I’m biased and may just have allergy to TCW in general.

As for Omega, I’m not really surprised about this concern, especially after seeing TBB’s version of padawan Kanan (that if not for A) some basic knowledge about his backstory and B) Depa Billaba calling him by name, I would probably never have figured out who he was supposed to be). But for Omega alone, I don’t mind her look, because I’m used to Legends!Jango’s biological family in which his mother and sister were both blond haired women and frankly, some “defective” clones (including Rex?) apparently could be blond too, so it seems like Jango’s genome has a recessive gene somewhere for that color of hair. I try to hold my judgment about Omega and her appearance until the full backstory will be revealed because there is still a chance that Fett’s DNA was mixed with someone else's (still I hope Omega is not force sensitive…). I mean, Hunter has heightened senses while Wrecker has almost supernatural strength and both traits seem to be not really human, so who knows what Kaminoans really did with them.

 I understand people’s emotional response to Disney’s approach to characters and their visual look, especially since it isn’t the first screw up in New Canon (the models for characters in general and New Mandalorians especially). I’m totally okay with people’s criticism of that matter and demanding from Disney more diversity and respecting the already established ethnicity of certain groups. I’m aware I may not be sensitive enough to that matter as some other people (even more with barely watching TV shows to have any current and up-to-date comparison to trends in cartoons) and I’m pretty sure more qualified / invested fans already wrote or will be writing soon great metas about that. But the thing that irks me is hearing people saying that Omega *can’t* be Jango’s clone - I don’t like this sort of exclusion based on someone’s look alone. She may not look like Fett or other (male) clones but it is not something Omega chose for herself and does not erase her connection to the rest of the Bad Batch. Being angry at Disney/creators for her look is a different matter I don’t have any problem with.

[kdyism]

what fic of urs do u think deserved more notes? which fic of urs got more notes that you thought it would? which fic of urs is ur favorite? which fic of urs is a reader’s favorite? which fic of urs took the longest to write? which fic of urs was not planned? have a good day 💞

hey! hope you are also having a good day and wow, what a question 🤔🤔 i will be including works from my prv blog bc they will be eventually reposted here but yeah, answers under the cut <3

fic i think deserved more? taeyong's new terms & renjun's where the moon doesn't shine.

i think new terms might've got more notes of it was nsfw bc the plot is kinda you know, hints that way it could be but well, maybe it just wasn't good??? i enjoyed writing it and fixed it a lot before posting.

where the moon doesn't shine was a passion project lol i thought it would do better but it got barely above 50 notes and kinda disappointed but i like to read it on my own anyway.

fic that got more than i expected? jisung's strawberry & the boy in the middle of the meadow sings love

jisung fics generally don't get many notes, i wasn't expecting anything more than 50 notes but strawberry was sooo well received (i also go back to it a lot) and the boy in the middle of the meadow sings, i didn't even plan this. it just happend and i posted it without much thought and it was getting notes like??? greatly appreciated the comments these gave me

fav of mine from mine? doyoung's lovefool!

i was in an episode while writing this and well, it helped me for sure and also kind of got me started on tumblr <3 lovefool deserves the world.

which fic is reader's fav? honestly, non.

my headcanons, blurbs and reactions do sooo much better compared to full fics. i would say the reader's fav are the johnny & jaehyun blurbs, recently the enha headcanons. they get 200 notes normally which is waaay more than my average.

what took longest to write? shotaro's romanticism

THAT'S A BEAST and romanticism only got 50 notes lol. it took me a good two months to finish it, i hated it sm after posting it bc i felt like i wasted time with it but now i like it. it's kinda cute </3

which fic wasn't planned? jisung's the boy in the middle of the meadow sings love

i saw that picture which i used for the header and immediately started writing, it went where it went and that was it. i adore it sooo much now bc it is soo out of my normal stuff and <3 jisung <3 as <3 fae <3

this was fun! thank you for asking, i enjoyed replying and going thru my stuff.

[nanami-says]

Part IV (3/5): Chapters 40~44

 Chapter 40

[Mai to Miwa]

“Maki? She’s worthless”

She actually calls her “just a small fry” here. Which imo is more dismissive than just outright derogatory like in the official release.

“An iai technique huh? That’s strange. I have the advantage in terms of reach. She’s probably looking to disarm my cursed tool and create an opening.”

⇒”An iai [technique], huh? On top of that there seems to be some trick to it. With our difference in reach… rather than myself, she’s probably looking(...)”

Not mistranslated per se other than the “there seems to be a trick to it” line, which imo shouldn’t have been simplified to just “that’s strange”. But the original showed Maki’s thought process better.

“She broke it with her leg? Why is she negating her reach advantage.”

⇒ ”She broke it?? With her thigh?? You’re getting rid of your reach advantage here??”

Again, the meaning was all there but some of the characterisation was lost. Miwa sounded so frantic and full of disbelief here, haha.

[After Mei states that Maki should get promoted at least 2 ranks ASAP]

“I agree but her family seems to be getting in the way”

⇒ “I think so too, but you know, the Zen’ins keep getting in the way. It stinks, right”

More casual speech overall in the original, also Gojou’s more colourful language got a cut again.

MM:“Heh… I don’t understand connections not based on money” 

G:“And you’ll always be a cheapskate.”

I get why they went with “cheapskate” here, as the word Gojou originally uses would be accurately translated as “miser”, which’s the kind of word most people would have to check in the dictionary. (I know I had to.) Nevertheless it’s interesting to me how Gojou basically alternates between super casual speech and much less common terms like this one. He seems to like wordplays in general?

“Anyway, I can’t help but notice the video feed around Yuji seems to be a little inconsistent”

⇒ “Leaving that aside, the video around Yuuji keeps on cutting off for a while now, no?”

Again, meaning is there, the characterisation - sort of I suppose? But he was being more casual/straight to the point in the original.

[In reply to Gojou’s question whose side she’s on]

“Whose side? I’m on the side with money, of course. There’s no value in something that can’t be bought since you can’t exchange it for money.”

“Which side? I’m an ally of money, of course. Because there’s no value in things that cannot be exchanged for money. For you see, it cannot be exchanged for money."

I know it sounds like she’s repeating herself but that’s because she actually is. She’s literally saying that there’s no value in something that can’t be turned into money PRECISELY BECAUSE it can’t be turned into money lol. Also, imo “on the side with money” kind of muddled the nuance a bit. Other possible translations for "exchange" include "replace", ”turn into”.

