#I don't recall being consulted...

[sundays-lover]

stupid in love

husband!zhongli x gn!reader — fluff

synopsis: you're a talkative drunk and zhongli is in love.

content warning: reader is drunk and mentioned to have hair (lmk if i missed anything !)

notes: NOT PROOFREAD <3 ; zhongli is a wonderful lover but let's not forget that he is also canonically a menace 🫶 ; i'm writing and posting as much as i can rn bc i'll be inactive this week because of exams 😭

zhongli can't recall a time when he felt this helpless.

as the geo archon, he possesses the strength of a thousand meteors raining from the sky and has emerged victorious from numerous battles. his voice has commanded countless armies and his hands formed the towering mountains liyue is well-known for today. he is a respectable leader who can devise efficient strategies to overcome any obstacle he may face.

however, at this moment, he is not rex lapis, the god of contracts and liyue's archon. he is the simple zhongli, the funeral consultant of the wangsheng funeral parlor and, above everything, your husband.

tonight, his duty is to get you home. unfortunately for him, you don't seem to want to comply.

you notified him this morning that you and your co-workers would be going out for drinks that night to celebrate a successful business deal, with the promise that you would be monitoring how much you'll drink. while he had his doubts, he trusted that you would have a sense of rationality regardless of if you were sober or not and didn't question you further.

in hindsight, he supposes he should have enforced his doubts when he bumped into a co-worker of yours as he clocked out of work, who sounded tipsy, yet sober enough to inform him that you were currently drunk off your mind and needed help getting home.

that is exactly how he found himself trying to calm down a drunk you on the streets of liyue.

you threw yourself onto him the moment he arrived, not even bothering to bid goodnight to your acquaintances who were putting a group effort into keeping you balanced. after zhongli thanked them for finding him and wished them farewell in your stead, they took their leave. as they turn to head to their respective homes, they could hear you loudly thanking your lover for coming get you.

while the area was significantly less populated at night compared to during the day, the unusual sight of the normally collected funeral consultant struggling to bring his drunkenly rambling spouse home caught the attention of whoever was in the vicinity, causing an embarrassed blush to spread to his face which he ultimately chose to ignore.

his experience as a god and warrior never could have prepared him for this situation, he surmises.

meanwhile, you catch the look of powerlessness on his face and stifle a laugh.

“heh, you look so stupid right now~!”

zhongli gapes at you as you burst into a fit of giggles.

“my husband~ so silly~ so dumb~” your hands reach out and cup his face before he has the chance to pull back.

he merely stares at you as you sing what he wants to believe are praises in your drunken tongue. at this distance—or rather, the lack thereof—he can see your details more clearly; your hair is disheveled and eyes droopy. your gaze is unfocused yet fixated on the way his skin squishes under your thumb.

but he thinks you're beautiful nonetheless. the glow of the street lanterns frame your figure and he thinks you look akin to the radiant sun. moonlight shines down upon you and its gleam creates the illusion of you emitting a halo. he takes these as signs from the universe, reminding him to cherish you with his entire being, for they have sent him their best. he is certain that whatever celestia can offer does not hold a candle to you.

this god of stone crumbles to dust from your touch alone…

while you busy yourself with poking and pinching his cheeks.

he regains awareness of the situation and breaths a resigned sigh. you watch his face soften and shift to an expression that almost looks pleading, and you gasp loudly.

“ooh! so handsome!!!” you squeal, attracting even more onlookers. “i want to kiss you on the mouff—”

zhongli beats you to it, placing a hand behind your head and gently leaning in for a kiss as deep as his adoration for you. you think your knees would have buckled if it weren't for the arm he had wrapped around your waist. you think you hear some of the lady passersby coo at your display of romance, but the echo of your heartbeat in your ears drowns them out.

his lips move slowly against yours, savoring the flavor of the bitter remnants of alcohol mixed with the sweetness of your lips. he doesn't think he's ever tasted a flavor as divine as this.

you are dazed when he pulls away, as though bewitched. he notices and chuckles, eyes full of mirth and tenderness as they peer into yours.

he speaks up, almost breathless. “you look very…”

no, no, no! if he starts charming and complimenting you after all that, you might think you’ll consider marrying him for a second time—

“...stupid right now, my love.”

you blink once. twice.

then you burst.

“you…!”

you thrash in his hold and bury your face in his chest, feeling a bashful warmth rise to your face for the first time tonight.

“you can't pull that on me! so mean…” you mumble into the lapel of his coat.

he chuckles again, more heartily this time. ugh, darn that handsome laugh…

“i apologize, my love.” you sense a teasing lilt, but you can tell he's sincerely coaxing you. a hand remains on the back of your head as you lean against him, fingers softly running through the strands of your hair.

zhongli remains that way, patiently waiting for your emotions to settle. when he hears you meekly mutter his name, he turns to you in his hold.

“yes, dearest?”

“...let's go home, please?”

he mentally sighs in relief. externally, he calmly adheres to your request with a nod. “then we shall head home at once.”

he pulls away to position you so that you are held onto his arm as he leads you home, acting as your support while you keep yourself upright.

the walk home is neither dull nor quiet as you relentlessly babble about any and every topic that you can think of. you sway and stumble over the rocky pavement, but your incredibly attentive husband would never let you fall. frankly, he'd be more than happy to carry you if you asked.

a thought briefly flashes in his mind concerning how he's going to peacefully get you washed up and tucked in bed, but one look at you chatting away into the night and he supposes that he can afford to save those worries for after arriving home. until then, he entertains your mindless chatters with hums of acknowledgement and short quips as you walk arm in arm.

[fridayth13]

Could I request Zhongli reuniting with his wife after the two had a falling out 500 years ago?

crushed cor lapis.

↳ zhongli × gn!immortal!artist!reader

↳ part one, part two

↳ genre: soft angst at the beginning, but it's mostly bittersweet | wordcount: 1.6k | warnings: none

↳ notes: i ended up with less angst than i thought i would have. but i did want to explore the thought of time passage and fighting for people who are going to live forever, even if it's subtle; reader is immortal and implied to be an adeptus or a god, but the kind isn't very important; ive had an idea for zhongli and an artist reader for a long time so i tried to combine it i hope you don't mind; as with the gender. i did write with a fem!reader in mind as per the request but in the end, the gender didn't need to be specified for anything so i left it gender neutral; i tried to give reader a more divine disposition about them so the writing ended up really flowery, but in any case i hope you enjoy! i really did have fun writing this one

You were a painter.

In your old life, as you liked to call it, however, you were a god. Your domain of influence laid in artistry and beauty.

Or rather, that was what Morax used to tell you. Archons like him were the only beings in Teyvat with real domains of influence. But you wouldn't really stop him if that was his way of calling you pretty.

That was about five hundred years ago. Nowadays was a very different story.

You crushed the yellow berries in your mortar and pestle to turn into paint for tomorrow's commission.

You liked your job in Liyue Harbor. As quaint and.. human as it was, you thought there was divinity to be found in the painstaking recreation of the things around you. Though a painting couldn't rival a Kamera in terms of accuracy, you were certain it completely surpassed the device in most other things.

You slowed your movements, surveying the consistency of the paint and the color. That would probably do. You'd collected quite a lot, so you supposed it was time to head back. All you were really lacking earlier was yellow.

And so you trekked on home from the terraces, skipping over stumps of cor lapis and sunset-painted grass along your way.

As you finally reached your home in the harbor, the sun had fully gone down. The lanterns lit, casting the entire city in a soft, warm glow. The neighboring waters reflected the deep blue of the sky and the speckles of rust and gold adorning every building in sight.

You opened your door and you thought of Morax, wondering if he knew five hundred years ago what beauty would settle upon his previously war torn nation. Leaning on the doorframe, you watched over it for a while. Children playing, kites flying, dinner being prepared, laughter and joy running amok.

You don't like to think about him too much, or how his silence is present in every part of the city that was all him, despite having nothing to do with him any longer. No matter how much time had passed, you seemed stuck in the first night he decided not to apologize.

Still, five hundred years was a long time. Although it felt like the blink of an eye, even immortals had to move on eventually.

You gathered your materials inside and closed the door behind you.

—

The mountains may erode, but they will always be mountains.

You recalled his own words as you saw him again for the first time in five hundred years.

A human-sized Rex Lapis stood before you, hands behind his back, dressed to the nines, pristine, and put together, and perfect, and not at all like he ought to have seemed like at your first meeting in several centuries. Though at the very same time, you couldn't imagine him looking any other way.

You bitterly savored the way he avoided your eyes in front of his boss.

"So this is him!" She said. The lively Director Hu Tao of the local funeral parlor was Rex Lapis's boss. You tried not to laugh. "Our new consultant, Mr. Zhongli."

You set your canvas down onto its easel, then the bulk of your dyes and paints on the floor. You did this without averting your eyes, as if trying to burn him if he ever had the nerve to look back at you.

He did not. And to her credit, it seemed Hu Tao noticed it as well. So as not to make your client too uncomfortable, you decided to take a step towards them.

"Mr. Zhongli." You said. With the proximity you put between you, he had no choice but to look back at you. Not a lot changed about him in human form, but by far, his eyes were the most the same. Down to the hard, intense stare, and the set of his brows. You wondered how many other people in Liyue he'd enchanted with them while he was busy avoiding you.

"Mr. Zhongli?" You repeated, a little less amused. Though you somewhat enjoyed how stupefied he looked at your appearance, you'd endured his silence long enough. "My name is Y/N. It's an honor to meet you here."

This seemed to regain him his senses. That, or Hu Tao's suspicious back and forth glances between the two of you.

Zhongli cleared his throat.

"..The honor is mine."

Hu Tao nodded, seeming satisfied for now. She clapped her hands together in excitement, turning to you.

"Alright! I suppose I'll leave you to it then. I have complete faith that you'll be able to depict the poise and elegance of my esteemed consultant."

You gave her your best half smile.

"Well, I'll try."

"No need to be modest! I've seen your work before. You're one of, if not the best, painter in Liyue. Just ask Mr. Zhongli! He's been very taken with your paintings even before we first met. He speaks very highly of you."

You crossed your arms. "You don't say?"

Five hundred years or the blink of an eye, you could still see his embarrassment without him having to say a word.

—

Director Hu Tao had business to take care of for the funeral parlor, and so left with a flourish, and a "Make sure to get his good side!" as she ran off.

You both continued to speak as civilians for a little while. He sat down at a table on the porch, a steaming pot of tea on said table between you. Your face was obscured to him through the thick white canvas.

Avoiding conversation was easy, but not. Comfortable, but not. Natural, but not. It shouldn't have been. As such was the nature of a marriage to the Geo Archon, you supposed. Or rather, the current lack thereof. But even that was up in airs.

"How.. How have you been?"

Your responding glare was unseen to him, but he heard it in the vitreous tone of your reply.

"Fine." You said. "Something must've happened to you though. Your eloquence seems to have disappeared into thin air."

"..You are still upset. I see."

"In what world would I be upset, Mr. Zhongli?" Your use of his mortal name created a crease in his brow. You gently brushed over it on his painting.

"I didn't think you'd want to see me."

"You still could've asked." You muttered, momentarily leaning sideways to look him in the eye. "For someone so revered for his wisdom, your brain still seems to be as hard as rocks."

You caught his surprised expression as you turned back to the canvas. You didn't allow him another word.

"Honestly, who ghosts their own spouse after an argument like that? You'd think the best time would be after.. five hours. Five days. Maybe five weeks after. Not five centuries—"

You caught him mumble, "Well, it's not as if you tried to talk to me either."

"I didn't think I needed to. You made it very clear you wanted me to leave you to die in the Archon War all on your heroic lonesome."

When he didn't respond, you snuck a glance.

The sun's rays were at the precipice of turning gold in its descent into the sea. The glow smeared his porcelain cheeks in amber, his eyes in glitter, the metallic components of his suit in light. He looked like a monument. Tall, statuesque, and lonely. Almost like his mountainous true form. More beautiful than even his numerous statues across Liyue could capture. More than you could capture. Though you did certainly try.

