#I think tumblr is eating the quality of these pictures ;-;

[chipper-smol]

star abducted :3

[ninjagirlstar5]

Protag Teruya AU - Akane Taira Design

Hello, Akane. I heard you were suppose to be dead.

Since Teruya being the Protag would change certain aspects of the plot, even without the Wheel of Fate playing a factor in who lives and who dies when, I had to figure out how certain plot elements of SDRA2 canon would find it’s way into the AU’s plot. Namely, who joins Rei in trying to stop the killing game from happening in the prologue and how the Divine Luck gets involved. And my brain supplied with, “Hey, since Akane has Divine Luck, just make her survive thanks to that and not be brain dead, and have her help the Kisaragi Foundation on this one mission to save Yuki and Teruya.” And I went, “Fantastic idea, can’t wait for the angst.”

As you can see by looking at Akane’s eyes, she is...NOT doing well mentally. The girl has bags under her eyes and is missing her pupils because she’s very much dead inside. After all, she did sacrifice all of her friends for the sake of her Master Utsuro in the hopes of making him happy, even going as far as to join the Ultimate Despair even though she really didn’t like them. And as she starts to die from her wounds, Utsuro gives her Divine Luck before the island sinks underwater, which allows her to survive from drowning and ends up washing onto shore. She’s eventually found and treated at a hospital, but she’s in complete despair at the realization that she outlived her own master. I won’t go into full details but she eventually leaves the hospital, wanders around for a bit and ends up in the care of a middle-aged man named Kanato Chikafuji, an OC of mine who runs an orphanage and is very kind to both the kids and Akane. He pretty much helped her get her back on her feet while providing a safe place she can always return to.

Which is also why Akane looks pretty clean compared to Utsuro. Kanato encourages her to take better care of herself, even if she “doesn’t have to,” and she at least feels a little better whenever she does. Akane ends up taking a maid-like appearance once more, if only because she’s trying to put distance between herself and Kanato due to the guilt she has for what she’s done up to this point. But Kanato isn’t having any of the “master” BS and keeps asking her to at least use “-san” instead of “-sama” if she’s going to keep being formal with him. Even when she finally allows herself to grow closer to him and the orphans, she still keeps up this appearance as she helps with the cleaning and cooking due to Kanato’s bad leg and some of the older kids struggling to help due to past injuries from an incident. Akane isn’t always around as she wanders around Japan to use the Divine Luck to help undo the damage the Despairs caused, to try and redeem herself from everything she’s done. But she always comes back to the orphanage if she ever feels like she wants to rest. The raincoat is based off of Yuki’s coat a little bit but I made the design different to differentiate her from Yuki. It’s also a gift from Kanato and the kids from the orphanage and she treasures it very much.

As for how Akane manages to get her way onto the mission to rescue Teruya and Yuki...let’s just say a certain journalist managed to get his hands on some information he shouldn’t have and posted it everywhere he could. Which is how she found out about Teruya’s missing status and realized, “Oh shit, he’s in danger. I gotta help him!” Akane never met up with the others as she understood that they would NOT be happy to see her. But after hearing the news, she decides that if she wanted to make things right, she had to at least help them get Teruya back into safe hands, even if they would rather execute her on the spot. It’s not like they could as the Divine Luck user anyways. And upon realizing that she DOES have the Divine Luck, both Rei and Kinjo would be pissed but the latter is much more willing to use her as a tool to make sure Teruya comes back safely. As for Yuki, Akane did try to look for him to wake him up from the coma she and Utsuro put him in, but he was already gone by the time she went back to the hideout they hid him in. She had hoped someone had brought him to a hospital to take care of him, but alas, that wasn’t the case as the group quickly finds out that Yuki Maeda was going to be involved in a Killing Game. The same one that Teruya will be put into. So once they get the location from Setsuka, who unfortunately gets caught after managing to give them the information and is also dragged into the Killing Game, the group goes in to rescue them and stop the Killing Game from starting in the first place.

Unfortunately for them, things quickly go awry because Kokoro had made a failsafe that prevented her from getting killed on the spot and she summons a mech in the fountain. An explosion ends up launching Akane through the air, leaving Rei unprotected and she ends up crashing into the ocean. And while Akane still remembers the Proto-Killing Game, she’s...understandable unwilling to talk about it due to the fact that she helped mastermind it in the first place. It wouldn’t exactly help her credibility if everyone found out about it. And unfortunately, she’s not used to using the Divine Luck and often has to physically be there to prevent certain tragedies from happening or keeping things from going from bad to worse. Because if I don’t put a damn limit on this deus ex machina power, the plot would’ve been over at the Prologue.

The Protag Teruya AU was inspired by @/anotherprofessional’s post! Beware of Void spoilers though!

[girls-and-honey]

Hiya honey girl!

How are you doing? ♥️

I feel gay today, and I don’t have anyone to vent to, so it’s gonna be you I’m afraid

I feel so gay, I spent half the day looking longingly in the distance, and *sighing* wishfully

Do you ever feel like that?

Last week I bought a red rose from a dude in the street and offered it to a beautiful lady singer in a bar, and even if I don’t particularly want to see her again, it still felt good to do something chivalrous and lesbiany you know?

I like living my life on my own, but some days I wish I could do those romantic things with somebody, like holding hands and cuddling, and walking along the river, and maybe kissing a little.

Even if I’m happy by myself, sometimes I still yearn for the day I’ll have my own lady to offer my roses to 🥺

inkaaaa hi hi <3

I'm doing pretty good, in drastic need of a weekend. almost there!

!!! gay vents are always welcome here! oh to look longingly into the distance whilst sighing wishfully...

do I ever feel like that YES absolutely in fact while pondering my response I did just that asjdfkl okay I might ramble in the tags but yeah completely relate to be happy with life on my own but sometimes wishing it wasn't just me yeah I'm definitely going to ramble in the tags

offering a beautiful lady a rose I'm 🥺🥺 sometimes you just have to indulge in chivalrous lesbiany actions this is unavoidable. manifesting this for you, I hope all your rose offering yearnings come true!

[luciawithoutj]

Hey hi hello!

I have some things to say about new merch and jo merch in general so this is gonna be a litrle longer post and actually I think I should cange my semiotics theme (which is already about jo) about how bad their merch design is.

First of all little disclaimer: this is all my humble opionion based on what I learned in my one year of being graphic design student and an artist and designer on the internet for last 4-5 years. Before going to uni I learned most of about art and graphic design stuff by reading books and watching tons of yt videos. Second of all this critic is just coming from place of love for this band because I see so mucb potential and they could do some amazing merch designs if they give it a chance and I am fully aware how expensive the touring is and why they had to cut the quality of merch products.

So far my favorite jo band merch designs are cds (that probably required some designer to make), condoms (because they are really funny, genius, nicely designed and unique merch that fit the vibe of the band and matches their songs as well) and the new tshirt from last merch drop (which design is made by one slovenian fanartist : link.

