#From TV Animation - One Piece - Oceans Of Dreams

[chai-berries]

all my friends support palestine and know neil druckmann is a zionist

Decree # 13: No Scary Movies before Bed for Abby Anderson (#13)

abby’s voice is a whisper to match the darkness of the room. “hey, baby, are you asleep?”

“yeah” you respond in sleepy sarcasm. you shuffle deeper into your blanket.

“can i turn on the light?” this makes you peep open one bleary eye.

“uhm okay?”

the room is suddenly flooded with light from the bedside table.

the, open floor layout serves as a surprisingly large studio sized apartment, with a living, dining, and bedrooms in the same area as the kitchen. it’s wonderfully packed full of found books and pieces of art that took ages to collect. you and abby had lived here together for 17 months and each of you brought your own collections into one space. thanks to abby’s rank within the leaders of the WLF the apartment is big enough for you both to create a proper safe haven for yourselves.

however it’s not always as safe as you’d like it to be. especially tonight.

it’s been extremely stormy this winter and today has seattle bracing itself against wind coming through the bay and right against the stadium's walls. everyone was prepared for it. making sure the animals were inside and the crops were covered so everyone can hunker down for the big ocean storm. this storm has you and abby having a movie marathon. she found a bunch of intact dvds for the stadium collection and was rewarded with a functioning tv and dvd player for the storm. you picked out a romcom and a movie about found family while abby picked out two scary movies.

now four hours later, here you guys are, in bed, abby’s bedside lamp blinding you completely for a second.

“mmnph, you okay baby?” you mumble. your eyes are shut again, but you turn your body to face abby. the girl has moved to sit up against the headboard. she’s breathing deeply and clutching the blankets in her fists. when she doesn’t answer, you peek up at her with one eye. “baby?”

“yeah,” abby says when you sit up next to her. “i’m fine. i just couldn’t sleep. you can go back to sleep. i’m sorry.”

“no it’s fine!” you try to make eye contact with your girlfriend but it’s like she’s actively avoiding your eyes. “abby? did you have a bad dream?”

she looks at you from the corner of her eye. your face is earnest and full of love but abby knows what’s gonna happen next.

“i, uh, i had a dream about being sucked into a black hole. like, like the movie we watched.”

now, abby’s nightmares are rare. if she has them it’s either based on a book or movie she recently watched or the day at the hospital in salt lake. growing up in the apocalypse, your nightmares are usually the least of your worries.

still you did warn abby about the dreams. she already had a messed up schedule because in the three days leading up to it, isaac had everyone preparing for the storm. and when you warned her about the scary movies, she brushed you off and swore she’d be fine. now she was at the mercy of her know-it-all girlfriend.

your lips twitch upwards. you lay back down and shift under the blankets until you’re back in the warm spot. you look at abby.

“am i allowed to say ‘i told you so’?” you smirk up at her.

she rolls her eyes. “whatever.”

you pout. “hey! be nice to me! i tried to warn you, you big baby! now come here and let me cuddle you!” you open your arms and abby eagerly falls into them. she snuggles into your chest. your hands go up to her loose hair and comb through the waves.

“i got you. go back to sleep, baby” is all abby hears before she lets sleep take her.

when you wake up, it’s to a giant tree limb slamming itself against the large stadium window. you jump in fear before you recognize the noise for what it is, taking a breath. abby has tucked you against her chest with your head under her chin, so she feels you wake up. her warm hands run up your back and she lets out a groan when you pull away from her. “i gotta go pee!” you apologize, practically running for the bathroom to keep the warmth in your body. abby’s watches out the window until you return with a sleepy smile and arms open. all of your responsibilities have been put on hold until the storm is over and you're going to take advantage of being able to lay in bed a bit longer than usual.

“did you sleep okay?” you mumble against abby’s collarbone. abby’s midnight worries are gone now that the sun is up. well it’s up there, behind the clouds somewhere.

“yeah,” she sighs. “sorry about that”

“you don’t have to apologize. you remember when i had nightmares for a week after we watched that killer doll movie?”

“yeahhh, that movie was fucked up”

“it was! and the black hole movie was also fucked. you don’t have to apologize… But am i allowed to say i told you so?”

abby playfully squeezes you tight to make you giggle.

“yeah,” she grins down at you. “you can”

“okay… I Told You Watching that Movie would Give You Nightmares.”

“why’d you say it like that? are you decreeing it?”

“yeah. you know i like being right. and besides, when you get scared i get to protect you so honestly it’s a win for me.”

“glad my misery brings you happiness”

you respond to her grumble with a kiss on the lips.

“my sweet scaredy-cat,” you say against her mouth. “i’ll always protect you. don’t worry” you promise into another, deeper kiss.

[whoishotteranimepolls]

Can someone please tell me when Dracule Mihawk became an anime sex symbol? Because excuse me, that is my dorky goth dad who doesn't know how to use an air fryer. So when did he become a big titty Goth Daddy?

To start with, I don't even think he bangs. Well, he and Shanks may have had a thing when they were in their 20s. But everyone makes mistakes in their twenties, and that is part of the reason why Shanks drives him crazy. He's the biggest fuckboy to ever whore about the grand line. You're telling me Shanks doesn't have at least a dozen illegitimate kids sprinkled throughout the grand line. I'm shocked Beckman hasn't put that boy on a leash yet, at least to mitigate some of the drunken shenanigans. Poor Beck, that man needs a vacation and a raise. But back on topic, Mihawk’s too mature for that stupidity, so Shanks drives him absolutely crazy now because he hasn't grown up past his fuckboy stage. So I'm pretty sure he's like Zoro. As in, his sexuality is swords, and he falls somewhere on the ace spectrum.

But if he did bang. His lazy ass doesn't have a top/Dom bone in his body. He's a complete pillow princess. Remember, he sails the ocean while napping, and if anything dares disturb his beauty sleep. They shall face his wrath. He will wipe them out of existence and feel completely justified in doing so. And you're telling me that doesn't sound like something your lazy coworker would do if they had the option. So, I don't think he will be your daddy-dom. So I hope you have dreams of doming him. I think he'd like it. Again, I don't think he has the top / Dom bone in his entire body, a complete and utter pillow princess. So spoil that man rotten or take him down a peg or two. He does have an ego. But he's worked so hard to get to where he's at now, so that ego is deserved. It's not cocky if you can back it up

So, be respectful. That is my reluctant goth dad of two. He may not know how to use an air fryer or a TV. But he's a world-renowned expert in his very niche field of expertise. Don't judge

And what is this about his slutty sleeves? Am I missing something?

Defend Your Blurbo #19

Please remember this post is about curiosity and genuine fandom discourse. Be kind with your answers because this is not a debate essay, this is a discussion between fans.

Meet Dracule Mihawk, The World's Greatest Swordsman from One Piece. He did kinda adopt Zoro and Perona, but only after they broke into his house and refused to leave. So, a reluctant father makes sense. If you don't know who Zoro and Perona are, a GIF of them is below

To answer the question, about the slutty sleeves it comes from the live action specifically this one moment I'll find the GIF

If you look, the sleeves are not sewn on. They're laced on. One, it's extremely practical because of freedom of movement. Two, it's historically accurate, and three, it shows just a little extra bit of skin, and the people went nuts. That should also answer your question of why Mihawk is suddenly considered so hot now. The live-action did him a solid, and the actor nailed the performance.

So, One Piece Fandom, I'm already scared for my inbox just based on the content of this one. Get ready and Defend Your Blorbo

[heavenboy09]

1 Year Ago Today, On August 31st, 2023

Netflix Presents

Based on The Popular Shonen Jump Manga From 1997 & The Anime TV Series 📺 Of The Same Name In 1999, In Japan 🇯🇵

Comes

The 1st Live Action Adaptation Of The Worldwide Phenomenon

The Time Has Come For Shonen Jump's 1# Global Phenomenon Based On The Popular Japanese Manga & Anime Of Shonen Jumps

The series follows the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates, as they explore the dangerous oceans, lands and beyond in search of the "One Piece", a fabled treasure that will make their captain, Monkey D. Luffy, "King of the Pirates". But the Marines are on their ship's tail and they are not the only crew searching for the One Piece. Armed with skills and unbreakable friendship, the Straw Hats are ready for the journey and even more ready to fight for their dreams together.

NETFLIX PRESENTS

A KAJI PRODUCTIONS

ONE PIECE ☠

HAPPY 1ST ANNIVERSARY TO NETFLIX'S

ONE PIECE 🏴‍☠️💰👑🤴⛵🌊🤠👒🟡

#OnePieceNetflix #MonkeyDLuffy #Nami #Zoro #Usopp #Sanji #KingOfThePirates

[casp1an-sea]

FANDOMS

if anyone actually reads all this, I’ll be impressed

Tv show themes through the years playlist

I colored the ones I cared most about in each section if none are colored it means I care about the things in that section equally.