Gojou in reply to above.

“I wonder how much!”

Actually closer to, “[I wonder] how much did you pile up”. The actual phrase is just “just how much did (...) pile up/stock”, so you have to supply the subject by yourself.

“I’m not sure what you guys have planned but Yuji’s different now”

⇒ “I don’t know what you’re scheming but Yuuji won’t be killed so easily anymore”

Again, the basic meaning is there but a lot of subtler nuance got lost.

(jp)

[Explanation on how the school can tell which side exorcised which curses during the competition]

“Talismans are placed on curses released in the area. When a curse is exorcised, the corresponding talisman also disappears. Using cursed energy, we’ve made arrangements for the following -- exorcisms made by the Tokyo school will be indicated with a red flame, while Kyoto’s will be blue. Maki is also participating, so we’ve made sure her exorcisms are marked red as well.”

When I read this for the first time in English, I found this explanation rather unclear. No wonder I did, as it omits vital details such as the original mentioning "recording cursed energy in advance" which imo seems to be pointing to them registering samples of all students' energy.

And then the Maki line adds that since Maki is there too, exorcisms performed by UNRECORDED forces will be marked red as well. And that's why later on the teachers weren't able to immediately discern whether the sudden destruction of curses was done by an outsider or not.

“All those one-on-ones. Did they forget the main objective?”

⇒“(...) Everyone’s waaay too disinterested in the game.”

“Main objective” sounds kinda formal and imo that wasn’t the nuance for the line.

[Nobara to Nishimiya]

“Got down here, you stupid witch!!”

Actually “you shitty witch”. Nanami would be proud ;;

“How dare you hit my sacred face.”

I like their take on this but it’s hilarious in the original because the word she uses literally means “your countenance”, as in you’d normally use it to respectfully refer to someone else’s face, definitely not about your own. And then she adds a “go-” prefix, which further ups the level of reverence haha. 

“A scar on the face can be a good thing for guys. But not for girls.”

Not really a mistranslation, but I love the original wording with its juxtaposition of a scar on the face being likened to an "order" for a man and a "blemish"/"defect" for a woman. It adds so much more depth to the line.

[Nishimiya after she points out how unfair the jujutsu world is towards women compared to men]

“And Mai has to deal with even more discrimination than that”

Actually something closer to ”irrationality”, “unreasonableness”, “unfairness”, “derision”. Discrimination was the translators’ interpretation of that, I suppose.

Chapter 41

[About Inumaki’s technique]

“Cursed speech is words with spirit. Essentially, it’s infusing sound with cursed energy”

...They translated it the other way around (“the spirit of words”) in ch. 33… Needless to say, this is still the same technique and still the very same term being used. I’d be leaning towards the more commonly used translation of “the spirit of language”.

“However if you’re not sure it’s coming… you’ll be in a constant state of unease. Protecting your head is difficult as it is”

⇒ “On the other hand, if you don’t know if it’s coming or not, you’re constantly distracted. Even though protecting the inside of my head is already something I’m not used to doing”

Not really mistranslated but I wanted to propose an alternate translation, especially for the second part.

“Inheriting the Zen’in family cursed technique is reserved for the privileged. Every other jujutsu sorcerer starts at a level much further below. And even within their family, some women aren’t treated equally.”

⇒ “Unless you inherit the Zen'in family's cursed technique, you start out as a sorcerer from a losing position. And for women, some of them are not even allowed to stand on that starting line"

Just an overall different meaning for the whole fragment. After all, it’s not like you can control who will inherit what technique, even if you’re from one of the three big families. Also it was about women being discriminated on a more fundamental level.

“Can someone who thinks that curse Yuji is an ally really understand?”

⇒ “How about you try thinking hard with that head of yours that can even mistake [that] curse for a comrade?”

Written with “Itadori-kun”, read as “[the] curse” - there’s no reason for Nishimiya to call him “Yuji”. Also she actually says 仲間/nakama here, which, as I stated before, I personally prefer to translate as “comrade” in the context of jjk. The official release seems to alternate between “ally” and “friend”, which are rather distant terms imo. I’m not sure either what’s their basis for when they go with “ally” because they also used it when Gojou was talking about raising a future generation of strong and bright comrades in ch. 11 (refer to part II).

[Nobara in response to above]

“Does that mean we have to forgive the unfortunate no matter the circumstances? And if someone is blessed with a fortunate life, do they deserve to be ridiculed?”

⇒ ”So if someone’s unfortunate, they’re free to do whatever they want? Then what? If in turn a person is [more] fortunate, you’re not gonna be satisfied unless you can talk behind their back?”

In the original Nobara speaks in shorter sentences and uses rather simple language, which imo really conveys how angry she is about Nishimiya’s words. It wasn’t really a philosophical conversation. 

“Have any of you ever stopped to consider the person behind the curse you’ve condemned?”

⇒ “And have you people even thought what kind of a person the idiot that you’re trying to curse [from now] is?”

Not “condemn as a curse” but “that you people are cursing”! Huge distinction imo.

“What do I care about whether someone’s perfect or if something’s fair? Is your life just a job?”

⇒ “Are you obliged to stand up to [things like] ‘perfection’ or ‘unfairness’? (...)”

Lit. “where’s the obligation to live up to”. Emphasis mine! Nobara wasn’t saying she doesn’t care whether someone is perfect or not, imo the nuance was more that there’s no need to force yourself to try and meet people’s expectations/standards. 

“Boys versus girls? Give me a break! Just shut the hell up! I love dressing up and being beautiful! I love being strong!”

⇒ “Boys this, girls that? I don’t give a damn! Just do it all by yourselves if you wish! I love myself who dresses up beautifully! I love myself who [always] strives to be strong!”

I know fandom loves the “I love being beautiful! I love being strong” line - it definitely is short and impactful! But I actually really like the nuance that “strive to be/remain strong” has because it implies Nobara’s constantly putting in effort to improve herself and get stronger. Also the nuance of “I love myself who’s all those things [and more]” (emphasis mine) rather than simply “I love being those things”/“I love the act of”, even though to an English speaker the former may sound a bit awkward. 

[Mai saying she can’t contact Mechamaru after his fight]

“It’s not a good sign if he was forced to use his finishing move and this is the end result.”