Annoyed and angrily pining as you were, you still tried to get his eyes right. The little flecks of rust against gold. Like cuts of cor lapis crushed to shimmering powder in the Archon's hand. A man of his own making.

You looked at Zhongli as the golden hour faded, slowly turning dusky pink. His eyes swam in wistfulness as he stared out at the harbor. You couldn't help the dull twinge of sorrow deep in the pit of your stomach.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry."

You didn't know how to follow up. You weren't entirely sure what you were apologizing for. But it felt nice to hear it back from him.

When he finally looked back at you, you were tracing the rich scarlet of his eyeliner onto the canvas.

At some point, he turned on the lamp and set it down beside you while you worked on the finishing touches.

"You're better than I remember." He whispered like he thought you couldn't hear him.

You weren't sure what to say to that either. You just kept painting.

—

"This doesn't change anything. I'm still angry with you."

"Of course."

Zhongli never seemed to run out of tea. Despite not having brewed a new pot throughout your stay, the one on the table continued to steam, its aroma wafting leisurely throughout the room. When he offered you a cup after you left the canvas out to dry, you let yourself take it. You allowed him a calmer response when he spoke.

"This may upset you a bit more, but I am also somewhat bothered you never tried to talk to me."

"So we are at an impasse."

Of course, it did occur to you that you were both being hardheaded and moronic. But you were comforted by a few things.

"It would seem so." Zhongli nodded.

"Or maybe not." You quipped, glancing pointedly at an old painting on the wall. "You seem to have been stalking me, Mr. Zhongli."

"I think stalking might be a slight exaggeration."

"Oh, really."

Even as the mountains erode over the centuries, from the dust, they are fated to reform anew.

dividers from @clutteredfun

[syrma-sensei]

Somewhere In Your Heart, Ch.3: Mirrors.

Pairing: Soldier Boy x Fem!reader.

Rating: Explicit.

Setting: In the early 80s.

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings: Prostitution, angst, sexual innuendos, violence, cursing...

Summary: Soldier Boy lives through the ennui of his peak, but everything is about to change when he has a shift in his heart.

“That’s not what I fucking signed up for!”

Legend flinches a bit as Soldier Boy flings the glass of liquor in his hand. Legend's face twitches as he sees it splinter into tiny pieces, which makes him often wonder if he’d end up with his head bashed into pieces if he carried on his career in this damned place. Despite everything, Legend has developed a tight resolve when it comes to dealing with Vought's supes, Soldier Boy in particular.

“You wanted the gal, and now you have her.” Legend answers crudely.

Soldier Boy seethes, “I don't recall being consulted about her fucking pimp tagging along!”

Legend sighs at this point, “Mr. Harold's her manager, and he emphasised his inclusion to be thoroughly considered. He's been her tutor for years. And you heard her yourself, she wanted him in.”

Soldier Boy smacks his lips in deep frustration. Great. Now, he'd have to deal with her manager being up on their asses in their little game of cat and mouse. What he wants is simple, he wants her in his bed after he's won her over. He doesn't want that fuck face to get in his way. Soldier Boy sighs, passing an aggressive hand over his face.

“When do we start the rehearsals?” Ben asks in a tight tone, he's still finding this hard to digest.

“Tomorrow morning, because you know, she's quite busy at night.”

Legend's insinuated smirk didn't go unnoticed by Ben. The little shit.

“Good.” Ben replies, and dismisses Legend, because he too has a busy night.

Ben exhales deeply through his nostrils before he scooches by the swarms of dancing and drunk people. He's donned in a casual outfit for tonight. Casual yet fancy; Ben never skimps on his looks whether it's for business or in his private life. He dresses both to impress (the gals) and depress (the pals). He's aware of his effect on both sides and likes to swagger with his looks; he has black jeans on his legs, black jean jacket wide open to show off his chest which is accentuated by a white shirt. His feet are comfortable in a pair of brown and sleek boots.

Finding his way to the bar, his piercing green eyes catch the visage of a pretty girl by the bar. Once his eyes land on her, she flashes him a grin which he partially ignores on his way to his destination.

He sits on a stool, resting one arm on the bar counter, ordering a drink, then he turns around to have a quick scan on the dance floor. Most of the people dancing are between late adolescence and early twenties. When he was their age he applied to Dr. Vought's Compound V trials to win his father's favour. He scoffs between him and himself.

A real man doesn't take a shortcut.

The words still titillate a bitter taste akin to ash under his tongue whenever he remembers what his father spewed in his face after Ben saw God under those fucking trials. It was perilous and shrouded with uncertainty, but he was willing to do it for his father, to make him proud. He became America's first superhero, the golden son of the states, but what good the golden son title could do him if he was a disappointing coward in his father's eyes.

He closes his eyes for a bit, he can't believe it still haunts him after all this time. His dad is dead. Hell, he's older than him right now, hitting his fucking sixties with ease his dad would've wished he had. The bastard died of cancer, or so he'd heard. It was a long time ago. He doesn't remember, of course, why would he bother? He didn't even attend his funeral. The old bastard didn't deserve the honour.

He gobbles down his drink in one go when it's served, relishing in the momentarily burning sensation. Then, he orders another.

Fuck, sometimes, he wishes he was normal like those youngsters, he thinks melancholically. Hell, he can't even get drunk to forget, to make mistakes, to feel alive again.

He comes to places like this because it's easier to blend in. He's rarely recognised among drunk and stoned people who are looking for some ass.

Ben's head whips to the side when he feels a gentle hand on his arm, caressing it tenderly. “You look sad…” He raises a brow at the girl, she's the same gal he saw when he first entered the club. “I can fix that…”

He lets her despite the fact he knows she can't fix shit.

After hours, Ben is lying naked in one of the club's rooms, beside him the girl who offered him help, the help that did him nothing at all. He knew from the outset this wouldn't work, but he gave it a shot because the girl looked somewhat akin to Rita Hayworth whom he had a crush on growing up.

He rubs his eyes with a groan as he sits up, deftly swinging his feet down on the floor. This is not good. Sex is never not good to him, especially if it's accompanied with some toots on fine breasts like this one had. God, she has two watermelons for a pair of tits. And boy did he fucking like tits. Big, medium, small, he likes all of them.

Ben glances at her, fuck, he didn't even ask for her name, but Rita-Hayworth-knock-off is a new mom. He can sense the milk hormone kicking in her system which she's trying to dial down with meds. Ben twitches his eyebrows; it explains why she's taken this road.

He shakes his head, looking at her, she seems in her early twenties, he can hazard a guess and say it's the same scenario. She met Romeo, got knocked up, Romeo left, big old daddy kicked her out. And now she has hers and her baby's mouths to feed.

Ben grunts as he reaches for his jean jacket on the floor, he grabs something out before he gets dressed in his clothes. He leaves her some money under the pillow.

Rita-Hayworth-knock-off wakes up after a while to find her payment under the pillow, and a piece of paper above it, with no trace of the handsome man. Her eyes widen when she flips it back and forth trying to comprehend what's that.

It's for you and your baby, not for the fucking pimp.

Rita smiles with tears in her eyes, hugging the check to her chest.

When his pursuit of pleasure has failed, Ben heads back home. And by home it means one of his private properties, a penthouse. He sighs as he slips the jacket off, tossing it on the armrest of the leatherd big sofa in the living room. He ambles towards the wet bar and pours himself a drink. He lets out an elongated sigh, it almost sounds longing and craving.

“Fuck…” He groans. You really did a number on him. His bodys is fucking raging with want and nothing besides having you will regale that burning desire to claim you. He guzzles up his drink.

He fucking met a broad twice and his body is acting up like a pussy. He's fucking Soldier Boy, the Soldier Boy. One fleeting girl can't bring him to heels like that. But again, the image of your sensual features, the rasp in your voice, the mystery in your eyes, they're all so fucking tempting him to coax you down layer by layer. He wants to see the girl behind this facade. Oh, he knows there's one behind that eloquent, sagacious mask. He wants to meet the one who's grinding on his vainglory's gears. He wants that woman, and he's intended to own her.

The world of Vought is a dreadful and dangerous place to be, but however the people in charge of making it dazzle with such glamour, they earn each penny they make.

You were fast to acclimate to the somewhat new atmosphere. Jack was proud of you, and you were happy you managed to do so.

You're always on time, with utter competence and professionalism; any lack of diligence is frowned upon. Your business is mostly tied to none other than Soldier Boy, the greatest hero ever lived.

Working with America's son is amusing to say the least.

In spite of his big headed self, he's actually good at taking orders and exerting them like a good soldier would. Through the days in the rehearsals, he's been unexpectedly nice to you, which makes you wonder what he really wants from you. You're not an idiot. Jack made sure of that. You know that Soldier Boy wants you; him practically eye-fucking you is a bit of a giveaway. However, he doesn't verbally express anything of the sort.

During the days at Vought, you've come to learn more and more about Soldier Boy, bits reporters would kiss your ass to divulge to them. But of course your professionalism and the NDA you signed prevent you from doing so.

You find Soldier Boy — or Ben as he emphasised to call him, is an interesting individual, as expected from a man of his rank and fame. But as any performer he's a complete hypocrite. Just like yourself. The first time in which he almost made you gasp was when he invited you to his headquarters in the tower so you could sniff some crunched crack with him. To kick back, as he put it. That shit is good, I'm telling ya. You discovered that America's golden son isn't as godly as his media pretence claims to be.

He's flawed, tremendously so. Just like you are. He has a short and firing temper that threatens to blow off at any second. And he isn't kind to those who don't make him happy. One time, he burst in the face of a poor assistant for not bringing his right order of coffee. Iced. He snarled at him.

And to add insult to injury, he's hard to please.

However, and oddly enough, he isn't as crass with the gentle sex. Especially with you. Maybe the fact he would fuck you at some time has something to do with that. Be that as it may, you enjoy the companionship of the supe, because there's a lot to him that intrigued you. Despite everything, his what is akin to giddiness that he shows when he's with you is growing on you.

Anywho, within the deepest layers of you, you envy him. He isn't on a leash like you. He comes and goes whenever and wherever he likes. He takes shit from nobody, and does whatever he wants. You wish you had anything close to what he had. The power, the money, the connections. You want to be like him, and not some bitch tied to her owner for life.

Today's the day you and Soldier Boy officially record the cover song after days of arduous rehearsals with the latter. Again, he's hard to please; you can't help but to think whether he made you and the rest of the crew reiterate when he didn't like that note, or when he disliked the harmony of the rhythm, or he was doing that on purpose just so he can spend more time with you.

You internally sigh, you shouldn't read much into the lines, but considering, you relish in the attention and you give him yours, the thing he wants the most as of yet. You wonder when he's going to get bored of you. Up close, Soldier Boy is the kind of a man who falls fast into ennui. It's only a matter of time before he tosses you aside and moves on to his next stimuli.

You're playing with fire, and you know that. Much like he is seeking the pleasurable sting, so are you.

Despite Soldier Boy's faults, he knows how to get the job done, whether it's on field or up on the stage, Legend muses. The latter can't but acknowledge that Soldier Boy is a talent. A magnificent and pure one at that.

Legend is glad about the fact this gal is being in Vought's favour. She has the voice and the looks, and he can feel it, everyone working in the studio can feel it. The chemistry between the two. Maybe, just maybe, he can consider making them a screen couple after the song hits the audience on cloud nine.

It's been a good day today. The records are going smoothly. The only thing that might've disturbed it was Jack Harold's presence in Soldier Boy's. The latter has a thing about the former. And casting professional shit aside, the man is hubristic and kind of unpleasant. Luckily, he doesn't come by often. Jack dropped by from time to time to establish his presence. Nothing harmful, yet.

Legend only hopes Soldier Boy keeps his cool in front of Jack just for a couple of days more. Legend watches the duo sing in a flawless consonance.

Everything is at ease until a rambunctious Noir barges in the studio, seeing red.

The music of “Just The Two Of Us” slowly dwindles away, as yours and Soldier Boy's melts into the walls of the recording room.

