#I’m gonna be so disappointed if this was all just common knowledge and i’m an idiot

[castiwls]

coach (doesn't) always know best .ᐟ

Paring; coach!patrick x single mom!reader

Synopsis; Patrick continues to be a thorn in your side whether he means to or not. When you get a phone call claiming your son had hit another kid you had a damn good idea who had a hand in this.

Notes; part two to my coach one shot kinda? I think I'm gonna write more one shots which all link into a larger story? I'm not good with full series but I have an idea where I wanna take this. ALSO named the kid Noah to help make it easier

Masterlist | coach!au masterlist

You were pissed - scratch that seething. 

You’ve been having a good week. Work had been easy and thankfully so had your son, Noah had his moments even at eight he was still prone to random emotional outbursts which always left a slight pit in your stomach.

You’d never planned to be a single parent and sometimes you really wanted to need someone else to rant to whenever you fucked up. Though this time it wasn’t you who had fucked up.

“What made you think that was okay?” Your son watched from the kitchen table, his eyes wide with the guilt you knew was eating at him. He’d been quiet ever since you’d come to pick him up from school besides mumbling apologies he’d barely spoken something which left you uneasy. 

“I have always told you to never put your hands on someone else! If a kid is mean to you or your friends you go get a teacher.” A sigh left your lips as you paused in front of him. This was completely new ground. He was a good kid, the best which is why you’d been in utter disbelief when you’d gotten the phone call telling you to come pick him up.

You’d immediately assumed he must have been sick but his teacher had quickly curved that by telling you that your son had taken it upon himself to hit another kid at break. You knew the kid he’d hit was a brat - it was common knowledge - but that didn’t make a difference on how your son had acted. 

His little feet kicked idly as he stared at his hands. “I know he was being mean to your friend okay? And he shouldn’t have taken that toy but you shouldn’t have hit him.” You knelt your hand rubbing over his knee. 

“You're mad.” He mumbled reusing to look up. “I’m disappointed.” You corrected him. 

His cheated heaved as he took a breath, and you already knew he wasn’t far off crying. The disappointment was far worse than anger in his mind. “I’m sorry.” He mumbled, his hands pulling at his polo.

“I know you are. But why?” You couldn’t get your head around why he had hit this kid! Ever since he was young you’d discouraged hitting and he’d never attempted it since starting school. You were sure you’d curved the habit but now you were unsure. 

“Why did you hit him?”

Noah sniffled his shoulders slumping as you watched him, waiting. He knew he wasn’t getting out of this one. “He kept being mean to Conner and he wouldn’t do anything! He pushed him over yesterday and the teacher didn’t believe us.” Your jaw tightened slightly as he relayed the story. “That doesn’t mean you hit him.”

He nodded. “I mentioned it last night at practice, and Conner got upset, so Patrick asked what happened, and he said that a bully won't stop unless you show him you're just as strong.” He looked up, his big eyes wet, as he rubbed a fist across his ruddy cheeks. 

You hummed pulling him in for a hug.

You were gonna kill Patrick.

⋆·˚ ༘ *⋆·˚ ༘ *⋆·˚ ༘ *

“You told my son to hit a boy.” 

Patrick grimaced leaning against his car as your voice carried down the phone. “Hello to you too.” He mumbled. 

“Patrick.” You snapped. 

“I didn’t tell him to hit the kid!”

“You told him to get him back! He’s eight! He doesn’t understand that ‘get him back’ doesn’t mean literally do the same thing.”

“I didn’t think he’d listen to me! I was just tryna make the kid feel better.” You scoffed mumbling under your breath. Shifting his grip on the phone he took another drag of his cigarette. “I’m sorry alright! I didn’t think he’d take it literally.”

He couldn’t lie part of him got a small kick out of it. The teachers weren’t doing anything and at least your son had the guts to stand up to the kid. Maybe he’d gone about it the wrong way but still, he doubted that kid would be trying anything again soon. 

“Get your ass over here right now.” Your tone was still harsh as you watched the window. “I want you to tell him what he did was wrong.”

Patrick’s eyes widened. “Hey, I’m his tennis coach, not some sorta ethics teacher.” He stamped out the cigarette a small smirk pulling at his lips as memories of that last time he’d ended up at your door flashed through his mind. 

Hell, that had been the first time he’d managed to render you speechless…more than once. He’d taken great amusement in the way you’d refused to look at him for the full week after, almost as if you were embarrassed that he’d worn you down that fast.

“I think you just want an excuse to get me back into your house.” He heard your groan and his grin only widened. “Mhm. One time wasn’t enough?”

“I’m going to skin you alive Zweig.”

“I love when you talk like that. It’s kinda hot knowing you think about me…even if it is about my demise.”

A scowl formed on your face as your hand tightened over your phone. Damn him. 

“You’ll be here in 30 minutes or i will make sure you can’t have any children.”

He chuckled, tongue darting out to wet his lips. He could almost picture the look on your face, the way your jaw clenched as your eyes would darken just a smidge.

“Anything you say, Sweetheart.”

⋆·˚ ༘ *⋆·˚ ༘ *⋆·˚ ༘ *

It only took one ring for you to open the door, a tight smile pulling at your lips as you let him in. “Just in time.” You mumbled not missing the way his eyes seemed to take an elevator sweep of your body.

Patrick grinned, hands shoved into his jeans as you closed the door. “Look’s like my future children are safe huh?”

“For now.” 

You turned heading towards the kitchen before yelling over your shoulder. “Take your shoes off.”

Patrick rolled his eyes before kicking his shoes off and following you through the entryway. Noah looked up from his plate, his eyes widening before a bright grin broke out when he noticed Patrick behind you. He raised his hand in greeting which Patrick returned with a smile of his own. 

“You remember how i spoke to you about what you did?” Noah’s gaze moved to you, his smile dulling slightly as he nodded. “Yeah.” You gestured to Patrick as you leaned against the counter. 

Patrick frowned something in his chest pulling at the way the normally lively boy seemed subdued almost as he listened to you. “Patricks gonna talk to you about the conversation you had alright?” You pushed off the counter sending Patrick a look which said ‘Don’t fuck this up’ before you paused by the doorway.

“You're not in trouble.” You reminded gently. Noah nodded, his shoulders relaxing when he registered that Patrick wasn’t there to yell at him. You smiled before turning to leave. “Wait. wait, wait, wait. You're not gonna…stay” He gestured to your son. 

“This is your problem.” You hummed watching as the man gaped at you. “You can solve this by telling him what you actually meant.” Patrick seemed to snap out of his shock. He’d caused this mess and now you were letting him talk to your son about it again! You were letting him parent your damn child!

He was not qualified for this. 

You sighed stepping closer as Noah watched you both. “I already laid the groundwork you just have to reinforce it. He’s gonna listen to you since it's you who he listened to the first time.” 

Before he could respond you’d already wandered away. He watched for a moment as you disappeared up the stairs before he turned back to the boy. Taking a small breath he clapped his hands before pulling out the chair next to him. 

“Alright kid, ready to talk?”

⋆·˚ ༘ *⋆·˚ ༘ *⋆·˚ ༘ *

Half an hour later you were growing angsty. They were still talking. You hadn’t heard any screaming yet, neither had Patrick come looking for you which you assumed was a good thing.

Though you were quickly running out of chores. You’d cleaned your room and his room before doing both bathrooms. It couldn't help to just go and check…right?

