#I FELT VERY SILLY WRITING THIS

[loveephia]

oof yk i js realised that i kinda write my own hq content in a way where i can hear their voices in the english dub,,

also here's how my hq oc looks like, ueuueuee

this is ichika usahime (一河ウサ姫), a second-year in aoba johsai (same age as me irl!). she's in the soft tennis club and she often plays in competitions. many people wonder why she didn't apply for shiratorizawa as they are the star school of miyagi prefecture, but truth be told, she instead came to aoba johsai because she liked their uniforms (NOYA WHO⁉️).

if you couldn't already tell, i wrote her to be tsukishima's girlfriend whereas the two have a rather private relationship.

fun fact: there's a japanese myth where bunnies make mochi on the moon! usahime has bunny motifs while tsukishima has moon motifs--they're quite correlated!

when usahime graduated, she moved to europe for business school. the two broke up a few months after tsukishima himself graduated from karasuno due the fact that they both couldn't handle a long distance relationship anymore.

later on (during the timeskip, so manga spoilers ahead!), the two meet again in a large stadium. this time, tsukishima is a professional volleyball player for sendai frogs, a division 2 team in the V league, while usahime is now a young entrepreneur with a bakery of her own.

when tsukishima recognises the girl, he goes up to greet her. the two talk like how they used to and tsukishima is overwhelmed with both nostalgia and hope that maybe they could try again. his eyes soon land on her fingers--one being occupied by a beautiful princess-cut diamond ring. she's engaged.

when her given name is called out by who tsukishima assumes is her fiance, usahime briefly gives him her heartfelt thanks as she found her love in baking from his delight in strawberry shortcakes.

[butchfalin]

the funniest meltdown ive ever had was in college when i got so overstimulated that i could Not speak, including over text. one of my friends was trying to talk me through it but i was solely using emojis because they were easier than trying to come up with words so he started using primarily emojis as well just to make things feel balanced. this was not the Most effective strategy... until. he tried to ask me "you okay?" but the way he chose to do that was by sending "👉🏼👌🏼❓" and i was so shocked by suddenly being asked if i was dtf that i was like WHAT???? WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME?????????? and thus was verbal again

[torchstelechos]

I love that Isabeau is the one to bring up the "what do we do if you die" conversation cause its a very good insight to his character at the very start of the game. Isabeau is practical, smart, and loves everyone dearly and wants to know how to help them when shit goes sideways. He's the one to ask about Bonnie too, which is a delightful read on how he thinks because everyone else shuts that down instantly as a "That wont happen and cant happen" but we see later in the game it can happen which is such a startling thing for a game to do but justifies the foreshadowing of Bonnie can die what do we do if that happens? Isabeau, despite everything, is also the one who gets to the heart of the matter even if its not something must people are willing to talk about. All without it being part of his friendquest, thats just him naturally. Which! Says so much about him and how he is! His character when its not about his relationship with Siffrin is a very intriguing thing because it feels like a very classic hard intellectual stance that's been softened after many years of learning to better communicate healthily with others. A reflection, if you will, of Odile but in a very drastic direction. I find him fascinating and I also want to scoop his brains out and study them under a microscope to see all his little brain thoughts.

[grif-hawaiian-rolls]