Star Wars:

Original Trilogy 

Prequels 

I dont consider myself a sequels fan but I am obsessed with HUX and Kylux and basically anything first order

Rouge One

Star Wars Legends

Star wars Infinites

Star Wars as written by William Shakespeare 

Star Wars Clone Wars

The Bad Batch

Star Wars Rebels

Andor 

Mandolorian 

Obi-Wan Kenobi Series 

Star Wars Visions 

Tales of the Jedi 

Tales of the Empire

Anything Lego Star Wars 

THE ACOLYTE (may it rest in piece)

—————————————————————————

Marvel:

the movies (I’m not caught up yet) 

Falcon and the winter soldier 

Loki (not caught up) 

Wanda Vision

Avengers Assemble (literally so weird and silly) (not finished with season 5)

spider verse

Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies

Andrew Garfield, Spider-Man movies

—————————————————————————

Musicals/Plays:

Newsies

Bye Bye Biride

Christmas Carol

Wonka

Little mermaid

Shrek

Wizard of OZ

Anything goes

Sponge Bob

Beauty and the Beast

Guys and Dolls

Hamilton

Six

The guy who didn’t like musicals

twisted

ride the cyclone

Les Mis

The lighting thief (not finished)

into the woods

Kinda bat boy (HOLD ME BAT BOY TOUCH ME BAT BOY)

Gatsby

Romeo and Juliet

Macbeth

—————————————————————————

Games:

Zac McKraken and the Alien Mindbenders!!!! (Literally the best game)

Twisted Wonderland (read through book 6)

Ultimate Shark Simulator

Hogwarts Mystery (not caught up)

KOTOR (not caught up)

Star Wars Asault Team

Minecraft

Jedi Fallen Order (not finished)

—————————————————————————

Anime:

MHA (stopped watching mid season 4 only really care about Iida)

OHSHC

BSD

Angels of death 

Darling in the franxx (only really care about Goro)

Saki k (haven’t seen season 2)

—————————————————————————

Minecraft SMPs:

EVO

Dream SMP (not caught up)

Empires SMP

X Life 

After Life 

New Life 

Rats 

Pirates (not caught up) 

Trafic Light/Life Series (I only watch Jimmy, Joel, and Martin’s POVs)

—————————————————————————

2000s Kids shows:

MLP G3 and Friendship is Magic

Wild Kratts 

Octonauts 

TMNT 2012

Odd Squad 

imagination movers

Dinosaur Train

Lego Friends (The og version)

Monster High

Ever After High

Avatar the Last Air Bender 

Sofia the first

Elena of Avalore

dinosaur train

—————————————————————————

Weird Sci-fi and Fantasy Shows:

Doctor Who (only on the 4th Doctor) 

Read All About it 

H2O Just Add Water 

Wolf Blood 

Fragle Rock

Mako Mermaids (only watched season 1)

Alien Surfer Girls/Lightning Point

Thunder Stone 

Girl From Tomorrow 

Ocean Girl 

Sparticle Mystery 

Elephant Princess (featuring Liam Hemsworth) 

Eerie Indiana 

Girl’s World

House of Anubis 

A girl named Jo (not sci-fi or Fantasy) 

Hardy Boys Nancy Drew Mysteries (not sci-fi or Fantasy) 

Blue Water High (not sci-fi or Fantasy) 

The Prisoner 

Spell Binder 

Just Add Magic 

Maddigan’s Quest 

The Next Step (not sci-fi or Fantasy) 

Return to Jupiter 

Rocket’s Island 

Parallels

Silver Sun (not caught up) 

—————————————————————————

Disney Plus Telenovelas: 

Violeta 

Soy Luna 

Bia 

Intertwined 

O11CE

L-Pop

—————————————————————————

Misc fandoms and shows:

Harry Potter (not caught up, I do not support J.K. Rowling or read the books) 

The Tick (og cartoon version) 

Monk

The Outsiders (movie, book, and 90s Tv series) 

Alex Rider (the show not the books) 

Wild at Heart (never finished) 

White Collar 

National Treasure Edge of History 

The Lodge

Descendants 

Z-O-M-B-I-E-S

Gilligan’s Island

NCIS New Orleans

Hell of a Boss

Hazbin Hotel

Heart Stopper

OFMD (not caught up)

Julie and the Phantoms 

Disney in general 

Tinker bell

—————————————————————————

Book series: 

Percy Jackson (currently only read the lightning thief)

The Final Six 

Horizon 

Thea Sisters (when I was little) 

Chronicles of Narnia

Wizard of Oz

The black stallion

Series of unfortunate events

The Outsiders

The Waterfire Saga

[ccaptain]

five fine things.

FILL IN THE CATEGORIES BELOW WITH 3-5 THINGS YOUR CHARACTER CAN BE DEFINED BY. REPOST. DO NOT REBLOG!

EMOTIONS / FEELINGS / TRAITS:

curious, knowledgeable, melancholic, meticulous, observant.

MEETINGS:

i. one day, he simply materializes in your path- and you almost collide into him. you have the feeling that you know him, but also that there's something off. about the entire situation. ii. there's something pleasing in trudging behind him, observing gloved fingers indulge in things, seeing singular pale diamond observe while he can't see you. it's a bit perverse. you observe the unknown, and want to introduce yourself just so you can see his expression. iii. for a moment, there's someone at your side. when you try to focus on it, it's no longer here. he's no longer here, but he has seen you. you feel comforted and weirded out all the same.

SCENTS:

a light flower scent in his hair. occasionally jasmine. fresh soap. an hint of leather. the scentless cold.

CLOTHING:

a skin-tight sleeveless top with a medium-high collar. a black jacket with blue highlights, fake but soft fur sliding down his forearms. high boots with golden indents biting the leather, two loose belts hanging by his waist. a red scrunchie holding up his ponytail.

OBJECTS:

a piece of bread, encased in transparent epoxy and stained with dryed blood droplets. plastic, colorful beads. shimmering precious stones tucked in pockets. heat-preserving gloves. the paw-shaped pin.

VICES / BAD HABITS:

contagiously melancholic at times. stores bad emotions away as soon as he intercepts them. cagey. somewhat secretive. self-sacrificial.

BODY LANGUAGE:

still, but not stiff. relaxedly exists in places, eyes always following something or observing. makes an uncomfortable amount of eye contact. head tilting in confusion or to understand things better. shows the gloves palms of his hands often to placate, on purpose to appear more open.

AESTHETICS:

the call of the void, irresistible and seemingly friendly. cracked mirrors, as if a bullet hit the left side of it. the crackling sparkle over the calm ocean water at night. a thick fog that makes a path that was previously known confusing, difficult to navigate in. a warm shade of glittering gold.

HOME:

organized chaos: trinkets everywhere- on shelves, on the nightstand, on the sitting of the window. a tidy line of documentaries about psychology, about disturbing things. a projector of white, blue and red stars flooding the ceiling, the walls. a tv-show playing in the background, where the actors act in a more exaggerated way to be funny, but it just looks a bit grotesque and uncomfortable. paperwork- so much of it, and everywhere, in a beautiful handwriting that has morphed with time into little flicks of the wrists at the end of the letter T, a little dot atop of the i that's drawn and then filled with a splash of ink. it has grown a personality.

SONGS:

i. the other side of paradise by glass animals. ii. unbecoming by STARSET. iii. living in a dream by finger eleven.

tagged by: stole from @malumae MWA THANK U THIS IS MY KIND OF VIBE tagging: my usual peeps... @predvestnik @dupliciti (for gepard too if u want!) @remembranced @batoushoujo

[maddmuses]

mun is superior, pass it on.

Basics

Name: Madd, Maddlynn Maddithan, Maddie, Maddster, The Maddest, Waffles, Maddwaffles, Maddest One Around Age: 27+2 we ain't countin' them COVID years Gender: pebsi (fluid)

Favorites

Food(s): Barbacoa, Tacos, Tomato, Steak, Corn on The Cob, Salsa, Mint Ice Cream, Stroganoff, (still true af untouched except ig we can add caldo de res which I have been really about lately) Drink(s): Bepsi, Milk even tho it hurt me, Coors, Vanilla Bepis (even tho I can't fucking find it) Book(s): The Legends of Drizzt, Percy Jackson and The Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, Assorted D&D Manuals, Any decent Graphic Novel, Strong Manga series; Hajime no Ippo, Eyeshield 21, Boku no Hero Academia, Bleach, Dragon Ball, Hikaru no Go, Yu Yu Hakusho, Yu-Gi-Oh/GX, Naruto, Slam Dunk, karate shoukoushi kohinata minoru, One Piece. We also addin' Chainsaw Man Favorite Author(s): R.A Salvatore, Ed Greenwood, Akira Toryiama, Tite Kubo, Masashi Kishimoto, Oda, Rowling (Pre-TERF) nah fuck that bitch not even pre-TERF she was wildly overrated, Tolkien Song(s): We don’t have time to be here all day, I’ll list some recent listens; Ocean Avenue - Yellow Card, No Flex Zone - Karmin and Watsky, I’m Something Else - SomethingelseYT, Dammit - Blink182, Punk Rock 101 - Blink182, Almost - Bowling For Soup, Stan - Eminem feat. Elton John, Absolutely - Nine Days, Simple Plan - Summer Paradise, So many Ninjasexparty songs, Rambe - Slow, Rambe - Don’t Greed, Zombie Love Song - YFM, Maroon 5 - Sugar, Reunion - Busted, Year 3000 - Busted Honestly those all slapped so imma add a few more recents: Montero, Good 4 u, My Nonfiction, Boyfriend Complex, anything by the nerdcore rappers

Movie(s): The New Guy, Spider-Man Homecoming (okay just that whole trilogy was best honestly), Spider-Verses too, Star Wars: A New Hope, Ed, Edd, ‘n Eddy: Big Picture Show, Hairspray (Musical)

TV Show(s): AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Ed, Edd, ‘n Eddy, The anime adaptations of most of the manga I listed above, Ash Vs. The Evil Dead, King of The Hill, South Park (It fell off), Community, One-Punch Man, Gravity Falls, Scrubs, Venture Bros., Bob’s Burgers, Futurama, Daria, Star Vs. The Forces of Evil, The Boondocks, Saturday night Live when it’s decent, King of The Hill, Futurama, The Conners, As Told By Ginger, The Bear

Band/group(s): Busted, Blink 182, Maroon 5, Sum 41, Bowling For Soup, Ninja Sex Party Solo Artist(s): Rambe, Owl City, Billy Joel Place(s): Oregon, San Diego School Subject(s): Drawing, English, History Sport(s): Boxing, Karate, Football Male Actor: ?????????? Female Actor:  ???????????? I CAN LIST CRUSHES I GUESS BUT YOU DIDN’T ASK I DON’T THINK ABOUT ACTORS THAT MUCH

Life

Best Friend: Brandon (no longer roommate, he still isn’t on tumblr) Significant Other: Am the Single Pringle ;'( Siblings: TONS Dream Job:  Online Content Creator, Teacher, Professor Tattoos: Nada Piercings: Nope Languages: English, Spanglish, Spanish Lite

Tumblr

Reason Behind URL: Well Madd is a component to my standard web handle maddwaffles, for prefix being appropriated from an ex while we were dating (it was a cute thing because we matched) that just hasn’t really evaded me. When it was yallneedahero I would have a more clever answer for you. Reason Behind Icon: I love Isane Nami and you should too # of Posts: 20,535!!!! HOLY SHIT BEFORE IT WAS ONLY 5,235 I SCALE SO HARD Why You Joined: idk!?!!?!?!?!? # of Blogs: P much just this one now

tagging: @pick-your-poison-please @burdenedreverance @midnightactual @waspandr @thundertempo @linklewinklewoman @rangikuxmatsumoto @baiika @auburniivenus @badassbarmaid tagged by: stole from @orihimex and stealing again

[rjcopeseethemald]

WIP Questionnaire ±1

To be honest, I keep looking for these as an excuse to talk about my work

This one I got from @illarian-rambling, I wasn't tagged in her post but I accepted the open invitation However, since this is how my mind works, I'll turn this into a game. Updated Rules: 1. Answer as few or as many of the following questions as you'd like! 2. In passing the tag along to others, you can add one question of your own, or replace an existing question.