Main reason that made me want to speak up is seeing that this merch drop will only have 100 products (my friend said that could mean 20-ish shirts per size) which how big this fandom has gotten in last year is pretty really dam limited. For a limited product I am really disappointed and I hoped for more. For such a limited product that design is the most default design they could have gone for and I am so sorry for Damon because his work is goregous, amazing, breathtaking and I could talk about it for ages and how inspiring it is but this shirt design isn't serving.

If they wanted to do bare minimum of design with those 5 images here is some of my ideas (unfortunately I don't have time to visually show them to yall on a mock ups because of finals that I should be studying for instead of writing this so try to imagine what I am trying to say and demonstrate). First is just simple instead of white choose black shirt or even better a thisrt. If you want it to go a stepp further is using their name logo font (font name is Avaline btw if anyone wants to download and use it for their designs :))) and either put it how they did when they promoted the everybody's waiting or to write idk therapy sessions or anything related to the band or it can even be some inside joke.

Something like this would make design just a bit more intersting but still bare minimum but amazing for regular merch. If they want to go a step further but want to keep the long sleeves (this idea was suggested by few people I talked too) they could put pictures vertically on the sleeves. I would find it a bit cooler if it is on the right sleeve out-side and then they put their band logo (the heart one) on the left side of the shirt where people's hearts normally are.

After exams I would definitely like to try to make some designs and just limit myself with this 5 pictures and play with typography and photoshoop to make something interesting.

Another I want to mentioned is how in my humble opinion if you are gonna sell limited edition either make it really pretty or good quality or really cursed and funny with inside jokes.

I think people (and me first) would eat tshirts (but also other merch designs) with some cursed designs or just texts that say "sparklative" or "slay pose" or "I feel SloveNACE" (this 3 were suggested by amazing people in tumblr discord server) or even let Jan photoshoop their faces on most random picture. This 5 guys with their gen z humour could make and do some hilarious merch like how amazing idea the condoms are.

Last thing I want to say is how many amazingly talented fans are. I mean even Damon was so shocked and moved by amount of talent and art made in this community. Furthermore I know (some of them as online friends and mutuals, others as just artists from same fandom) who are also either graphic design students or they work in art/graphic design/entertainment fields and some of them (including myself) would be so happy to even make few merch designs or art for them for freee or for a ticket for their show. Personally I would die from happiness if I get a chance to work with my favorite band that inspires me so much everyday to the point people at my uni think I am from Slovenia and know slovenian because of how much I include them in my uni work and how much fanart and designs I made because of them in last 6 months.

I just think there is so much potential guys might not be aware of (Idk honestly because who knows what is going on backstage in their lives). But yeah they could have even asked Damon to help them with composition of the pictures on that shirt or even hire Racik to make some pretty art or any fanartist honestly. Here is just few links of my favorite fanartists who also do a lot of graphic design related stuff (and also some of them sell their products on their own websites/redbubble/etsy/inprint/etc) :

Tia <3

Roxanne

Vic

jo.kam_ (previously mentioned her design)

Lemon

yelecx

Racik (ofc)

There is probably more but my brain for hell of it won't remember any names so feel free to add in the comments or tags more artists <3

I could probably go more in depth and give more ideas how to improve merch designs the cheapest and best way as possible but still trying to keep the quality good as it needs to be. I know there is still gonna be people fighting for this shirts and people are still gonna buy their merch but just it hurts my art/designer soul seeing this bad designs when there is so much potential and they have amazing fans and amazing crew and they work with so many talnted people and they themselves are so talented and their music inspired so many and so much.

Thanks everyone for coming to my TedTalk. <3

Actually now I am thinking and from just talking about jo work from design and semiotics perspective for that semiotics seminar I could just focus on their merch design and go more in detail about it and if yall want when it is done and I translate it in english I could share it here for people who want to read about it. Let me know I guess.

Also if someone is interested my art and design insta is lucia.without.j and my redbubble is lucia-without-j and my dms are always open if someone wants to chat or complain about anything art, design, joker out or any other fandom I am in related.

P. S. I am so sorry for any spelling mistakes and if what I said doesn't make sense. English isn't my first language.

[snowy-equinox]

Revisiting Rahdue's Wheel

Rahdue’s Wheel is a much-larger-than-average tarot spread that originated from Eileen Connolly’s 1987 book, Tarot: The Handbook for the Journeyman. It’s difficult to find detailed information outside of the book, as its size makes it unpopular among most tarot readers. Hell, Connolly herself needs 28 pages to explain it all. Rahdue’s Wheel shows up occasionally on Tumblr or Reddit, but its reputation has mostly become a kind of “Eat the Pig Trough and Get Your Picture on the Wall” for diviners. 

It’s when you get past the size that you start to realize the spread itself has some problems. 

Tackling the ‘Size’ Premise

Let’s get the premise out of the way: Rahdue’s Wheel does not use all 78 cards. When you look at the spread in detail, it’s broken down into 7 sections: 

Inner Wheel - Present

Center Wheel - Future

Outer Wheel - Past

Dagim Block - Past life

Taleh Pillar (right side) - Past life relationships

Shor Pillar (left side) - Past life memories/experiences

Malkuth Block - Answers the 9 questions you are supposed to have asked before the reading

The last section, the Malkuth Block, is optional. Even if you choose to use it, you may not pull the rest of your deck. Connolly says “Any cards that have not been used are left face down and are not to be read. They do not pertain to the reading and leaving them face down retains the original energy of the spread. If you turn them over, you break the esoteric structure of the entire spread.” At most, this spread requires 69 cards, not 78. 

The Popular Criticisms

While its gimmick is an exaggeration, it is still a behemoth of a spread. Many believe it is unwieldy and bogged down with too much information. This is a common criticism of larger spreads; the more information you pull, the easier it is to get lost. The continual energy drain of pulling, followed by the mental drain of interpreting, can leave you with inaccurate results.

However, this is assuming that you have to do your tarot readings in one sitting. I don’t hold with that idea. You can take on the Wheel in parts, doing a section a day for a week. Or, you can pull all the cards one day, write down what you got, and then do the interpreting the next day. Personally, I think if you have the time, dedication, and skill to parse through all the information, you should be able to get good information out of a large reading. 

The Information

In my opinion, Rahdue’s Wheel’s failure is not due to its size, but the quality of information it gives you.

While I approached this spread with the assumption that most people will read it for themselves, Connolly goes back and forth on the role of her readers. In most of the section dedicated to Rahdue’s Wheel, she talks exclusively about “the client”, implying she is writing for a professional tarot reader and the reading is meant to be between two people (reader & querent). However, at one point, she advises the reader to do the Rahdue’s Wheel for themself four times a year, and there are a couple of “for yourself or the client”’s sprinkled throughout the section. 

I bring this up because this spread is not very good if you’re reading for yourself. The three wheels are the exact same questions; the only thing that changes is the tense. I know what my current health concerns are, and likely I know what my past ones were. The entire past wheel is redundant, as you’re just reliving everything without added context or commentary. Pulling a Three of Swords for past relationships tells me a break-up really hurt me, but it doesn’t tell me how that’s still affecting me. There’s no new information given to the querent beyond “this is how your life and philosophies have changed”. 