“You’re standing in my place, Soldier Boy.” Noir enunciates.

Soldier Boy wries a brow the young supe.

The palpable tension is a clear cue for the crew to scramble out of the recording room, because they know better not to get in between two supes. Legend watches from the control room, he notices that you aren't running like the rest of the staff. Instead you take the spot behind Soldier Boy.

The latter can hear your heartbeat quicken up and can distinguish it from Noir’s; each has its unique pattern like a thumbprint. And at the moment, Noir's is gushing with fury, and yours… Well, yours is bumping with fear and… excitement?

Soldier Boy scoffs at Noir, a small grin playing on his lips. “Your place?” He snickers, “Listen up, kid—”

“No, you listen to me, Ben.” Noir spits, “This is where you fucking stop getting in my way!”

Soldier Boy bursts out laughing, “Getting in your way? Kid, this is my hit, before your old man knocked up your mama.”

That's it. Noir couldn't take more insult into his wound and marches forward, launching an attack at Soldier Boy. However, the more seasoned supe grabs his fist in his first with ease.

Soldier Boy tilts his head, glancing at you over his shoulder, “You might as well get outta her, sweetheart, things are gonna get a little bit messy.”

You don't need to be told twice. Your feet hit the air as you scurry out of the room. But… Noir takes the shot and hauls you in his free hand and hurls you to the wall. You wail as you fall on the floor.

“You little shit!” Soldier Boy grits his molars and grasps Noir’s arms and fixes him to his spot before he headbutts the younger supe. Three hits were enough to make Noir stagger backwards, giving Soldier Boy the chance to punch Noir's cheeks, then depositing him unconscious onto the floor.

Soldier Boy lips twitch at the pathetic little shit, before he walks in your direction, crouching down to your level.

“Hey, are you okay, sweetheart?” Unlike the brutal scene from moments ago, Soldier Boy's touch is gentle when he holds you up to check for any injury. Luckily, and thanks to Soldier Boy, Noir couldn't exert enough power to cause any severe damage to you but manageable bruises and a sprained ankle.

Legend watches at the mess from behind the scenes as supe crisis staff pour into the room to clear that mess up. He doesn't heed anything of his attention but how Soldier Boy insisted on carrying you up in his arms to get patched up in his own personal quarters.

Legend lights up a cigar and wonders what kind of spells you cast on Soldier Boy that he's so smitten with you. Could it be you're a supe with hypnotising powers? Maybe, but if so, you'd have been within Vought's records.

But nothing of the sort was found on you. You're just a human with a pretty face and vocal talents that happened to captivate the mind of the current most important asset of Vought. He expected Soldier Boy to get bored and toss you aside after a couple of days when he was done with you. But Legend was gravely mistaken. For the past weeks, Soldier Boy only got more enamoured by your charms and was putty in your hand with only a bat of your pretty eyelashes. Legend kept an eye on both of you everyday to see how that was coming along, and it surprised him to say the least.

Perhaps they can use you to their benefit for a better communication with the supe, Legend says. Because as the days pass by, Soldier Boy is only getting older and out of touch with each day. He's become more tenacious and hard to deal with each day. Maybe you could become a key for a new affair. Who knows, maybe when the song is all the rage in the country, people will like the idea of pairing you together better than Soldier Boy with Countess. People would find a human girl paired up with Soldier Boy more appealing and more relatable. Legend flick the cigar in the ashtray on the dashboard in the control room. He shakes his head, and gets back to reality. There are two injured people in the mess today which makes him release a series of expletives as he huffs a vapour of smoke.

He sighs. The things he does for talents.

“Oww!” You groan as the medic dabs an alcohol-soused piece of cotton on your ankle.

“Careful with that one. She's delicate.”

Soldier Boy tells the medic as he patches you up.

When he's done, he leaves you with several plasters on your body and a swollen ankle wrapped with a white bandage.

Great. Now you're gonna be useless for few days. You sigh, already picturing the querulous frown on Jack's face. You're gonna miss a couple nights at his clubs.

“Relax, you’re gonna be fine.” He offers you a glass of whiskey with rocks. “I know you're no snowflake.”

You take a gulp of your drink and the searing sensation temporarily numbs the bitterness you've held for the most of your life.

You sigh again, placing the glass on the coffee table in front of you. In times of vulnerability like this, you can't be but haunted by the memory of your brother. The only family you had before your life took a shitty turn and snatched him away from you. Before you met Jack. Before you've become this.

You drown yourself in self pity and scoff. Life wasn't just a bitch by depriving you of your care-taker and protector, it also threw Jack Harold in your way who moulded you into what you are now. A complete hypocrite, who lives off kissing ass and sucking dicks.

Soldier Boy studies you before he pours you another. He knows you need another shot.

“You know…” You say after you feel the tantalising burn in your esophagus. “I didn't remember being roughhoused by one of you folks in our contract. Plus, what did he mean by you getting in your way?”

You usually won't care, but you're really curious what rubbed Noir the wrong way that he hurled you across the recording room. For all you know, and from what you've heard from the halls of Vought, he was on a solo mission.

Soldier Boy jeers. “The kid's delusional. He thinks I pulled the song from under his feet when in fact, Legend begged me to do it.” He swallows a mouthful of his drink.

You sigh again, “But isn't he a member of Payback? I thought you guys are like family.”

Soldier Boy sneers, “The kid needs to be reminded to respect the chain of command every once in awhile. He shouldn't have crossed me with such impudence.” Then through his fleeting ire, a sly grin pulls at his lips as he tips your chin up, “And he shouldn't have touched what belongs to me.”

A bemused shiver roils through your spine at his claim of ownership of you. You can't be his. You're Jack's. The latter made sure of it. Being Jack's property would be a dread to any woman, but wanting to be Soldier Boy's is frightening. You saw what he did to Noir with a sliver of his strength, the fact he can snap you in two halves like a toothpick makes your bowels liquid. However, you can't ignore the twinge in your core when he said it. No, no. You learnt how to lie and be a fake bitch to other people, but not to yourself. You don't misinterpret the aching throb between your legs for this man. No, no. You crave to be his, you wish he'd snatch you away from Jack the way life snatched your brother away from you; once and for all.

You drum up what remains of your deteriorating aplomb and keep your chin up. “I wish to be compensated.”

Soldier Boy quirks a brow up. “You want compensation?”

You nod at your bruises, “If you want me to be yours, you must show me.”

He falls silent for a moment that elapses like a year. Then, another grin curves his lips up. “Show you…”

“I want you to show me something I've never seen… Can you do that?”

His grin widens, it almost resembles a shark's. “I think I can, dollface.”

After a few days, and after your bruises fade away into yellowish smudges, Soldier Boy keeps his words.

He sneaks you out of Vought after you two finish recording the damn song. Pleasure after business as he told you. You only thank Christ that you conducted the visuals a day before Noir came back and almost ruined your work.

He takes you to a building in the heart of the city, the sliding spyhole glides open, an eye peeks through it, and as soon as it perches on Soldier Boy, the door immediately clicks open.

You step in, dogging Soldier Boy's steps. He turns to you and smirks. “Welcome to Herogasm, sweetheart.”

🦅 Previous Chapter: A New Window

🦅 Next Chapter: Unmasked.

🦅 Somewhere In Your Heart Masterlist

🦅 Soldier Boy Masterlist

Taglist: @thebiggerbear, @zepskies, @deanbrainrotwritings, @deansbbyx, @deans-spinster-witch

@venus-haze, @kaleldobrev, @k-slla, @ketchupjasmin, @demodemo909

@mystic-mara, @jqtaro, @pepsicolacoochie, @bitchykittenconnoisseur, @prurose

@leavli, @robertthehoover, @soldiergrimes, @vanessa-boo, @uddiifiigj...

[floradinterlunium]

The Inevitable Consequences of Translating words without Cultural Context

The problem with translations is that they can't fully account for all the nuances in language. The meaning of words and how people utilize said words changes over time and translators can't possibly account for the innumerable definitions people assign to words. So when confusion arises regarding how a word is translated the impetus is on the reader/listener to research how that culture uses said word, not how YOU would use that word.

For example, there is currently this debate circulating the fandom regarding what Jimin meant when he said he hasn't had a crush in a long time so he had to ask a younger member of Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (SGMB) for help.

Now it is clear here that JM is using the word crush differently than how many American's use the word. Most people from the US tend to use "like" and "crush" synonymously. Even though that is not the actual meaning of the word, it is how people today casually use the word .

Here's the Actual Definition

Now it is clear here that JM isn't using "crush" to simply mean "like" because if crush meant like, had feelings for etc. he could have consulted with ANYONE of any age. Instead he needed to consult a young person, so he went to the youngest member of the SGMB for help.

So what does this tell us about how Koreans use the word crush?This tells us that being young is somehow related to Koreans usage of the word crush.

Lucky for me I have two Korean friends to go to for help when I need things translated so that's what I did and here is what they said in a nutshell (not their exact words): Crushes are immature, often fleeting feelings of intense attraction towards someone. Or when you like someone alone. The intensity of feelings tend fizzle out as quickly as they form...which is why crushes are associated with "Youth" because it's I don't know how else to say it but silly and/or unrealistic feelings.

So when JM said he hadn't had a crush in a long time he was simply pointing to the fact that he's almost 30 and can't recall the feelings associated with having puppy dog feelings for someone. He wasn't saying he hasn't liked anyone for a long time.

For those of you thinking well if JM and JK were together for as long as you all claim there must have been a period when they were really young when JM had a crush on JK , so why couldn't he write from that experience? And to answer that reservation I'd say there are innumerable reasons for this but to cite a few:

Firstly, JM crushing on JK would have been a really long time ago...and it is clear from JM's music that he seems to only be able to write songs about things he is "currently" experiencing or feeling. Writing lyrics to old emotions would be difficult for a person that writes from current experiences

Secondly, it may be difficult for JM to want to recall how it felt crushing on JK because no one likes replaying feelings of rejection, pining, etc.

At the end of the day I don't think JM has problems writing lyrics about love or liking someone...we have Letter and Like Crazy to prove that. So if JM could write these two songs about liking or loving someone without needing to consult someone about what if feels like to "like" someone...pretty sure he meant something different by the word "crush." And pretty sure he meant he can't recall being a young person infatuated with someone.

To close, very little can convince me Jikook aren't a couple. I think they have been in a committed relationship for a very long time so JM saying he can't recall having a childish crush makes sense...he's not a kid anymore and the last time he had a crush was JK in my opinion and those initial feelings of pining and one sidedness are long gone.

Just my two cents.

[galesleftearring]

Starry Night

(thank you to @wolf-weave who asked for this and this list of prompts)

Gale x M!Reader Fluff (PG)

One night, stargazing with Gale, you accidentally let slip that you're in love with him.

CW: Mentions of other companions. Alcohol.

Gale had been talking nonstop about astronomy since your party had found a book of constellations in a chest while exploring. The book, he said, was one he had never heard of before, and he was excited to get back to camp and read through it with his telescope that night. Lae'zel had scoffed at his lack of attention to the road ahead, and Shadowheart had stayed brooding in moody silence as he mused on the stars, but you were enthralled. Any opportunity to listen to Gale talk about his interests was one you would gladly take.

When Lae'zel finally agreed to make camp for the night, Shadowheart dismissed herself to her tent almost immediately. "Goodnight Lae'zel, boys. Don't stay up too late. We'll have an early start tomorrow."

Gale had set up his telescope in a clearing near his tent and was consulting the book when you wandered over.

"Mind if I join you?" you asked, coming up behind him.

Gale turned to grin at you. "Of course," he beamed, "I would be happy to share my findings with you. If you're careful, perhaps I will even let you look through the telescope." His eyes undermined his false sternness, glinting with the ghost of a laugh.

"Well in that case," you pulled a cask of wine and two goblets from the bag you carried.

Gale tutted approval and looked back to the page he had been reading. "Fine wine, clear skies, and good company... Why, I don't know if I've felt this at home since waking up with that blasted parasite." He was quiet, half talking to himself, but your heart skipped a beat. Pouring him a glass, you felt your hands shake. Was he... flirting? Or was he just being friendly?