⇒ “If it’s like that [that we can’t contact him] despite him being forced into a corner to the point of having to use his finishing move, then he’s probably lost”

This was Mai speculating Mechamaru has most likely lost if they can’t contact him despite him having used his special move.

“I need you”

⇒ “If you’re not here, we’re in trouble”

Rather than Mai needing her personally, this was her reiterating Nishimiya’s importance to the team. (Same phrasing as in ch. 35.)

Chapter 42

[About Maki and her family]

Y:“But why wouldn’t they want someone so strong?”

N:“They don’t wanna accept someone they’ve already rejected. They’re stupid that way”

⇒Y: “Wouldn’t a jujutsu family welcome a strong sorcerer with open arms?”

N:“(...) Because they’re stupid/idiots.”

Slightly more informative for Yuuji’s line in the original imo. Let’s not forget that Yuuji’s still super new to the jujutsu world, so he’s not really familiar with its inner workings. Imo this line had such a nuance.

“So we have to win this event. You better put your life on the line!”

Not incorrect as much as it's just so much funnier in the original because she tells him to put enough effort to die one more time lol (emphasis mine).

[Maki to Tokyo team, telling them to focus on the competition rather trying to make her look good]

“Don't’ worry about me”

⇒ “Don’t think about unnecessary stuff”

Imo this showed Maki’s personality better.

[Mai to Maki, in her head]

“You thought you could get the jump on me? While keeping your distance as well?”

⇒ “So what if you’re in my blind spot. Aren’t you dumb to put distance between us”

This was more about it being advantageous for Mai, a gun being her weapon, if Maki gets farther away from her.

“I knew it! Maki has something I don’t”

⇒ “I knew it… Maki has a talent I don’t have”

How a single exclamation mark can completely change the meaning of a whole line. Yes, it is “I knew it” but as in “I understood it”, “I felt it”. It’s not some revelation about the fight itself, it’s the beginning to Mai’s retrospection about herself and Maki and their approaches to life that follows after. Also, it literally says “talent” there, not to mention the line gets repeated word for word at the end of the same chapter for emphasis before the conclusion is given to Mai’s musings. (Gege seems to like this particular trick a lot, huh?)

”Did you hear about the daughter of the Ougi?"

Hmm, I tried googling the phrase with “Ougi” in it just to check if it can have some hidden meaning but found out even Japanese fans weren’t sure about the exact meaning of the word. Probably a name, either of a person or of a place.

[Mai thinking about Maki]

“You were always so carefree. I hated it. You just kept moving fearlessly forward into the future”

⇒ “I hated how you were always boldly pushing your way towards the future as if you had no worries/unease”

Imo a slightly different nuance for this line (which’s just a single sentence). “I hated how” could also be “I hated you for” and other translations for “pushing your way to” include “plunging forward”, “pushing on”. 

(jp)

[About Mai’s cursed technique]

“Unlike creating an object inside a domain, objects created with cursed technique: construction will not disappear after the spell is finished. However, an immense amount of cursed energy is used, which has a harsh effect on the body”

⇒ “Unlike materialisation of an innate domain within the barrier that occurs in ‘domain expansion’, objects once created with Construction Technique will not disappear even after the technique has finished. That’s why(...)”

Ever wondered why domain and domain expansion related stuff is impossible to understand? Well, here’s why. They only left “inside a domain” out of the whole explanation... “Materialisation” was actually “realisation” but I thought the former would be easier to understand. Also it literally says only “realisation of an innate domain” but imo it could be also interpreted as “inner domain and things within in”.

(jp)

“Maki has something I don’t. Kinda like Mechamaru’s Heavenly Restriction but the opposite. You were supposed to be born with a cursed technique but you traded that in for superhuman physical abilities. This skill was shunned by the Zen’in family. And it’s an ability I don’t have.”

⇒ “Maki has a talent I don’t have. (...) A talent which didn’t get appreciated in the Zen’in family and which I didn’t possess”

Like I pointed out earlier, this is the conclusion to Mai’s retrospection about herself and Maki and some of its effect was, in the original, achieved by repeating the line about Maki’s talent that Mai didn’t have, and by further expanding on it here.

Chapter 43

[About Kamo’s attack]

“A trace of blood on the arrow fletching. Like I thought, Kamo’s technique defies physics”

⇒  "The physics defying trajectory [of the arrow] was because of Kamo-san's cursed technique after all"

More informative in the original, I’d say. The arrows themselves are (and look) normal, hence double the wham i suppose?

[Megumi about Kamo’s Blood Manipulation Technique]

“The ability to control whatever touches his blood”

⇒ "The ability to control his own blood and whatever is stained with it" 

Why would they skip the "the blood itself" bit…

[Kamo about Megumi’s Ten Shadows Technique”

“A cursed technique passed down in the Zen’in family”

Just to be clear, it’s actually specified here that it’s “one of the techniques”.

[Kamo about his technique]

“I can manipulate blood beyond its form or motion”

Once again sounds a bit like a more general explanation. “To manipulate blood means (...)”.

[After Megumi calls him out on doping]

“Very good. Although I don’t appreciate the negative connotation”

⇒ “But I’d prefer if you stopped with the vulgar phrasing”

Simpler, more direct language here.

[After Maki’s taken off with Miwa’s sword in tow]

“Mai’s sister is gone. Well, that makes sense. I’m useless without my sword”

⇒ “Mai’s older sister has gone somewhere. Well, it was a correct call as I can’t fight without my sword”

The phrase used here that got translated as “I’m useless” while can indeed mean something similar has the nuance of “to not be useful [in battle]” . So although it’s not incorrect per se, I’m not sure if I’d go with “useless” myself, especially because it comes with tandem with “correct call”/”good decision” wording.  She DOES literally say she’s useless later on though.

“We’re a little disorganized after all”

Not incorrect per se but imo the original line might’ve had the nuance of “we’re not monolithic [as an organisation]”.

“Use this scent and whistle to control it. If you can, make it kill Itadori”

⇒ “This scent and whistle were used to train him [this cursed spirit]. If a chance arises, use it well and kill Itadori”

I’m not sure if this can be interpreted as it being JUST the curse itself that’ll do all the work.

Chapter 44

“- Why does everyone torment mother?