1. What was the first part of your wip that you created?

The magic system. It took years for the idea to finally click in my head, too. It started when I watched the Terrible Writing Advice on Myths, Legends, and Gods; JP just had to challenge me with "A pantheon of the Periodic Table would be way too big". So I said "Alright, bet", but the idea still wasn't there. Then, I finally began watching ATLA and Breaking Bad (very late to both parties), and then my brain went: "What if... chemistrybending?"

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

Probably a more light-hearted version of "Can You Hear The Music" from Oppenheimer.

3. Who are your favourite characters you've made? Why?

Hydrogen, Admiral Wright, and Miilo Saba. Hydrogen is the Elemental of their namesake atom, and I attempted to write them as wholesome and eccentric. I would liken them to a much older and wiser version of the Collector from The Owl House. They also wield a flaming shortsword, and can turn invisible (since hydrogen gas is invisible by default). Admiral Wright is the main antagonist of volume one. She was the first woman (and still only one of two) to be fully commissioned in the Lodinican Republic Navy, and is otherwise known as its toughest commander. Her backstory is a commentary on how simply letting marginalized people into unchanged power structures doesn't change their marginalizing nature. Miilo Saba is the older cousin of the twins Lia and Lioko, and he's the captain of an anarchist smuggler ship. He's mostly light-hearted and laid-back, except in a situation where there's no messing around, in which case he can become deadly serious. Why? To be honest, I picked these three because they were the most engaging for me to write.

4. What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?

Likely the animated ones I've mentioned before: ATLA (Legend of Korra included) and The Owl House, plus other animated shows like Steven Universe. The book will include illustrations a la The Chronicles of Narnia, except in an art style that would easily translate to 2-D animation.

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your wip?

Holding myself to the standards of good writing. In particular, character writing and depth of worldbuilding.

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

I have sea wyverns, which are about twice as big as an albatross; landback tortoises, which are somewhat of a grounded take on the mythological giant turtle/tortoise trope; and more minor appearances like torpedo-fish (fish that can swim up to 80 knots in short bursts) and taransis, cat-sized Lucas-the-Spiders.

7. How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

The equivalent era to our world is the 1910s-early 1920s. There are ocean liners, trains, and horses, and the occasional airship, while cars are still rather new.

8. What part of your wip are you working on rn?

I am almost done, thank God. I'm planning to take spring quarter off from community college to finish it.

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe?) of your wip do you think will draw people in?

The novelty of its magical premises and take on the fantasy genre. Perhaps its politics, too, but those are more of a background thing.

10. What are your hopes for your wip?

I hope it's as original as I claim it to be! A pipe dream of mine is that the complete series financially sustains me, but I'll just retire to a commune upstate if that doesn't happen.

I will add a question 11: What pieces of media have been the most inspiring to you for this WIP? Passing this along to @serotoninshift, @kaylinalexanderbooks, and @she-who-fights-and-writes if any of you all are interested!

Blanks below:

What was the first part of your wip that you created?

If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

Who are your favourite characters you've made? Why?

What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?

What has been your biggest struggle with your wip?

Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

What part of your wip are you working on rn?

What aspects (tropes, maybe?) of your wip do you think will draw people in?

What are your hopes for your wip?

What pieces of media have been the most inspiring to you for this WIP?

[katethevampire]

Very long post about a dream under the cut

Somebody was chasing me but it wasn't like scary chasing it was like the amount of fear you get when you're in like Roblox flee free the facility if anyone's ever played that. But anyways I somehow run into the video game (specifically Nintendo since the walls were red) section of a Target and there's a whole section dedicated to sonic stuff, but not like Sonic games. Like, Sonic add-ons to put on your Nintendo devices. One of them I remember seeing was a Shadow the Hedgehog add-on that you could put on your switch to enable hacks on every game. Basically you would take a plank of wood with little models of Shadow and Sonic attached to it, and put it on top of your switches screen and then it would enable the hacks. I remember very specifically on a small TV screen there being an advertisement for it where Sonic is trying to convince Shadow about why it's bad to cheat in video games but Shadow doesn't care and he cheats anyways. The models on the wood looks like if someone is 3D printed that image of Shadow doing the trollface from Sonic Prime and Sonic's model just looked like someone took a Sonic amiibo, ripped off the stand, and super glued it to the bottom of a piece of wood. The figures were positioned to make it look like Sonic was chasing Shadow. The weird thing about it was the wood wasn't included? Like the box only had the figures and you had to go out and buy the wood separately. Suddenly I heard the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog speak to me in my head about how why using aimbot in video games is bad and why you should never cheat and I started arguing with him. There was also like customizable dolls next to the stand that you could buy? I don't remember exactly what they looked like they kind of look like a combination between the Koko from frontiers, Coco from animal crossing, the creepy mask guy from Zelda, and the people from The book of Life. I just remember you could customize how their arms looked and what shape their heads were and stuff. Then I was suddenly transported to be sitting on top of a rafter in a barn, above the ocean???? Like there was a huge bridge and I just remember watching people fall off from boards breaking. A bunch of characters from Heather's were there and I kept switching between being Veronica and JD, apparently I was running away from the others as JD and this is my best spot where they couldn't get me because they were mad that I was trying to kill people. I also think Tommyinnit was trying to help them catch me by throwing stuff at me so I would lose my balance on the board and fall. After stumbling I end up breaking and falling through the board onto the ground and then I black out, I wake up and I'm Veronica and me and Heather McNamara are chasing JD into the barn until he climbs up into the spot where I was. We start yelling at him about how he ruined everything and then Heather takes out a big book and gives it to me I look at the book and it's a book about Heathers????? Apparently in this dream universe Heathers is a book but the book looks like a really cheaply made textbook for school? I throw the book at JD and then it cuts to a shot of him looking at it and the cover is different for some reason? It's still Heathers it's just a different design on the cover. Then me and Heather start yelling at him about how he ruined everything and that we were happy before he came along and that now he's not following the events of the book so something bad is going to happen all while the camera keeps cutting between our faces while we yell at him. So apparently we're not actually the real Veronica or Heather or JD we're actually just people role playing as them or something and we're mad because he's fail-rping by killing people. After this revelation I woke up from confusion.

[rachelcapstone]

Week 11: November 15

This week for creative research I made video collages/GIFS.

(Could not get videos to run here but screenshots are attached) 

This collage of GIFS is again an attempt to deconstruct meaning, in a similar way to the Surrealists. The imagery was chosen randomly, but the composition was up to me. The first one to me is reminiscent of a dreamland, with the clouds and swirling mirror. The girl in the upper left is sitting in a way that it looks as if she could be lying on a bed, which further reinforces the dream. The second one feels less like a location than the first one. The imagery that comes to my mind is “crazy cat lady”. This is likely because of the common image of a lonely old lady who watches television on an Old TV, with several cats like the one sitting above the TV. The socks on the legs that the cat has is also reminiscent to me of  comfort and relaxing in front of the television. Finally, the last collage to me feel vaporware/space theme. The sphere with the waterfall in it as well as earth are reminiscent of space, as well as the astronaut. The robotic hand relates to the future, or maybe a robot in space. Finally, while usually sharks make me think of the ocean, the way they swim here suggests a lack of gravity such as in space. The juxtaposition of objects together creates a somewhat cohesive theme to me. 

For scholarly research this week I read a chapter called Communication, Meaning, and Signs from Introduction to Communication Studies by John Fiske. This chapter was given to me by Nancy, and it essentially is about semiotics and how we make meaning. This relates to juxtaposition because in order to understand how a connection is made between two things, how meaning is derived from those things in the first place. Important quotes are highlighted below: 

What is semiotics and what does it consist of

There are a few systems of making meaning, but generally these systems have three main components: the sign, what the sign refers to, and the user of the sign. 

Saussure divided the sign into two parts: the signifier (which is the sign) and the signified, which is the mental concept that the sign brings about. 

I have come to realize that semiotics was an important piece in the mechanisms of juxtaposition (particularly in media). The imagery in a work of art become signs, and bring about mental images of many signifieds, which are based on previous experience or our cultural or personal association with the sign. The brain then jumps from signified to signified that come about from the two distinct signs, until there is one in common, or two that are close enough that a connection can be found between the two objects. Because of our pattern processing brain, we will almost automatically, subconsciously, and very quickly will come to a conclusion to what the two objects or signs mean in relation to each other. 

I am glad this week I was able to make something animated or digital. Right now, I am unsure if I want to go more in a physical or digital direction for my final project. I liked using the gifs because they are looped, and I think it makes this kind of format (or a similar one good) if I wanted to do a digital collage of any kind. I think that they all bring about very strong connections between the objects in the collages, and they definitely all point to a very particular signified. I also am intrigued by semiotics in relation to juxtaposition, as it can explain the basis for how our pattern processing brain make meaning in terms of media. I plan to explore it more, 

[isabellthebitchyghost]

Thanks for the tag @ribcageteeth ❣️

Nickname: Izzy, Bell, Belly, Smell

Sign: Libra sun, Libra moon, Libra rising baby

Height: 5' 5"

Last thing i googled: "Girl with a Pearl Earring"

Song stuck in my head: "Nowhere to Go" -Bad Omens

# of followers: less than a hundred

Amount of sleep: lots. maybe 8-9 on workdays, more on days off

Lucky number: idk, I'll let you know after I win the lotto

Dream job: *sigh*

Wearing: jammies. oversized Lita Ford tshirt and red jammie pants

Movies/books that summarize you: The Last Unicorn (movie and book), Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), Addams Family Values (1993), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003) and Vol. 2 (2004). Many more. TV shows because they are so so so important to me: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997 - 2003) and Broad City (2014 - 2019)

Favorite song: changes on the daily. back on my Bad Omens bullshit after seeing them live again maybe "THE DEATH OF PIECE OF MIND" right now or "Glass Houses"

Aesthetic: Draculaura from monster high and how the Nova Twins dress I think. also i want Joan Jett hair but I like being able to wear my hair up

Favorite authors: honestly @insomniac-arrest is one of my favs everyone go read her stuff. then I'll say like Dianna Wynne Jones and Ocean Vuong for right now. Actually add Brian Lee O'Malley. Scott Pilgrim is good and I'm really enjoying Snot Girl. Oh and Brian K Vaughan, everyone go read Saga right the fuck now.