"I'm glad you enjoy my company," you smiled. "I... I'm excited to learn about the stars."

Gale sat on the ground next to you, keeping a respectful distance as he sipped his wine. He looked so handsome like that--reclining into his elbow, hair slightly disheveled from the day's journey, staring up in profile at the wonder of the night sky. He was completely unreserved in this moment, and you felt as though you were being included in a private moment. This wasn't Gale the wizard, this was Gale the man.

"What do you know about astronomy?" His low voice cut through your thoughts.

You tried to recall what little you knew of the constellations, naming one and pointing to it. Gale shook his head, brow furrowing. "That's not where Amaunator's belt is. Also, it's only viewable during the summer, so it's a bit late in the year. What you're pointing to is one of the Arrows of the Gods. See where the other two are?" His gentle hands repositioned your arm, pointing your finger to the other two lines of stars.

The contact made your heart skip a beat, and you hoped he hadn't noticed your sudden loss of composure as you nodded.

"Is that the only constellation you know? Or were you just unlucky with your first guess?" He moved his hands back to his lap, all scholarly interest.

"Um, yeah, I think that's it."

Ever the teacher, Gale clapped his hands together. "Well! We've lots of ground to cover, but thankfully this book we found has lots of information in it that should pique your interest." He opened the book to the first page this time, and scooted closer to you. "May I?" he gestured to the space between you.

"Of course." You closed the gap yourself, sliding next to him, your arms brushing.

Gale began to read to you from the book, gesturing with his right hand to the stars described, pointing out lines and circles making mythological shapes out of the weave that you could never have seen on your own. Time seemed to slow down and speed up all at the same time: you were transfixed by his voice and desperately aware of how short this evening would be.

Mistaking the look of pending disappointment on your face as one of disinterest, Gale stopped reading. "My apologies, I got a bit verbose there. I'm sorry if I'm boring you, this is just a rather exciting topic to me and I failed to consider that you might not be quite as interested in the minutiae of star mapping as I am."

You shook your head vigorously. "No, no, this is fascinating! I love hearing you read out loud. This is... this is amazing. This night is perfect. You're perfect." Your voice dropped to a whisper, and before you could swallow your words, you heard yourself say the words you had been avoiding for the past month. "I love you."

Silence fell. You could feel Gale's eyes on your face, but couldn't meet his gaze, staring at the grass in embarrassment. Oh gods. You hadn't meant to share that little tidbit. You didn't even know if Gale was interested in men, let alone in you... he only ever spoke of his relationship with his goddess, no past lovers ever mentioned, regardless of gender. You didn't want your blossoming friendship to wither just because you couldn't hold your tongue.

"You... what?" Gale sounded shocked. "You love me?"

You could feel the color drain from your cheeks. It was too late now, you thought, too late to go back and take the words back. Too late to lie. "Yes."

Gale's warm hand tucked under your chin, gently forcing you to turn to his gaze. Your eyes met his, warm and brown and full of hope. "You love me," he said again, searching your face.

You nodded. "Yes, Gale. I've loved you almost since I watched Lae'zel pull you out of that portal. You're... you're..."

Before you could finish, he pulled you in for a soft kiss. His beard was scratchy on your chin, but his lips were plush against yours. It was a chaste kiss, almost over before it began.

"I love you, too," he said simply. "You're... You're very special to me. I wasn't sure if you shared my affection."

This time you were the one who pulled Gale's face close to kiss him, swallowing his doubt as you deepened the kiss and wrapped your arms around him. "Mm, I do, I most definitely do."

The astronomy book lay forgotten at his side as your lips met for the third time.

[that-one-anxious-mango]

You Understand.

Summary: You feel you must be honest with Austin about something before either of you venture further.

Contents: Fluff Ofc! Mentions of virginity and loss of virginity. Overall just a good ole' fashion comfort fic (our favorite).

Pairing: Austin Butler x Black Reader

A/N: Hi! Long time no see! I'm very happy to be posting the first installment of the new year, and I am very excited for what it brings for all of us. I hope you enjoy.

P.S: Everyone PLEASE feel free to comment, I absolutely love reading them and it helps to motivate me to keep going with the series. Also don't shy, re-blog, like, and share if you care! Much love! * hugs*

----

“ I can’t believe you don’t like cotton candy. This almost feels like a crime.” Austin goofed, pointing to the small thing of strawberry cotton candy in his hand.

You snorted, “ I can’t believe you do. It’s all nice and dandy until it deflates or melts on your fingers. After that it’s gross.” 

" Plus, I prefer a nice fat funnel cake with all the fixings." You added.

“ You call it gross, and I call it the natural sacrifices one has to make for their favorite fair food. “ He wiggled his eyebrows and took a bite of the sugary confection.

You giggled at how cute he looked and even managed to take out your phone with your free hand to snap a picture of the happy cotton candy boy.

The two of you continued to laugh and joke along the Santa Monica Pier until you came to a comfortable pause of silence. 

That’s when your heart sank at the realization that this was the perfect time to tell him what had been on your mind and heart the last couple of days. You’d even consulted your friends beforehand to make sure the time was right. Once they agreed you knew exactly what had to be done.

So right here, right now, you were going to rip the band-aid clean off in hopes it wouldn’t bleed. 

“ So….” You swung his hand in yours, “ I hate to put some weight on the mood since I know we’re having such a good time.” You started. 

“ Yeah..” Austin replied, tossing his now empty cotton candy paper in a nearby trash.

“ And I can say that these last couple weeks with you have been great, honestly. But I feel like before we continue whatever this is that we’re doing, I need to let you know something because I don’t wanna lead you on.” You said, twisting at the bracelets on your wrist. 

“ Uh huh.” He encouraged me, beginning to feel a bit nervous now. 

“ As you recall, the other night when you came over to return my copy of The Policeman, upon your departure during our goodbyes things got a little spicy an- “ 

Austin immediately went to into apology,  “Again, I’m really sorry about that I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything I jus-”

Quickly you held a hand up to stop him, “ Please. It’s okay. You apologized more than enough the other night. Just wait a second and hear me out, okay. “

He nodded. 

“  As I was saying. Things got a little steamy. Let me just mention again that nothing happened that I didn’t want to. But the thing is….” 

You paused gathering your words right in your brain…

“ I guess I’m trying to figure out a way to say this without sounding completely vulgar.” You rub your now sun-kissed arm as if you're trying to brush the nerves out of your body. 

Austin’s eyebrows rose in surprise, “ Oh. Uh, well. I mean..just say it. Honesty is the best policy and I’m sure I can handle it.”

“ Yeah? “

“ Yeah.” He quickly replied, curious to see what you’d spun in your mind so obscene that you felt like you couldn’t speak.

You cleared your throat, “Okay. Fine. Here it goes..” 

“ With the way that you kissed me that night with your lips, clung your hands onto the edges of my hips, and the sounds I had to suppress from the deepest part of my being when your hand accidentally brushed against my…lower half. I had half the mind to offer for you to stay the night at my place just so that we could “ accidentally”  keep touching each other in many, many different places all night. “ You divulged. 

At your confession Austin's eyebrows shot up and he could feel his body begin to heat the same way it did that spoken of night, you could tell this by the soft peony color that collected on the surface of his cheeks and the way he looked away to watch the wheel turn on the Ferris wheel. 

You did your best to hide the shy twisted grin on your lips that came from knowing that you’d made him blush. 

When he turned back you could see the cheesiest smile play on his lips , “ I see. Well thank you for your honesty..it’s much appreciated.”

“ You’re welcome.” You gulped, “ So, with that being said I want you to know that while I’m not opposed to us taking our-”

“ Relationship.” Austin offered up.

It was your turn to raise your eyebrows at him. You hadn’t expected him to so casually throw out the R in this conversation. But remembering the words of your friends ringing in your mind you decided to play it cool and test the waters, “ Right. Well, let me just say that no one has asked me to be their girlfriend yet so….” 

“ I’m working on it. “ He said, you noticed the small bit to his lips and willed yourself to try and keep your mind focused. 

“ We’ll see.” You casually replied before continuing with your intended statement, “ But something you should know is….” 

You found the words getting stuck in your throat, but when you looked his gentle smile you found the courage to keep going. 

“ You should know that I am a virgin.” You confessed, “ And it is by choice.” 

“ AND, before you say anything. NO! It’s not because I couldn’t have had sex with someone or because people weren’t interested. Or because something’s wrong with me. But because I believe that sex is an intimate exchange of love between two people and I want my first time to be with someone I love and I know is in love with me.” You affirmed. 

      “ If that’s something that bothers you or you think it’s weird or whatever, then this is where we should just call this now so we can both leave this…thing…while still being friends.” You finished, looking out toward the pier in an act to distract yourself from how hard you could feel your heart beating in your chest. 

It was silent for a moment after you finished, and with each passing moment you were preparing yourself for the age old speech every man gave when he couldn’t get what he wanted from a woman.

It’s not you, it’s me. 

When really they wanted to say: “ It’s not me, it’s you and the fact you won’t put out.” 

Eventually his voice broke out among the chatters of people and whirl of the wind,  “ Well, again. Thank you for being honest with me. I really do appreciate it.” Austin began.

“ No problem.” You nodded, arms folded across your chest, as you still tried your best to hide your absolutely nerve ridden body.

“ As far as your…confession goes, I want you to know that you being a-

“ Virgin.” You quickly interjected, “ I’m a virgin.” 

A laugh was stifled from Austin, “ Yes, a virgin. You being a virgin doesn’t bother me any at all.”

You quickly quirked an eyebrow at him, “ Really? “ 

“ Truly.” He smiled, “ Your choice that you’ve made for your body is entirely your own. And I respect and admire your decision.” 

“ Admire? “ 

That’s a first.

“ Yeah. I admire your reasoning behind your choice. Especially since I felt like when it was my time I didn’t exactly lose mine the way one should have. I was younger and shy. Felt the peer pressure from some people my age, so I just went ahead and did it to say I did it.”  He opened up. 

You were stunned a bit at his honesty. No guy you’d ever come across had opened up to you like this, especially about something so intimate. All it did was make you grow more curious to continue exploring just what kind of species of man you were dealing with.

You shook your head, “ God, I’m so sorry that happened to you. I can tell you from experience I know what that’s like and it’s hard.” 

Growing up around the people you did, all through middle school and high school you were ridiculed about being a “ prude “ or a “ prissy princess who thinks she’s better than everyone “ all because you kept your virginity to yourself.

He smiled, “ Thank you. But don’t go feeling too bad. I eventually had the chance to actually make love to someone and have it mean something. Which is all I can ever wish for you and  anyone else.”

You nodded, “ Right. Well thanks for being so cool about it. Lord knows you’re the first guy this conversation has ever actually gone pleasant with. I appreciate your understanding.” 

Austin didn’t hesitate, “ Of course. You gotta know that I’m not in this for something as simple as sex. As people we both could walk out into the world and find that anywhere.”

“ I’m here because as cliche as it may sound, I’ve never met anyone like you before. And I really enjoy spending time with you and picking your brain. And if one day AFTER I ask you officially to be my girlfriend, you decide you wanna take things up a notch that's fine. If not, that's fine too because that's not the most important thing going on here.” He reached out to regrasp your hand in his and give it a tight squeeze.

You look over directly at him to hold the gaze from his eyes and couldn’t help but catch that familiar feeling that made you all warm and gooey.

It was then you could confirm that you REALLY liked him, like truly were infatuated with the man before you. 

“ Well, I guess we’ll just have to see what happens, huh? “ You said.

“ I guess.” Austin smiled.

“ Good.” You whispered.

“ Great.” He replied, making you both bust into a fit of giggles. 

“ Since we have that settled. “ Austin abruptly stopped in front of the ring toss stand, “ I believe I promised you, young lady. A stuffed cow, and I see the most handsome one hanging from this booth.” He pointed to the adorable white and blue spotted cow plush hanging from the stall.

You couldn’t stop the shrill that invaded your voice, “ Oh My Gosh! Austin, he's adorable.” 