 - Because she’s a broken mistress”

Closer to “dissolute”, I think. Also the word used for “mistress” can also mean “concubine” and “kept woman” but it’s apparently also an old expression for “close female servant”. It’s hard to say which it could have been without more context but it’d actually make a lot of sense if it was the last one, especially given the fact how Kamo is one of the olden jujutsu families, and very traditional at that. 

“Then why do you favour me? Why did you deceive me into becoming a heir”

⇒ “(...)Then why did you take me in and lie about me being a heir”

I may be wrong but it doesn’t sound like they deceived Kamo himself but rather, everyone else. The word used also means “falsify”. “Favour” here is the same word as for “patronage”, btw.

“Then as the heir to the head of the Kamo family(...)”

It’s just “the next head” here, possibly an allusion to his plans for /after/ he becomes the clan head.

[After Kamo praises his growth as a sorcerer]

“Why are you acting all familiar with me?’

⇒ “What’s with this sense of comradeship you keep on showing?”

Not incorrect per se but I found the phrase he used interesting. Also means “fellowship”.

“I intend to kill Yuji Itadori”

“By principal Gakuganji’s order?”

“No, this is my decision.”

⇒ (...) “No, this is my personal/individual judgement.”

Emphasis Gege’s. The word does mean “decision” as well but imo “judgement” (as in “call”) fits better here.

“As a member of the Kamo and the big three families, I believe it is the right decision. You should also understand it. (I must play the part of the heir to the Kamo family)”

⇒ “(...) I consider it a correct call. It’s something you should be able to understand as well. (I must conduct myself as is appropriate for the heir of the Kamo family)

Lit. “think it’s(...)” for the first bit. Imo “you should also understand” could imply that Kamo’s trying to convince Megumi here but in the original it’s more him appealing to the common understanding he feels must already exist between them because of their similar positions within their respective families. Also, wording his inner thoughts as “must play the part” was imo giving off a wrong impression. 

Cont. from above

“You and I are the same”

Not wrong but the original has the connotation of “the same kind”.

“He’s saying some scary stuff”

Skipped “all of sudden" here.

(jp)

“(I’ve never thought of myself as doing the right thing.) Actually, I’m sorry. I don’t care if I’m right or wrong. I only believe in my conscience. I will follow my conscience and save people. If you disagree with that then, let’s agree to curse each other.”

⇒ ”(...) No, I’m sorry, that is incorrect. It’s just that I believe/have faith in my own conscience. I will help/save people the way my conscience tells me. So if you’ve denied that, then there’s nothing left but to curse each other.”

Again, like in ch. 9 (refer to part I), the nuance here was actually that Megumi will save people BASED on his conscience. Here it’s literally “I will save people according to my conscience” (emphasis mine), which imo heavily implies that he will choose which people to save, as had already been indicated in ch. 9 as well. This is a huge distinction from the way he’s been (mis)portrayed in the official release as just wanting to save people because that’s what his conscience says or because he thinks that’s the right thing to do. (That’s Yuuji). Also, the way they phrased it as basically “let’s agree to disagree” was imo way too mild.  And it wasn’t just “if you disagree” but “if you contradict/negate/renounce”.

“A shikigami! It was still around?!”

Not sure but given the context it might’ve meant “so he still had some left” instead.

Cont. on next page

“He used a wounded shikigami as a decoy!”

⇒ “He used a shikigami at the verge of being called off as a decoy!” 

“This uses too much cursed energy, so I can only summon it once”

⇒ “This eats a lot of cursed energy so I can only summon it solo”

Lit. “a shikigami before the release/dissolution” for the first one. Coupled with Megumi’s reply, which was “as a stand alone” instead of “only once”, imo the whole thing meant that Megumi called the frog off intentionally.

[Megumi about the elephant shikigami]

“It only recently surrendered to me.”

⇒ “I’ve only exorcised it very recently”

Seems like they confused “to exorcise” (調伏)  for “to surrender” (降伏)...The word he uses here is the former, it also means “to unwish”!

Btw, “surrender” is actually used later in the manga when Getou’s curse manipulation is discussed in the Gojou’s Past arc (ch. 73).. So to me there definitely seems to be a distinction between those two terms and which techniques they apply to.

[to part iv (4/5)]

[gisachi]

ShiRan kiss prompts #12

Hi...sorry for the long wait. ^^;; Burnout hitting me like crazy, but I want to deliver new content so here it is, and I hope this is okay! This went waaay above my word count limit but whatever. xD Also I realized only after I finished writing this that I kinda strayed away from the prompt so I’m sorry if this played out differently from what you’re expecting, Anon! 😬✌🏼

12. Sneaking away to a hidden corner to share a secretive kiss. (2,363 words)

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Something’s off about Shinichi lately.

Between them, Ran knows herself as the moodier one, so it comes as a surprise when she starts to notice Shinichi acting sourly around her in class. When something bugs him, he usually won’t hesitate to tell her right away, so the fact that he isn’t bringing this one up bothers her a little.

This moodiness has been going on for two weeks. And two weeks ago was the arrival of Sakuraba-kun, a transfer student from London.

Sakuraba-kun’s fairly attractive with his blonde hair and brown eyes, and can speak a little Japanese because his father is one. Girls from their class envy Ran for being assigned by their sensei to assist him with Japanese classes, Ran being his seatmate. So for the past two weeks, she’s often seen around him, making sure he gets his homework done, and Sakuraba-kun cracks jokes once in a while and Ran laughs. A fun lot this classmate is.

“Do you find him attractive?” Shinichi asked her once as they ate lunch.

“He has nice features,” Ran casually replied, not finding the need to add, ‘but he’s not my type’, so as not to thread into the topic of who her real type is, with him.

Sometimes, she sees from her peripherals how the guys in their class whisper something to Shinichi, only for them to snigger and his face to contort into a god-awful frown and curse them away, and then the rest of the day is just him sulking and staring out the window.

Sometimes, before she and Shinichi go up the rooftop for lunch, they bump into Sakuraba-kun and he stalls them for a few minutes, and Shinichi tries to get into the conversation but Sakuraba-kun brushes him off everytime, leaving him peculiarly quiet the remainder of lunch break.

Sometimes, Sakuraba-kun catches up with them on the school gate before starting their walk home, and he goes in between him and her as he walks with them for two blocks before they part ways. Consistently, Shinichi releases a ‘tch’ under his breath whenever Sakuraba-kun places his hands on Ran’s shoulders before bidding her - only her - goodbye.