The Reds the Feds and Wash : Car Trouble

Lil writing and bonus under the cut >;3

Locus slammed the mongoose into park, scowling as he approached the stopped Warthogs on the road. One job. He gave them one fucking job. Take the Warthogs, go from point A to point B. It should have been, by all counts, impossible to screw up. AND YET! Here he was, having to come to their rescue. Unfortunate and worse, irritating. At the very least, most of them had the good sense to keep their helmets on. The same could not be said of Donut and Neko, who were both helmetless and mid-conversation like it was a nice day in the park, not high value targets stopped in the middle of the road in a warzone. Not to mention Neko’s… frankly ridiculous perch across the top of the Warthog, legs wrapped around the barrel of the turret and his head on the windshield. Genuinely, what was that idiot doing? That couldn’t be a comfortable position to maintain, especially while talking to Donut who was leaning against the driver side of the vehicle. Locus wondered if the sergeant would shoot him if he walked over there and threw a blow at Donut to prove a point. Agent Washington almost certainly would. Better not to risk it then, no matter how effective it would be at proving a point. Neko was a lost cause at this point, short of taking a blade to that ridiculously long braid, but there were some lines even Locus hesitated to cross. Actually, where was the sergeant? Or Pavoz for that matter? He was so focused on the thought for a moment, Locus almost tripped over Lopez’s legs. The robot was half way underneath the other Warthog, no doubt checking for anything else that could be wrong. Locus’ half a stumble was easily brushed off as him nudging the brown calf plate to get Lopez’s attention. "<You have my part?>" He asked as he pushed himself out from under the car. He was without his helmet as well, surprisingly. But forgivable, seeing as how the light under the Warthog remained steady enough to assume Lopez had been using his helmet as a light source. Lopez, despite being a robot or maybe because of it, was very quickly becoming the second most competent soldier in this group. If nothing else, at least Locus knew he wouldn't fuck around half as much as the rest of them. He pretended he didn't notice Neko's helmet hanging off the turret of the other Warthog. "I do." Locus removed the mechanical component from the compartment in his chestplate, leaning down to hand it to Lopez. "What happened?" "<Dunno. Bad luck, from the looks of it. Or someone drove this thing over a fucking tree, and picked up a squirrel nest or twelve. It's a mess, but this,>" Lopez gestured the piece Locus brought, "<seems to be the only part that needs replacing to at least get this disaster on wheels to a base.>" There was that, at least. Locus crossed his arms. "How long?" "<The rest of today, probably. I need to actually clear this shit out of the undercarriage or it's just going to cause more problems,>" Lopez rolled his eyes, a very human gesture set in a metal face. "<And even then, we won't be able to get moving again until morning. Sarge kept trying to start the damn thing and killed it's battery. It needs time to build up a solar charge before we jumpstart it with the other one.>" Unfortunate. At least the question of the sergeant and Pavoz was answered, as the pair of them came through the underbrush off the side of the road like they were summoned by Lopez mentioning Sarge by name. "-make a Red out of you yet, boy!" Sarge laughed, clearly mid sentence as they rejoined the rest. Pavos nodded along, though how much he actually agreed with the conversation was debatable. The sudden sound of a horn going off had every weapon in the vicinity raised in reaction, before the source became clear as the sound dragged out. Agent Washington's helmet rested on the wheel of the second Warthog, defeat written in the angle of his shoulders. Donut laughed at something, presumably the same thing Washington was reacting to. Neko looked smug, so safe to assume it was probably something he said. Idiots. All of them. Unfortunate.

----

I'm not immune to roadtrip arc, and Kimball does say the Federal Army of Chorus moved the Reds and Wash around a lot sooo like >> i'm just saying, it'd be a shame to not make Wash suffer through a red team roadtrip Bonus, sometime the s12 finale and reveal of the armies:

felix's text is so much harder to read off my tablet screen than i thought it was fuck okay transcript time Felix, while reaching for the radio: I'm gonna lose it if we do this entire drive in silence, I swear- Locus: DO NOT

[vinelark]

happy friday! here is a little bbts chapter 5 proof of life

When Tim comes down again his mouth is full of blood—bitten cheek—and his whole head throbs, an almost fizzy numbness flooding through his jaw in the sudden absence of pain. He struggles through another wheezing breath, wincing at the familiar sensation of torn muscles around his rib cage. “Ah,” Checkered Shirt is saying. “There does seem to be a localized paralytic effect. That last placement may have been counterintuitive; my mistake. But as we discussed, that’s the beauty of mistakes in a setting like this. The opportunity to learn from them.” Tim tips his head. Clumsily spits a mouthful of blood on the metal floor—evidence, he thinks hazily, if he moves me—and finds his tongue. “Funny how you still haven’t gotten what you want,” he half-slurs, “considering how many opportunities you keep having.”

[hesbianyaoi]

The Soukokus and the Four Symbols: Pt 1

STARTING OFF BY SAYING: This is just a fun connection/"theory" (if you would call it that) I made while reading BSD, so not everything will be connected exactly to the T. I just love mythology and Byakko has already been confirmed to be a celestial being thanks to chapter 119, so in any case, buckle up and enjoy my insanity.

WHO AND WHAT EXACTLY ARE THE FOUR SYMBOLS?

The Four Symbols—also known as the Four Guardians or the Four Gods—are constellations and mythological creatures in Chinese (and other countries in the Sinosphere) culture that are believed to be the protectors of the four cardinal points: the North, South, East and West.

They also had correspondence with the Five Phases (Wuxing), the philosophy that the fundamentals to the universe were composed of elements and their relationships to one another. These elements include nature, seasons, times of day, directions, and colors.

The Four Symbols are the Azure Dragon of the East, the White Tiger of the West, the Vermilion Bird of the South, and the Black Tortoise of the North.

Sound familiar?

It's like how Soukoku + Shin Soukoku is associated with the colors blue/red and black/white. This alone wouldn't be enough for me to make this entire thing such a big post in the first place, though; it's the very nature of everything else in Bungo Stray Dogs concerning the Soukoku's and the subtle symbolism they have connecting them to these divine beings.

For the sake of my own mind, we'll be discussing Shin Soukoku in this post, as they have the most relevance to the recent update and to their associated guardians/gods. Interesting since they create such a unique Singularity, right?

ATSUSHI: BYAKKO, THE GUARDIAN OF THE WEST

We have the most information about Byakko thus far, so it only seems fair to start off with her.

Byakko's associations with Wuxing include the color white, sunsets, autumn and its desolation, and the west itself. These are things Atsushi is commonly associated with, such as sunset/moon symbolism, how the sun sets in the west during the autumn equinox, even his joke title of the Wimp of The West in chapter 33.