“ I know. He’ll look even cuter in your arms. C’mon honey let’s go.” He happily ushered the two of you over to the booth and into your future together.  

[kryptznnn]

♡/𑁍- Show Me

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➸ INTERESTS; - na'vi!Tsu'tey x fem!omatikayan reader

➸ BACKGROUND; - you and Tsu'tey have been friends for as long as you can remember, there's always been slight tension between you two, but nothing major... until tsu'tey finds out you're his favorite masked dancer.

➸ WARNINGS; - wc. 3.5k, arguing, confessions, heated makeout session idk, fluff, angst sort of, panic attack, crying, consulting

➸a.i; - im on a roll hello, also im building my tumblr page up so do not mind all of my posts (sike i lied please like and reblog them :) )

₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.

'Ohe tìkin nga' [I need you]

His words continued to echo in your mind, at first it was amusing, entertaining, joyous, but now things were going downhill fast.

Tsu'tey was your friend, if not your best friend, and fooling him like this felt wrong. Whether with or without the mask you were still the same person, but he didn't know that. He knows you as his close friend since childhood that he's done everything with, the friend that watched him grow into a man, as he as watched you grow into a woman.

As for his 'favorite' masked dancer however he knew you as his lover, who he had just confessed his feelings to that same night, even with the recollection of you repeating how he doesn't know the woman behind the mask. He told you it didn't matter to him, and that your paths crossed for a reason, it only made you realize how badly you've made the situation.

From the beginning during the shows of your fellow dancers of the night you would steal subtle glances at him, winking, smirking, only small things to gain his attention. Since then, things have only escalated; longer glances, small touches, skin to skin moments, and even seeing you before and after your shows.

Recalling back to just a few hours ago after your performance, you were picking up your scattered belongings, saying your goodbyes to your friends as they always left earlier than you have.

"Nga txing fipo uo." [You left this behind.] You heard a familiar voice call out from behind you, you quickly turned around to be greeted with Tsu'teys' slight smile. By now you were used to him coming to see you in this part of the forest after your shows, and with that you'd remain with your mask on, as well as your body paint to 'hide' your identity.

"This isn't mine?" You spoke, your phrase coming out more as a question as you took what he was handing you, some sort of gold bracelet, at least that's what you remember it being called from the sky people. It's some form of their own treasures forged by heat and the earth, different from your feathers and beading methods.

He only shook his head and put it over your wrist, examining it. "Im gifting it to you" he spoke, his accent thick. You only smiled at him, thanking him for the one out of many gifts he's given you, and stuff all of your belongings into your new satchel, also gifted to you by Tsu'tey.

"When will I see you again before our next hunt?" He asked you, now walking along side you, a pang quickly hit your chest as your cheeks were heated.

"Not anytime soon I'm afraid, we perform again 2 eclipses from now, as everyone has to prepare for the great celebration." You said softly, not daring to meet his gaze as you gently arranged your mask, securing it tighter.

"Don't walk away I have something Important to tell you tilor" [beauty] He said, quickly grabbing a hold of your wrist and slowly turning you around, practically forcing you to make eye contact with him. You looked into his eyes, then scanned his face, he had a look of..

You couldn't tell

You weren't sure if it was from what he had been drinking which you could smell off his breath, or his flushed face and nervous eyes, but whatever he was going to say wasn't going to be good for your case.

"Please, make this quick Tsu'tey, I have places to be and things to prepare for tomorrows small morning hunt." You spoke, obviously lying to cover for yourself, you figured since these little altercations to make yourself more hidden you'd lie about your placements and what you did. It wasn't necessarily hard to do as he believed everything you told him, it's surprisingly easy to lie to someone as hardheaded as him.

Well, almost easy.

"Ohe tìkin nga" [I need you] He spoke, then repeating the words 'I see you' along with the actions. You froze, slowly removing your hand from his. Shaking your head, you repeated the words 'no' in a mumble, he quickly took your hand back, looking at you with desperation.

"You cannot confess to someone you don't know, you aren't thinking straight, ngeya rou" [you're drunk] you stated, unable to look him in his eyes. "You like the idea of me, ohe-am ngeya rusey tironsrel, sla nga ke tsun sweyn rusey fifya.." [I am your living imagination, but you can not keep living this way..] you said, your voice hoarse as you felt tears stinging your eyes, daring to drop.

"Do not do this to me, it is the truth. I feel drawn to you, the mask does not matter. If you were to show me underneath the mask, I'd only love you more because you feel like you can trust me." He spoke, pain in his voice as he took your other hand, holding them both and giving them a gentle squeeze. You shook your head, scoffing at him.

Knowing your close friend for several years made it easier for you to read when he wasn't truthful or in his right mind, and now was one of those moments.

"Would you still love me if I was someone you hated? If I was a woman who doesn't live up to your expectations behind this mask?" You asked, a tear rolling down your cheek, mixing with the red and purple face paint you had applied previously.

Tsu'tey paused, unable to answer, your response shocked him truly; how could you even say something like that about yourself? Before he was able to even open his mouth you quickly yanked your hands from his grasp and ran off, sure he wouldn't follow behind you.

₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.

Currently you were back in your hut, hiding all of your belongings and removing the treasure he had gifted you, tossing it out of frustration into the dark woods.

Now with your nerves calmer than before you sat on your cold floors in awe, unable to even look at your reflection in your large bowl of water to rinse the paint off of your body before you bathe.

You felt embarrassed, made a fool of, and guilty. This entire situation could have been avoided if you had never attempted to make a move to begin with, it seemed so harmless.

Truly in the past you were fixated on the idea of telling him the truth, but the more he would rant to you of her beauty and skill or how fond he was of her it became more aware how disappointed he would be. It was something you couldn't bear, so you lived in his facade, enjoying it for the time being until it exploded.

You knew deep down this time would've come, just not so soon, taking a heavy toll on both of you. Listening to Tsu'tey describe you and your 'bright beauty' or how he hoped you were the other girls in the clan he had fancied, such as Neytiri or Ninat. That pained you, especially with your little crush on him just growing larger and larger, your emotions and mind unable to contain your feelings for him.

Just the fact that Eywa opened an opportunity to you to have a chance with Tsu'tey was a blessing you were so grateful for. In all honesty your greed and impatience made this lead so far. You had finally got him where you wanted him, he liked you.

He had finally liked you, after so long, all you had ever truly wanted was right in front of you, but as always, the universe was never truly on your side.

You were only left to sit in your thoughts as you cleaned off your face and body. Your tears mixing with the paints and designs until all of it was gone and you physically had no more tears left to cry.

You quickly bathed and dried yourself off, laying back into your comfort on your hammock and falling asleep.

₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.

You woke up slowly feeling the sunlight peer out from your draped cloth entrance to your hut after 4 knocks were placed to the wood of it.

"I'm coming in" you heard a familiar voice say, you only grogged in response as it was all your throat was able to let you do. It was a good friend of yours, Mina'ta. Thankfully she was close enough with you to know everything between you and Tsu'tey, well almost everything. She hadn't necessarily been updated on last night's situation.

She walked over to you and sat next to you, patting your back. "I was worried about you; you've never stayed in bed for so long. Was last night's show that draining?" She asked in genuine worry, she sounded like your mother, making you smile softly.

"No, it's just Tsu'tey.." you said softly, remembering last night's events and wincing at them. "He told me he loves me, and when I asked him would he still love me if I was someone he hated or couldn't see himself with if he truly knew me, he didn't respond. He just stared at me while holding my hands as if he had something to say but couldn't I took that as my 'rejection' and ran off." You muttered, burying yourself deeper underneath your woven blanket, Mina'ta only sighed and hugged you over the blanket, apologizing to you for being in such a difficult situation.

Eventually you sat up and explained in detail all that happened, his confession in depth, his gift, everything. She sat there and listened as you ranted for what seemed like forever. You both discussed, commented, joked, and ate while trying to understand the entire situation.

"If he is someone who is quick to respond and speak his mind, there must have been something he was going to say after your question, he just couldn't bring himself too." She added, crossing her arms and looking over at you, only for you to shake your head.

"It doesn't matter what he was holding back, it's over n-"

"Y/n! Are you inside? It's urgent" You heard the same voice repeat from outside, quickly cutting you off and knocking after his statement.

Tsu'tey

You remained wide-eyed with Mina'ta making the same expression, she quickly stood up and opened the flap to your hut, revealing none other than your unrequited lover.

"Yes, she's here, you two need to speak and speak alone. I'll be taking my leave, but I'll be back later" She spoke quickly, ushering him to come inside as she grabbed her things and quickly left. You didn't dare move a muscle as your back was now facing Tsu'tey.

"Oeng zene pllxte Y/n" [We must speak Y/n] He spoke softly, you heard him take two footsteps closer to where you sat, but not come any further.

Honestly you weren't sure if you wanted him to leave or sit beside you, your heart was pounding so harshly out your chest you could feel it pounding through your ears and head. You were also sure he could hear your heartbeat as well, you only hummed in response as he cleared his throat.

"Please be truthful with me, are you the kxmantxon srew-yu?" [midnight dancer] he asked in a low tone. Your heart was pounding even harder now, your ears now ringing.

How did he know?

Who told him?

You slightly lifted your head, repeating the same answer as before, humming in approval, only to hear him drop his belongings in response, huffing.

"You've made a fool of me." He said harshly, walking over to your side to stand directly in front of you. You could tell he was upset since he walked in, he wasn't really good at hiding his energy in front of you.

You looked down at the floor, then your feet, only shaking your head attempting to not cry. "You seemed so happy at first, I didn't want to disappoint you" you said softly, placing your hands over your chest that felt like it would've burst in any second. He scoffed at your response, now even more aggravated.

"This is unfair, there was no need to lie to me" He said quickly, pacing around in front of you, you looked up at him, now upset at his response.

"Unfair? I'm being unfair. Do you know how hard it was to live up to your expectations? I wasn't even willing for things to be taken this far until you would tell me about how fond you were of her and how she was a 'dream come true'. Don't even get me started on how you thought I was the other girls within the village. I have spent years loving you and waiting, hoping, and dreaming that maybe one day you might feel the same way. Your short remarks or old flirts to me would never go far, but I finally got what I wanted for so long when I was the kxmantxon srew-yu, you saw me for what I wanted, you loved me as I loved you, but it wasn't good enough for you. I'm never going to be good enough for you no matter what I do!" You shouted, rambling through your tears as you jabbed him in his chest.

You were so overwhelmed by your emotions and rage you didn't realize you had just confessed to him. You said everything you felt, everything you held in for so long, all while hitting him and jabbing at him and all he could do was look in your eyes in surprise.

"You're in love with me." He said, sounding more like a statement than a question, surprise written all over his face as he looked at you in awe. You quickly drew your hands back and wiped your tears frantically, placing a hand over your head and taking a step back, nearly tripping and falling onto your place of rest, walking around it.

"No" you lied, covering your ears praying this was some sort of wicked dream. This wasn't a nice situation to be in the slightest, you had fallen for the warrior and the warrior had fallen for the dancer. What horrid circumstances you two were placed in.

Even with your covered ears you could feel him walking over to you, each step he took your heart roared, you tried to focus on your breathing until you couldn't.

You quickly dropped to your knees, hands now palmed flat onto the floor, struggling to breath, gasping loudly. Within a flash Tsu'tey was by your side, one hand holding your hair back as the other was cupping your cheek, guiding you to look at him.

You began to cry, tears clouding your vision as panic surged through you as you tried to call out to him. "I- I ca-"

"Shh, mawey, do not speak, focus your mind." [calm] He said cutting you off, attempting to make you sit up straight to calm you through your panic. Something you both knew was that stress was never your strong suit or factor, it was your greatest weakness.

You shut your eyes, taking his advice, and soon after your breathing remained back on track. The entirety of your panic his hands never left your hair or your face, he looked into your eyes, as if he was looking for something, and nodded at you slightly, smiling, as if he had gotten an answer.