The redundancy cuts both ways in the reader/querent question. If you read for yourself, you’re wasting time and energy on things you already know. On the other hand, if you’re reading for someone else, you’re not giving the querent new information that can solve their problems. If anything, it’s spiritual junk food; the reader gets to come off as intuitive and knowledgeable (assuming the cards are all accurate), while not giving any real advice. The querent will leave feeling fulfilled from their amazing connection with the reader without any new ideas on how to fix their situation. 

The Past Life Issue

The other issue that becomes apparent right away is the focus on past lives. The wheels total 39 cards, while the past life sections total 30. This makes the past lives sections nearly half of the spread. Connolly believes that our actions and mindsets are influenced by the hidden memories and traumas of our past lives. She rationalizes that knowing about these lives is a good way to look deeper into the querent’s psychology. This gives us context for the previous problem: The reason we’re looking at every aspect of a person’s life is to find patterns stemming from the past lives. If we find your past life was betrayed by a lover, we know the root cause of your commitment issues. The wheels and the past lives sections work together to illuminate the overarching themes of the querent’s karmic life. 

This creates multiple barriers in order to make this spread work: 

You must believe in past lives as a concept

You must believe you personally have at least one past life

You must believe that issues from your past life can affect your current life

If you have all three beliefs, then this spread can do amazing things for you! But many people don’t have all three. I can’t get past the third one myself; I think it’s possible to connect with and learn from your past lives, but I don’t think their traumas become ours. For many, they don’t have the necessary beliefs to bridge the gap between the two halves of the spread. 

Even if you do believe past lives can affect our current lives, this spread still runs into the problem we discussed earlier: there is no advice given. At best, the reader will probably say to do “past life work” before sending you on your way. Knowing where your issues stem from can be helpful, but the knowledge itself won’t change anything. Ultimately, to see change you need a direction to go in. This spread will not give that to you. 

Finally Answering the Questions

Let’s revisit the Malkuth Block, the tarot reading within the tarot reading. Once the diviner has exhausted themselves sorting through every facet of your lives (present and past), it’s time to actually answer those questions you had that brought you to a reader in the first place. Connolly leaves it up to the reader to determine how many cards should be pulled per question. As I mentioned earlier, she says not every card will be flipped over and read, but then she goes on to say that if the querent only has one question, you must read all 9 cards in the Block. She does not give an explanation for this; I assume something to do with the “esoteric structure” but who knows. 

At this point, you’re doing a basic tarot reading. Surprisingly, many tarot readers are able to do “here’s the answer to your question” readings without knowing every single thing about you. If you’re just trying to get questions answered, the majority of this spread is unnecessary. It’s also incredibly damaging; by putting the questions at the end of the marathon spread, you get to the important part of the reading when the diviner is exhausted. 

Conclusion

Rahdue’s Wheel works well for very specific situations, like when you want to do past life work and don’t know what to focus on. But for the average reader this spread is too bloated. Not only is the size too large for most people to read accurately in one sitting, but the information it gives you is useless. You’re better off finding a smaller spread. 

While some use Rahdue’s Wheel as practice, I think most people bookmark it purely as a challenge spread to do “some day”. But this spread does work if you use it within the beliefs and framework Connolly created it for. I would bet there are a lot of people out there looking for just this kind of spread to help them with their past lives. They’ve probably heard the name before, but pass over it because no one talks about it as a past life spread or a karmic spread. They only talk about it as “The Ultimate Spread”. It’s become clickbait, in tarot form.

[aangelinakii]

Cassandra headcanons as your older sister? Maybe blood siblings, but if you don’t do that I’m fine with whatever :)))

CASS AS YOUR OLDER SISTER.

not proofread !

note : thank you so much for requesting ! i actually havzn't written on tumblr in like.. ages..... so this was really nice ! i hope you enjoy and feel inclined to request again :)

note 2 : i'm on holipops rn so it's taken a while to upload and write, thank you for waiting pariently !! <3

cassandra cain is a great sister

she's super attentive and she probably knows you better than you know yourself, or even herself at some times

not big on physical touch, so was never one to coddle you

but she shows her love for you in other ways

almost always up for spending quality time with you

if you're on the younger side, she'll build a blanket fort with you every sunday night and watch cartoons and eat snacks and play board games

or even once or twice a month if you're on the older side

if you're on the older side, she'll take you out to dinner or a film every few weeks

and absolutely throw a fit if you even THINK about paying

she's paying for everything you best believe

i think, she wouldn't say anything, but you mean a lot more to her thank you think you do,, but she keeps an album on her phone of like pictures she took of you whilst out together, or pictures together

saying that, she's really good at getting the best angles sooo if you need a personal photographer just call up cass

sometimes you'll think your skills are getting really good so you'll ask cass for a sparring session in the batcave

can go one of two ways

1. she wants to keep you humble and dropkicks you to hades

2. she goes easy on you bur acts like you beat her good

if you go on patrol with her, she feels inclined to be super protective, but knows you are still your own person, so tries to let you do your thing

but sometimes she can't let go of that instinct

and beats anyone bloody who tries to mess with you

if you gowithout her, however, and come home injured, she will worry and personally be the one to patch you up

you mean a lot to her

she doesn't know what she would do without your pestering

[ntls-24722]

I was thinking about @/artastic-friend's tags on my Comet post, and, first off thank you it was really sweet, but I had also realized that I wasn't even on tumblr to show the REEEAAALLY early designs of Comet, so here they are!

Comet had gone through a lot of changes, the most important one being... not looking exactly like DJMM! Comet originally looked exactly like DJMM since a good 80% of her body used to actually be mechanical, and her organism part was... very minimal and degenerate. But I very quickly found that lame - what's the pizzazz in being ~secretly a manmade organism~ if most of you is still mechanical anyway? I found an old picture of her transition from this (i apologize for the low quality, but much of the old sketches are super smudged n junk.) She still had motors and but much more of her internals filled up the plastic exoskeleton's empty space.

A detail i had actually forgotten now that I read back through old messages and pictures is that she used to be compatible with eating/drinking gasoline AND actual food? She had microbes that could eat it in her stomach and then she'd eat THOSE microbes like a cow??? that was kinda sick, past me, good job.

Comet's actual face being striped originated from her bony skeleton being full of bigbig holes (shown below, left) - they were meant to just be the frame for the plastic cover, but when the mechanical parts were taken out the holes condensed into stripes (shown below, right), partially being inspired from this Clownsuu post (AUGH ITS SO COOOOOL)

The 10 eyes thing stuck because it was like... representative of her kids' souls being infused with hers after she unknowingly ingested them after brain surgery?