Atsushi's white tiger is something we already know is highly sought after from all around the world, and we already know that the tiger itself is a "bookmark" to locate the book. The Book is obviously representative of something otherworldly, something as heavenly as its association with creation and life, and of course, Byakko is the literal guide to finding it. Because of course she is.

Byakko is more than just a white tiger; it is the embodiment of justice, protectiveness, and righteousness. It is the king of beasts and a capable warrior. She's more than just an ability (as we see in Dead Apple, alongside Rashōmōn, since they're the only two that take their own forms compared to everyone else's abilities being mirrors of themselves) as she resides inside of Atsushi's body as another physical being entirely.

Canonically, abilities are described as receiving their power by their user's souls, which is why an ability will disintegrate once their user dies.

But Byakko is not just Atsushi's ability; she is an entire being residing within him, two souls in one body. And not just any being, but a god.

It's also speculation on my part, but Byakko is often referred to as the "key" to finding The Book when in actuality, she's most likely protecting it. Fitting of the White Tiger's role as a guardian of justice and morality—if it fell into the wrong hands, balance would be broken.

AKUTAGAWA: GENBU, THE GUARDIAN OF THE NORTH

Also known as the Black Warrior of the North, as the character 武 translates to warrior/knight and is a much more faithful translation. Compared to Atsushi's more blatant connection to Byakko, Akutagawa's connection to Genbu relies more on subtlety, which I would say picked up during chapters 117.

His death, becoming a vampire, and the time spanning from his death until now could also count as a form of hibernation, given the fact tortoises hibernate and winter is the prime time for hibernation to occur, which aligns with Genbu's associations with Wuxing: the color black, winter and its frost, midnight (prime time for traditional vampires), and the north itself.

From the beginning, Akutagawa has always been associated with black as his signature color. Rashomon, his armor, is his protective "shell" like that of a tortoise. In the most literal sense, he is a warrior—a true knight, further emphasized by Bram's final wishes and desires to protect. It's also worth mentioning that the Tortoise is revered as a pillar of support during challenging times.

Honestly, need I say more?

Genbu is also associated with resilience, wisdom, and most importantly, immorality. The story of the Black Tortoise (Xuanwu) varies from legend to legend, but the general base for the story is the same: Xuanwu was once a mortal who achieved enlightenment and became immortal by pulling out his stomach and intestines, the last remains of his human parts. Once he pulls them out, they become demons, and he must subdue and tame them—quite literally overcoming his own sins.

In a twisted sense, Akutagawa's death was a form of enlightenment.

He dies believing that Dazai truly didn't abandon him, that this was all just a test, and thus he dies with a smile on his face. Now that Akutagawa is awake, he doesn't remember anything besides his knightly duties. It is a new beginning for him, one without the demons of his past weighing him down internally.

He is anew. He is enlightened.

SO, WHAT COULD THIS MEAN?

That's the thing. It could mean nothing at all except for speculation. It could mean something bigger in store for the future of the story. The point is that we don't know what could happen or what any of this could mean outside of correspondence with mythological archetypes. Regardless if this actually contributes anything to the plot, the similarities between Akutagawa-Atsushi and the White Tiger-Black Warrior were too fun to resist talking about, which brings up another point.

Byakko and Genbu, Baihu and Xuanwu, Atsushi and Akutagawa, the new Double Black. They all represent the same thing: balance.

The tiger is representative of its protectiveness and righteousness whilst the tortoise is associated with its wisdom and the strength of a warrior. All four guardians are responsible for the balance of the cosmos and nature itself, and for the Soukokus, it is the same.

The balance they fight to keep is not only between themselves and each other but for Yokohama, for the fabric of reality itself. (And it's something I want to go deeper into when I focus on Dazai & Chuuya next.)

[zecoritheweirdone]

i am being so so normal about these guys right now

[frootbyethefoot]

just this once, there could be a happy ending (there is an uproar of laughter.)

[thewandererh]

🧊Symptom of Danger

| { [ ( a post-coma cccclinic story ) ] } |

for character references, visit here

please do not tag this as a ship

_…~^*^~…_ _…~^*^~…_ _…~^*^~…_

resting on a lounge couch, whole is trying to get some work done through his laptop. he's in his pajamas with a fluffy blanket settled over his lower half, and the 'puter on top of that blanket. ahead of him on a white coffee table is a freshly-opened sprite can, still fizzing and unfinished. nearby, mind sits in a comfy blue flannel robe, drape-y pants, and with his usual mask while reading a book in a grounded birdcage chair. he looks very comfortable, and is keeping whole company.

/weak cough hIC eaugh,,, great./

[you alright?] mind's gaze darts up from his book, protective.

/n-no. i still have a cough even after that cold, a..aHIC and now i have hiccups./ whole adjusts himself and brings a hand to his throat as he hiccups again, wincing painfully.

/aie-yai-yaiy...ouch./

[holding your breath usually works, right?]