"You're doing better" He spoke, you nodded with a huff, sitting beside him now and wiping the sweat from your forehead as he removed his hands from you, now placing them in his lap.

He hadn't panicked, as this has happened to you before, and he didn't want to escalate the situation by adding his panic onto your own that you could barely control.

"I'm sorry" you said, unable to meet his gaze, as guilt and resentment ate you alive in your head. He only chuckled and shook his head, cocking a brow.

"There is no need to apologize to me sevin. I should be apologizing; this never would have happened if you had felt comfortable enough with me to tell me the truth. Your feelings are very dear to me, and it wasn't until now I realized how much I need you in my life." [pretty] He spoke, placing his hands behind his back now, looking up at the roof then back at you, before you were even able to part your lips he spoke again. "Whenever I think of my future you always appear, no matter how many times I may shake it. Even the olotekayan had pointed it out numerous times, I've always spoke of you, no matter the occasion. Thinking of you doing the things I like or just being yourself would make me smile to myself or make my tail whip rapidly. I realized just last night what I felt for you all this time was more than just a common love, it was unconditional." He said with a smile, looking around and not meeting your gaze.

You were left wide-eyed with your mouth still agape. All this time? The small subtle remarks or flirtatious comments? The small nicknames and gifts he would give you and only you. It was all to prove himself, he was attempting to court you, even before the kxmantxon srew-yu.

Just then Tsu'tey began to laugh and laugh hard. In a way you never seen or expected from him, especially after a time like this and the topic of discussion.

"Tsun ohe peng nga a-niwan?" [Can I tell you a secret?] He asked, peering over to your shoulder and nudging you. You were confused, but still nodded hesitantly, he smiled.

"Ohe omum tsa-nga lu a-kxmantxon srew-yu" [I knew you were the midnight dancer] He confessed, scanning your face for a reaction as you gasped aloud, placing your head in your hands.

So this whole time he knew? How did he know? Was he told? Did he somehow follow you without you knowing?

"How did y-"

"You can't expect me to not recognize the eyes of the woman I've loved my entire life, and her body, and her voice, her eyes and bashful remarks whenever I compliment or treat her." He said, now inching closer to you, your faces were nearly touching and all you could do was look into his eyes, as he did yours.

Your breath hitched slightly; you could hear his breathing from how close he was. You didn't want to pull away, you were curious and Tsy'tey could read it off of you, you placed a hand over the back of his neck, pulling him in closer until you kissed him.

You closed your eyes as your lips touched, starting delicate and sweet, passionate maybe, until it got deeper. Now as much as you wanted to back away to catch a quick breath you physically couldn't, your body craved more of him, as his did yours.

He placed his hand on your lower back, slightly groaning into the kiss as you were now straddling onto him, just then the flap to your hut opened revealing Mina'ta, who walked in head down.

"I know I said I would return later within the day, but I finished my workings early an- oh" she cut herself off, looking and you and Tsu'tey.

You immediately jumped off of him, scrambling to sit down beside him and attempt to 'hide' what was happening, playing with the beads in your braids. She only laughed in response as Tsu'tey didn't move an inch, a large smirk plastered on his face, proud of what he had did and placing both of his hands over his tewng [loincloth].

"Well, you both were busy, I'll be leaving again" She responded, and in one swift motion before either of you could respond she left, and you were still able to hear her laughs from outside.

You both laughed slightly with one another afterwards, embracing one another.

"You're a beautiful dancer and woman, you never cease to amaze me, sevin" [pretty] he said, you only smirked and cocked a brow at him, feeling bold within the moment.

"I can do a lot more than just dance" you teased, looking up to see his cocky expression, pinching your side before leaning in and kissing you and bringing you up to your place of rest.

"Zel wintxu oe y/n" [Then show me y/n] He replied with a cocky smirk, you only leaned up to kiss him again, smiling into it.

Oh, and trust me you definitely did show him.

₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.

✴🕷 please do not copy, plagiarize, edit, or translate any works submitted by me. all works are originated and all other pictures used within those works are online images. thank you!! @kryptznnn

[boringkate]

I watched Lena Dunham's Sharp Stick (2022) with a babe last month. Which I absolutely loved!!!

It's never explicitly acknowledged, but the main character is clearly supposed to be (despite the producers claiming otherwise) in some way neurodivergent. Or something. She's meek and impossibly sexually naive (to the point where me and the girl I watched it with had initially assumed the character was intended to be a child). Apparently they had approached an autism sexuality advocate to work as a consultant for the film before backpeddling.

Trans girls tend to be autistic.

The main character also had a hysterectomy (as did Lena Dunham).

Trans girls tend to be infertile.

She's shown taking estrogen.

Trans girls tend to take estrogen.

She becomes obsessed with porn and begins having one night stands with random men from the internet in hopes of finding validation by proving her sexual desirability.

Trans girls tend to do that shit.

It ends with her realizing and leaning into her impregnation fetish (while getting fucked by the one black guy she knows who had just brought over some 40s and called them homies and also while her black step sister's hands unexpectedly drift in from off screen to hold her because even when she managed to push it off to the last second Lena Dunham is incapable of being chill and normal about race).

Trans girls can't go ten seconds without making the same joke about how if you don't think you can get a trans girl pregnant then you just aren't trying hard enough (and the frequent fetishization of black men in trans and especially neighboring sissy communities can't really be denied).

Also the bartender is played by Tommy Dorfman (a trans woman) with it being her first time playing a character with a girl name.

But I'm not trying to suggest it's intentionally a movie about the tgirl excperience. That would be silly. Really the takeaway should be that (no matter how varied women's lives may be) we (trans women and cis women etc) can still always find common ground and shared excperiences. We're all in this together.

But anyways I was looking at Lena Dunham's Instagram yesterday (I've been off and on again rewatching Girls, so she's stayed on my mind).

One post features the music video she directed starring famed trans girl Hari Nef.

Another post shows that she recently read trans boy Elliot Paige's memoir Paige Boy.

Another post shows a conversation she had with Jon Bernthal (on his podcast) where she explains the word cis to him and talks about having also explained it to her husband (this is the only clip from her appearance on the podcast that she chose to post).

BTW did you know that she was an executive producer for the 2021 show Genera+ion (which I recall featuring a trans boy actor playing a cis boy character who gets a girl pregnant).

Fascinating!

Meanwhile. Ten years earlier. In 2013 (a year into my transition and a year before Time declared that we've reached the trans tipping point) an episode of Girls features a doorman telling one of the titular Girls that "a tranny walked in last time and he was just walking around the floors, but it was nothing." (lmao)

UPDATE: s05e02 features a "did you just assume my pronouns" bit. (in a way that felt reactionary and gross because the theyfab saying it was an absurd hipster barista that the audience isn't intended to sympathize with)

UPDATE UPDATE: s06e02 features the leader of a group for women entrepreneurs saying "For those of you asking on our Facebook if the group is open to trans women: The answer is: We don't know. Okay?" (which I thought was fun)

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE: s06e03 (the literal next episode) "I even went to a couple of hookers and one of them had a dick."

[imperatorcaesaraugustus]

it's that time, that ThoughtD: thoughts on HotD time. this episode, season 2 episode 4, was a lot, so i suppose we should get to it

after hearing her speak for a bit longer, i realize that Alys Rivers does not have an american accent as it seemed to me last episode. she just has a british accent that happens to be rhotic

Alys Rivers has such a weird energy to her, it's very compelling

personally, if i were Daemon, i would never drink anything she gave me, but that's just me

for those who don't recall, in season 1 Rhaenyra went on a tour of the realm looking for a potential husband. the one scene we saw of this was one of her suitors leaps onto another and repeatedly stabs him. that suitor is the Blackwood who meets with Daemon this episode

it didn't really occur to me until now that I don't think Rhaenyra ever names a hand, even in the book

i'm glad they've introduced cole being referred to as the Kingmaker, considering it's the one thing that's said about him in the main series (a feast for crows, specifically). it doesn't actually make much sense, since cole really had very little to do with Aegon becoming king, but that problem also exists in Fire and Blood

i sympathize with Aegon quite a bit in this one. while Alicent is correct that he's not an expert and should listen to the advice of his council, the fact that he's never consulted and is kept out of the loop is absolute bullshit

weird interaction between Rhaenys and Alyn (or is that one Adam? i can never keep the names straight). of course, in the book Adam and Alyn don't show up until after Rhaenys dies, so the awkwardness is avoided

i'm glad the characters acknowledge how insane the meeting between Rhaenyra and Alicent is. especially if she's not going to establish a clear chain of command in her absence

i really like the look of Sunfyre

no one has any right to get mad at Aegon for not following the plan when he wasn't told the plan. that's cole and Aemond's fault

interesting choice for Aemond to kill Luke by accident but burn Aegon on purpose

Rhaenys what are you doing that is Vhagar get the fuck out of there

less comments on this episode than usual. i mostly just found it very impactful, the battle of Rook's Rest really changes things going forward. can't wait for next week

[oodlyenough]

6-3 turnabout... whatever

i finished this case a couple weeks ago but i've been super busy and now also have covid so i haven't gotten around to it. but for posterity. i must document.

this one really tested my patience lol. WHAT a mixed bag.

the good:

maya... i missed u so much .... it's so unbelievably stupid they wrote you out for so long. welcome back babe

the investigation days were genuinely pretty fun. i loved having rayfa as an "assistant" lmao, reminded me of nick investigating with franziska in 3-5 which was PEAK, and i find rayfa herself is perhaps the most compelling new character aa5/6 have thrown at me. phoenix works really well with a horrible little girl having an existential crisis. she is actually imo quite a well-characterized character having a coherent emotional journey that i am interested in. groundbreaking

the lore around khurain and spirit channelling and how the feys are apparently superior to everyone here lol, like, it's all very silly but... i guess.jpeg. there certainly Is a plot at least. the bar is on the ground courtesy of dual destinies

i think the twist at the end here was ... interesting at least. i don't recall having "actually it was a suicide" as a plot resolution before, so kudos for breaking new ground, lol. the puzzles were mostly a decent level of challenge. that there is gameplay and puzzle solving at all is, again, a huge victory over dual destinies.

i don't know what's going on with ema and nahyuta but honestly it's cracking me up. i keep imagining ema consulting the lesbian masterdoc trying to decipher her feelings

however

the bad:

i made a post about it while playing but phoenix is so fucking dumb now!!!!! it used to make me so irritated that fanon treats him like a dumbass but now it's literally canon. grown ass man needs a 14 year old to tell him what moss is. it's SO goddamn annoying to see a plot resolution / twist / answer / whatever four hours ahead of the playable character, who most of the time now never even gets there himself, bc his 1 personality trait now is "bluff". christ. phoenix baby i'm sorry all your traumatic brain injuries are catching up to you it's not your fault this isn't the real you

what is WRONG with the pacing in these cases. honest question. why is it i can go from being like "this is pretty fun" while investigating to "actually i think we should just take the death penalty, nick" in trial. something so so so tedious about how this new guy handles testimony and i can't pinpoint what it is. there were certainly times in the og trilogy i found cases tedious and trying, especially the third cases lol. but this feels... worse? it was that way in AAI1 and DD too so i think it's this particular writer.

speaking of whack pacing: it's insane that after this obviously arc-heavy case, which leaves khurain in disarray and should have given rayfa and nahyuta existential crises, we're going to do a pointless tutorial-style case with athena and blackquill in japanifornia. why the hell. i like athena, but capcom clearly doesn't, and it just makes everything with her kind of excruciating.

[n0maku]

Some details from the Undertale Legends of Localization book

271 pages! If the localization of Undertale into Japanese interests you, I suggest getting the book off of Fangamer yourself. Anyhow, here's some details I noted from my reading:

-"mt.ebott is "toby" backwards, inspired by mt. itoi from MOTHER" (translation note from Toby to 8-4). This detail is also mentioned at another point in the book.

-An image of the debug tool that 8-4 developed to quickly jump to points in the game has "No Mercy" as a tab...(?) selector...(?). I don't quite recall what other names have been used for the route 'officially', so found it interesting enough to note. It is also referred to as such a few other times in the book.