Curiosity getting the better of you, you quietly returned downstairs. The soft echo of voices reached your ears as you paused by the kitchen door, peering through the crack. Your lips parted in slight shock as you watched your son nodding eagerly at whatever his coach was saying. 

He was practically half-lent across the table as he listened. The room fell quiet for a moment before your son's voice filled the silence. “Mommies still mad.” He said, his lips pulling into a frown. “Your Mom’s not upset bud.” Patrick sighed resting a hand on the table. 

“She’s probably just shocked more than anything. Shocked and maybe disappointed but she's not mad.” He reassured, his tone softer than you’d ever heard. Something in your chest pulled as you watched the two. The way your son shifted ever closer filled you with a slight warmth.

Your ex wasn’t the best father, too caught up in his own company even when he had Noah to make an effort. You knew he was missing a male role model and you’d spent many nights kicking yourself for the downfall of your relationship.

He really trusted Patrick. You swallowed your hand curling over the door knob as your son got off his chair. You watched with bated breath as he stopped by Patrick's legs, his small voice mumbling. “Hug?”

Patrick seemed to freeze for a moment, his eyes glancing around the room. He didn’t seem to notice you before he looked back down to Noah’s pleading gaze. “Sure buddy.” He smiled helping the boy climb into his lap.

Patrick fumbled for a moment before figuring out the best way to hold him, his large hands rubbing over his back. “You know you're really lucky right?” Noah hummed pulling back slightly. “How?”

Patrick smiled. “Your mom really loves you. The fact she was so worried over this means that she really cares okay? I promise you she’s not mad.” Noah nodded. “She's not mad,” he repeated, the message finally seeming to sink in as he buried his head back into Patrick's chest. 

His hand continued to rub soothing patterns as he let himself enjoy the affection. It made his heart warm almost the way the little boy seemed to finally properly relax. “You really hit the jackpot.” He teased feeling Noah shift. 

“I’m pretty sure you got the best mom in the whole world.”

Noah giggled pulling back again. “I did!” He grinned. 

You stepped back, your head hitting the wall as their voices drifted into the background. Taking a breath you tried to suppress the smile pulling at your lips as the scene replayed over and over in your head. 

Patrick thought you were a good Mom. The thought was insane. The fact that you liked it was even wilder.

Taking a breath you pushed off the wall. You’d let them be for now.

[olympeline]

Gonna post my thoughts on the Hetalia Nations Revealed AU. Always a fun one to chat about. (￣▽￣)

We call it an AU but it’s actually pretty accurate. The part about nation-people not being a secret, I mean. I recently reread the webcomic and canon leans into NPs being public knowledge. Obviously their bosses are aware of them, but there’s lots of strips where NPs interact with members of the public as well. There are strips starring humans who don’t recognize their NP (that one soldier in France, Lisa, Davie, etc.) but they’re fewer in number. We all know Heta-canon is flexible so, for this post, I’m coming down on the side of “people know.” Here’s how I headcanon it all working:

Nation-people are common knowledge to the extent it would be really weird if you met someone who wasn’t aware of them. It would be like talking to a guy and he says he’s never heard of religion. Like, any religion. In the whole world. Not even the concept of it. You’d be all: “Whaaa?? Man, how?? Did you grow up under a rock?” It’s like that for NPs.

NPs are more than human and so aren’t too bothered by us. In a nice way. They still love their citizens but it’s not a relationship between equals. More benevolent demi-deities existing alongside the mundane. This is where I differ from some interpretations of this AU, I think. I can’t see the NPs as being weak and helpless around their people. They’re partially representations of the Earth itself and nature is much stronger than humanity. Like that panel where Francis was getting harassed by historians? Only happened because he allowed it. NPs let humans get close to them when they choose, but they can lose them if they wish. That’s what France did when he’d had enough. The historians blinked and he was just gone. Slipped away like a breath of wind. Leaving two very disappointed academics to continue their argument, lol. The only exceptions are their bosses. NPs have to obey any direct order given by them.

Have to, have to. Compelled in the old fae-like way. NPs are completely under the control of whoever’s running their country. The one who has the final say is the head of state, but they can and do delegate if someone else holds the true power. Kiku directly obeys his emperor, for example, but the emperor obeys Japan’s Diet. So the Prime Minister gives Kiku his orders through their symbolic ruler. If a country’s government is overthrown then that control passes to the new ones in charge. NPs don’t get any choice in the matter, sadly for them. When an NP starts obeying the “other side” then the writing’s on the wall that the regime change has succeeded.

They aren’t considered fully human and so don’t have the same rights and privileges we do. I’d imagine there’s been many high profile court cases about stuff like this in the modern era. Just what an NP can be ordered to do by their bosses before it becomes abusive, how culpable they are for crimes committed by their nations, etc. “The Nation of [x] vs. Nation-Person [y] in the case of Historical Crime(s) [z].” I don’t think much would have been accomplished over the years, lol. No country is going to let their NP go to a foreign prison. Plus the NPs always have the “magically compelled” defense to fall back on. So no progress, just lots of debate. NPs are considered somewhere between guardian deities, ordinary people, and “things” in the broader public consciousness.

Yes, they have social media. No, it has not always gone well. I bet after a few instant-major-historical-event cases of careless and/or hot-tempered NPs calling their bosses assholes on twitter, NP accounts were mass nuked. They were reinstated only after their bosses gave them loooong lists of subjects they weren’t allowed to talk about. Afterwards their posts were all fluff about hobbies and personal interests. Doesn’t stop foreign governments, economists, gossip channels, NP enthusiasts, and curious people combing through every tweet, post, and video to try and guess what the NPs are “really” talking about. So many conspiracy theorist channels, oh god. Even thinking about it is making me tired. 😂

NPs have two homes: a work address and a personal one. The former is usually located in their capital and is either where their boss lives or close by. So Alfred has a home at the White House, Arthur has one on Downing Street, etc. However most NPs don’t consider these their real homes and only spend time there while doing government work. Ordinary, if nice, houses and apartments out among their people is where they like to live. These can decorate them to match their personalities the way they can’t official residences. They use their power over the land to make sure no humans can find these sanctuaries unless the NP wants them to. Stops NPs being swarmed by paparazzi, tourists, and fans 24/7.

De-anoning to say it was me that sent @forsoobado137 the money ask. So just repeating what I said there. All countries put their NP’s face on their money. Along with the state’s name, the NP’s human name, and a picture of the actual land they represent. The money can have other famous people on it too, just on the other side. Governments have been doing this since money was invented and some of the only surviving visual records of ancient NPs are pictures on coins.

Any human being knows an NP and the country they represent just by sight. Unless it’s somewhere they’ve never heard of. Then all they know is that they’re looking at a nation-person. I imagine it would be considered a huge faux-pas to let it slip you don’t know an NP’s country name. Like telling a Holywood A-lister you don’t know who they are at a red carpet event. 😭

NPs have many default jobs, mostly related to their governments. One of them is being in their nation’s armed forces. They’ve always done this ever since the first age of empires. They even led armies and were seen as good luck charms in the past. Soldiers tend to make up the bulk of the humans the NPs remember most fondly. The relationship between Francis and Joan of Arc is one of the best known historical examples. Whether an NP actually enjoys their time in the military depends on their personality. Which is in turn influenced by how warlike the actual country is and has been. If your NP falls in battle, it’s one of the worst war omens possible.