Favorite animal noise: my dogs yawn yell or his sleep barks

Tagging: @a-krelboyne , @andrewgarfieldslut , @gremlin4goro , @insomniac-arrest (since i tagged you in the body of the post anyway), @seraphbutch , and anyone else

[jamiemackenziefraser]

All That Was Fair

Chapter 33: Existing in the Bit That’s Left

Summary: Life goes on, whether we will it or not

Read on AO3

Previous, master list, next

Chapter 33: Existing in the Bit That’s Left 

***

When a hermit crab dies, its shell is left behind, sitting at the bottom of the ocean. Empty and lifeless, it remains motionless as the waves cover it with sand.

Jamie had once owned a hermit crab. After it had died, it rattled him that the beautiful shell that looked so much like his pet remained even though the crab was gone. 

Now, Jamie himself was nothing more than a hollowed out shell. 

He knew his heart was gone, every ounce of love within him ripped away, but what had surprised him was that it was as if she’d taken his very body with her as well as his soul. He didn’t have the energy for even the most basic tasks. Food was tasteless. His vision seemed foggy. As tired as he was, he couldn’t sleep. Life seemed to happen around him, but he hardly managed to bring himself along with it. He was being buried under the weight of the emptiness. 

Nothingness shouldn’t have been so heavy. 

He spent three weeks laying in his bed. Barely eating, barely moving. 

Jamie was aware that he was wasting away, but he couldn’t seem to care. Claire wouldn’t want him to give up without her. Even more compelling, he wouldn’t want her to act like this without him. Even as he’d sent her back through the stones, he’d told her to live a good life without him. He wanted her to be able to move on. Except he couldn’t bring himself to do the same, and he never would. After knowing the joy of a full life, there seemed nothing left for him in this hollow existence. 

If he could have reached out and grasped onto some sort of hope in his new life without her— not that any seemed to exist— he still would have chosen not to. All the right decisions, the healthy decisions, the ways to cope and move forward— they all seemed like a betrayal. He didn’t want to move on; he wanted Claire back. 

The first time he’d uttered the horrible truth of Claire’s absence outloud was when Murtagh had forced it out of him. His godfather had come banging on his door after Jamie had ignored his texts for weeks, eventually barging in on Jamie’s state of depressed chaos. He had dragged him out of bed, forced food down his throat, and shoved him in the shower. After Jamie looked less like a corpse, Murtagh coaxed the story out of him— at least, the only story Jamie could give. 

“She’s gone,” he forced out. Hearing the words aloud was like a knife to the gut. He’d known they were true— every beat of his heart without the answering one of hers next to him made that truth abundantly clear. But being forced to say it aloud brought a whole new level of pain. 

Murtagh clearly didn’t know whether he meant she’d broken up with him or died. His godfather tried to probe him for details, but Jamie didn’t have it in him to explain anymore. 

“There’s nothin’ left for me,” Jamie rasped, “she was it. Claire—” his voice broke on her name, but he forced it out, finding some amount of reverence in the shape of it on his lips, “ Claire was my heart and soul. I dinna ken what to do, a ghoistidh.” 

“Ye do what ye have to, lad,” Murtagh said firmly, “ye keep going.” 

“How?” he looked up at him with tears shining in his eyes. “How can I keep going without her?” 

Murtagh brows drew together as he grew thoughtful. His expression reflected the gravity of the situation. His godfather knew that he was desperate for a reason to keep going, crying out for help. Words couldn’t heal him, but something had to be said. Murtagh took his time before saying them, very carefully. 

“Ye’re no’ without her, though. No’ really. Ye’ll carry her memory wi’ ye. Ye keep going, and ye bring her wi’ ye, even if it’s no’ in the way ye would have liked.” 

Jamie swallowed the bile rising in his throat. All he could hear was buzzing, the cotton in his ears growing somehow thicker. 

“I don’t want to,” he forced out, shaking his head, “I don’t—”

The meager contents of Jamie’s stomach rose, and he rushed to the trash can before collapsing to his knees and heaving into it. The grief in his heart tried to force its way out of his body, and he wished it could just end this and tear him from inside out. Murtagh hovered behind him, offering him a wet towel, and Jamie sat back heavily against the cool wall. 

“I ken she wouldna want me tae give up,” Jamie said quietly, barely above a whisper, “but I just dinna want tae keep going.”

Murtagh’s eyes swam with emotion and his face crumpled underneath his beard as his brain came to a conclusion. Clearly his godfather thought the love of Jamie’s life had truly died. And she may as well have been to Jamie, or maybe she had actually di—

The fear that Jamie had been fighting for weeks rose inside him again. It was possible that Claire really was dead. More than just possible. She’d said coming through the stones had been torture, and she’d been so weak afterwards when Jamie had found her the first time she’d gone through. He could only imagine what the trip had done to his barely conscious lass, hanging on by a thread. Or maybe he had waited too long and it had been too late. Maybe she’d gotten back and was too weak to even draw energy anymore. Maybe she’d died on that hill, all alone, grieving his loss as much as he grieved hers.  

This fear haunted him, both waking and sleeping, tearing him into pieces. Seeing Murtagh’s face as the man thought Jamie was mourning her death, Jamie wasn’t so sure he wasn’t . He wished he could know what became of her— anything to stop this horrible speculating that churned his mind. But he was left in the dark. Left to hold on to the tiny comfort that he had done what had to be done. 

For his wife. 

Jamie let his head fall onto his knees, hugging his arms around them so they were pressed tightly to his chest. 

“Jamie. I willna allow ye to waste yerself away,” Murtagh said firmly. “I ken ye’re hurting, and I would never suggest ye ignore it. I only ask that you take care of yerself, even when ye dinna want to. If not for the memory of her, then do it for me, aye?” 

He raised his red-ringed eyes enough to see his godfather, and he realized there was real fear lingering on Murtagh’s face. 

As much as he wanted to let himself fade away, he could never do that to the man sitting in front of him who he loved so dearly. 

“Alright,” Jamie agreed, “alright.” 

***

When Jamie was young, his parents had a yearly tradition where they would send him to his grandfather’s house to stay for a couple of nights. His grandfather was loving enough, but every time Jamie went, he was overcome with intense homesickness. He would cry himself to sleep each night of the visit, feeling like the guest room was freezing to the bone as he imagined the warmth of Lallybroch. 

Every day now felt like that homesickness magnified a hundredfold. 

Claire had been the true home of his heart. Jamie longed and ached for her in ways he hadn’t known possible. 

Only that home had been lost. And he was left lying awake at night dreaming of her warmth and missing her with every fiber of his being.

***

While driving on the highway during a long road trip, inevitably one will see a plastic bag being blown down the road. Aimless, empty, and completely at the mercy of the wind. Jamie would watch them sometimes, tracing their progress before they drifted away. But he never asked himself where it would end up because it didn’t matter. The bag would simply continue on, moving forward without a destination. 

Jamie was no more than a bit of plastic pushed by the breeze. He stayed rooted to his life only by his promise to Murtagh. He began to go about his days with empty precision. He would wake up at 8, brush his teeth, eat one cup of parritch, and head into work. Every night he would come straight home, take a 30 minute walk around his property, cook himself dinner, and fall asleep to the murmurs of the tv. 

On the rare nights when he allowed himself out of his robot-like trance, he would venture into the closet of the guest bedroom where Claire’s dresses still hung, and he would bury his nose in it, hugging it close to his chest, searching desperately for a whiff of her earthy-rose scent. 

On those nights, he would cry himself to sleep. 

Jamie continued on, but he had no idea what he was moving toward. 

***

When he was a lad of about 5, he and Willie had gone out to the barn to play. They had a bit of rope with them, and Willie thought it would be fun to try to walk a baby goat like they walked their dog, Rufus. They’d fashioned a leash for the poor thing, but when the time came to “walk” it, the animal had simply laid on its side as he and Willie had dragged it through the dirt, wailing its disapproval but not moving a muscle until Jamie’s parents had run out and grounded them for a week. For the goat, there hadn’t been so much active resistance as simply a complete shut down. 

When Jenny showed up at Jamie’s door one night, ordering him to get in the car to come over to dinner, Jamie had simply obeyed. Getting dragged was easier than fighting. 

She’d driven him straight to Lallybroch, where she, Ian, and the brood resided, and Jamie somehow managed to find a weak smile within himself for the sake of his nieces and nephew. 

As soon as he came through the door, he was overcome by a stampede of little feet and grabbing hands. Chubby arms wrapped around his legs, his hands were grasped, and his body became a playground. 

“Weans! Where are yer manners?! Say hi to Uncle Jamie!” Jenny admonished. 

“Hi, Uncle,” came the obedient responses from wee Jamie and Maggie. 

Before Jamie even had a chance to respond, he was obliterated by an innocent, well meaning question that cut him the core. 

“Uncle Jamie, where is Ms. Claire? Can she come to dinner too?” 

Jamie froze, every muscle coiled up on instinct from hearing that name. He’d tried to numb it out, tried to let himself get dragged on through life without the roadblock that was any mention of his lost love. 

Jenny knew, of course. Murtagh had told her about Claire’s “death”. Her face shown with sympathy as she watched Jamie stumble back onto the bench seat behind him. He sat down hard, pressing his hands to face, and peered down at wee Jamie. 

His voice was thick, nearly unrecognizable, when he managed to force out the following words: 

“She’s gone to live forever with the faeries.”

His eyes flicked up toward Jenny, whose face showed raw grief. She may not have liked Claire much, but hearing about her death spoken in such terms, or at least seeing Jamie like this, seemed to wreck her. 

Only somehow, speaking those words— the truth, disguised as a fairytale for children— actually freed a tiny knot in Jamie’s chest. 