/y-yeah, but it could hurt since i've been coughing all day. still on that medicine too. and, well...i don't like that method too much. hIcC...eaugh./

[hmm...] mind closes his book and puts it down on his lap. [are there other tactics?]

already on it, whole is leaning over his computer clacking away. he clicks the enter bar just as another hiccup rings through him.

/alright. i-HIC...excuse me./ he pats his chest briefly. /ow. uhm-paper bag, hugging knees close to chest, si-HICc...aheEm sipping cold water, granulated sugar, and biting into a lemon. there's quite a few apparently./

whole's voice grows a bit croaky near the end of his sentence, and he sputters out a few coughs. then a hiccup shoots through him right in the middle. hunched over, his eyes declare pain as he briefly thuds his chest and clears his throat. mind sits wide-eyed and anxious. whole can handle it—right?

/aHHeHm...mhm... i'll uh...go with the cold water./ he wheezes out another cough, massaging his neck and chest.

[how about...i...go get the water.] mind offers, never dragging his eyes away from whole's hunched posture.

/gh...ghood idea./

.-. .-. .-.

whole shifts in his seat, setting the computer aside, and huddles with his blanket close to his knees. comforting himself and trying a physical tactic out first. he stares straight ahead, glancing at the progress he's made on his computer, before closing it and his eyes to attempt some deep breaths. it's awkward with the hiccups, and his face scrunches up when they strike. he hugs himself and the blanket closer.

mind gets up to get the water, walking by whole's resting spot on the couch. he grabs a tall glass and fills it up on the cold setting with the fridge water filter, sighing. mind knows that he's very protective of whole, especially around soul. he's just...scared something could happen again. even going as far as fearing a certain someone could cause that. always scared some health issue or medical emergency could arise, and then they'd have to go back to that squeaky clean, endlessly tiled, rubbing alcohol-fuming place. whole—all of them—were there for so long. in headspace and in reality. it…changed them. in ways mind doubts he understands fully.

mind finds himself glancing over at whole, who is still hugging himself and trying to take deep breaths amidst the coughs and hiccups. an atmosphere of anticipation filled the room: the next hiccup, the glass to finish filling, or even something worse happing. the chances were never zero. mind stays vigilant for bad signs in case things got worse—but was that anxiety or logic? mind can’t keep his eyes of of whole. what even caused this whole hiccup thing, anyways?

he absentmindedly chooses ice before the loud clunky-splooshy sounds make him realize his mistake. mind looks back to the fridge, startled, before smiling to himself beneath the mask.

[my bad. uh. would you prefer no ice?] he calls out awkwardly.

whole manages /ice is fine, don’t worry./ in return after a hiccup. his hugging method wasn't working.

mind walks over, and whole turns and takes the tall glass from mind's hands. his hands shake as he tries to sip it slowly at intervals. afraid the hiccups would interrupt his sip. mind sits down beside him, hands fidgeting. his oversized blue flannel robe trailing behind him like a cape.

mind wants to guide him, to help in some way, but he bites his tongue. it’s painful to watch. why was it so painful to watch?

whole tries again, preparing himself with a moment of pause to help with nerves, and sips. some of the ice was fractured on the rim of the glass when mind hit the button, now swimming broken in the water. as whole lowers the glass mind hears a crunch. whole crushes up an ice fragment he sipped up, then swallows and smiles.

/it's always better with ice./ he puts the glass down, turning to mind.

[always.] mind nods knowingly, and both share a smile.

.-. .-. .-.

whole sips the glass a bit more before stopping. he wipes his hands on his shirt and then buries them in his blanket.

/my hands don't like the cold though./

he humors the mood and bundles himself up with his fluffy blanket. sighing.

/feels real refreshing feeling it go down. it's like a...waterslide. of cold comfort./ whole closes his eyes and smiles. mind pauses, staring into nothing. his eyes get wide.

[it's gone! your hiccups are gone.]

whole re-opens his eyes and waits.

/you're right!/ he pauses and assesses. /yeah! wow, thanks a bunch. we learned something new today./ whole closes his eyes and smiles. mind leans onto his blanket while smiling with his eyes. they rest for a moment.

.-. .-. .-.

eventually, whole resumed to his work and mind to his reading. whole finishes his scheduling and his tall glass of cold water, then celebrates with a nice snack for himself. mind joins him at the dining table behind the couch after finishing his chapter goal for the day. he snags a cheestick while whole readies a toasted pbj sandwich. he can never settle for the squishiness of the bread against the peanut butter and jelly. the bonus crunch was a must for whole literally always. sitting down opposite to mind after preparing the mini-meal, both whole's elbows collapse onto the glassy dining table. he takes a bite.

/…that hit the spot./ he mumbles out with a tired-eyed smile.

mind chuckles and undoes his mask to set in his lap. he sighs, and unwraps the cheestick to peels it piece by piece.

/woah. i usually just eat it in a few bites. i like your way better./ whole voices his observation after a big swallow.