One time, during their walk home to which Sakuraba-kun wasn’t invited, he openly asked Ran about her relationship with Shinichi, having noticed how they always walked home together. She blushed at the question, unable to meet Shinichi’s eyes as she stammered, “Uh, we-we’re—”

“She’s my best friend. And I’m hers. Anything wrong with that?” Shinichi butted in, face blank but voice dead serious as he walked ahead without looking at their direction.

When he noticed that the two weren’t walking along, he glanced back and saw an amused Sakuraba and a blushing Ran tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Yeah, something like that…” her eyes remained fixated to the ground, Shinichi’s ‘and I’m hers’ replaying in her ear like a broken record.

“Mm. So, just friends?” Sakuraba-kun’s eyes drifted between Ran and Shinichi. He beamed annoyingly and patted Shinichi’s shoulders for the first time.

“That’s nice to know, Kudou-san,” he simpered, winked and walked away.

In those two weeks, that’s the first time Ran heard Shinichi audibly grumble.

The rest of their walk was spent in silence.

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The next day was even worse. First period hadn’t even begun and Shinichi’s already as quiet as a rock, which only happened when he’s deep in thought about something. Ran wanted to ask him why, but her attempts always got interrupted by Sakuraba-kun asking for her help in some homework he probably knew the answer to already.

Before she knew it, the day’s already over and as she packed her bag, Shinichi silently drew near her desk.

“Ran, can we talk?”

“Oh, Shinichi. About what?”

“Hey, Ran-san! Are you ready for tomorrow?” the London boy interfered, shouting to her from across the door, “I already asked mom to cook her signature meat pie and I’m sure you’ll love it!”

Flashing him a kind smile, Ran waved him goodbye. “Yes, I’ll see you then, Sakuraba-kun!”

He disappeared out the door, and Ran returned her attention to Shinichi, who witnessed their interaction and was now eyeing her questioningly.

“Sakuraba-kun invited me to his house for tomorrow’s tutoring session,” she began, before he could even ask.

“Okay,” Shinichi nodded his head, averting his gaze to the window. “Okay. I see.”

There was thick silence; she swore she could hear a needle drop.

“I’ll go with you,” he said, and Ran’s eyes widened.

“I, uh... I’m not sure, Shinichi.”

“Why?”

“Sakuraba-kun said to come alone, since his flat isn’t big enough for more than five people, given his parents and brother are there.”

Shinichi perked an eyebrow.

“That guy asked you to come alone?”

She nodded.

“And you agreed?”

“I...don’t find anything wrong with it?”

His nose wrinkled in distate.

“Ran. A transfer student we barely know is inviting you to his house, instructing you to come. Alone. Aren’t you getting a little too comfortable with this?”

He said that with a slightly raised voice, and Ran’s eyes narrowed into crinkled slits. What was he implying? Was he really going to get mad at this?

“What’s with that ridiculous mindset, Shinichi? Sakuraba-kun isn’t up to anything bad. I can confirm that because he showed Sonoko and I his flat last week and-”, she paused midway, biting her lip.

More silence, and she knew right then she wound him up when she saw his jaw visibly clench.

“You went there, and you didn’t tell me?”

“B-Because! You’re going to get upset again,” she gestured vaguely at him, “Like that.”

He threw his head back, pinching the bridge of his nose. “God, you think wrong. I’m feeling worse. The hell are you like that?”

“The hell am I...like…Excuse me?”

In that moment something in her snapped. Apart from his spiteful tone, he didn’t even seem to think through the ramifications of his words. She was just trying to be considerate. But the way she saw it, he’s making her feel like it was entirely her responsibility why he felt worse.

“I don’t get it Shinichi,” she clenched her fist, tight. “Why are you so upset with me when it comes to Sakuraba-kun?”

“What? Is it wrong to be worried for my best friend?” he answered with an equally frustrated voice.

“That’s a lie and your smart brain needs to think of a better reason!” Ran screeched, taking him aback.

“Even if he isn’t doing anything to me in school you’re still acting so bitterly and I don’t understand why! And it only happens with Sakuraba-kun! Just admit that you’re being immature hating on another who hasn’t done you wrong!”

“What?! I-”

She saw the strong urge in him to say something but deciding against it the last minute.

It wasn’t her intention to shout but she couldn’t help it. If only he wasn’t this overbearingly flippant. If only he was more careful with the words he said, and wasn’t saying. Isn’t saying.

She waited for him to speak but instead, he ruffled his hair, grabbed his satchel and walked away, not even giving her a second look.

“Forget it. Go if you want to.”

That day, Shinichi and Ran didn’t walk home together.

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The last bell rings and people start to dissipate. Shinichi refuses to talk to her the whole day, and Ran internally struggles as to whether she’ll talk to him first and apologize.

For what, though? She cannot even explain what happened yesterday. As far as she knows she didn’t do anything bad, maybe apart from being a little too harsh with her choice of words.

But it’s Shinichi who started it, she thinks. So she decides to hold on for a little longer, ignoring the little pang in her chest.

She really hates it when this happens.

Her phone pings to an email notification from Sakuraba-kun saying he’s waiting for her at the school gate. She blinks at it and closes her phone. At this point she isn’t even sure if she wants to go. But sensei has given her this job of tutoring him, and she must comply.

That makes her think. Sakuraba-kun is nice and all, but does tutoring him come with the obligation of teaching him whenever, wherever he pleases?

She sighs, pushes herself out of the chair, and stares at Shinichi’s back from two seats away. How she wishes Shinichi’s doing this with her so he can at least talk her through it.

...

But isn’t that what he tried to do yesterday?

“Are you still going?”

Without looking behind him, he addresses her, and she knows it’s for her because they’re the only ones left in the room. Instantly her mind snaps back to her irritation at him.

“Yes.” She replies, purposely hinting annoyance through her voice.

Shinichi exhales sharply, rolls his eyes and stares out the window.

Seeing that there’s no use arguing and Shinichi doesn’t seem to be in any mood to talk, Ran gets her satchel and walks out the classroom. Before she descends the stairs, she hears the sliding door open and his voice reaching out to her.

“Don’t go, damnit!”

Ran stops walking, half turning her head over her shoulder. “Why?”