Speaking of death, I headcanon that NPs can die from illness or injury. Or at least their human bodies can. They’re tougher than we are, but not unkillable. They’ll come back so long as the nation itself survives. True death for an NP is reserved for when the civilisation they represent stops existing. If an NP dies in a foreign country, they’ll crumble to dust and regenerate somewhere deep in their heartlands. The place they were originally “born” from the earth. Only a select few very high up in government know the location of their NP’s birth/rebirth place. This also happens if they die on home soil and their body is destroyed. If they die at home and their body is okay, they’ll heal and wake up after a few hours. If the country isn’t doing well it takes longer for its NP to come back.

Speaking of countries not doing well: NPs get sick either when their economies go bad, or when there’s an epidemic among their citizens. A lot of European NPs can chalk some of their early deaths up to the Black Death. When an NP get “depressed” it’s code for a financial fever. Nothing can be done but keep them comfortable until the economy picks up.

Hetalia is so fun to post about, my god. Such a prime series for theories and headcanons. You feel me, gamers?

[bibittybopittybadbxtch]

Colors

Pairing: Wonwoo x Reader

Word Count: ~ 1.1K

Warnings: None…I think

A/N: I’m on a SVT kick. So….here’s another Wonwoo fic. Love him so much. The sweetest. I hope y’all enjoy! This was so much fun to write. I also kinda wanna turn this into a series….let me know your thoughts. I love hearing from y’all. The first part is inspired by Colors by Halsey. There’s also a couple of disney quotes sprinkled in.

NOT MY GIF‼️‼️‼️‼️

P.S.

I do NOT consent to have my work posted, translated or published to any third party site or app.

XOXO, Bibi🩷

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Your last relationship had come into your life like a hurricane. He settled over you for a while, but in the end you were just another casualty. You were red and he was blue, a combination that created a beautiful lilac. Until he decided that purple just wasn't for him. He left destruction in his wake. You were left to pick up your own broken pieces, and learned how to live with the scars on your heart. For a while you were just a shell of the person you were before him. But after a year, you were stronger. You held your head higher, shoulders back, all the things your therapist taught you. You were learning how to enjoy your life on your own until you met someone new, Wonwoo.

“One date. If you still hate the idea of dating me after that, I promise I’ll leave you alone.” Wonwoo looked two seconds away from getting on his knees and begging. He had sworn he did not believe in “love at first sight” until he saw you. As cliche as it sounds the sight of you was like looking into the sun. He’d told you so himself. To which you rolled your eyes in a very ladylike fashion and walked away. Back to the moment at hand, he had been asking you out for months. You were friends and he always presented date ideas in a respectful, light hearted manner but you knew he was serious. His eyes never told a lie. Looking up into those big brown orbs it broke your heart to say no to him once again. “Wonwoo, no. I told you. I don’t wanna jeopardize our friendship.” He hadn’t seen you before. He only knew the new and improved you. You feared that opening up to him would agitate old wounds. You had lost enough people over the years and weren’t willing to lose Wonwoo too. “Come on Sunshine, you know that wouldn’t happen. We won’t let it.” Despite what you thought to be your better judgment, you said yes.

First dates were awkward. Common knowledge, basic fact, first dates felt like having chicken pox. Except this was Wonwoo, and of course it wasn’t awkward. He was still your dorky best friend. He knew you, better than you knew yourself. He took you to a drive in movie. You sat in the car and cracked jokes and threw popcorn at each other. The night ended with ice cream and Wonwoo walked you to your door. “So..am I gonna get another date?” He asked hopefully. You saw his ears tinge pink under the porch light. You pretend to think about it. Just to watch him squirm before you smile at him, “Yes, I´d actually really like that”. The smile that stretches across Wonwoo’s face is forever burned in your memory. He sweeps you into a hug, before bidding you goodnight. That night you call your best friend, you recount every moment in detail. She knows before you do that you’re falling in love.

Wonwoo picks you up the following Friday, a beautiful bouquet of daisies in his hand.”You ready Sunshine?” He asks as he takes your hand. “Well, I’d say yes but I don’t know where we are going.” He chuckles and leads you to the car before opening the door, “Do you trust me?”. “With my life,” you reply earnestly as you get in the passenger seat. Trusting him was the easiest thing you had ever done. From the moment you met him Wonwoo had been nothing but reliable. It didn’t matter if it was 2am or snowing, he found a way to be there for you. Never one to disappoint, that was Wonwoo through and through.

When the car finally comes to a stop after an hour's drive to the outskirts of the city, the sight in front of you almost makes you cry. You were at a sky lantern festival. At the beginning of your friendship, you had mentioned how you wanted to go to him. He remembered. “Wonwoo..” you begin, you don't know what you had to say. Wonwoo just looks at you and smiles warmly before getting out of the car. You're unbelievably touched. Wonwoo was by all means not an outdoors person, but the fact he held on to your words and went out of his way, brings tears to your eyes. After retrieving your lanterns the two of you find a space on the large expanse of grass. You both sit down and start decorating your respective lanterns when an idea hits you. You grab your notebook from your bag and rip out a page. Wonwoo looks over at you puzzled, “What are you doing?” “Let’s make a wish. Write your wish on the paper, when the wish comes true we tell each other.” Wonwoo agrees because how could he ever say no to you. You finish your lanterns and release them at the end of the festival, wishes tucked safely in your respective pockets. That night when Wonwoo walks you to your door, he asks you to be his girlfriend.

Two years later Wonwoo takes you back to the same field that held the lantern festival, and proposes. In the ring box, there is a small piece of paper that you recognize from a notebook that has been long forgotten. You recognize Wonwoo’s chicken scratch. “Y/N” with a small heart. “Sunshine, you were always my wish. Will you marry me?” You launch yourself at him sobbing. “So, is that a yes?” he asks cheekily. “In every language. Oui, Si, Ja, Yes.”

On the car ride home, Wonwoo sees you digging around your bag for something. “What are you looking for?” “Hold on. I know it's in here somewhere.” You bring out your wallet before unzipping it. You shuffle around for a second before pulling out a small piece of paper. “What’s that?” Wonwoo asks as he glances over before returning his attention back to the road. “My wish” you state proudly. “Oh yeah? What was your wish?” You flash him your brightest smile before unfolding it and showing him. There is your delicate handwriting. He sees his name “Wonwoo” with a smiley face. Wonwoo swears his heart is gonna explode. “You made me believe in love again. You restored my faith in humanity. You made me whole.” You tell him through your tears. Wonwoo pulls the car over and cradles your face, wiping your tears. “No, Sunshine. You did that all by yourself. I’m just here to appreciate your hard work.” He kisses you.

[booradigm]

We all know that Ivonne was older than Penelope or that Callisto's threat was the same as in the game's "normal route." We've debated this since 2020, not only here but also on forums and other social media platforms, to the point of getting tired and focusing on other things. I don't want to sound harsh, but if you haven't seen mentions of it, it's either because you haven't thoroughly researched these topics or your algorithm only shows you what you want to see.

You're out here reducing things to your two favorite simple options: either you’ve done your “thorough research” or you’re "hopelessly trapped in your algorithm."

Newsflash: reality ISN'T that black-and-white, princess, and I actually have a life BEYOND what I read. I'm not gonna remember EVERY SINGLE NOVEL I've read, either. I'm not a fucking Kim Dokja, but I obviously make sure I'm not just spitting bullshit, it's why I always have evidence.

But the WAY you word it, saying shit like "We know this, we debated this in 2020," like that ISN'T from FIVE YEARS AGO is actually HILARIOUS.