[whaattt?? you've never seen me eat one if these? enjoy the little things, man. scarfing it down is a big thing—a big thing all going down all at once.]

he wags his finger as he makes his point, then goes to delicately peel his cheesetick as whole laughs.

/i think it’s more fun that way, too/ whole manages, finishing his sandwich as mind nods as a response.

/want anything to drink?/

[maybe some...ice water.] he smiles as he says it, finishing his cheesetick but keeping his mask off.

whole playfully smiles and rolls his eyes, catching the coffee table in his gaze. remembering the empty tall glass, he goes to grab it. something clicks in whole’s head when he spots the sipped soda too.

/uh... mind? i think i found the source of my hiccups earlier./ he grabs the sprite in the other hand, sets it down on the dining table in front of mind, then refills his tall glass. he could almost see the neurons burst with thought behind mind’s eyes.

[the carbonation must've sparked a negative reaction, of course! that kind of gas expands…—when you got the hiccups, how soon before had you sipped it? how many sips? where was this can placed?]

accustomed to this kind of thinking, whole replies as he finishes refilling his glass with ice water.

/yeah, stomach acid stuff./ he sets his refilled glass down on the counter, and grabs a fresh one to fill up for mind. /i tookkk two sips a minute before i started having my hiccups. and the can was placed.../ he leaned to look toward the couch and ergo coffee table /oddly out of view. like in a corner of the table. i think i was moving to sit down when i sipped it and didn't grab it again. then it caused some coughing as the hiccups came?/

mind's brain worked, his eyes laser-focused on the sprite in front of him. whole sets down mind’s water but remains standing beside him, and leans on the tabletop with his arm. mind barely notices the glass.

[that's…exactly what happened. yeah. you haven't had fizzy drinks in a while, right?]

he nods /that's right officer./

[well that’s a puzzle solved then! we have found the why: stay away from fizzy drinks. nice work detective.] mind remembers his water and sips in celebration. relief releases anxiety from his shoulders.

/you’re the one who can solve a rubik’s cube in a minute./ whole tilts his head silly-ly. mind makes a smug shrugging gesture.

[heh, yeah.] setting the glass down, he continues. [but uh, stay away from fizzy drinks in the future…i guess. how does your throat feel now?]

/i will. it feels ok i think?/ he presses a hand to it briefly. /a little leftover strain but that’s about it. the sandwich helped./ reminded, whole moves to clean up the kitchen.

[that’s good.] mind puts his mask back on and gets up to help whole. he feels more fluid as he moves, now unrestrained by tension.

.-. .-. .-.

there’s a quiet moment as they clean up the kitchen. mind is content that the problem is over, and his struggles are eased. but these struggles, this anxieties, are always there. he’s always fearing for whole’s safety. he’s always wary of every little detail. whole isn’t helpless—he’s finished his physical therapy procedures and can walk now. but they’re all getting used to life at this house that even whole hasn’t seen for a while.

mind tenses up: there’s this exhaustive need squirming to know everything’s ok. something could happen. someone could misjudge something. but then whole’s more used to life than any of them are, so he should know if he messes up…right? or maybe something happened to his brain in that place. mind’s brain. an altercation in his psyche. what i-

mind finds himself nearly dropping a plate as thoughts stampede. he sets it down in the sink.

/you ok?/ whole stands at a counter wiping it down with non-alcoholic spray. he turns, there for him.

washing his hands, mind takes a deep breath.

[do you think i’m overprotective?] he stops the faucet and turns to a whole. woefully unprepared and unwilling for this conversation.

whole pauses, but looks into mind’s eyes with a knowing gaze.

/i think that you care about me, and you’re worried something bad could happen./

mind lowers his gaze and nods.

/it’s nothing to be ashamed of. i worry for me too. i don’t want you to shoulder that worry—it’s my job./ whole…knows so much. it makes mind tense. was he that readable?

[i’m just…scared that…we’ll have to go back. or you ch-changed and can’t judge things correctly, or—] mind brings his right hand to his forehead, staggering with his words and demeanor. panicking. his metal arm tenses at his side.

whole recognizes the situation and walks up to mind. he gently grabs the metal hand. mind looks down at the handhold mellowly.

/i’ve…thought about it a lot myself. i have changed. we all have. we’ve overcome obstacles and learned valuable lessons. i believe i’m more…equipped for problems. with my health or my situation./

mind meets whole’s gaze. those knowing eyes spoke soundless comfort mind needed to hear. he knew what he was talking about.

[i’m so worried for you…all the time…] his throat burns as he says it, unwilling. tears well up. and then fall.

mind shivers in a breath, and falls gently onto whole.

they hug.

and it’s warm.

mind sobs quietly, thankful and relieved. he takes off his mask and it dangles by the straps, held weakly by his fingertips. arms dangling at his sides.

he buries his face in whole’s arm. so close that he can hear his heartbeat.

it’s steady and consistent. healthy. bold. and unparalleled in providing comfort.

whole is alive now. he’s ok now. they’re ok now.

whole holds mind gently.