-The name they used for the fallen human (shown in their debug tool menu image) is "Rose".

-Toby instructed the translators to keep ICE-E somewhere, even if to keep it funny the wordsearch got changed to something else.

-It has been known by people already, but the book notes how each item has three names! One standard name, one abbreviated for battle menus, and one abbreviated for battle menus during serious scenes. I think I recall some post calling it "Serious Mode"...? For example, the Butterscotch Pie goes in the battle menu from "ButtsPie", to "Pie" in the Toriel fight from "Serious Mode" . (Though, it says they cut the abbreviating for the Japanese translation as there were less space needed for the item names. I guess that means the japanese version didn't get any 'silly' item name variations...?)

Now, this gets pretty long, so I'll just put a readmore here...

-The translation of the Wrong Number Song comes up in the book, and it actually references that the main fan theory for who the "G" is is Gaster! BUT it reveals nothing about it basically. Toby remained mysterious about the "G..." person referenced in the call, with his note on it being "Character's name beginning with "G"... Actually, it might be suitably bizarre if you leave this line completely intact in English." Disappointing, but admittedly expected that this book wouldn't give any more details about it.

Apparently initially the localization team also thought it was meant to be "Gaster" and put a "Ga--" in an early draft, but it got overruled by Toby's decision to keep the call in English.

-A section emphasizes how while Monster Kid's dialogue uses ore, a more masculine pronoun, ". . .Toby designed the character to have no clear gender," and "Monster Kid's gender is never specified in the original script." I personally found it nice how the section asserted Monster Kid's gender neutrality and emphasized the pronoun choices being more purely used to reflect character, and chosen after consultation with Toby. -Onionsan's unclear gender led to the translators choosing for them to use watashi (which the section describes as a "polite, somewhat gender-neutral" pronoun), or simply "Onionsan" (which works to emphasize their childish vibes). -There is nothing about Frisk/their name is never mentioned. A section on Parsnik only notes that Hard Mode is accessed when you "give yourself a certain human's name." -Apparently Toby says Alphys is pronounced "al-feez"

-It is noted that Toby did not mean to reference the "it's over 9000!" meme with the dialogue "OH YES! MTT-BRAND OVENS CAN REACH TEMPERATURES UP TO NINE-THOUSAND DEGREES!" -For the (slightly inaccurate) Kitchen quote CHECK text (two lovers standing over the cauldron of hell...), Toby asked the translators to just translate it directly instead of grabbing the exact lines from the Japanese version of Kitchen. The section emphasizes how Toby was so unattached to it being a reference that he specifically requested the translators to not bother with it.

-There is a section on Entry Number 17 (the wingdings one, not the unused alphys one)! However, it is not referred to as such, merely vaguely talking about it- how most people never see some of the lines in Undertale, and the process of translating the wingdings. (They wrote out the Japanese translation with English spelling, keeping the same wingdings font.)

The image examples they use are images of the wingdings "THE DARKNESS KEEPS GROWING" and it translating to wingdings "YAMIHA NOUDO WA MASHITE YUKU". Funnily enough, the section notes ". . .it almost feels like these messages contain dark secrets. . ." and ". . .the localization team wanted to preserve the 'dark, mysterious, and unreadable' vibe in Japanese too." "Dark" twice... ha ha, these writers, I swear...

Sadly, no mention of Gaster or any other insight on the entry. An example sentence they use for Wingdings is "I EAT BUGS EVERY DAY," so uhhh maybe that's a clue that he's a bug eater? (I'm joking...) -"Asriel Dreemurr" being an anagram of "Serial Murderer" is confirmed to be intentional by Toby. -Toby notes how the "But it refused" line has two meanings: One, that it can mean "refused to die," secondly, that it can mean "'re-fused', referring to how the heart fragments fuse back together again." It's another thing that's been noted by some people, but a neat detail regardless!

Alright, that's what I've got...! There's a lot of other stuff, like how dialogue that was referencing other games was handled, (which is a LOT), but these notes are what I found the most personally interesting and relevant to Undertale.

[cherrysimmer1]

Chapter 28

Agatha let out a sigh. "She's your cousin," Myrtle pleaded, "She's your family. Imagine being in her shoes!"

There were a few seconds of silence, then Agatha shook her head 'no' with a light chuckle.

"I'm serious," Myrtle insisted. "Okay and? I'm not allowed to refuse being involved with Agnes' problems?" Agatha asked.

"Oh, please! As if that could even cross your mind! You? Refuse?! You wouldn't!"

Agatha exhaled, "You're right, I wouldn't."

She turned around. Her face shifted from deeply thoughtful to falsely joyful.

"I would never!" She exclaimed in a fake happy tone. "I love her too much for that! She's my cousin, right?"

"We're family, aren't we? Isn't that what family members do?"

"Or are, at least, supposed to do?"

"Ever since we were kids, I was always there for Agnes! In the good, the bad and the ugly times!"

"Especially in the bad and ugly times..."

"All these years until now, nothing really changed in our lives! It's just like in the past! Me trying to fix her mess!"

"I'm glad you won't let her down," Myrtle said, "Agnes is one of my favorite friends. I adore her. After all that she's been through, I wish her nothing but happiness! I think she deserves it."

She added, "I wish I could help her myself but... I'm too much of a wuss!..."

"No, you're not." Agatha reassured.

"I don't have your courage..." Myrtle continued. "You already know my issues with nightmares, how one little fright can give me sleepless nights for weeks. My mind get so scared that I become paranoid. Remember the time I couldn't be alone in my own apartment for months?"

"Yes," Agatha replied, "I remember. But you fought it! You fought your racing thoughts successfully. You got over your paranoia."

"It never really went away," said Myrtle in a mildly sad tone. "It's intermittent. But thank God my kids come over sometimes to keep me company when I'm too scared alone. I know you tried to make me face my fears and all but... well I'm... I'm working on that!"

"Oh, good!", Agatha encouraged. "Keep working on it and you will overcome your fears! Don't you ever stop. Only you can make the change you are seeking in your mind."

Myrtle sighted slightly, "Anyway, I strongly wish for Agnes to get rid of that curse!"

"You know... I always tried my best to protect Agnes when we were growing up," Agatha recalled. "Whether she was in trouble at school or at home, I was there to solve her problems and it became a habit. From kindergarten all the way through those lovely high school years up to college."

Agatha took a deep breath, "I will continue to try whatever and however I can do to get her out of trouble. Whichever kind of trouble it is..."

"...Even the supernatural ones."

"Her troubles are my troubles. Always been. I'm so blessed."

"Her problems are my problems. That's so great, I'm so fortunate."

"Her curse is my curse. What a dream! It's all I asked for."

Oblivious of Agatha's contradictory facial expressions, Myrtle seemed thrilled by her friend's words.

"She's so lucky to have you!" Myrtle said.

Agatha turned around with a serious face and looked at her friend straight in the eye, "I'll speak to a priest, I'll consult a psychic, I'll convoke a shaman, I'll summon a witch, I'll call a medium, I'll invite a spirit worker..."

"You're the best!" exclaimed Myrtle.

"Anything that puts me on the right direction to protect Agnes from being haunted."

"I'd give you the cousin of the year medal or something!"

"Yeah... I'll do all I can to help Agnes."

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[thoughtfulfangirling]

I don't know too much about the horrors Shelley Duvall underwent during the making of The Shining, but I've heard just enough to know that it was at the very least unethical. And sure we can marvel at her performance of fear and horror. It was impressive.

But it also manages, to people who are me, to fall flat in its lack of dimension.

People suffering the sort of torment Wendy are under are not only experiencing fear, confusion, and horror. They're also angry and vindictive and vengeful at times.

What if they'd let her fully act the fear so that she could have pulled back and displayed a glimmer of satisfaction when she hit Jack with the bat, a sense of the hilarious/humor as he went head over heels down the stairs? What I wouldn't have given for a sense of rage and fury as she dragged him through the halls of the hotel to lock him in the pantry. A woman dealing with the shit that she's been under would probably have a moment of sadistic satisfaction when he cries out that she may have really hurt him, he's dizzy, and now he wants that doctor she'd mention.

Sure those may be things that at the time might not have gotten written into a script because maybe at that time, women weren't like that(tm). But that's exactly why Duvall should have been left the choice to act with all her wits about her. Actors bring small nuanced moments like that to roles all the time because they are the ones trying to fit their minds into it wholly and completely and without consultation of any of the other characters around them. And they can bring insights into that role that others may not have thought to.

Think Furiosa re her scream in the desert. That was Theron's idea. And when asked where she found that rage—a question that maybe, in a different world, Duvall might have been able to make the space for—she responded that women just have that rage. A good actress will find it and put it where it's needed to go, in places her male coworkers might not think to put that.

Sure I don't think there was any performing better than she did during the bathroom scene, but almost everywhere else, I just got so tired of the constant fear/sadness of the performance, which I believe is exactly what was aimed at by the creators for the film. It was exhausting not in a way that makes me feel Wendy's exhaustion, but made her a caricature that she didn't deserve being.

There's nothing wrong with someone in her situation feeling mostly fear and terror, but it's absurd to think it's just that.

Fuck. Where was the disassociation? We got it maybe for the moment she sliced Jack's hand?

I dunno. I'm sure many people have spoken on this much better than me before and probably having seen it more than one (1) single time and have better, more sophisticated thoughts. It was a good movie. I don't recall anyone putting Jack through shit to get his performance and he did a great job, with lots of various emotions throughout. Let actors do their job.

[youhavehitawall]

ask game i invented right now: 1 random fact about each of your ocs >:3 ?? funny/sad/disturbing/badass you choose... 🥺

Ohh hell yeah! literally could not do all of them because it would be a million words long but here are some . i went mostly with mid-style headcanons because italk about the outlandish stuff a lot more than the normal everyday things.

Austin's personality takes after his mother more than his father. His dad was always very calm and pacifistic. His mother was a proper firecracker and quick-witted with a sharp tongue. He still hates this fact.

Firestorm is prone to overheating when he's in a high emotional state. He's known for spitting flame or catching himself on fire in an intense situation. (wink.) He fixes the damage himself.

Rundown learnt to play piano as a child in England, and is still quite good at it. He picks it up again when one of Firestorm's kids wants to learn.

Myles loves hiking!! Her early memories are of going hiking with her folks. She drags everyone else along whenever she can. Her other hobbies include prawning and fly-fishing.

Manuel is a lot more artistic-minded and enjoys painting. Before meeting the crew she was very reclusive and only painted from the imagination. Now she lets herself be dragged off on hikes but carries supplies with her. While Myles is setting up the picnic, Manuel has her easel out, she makes almost cubist depictions of the landscape.

Michael always secretly looked up to the road trains and wanted to be one when he grew up. Being convoy for the military was the closest he ever got.

Cass grew up in the Snowy Mountain region. She was a drover for her grandpa's farm and helped her cousins with crops as well. She only moved to Queensland in her later years, when Joyeuse Sr. was suffering arthritis from the cold. She used to shoot rabbits and roos and still has a shotgun, and she never wastes a bullet.

Dusk is from VIC and his first job was in a wrecking yard. He now works helping analyse car genomes and determine successful lineages, as well as predict 'recall' flaws in model groups. He also consults couples to determine if they can successfully hybridise. He sparks occasional controversy with his peers for having such an outlandish model for a partner.

Dusk and Cass have been together thirty-six years and are not married. I think theyre the only cishet relationship in the entire series?

Artemis is a big fan of the stars and has a bunch of glow-in-the-dark stickers on his ceiling in the pattern of actual night skies. He also joined the school boxing team without his parents knowing and is one of their most feared fighters now.

Joy Jr. is continually being pressured to race by her peers and teachers. She wants to be a firefighter! She wants to be a firefighter. She does volunteer work with the local station but she can see in their eyes they don't believe her.

Basil learnt to weld from a random old bloke she met at work while doing her apprenticeship for medicine training. The old man mentored her for seven years. She's one of the best welders in the country and has extensive practise because she has to fix and jury-rig Reg every time he breaks, which is often.