In what way did you grow up that you think you are THAT important? It's my first time interacting with someone who seems GENUINELY upset and disappointed about me not knowing about a 5 year old debate from a fandom in some nook of the internet, as if it's 'COMMON KNOWLEDGE.'

Debating something in 2020 doesn’t suddenly make your arguments profound, buddy. And I literally said in that SAME post that I FORGOT about it. There was NO need to treat it like a conspiracy - "Oh this guy just isn't 'informed,' they are getting fed by a biased algorithm, unlike me ofc, I'm unbiased."

I already ADMITTED that I FORGOT, you are NOT tuff, lil bro - ESPECIALLY when you're some dude in my ANONYMOUS asks LMAOOO.

What makes it even funnier is that even BEFORE realizing it was canon that Yvonne was older than Penelope, the idea I had was STILL right. So it's not like I was wrong, it's just straight up the fact I didn't know how "the fandom debated about it 5 YEARS AGO" that got you upset.

But then again, if you ACTUALLY live thinking someone either "knows it all" or is "blissfully unaware," then it’s no wonder you're over here assuming the same of me. Such a shame it's not true, but you get a star anyways for the effort.

Don't worry, I didn’t reply just to clown on you, I wanted to use you to discuss some topics I wanted to talk about to some people real quick:

First off, I’m RE-READING the novel (congrats to those who remember me mentioning it previously). That's why some smart cookies over here probably noticed some of my posts follow a chronological order.

I get that some of you have been MARINATING over here since 2020, but yours truly? Read the novel, moved on, and came back because I got interested again, which isn't exactly a rare phenomenon.

Second, forgetting isn’t some 'wild' event. The way you frame it into ONLY TWO possibilities as either "I’m an ignorant fool who never researched," or "my algorithm is brainwashing me into selective amnesia" - like I'm a two-dimensional character you're trying to categorize(??) - is craazzyyy asf. Do NOT do that in the actual world, to REAL people lmao, there are PLENTY of reasons why someone wouldn’t mention a debate from 5 years ago, or remember details from a novel.

One could have skimmed past it (like how this L bozo skimmed my post and didn't notice my admittance to forgetting), not cared enough to remember, or just forgot (this is what happened to me, in case SOME of you losers skim over it AGAIN). It's normal to do that sometimes.

And lastly, I am NOT so deep in the trenches that I spend my DAYS making sure I never EVER forget details about the novel or some debates regarding it five years ago.

Anyway, to the lovelier bunch of you, thanks for tuning in to today’s episode of "The Anons Who Thought They Ate." (This is literally like, the third time now that this happened, lol.) I hope at least one of you got a laugh out of it, as well.

[verdantcrimson]

Heaven and Earth / Creation of Heaven and Earth - 4

(Unproofread)

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[A memory of a meeting with Hideyoshi-sensei six days ago. In a high-income business district.]

Kuro: Ya hate history, huh? I hate studyin’ too, so I totally get ya.

Kuro: But you ‘Three Sages’ are supposed to be these great historians, right? So whaddya mean by that, even?

Kuro: That’s like sayin’ you hate idols while bein’ a famous idol.

Hideyoshi: You’re smarter than you look, aren’tcha?

Hideyoshi: But you know— You should speak politely when addressing your elders. I mean, I personally don’t care for that kind of stuff. All I’m saying is that your life’s gonna be real tough if people assume you’re a social outcast that can’t be bothered to follow common etiquette, right?

Hideyoshi: Also, if I were to use your example, I’d say it’s more like ‘being a famous idol and hating your fans.’

Hideyoshi: I like gaining knowledge on the subject, but I don’t like ‘History’ as a concept.

Hideyoshi: Honestly, I regret making money off of it pretty often.

Kuro: (I didn’t expect this dude to be so chatty… When I heard he was a historian, I was kind of imaginin’ him as this withered old man that looks like a dead tree.)

Kuro: (I think he said somethin’ about ‘addressing your elders’ cause he’s older than us.)

Kuro: (He looks like he’s around our age though, dressed all flashy. With dyed hair too.)

Kuro: (I think he’s a little too much like the spittin’ image of a superficial young person.)

Keito: Thank you very much for your gracious words. It is indeed a great chance to learn from your teachings. I am terribly sorry that us younger people have taken up your time in order to gain an opportunity to have you speak to us— Hideyoshi-sensei.

Hideyoshi: Aah, don’t call me that! Grooooss!

Hideyoshi: I find it extremely unpleasant to be called that title alongside that fucking hag and that shitty old man.

Hideyoshi: I mean, we do work together, but I rarely contact them. I don’t want people thinking we’re actually friends or anything.

Keito: Ieyasu-sensei was your mentor in college though, so we fans of the show just naturally assumed the two of you were akin to friends—

Hideyoshi: Huh, absolutely not? Where’d you even hear that? Are you stupid?

Keito: ……

Hideyoshi: So anyone you study under in college is your ‘mentor’ now? You happen to talk to someone at work, and suddenly they’re your ‘friend’ now? How half-baked!

Hideyoshi: Why do all you idiots of the world have such a terrible understanding of other human beings? It’s kind of disturbing, you seriously live like that?

Hideyoshi: The more you know about a person, the more interested you become. You can discover as much as you’d like about someone— This goes for each and every human.

Hideyoshi: I’m just so disappointed at how shallow people are, how they don’t even try and grasp the essence of it all.

Keito: It seems like you’re quite fond of humans, Sensei.

Hideyoshi: I mean, If I hated humans, life would just be hell, right? Ahaha ♪

Hideyoshi: You’ve got something you’re fond of too, right? Your eyes light up when you talk about what you like, don’t they?

Hideyoshi: I think we’re gonna get along just fine. Actually, ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth’ is like, the perfect way for me to make a name for myself, so it’s not like I won’t help you out at all but—

Hideyoshi: Hey, so like, how much can you guys afford to spend on this?

Keito: Excuse me?

Hideyoshi: What I’m saying is that it’s about the money. It’s all about money.

Hideyoshi: ‘Cause ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth’ is this lame show for geeks, they have to do super extensive research on every single thing they cover.

Hideyoshi: Obviously, that costs loads of money. It’s not surprising for the university lab responsible for the study to take a year to conduct their research or whatever.

Hideyoshi: It’s completely unprofitable. And like, you’ve noticed the show stopped airing new episodes, right?

Keito: That is true. It’s because the original host of the show passed away. Since then, there have been no new episodes, just occasional reruns of the older ones.

Hideyoshi: You seriously believe that? You really think the announcement on TV was the honest truth? Ahaha, how naive! ~ ☆

Keito: ……

Hideyoshi: What actually happened was that the host ran off into the night because they were so deep in debt that their family finances were practically in flames. I honestly just feel bad for you guys~, you’ve been forced to handle impaired assets, haven’t you?

Souma: ……

Hideyoshi: So like, just a suggestion.

Hideyoshi: I say you guys take this chance to turn that musty ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth’ show into a goldmine!