/we’ve changed. and it’s for the better. we have hobbies and things that bring us joy. we have this house and the outside world. we have separate rooms and a backyard. we have grocery stores and style preferences. we have eachother. and we’ll always have eachother./

mind detenses all over, his face weak and wet. he adjusts himself in whole’s arms, and sighs whole-heartedly. eased.

whole draws in a long deep breath himself, sniffling a little. /you all mean a lot to me, mind./ he choked up and can’t continue.

instead, they cradle eachother in the kitchen. anxieties eased. breathing as one.

mind pulls back, wiping his face.

[th-thank you.]

whole smiles, blinking away tears. the sappyness got to him alright. he needs a moment before replying.

/w-well, thank you for getting me some awesome icy water./

mind chuckles, and looks back to his own unfinished ice water. [you too, heh.]

/oh man, i never finished mine did i? where’d it—/ he spins around, spotting it on the counter near the spray bottle. /ah./

mind smiles. he sets down his mask, grabs his glass, and sips while whole finishes his own. mind watches as he chugs the entire thing.

[that hit the spot?]

/big thing going down all at once. still very waterslide-y. hooh./

they share a gaze. and then burst out laughing. it’s reinforced when mind nearly spills his water onto his lap.

they die down gradually, the mood lightened.

[oh! my book. i found some really good literary devices in the last few chapters.]

/ooh, tell!/

mind finishes the last sips of his water and scampers off to the grounded birdcage chair in the living room. he pulls out his notebook (annotations defeat the immersion for him) and flips to today’s date. mind doesn’t wait for whole to sit down before he starts explaining the metaphors and foreshadowing he loves so much. whole is delightedly interested, asking questions and the like. mind’s explanations were always thorough enough that it felt like an experience of the book itself: surrounded by ideas and fantasies. he was so indulged in his hobby that it made whole smile. the hobby he found and enjoys with his whole being.

[quinn-pop]

woahhh it’s an idol au !!!!!

after a falling out with hyness, the three mage sisters (who aren’t actually mages here lol) went out on their own! they’re not very used to being around other people but they’re trying to get by! it’s tough but they’ve got it!!!

only zan keeps running into this one person: magolor, who insists on recruiting her to be an idol, of all things

she is definitely put off at first—idols are ridiculous! frivolous! shameless!—but once she learns more…and more importantly, is promised a lot of money…well, what has she got left to lose?

zan is the group center and magolor is the manager…magolor also definitely does not have any of the money he is promising, as he is very close to being fired from *squints* dedede’s talent agency. yeah that’s a thing now. magolor has kinda just failed again and again to get anywhere with his ideas, and so he puts all he has into this group

…okay maybe this is more of an entertainment au because i threw in Literally Every Other Character. for example, yeah, dedede, who is obviously as professional as you’d expect (sarcasm.)

the agency itself is uhhh not doing great because dedede doesn’t know what he’s doing (did you think he would? self proclaimed king, everyone /lh) but he is very enthusiastic, at least, and good with people

there’s also professional fight choreographer meta knight and the kid he swears isn’t his (it is. he’s adopted) said kid listens to a lot of music and even becomes a fan of the mages <3

meta is the only one here to actually have a reason to wear sunglasses other than in an attempt to look cool lmao.

susie, in charge of marketing, who has her own dad problems that would definitely parallel the mages’. she totally isn’t jealous of them and their bond and that they get to be idols (also sarcasm)

yeah she’s gonna join later lol

there’s also the superstar solo idol, (stage name) sectonia

she takes her work very seriously and really plays up the whole parasocial relationship aspect of being an idol, meeting fans and putting on an act for the cameras. she is very charismatic but kiiiind of self centered, and her desire to be adored often gets the better of her

since there’s not really magic in this au, she never had the chance to turn evil, but that longing for love and approval is still there

she’s kind of the mages’ rival because she embodies so much of what zan hates about idols (but maybe they’re more alike than they think…?)

[thedrotter]

Re:Kinder Fun Facts of the day☺️!!! Have you ever wondered who talks the most from the main cast in Re:Kinder?? Well, I did😊. Today I'll be answering this question with some graphs and as a bonus telling you what words each character uses the most! I will warn you, this will be a bit long and I don't know how to be less verbose so, yeah!!!

First, I've made some basic rules as to what I counted regarding how much the characters speak. Not all lines really count as speaking, after all.

Any of the incoherent screaming lines don't count. There's a lot of screaming since the characters die a lot (as expected for a horror RPG game), but I don't really count that as speaking unless they're saying proper words. In that same vein, I didn't really count any of the panting or sniffing and such that are conveyed through words. Again, I don't really see that as a character actively speaking their thoughts!

If I cannot tell who a line belongs to, I will not give it to anyone. This happens for certain lines, so I felt this rule was important.