Wee Jamie looked both disappointed and intrigued at the news. 

“Gone to live wi’ the faeries?” he echoed. 

“Aye,” Jamie nodded. He glanced up at Jenny again, and then back at the weans. Every thought in his head seemed to vanish, and he hadn’t decided to do anything, but his body was moving. He leaned down closer and gestured them toward him. Lowering his voice, he said, “can I tell ye a secret? If ye promise ye willna tell?” 

Both children nodded eagerly, waiting with baited breath. 

“Claire is a faerie. I found her on the faerie hill one day, and I took her in. She wasna meant to be here, you see, it was an accident. But we fell in love, and she decided to stay.” 

“But why did she go back then?” wee Jamie asked. 

Jamie swallowed hard. “She… well, she ran out of faerie dust. She needed tae go back to live with the faeries so she could have all the faerie dust she needs.” 

Tears gathered in his eyes, and he had to blink hard not to shed them. 

“I”m sorry ye lost yer faerie, Uncle Jamie,” Maggie said, reaching out her hand to rest it gently on Jamie’s knee. 

He took it in his, marveling at just how small it was. But brought him comfort, and for the first time in the past three weeks, he thought maybe he wasn’t entirely alone in the world. 

“Me too, Maggie. Me too.” 

***

a/n: One more chapter to go in arc II, and it's a big 'un. See you tomorrow and thank you so much for reading!!

Next

[evenmoregreener]

Questionnaire of Laruku from B-PASS magazine (March. 1995)

Another translation of a translation from Russian. This "interview" was translated for Russian l'arc fan-club in 2018. I haven't found any other English translations on the net, so I decided that it will be interesting for you to read something like this. All credits are down below, big thank you to the original translator, what a great woman! 

The original Russian text has some typos plus English isn't my first language, that's why text might seem a bit of strange. About special signs: (translator's note) - notes of an original translator; "*" - my own notes; (?) - neither me nor the original translator understood the context. Please, enjoy!

1. Date of birth Hyde: 13th of Friday Tetsu: 3 of October Ken: 28th of November, Sagittarius Sakura: Secret 2. Blood type Н: Color of the blood - red Т: А or 0 К: АВ S: The hot blood of a man runs in my veins 3. Place of birth Н: Jelsarem's Rod Т: Kansai К: Alaska’s native S: Kingdom of Nerima (Nerima is a ward in Tokyo, where Sakura was born - translator's note) 4. Height, weight, shoe size, visual acuity Н: “?” Т: Small, light, 24,5 – 25 cm К: 178 cm, 56 kg, shoe – 25,5 cm S: 5 feet 8 inches, 120 feet, 10 inches, about 1,0 and 1,0 5. Body size Н: As in the previous Т: I don’t know К: I prefer В 85, W 58 H 88 S: “Nice body” 6. Which musical instruments and how many years do you play? Н: I've been playing guitar for 9 years Т: 11 years on bass К: From about high school S: Secret 7. Where did you work? Н: Mister Donats Т: At the record store К: Jewelry store, tutor S: Secret 8. Skills Н: Shaolin martial arts, second dan Т: Calligraphy К: Youth baseball S: Secret 9. Hobby and special abilities (besides music) Н: Bite Т: Radio controlled models К: Tetris S: To make people do something

10. Philosophy of life Н: Do not stick sticks into the rice Т: I sleep today for tomorrow, tomorrow I sleep for today. (a phrase from manga - translator's note) К: Hurry slowly S: Live today 11. Real name Н: Jiji Т: Teppi К: Jakenosuke S: Sakurajima Samuel Tarot

12. Favorite musicians Н: Depeche mode Т: Me К: The The (an English new wave band — translator's note) S: Ishihara Yūjirō (Japanese actor, singer, film producer - translator's note) 13. Favorite celebrity Н: Takeda Tetsuya (Japanese singer and actor - translator's note) Т: Me К: Isshiki Sae (Japanese actress — translator's note) S: Saburo Ishikura (Japanese actor - translator's note) 14. Respected people Н: Yoshitada Hirai * Т: Me К: Professor Ichinose S: Takakura Ken (Japanese actor - translator's note) 15. Favorite films and films that you’ve recently watched Н: The Omen. Recently watched Jurassic Park. Т: Favorite film – The Outsider, recently watched “Cría cuervos” (Spanish film of 1976 - translator's note) К: Perfect World, cried when watched, although usually I don't cry during films S: Jingi Naki Tatakai (Battles Without Honor and Humanity) 16. Favorite books (including manga) and books that you’ve recently read Н: Stephen King. Recently read compilation that’s called Night Souls (?). Pretty interesting. Т: «Harper’s Bazaar», Vogue Italia, recently read Matsumoto Hitoshi’s “Isho”. К: «Kirin», about motorcycles, novels for men. It’s a bit of awkward, but I buy Young Rose which I love to read for a long time. S: I can't list everything. 17. Alcohol and tobacco Н: Both, about 10 years already. Alcohol – a little, tobacco – one piece. ** Т: I don’t smoke. Alcohol – yes, except sake, I drink rarely though. К: I love Kassis, always have it at home, drink 2-3 times a week. I don’t smoke right now. S: Any alcohol, I can drink a lot. Per day I smoke more than two packs (Seven Star) 18. Do you love animals? Do you have any pets? Н: I do, but I have allergy. Т: I do. I had 5 dogs and one cat, now I don’t. К: I love obedient and loving. S: More than pets I love girls. 19. The concert that left the strongest impression Н: GASTUNK in EGG PLANT (legendary club in Osaka of 80’s - translator's note) Т: Shiki-Yakou (the name of tour Dead End of 1985) К: In Aichi Kinrou Kaikan (concert hall in Nagoya — translator's note) S: Radio concert Anikies (Dankon Anikies – fictional band that was made up by ken, sakura and kyo (Die in Cries), when ken and sakura were guests at kyo’s radio program «kyo MIDNIGHT　ROCK　CITY» on 9th of December, 1994 - translator's note) 20. Three most beloved albums Н: Some Great Reward of Depeche Mode, God’s Own Medicine of The Mission, La Vie En Rose of D'erlanger*** Т: Laruku’s new album, Tierra, Dune К: Black Sabath – Heaven & Hell; Cure - Disintegration; Kisugi Takao (Japanese singer and composer - translator's note) - Best collection S: Secret 21. Recently bought CDs and your impressions of them Н: No Т: Second Coming/The Stone Roses К: Suede (Britpop band - translator's note) S: Secret 22. Concert that you visited recently Н: Haven't been on the concerts for about a year, but sometimes before Shibuya live watched Modern Choki Chokies (a Japanese pop band from the early 1990s - translator's note) Т: Echobelly (a British rock band — translator's note) К: kyo-chan’s solo S: Secret 23. TV shows that you often watch and radio shows that you often listen to Н: Doramas and MIDNIGHT ROCK CITY Т: TV – BEAT UK, I don't listen to radio К: Yoru-ni dakarete (dorama of 1994 - translator's note), though it has already ended. I don’t listen to radio, since I don’t have one S: I’m interested neither in TV nor radio 24. Favorite dish, favorite color and flower Н: Japanese cuisine. Monochrome color. Flowers that grow well in an apartment, even if they are not watered Т: Sushi, tillandsia, cacti, I like all of the colors К: Favorite dish – ice cream, caviar, sushi. Favorite flower – orchid. Favorite color – silver S: Anton rib (dish that was mentioned in Kinnikuman - translator's note), sakura, black 25. Musical instruments that you can play and ones that you want to learn to play Н: Guitar, bass, acoustic guitar, would like to learn to play flute. Т: Several guitars and basses К: Guitar, bass, synthesizer. Would like to learn how to play saxophone S: Variety which you can find in stores 26. Thing that you want the most right now Н: Hot blood of some girl. Т: Sharp Zaurus P1-5000 К: Onsen, pool S: “?” 27. How do you spend your weekend? Н: Sleep Т: Vacantly К: Go back and forth S: Stay under the waterfall 28. What do you do when you are all alone at home? Н: Sleep and writing lyrics Т: Play the guitar, listen to music К: Watch TV… S: Drumming Japanese drums 29. A dream that you have seen lately. Н: Back at night souls of dead sheep were hurrying through the window, I was worried where they are going. I told Sakura: when the sheep will come back, let’s go after them, but they didn’t come back. Т: A dream where I somehow ended up eating sushi in America. К: Relocation S: In loincloth and a bandage on the head I wandered in a stormy sea. And that was awesome! 30. Most attractive feature Н: Compact, compact and compact Т: “?” К: Ankles. Strong side: strong legs. Weak side: often catch cold. S: 31. Role in the band. Н: Probably, bringing everybody together Т: President К: Am-group (?) S: Educator of the head of singing monkeys 32. Describe in one word what Laruku is Н: Cloudy sky after heavy rain Т: Rock band К: Rainbow S: Soul of a man 33. What do you expect from the other band members? Н: I’d like everybody to stay as healthy as they are now Т: Perfection К: Rainbow! S: Soul of a man 34. Where do you want to go abroad? Н: Paris Т: To America К: Any countries where I could live. To drive back and forth S: Country on the shore of the Japanese Sea 35. Where have you been? Where have you recently traveled? Н: During the vacation in September traveled to Nagano to visit Osamu's house four years later, I would like to live calmly in the district of Karuizawa station. Т: To Okinawa. It was beautiful. К: Morocco. It was hot. S: In Morocco I saw the waves of the Atlantic Ocean 36. What do you recommend to see in your hometown? Н: On the roof of Nisshou haitsu Т: A lot of yankees. К: The view on the fast stream S: Secret 37. Enjoyable things that you like during tours (except for concerts) Н: Food Т: Except for concerts, nothing (laughs) К: You can overeat S: Meet different locals with the soul of a man 38. What do you definitely do before the concert, what do you pay special attention to? Н: I am in a deep thought Т: I listen to Metallica at full volume К: Going to a toilet S: Warm up and stretch of the muscles 39. What do you pay special attention to before the interview? Н: I find out the topic Т: So as not to be late К: I try to be serious S: Worried about whether I can express and tell about my masculine soul 40. What do you carry with you all the time? Н: Watch and two bracelets because I like them Т: Nothing К: Bracelet, necklace - I feel uncomfortable without them S: Pants 41. Memorable thing Н: The bracelet that I bought when I first came abroad. I really wanted it, but pretended that I am not interested, and bargained. But since there is no set price, I don’t know if it’s cheap or not. Т: No К: Various guitars, they are associated with different memories. S: Secret 42. Three biggest news in the last six months Н: 1. Motoka’s wedding. 2. The house in front of my window was demolished. 3. Because of the house, which has now been built, the lighting has become worse. Т: Promotion trip; creation of an official fan club; award from the director! К: Couldn't go to the sea. Swam in a pool in Morocco. Was in onsen. S: Secret 43. Plans for the end of the previous year and the beginning of the new Н: Composing music and lyrics Т: Car driving and karaoke К: Continue visiting onsen. S: Polish my masculine soul 44. Your personal plans for 1995 Н: Enjoy work Т: Become an artist № 1 К: Necessarily swim in the sea. Master the butterfly S: Gain a soul of a man 45. Music that you listened to this morning or last night Н: Laruku’s new song T: Morning call from the manager K: Maribeth S: Pink Floyd 46. Dish that turns out well when you are cooking Н: Chinese cuisine Т: I can't cook К: Ikuradon S: Sashimi 47. The image of the ideal woman Н: An optimistic and domestic woman Т: No К: Fujiko-chan S: That looks like Shiraishi Hitomi (Japanese actress - translator's note) 48. Favorite sport Н: No Т: No К: No S: Judo 49. If I were born again... Н: I would like to become an astronaut and fly into space Т: I would like to be genius К: I would like to be a dolphin S: I would like to be a woman, in order to live and not talk nevermore about the "soul of a man" 50. Goals in life Н: Enjoy the rest of the years Т: It’s a secret К: Live a long life S: Soul of a man 51. One word for readers of our magazine Н: If you're not careful, I'll bite you! Т: Nice to meet you К: Hello, this is Ken. I'll continue in answer 52 S: Life in a loincloth and headband 52. Free theme Н: Woof Т: Nowadays Laruku are fully different! К: In 1996 I want to perform a lot at concerts. That is why we definitely will meet, so look forward! S: And this year there will be Anikies!