She didn't like, pick them up and start chowing on her own children like you would with a bunch of dry cereal - in order to make the Comets less resource-needy the Oort Cloud would give some of the remnant they produced back to them? When Comet found out where it came from and where one of her missing kids went, she refused to eat or sleep at all until she almost died of exhaustion and finally went unconcious. The Oort Cloud took advantage of the fact she was finally not resisting and did the surgery as she slept. She didn't remember anything when she woke up and... ate for the first time in awhile not knowing what was in it, or that she even had kids in the first place.

Making the surgery easier is actually why the side of her head in this picture is exposed and Boneless (in some pictures there's actually huge stitches on there, too) but i realized that any behavioral disruptions would be directed to the frontal lobe, and that's why Modern comet actually has this little plate right between her eyes - that plate of exoskeleton is actually slightly loose and you can take it off n put it right back on for the least amount of scarring. It's also why Luz and Zoey don't have it.

For some reason I chose a marching band theme for her, maybe to cover up her skeleton-y Beneathness, and that is what made her into the star-spangled DJMM we know today. I chose a space-y theme since the Plex is.... somewhat space themed? Not entirely sure why but I'm glad I did it. She was intially accented with minty blue rather than the bold one she is now. This is where she also got her name, though it was initially "Comet Music Man."

She used to, temporarily, also have a 4 pairs of antennae coming from her wrists. I took it out cuz i couldn't find a reason for them

Comet wasn't based on any particular spider BUT there was the initial concept of having her be based off of the mirror spider and have a.... disco ball butt (you can kinda see it in the skeleton face pic) But in another universe, She could've been a spiny orb weaver, or a scorpion-tailed spider.

I did sometimes COMPLETELY go south with how her Beneath would look like in favor of a soft, fleshy interior, and I made...this! I hated it and I'm forever glad I didn't decide to go with this! jesus christ!

There were also the origins of the little harpoons - I had a headcanon that DJMM has little pedipalps on the inside of his mouth that looked like little STAFFbot hands and that got integrated with Comet, too

Alsoalso: the Neck

Couldn't figure out how to do it for a long time, since it's long and dragon-y and flexible and curvy, which is why half of it was exposed skin for awhile. In this outdated organ diagram i actually made the neck a bunch of layered "bowls" like one of those rainbow slug toys (not that you can.... see much of it lol) (also old sona jumpscare HOOH)

There's probably more considering Comet is now a year old and also her entire universe and story got REALLY derailed from a oneshot self-insert fic that i never even finished (the contents of which actually are why Comet and Fritz live where they are, in some abandoned factory - it was Fritz and DJMM's hideout) (also, Fritz predates Comet by a lot) because i thought WAYYYYY tooo hard about the implications of DJ Music Man, the giant spider, being alive

("what are you? are you a species or were you created? for what? By who? why are you pretending to be a robot? Are you pretending? What do you eat, and what's feeding you? Do you need to? Why do you have to be alive, and not an animatronic like everything else?) (also technically Bighand is just the alternate and anticlimatic version where he's just like "yeah I'm alive and I just work here") (both leave bc it sucks)

bonus patch notes that I couldn't cover:

neck became attached further up the head instead of below the jaw because keeping it the way it was was... not good

ALL of her became metallic-looking

She went from being a mirror spider to a sparklemuffin spider because of the coincidence that those spiders had the same yellow stripes from their eyes as she does.

The antennae became just 1 pair because the fact she had 2 pairs was also unnecessary

She used to have 2 little flesh strands from her top jaw and bottom jaw. They served no purpose only to get in the way of things so I got rid of them.

Her dewlap used to have music notes, stars, and lines

The tongue went from being thick n long to being flat and rounded. Fits in the mouth better

[petermorwood]

An old article, but amusing regardless.

First it was James Lileks and the Gallery of Regrettable Food. What were the photo editors on these cookbooks thinking?

I'm well aware the colour quality of old pictures degrades and yellows, to their detriment, but IMO the images on that website can't have looked very appetising even when new.

There are ways to assemble variegated foodstuffs on a plate that looks attractive, and then there are these.

Dimly-lit meals for one and Sad desk lunches are yet more shuddersome antidotes to lovingly-photographed food porn erotica (porn would be messy close-ups of eating it).

However, despite what the article suggests, food photography doesn't need "the highest-spec kit while dangling from light-fittings for just the right angle" to look good.

*****

Using a phonecam while out with your friends in a crowded pizzeria isn't going to give the best results, but then neither is a joyless packed lunch on a rainy Monday in February, even if shot with a $33,000 camera like this Hasselblad, and full studio lighting.

@dduane's hobby site European Cuisines (down for maintenance) did just fine for years with a Sony W17, a compact digicam with a superb Zeiss lens.

Here are Sony shots of an apple upside-down cake made with Beauty of Bath apples from our own tree (they really are pink all the way through) and a quiche Lorraine just out of the oven.

After a while I got a second-hand Nikon D40 DSLR; the money saved on second-hand let me afford an excellent lens, a top-of-the-line flashgun and that neat little flash which is so much better than the camera's built-in one.

Here's the Nikon's take on last year's roast-goose-and-all-the-trimmings Christmas Dinner, as well as bacon (corned beef is the Americanised version) and cabbage for St Patrick's Day.

Now we're mostly using HTC U11+ smartphones whose cameras are not only top-notch but have excellent low-light capability.

This is good, because our lighting has always been mostly natural daylight with occasional flash and reflector-screen assistance.

Here are U11+ images of soda bread done in a cast-iron casserole or Dutch oven, and Geflügelragout (a stew of roast chicken with red wine and lemon) with saffron-pumpkin noodles.

This has become Brightwood Vintner's Chicken in the Food and Cooking of the Middle Kingdoms project, and why not? It's delicious! Here's DD and U11+ in action, and the noodle close-up she was shooting in that pic.

None of the food we shoot is "styled" for photography with varnish for glossiness, paint for cream, machine oil for honey, microwaved cotton-wool for steam and lots of other cunning but inedible trickery.

Our stuff is all for eating - so much so that getting "photograph the food" and "eat the food" in the proper order can sometimes be a struggle.

Like these crumpets, for instance.

You would, wouldn't you?

I nearly did, giving DD conniptions because she hadn't photographed them yet, and the Kerrygold butter was melting Just Right...

In a choice between shooting Have To Eat images and Want To Eat ones, we'll stay on the Want To side of the fence, and if people looking at those pix also Want To take a bite out of their screens, we're getting the job done.

And we're not hanging from the light-fittings to do it... :->

[inkspottie]

I sent multiple thingies but I think none of them went through or smth😞 perhaps it is karma for invading ur inbox sm whoopsie. Ima just say them all here:

First, what would the confluence gang be like on a roller coaster or just at an amusement park in general?

Second, what is everyone's love language?

And third is not a question but a thought. It's Halloween season so that means costumes >:) now hear me out....

Anzy - witch

Gabe - werewolf

Sadas - vampire

Painter - ghost

Seb - zombie

This is taking over my brain rn and I really gotta make some art of this or smth.