Hideyoshi: That way I make money, you make money, all the fans are happy because the show gets new episodes— See, it’s a win-win! ♪

Prev | Chapter List | Next

[onigiri-dorkk]

Hi I'm new to the fandom and not gonna lie for a long time I was confused about why would anyone ship Rivamika because it always seemed like Levi was barely aware of Mikasa and Mikasa hated Levi or disliked him. I started reading the manga last week and I'm honestly surprised by how little changes made a huge different. WIT always made it seem like Mikasa didn't care about anyone other than Ereh and I believe they are the reason why everyone makes fun of Mikasa for being obsessed. I genuinely thought "I love her but she's very ungrateful and rude sometimes, their strongest soldier hurt his ankle when they needed him the most because of her and all she cared about is Ereh" but it's not like that in the manga. She actually feels guilty and responsible which is a great panel to show how character development. A 3 seconds scene would do so much good to Mikasa's character but WIT somehow didn't want to include that scene. Even in S3 it seemed like they would like to keep them apart and don't let them interact even though there was a huge reveal about them. And I think it's not only WIT. Even Isayama himself is almost afraid to let them interact and I'm not talking about shipping here. Imagine finding out that someone experienced the same things as you did, have this weird mysterious power thing going on and that person is your Captain whom you made it clear that you trust and respect now. It's crazy to me that they don't even talk and compare their experiences etc???? Again, it's not even about shipping, it pisse me off because it feels like Mikasa isn't allowed to have anything of her own, the reason why Mikasa ships aren't popular isn't because she's not loved, it's because Isayama, WIT and even Mappa didn't let her have many meaningful interactions. Hell, even with Armin (they are supposed to be a trio) it sometimes feel like they were just hanging out for Eren. Ughhh they could at least let Mikasa have Ackermans for her own. She could interact more with Levi and even with Kenny for a sec. So disappointing :(

Wow!! Anon, welcome to the fandom and thanks for sending this! I never get asks and it’s always exciting 😂 We’re glad you’re here!

The “I didn’t get how people shipped rivamika” thing is common tbh, don’t worry! I was on that train too until I stopped to think about everything implied between the lines—most of it being in the manga, as you said. I know people say things like we ‘grasp at straws’ but there is realistically fantastic depth we can assume from their closeness as comrades alone. The magic of Rivamika as a ship is it takes more deep knowledge of the characters to understand why it WORKS so well. And when you get it, gosh, it’s amazing!

We definitely agree too, that WIT cut such crucial scenes to Mikasa’s character. I will never understand their choices… And I’ll forever grieve it 😭 That scene of self-reflection and guilt over Levi’s injury/absence is important because it’s the first time she finally thought outside of her tunnel vision of Eren. Ultimately, she learns to care about what happens to others as a result of her actions, which quite literally starts with Levi.

I also agree, it seems like Yams started the Ackerman reveal + arc but decided midway not to commit to it or develop it. It explained their strength, but that was it. It’s strange that even in the anime they chose not to explain that Ackerman’s are Titan DNA hybrids. That seems like a crucial piece but I wonder why they didn’t think it was important. Because then the whole “Ackerman’s are immune to x and x” has no narrative proof at all.

I like to think Ackertalk happened behind the scenes. I like reading everyone’s versions of it—but always a shame we never got that in canon. It’s even strange because they both lost their entire families, so finding out you’re from the same people should at least create a sense of bonding or they’d take on a slightly familial role, or SOMETHING. (Though I’m glad it didn’t go that route because people would REALLY think they’re cOuSiNs lol) But it’s just strange Yams introduced these things that ended up really having not much purpose, or none at all. (Don’t get me started on the Azumabito shit)

I still hope and manifest for some sort of Ackerman spin off that explores this. Can you imagine? Levi and Mikasa (the cash cows of AOT, we say!) venturing off post-war to discover more about the Ackerman’s? Or to retrace and find surviving Ackerman’s outside the world?

[romaroy]

Hello again. I sent you an ask earlier about my wacky theory🫣. RJ(R)<- ->M. He he. It was nonsensical but it has a chokehold on me.

I was wondering mainly about Marius' personality though. I only read half of QotD but the thing I can't reconcile is the fact that 'Raglan James' is so weasel like. Like Justin Kirk plays him so incompetent and goofy. He was totally waiting for Daniel to pay for his Mackerel! Sly. The amount of times he talked about the fish and was disappointed in the end lol. I don't remember Marius being like this in TVL. I don't doubt he's involved somehow but he was so imposing and god like from what I remembered. Like marble or stone. Is Marius also good at acting? These vampires need to take over Hollywood not Real Estate if that's the case.

Prev ask: Hi! What do think about Raglan James being "Rashid" and "Rashid" being Marius? That sort of body swap. I don't know much (at all) but I have a general knowledge about Marius. I had a weird feeling about Rashid when I saw him placed next to Marius' painting in one of the episodes. It was so CLEAR he was positioned there for the shot. I think it was episode 1 or 2. The only thing that makes me think I am speaking out my ass is the fact that Raglan James has a weird accent. (Do accents travel with bodyswaps?) And why would that sort of bodyswap even be necessary. But then again why can Daniel all of a sudden remember with Rashid back from vacation? Where was he? Why did the veneers crack then? How can Rashid lie blatantly about who he spoke to? It wasn't omission. Bro couldn't handle chopsticks. Ugh I am gonna read all the books during the hiatus. I am going crazy. Like that meme with the conspiracy story board

RJ=Rashid

RJR<- ->Marius

I think that’s way too complicated for TV. I see the vision but I do think Rashid is Rashid I just really don’t think Raglan is who he says and that is IS Marius. I might be wrong but I’m willing to be my good knee at this point.

Marius personality depends on the books and how’s he’s perceived like many of the books and characters. In TVL he’s very calm, he’s a teacher and a scholar but immensely powerful. In QOTD he is quite prideful but Blood and Gold gives a lot about his personality. He’s quick to loneliness, he can be rash (turning Pandora),

I’m reading blood and gold and have some kites about his personality as I read.

Some stuff I’ve made note of that I think hawk his personality (not finished the book yet):

- “…inside him there lurked a dreadful anger and an unreasonable hate.” (P19)

- ”I listen with my whole soul.” He gave a little sigh and looked out through the immense glass. “I’m weary of being alone, my friend,” he said. “I cannot bear the company of those whom I know most intimately. And they cannot bear mine on account of things I’ve done.” (P36)

- he likes to live as a mortal and nots he feels safe because “the only enemy who has harmed me was a swarm of blood drinkers.” (P50)

- “…I took Daniel because he needed me. I took Daniel because it’s unendurable to me to be utterly alone.” (P57). Context of this is Daniel is struggling after he turns into a vampire by Armand

- “”I denied my love and my jealously completely. I denied my crushing disappointment. I told myself, ‘you are too wise for such. Learn from what’s happened..” (p64)

- “I don’t know what caused me the worst pain- the loss of Lestat or my jelousy that she had given and taken with him.” (P66)

- (about lestat) “I wanted to love him still and I wanted to be loved, and I could not forfeit my place as the wife and patient on…anger is too painful for me. Anger is too pathetic. I cannot beer it, I cannot act upon it.”