* Marked in credits to HYDE’s “Roentgen” album as an art director and designer. ** Probably he meant one pack. *** Was covered by HYDE in D’ERLANGER TRIBUTE ALBUM ~Stairway to Heaven~.

Translation from Japanese: Liubov Chachanidze aka Diana_ Translation into English by me (The Green Explosion inc.)  

Original: https://diary.ru/~l20arc-en-ciel/p216393417_anketa-iz-zhurnala-b-pass-za-mart-1995-goda.htm

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

I have this sort of dream where I am at the center of a massive, terrifying situation, being helplessly overwhelmed by forces beyond my understanding. As in nightmares. It has happened enough that I've actually encountered the experience of having the kind of dream that dreams about a disaster like this are supposed to come from, and it just isn't very nice.

For instance, in my last few days of sleep (after which I did not have the dream) I wrote the following quote:

If all the forces of the universe were suddenly to vanish the earth would still be spinning on its axis, and the sun would still be climbing steeply in the sky towards the heavens; and if this earth was to be suddenly shattered into pieces, it would continue to exist; it would still possess the stars, and it would still be filled with plants, animals, and men. No matter what happens, the earth, sun, moon, and all the other heavenly bodies will go on spinning. For they are made of the same substance as this earth and also possess an immensity of power.

This seems like a good example of something that could have happened in a dream I actually had, and which could have been the source of this dream, or of something similar.

But no, it just feels like "a really powerful, weird, unsettling thing is happening" is the source of everything. All of it. This weird thing is so powerful and so much is going on at once that I'm being sucked down into an ocean of pure meaninglessness. It's like the point in dreams where the room starts to fill with shadows. All the familiar objects around me, including the things I think of as "myself" (which are "just" abstract, not the result of anything at all) are no longer in place, they are gone, they have been shattered, and I cannot remember why I felt like they existed in the first place. The sense of being "me" is just a word, and all my memories and desires are only concepts that have just appeared in this new vacuum of meaninglessness and will vanish like dreams when the next reality is formed from the shards they've become. This reality is formed from what I was in one dream; it will be formed from what I am in the next one.

This state is very different from the feeling you would get at the point in a dream where you wake up for the first time. But also, in some way it's the same, and the same thing feels like it's going to happen to me for some reason. So my brain just tries to replicate the state by thinking about it in "real life" scenarios. For instance, the last few nights, I've had these long, intense conversations on an email list. This time it's an email where someone said "I'm going away for a long time, goodbye," and we are all in the same state of uncertainty about the next reality that has been formed from shards that our minds have been thinking about.

I'm just like an old TV set where a picture of a dog is showing, and I know the dog is fake and there's no dog there, and maybe it's always been that way, but sometimes I have the sense that I can feel my life moving forward through an ever-fading series of television screens like these.

[naradreamscape]

📌💕 🎥 Astro boy & Tintin

AB:

📌how did you find your hyperfixation?: My parents used to work at a TV station that ran the Canadian dub of the 1980 series, and I was a very young child right around the last year or so of its syndication. Some of my earliest memories are of watching AB on TV - the Canadian broadcasts always looked especially blue and crunchy - and it's so weird to think about how long I've been here.

💕tell us about one of your favorite characters and why you like them!: Skunk Kusai absolutely rips. The manga and 1980 versions of him are my favourites, and he's probably one of the most solid, most fearsome villains in a piece of kids' media. I have a real soft spot for the character trope of "much smarter than they look/act", and it's fun watching Skunk constantly pull tricks out of his sleeve.

🎥do you have any favorite scenes from your hyperfixation?:

I have a whole bunch! The first ones that come to mind are from the 2003 series, specifically the final confrontation between Tenma and Astro in episode 50, and the fight in space between Atlas and Astro in episode 7. In the 1980 series, oddly enough, one of the scenes that moves me the most is in "Death Balloons" when Astro gets chased out of the school, and he's walking across the basketball court while the sad theme plays. He sees a ball someone forgot to put away, and very softly, he picks it up and puts it back in the bin. Even during the lowest times, Astro can't bring himself to not do the right thing.

Tintin:

📌how did you find your hyperfixation?: Like with AB, the Nelvana animated series used to air a lot out here! Since it was a Canadian co-production, it would run in the early mornings on either YTV or Family Channel; it's been a while since then. I got back into the series in high school during my first big bande dessinée phase.

💕tell us about one of your favorite characters and why you like them!: Bianca Castafiore! When I was a youth, I was initially disappointed that she was the only vocal female character in the series, but as soon as I read further, she totally won me over. Someone on this website said something to the effect of, "Castafiore is confident and makes herself heard no matter what, despite all the men around her,'" and that sums her up perfectly.

🎥do you have any favorite scenes from your hyperfixation?: The dream sequence in the animated version of Cigars of the Pharaoh always fascinated me because of how out-there it was; it definitely looks like it was designed by the same studio that made Rock & Rule. One of my favourite scenes in the 2011 movie is when Tintin and Haddock are walking through the desert, and Haddock begins telling the story of Sir Francis Haddock - he points to the distance and says something like "over there," and as the camera pans, it transforms the midday desert into a ship cruising through an ocean at night. It's such a beautiful shot.

[tokoyamisstuff]

Betrothed Ch. 11 - Illumi Zoldyck x Reader

Chapter 11: Broken

Summary: Illumi cannot escape his past - but sometimes that fact isn’t all that bad.

Warnings: Death, Blood, Angst, the usual.

Words: ~2500

A/N: Sorry guys, this chapter probably sucks. When I’m working night-shifts I become erradic and can’t think straight, but I still wanna write, so...

Story Masterlist

No one knows what it’s like to be the bad man To be the sad man behind blue eyes. And no one knows what it’s like to be hated. To be fated to telling only lies. But my dreams they aren’t as empty as my conscience seems to be. I have hours only lonely. My love is vengeance, that’s never free.

- Limp Bizkit: Behind Blue Eyes

“Keep good care of Alluka, okay?”

He only nodded in response. You never doubtet him to protect her, yet also couldn’t help reminding him either after everything he’s been through. 

After all, his fear of Illumi made him forget about his locked away sister for such a long time...

“And you’ll be listening to your brother, right?”

“Aye!” the little girl cheered, pecking the flustered boy on the cheek.

It was actually very adoring to look at those two siblings who were finally reunited, now able to make up for the time they’ve lost.

The only companion you’d take with you was your familiar Luna, and you also didn’t want to rely on Alluka’s powers now that you had a hint to your husband’s whereabouts.

Your sister-in-law had been through enough, and she also was way more than just someone to grant wishes. She had desires, dreams and a future to look out for. Both of them.

Gladly, Killua could tell you about all safehouses in Yorknew City so the Zoldyck family wouldn’t notice about you prying around. That information was more than enough for your search.

“What are you going to do from now on?”

“Getting my husband back, obviously” you shrugged at Killua’s words, clutching the ace of spades you were holding. Hisoka had given it to you - infused with a powerful nen, you could contact him whenever you felt it necessary.

“I know that’s all very much for you...” Yes, Killua had struggled with his brother’s mental illness ever since his birth. And now to act like all of that never happened just because you told him he had a change of heart? It seemed almost impossible. “So take your time processing things. We won’t bother you until you’re ready.”

Rumpling up the boy’s white hair, you grinned widely at your friends before you boarded the airship.

You were already halfway across the ocean when you got a message from Killua, warming your cautious heart:

“I’m glad you’ve joined our family. Save him.”

Days passed by as you searched safehous after safehous, as well as every shady corner of the city. Much to your dissatisfaction, your husband had always been gone as soon as you reached the scene of crime.

“I’ll find him, no matter what!” you thought just before you reached the next safehouse, deep in the mountains surrounding the great city. He had seemingly destroyed the Zoldyck Personal Transmitter, just as you had - both blessing and curse.

The view was breathtaking, yet you didn’t bother yourself with wasting any minute enjoying it. Luna’s cry told you that you were near, and that was all that counted right now.

Because there were only three spots left, and what if you’d search for him in vain and he had already left Yorknew City? Your guts twisted very unpleasantly at the thought, making it a lot harder to climb the last pile of rocks.

And there it was - a small brick house, nothing more than a one-room-apartment with the most needed items to survive a short time.