Anyways that's it haha sorry for sm, too many thoughts pop into my brain all the time ghgdjdbf

Dang man, sorry to hear that. Idk why tumblrs being mean to some of my asks (maybe it’s cuz I get an influx of them sometimes? Who knows this site runs on paper cogs)

But I shall answer your question, apologies for the wait my friend!

1. Oh man. Amusement parks…Gabe and Seb DEFINITELY are thrill seekers. They love rollercoasters. Gabe screams on the top of his lungs cuz he thinks it’s hilarious. Sadao hates them. He doesn’t like the feeling in his stomach, but he’ll ride them if Seb gives him the puppy dog look. Anzu is the type that rides them with a blank face. Every single picture from a ride is just her staring blankly at the camera.

And Painter also loves rollercoasters but the kiddie rides are his favorite because they’re so colorful!!

2. Love languages 🤔

Seb - Quality time and acts of service

Sadao - Quality time and words of affirmation

Gabriel - physical touch and receiving gifts

Anzu - Acts of service and words of affirmation

3. And omg, don’t get me started on Halloween stuff. I will go FERAL. I love that shit and eat it up for breakfast. Sadao as a vampire??? I may have to doodle this too…

[laura1633]

Hi, thank you for answering my ask on service top Max! YOU ARE MAKING ME BLUSH WITH THAT DESCRIPTION HOLY SHITTTTTT AHHHH

I do wanna say it's insane how talented this fandom is. It's truly amazing seeing all the stuff that's out there. I mean have you seen the Powerpoint and social media fics???? They are so amazingly put together, we are honestly eating so good.

NSFW ALERT

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Also just wanna put this out there for all my Lestappen folks:

Imagine Max having a slightly smaller (emphasis on slightly because my boy is still PACKED!!!!! okay Charlie boy is just real girthy) dick but Charlie boy still loves it. Like he's such a needy Charlie for cock that it doesn't matter if he doesn't put his huge ass dick into good use. It'll be so fucking plump and leaking everywhere, but he still wants to be well-fucked by Max.

ANYWAY rant over xx

I know what you mean anon! I haven't seen the powerpoint thing yet but I have seen it mentioned a lot on Tumblr so I will need to check it out at some point as I have been hearing lots of good things!

The quality of fics and artwork (and gifs etc) is crazy. I feel so lucky that I get to enjoy all this stuff for free!! It's unbelievable! I just wish I had more time at the moment to read as I have so many fics to catch up on!!! I have a huge marked for later list on ao3.

Wow wow wow I love the picture you have painted, ridiculously hot! Perhaps Charles coming from just having his ass played with, Max doesn't even need to touch his dick.

I love large dick Max (obviously 😂) but imagine a Max that is average or just under average and the first time he fucks Charles he thinks Charles is over exaggerating how good it feels just so he doesn't get embarrassed (because Charles is huge) but actually Charles is just literally obsessed with Max's dick and can't get enough of it - its the perfect size to allow Max to go hard and fast and it not hurt.

Service top Max has so much potential!!

[celestie0]

Hello!! I wanted to ask some advice 😞 I have a fic idea but I've never posted any writing before and its like a very very specific band au and I'm scared no one will care to read it because of how much music context it requires 😭 I really admire your writing so like...what do you suggest...

(Also super excited for next kickoff ! I've never been this invested in a fic)

hii my love!! omg a band au sounds like so much funnn are you kiddinggg i would eat that UPPP. my advice would be to just go ahead n write it!!! it's super nervewracking to share work, especially if you've never shared before, so for the time being you can just write w the idea that no one else will read it except for yourself! that'll help you establish a healthy relationship w your writing & your hobby in general even before you post should you choose to post

as for the specificity n music context, i personally think thats SO FUCKIN RAD!!! i love a story where i can enjoy a romance but also have aspects outside of it that i can learn something new from or take something away from. i have read some pretty incredible fics & books, but the ones that have always had a lasting impact on me are the ones i went into knowing nothign ab a specific something, but then i leave it feeling like i've learned something i wouldn't have ever known before!!

it's a totally valid feeling though, esp in fanfiction where you might think readers want to read ab only their fave characters or specifically romance. i felt this way a lot with including the film major & photography aspect to kickoff, i feared readers would find it boring and would just want to read ab gojo x reader. i think in ch9, gojo only had like 40% of the chapter screentime and didn't even make his first appearance until like 5k words into the chapter, but i'm still really happy w the chapter and the response i got was great too. i see some of my writer mutuals break the norms n experiments w their stories all the time too, and honestly, i think that makes for some of the BEST and most MEMORABLE stories :)

as for fears that people may not see your story, i totally get that. keep in mind, i think the jjk fandom specifically doesn't really have too many long fics, at least compared to what i've seen in other fandoms, n tends to steer towards oneshot content (i could be wrong ab this but it's just what i've noticed! at least on tumblr. long fics always get lots of love on ao3 tho) so don't worry too much if you're not getting as many notes or reblogs etc as some other authors, bc if you choose to post series content, then you'll technically be in a niche category for this specific fandom. BUT i have noticed that the quality of interactions w longer stories is very amazing and totally worth being a part of this writing community for that reason!!

when i first started posting, i really didn't know what to expect since the last time i had a fanfic blog was for like two months when i was 12 on deviantart LOL. and now i'm just extremely blown away n humbled by the support. but that's the thing- you'll never ever know unless you try! again, just write and picture it that you're the only one that's going to read it, so put all that juicy music context in there n really write w that passion in mind!! (i'm assuming you're into music or bands n that's your inspiration? don't be afraid to let that interest show!!) and that's really the only thing you need to get started, after that it's just simply copy pasting n then posting :)

if you do get around to posting or sharing it then feel free to tag me bb!! i'd love to read it n support you. good luck to u n much love!! <33 i hope this helps in anyway

and thank you for looking forward to kickoff :)

ps. in case you want any specific writing advice i have some on my page here (sorry bb i just realized i wasn't sure if you were asking for actual concrete writing advice haha my bad if i misinterpreted)

[courtofmatchups]

hello!! am requesting for obey me hehe, not really sure what to put here so if you need more information, i will send in another ask!! (thank u for doing this btw!)

she/her, unfortunately tiny at 5’1, Asian (? If this matters LOL)

hobbies: i like playing games, engaging in stories, and i also especially like to do cat-watching! i also sleep a lot to the point where my friends knows if i don’t reply to text for hrs, its bc im napping 💀 also i jump between interests a lot! I used to play the guitar, and i also did traditional dance, and i also used to do art… i also used to do journalling… ( yeah u get the point…)

miscellaneous information: I don’t go out much, only going out if needed/asked out. im big on being thrifty 😭 and im a very rational person, my mbti is intj if that helps. unfortunately i dont like being active much as i have weak ankles LOL, also i hardly dye my hair because i believe i look the best in my natural hair colour!

love language: 100% quality time! i dont rly like giving gifts and im not big on presents either, my 2nd love language wld probably be acts of service and 3rd is words of affirmation

what makes me annoyed: i get annoyed pretty easily tbh so i like to displace myself from the situation (if i can) so that i dont have to deal with it, i highly dislike people who dont have common sense and proper manners

what makes me happy! : i have dogs so seeing their very cute faces makes me very happy every day. im also very simple, eating good food, spending time w ppl i love are all things that makes me happy and im a big grandma girl 🥹 Im also a big animal person!! although i do have allergies… but seeing them from a distance still makes me happy (im one of those ppl who spends hrs scrolling thru tumblr/tiktok for cute animal videos LOL)

once again, thank you for doing this and it was fun to take the time to yap about myself. much loves to u, op 🫶🫶

It seems to me, you've captured the heart of...