“Don’t go there alone. Or at least. Study with him in a coffee shop or somewhere.”

“Shinichi.”

“Or just take me with you.”

“I’m asking you, Shinichi. Why?”

He doesn’t speak, letting the silence linger on, shallow footsteps of people echoing from afar.

“Do you like him?” he asks lowly, voice barely above a whisper.

“What? No! What’s with you, Shinichi?!” Ran scowls, this time turning around to face him.

“Have you ever thought that the reason he wants you alone is because he likes you?”

Ran’s lips shut tight, unable to reply. She won’t admit that that does cross her mind a few times, but she isn’t one to care so she sets it aside.

“Have you thought of the repercussions of being alone with a guy who likes you and wants you alone in his house?”

“He isn’t—”

“Have you ever thought that maybe the reason why I’m in a foul mood is because I don’t want that to happen?”

Ran would’ve been blushing if she isn’t so peeved.

“So it’s about what you want now? I’m not gonna go because that’s what Shinichi wants?”

“Then do you want to be alone with him in his room?”

“I’m just going to help him with his homework! You make it sound like I’m wanting to—”

“So you don’t, right?”

“Y-You’re giving me weird thoughts now! Baka Shinichi!”

He drags his feet to her, still not done talking.

“Then, have you ever thought that the reason why I’m in a foul mood is because you’re spending a lot more time with him than you are with me and god, I hate it?”

“B-But I need to because sensei asked m- Huh? Wh—”

“Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, about you, I-” breath short, he stops just before her, eyes never leaving hers. Ran’s face heats up, realizing how close he is now when a minute ago he’s just by the door of the classroom.

Gulping hard, she stands her ground, trying to look unfazed. She takes one step forward, meeting him eye to eye.

“Stop with the questions and answer me first, Shinichi!” she demands, voice laced with authority. “Why? Why do you not want me there? Why hate on him?”

He opens his mouth and closes it again, fists clenching and unclenching.

“And don’t tell me you have the right as my best friend to say all these because Sonoko is my best friend too and she doesn’t get mad when I’m with Sakuraba-kun!”

From the distance Ran sees two of their teachers talking to each other, walking to their direction. They don’t have much time. She doesn’t want their teachers asking them why they’re still around because she doesn’t know how she’ll explain this, and Sakuraba-kun is waiting for her outside.

“Answer me.”

She tries to sound commanding, but his silence exasperates her and she feels the corner of her eyes sting. Screw this. Once the teachers get nearer, she’ll just leave him like that and endure this petty fight for one more day.

“Just- whatever, Shinichi. I’ll-”

“Ugh. You want to know why?”

Not giving her time to reply, he grabs her wrist and pulls her behind the wall by the stairs, pinning her not so gently but not so forcefully either. Ran’s eyes widen, and shortly after uttering the first syllable of his name, she is stopped by his lips clashing with hers, muffling the rest of her sound.

His lips are firm and compelling, enough to paralyze her neck down. It lasts so quickly that Ran doesn’t even have time to close her eyes before he separates.

With eyes still closed and brows furrowed, he rests his forehead against hers and breathes heavily, cheeks as red as the setting sun spilling over their faces.

Her pulse starts to gallop a hundred miles per hour.

“Shi...n…”

“Don’t go.”

Hearing him say that again, more expressively this time, makes her forget how to breathe. And when she does attempt to breathe, he closes in again and captures her lips.

Though the press of his mouth remains commanding, there’s this certain softness in it that makes all the spite in her heart disappear. She suddenly forgets why they’re fighting, overpowered by her need to close her eyes and just...feel.

To feel his hand climb the crook of her neck, resting below her ear. To feel his grip soften around her wrist, holding her like a fragile glass he doesn’t want to break. To feel his chest against hers thunder from his raging heart, dancing in sync with her equally restless one. To feel his silky lips move against her dry ones, kissing her lovingly like he is hers, and she, his.

Has she been misunderstanding him all along?

He opens his eyes slowly, meeting hers. She loses herself at the waterfall of emotions gushing from his eyes, a mixture of affection and frustration and everything else in between.

“That’s why.”

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[thedeviousdo]

4, 5, 11 & 19 !! ♡♡

Hello! Thank you for the ask!!!

4- What are some of your favorite tropes? Hmm I like stories that have a grow into love feel to it, not sure what that trope is called lol. I do like the random enemy to lover trope too.

5: Which OC deserved better? Their names are Lorendrial and Mahandra they were characters from one of the first stories I ever wrote called The Chosen (nothing to do with any fandom). She was a god of all that goes bump in the night and he was her guardian. They both went through so much to become who they were in the end, I still feel bad and it’s been waaay too many years since I wrote that.

11: Share the last paragraph you wrote: I am currently rewriting and trying to finish writing a fic called Sight, so I will put the last paragraph I rewrote:

Jongin raised his makeshift weapon above his head, ready to strike. He had only a moment to tighten his hold when the creature lept for him. Jongin swung his hands, feeling it make contact with the creature's head, the vibration moving up his arms. He brought his arms up again but the creature moved swiftly, clamping it’s jaws over Jongin’s right arm. Jongin yelled, moving his hold on the lamp and bringing a sharp corner down on its eye. It instantly let go of his arm, shaking its ugly head before leaping for Jongin again. He jumped back in time to see a blade come down in front of him, slicing nearly through the creature's thick neck. Jongin followed the blade up, expecting to see Baekhyun, instead a young man with shaved hair stood there, dark eyes looking from the creature to Jongin.

19: What does your editing/revising process look like? I tend to do little read throughs as I write, go back a few paragraphs and make small changes before focusing on writing. When I fully finish the story I will reread the entire thing and make changes as I go. I also have an amazing friend @hyunniebaeked that helps do the final edit and fix any of my grammar moments or helps smooth out the moments where my very unique mind isn’t always easy to follow. She is a treasure.