Reg got a creative streak the rest of his family seem to lack. He makes things for whimsy as well as practicality. He's been painting the walls and adding flower-shaped stained glass to the windows since he was a baby.

Aggie is the oldest running road train in the registrar and basically is connected to her trailers permanently now. She can move a lot like a snake, even whipping around like a twenty-tonne taipan. Like all road trains, she idles along the road even when sleeping, and will often wander off in the night without even realising.

It's common to hear screaming if certain lights go out in the opal fields. Johnny's experience in a cave-in haunts his young mind. He can't handle darkness. His mama can't run a generator all night, but he has battery-powered fairylights. If they go out he can't help it; he wails and roars until someone can calm him down. Reg is the one that pulled him out of that dark hellhole the first time, and he's often the only one that can bring Johnny back to the present now. There's good reason Reg is so strict about mining safety in the BWD region.

[maristelina]

Milgram Side S

⚠️100th Post, wowwie.

⚠️This is secret content available only through purchase of physical Milgram Novel 2 + Milgram manga books from Animate. You will get a username and a password to enter on the site to access the secret PDF. Please buy the novels to support Milgram! Please don't reblog or share if you can!

「ジャッカロープ、ミルグラムは様々な形式で行われているといったな」

"Jackalope, you said that the Milgram experiments have been carried out using various methods, correct?"

看守エスは膝に乗せた私を、少し青みのかかった瞳でまっすぐ見つめる。私の操る身体はとても小さくか弱い。160センチ弱のエスであっても、そこそこに圧迫感を覚えるものだ。

Sitting on the Warden Es's knee, they stare straight at me with their slightly bluish eyes. The body I inhabit is tiny and weak. Despite Es being just under 160 cm tall, I feel an immense sense of pressure from their gaze.

「あぁ、そうだぜ。常にあらゆるパターンを試行してきた。その集大成が今のフォーマットだ」

"Yeah, that's right. We've tried all sorts of patterns. The culmination of that is the current format."

「ふぅん……」

"Hmm…"

「なんだぁ、その冷めたリアクション。光栄に思ってくれてもいいんだぜ。そんな最高なタイミングでミルグラムの看守に選ばれたこと」

"What's with that lukewarm reaction? You should feel honored, you know. You've been chosen as Milgram's warden at such an opportune time."

「あぁ、そうだな」

"Yeah, sure."

いまいちピンとこないようで、私の言葉にもつれない素振りだ。

My words don't seem to resonate with them. Their reaction remains unenthusiastic.

「それより今興味があるのはこれまでのミルグラムについてだ。以前のフォーマットは何が駄目だったんだ？　その��解は何かのヒントになる気がする」

"More than that, I'm interested in the previous Milgram experiments. What was wrong with the earlier methods? I feel like understanding that could offer some insight."

「はー、勉強熱心だこと」

"Haー, you're quite the eager learner, aren't you?" (TN: Studious is the word exactly used but I changed the phrase to eager learner since the idea comes across better in English.)

「茶化すなよジャッカロープ。これだって看守としての仕事だろう」

"Don't tease me, Jackalope. This is part of my job as the warden."

「まぁ一言でいうと『美しくないから』だ」

"Well, to put it simply, they were not beautiful." (TN: Elegant is also a good alternate)

「……それ、真面目に答えてるか？」

"… Are you being serious?"

「何言ってんだ。大真面目さ」

"What are you talking about? I'm completely serious."

数えきれないほどのミルグラムを脳裏に浮かべる。幾千の看守、幾万の囚人――そして幾億の苦悩。思い返すだけで、口角が上がる。

I recall the countless Milgram experiments in my mind. Thousands of wardens, tens of thousands of prisoners— and hundreds of millions of torments. Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face.

「言えばキリがねぇけどなぁ。とにかく最適な形を探すために色々やった。男限定のミルグラム、女限定のミルグラムなんてのを試したこともあったな」

"I could go on and on. Anyway, we tried various methods to find the optimal one. We even experimented with Milgram prisons that were exclusive to men or women."

「……それは、思想に偏りが出るから駄目なのか？」

"…So, is it bad because it leads to a bias in the thought process?"

「まぁ、そんなトコ。あとは看守が２人なんてのも試したことがある」

"Well, something like that. We've also tried having two wardens before."

「……へぇ、それは良さそうな気もするが」

"Hmm, that actually sounds like it could be a good idea."

「いーや、全然ダメだね。選択を相談して決めやがるもんだから、ぬるっーと進んじまった。もっと看守自身の、罪に対する感性が影響してこそミルグラムだ」

"Nope, it was a total failure. They'd consult each other on decisions, making the whole thing lukewarm. Milgram should be influenced by the warden's own sense of sin."

「そういうものか？」

"Is that how it is?"

「そりゃそうだろうよ！　人間の罪だぜ！　ひとりの人間として判断しなきゃあよ！」

"Of course it is! It's about human sin! Each person needs to make their own judgment!"

「……言わんとすることはわからんでもないが」

"……I get what you're trying to say, to some extent." (TN: The phrase "言わんとすることはわからんでもないが" is a nuanced way of saying that the speaker understands what the other person is trying to say with some reservations. The "でもないが" part indicates some level of understanding, while the "わからん" and "言わんとする" parts indicate the subject matter.)

私の言葉に戸惑いの色はあるものの、深く考えこむエス。

Although my words confused Es, they gave it some deep thought.

今回のエスは模範的なまでに真摯な看守だ。私の言葉の真意を深く考察し、意図を読もうとしているのだろう。この姿勢こそミルグラムを体現している。

In this current Milgram, Es earnest nature has proven themself to be the ideal warden. They appear to be carefully considering the underlying meaning of my words, possibly trying to discern my intentions. This attitude embodies the essence of Milgram.

「あとはそうだなぁ。例えば看守と囚人が全員友人知人、というフォーマットもあったな」

"Another example would be a format where all the wardens and prisoners were friends or acquaintances"

「全員ヒトゴロシなのか……？」

"So they all knew each other beforehand…?"

「あぁ、ウケんだろ。記憶を消去する処理を入れて、まるごと���ルグラムに持ってきたんだが……ありゃあオレ様に言わせりゃダメだった。元々の関係性があると、ヒトゴロシだけに焦点を当てて見ることができねぇ」

"Yeah, pretty crazy, right? We tried erasing their memories and throwing them into Milgram. But in my opinion, it didn't work. If there's a pre-existing relationship, you can't focus solely on the crime itself."

「そのバイアスが不要というわけか」

"So you're saying that bias is undesirable."

「そう、やっぱり看守と無関係の他人じゃなきゃならねぇよ」

"Exactly, ideally the warden and the prisoners should be unrelated strangers."

――そうだ。人間が罪について思想するには、無関係である方が好ましい。

――That's right. When contemplating human sins, it's preferable to be uninvolved.

ミルグラムの前の関係性から判断するのは美しくない。それは不純物だ。　

Judging based on previous relationships in Milgram is not elegant. It's an impurity.

罪だけに純粋に向き合うためには、無関係の人間をアトランダムに集めてくるのが美しい。

To purely face the sin, it's elegant to randomly gather unrelated individuals.

ふと、エスから向けられている視線に気づく。

Suddenly, I notice the gaze directed at me from Es.

「――記憶を消去する処理といったな」

"—You mentioned a memory-erasing process."

「あぁ、それがどうした」

"Yeah, what about it?'"

「僕にも、それを施しているのか？」

"Did you also apply that to me?"

「…………」

"…………"

気分が良くなり、思わず口が滑ったことに気づく。エスになんらかの不信感を持たれるのはあまり良い結果を生まない。しかし、ここに来ての虚偽は逆効果だと判断する。

I realize my mood has lightened and I've inadvertently said too much. Es developing any distrust towards me would not lead to good results. I consider the possibility that lying now would only make things worse.

「あぁ、その通りだ。ショックか？」

"Yeah, that's right. Are you shocked?"

エスの返答は私の想像と違っていた。

Es's response was different from what I had imagined.

「それがミルグラムの判断ならば従うよ。どうせなら僕は美しく看守でありたい。看守にとって記憶が不純物だというのならば不要だ」

"If that's Milgram's decision, then I'll comply. I want to be a beautiful warden if that's the case. If memories are impurities for a warden, then they're unnecessary."

「…………おいおい、最高じゃねぇかよ」

"……Hey, hey, isn't that just great?"

目の前の看守エスは歴代でも最高の仕上がりであることを強く確信する。

I'm strongly convinced that of all previous wardens, the Es before me now is the most finely crafted.

私が長い時間追い求めたミルグラム史の集大成である今回の大仕掛け。その『器』として完璧と言って良い程、真摯であり、責任感があり、看守適正があり――絶望的なまでに自分がない。

This grand undertaking, the culmination of the Milgram experiments I've pursued for so long. As the "vessel" for it, they are as close to perfect as one can be - sincere, responsible, qualified to be a warden - and hopelessly devoid of self.

「くくく、エス。オレ様気分がいいからよ。勉強熱心なお前のためになんでも答えてやるよ」

"Heh heh, Es. I'm in a good mood so I'll answer anything for a diligent student like you."

「それはなにより。そうだな、じゃあ逆に今までのミルグラム。お前が言うところの最も美しくない形は何だったんだ？」

"That's great. Alright, then on the flip side - in the Milgram experiments up until now, what was the least elegant form, as you put it?"

エスの問いは、とても簡単に答えることができるものだった。

Es's question was one that could be answered very simply.

「一度だけ、囚人経験者から看守を選んだことがある」

"There was one time we selected a warden who had been a prisoner before."

「……二度ミルグラムに選ばれたということか？」

"……So they had been chosen for Milgram twice?"

「あぁ、オレ様は反対だったんだがな。当時の部下が強く押してな。ＯＫしちまった」

"Yeah, I was against it but one of my subordinates at the time pushed hard for it. I ended up giving the OK."

「結果は、どうだったんだ？」

"What was the result?"

「そりゃあ、もう。ミルグラム史上最悪の結末を迎えたよ」

"Well, it was the worst ending in Milgram's history."

「最悪の……」

"The worst…"

「――あぁ、今でも��悔してるぜ。やっぱミルグラムは一度きり。ネタバレ禁止なのさ」

"Ah, I still regret it to this day. Milgram should only be done once. No spoilers allowed."

END

[cyclopsboxhead]

Birds of Prey issue 75 has two stories and one of them has to play damage control both literally for the loss of the Clocktower but also figuratively for why the hell would Barbara Gordon do that? The answer is whoever was writing Batman at the time had her do it while Batman was fighting Black Mask in the Clock Tower. I can only imagine how infuriating the decision was, and judging by Simone's writing in this issue I'm almost certain it was made without consulting her at all. The first three pages are wordless, Oracle, Black Canary, and Huntress all have nothing to say as they watch in silent vigil the remains of the Clock Tower being contained by the Fire Department. Then the obligatory page where Simone has to explain why the character she's been writing made such a rash, out of character decision: because she was worried about Bruce.

If it makes you upset that's cause it was meant to. It's purposefully falling into the trope of a woman character making a sacrifice to aid the leading man. Not just that, but Simone takes it a step further by having Barbara make herself the damsel in distress. It reads as "oh this is what you meant by making the character I've been writing do that. So I'm just going to say that out loud so it's clear to everyone else."

Then after the obligatory damage control flashback we get the Birds of Prey all together, Huntress and Black Canary are comforting their leader, teammate, and friend. Here's where Simone twists the knife a bit more, having Barbara talk about the things we don't see when things like this happen in comics. What the characters really lose when they make sacrifices like this: old costumes, family photos, a place to sleep. Memories that are now without their talismans for recall. Now these exist only in the mind and in the past.

And then one more page of group healing and it's back to work. Simone doesn't waste time or pages cleaning up the mess another writer made with her character. She uses exactly as much as she needs while also making those moments linger. She wants you to know how this makes her characters, and herself feel, but she isn't going to give the other writer the satisfaction of making the entire story a reaction issue.

It's really a testament to how much Gail Simone cares about the agency of women both on and off the panel.