Satan!

I saw how much you loved animals and KNEW he would be the one for you. He'd love to bond with you over your love of animals. He's more drawn to cats than dogs, but he likes dogs regardless. He loves it when you send him cute animal videos or pictures especially because you were thinking about him

Based on your MBTI it's safe to say you’re rational. You enjoy stories also, which might resonate with Satan’s love for books and deep conversations. And Satan, being the smart man that he is, would love to engage in meaningful discussions. He very much appreciates how you can switch interests. It keeps your brain active, and he would love to explore them with you.

Satan is all too familiar with anger, since he is the embodiment of wrath. So he can help you navigate annoying situations. He usually escapes into books to calm down, and in the case he senses you getting too angry, he'll help you get out of the situation with the power of silly animal videos.

Satan would appreciate your love language of quality time. He’s not a flashy or materialistic demon, so he’d enjoy spending quiet moments reading, talking, or watching animals with you. He’s also thoughtful, which aligns with your preference for acts of service and words of affirmation.

Satan’s calm demeanor, shared love of animals, and intellectual side could make him a perfect match for you!

[evilwickedme]

I'd love to hear more Bat social media thoughts if you have any

Oh I absolutely do

Civilian

Twitter:

Bruce, Dick, Cass, Tim, Steph, and Jason all have twitter. The first four have verified accounts (like proper verified, not the shit Musky introduced). Jason's twitter is just something like litlover666

Tim has an extra anonymous account to post absolute shit in and pick fights with. Steph picks fights on main and makes fun of Bruce constantly. Jason posts mostly book reviews with the occasional photo of whatever he's eating right now and recommendation for some mom and pop restaurant in the worst parts of Gotham. He has a cult following

Bruce's account is entirely PR. He doesn't even have the password. Not because he can't be trusted with it but because he doesn't give a fuck. Every once in a while his social media intern asks him for some photo or he texts them about a charity he wants to promote and that's the extent of his involvement

Dick is sporadic with his use. He tweets happy birthdays to everyone including members of the batfam who aren't on Twitter (see Damian) and responds to random @ s a lot

Cass mostly uses it to crosspost videos of herself dancing from Instagram and retweets Steph's shitposting

Instagram:

Duke, Cass, and Steph all have Instagram. Only Cass is verified, because Duke is too new to the batfam. It irritates him more than he'll admit

Again, Cass's insta is mainly photos and videos of her dancing. She also posts a lot of photos with her family tho, especially in embarrassing situations nobody knew she'd managed to capture on camera

Steph uses it mainly to lurk but her friends only stories are a LOT of fun

Duke posts his poetry on there sometimes, but mostly it's a casual Instagram with pictures of friends and family and selfies. He also posts pictures of Damian's pets every once in a while cause he thinks it's a shame Damian is too young to join the platform and post them himself (Damian is like 11 or 12 at most in my mind and Alfred actually enforces the no social media before you're 13 rule)

Tim deleted his finsta when he became Robin cause it was dedicated to Bat content and that was Embarrassing

Tumblr:

Only Steph and Tim have tumblrs. Jason would thrive on here, but he doesn't have time to figure out any other platform beside the one he's on. Neither Steph nor Tim told each other outright they have tumblrs, but they found each other and became mutuals anyway. Tim doesn't use the platform so much anymore, he was way more into it when he was like 13 or 14, but Steph keeps up with ALL the memes. Both accounts are anonymous but Tim has a HUGE following for telling random stories about his life that sound entirely made up except he always provides photographic evidence or some other kind of proof

Tiktok

WE PR made Bruce start a TikTok and he insisted it be a Wayne family TikTok because, again, he Did Not Want To Deal With It. Tim's supposed to be in charge of it but Dick is addicted. He has his own account too but he only ever posts on the Wayne family TikTok account, mostly to brag about his siblings' accomplishments

Cass, again, has a dance-focused account. She once posted herself dancing with Jason and everyone freaked out over who this giant dude is until he was legally brought back to life. Nobody in the batfam knows how she managed to get him to agree to participate but he was actually really good

Dick's personal account is not as active as the Wayne family account but he posts gymnastics there sometimes

Neither Alfred nor Kate are on social media for very different reasons. Babs is on every platform as a lurker, but on Twitter she interacts with Dick and Cass sometimes. Damian isn't allowed yet but once he turns 13 he becomes an absolute TERROR on twitter

Vigilante

Twitter:

The JLA, Titans, and Young Justice teams all have team accounts of various diplomatic quality. Diana runs the first for the most part, basically every member of the Titans team gets their chances with it at some point for theirs, and Cassie and Tim have learned their lesson about letting anybody except the two of them tweet from the YJ account

Nightwing's account is excessively popular. A lot of people thirst follow him but also sometimes he eviscerates someone horrible and it's extremely funny

Spoiler's account is also popular for being just as feral as her civilian main

It's a recurring joke among the superhero community that everyone is very lucky that Robin doesn't have an account

Signal's account is low-key

Oracle's account is vital, she provides a lot of early warnings for civilians when there are Arkham breakouts and the like. A lot of people have notifications turned on for her account

TikTok:

Just like the Wayne's account, the batfam has an account. It's mostly funny bits from cowl cam but Red Robin has posted a series of videos triggering Red Hood into talking about his various interests (literature, proper gun maintenance, the actual programs that would benefit crime alley) all of which go extremely viral

And that's everything I have right now!! If anybody wants fic recs for social media aus or wants to know my hcs for other heroes' social media just shoot me an ask 🥰

[chen-chen-chen-again-chen]

Six Sentence Sunday & Countdown to EGF (Week 1!)

Hello hi hola!! Thank you for the early morning tags, @thewholelemon and @artsyunderstudy! I have six-ish sentences from Chapter 3 of my EGF fic, which I shared with my lovely EGF collaborator @shemakesmeforget (thank you for making me feel good about my writing 😆😆😆):

When Baz comes out into the kitchen, Simon Snow is still trotting around mostly naked except for Baz’s boxer briefs. He has freckles and moles everywhere, and the collar around his neck and the steaming mug of tea in his hands make him look oddly domestic; Baz is sure he’s seen a porn that started this way. 

“Here,” Simon says, thrusting the mug at Baz. “Wasn’t sure if you took milk or sugar.” 