Writer Ask

[thyandrawrites]

After reading linkspooky's last meta, I thought about how it was stated that every citizen in the MLA's city knew how to fight. And we already know that they're not above indoctrinating children like Re-Destro and Geten. Is it possible that those two plus the Remedial License Exam arc was foreshadowing child soldiers attacking the heroes and them actually fighting back because these kids are complicit in villainy regardless of their upbringings? Or would that be too dark and heavy-handed?

mmhh… it’s not any more dark and heavy-handed than showing us little kids like Shouto and Hawks being relentlessly trained until they puked since the tender age of 5. I’m not sure if Hori is leading up to a kids vs kids fight during this arc, but to be fair, he doesn’t even need to. The theme of child soldiers indoctrinated to use violence as a tool is already a theme we’ve seen plenty of examples of, and on both sides of the hero / villain dichotomy. Hawks and the hero commission were even advocating for the employment of unsuspecting high schoolers for a full out war against the plf not so long ago: 

A war that Hawks himself expected to be hella bloody: 

It’s pretty straightforward as far as themes go: through Hawks we’re meant to see the downsides of that mindset. 

Of course Hawks would be reluctant to the use of child soldiers but still ultimately endorse it. Hawks was, and in some respects still is, a child soldier himself. He was brought up in a way that makes him excuse abuse and neglect if it’s for a higher purpose. 

But what he went through is not that different from what Shigaraki went through. Or what Shouto went through. Or Redestro. Or fuck knows how many more kids in this series, really, since this is a pretty consolidated theme in bnha. Times and times again, institutions of power are shown to go waaay too far in order to maintain their power. There’s Afo who kidnapped and groomed Shigaraki for his own villainous agenda, and there’s the hpsc that did the same with Keigo to mould him in the perfect yes man they needed to carry out orders.  

This is a fundamental fallacy that is established early on in the series as part of why their world - and not just hero society - is fucked up. 

It makes perfect sense that the hpsc and Endeavor would agree on the ethics of exploiting children to achieve their own goals, because that’s what both of them have been doing and keep doing till this day. Endeavor still sees Shouto as his legacy and expects him to carry on his own goals instead of perceiving Shouto as an autonomous individual with his own wishes and goals. And the hpsc still sees Hawks as an asset to achieve the annihilation of the League, and expects him to give up his personhood in order to be useful to their cause. 

And it makes perfect sense that by doing so they emulate Afo’s crimes, because at the end of the day, both institutions - Afo’s network or the hpsc - are just the result of a similar hunger for power and control. And both need to be taken down, because the people they’re harming the most are literal children

[hood-ex]

For the post about plot bunnies for short fic about Dick and Jason! 1) Dick and Jason going train-surfing before his death and after his return. 2) 1st time one of them got the other a birthday gift. 3) Jason finding out that Dick was the one who finally took down the memorial case in the Batcave and realizing his brother hated that thing as much as he did. 4) Bonding over ranting about Dad. 5) Jason lowkey trying to get Dick and Kory back together cuz he shipped them hard when he was younger.

@bigskydreaming​ These are all great prompts! I decided to take a whack at #2. I might write for some of the other prompts though. Anyways, hope what I wrote is somewhat satisfying lmao. 

Link to read on AO3

Jason’s so glad the 250 pound goon he was fighting earlier decided to leave him with a brand new spankin’ set of bruised ribs. Really, truly, he shouldn’t have given Jason such a nice gift for his birthday. The goon should’ve been embarrassed though. Giving Jason the same gift his dad used to give him? Tsk, tsk. Tactless.

Jason sucks in air through his teeth, mentally preparing himself for the pain, and then tries to sit up. He barely raises himself up three inches before sharp pain shoots up his torso and forces him to thunk back against the rooftop floor. Yeah, okay, he really doesn’t want to try that again.

This is just great.

He sighs. There’s nothing that says happy birthday quite like staring up at the smog that keeps him from seeing any of the stars he’d normally wish on or the fact that he’s probably lying on heaps of bird shit. Alfie is definitely going to give him the stink eye for the latter.

A shadow crosses over the corner of the rooftop. It doesn’t look distinctly Batman shaped.

Jason tenses and reaches for the smoke pellet in his belt. Normally he chooses fight over flight, but he doesn’t want to take any chances with his ribs this time. Creating a distraction and then using whatever adrenaline he can muster to get the hell away is probably the smartest decision. That’s what Batman would say, anyways.

Whoever is creeping around is being way too quiet. Goons don’t usually bother being quiet around Jason. They just see him as a small kid in a costume. An easy target. The whole Robin getup is good for creating that kind of misconception.

“Hey, shorty,” a somewhat familiar voice drawls right before a guy in a blue costume flips into Jason’s view.

Black hair. Plunging neckline. A collar somewhat akin to the cone of shame.

Nightwing.

Jason relaxes his muscles, relieved, and stares at Dick in surprise.

Dick’s got a big stupid grin on his face. The niceness of it is what throws Jason off. He’s still not used to people smiling at him and shit. He’s used to grins that are meant for mocking or that are sleazy and spell trouble. Dick Grayson’s grin is none of those things. His is all playful and good-intentioned. Something about it feels safe, and safe’s not something Jason feels a lot outside of the manor.

“Hey, Old-Timer,” Jason says, “fancy seeing you here.”

He suddenly remembers how much his ribs hurt when he tries to sit up again to see Dick better. He can’t help the small sound of pain he lets out as he settles back into his original position. God, bruised ribs are such a bitch.

Jason can’t see Dick’s eyes because of his mask, but he just knows Dick is looking him over from head to toe, mind probably tripping over itself to analyze Jason’s situation.

“You good?” Dick asks, already kneeling by Jason’s side.

“Oh, totally,” Jason says. He tries to adjust his position without hurting himself more. “Sometimes I just come up here by myself to stare at the smog. Just contemplating the rampant amount of pollution in the city—ow fuck. I don’t know if Bruce told you, but I’m an environmentalist first and Robin second. I’ve always been that way. Since the womb.”

Dick frowns and presses his fingers against Jason’s pulse point. “Have you been drugged?”

Jason smacks Dick’s hand away. “No, I haven’t been drugged! I got my ribs busted by some Hulk Hogan wannabe.”

“Ouch,” Dick winces in sympathy. “Been there, felt that.”

“Yeah, well, how about you give me a hand so I can stop rolling around in bird shit.”

The worried furrow in Dick’s brow melts away and is replaced by an amused grin. God, Jason needs to learn how to become immune to Dick’s stupidly genuine face. It’s stuff like that that makes it easy for Jason to see why Bruce has such a hard time letting Dick go. And if he’s honest with himself, he’s a little bit jealous that Dick can warm people over so easily. If Dick is the gooey middle of a s’more then Jason is the hard-coated graham cracker that takes a little time to chew through.