- “And my pride returned. I could not stoop to a common physical battle, especially one which might become hideously awkward and ugly, one which I might not win. No. I was too wise for it.” (P122)

- “I lived the lie. I lived out of anger. This is what I’m trying to tell you. I have lived lies. I have done it again and again. I live lies because I cannot endure the weakness of anger, and I cannot admit the irrationality of love.” (P123)

-“ I do move through the world by means of questions and too often I’ve asked those questions in utter silence, or king centuries ago of people who gave me answers that were fragments which I had to piece together as they were bits of old papyri. I hunger for knowdlege. I hunger for what you mean to say to me.” (P233)

[semper-legens]

65. Gleanings, by Neal Shusterman

Owned: No, library Page count: 426 My summary: The world is run by the Thunderhead, and kept in line by gleanings from Scythes. We’ve seen Scythe Anastasia and Scythe Lucifer’s stories. But what about the other stories we haven’t seen? The past, present, and future of this world - art contests, communities denying the existence of Scythes, a dog’s revenge, tragedy in space. This world is so much bigger than ever before. My rating: 4/5 My commentary:

I didn't know this book existed! It's a further novel in the Arc of a Scythe series; I say novel, it's a collection of short stories set across the timeline of the Arc of a Scythe canon. There's at least one story that takes place just as the Scythedom began, and at least one that takes place after the events of the series. I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting into when I started reading this one (see the fact that I didn't know it existed), but hot damn do I love Neal Shusterman's work, and this certainly did not disappoint.

Standard disclaimer: not talking about all the stories, just the ones that jumped out at me for whatever reason. And the first of those is The Mortal Canvas, featuring an early Scythe coming to an school and challenging four pupils to a contest - create the best art, and gain a year of immunity from gleaning. I'm of two minds about this one. I really liked the view of the early days of this world, where the younger generation have been born into immortality but the older ones still remember fearing death. I just wasn't too sure about the actual art contest element. See, one of the worldbuilding points in Arc of a Scythe is that humanity is just a tiny bit creatively sterile, everything being safe and standardised. This is encapsulated in the students, Wyatt being unable to create art without relying on formula and program, and Morty wanting to create something original. Morty ends up submitting an incredibly provocative oil painting of the Scythe that shocks the onlookers into silence. His is obviously the best art, though Wyatt wins the contest, but I'm not too sure about the messaging going on here. Much is made of the idea that a fear of death and mortality is an impetus for great art, but it smacks of the whole 'if you get help for mental health issues you won't be able to Create' mindset so common in reality. Then again, the issue is less of individual response than collective artistic stagnation - it's not that Wyatt is himself bad for not being able to create, more society's fault for prizing cookie-cutter copies of great art rather than something more creative and challenging. Hmm. I think I just did a 180 in my opinion on this one.

Another of the stories featured a young man who has emigrated to Mars and wants to return to Earth, study, and really make a name for himself there in a way that he can't do in a backwater like Mars. He applies for and, through an act of desperate murder, gains the role of a valet to a visiting Scythe. Who charges him with a 'great act' that will shock Mars out of complacency. See, Mars is out of the jurisdiction of the Scythes, not having a large enough population to necessitate gleaning of the populace. This leads to some complacency - without gleaning, the people quite literally cannot die outside of major accident. So he causes that accident. Blows up a damn nuclear reactor, and ends up impressing the Scythe so much that he gains an apprenticeship. And he wants to choose the name Goddard. I gotta admit, I was lukewarm on this story, but the twist at the end punched me straight in the chest. Knowing the backstory of Goddard was interesting enough; reading this story with full knowledge of where this kid is going to end up is delicious. Seriously, baby Goddard, you threw your friend to his death to get the valet role over him? What an absolute scumbag.

I'm gonna use my last paragraph here to be a little more general. One thing I always praise about Shusterman's work is that his worldbuilding is ridiculously expansive; he just commits to the bit, putting extra detail in, even if that detail is weird or kind of silly. Like retelling the Masque of the Red Death, for example. And this is a good way to see the parts of the Arc of a Scythe world that have been backgrounded to this point! Like what happened to Citra's brother, or the Dream shared by the people of one region, or what it's like to be an Unsavory, or getting a conclusion on the rockets sent into space at the end of the series. It's a way of broadening the scope of the series that doesn't bog down any of the novels' narratives, and it was greatly appreciated. If you read and enjoyed Arc of a Scythe, this is a worthy followup and welcome addition!

Next, more Junji Ito, and a man barely human.

[moobloom-mention]

Day 6 | Betrayal (Ignorance Is Bliss)

Summary: Phil teaches Wilbur an important lesson in patience. And in white lies.

Content Warning(s): The Brighton Biter's Dream SMP character

Word Count: 1131

First of all, fuck Wilbur Soot. Second of all, enjoy some Philza Minecraft content.

----------

"Dad?"

"Yeah, Wil?"

“Will I ever grow wings like you?” 

The Angel of Death spares a loving glance toward his son, attention turning away from the soup he’d previously been attempting to create. The mentioned soot grey feathers fluff in fondness over the child’s doe-like eyes, gaze wide as though Phil had gifted him a puppy. 

It prompts Phil to ruffle the curly brown locks of hair that sit atop his son’s head, an amused smile lining both of their faces. “Of course, Wil. One day, after you’re all grown up and adventuring through the world, the gods will gift you a pair of wings.” 

He sends a wink down to the young child. “I’ve already set you up with a good track-record.” 

The cheerful giggle that tumbles from Wilbur’s lips is enough to melt the avian’s heart, Phil more than happy to spoil his son with sweet words and promises of luxury. The ball of sunlight ensured that there was never a dull moment, Wilbur’s smile capable of igniting a protective flame within the hearts of those he met. The eight-year-old's innocence is a gift that deserves to be preserved and cherished. 

This is his son. 

His pride and joy. 

His little sparrow... 

“Alright, mate,” Phil begins, noting how his son had continued to lurk around the kitchen. “I know that isn’t why you came over here, what do you want?” 

Wilbur appears to fake a hurt expression, his eyebrows furrowing and mouth agape to display his ‘offense’. It isn’t until the boy’s frown is enforced with emotion that he reveals whatever he’s upset about. “The soup’s taking too long,” he grumbles, hands clutched dramatically at his stomach. “I’m starving!” 

Gods has Phil raised an impatient child. 

The sigh that slips free from Phil’s lips holds not an ounce of disappointment, only an exhausted amusement that children have zero concept of cooking. 

Wilbur is definitely going to put up a fight even if Phil insists that he’ll have to wait. 

“It’s done,” he declares with a feigned look of defeat. 

The soup- even to an untrained eye –is very clearly unfinished. 

But Wilbur doesn't appear to mind, the atmosphere gifted with a joyous squeal over dinners ‘official’ readiness. “Gimme, gimme!” 

With a roll of the eyes, Philza lifts his hand to grasp at a bowl and its spoon, swiftly making a minuscule portion for his son. They’ve done this little dramatic display at least once in the past few months, so it’s common knowledge that Wilbur will only take a few bites before realizing his mistake of rushing food. 

Ever the naïve child, the fluff of brown hair eagerly reaches for the food, a frown conquering his expression when the bowl is moved out of his reach. 

“It’s gonna taste like shit,” Phil warns carefully, “Just like all the other times. Do you still want it?” 

Who is he kidding? Of course Wilbur’s still going to want it. 

The excited nod the Angel of Death receives only solidifies such a claim. 

“If you insist.” 

Philza watches with a faked expression of boredom as his son takes the bowl and spoon, practically launching a piece of rabbit and potato into his mouth. He additionally pretends not to notice how Wilbur’s nose scrunches up in distaste, Phil surprisingly able to stifle his laughter. 

“So how is it?” 

“Good.” 

His son’s pride will be the death of him. 

But there’s a way this exchange goes and Phil can’t get out of it, no matter how hard he tries. Wilbur isn’t one to admit defeat and accept that he was wrong. 

The Angel of Death lets out a sad warble, shoulders slumping. “I don’t know, mate, it isn’t my best work.” 

“I think you should let it cook for another thirty minutes...” 