“Usually milk,” Baz says, opening the fridge, “but - ah, yes, I’m out. I was going to do the weekly shop, but then kidnapping, imprisonment, et cetera.”

“Extremely et cetera,” Simon says solemnly. 

Writing blather, a bonus pic, and tags behind the cut! 

Here’s a brief description of my writing process thus far: 

Write 22 000 words in basically a fever dream / fugue state (around the same time that I wrote “A cake with your name on it”)  

Let it sit, because I knew it needed massive edits 

Sign up for EGF in early Jan with all the arrogance and naivete of youth, because “hey! I already have a draft!” 

Reread the draft in mid-Jan and feel like throwing up (Jan. 15 journal entry: “I just re-read my EGF fic and it seems like such a fucking disaster. What the actual hell”) 

Attempt ambitious rewrites. Fail. Lose momentum. Journal about it a lot. Draw a bunch of mind maps. Get lost in the black hole of Tumblr. Cry in the car. Eat kettle chips and binge-watch the K-drama Doctors  

Reread/re-watch some classic things that I should keep in a box/bookmarks folder called Break Glass in Case of Artistic Emergency (The Artist’s Way; Liz Gilbert’s TED talk on daemons; Kiki’s Delivery Service) 

Do some useful loosening up exercises (rewriting and responding to the Basic Principles in The Artist’s Way; writing a paean to the Muses; making a checklist of how to create a good writing context for myself)

Re-read the draft. Think, “Huh, it’s actually not as bad as I thought. Rewriting isn’t working, so I think I just have to work with what I have.” Realise that the draft hasn't changed in quality, just my mindset.

Think fondly of my old mentor McKenna (playwright, poet, Irish madman), who would always say, “These things that you think I'm teaching you? You know them already. I’m just reminding you, is all.”  

I share this not just because I crave validation (I mean, I’m an artist and a human, of course I crave validation) but because I think everyone who reads this probably resonates with at least one part of it. 

And it’s useful for me to have this as a record to come back to say, “Oh yeah, this happened to me before, this will probably happen again, here is evidence that I climbed out of this well before, and here are some really concrete things that I did to climb out of the well. This is all part of the process, even the stretches that suck and feel like you’re off-roading in the dark.” 

If you made it through this exercise in navel-gazing, please enjoy this picture, because I have apparently branched out from making fake t-shirts and entered the realm of making fake mugs for my fic, as part of my Creative Process: 

I have to run off soon (to pick up fresh cinnamon buns) so I am just going to do a bunch of hello tags off the top of my head in a completely random fashion: @erotic-grope-fest, @captain-aralias, @fatalfangirl, @cutestkilla, @technetiumai, @tectonicduck, @aroace-genderfluid-sheep, @raenestee, @dohrnaira, @larkral (look, I came out to play!!!), @facewithoutheart, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @whogaveyoupermission, @martsonmars, @aristocratic-otter. Happy Sunday to you all!

[gooopy]

also 🌧 and 💔...

WOAAAAA GOOPY HOW COME YOUR AWESOME FRIEND LETA YOU HAVE TWO ASKS. YAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!

🌧 what would they do if they have some free time and no responsibilities?

-scully i think would drive around a bit in his shitty car. Pack some lunch and a few beers and drive out somewhere pretty, sit in the bed of his truck and eat his lunch and drive home (being a little tipsy makes him drive better <- NOT TRUE.) And then he would probably not know what to do with himself, maybe get drunk for realsies and sit out on the steps of his porch and watch the sun set and the moon rise, look at the stars and make up shapes and sleep off his hangover the next day without needing to go to work. (He still wakes up on time, but lets himself curl up in bed for longer)

-teddy i think would similarly go out and drive! Go to a nice little cafe hes been eyeing, treat himself to little goodies. He would be obsessed with little treat memes if he had tumblr. Bring his camera out to a park and take some pictures of flowers and bugs, go to a fancier grocery store and pick up some high quality chicken for walter at home and maybe a bouquet of flowers to spruce up the dining table! Eat out too, just fully treating himself! Then go home and sit at home (if he really has NO responsibilities then the photos he took will develop themselves while he sits on the couch!) And tell walter about his day (shes indifferent and is only mildly interested in the fancy chicken)

💔 how are they at forgiveness:

-scully forgives way too easily. Its a bad habit, he tends to get real mad if someone does something to him but as he thinks about it and it simmers in his noggin he starts to think about ways its pro'lly just his fault. He shoulda seen it coming, or hes assumin' shit about what they meant, or hes just plain rememberin' wrong or didnt understand. Makes sense, hes not the sharpest tool in the shed. Then he goes and says sorry for reacting the way he did and the cycle repeats

-teddys a lot better about it. Hes got more of a spine for sure and has a much better idea of when someone actually made a mistake and when theyre just saying sorry to be nice. Tends to accept apologies, and the chances of that happening tends to go WAYYYY up if you get a little goody for him along with it. Wont apologize for standing up for himself (unless he really needs their favor, like a boss) and doesnt mind giving the cold shoulder until he gets an apology in turn. When he gets a little loopier he tends to forgive way less though, assumes everyone has it out for him and has some secret ill will!

[fighting-these-demons]

So I still like the idea of an AU around this so I made a separate post

Hello Internet Stranger looking up YYH on Tumblr dot com!

This is an idea for a College Alternate Universe involving Queer Non-Canon Relationships between the characters of the series.

It is based on the idea in the post that is linked above.

If you are not looking for this content please scroll on.

If you ARE looking for this content - and you're ok with reading my Headcanon for this Alternate Universe I've haphazardly spun up -

Then go ahead and feel free to:

Check The Tags Of This Post For The Pairings

and click the Read More below!

The quality of what lies under the cut is likely mediocre and may or may not actually be shorter in length than this warning.

--- Original Post Blurb had a summary of whats below the cut so: ---

I want a College AU where a character with similar proclivities for bugs and pain becomes friends with Kazuma in their Entomology program and then he eventually tries to shoot his shot and date Kazuma because he can just tell.

He can subconsciously smell the Kindred Spirit.

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

They become fast friends during field studies and when doing field work with wasps.

The friend decides to try to hang out with Kazuma on campus as much as possible. Eating lunch together, studying in the library, studying at cafes of campus in the evenings. As his feelings build he starts giving little gifts.

Some of the gifts in the lead up to the confession and asking Kazuma out on a date include Difficult to capture local specimens, snacks and drinks that he's picked up on being Kazuma's favorites, OmoChoco (that's secretly not so obligatory) that's actually homemade with spicy pepper in it for a kick (and boy does Kazuma get a kick out of that! He thinks he's been pranked and that it's pretty funny but loves the chocolate and eats all of it anyway - friend deflates at Kazuma thinking it's a prank but doesn't say anything), and eventually possibly a flower that has a little bee resting on it one cold wet April morning the morning he asks him out.

Meanwhile, right in the middle of all of this building up between Kazuma and The Friend: Kurama, Yusuke, and Hiei are Silently Seething.