“I’m going to lift you up a bit and then I’m going to come under your arm so you can stand up, capeesh?” Dick says, moving just beside Jason’s right shoulder.

“Capeesh?” Jason grunts in pain as Dick levers him upwards. “Who are you? Uncle Jesse?”

While Jason’s torso is off the ground, Dick positions himself under Jason’s right arm and then quickly, but gently, helps Jason onto his feet. Jason squeezes his eyes shut and takes a few deep breaths while he waits for the pain to calm down.

“You’re alright, you’re alright,” Dick assures him softly, draping his arm over Jason’s shoulders.

If anyone asks, Jason totally does not lean into Dick for support, he does not. He just. Trips. Into Dick’s side. Yup. That’s what happens. The bird shit is witness to it.

“Would this be a bad time to tell you that I got you a birthday present?” Dick asks suddenly, taking Jason off guard.

“Birthday present? What birthday present? How did you know today’s my birthday?” Jason demands, leaning closer to Dick’s face so he can stare into Dick’s… eyelets.

Dick places a finger on Jason’s forehead and gently shoves him backward.

“O ye of little faith. Give me some credit. You think your big bro doesn’t know when your birthday is?”

Jason stares at him with a knowing look.

“Alfie told you, didn’t he?”

Even though he meant it lightheartedly, he’s a little surprised to see how Dick’s mouth tightens into a frown.

“B sure as hell didn’t,” Dick grouches in a tone Jason’s come to associate with Dick and Bruce’s yelling matches.

“Yeah,” Jason drawls, “I’m not touching that with a ten-foot pole.”

Dick’s expression levels back into a neutral look. “Right, yeah.” He gives Jason’s shoulder a squeeze as a silent apology. “So do you want your gift or not?”

Thank God for Dick’s ability to smoothly change the subject.

“You know you’re not supposed to ask stupid questions in the field,” Jason says in mock horror. Dick makes a bitch face at him and Jason cackles. “Too bad Poison Ivy isn’t around to give you some aloe for that sick burn!”

Dick stares at him before walking towards the edge of the roof.

“Wait!” Jason says, quickly snagging Dick by the wrist. His ribs only scream a little bit, but honestly, who’s paying attention to that kind of thing when the person with his present is about to disappear into the night. “Fine, fine, fine. I’ll stop being a brat. Although, for the record, you’re an asshole for even pretending to leave me all alone with my busted ribs.”

Dick’s stupid grin makes a reappearance.

“An asshole and a brat walk into a bar—”

“Shut up,” Jason says, shoving Dick away from him. “Are you going to make me stand up here for eternity or can we get to the whole gift-giving thing.”

Jason’s not sure what he expects the gift to be. From what he knows, Dick’s not exactly rolling in money, so he doesn’t expect it to be something as extravagant as what he received earlier in the day. Alfred gave him six new books and also made him a buffet of breakfast food. Then Bruce had given him a new bookcase for his room, an insanely gaudy watch Jason doesn’t know what the hell he’s going to do with, and an entire set of baseball equipment for him to play with in the yard.

Compared to his other birthdays, the gifts he got this year are almost too much to comprehend. Hell, the price of the watch alone will probably be enough to put him through college. The gifts are nice but… overwhelming. Honestly, Jason doesn’t think he deserves shit that nice. It’s not like he can refuse them, though. It’ll make him sound like an ungrateful little snot, and Jason doesn’t want to give Bruce that impression at all.

“I’ve only been in your room once,” Dick says as he pops open a compartment on his glove, “and I saw a Poison Idea poster over your bed. So—” he brandishes two blue rectangular pieces of paper in front of Jason.

Eyes wide, Jason snatches them from Dick’s hand. “Holy shit—”

“I got you two tickets to their concert,” Dick finishes with a smile.

Jason stares at the tickets and reads the print on them over and over again. Hands shaking, he throws his arms above his head, ignoring the sharp pain it causes.

“Shut the fuck up! No way! No waaay, dude!” he chatters. He grabs onto Dick’s arm and shakes it in excitement. “You’re not allowed to be this cool! Dude, what? Are these real?”

Dick’s sudden laughter only fuels more excitement in Jason’s chest. He shoves at Dick again.

“Don’t even tell me these are good seats, dude. Like. These are nosebleed seats or something, right?”

“Nosebleed?” Dick squawks indignantly. “These are VIP tickets! You get access to the venue before general admission and you get to meet the band backstage.”

“What!” Jason yells, genuinely shaking now. “Di—Nightwing! Are you serious?”

Dick laughs again and grabs onto Jason’s shoulders to squeeze them. “Yes, I am completely serious.”

There’s a feeling in Jason’s chest that he’s not sure how to describe. It’s a weird mixture of excitement and gratitude and… awe. It’s something he only feels rarely. Kind of like the first time he went out as Robin or like the time he got to work with the Titans. Special moments like that.

Jason reads the print on the tickets one last time, unwilling to vocalize just how touched he is that Dick’s given him such a personalized gift. He didn’t expect to get anything from Dick at all. Hell, he didn’t even expect a phone call, knowing how busy Dick is. And now that Dick’s given him one of his favorite gifts he’s ever gotten, he doesn’t know what to do with himself. Doesn’t know how to act.

All he can think of is to extend his fist and to blurt out a quick, “Thanks.”

Luckily for him, Dick’s had a lot of time to adapt to emotionally inept people. Dick extends his own fist and bumps it against Jason’s.

“No problem. Happy birthday, Little Wing.”

Notes:

I don’t know if any of you have ever hurt your ribs before, but I’ve bruised mine, and trying to move was a bitch. My mom had to help me sit up because it was too painful to bend my torso. I don’t know why in fics people constantly break the batfam’s ribs and then have them running around like it’s no big deal. So that’s why Jason is like I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up.

In comics, Robin Jason called Dick “Old-Timer” and Dick called Jason “shorty” and “Little Wing”. So I incorporated that into the story.

Jason referring to Dick as Uncle Jesse is a reference to the TV show Full House. On the show, Uncle Jesse asks “capeesh?” a lot when he’s talking to his nieces or sons.

Poison Idea is an actual band that Jason used to like when he was Robin. In comics, he had a Poison Idea poster on his wall and I thiiink he might of also had a shirt with their name on it. So yeah. Jason is a punk rock bitch.