There were lights on inside, you clearly saw them from afar.

Fearing that he would leave if he noticed you, there was no other option left than to surpress your Nen completely, leaving you defenseless against every possible threat. 

But when you entered, there was no one there - except...

“Oh?” As you stepped into the dim cancle light of the room, a small cat stumbled in between your legs, purring happily. “Who are you, sweetheart?”

Seems like Illumi made a friend, huh?

The thought alone made your heart feel like it’ll burst out of happiness as you pet the animal’s head, noticing that Illumi had treated it’s wounds.

Leaving Luna and the cat get to know each other, you roamed around the room, searching for any possible hint on Illumi’s location.

The house seemed to still be occupied, so should you just wait here for him?

But then, the TV that he seemingly forgot to turn off bursted the local news:

“The auction is only expected to take place in a few weeks, but the preparations are already in full swing. Even though everone is talking about the possibility of the Phantom Troupe blowing up the occasion, rumors about ‘special measurements’ have been spread. The organizers did not want to comment, however they assured us the auction will run safe and peaceful.”

“Organizers my ass” you gritted your teeth. Everyone on the world knew the legendary Ten Dons were secretly holding an Underground Auction, with the ‘legal’ one just being a distraction.

But now you could very well imagine where your lover has headed up to...

It’s the same every year. Many assassins would gather to protect the auction, very well paid by the Dons.

A very good occasion to start wiping out the profession of assassins completely.

Finding the place of action was no problem. A quick research and you knew that the tallest hotel in town was in their possession, where the assassins would probably be allowed to stay until the big occasion.

The hardest part however was what in the world you could do if you arrived there...

“P-Please, have mercy!”

As you broke into the building and entered the conference hall, the blood-bath was already in full swing, the true strenght of your husband unfolding in front of your very eyes.

“Sorry, but I cannot make exceptions” Illumi spoke calmly, hitting his enemy’s head with a needle.

There were twenty-five - no, thirty corpses laying around.

Did he really single-handedly kill all those highly professional assassins? Then again, you had never seen him go all out before...

Even though your husband seemed to have granted them a quick death, everything was a mess. Broken furniture, scattered bodyparts and puddles of blood everywhere.

Illumi obviously didn’t need any help, but the moment you saw another enemy try to attack him from behind, you snapped.

Before you could even comprehend what happened, your body had acted before your mind, leaving you only able to watch as the man fell to the ground.

That wasn’t right. Those assassins were mostly hunters, who arrested or killed criminals. They weren’t guilty or worthy of death.

And yet you did it...it was a reflex, your inherent wish to help Illumi being stronger than your rationality.

So you stood stock still as your husband turned around, furrowing his brows at the injured person laying at his feet - and finished him off.

"Oh? Y/N...” Why did his tone have to be so cheerfull, even at times like this? “What are you doing here?”

As if this was a casual chat, he stepped over several corpses until he faced you, while still remaining his distance.

You gulped harshly, even after all this time not prepared for this moment. “I-I was searching for you.”

“What for?��� he plainly retorted, stepping harshly on one of the twitching bodies. “I’m glad to see you’re alright, but you shouldn’t be here.”

Folding your hands to keep them from shaking, it made your following words seem only more as if you were praying. “Because I want you to come back to me. Please...”

“I can’t do that, Y/N” he said and his pained smile ripped your heart in thousand pieces. “I’m too dangerous to be with you. I see that now. It’s no wonder you didn’t trust me back then - since I can’t even trust myself.”

Seeing your face stained with tears made him struggle with the wish to cradle you in his arms, soothing you like he always did. But he refrained from doing so.

“Don’t be sad.” He rose his bloodied hands in the air, gesturing across the room. "I found something I want to do. See? I’ll cleanse the world of other monsters like me and make it more safe for you!”

“Lumi...” Hearing this familiar nickname in your most alluring voice made him drop the facade for only a mere second. “...are you crying?”

“Huh? So that’s what it is.” Only now Illumi realized that he had been weeping as well, touching his face in surprise. He had already forgotten that he was able to cry as well."Yeah. It happens a lot lately.”

“Illumi, love-” you now pleaded, breaking out in convulsive sobbing. “You’re sick, you know that. But that’s not the right way...”

“No need to worry” he tried to compromise, pointing to his neck. “I used a needle on myself, in case my parents should get the better off me again. If I ever hurt someone innocent again, it’ll tear my aorta apart and I’ll die.”

You dared to take a few steps in his direction, but he backed off. “There’s no other way, Y/N. You’re the only one allowed to put an end to my life if you wish, but nothing else.”

“If I die, I’ll make up at least for a fraction of my deeds” Illumi thought to himself, his face now contorting to a rather mad smirk. “Y/N will be safe.”

You said nothing - no, you were left unable to speak.

Seeing the love of your life suffering so much was just too hard for you to bear.

“I’m not worthy of your love, Y/N.” God knows when he managed to appear right in front of you, but somehow he did, softly raising your chin. “I’ll never be” he added, wiping away your tears with his thumb.

“Y-You...” Softly sniveling, you embraced your husband, face wetting the fabric of his shirt. “You don’t need to be ‘worthy’. Love doesn’t work that way, Lumi. I’ll always love you! That’s up to me and you can’t just change that fact!”

“I could” he suggested himself, struggling with the temptation to kiss all your pain away. A needle could make you hate him, or even forget it all.

But he had promised himself to never manipulate other people or cut their freedom, even if just for their safety.

It was your own decision how to feel, or how you’d deal with it.

“Do you really still not remember, Lumi?”

“What exactly?” Your husband didn’t move an inch as you grabbed him tight, afraid he’d leave as soon as you let go.

“You spared me back then” you whispered, shivering as you tried to get a hold of him again. "We were still young, but you were already under their influence...”

Illumi clearly began to shake too, making you regret the previous words. Of course they would cause a flashback...

“Do you remember?”

“Vividly.”

Your husband must’ve been sixteen around that time - yet already a completely trained, fearsome assassin.

Who was his target again? He couldn’t remember.

All he knew was that the orders were to “kill the target as well as it’s allies and leave no witnesseses behind”. The job was precize, requiring to act quick to clean up every proof.

And then there was you.

Still in midst of your hunter education, you were assigned by your family to become the bodyguard over that certain politician, following him on his every step.

But now you saw it all in front of you: Illumi, with his hands firmly strangulating your airway.

He hadn’t developed his Nen abilities at the time, therefore having to do the job with his bare hands. And since you were the last one he had to get rid of, there was no need to hurry.

It was a strange feeling to have such a beautiful person writhing underneath him, piercing him with their pleading look.

Somehow it was a shame you had to die so early, and under those circumstances...

Just when you felt yourself passing out from lack of oxygen, you refrained from trying to pull his hands away - and placed one softly on his cheek.

Illumi froze, shocked by your deed. He had taken so many lives, made countless people suffer already...

But you were the only one who looked at him with such kind, sad eyes...absent of any hint of grudge.

You coughed heavily before you were able to corak out the question burning on your tongue: Why did he stopp fulfilling his mission?

"Yes, why...” he asked himself as well, rubbing the cheek you had just stoked. That sensation, the gentleness and affection of your touch was so foreign to him that he completely lost himself for a moment.

“Why didn’t you struggle?” he turned the interrogation around, almost forgetting about the severe situation both of you were in.

“Dunno” you shuddered, just now realizing that you had given in to your fate just seconds ago. “You seemed kind of sad.”

What?!? This must be some kind of trick!

“Does someone force you to do this?” The compassionate expression on your face scared him, making him want to run away from what he did not know. “You don’t seem happy to do this.”

“I don’t feel anything” the teenager scoffed, taken aback by your worry and care. “I am a highfunctioning tool of darkness and nothing more.”

"How sad...” You cracked a weak smile, and it’s brightness was enough to make him flee, your last words still spinning in his head. “I think under different circumstances, I would’ve loved to become your friend!”

You really were something else...flirting with an enemy that tried to kill you?!? Talking about being insane...

“I get now why my family was so much against our marriage...it’s a joke, really...”

It was a mystery how you didn’t recognize him right away, and how you only now remembered. They had to change all the facts, spending a huge amount of money to silence anyone knowing the truth.

Your name got changed, and everyone would have to act like you were their second child - because the one on the mission had died back then.

So the wrath of the Zoldycks wouldn’t caugh up with you to finish their job.

“You liked me...” Illumi let out a shaky breath, “...even back then.”

“Sure!” you now chuckled weakly, trying to brighten the mood. “How could one not fall for those eyes?”

“I tried to kill you.”

“You didn’t.”

Leading his hands to your neck, you wanted to show just how much you trusted him. And immediately, his hands, wandered up to your face, softly suqeezing and stroking it as if he was making sure this wasn’t just a dream or an hallucination. “You’d never hurt me, Lumi. I know that.”

And finally, he cupped your face, hesistantly moving his own closer to yours.

“Is it really okay for me to love you?” he whimpered ever so slightly - but you already pushed your lips onto his until they were inseparable.

“Yes, it is.”

_____

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[ri-ships-takari]

Marine Day [part 2: takeru’s nightmare]

pairing: takeru-hikari, some takaishida and somewhat natsuko-hiroaki exploration- summary: When Hikari and Takeru are faced with their worst nightmares, they are forced to confront dark memories they have long tried to forget, and figure out how to accept them, together. [part 1, part 3] [ao3, ffnet] note: this was written for @takariweek​ 2021′s prompt ‘separation’ but I didn’t finish it in time. i told myself i couldn’t enjoy any other fanfics until I finished this fic, but it took so long and I’ve just conceded there was no healthy way I could finish all three parts in time, so i’m just gonna post this and let myself enjoy everyone’s content for now .____. ngl tho I’ve felt like Takeru in People like us this whole week (tag yourself I’m Takeru and all the Takari week content is Hikari T___T) genre: angst cw: drowning, nightmares, divorce

"This is the part where she pulls him up, and guides him with her light back into waking. But she is not light tonight. At least, not only. She stands a patchwork of shine and shadow; a twinkle in one eye, and twilight in the other. From the lock of their hands he could see it: strokes of shadows creeping up his own arm from hers, infecting him with its dark thread."