Despite his fake admittance of the stew not being an image of perfection, Phil still gasps in offense. His soot grey wings even flare to solidify the idea that he’s upset within the younger’s mind. “I thought you said it tasted fine!” 

“It does!” Wilbur exclaims defensively, arms outstretching to make himself look bigger and hopefully combat his father’s wing-size. “I just think it could use some more time by the fire!” 

“Mm-hmm,” suspicion leaks into the avian’s tone, hints of thoughtfulness tracing the hum. “I suppose you’re right; the rabbit does look a little pink.” 

“RABBIT?!” 

Laughter swirls around the kitchen’s air over Wilbur’s shocked expression, the eight-year-old clearly disgusted that he’d taken a bite of rabbit. The variety of stew is actually an extremely normal meal in Wilbur’s life, but the kid had recently grown fond of such fluffy creatures. 

He’d even spent a few hours in their pen of bunnies, just petting at their soft coats the other day. 

“You hurt a bunny?"

Oh, Wil’s upset about it. 

Phil kneels to his son’s level before scooping him into his grasp. His grey wings instantly bundle the two together once Wilbur begins to kick in frustration, Philza carefully maneuvering the bowl of raw soup onto the ground. 

Wilbur’s arms are still crossed with a frown and furrowed eyebrows, brown gaze refusing to meet his father’s pair of sapphire. 

“Aw, mate. You know I’d never hurt them,” the avian gently reassures, hugging his son tightly to his chest. 

“But you’re cooking one!” 

“I’m cooking a bad bunny,” Phil corrects with a comically wide smile. It almost hurts to keep up such an exaggerated expression, but Wilbur will surely remain mad if there isn’t faux happiness surrounding him. “I would never hurt a good bunny.” 

“But they’re too cute to be bad,” Wilbur complains, clearly unconvinced. 

Phil quiets for a second, unsure quite how to twist his excuse into a child’s perspective. “Well...I saw him stealing carrots from another bunny.” 

The excuse evokes a shocked gasp from Wilbur. “From a little bunny?” 

“From a little bunny,” the older confirms. 

“That’s mean!” Wilbur growls, shuffling so he could press his head into his father’s shoulder. “That’s not allowed either!” 

“It isn’t,” Phil agrees, running a few fingers through the messy fluff of his son’s hair. It seems like everyday Wilbur grows more and more into the image of his mother. “That’s why he volunteered to hop his way into the kitchen.” 

The Angel of Death uses his fingers to replicate the rabbit’s hypothetical movement, fingers jumping around before landing on Wilbur’s nose with a soft ‘boop’. 

The eight-year-old's nose scrunches as he laughs, the rabbit’s true fate having been long been forgiven by now.

If he had to admit, Phil had merely plucked the plumpest rabbit of the pen to butcher for tonight's stew. Though he didn't doubt it'd stolen food from the others before- rabbits were pretty damn ruthless when they wanted to be.

But what Wilbur didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

[sparrowandbee]

The Sparrow, Chapter 7 Haymitch Abernathy x Marian Cartwright

Synopsis: Marian pulls a last-ditch attempt at getting sponsors during the Tribute interviews. She does too good a job- not only giving the Capitol someone to root for, but a charming girl to want. Haymitch faces the reality of Marian existing in the public eye and realizes she has changed his life irreparably.

904 words

Masterlist

-

I left the stage and immediately found Haymitch, just as Alder was being announced.

“Good job not puking, M.” He ‘complimented�� me, a playful twinkle in his eyes.

Without even thinking, I wrapped my arms around his torso, my head meeting his warm chest. He returned the hug with no hesitation. His large callused hands felt warm against the bare skin of my back.

We didn’t quite realise how much we were touching until we pulled away to an awkward silence.

I crossed my arms over my chest- a habit now- “thanks,” I replied to his earlier comment. “That got… personal,” I bounced slightly, feeling the biting frost of the artificial air from above on my uncovered arms and collarbone.

“Here,” Haymitch took off his checked burgundy sport jacket and draped it over my shoulders. I didn’t even think to protest as I wrapped the welcomed warmth around me.

“You were really good out there. Seriously, I know it was difficult but it made you look really sympathetic,” he reassured me.

I felt like I had to address the elephant in the room as we both got quiet. Cesar had touched a sore spot.

I didn’t like talking about my mother. I’m sure the Capitol only saw the sad story of another District 12 orphan, but for a lot of people in the Seam, she had a reputation.

She was destructive when she drank, not just at home but at the Hobb and too many business establishments to count. People averted their gaze when she walked by, scared they would trigger her or catch her on a particularly reckless day.

Everyone knew to avoid her.

While alcohol numbed Haymitch out, it (and whatever else she was consuming), made her extremely violent.

“Edalia Kuns was my mother,” I told him, too ashamed to look him in the face, wanting to be clear about the question that was likely triggered by the interview.

I actually didn’t know if that was common knowledge. I never interacted with anyone long enough to find out. I just wanted to stay as removed from her as I could.

“I know,” he replied, to my surprise and slight disappointment.

So was this all pity?

Pity for the daughter of the crazy woman and the cowardly rebel?

My parents’ story was a classic cautionary tale- a story that had bred a pathetic girl who was about to die… of course he wanted me to fight.

In his eyes I was just a poor lamb led to slaughter-

“My mom was Ephra. That was her name,Ephra Granon,” he said, silencing my racing thoughts. “She would have loved to meet you, M. You remind me of her, sometimes. Her compassion and her loyalty-”

He stopped himself though I could tell he wanted to say more.

“Ephra’s a beautiful name. And I’m sure she was too.”

He smiled. A beautiful smile I knew I would never tire of seeing.

“So is Edalia. For everyone that matters right now, Edalia is just a beautiful name. Don’t worry.”

“But now everyone knows that I have nothing to fight for. No one to go home to.” I looked up to him, letting a bit of fear slip up through my quiet words.

“Hey,” he held my hand and my gaze in his, “remember that you’re going to win out of spite. They want you to think like that- and you’re gonna fight to prove them wrong.”

“Is that how you won?” It slipped out. I internally scolded myself for being so impulsive. He didn’t let go of my hand, but didn’t reply either.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“No. It’s alright,” He took deeper breaths, more conscious. “Sort of. Obviously I had my family back home, but what really fueled me to fight so hard was my anger. Everyone said I couldn’t win. They… I could see it in their eyes how much they wanted me dead. How disposable I was. If it wasn’t for that anger, I don’t think I would have fought so hard. I needed to prove them all wrong.”

I nodded but stayed silent, in case he needed the space to say more.

“I was the last name called, you know? So…” He took another breath. “So…”

“If it wasn’t for the quarter quell…” I finished his thought for him. He somberly nodded as his blue eyes met the concrete floor below.

“I would have never gone in. And they’d be alive. And maybe I wouldn’t be such a-”

“No, Haymitch,” I placed my free hand on his cheek, not caring if it was too forward or too impulsive. I caressed my fingers against the blond stubble on his face, a few silver hairs peaking out already. I couldn’t believe he didn’t see the funny, caring man I did. “Don’t say that. I’m sorry. For everything.”

“Go upstairs. Alder and I will meet you there soon.”

I couldn’t quite interpret his tone. He wasn’t angry, just… sad. No matter what I said or did I could never ease that sadness because in just a day I would be adding to his pain, too.

I nodded, squeezed his hand and left as quickly as the high heels would take me.