Yusuke is plying Kazuma with extra toppings in his ramen and Tapes/CDs

Kurama is casually crashing study sessions and only ever bringing something for Kazuma, often coffee and cake or pastries. He makes it quite clear that he and Kazuma study together one-on-one on the weekends too.

Hiei is stalking the would-be suitor and scaring the local insect population away by disturbing bushes and grasses and trees that specimens are on whenever this dude is trying to take notes or pictures or capture something for study - conversely hes bringing Kazuma some harmless specimens from Makai to study along with some of Ningenkai's specimens that he scared away from the insignificant worm that keeps trailing after Kuwabara.

The first and only time Kazuma ever takes The Friend to Yusuke's ramen cart: Hiei and Kurama are both there, which is odd because normally Shorty only shows up for Mission Briefings and Kurama usually eats at home on Wednesdays.

Was there an Emergency Mission? He introduces his friend to The Guys. Kurama politely nods and greets him but looks stiff and sounds irritated, Yusuke makes some Crack about dragging customers across the city to his stall which is weird because he's always happy for more business, and Hiei is the only one acting predictably by flashing a look of disdain and then disinterest as he goes back to his food.

Yusuke acts like someone pissed in his cheerios for about 2 minutes before perking up and focusing on regaling The Friend with middle school and "high school" tales of street fights and competitions he's been in with/alongside Kuwabara and by himself.

When the ramen is ready Yusuke gives Kazuma extra toppings as usual. Kazuma adds some to his friend's bowl since Urameshi seemed less generous than usual with his portion. Probably a mistake. Urameshi usually adds extra to his anyway so it's no big to share. Yusuke's smile looks Very Strained for a moment.

Kurama chimes in every now and again with stories of past trips and hangouts whiIe leaning into Kazuma from his other side.

Hiei is mostly just being icy in the corner and makes a few inflammatory jokes at Kazuma's expense but he's also handing Kazuma a small cage with a rare beetle that Kazuma is impressed with, thanks him for, and is excitedly showing The Friend nearly instantly.

It's like whiplash as Kazuma's friend watches Hiei's expression cycle from the smug smirk as he handed over the cage turn to mild surprise at the praise and then resentment in his direction so quickly as Kazuma turned towards The Friend to show him the specimen.

Yusuke poorly hides a guffaw and Kurama hides a chuckle as a cough. Hiei looks half a step from murdering them, finishing his ramen and demanding another bowl. Yusuke obliges and heaps toppings onto his bowl in a peace offering.

The Friend takes it all like a champ after being primed via Kurama's small slights during crashed study sessions. He's starting to suspect that he's inadvertently walked into some kind of competition for Kazuma's attention and he may be the least qualified here with his lack of history.

He isn't going to let that stop him though because as far as he can tell Kazuma seems to prefer women but mostly likes people with soft and feminine features. He's never been more grateful to have been bullied for looking like a girl in Middle and High School.

It might be a Long Shot, but as far as he's concerned, he still has a shot!

Kazuma picks up on the rancid vibes of course, but can't quite figure out why all the guys seem to hate this guy. Kazuma has the best grasp on whether or not people are bad news and this guy is such a great guy! Everyone else is just massively annoyed by him for some reason and Kazuma just doesn't get it. It's not like he's ever been rude to anyone. Maybe it's because they need to discuss whatever mission it is as quick as possible? Yeah maybe that's it. 🤔

After they finish Kazuma and him leave and head towards the station. The friends apartment is a few stops away in a cheaper part of town. Kazuma apologizes for the weird atmosphere and explains that Hiei's just sort of grumpy all the time and Yusukes girlfriend may have nagged him a bunch before they got there since Yusuke usually closes and she's pretty particular about closing work. Kazuma asks him not to take it personally.

The Friend after seeing how open Kazuma is to physical touch puts his had on Kazuma's back and tells him not to worry about it with a wink.

The Friend flashes a salute to Kazuma as he walks backward toward the entrance, a pep in his step.

The Friend is grinning. Yusuke Has A Girlfriend! Kazuma thinks Hiei is Grumpy and Kazuma usually doesn't get along with grumpy people even if he is nice to them! His competition has just drastically narrowed down! (So he thinks anyway lmao)

The Friend stops and confidently hinges forward to look up and ask Kazuma if they can meet up for Bug Catching in the fields and forests outside of the city.

Kazuma looks surprised and blushes a bit as he sheepishly rubs the back of his neck. Kazuma says he's not sure how busy he is the next few days because he'smost likely helping his sister.

The Friend knows that Kazuma helps his sister - a tall, beautiful, and intimidating woman - with a family business that he doesn't talk about much.

At first The Friend wondered if Kazuma was somehow affiliated with the Yakuza after seeing him jump in to stop someone getting harassed by thugs on the street one day; but back in June during a field study Kazuma had taken off his over shirt and the racer back undershirt he wore showed a magnificently built back and absolutely zero tattoos - a major relief, although he'd probably be a little into it if Kazuma was secretly Yakuza if he was honest with himself. It'd definitely open up some exotic and interesting options for pain play if things worked out between them....

The Friend's grin shrinks a bit but he recovers and says "We'll Rain Check it! Text me when you're free!" Kazuma brightens up and says "Definitely!" with a thumbs up.

The Friend spins around with a wave saying "I'm off! Have a great night Kuwabara!" And Kazuma says "You too man!" Waving him off and heading back towards Yusuke's ramen cart to see if they have a Mission Briefing after all.

While The Friend walks off he considers the small sting of rejection from a near miss at a date and his mind starts to wander to school assignments.

They have an upcoming group research assignment.....

A Brilliant Idea Strikes Him. Or should he say Stings him? 🐝Bites him?🐜

He doesn't think it'll be difficult at all to convince Kazuma on his idea... especially if he starts with a spicy food challenge at lunch next week! He makes a note in his pocket notebook to look up spicy brownie recipes when he gets home.

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

The Friend giving Kazuma the flower with the cold sleeping bee is when he confesses and gets turned down. 😭

I imagine it taking place in the rain and they're sharing an umbrella because someone stole The Friend's from the outdoor umbrella hutch and Kazuma is such a nice guy that he gives The Friend his umbrella and he was about to just use his bag as cover but The Friend insists that they can share since it's Kazuma's umbrella anyway.

The Friend is bummed at the rejection, but he's happy to stay friends with Kazuma and thanks Kazuma for hearing him out and not being an asshole about a guy confessing to him. Kazuma says something along the lines of "No problem! A real man would never trample a friend's feelings that way." or something to that effect.

(We all knew this was coming. I'm a sucker for childhood friends to lovers y'all. I'm loving this little sort-of-OC but like the power of the Yu Yu Polycule cannot be denied!)

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

As always- I'm not a writer or an artist! If you are a writer and you like this idea: Feel Free to take it and run with it!

I'd be happy for someone to use this for art or a fic!

Just shoot me a message or tag me when you do because I want to see it!