Takeru's nightmare: On the brink of memories

Hikari is back in the ocean. The waters toss her with such force that she can’t tell the surface from submerged.

But now it isn’t just waves. Squinting her eyes against the torrents’ spray, she sees thousands of shadows streaming into the currents. Each shadow is a familiar face: a fallen friend, or fearful child, someone she might have known from class, or passed on the street.

She tries to fight. She flails every limb to push them with as much might as her tired body could muster, but it is too much. They bear on her without end, swarming closer until she sinks into the sea where there is no air, no breath, and no reprieve. Nothing but the endless turning of tides, and the darkness to disappear into.

No, she realizes.There is still one thing.

Blocked by shadows and barely discernible, but she is certain it is not simply imagined: the warmth of Takeru’s hand in hers.

There is no sense to it. She finds no other sign of him, no movement or limb, not even a sound But she cannot deny this warmth pulsating in the palm of her hands — his warmth.

On this alone, she will trust him.

Placing her faith in his hand, she finds just enough force to push herself to the surface for one final breath, before allowing the waves to take her where they will.

That’s when it finally speaks to her.

----------

The TV is too loud, Takeru thinks as he rubs the slumber out of his eyes. What is there even to watch this late? All good anime end at seven.

Mama always scolds him when he needs to turn it down, but she never does anything about Papa. Just cover your ears, close your eyes, and you could be dreaming sweet dreams again in no time , she says. He works all day , just let him have this.

Well, Takeru’s never seen him work. In fact, he barely sees his father at all. He’s out the door by dawn, and only back past bedtime. Sometimes, he isn’t even sure they live in the same apartment.

But tonight, Takeru’s going to give him a piece of his mind. It’s beyond the boy’s bedtime, but if Papa wants to live under Mama’s roof, then he has to follow Mama’s rules, just like the rest of them.

The child rises, careful not to disturb his brother sleeping on the same futon. He makes for the living room, guided by the little star night light plugged into the wall.

“This again? What about the kids, huh? I guess you want me to quit my job?” shouts the television from outside their room. Must be some TV drama tonight , Takeru thinks with a yawn.

When he peers through the crack of the door though, it isn’t the TV. It’s his father.

The man stands stiffer than ever, facing his mother by the sink, a soapy plate still in hand.

“What do you need a job for? Do I not work hard enough? Do I not earn enough for you?” he howls.

He knows he shouldn’t watch this, but he can’t look away. He is so confused. If anything, Mama has too many jobs. She cooks all the food, cleans all the rooms, and sometimes even takes them to the grocery with her. Papa’s only job is to turn down the TV.

After a pause, she rinses the plate and replies, “It’s not about the money, Hiro.”

Takeru has barely a second to consider the crack in her voice when a hand jerks him hard by the arm from behind. “Get back in bed,” Yamato wails in a loud whisper.

But it’s too late. His brother pulled him rougher than he ever had, and it hurt . Before he finds the cry fleeing his throat, or the tears falling to Yamato’s hand over his guilty mouth, the last thing Takeru sees is both his parents turning to face the boys’ bedroom door.

A heavy silence, until the crash of glass — the plate. The clanging of keys, and the slamming of doors. As they lay in their futon, eyes shut, wide awake, their only wish is that their mother could stop sobbing across the thin apartment walls.

Takeru can’t stop either. When he starts to hiccup, he feels his brother’s hand stroking his arm. But Yamato doesn’t say a word, and Takeru knows why. The tears fall only faster while he wonders what would have happened if only he had just covered his ears, closed his eyes, and dreamed.

----------

Dreamed.

That’s right. A dream. And when he finds Hikari they’ll get to the gate and escape, because it’s only a dream.

“But it isn't” , says a dark distorted voice from a distance. It is distinct, but muffled, and strangely familiar. A voice that he has dreamt before.

Devimon?

He turns in his futon to face the voice, but there is no one, only the morning sun streaming into the boys’ room.

As he opens the door, he finds his parents leading Yamato to their bedroom.

When his mother notices him, she says, “We’ll talk to Yamato first. We’ll talk right after, okay baby?”

Takeru nods.

So he waits. Even the chance to eat candy for breakfast isn’t enough to hype up an appetite, as he wonders what awaits him behind their bedroom door.

Something in his tummy tells him he already knows. Yamato, exposing his sins — that he was up past his bedtime, that he planned to tell Papa off. He is ready to confess, to say sorry for watching the grown-up talk, and that he’ll never do it again.

But he doesn’t get the chance. The door erupts with shouts. The last is Yamato’s, before the boy storms out of the apartment. His father soon follows, grabbing his keys and light on the way out.

It’s just Takeru and Mama, but maybe she’s enough. He’ll cry, crawl on his knees, and ask her to forgive him, for causing this mess and making everyone upset. She’ll shush him with a kiss and say it’ll all be okay by dinner.

The apology is still caught in his throat when she tells him to pack.

----------

As the cab enters the apartment driveway, Takeru wonders where Yamato is.

He heard his mother make reservations for a hotel, so in his backpack are two pairs of pajamas — one for him, and another for his brother— and his favorite rubber duck. (Because all hotels have pools, right? It’s the strangest time-out he’ll ever have, but maybe it'll help everyone calm down.)

He wasn’t sure what else his brother might need, but his mom probably has it covered, in one of the many suitcases they stuff in the taxi trunk.

The rest of the family arrives as his mother is about to shut the car door. They all hang speechless in this moment, evading eyes, until the driver bellows out.

It is only when his mother says, “Take care, both of you,” that something dawns on Takeru.

Through the car window, he turns to his brother for answers, for his same old smile that tells him everything will be alright. The older boy is looking straight at them, in the faded t-shirt he’s always had, hair ruffled as it’s always been, with a face Takeru has never seen before.

Yamato’s little lips are pressed in the longest frown he’s ever made, eyes glaring in the midday sun. As the car engine roars to life, the older boy’s chin quivers. He gulps, as a single tear falls to his pursed lips.

That’s all it takes for Takeru to wail the whole way to the hotel.

----------

No. Takeru thinks, shaking the tears away. This is all just a nightmare.

But it’s not, returns the familiar dark voice, drawing closer, clearer. Takeru turns to face its source, and finds no one but his mother, kneeling down to talk to him, in their new apartment in Setagaya.

“I’m sorry I can’t bring you to your first day of school,” Mama says. “I just can’t miss this interview. Maybe this time...”

“It’s okay, Mama, I can go by myself,” he replies with his sweetest smile.

“That’s my good boy,” she says, as she envelopes him in an embrace. She holds him so close he doesn’t even need to notice the new shadows under her eyes, or the fresh creases on her forehead.

Takeru likes being a good boy. He likes to help his mother with the dishes (he can’t yet reach the sink, but he could bring the plates all the way there) and to not cause any trouble while his mom is looking for work. Maybe if he were good enough, Mama wouldn't have to leave for work, and they could go home.

“Are you sure you know the way?” she asks before they part at the apartment front, to which he replies with his proudest, “Hai!”

Yamato always used to walk him to school, even when the older boy started elementary and the kindergarten was a whole block away. But that was before — before his brother started hating him (because why else hasn’t he come to play?) Now Takeru is on his own.

He knows each turn and corner to get to the new kindergarten. He counted them all when they went for the registration, the orientation, and some-other-tion. He’s waiting for the second crossing lights to change when he sees him: the older boy with blonde ruffled hair, just across the street.

Nii-chan! He knew his brother wouldn’t let him walk alone.

He follows the boy across several suburban streets. He calls out, but his voice is too small and he is always too far — always a sidewalk away, or one turn behind.

Finally, when Takeru is only a few steps away, as the bells of the elementary school ring nearby, a boy from behind calls out some foreign name, and the blonde boy turns.

Takeru’s heart sinks.

The tears well up so fast he can’t even read the school signs, or the street names. He wishes for Yamato, for Mama, or even Papa to come pick him up and bring him home, to their real home, before he ruined everything — with their futon on the floor, their little nightlight, and the TV on too loud.

Instead, he cries on the sidewalk, because he is lost and alone, and it’s all his fault.

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“No”, he says, lifting his head. “This isn’t happening, This isn’t real,” he shouts.

“But it is,” says the voice that had echoed in all his worst nightmares, its name almost on the tip of his tongue. He turns and turns to find the source, but sees only the buildings melt and mesh around him.They rise and fall and rise again, until he finds himself back at the base of Big Sight, by the statue of the Bakumon, the holy beast of dreams.

“It’s all real,” says the voice, ringing clearer, closer than ever before. He arrives at its name just as it says, “And we have to accept that, Takeru-kun.”

When he shouts her name, she emerges before him. The warmth of her hand in his, now suddenly apparent, as if it was there all along.

This is the part where she pulls him up, and guides him with her light back into waking.

But she is not light tonight. At least, not only. She stands a patchwork of shine and shadow; a twinkle in one eye, and twilight in the other.

From the lock of their hands he could see it: strokes of shadows creeping up his own arm from hers, infecting him with its dark thread.

“We need to accept it, Takeru-kun,” she says delicately.

He knows he could let go, cut the contamination from its source, but he can’t. No, he won’t. If Hikari is going to fight this darkness, he won’t let her fight it alone, and if they were to fight it tonight, they would at least be fighting together.

So he holds on. A chill crawls up his arm, but he doesn’t watch. He fixes his eyes fast on hers, lest he lose sight of her again. He puts his faith in the calm of her voice, and the warmth of her hand, so inviting that he reaches for the other as well.

When the statue of the beast of dreams roars to life, he doesn’t even flinch — stilled by the serenity of her smile, despite the strands of dark and light that rally on her face.

The monstrous beast raises its tusked trunk into the sky above them, before pouncing on the pair. When it swallows them whole, he isn’t even afraid, only in awe. Inside the creature, the darkness falls from Hikari, as she glows brighter than she ever has before. The light is so blinding, Takeru must turn away, and that’s when he notices what surrounds them.

A thousand shadows of fallen digimon, of captive children, of lonely paths and empty apartments — fragments of a thousand forgotten memories — dance about them in some solemn symphony, all fully formed and finding shape in this new light.

This is the last thing they see, before they awake to reality, crashing into the Odaiba shore, on the dawn of Marine Day.

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[continued in part 3]

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author's note: This was a trip but we all debrief in reality (no more funny business) in the third/last chapter T___T.