I won't be counting repetitions of the same line if it's on a variation of the same scene. This may sound a bit strange, but when a character dies, the game goes on to the same next scene it would regardless (unless the scene that follows it is an ending), with variations and new lines here and there to account for the dead character, but a lot will be reused and placed in the exact same beats it normally would have been in originally. So, this rule is here for that. Oh, and also the scenes with bits of Yuuichi's backstory that appear in Shunsuke's head won't be counted twice, because some appear twice line by line.

Of course, the "..." lines won't count. I am so sorry Aya!!!!😞

Now that the ground rules have been set, there's just one thing I want to mention. Though I will count all the total lines for Takumi and Yuuichi like any other character, I just want to mention that first I will have two separate counts for them! Takumi | Takumiel and Yuuichi | Yuuichi's Heart respectively.

Takumiel is separate because I was curious about how much Takumi spoke as an archangel compared to when he was alive. Yuuichi's Heart is because he speaks so much he feels notable enough to be given his own division, even if he and Yuuichi at the end of the day are one person

(I count the silly mind telepathy where Shunsuke is being directly spoken to [and being told things normal Yuu would avoid saying at that point] and the comical theater as Yuuichi's Heart. I clarify in case one assumes he only starts being counted the moment he's directly labelled as Yuuichi's Heart. Any line that can't be distinguished between Yuuichi's Heart and Yuuichi will be given to Yuuichi by default.)

With nothing else to be clarified let's get to the numbers!!!😊😊

First, the line counts with Takumiel and Yuuichi's Heart counted individually!! Here are the rankings:

Shunsuke (With a lead of 535 lines over second place!!)

Yuuichi

Rei

Yuuichi's Heart

Hiroto

Ryou

Sayaka

Aya

Takumi

Takumiel

You may be thinking— woah, does Shunsuke really speak that much?! You could say that, for a good chunk of those lines are from how he describes interactable points around the map and his inner thoughts, so they aren't all exactly said out loud. The benefit of being the protagonist, I suppose ww

Funny enough, Yuuichi's Heart has almost as many lines as Yuuichi does for not having that much time in the game, being on the higher end between the characters that don't get the benefit of being a protagonist (lol)!

Admittedly I had expected for Rei and Hiroto to have a more similar amount of lines given their nearly equal amount of presence, but for what it is Rei surpassed Hiroto by 51 lines! I also had expected for Takumiel to speak a little bit more than Takumi but turns out the opposite is true.

While the lack of lines of Takumi and Takumiel are to be expected due to their short time on the game, what stands out is Aya not even reaching triple digits between her other peers who are in there for most of the game. This is because a good chunk of Aya's lines in game are silence!^^" And thus weren't counted. If ellipses were a word, she surely would have reached triple digits, but unfortunately they're not.

Now the line count with combined sums of Takumi | Takumiel and Yuuichi | Yuuichi's Heart!!!

In here, the ranking isn't affected, with Yuuichi remaining second place and Takumi being last place. But the disparity of everyone's numbers compared to Takumi's feels a bit more clear to see when Takumiel isn't individually counted.

With Yuuichi's line counts combined, Shunsuke remains 318 lines ahead of him, but it also means Yuuichi has a 59% the amount of Shunsuke's lines; and impressive feat for someone who doesn't get the benefit of being the point of view for everything you press... Although he does also have an upper hand over everyone by essentially being the plot of this game ww

But maybe line counts do not suffice to tell how much a character speaks. Yes, Shunsuke has a bunch of lines from everything he interacts with, but is it really reliable to say he speaks all that much in all those lines? A good chunk of those could easily have 3 words each! So with this in mind, let's do a word count.

Even in a word count, Shunsuke has the lead, having a lead of 2,247 words over second place. But we'll see about that when we combine Yuuichi's numbers. Anyway, here's the ranking!

Shunsuke

Yuuichi's Heart

Yuuichi

Rei

Hiroto

Ryou

Sayaka

Aya

Takumi

Takumiel

This time, Yuuichi's Heart is the one at second place!!! It's pretty funny that he speaks more than his physical counterpart ww. I genuinely didnt think he'd out yap himself that way when I chose to count for him individually 😭!!! He has a lead of 63 words over himself, but a lead nonetheless.

In here, Rei and Hiroto are more even than in the line counts, with the difference seeming more minimal when put into words. But it also showcases that despite Rei having more lines than Yuuichi's Heart in the line count, those only get to have a bit over half of the amount of words he talks (To be fair he does get to infodump a lot in his section of the game).

And here's the combined word count!!! Suddenly Shunsuke's lead is only by a mere 55 words! So Yuuichi speaks about as much as he does with 318 less lines.

I must admit that I genuinely did not expect it to be that close. When I chose to count the lines for when you interact with things for Shunsuke, I thought he was granted to speak an absurd amount more than anyone else. But turns out that Yuuichi speaks about the same amount out loud when most of Shunsuke's are his own thoughts ww. But it does make sense! He is still the plot of this game.

So, after all those charts, here's the average/middle point of lines and words for characters to have, because why not, it's fun.

Average Line Count (YH and Takumiel counted individually): 197 lines

Average Line Count (When combined): 247 lines

Average Word Count (YH and Takumiel counted individually): 1,333 words

Average Word Count (When combined): 1,666 words

So there it is. That's how much the characters in Re:Kinder speak!

But wait!!! I am not done. I will share with you an additional fun fact... Did you ever want to know what word each of these characters said the most?! This one will be quicker, I do promise.

When it came to counting these words I did not count stop words, that being common words that are used all the time by everyone in English. "I, you, me, the, to, a, my, your, yes, no"... Words like that! Otherwise everyone would have one of those as their most said word and it'd be rather boring to look at. With that said, here are the words these characters say the most!

Shunsuke: Yuuichi - said 40 times! (this genuinely confused me so much im sorry he uses interjections so much I had expected it to be something like "huh" or "um" but no i dont know how this passed by me as i was rounding up all the lines he says or proofreading or writing all of those lines WHAT?!?! its been two days and it still takes me out)

Ryou: Shunsuke - Said 14 times

Sayaka: Murderer - Said 7 times (All in one sentence!)

Takumi | Takumiel (counted in one for how little he speaks.): Takumiel - Said 3 times (That name is so important, he said it thrice.)

Aya: Sorry - Said 5 times

Rei: Hell, gonna, look, Yuuchi - said 8 times (Most of the repeated words she says are stop words for she doesn't tend to speak about the same things repeatedly.)

Hiroto: Shunsuke - Said 17 times

Yuuichi (separate from YH): Problem - Said 17 times

Yuuichi's Heart: Mama - Said 24 times

Yuuichi (Overall): Mama - Said 31 times

So that is finally it. That is the fun fact of today.😊😊 Use this to woe your friends at parties!!!

I am aware Mami speaks about enough to be counted in, but this is pretty time consuming to do and I'm not sure anyone is invested on her enough to count her in. But if there's enough curiosity regarding that, I'll try counting her in. But for now this suffices.☺️ Thanks for reading!

[mellotronmkll]

Wverytime I sit down at a computer to make music I get so scared

[heycerulean]

Electricity (1095 words) by Polychoric_Isopod Chapters: 1/3 Fandom: sy'Terra Pavilia - The Collection Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Characters: Teq Quetzeve, Kas Metis-Quetzeve (Mentioned), Tzalos Quetzeve-Metis (Mentioned) Additional Tags: fear of suffocation, this talks about fire and burning a LOT, Religion (Original), does this count as suicidal ideation??? idk. he kinda just loses the will to live, conlangs :), Character Study Summary: Sytze-Vitatche Teq Quetzeve is a man on a mission. He should really be dead by now.

[thevegetablewhichnoonedaresname]

I'm starting Mission to Zyxx Season 5 now, and I have feelings about that.

First, it generally scares me when people hype anything up at all because there is no guarantee that anyone values the exact same thing I do to the same degree. Even if I trust the creators of a thing to value something and try to do right by it, that doesn't always necessarily mean it will be successful, especially if that involves doing something wildly different than what made it good in the first place (I have been burned this way before). I guess I'm just hoping they continue the format of goofy improv shenanigans for the majority of it with something more planned and emotional in the finale if they want, like they've been doing all along. I'd think they would, and I've heard nothing bad about the ending, but I guess it still makes me nervous because I'm so close to the end and I want it so badly to stick the landing. I'm setting my expectations on the floor so I can be surprised instead of disappointed, but honestly, I don't need it to be better, I just need it to be on par with the rest.

Second, and more briefly, I'm happy it's (hopefully) ending before it has a chance to decline. I am so on board with that philosophy. But on the other hand, finishing a thing that I really, really like and knowing there's not another one out there gives me a special kind of heartache. Like, I know there will be other good media, and stuff that's good and unique in other ways, but I know for a fact that there are no other podcasts out there that have the same mix of a balance of off-the-wall improv and structured narrative, quality comedy, fantastical sci-fi setting and loveable characters, and high quality production. There are other things out there with many of those qualities, but nothing that checks every one of those boxes. It's a lightning-in-a-bottle thing that very much feels like the right people had to be in the right place at the right time to do it. Attempts to do it again would feel hollow because it had to be born out of necessity and passion and the talents of the people involved, so if you switch out the people it loses the reasons it's great, and if the same people tried to do it again it'd feel tired. That makes me so, so grateful it exists, but also so, so sad that it doesn't, and I'm 80% of the way done. When it's over, it's over.

Anyway. Now that that's all out there, I'm just gonna finish listening and have fun. Wish me luck.

[atticcreationz]

[Ruth is talking to Brooke at her locker, then the bell rings, and Ruth runs over to join Richie and Pete on the way to class, blushing]

RICHIE: Ruth, is that a ~spark~ I detect between you and Brooke?

RUTH: maybe 😏 I get all warm and fuzzy when I talk to her...!

PETE: uh, that might just be the fires

[all three turn around to see Brooke setting her own locker ablaze]

[neomanateefromexiletribe]

life is worth living again, we're getting that act ii sequel