This was too dangerous. It should have never gotten to this… I thought through my tears as I stepped onto the empty elevator.

All I did was give him one more person to mourn.

-

Next Chapter

[chidoroki]

Hello! I found your Jigokuraku review through the tags and I read it almost every weeks. I thought you already read the manga because you're not judgemental, like other anime-onlys I found on internet who love to criticize Jigokuraku for simply little things (that was very nice of you! ). Please please I suggest you to read the manga. The things are getting more serious and waiting for season two seems like forever. Like don't you want to know how Gabimaru finally get his memory back? How the whole team finally manage to use Tao (spoiler : thanks to Shion, they don't need to do that filthy bochu jutsu method lol)? What are the role of the new Asaemons? Then, is Gabimaru's wife apparently only an illusion or otherwise she's really exist? Finally, how the Tensens defeated and who are the survivors of this mission? And many other. I could say Jigokuraku is one of the manga with very good ending. There are more blood spilled through the process but it worth to read! (I'm gonna miss your review tho). Thanks!

Aw! Well thank you! I find it hard for me to be critical of a series when I really enjoy the characters and story, especially whenever I start something new since I have no prior knowledge of it whatsoever. (it’s a combination of all that and how nothing can ever disappoint me more than TPN s2 did.)

I guess the common complaint I’ve heard about the most from others is how the animation for Hell’s Paradise was a bit lacking? Coming from MAPPA, I believe people were already set to compare it to AOT, Vinland Sage, JJK & Chainsaw Man, so when this series didn’t “wow” them enough with the typical dynamic action and stunning visuals they normally see from this studio, they started to feel indifferent towards Hell’s Paradise. I understand their disappointment but also realize that Vinland S2 was airing at the same time and AOT & JJK also have upcoming seasons this year, so the studio is kinda stretched thin. I can’t really blame them for putting more effort into those big names rather than a new series. Of course I would’ve loved if Hell’s Paradise lived up to the hype as other MAPPA anime, but I personally had no issues with the animation this series did have, as it was consistent the whole way through. I actually compared it to Dororo more than anything else in terms of both style and story, so I wasn’t disappointed at all by it.

Anyways, my rambling aside.. of course I’m planning to read the manga at some point. It’s just a matter of when (and if I remember). As I said in that last review, the final episode didn’t leave off on a terrible cliffhanger (or I didn’t see it that way at least), so I'm not going completely insane wondering about what happens next, but I am still mildly curious. I can imagine how some of the issues might be handled at this point, like how Sagiri is most likely gonna play a huge part in how Gabimaru gets his memories back since she knows him best outta everyone else currently on the island, especially when it comes to remembering his wife. With the whole team learning more about tao, I can bet that Shion will explain how just simple physical contact with others helps to improve one’s tao, since we already saw how Nurugai’s hugs helped Sagiri restore her strength a little. And I have no doubt the new asaemon are gonna cause trouble just from the glare that Shugen dude showed at the very end.

About Gabimaru’s wife being real or an illusion.. I sorta kinda know her name already from seeing other people’s tags, so I’m fairly certain she exists. Hopefully. I’ve also spoiled myself on some of the characters who might survive til the end (only because I can not handle another heartbreak like I did with Tenza!) but I steered clear of practically everything else though when it comes to the fights, the tensen and overall story.

I’ll continue the reviews whenever the anime decides to continue and hopefully I won’t nitpick all the differences between anime vs manga too much if I do decide to read beforehand.

Thank you for the ask and I hope you have a lovely rest of your day/night!!

[autumn-falls1614]

I’m honestly very disappointed in myself right now

I’m rewatching The Seven Deadly Sins, I haven’t watched since the first season and was reminded of it the other day

I knew that Meliodas, the dragon sin of wrath

Is voiced by Bryce Papenbrook who as we all know voices Adrien in the english dub

So that one didn’t bother me, however i was very slightly bothered on the voice of Ban, the fox sin of greed

Who is voiced by Benjamin Diskin, who incase you didn’t know voices Nino and Max

This is one that like shocked me and then i thought about it and it was very much a huge duh moment

AND ANOTHER ONE is Guila, an apprentice holy knight, now when i first started watching this at the very beginning her voice actress really bothered me, I couldn’t place who she was at all

She is voiced by Carrie Keranen who, get this, voices Alya

Again, another huge duh moment on my behalf, but then i did some more digging, i was curious now

So like i said i did more digging and King, the grizzly sin of sloth

Is voiced by Max Mittelman, who voices PLAGG

This, little cutie patootie god of descruction snuck his way in and I didn’t even notice! His voice was familiar as King but not enough to warrant digging BUT HE’S PLAGG (at this point i’m feeling ashamed in myself that i didn’t realise some of these)

So again, i did even MORE digging, just cause I’m curious now and Hawk

The talking pig, Captain of the order of the scraps, our beloved pig

Is voiced by none other than Cristina Valenzuela.

Who, if you don’t know, voices our main girl

MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG

I’m gonna give myself a bit of a break with this one because she doesn’t actually sound that much like Marinette until you know its her then there’s moment like when she ahhhs, if you know what i mean.

But yeah, The Seven Deadly Sins decided to recruit half of the Ladybug cast and i’m a disgrace and couldn’t place any of them, if you got this far thanks for reading!😂😂

This could just be common knowledge to a lot of people as well and i’m just late to the game and a bit of an idiot 😂

[egcdeath]

spectator sport

pairing: joel miller x reader

summary: you and joel are the most competitive parents in your daughters’ soccer league. as it turns out, it’s not so easy being enemies when your daughters become best friends.

word count: 4.8k

warnings: canon divergent (no apocalypse yay!), rivals(?) to lovers, they don’t really like each other at the start but they also kinda do?, fluff, realizing feelings, domestic moments, yearning, allusions to a divorce 

author’s note: tlou is an angsty masterpiece, but sometimes all i want is a little lighthearted fun. is this the most in character thing?? no! is it more fun to imagine malewife joel in a world without cordyceps? well… you tell me ;) 

part two / series masterlist

“You got it, Chlo,” you cheered from behind a spray painted white line on a cleat-beaten grassy field. You balled your fists as you anxiously watched your daughter chase after the ball with a ferocity, herding it closer and closer towards the goal.

Your daughter had always had a passion for soccer, having watched professional matches with her father since the moment she could comprehend the game, and playing as soon as she could walk. Chloe had leaned even further into the sport following you and your ex-husband’s somewhat messy divorce, which left you in charge of bringing her to practices on Tuesdays, and games on Thursdays. It wasn’t like you minded much, you were always happy to support your daughter in whatever brought her joy. 

“Pass it! Pass it!” a loud, masculine voice interjected as the man next to you shouted at your daughter. 

Joel was not exactly your favorite parent on the team. While most of the parents enjoyed his presence, with his oddly wise advice for the girls and vocal support of the team (it also helped that he was quite easy on the eyes), something about the man had always thrown you off. Maybe it was his stubborn demeanor, or the way that he found a way to argue with you during every single game, without fail. 

Now, as far as soccer parents went, you weren’t the worst. You had your moments of snapping at a shitty referee after a particularly rough week at work, or possibly being a little too enthusiastic when something bad happened to the opposing team, but somehow Joel always managed to do or say something that provoked you just enough to go back and forth with him.

Chloe glanced over in his direction, briefly losing her footing in perfect time for a member of the opposing team to snatch the ball right out from under her. 

There was a collective groan from some of the more intense parents on your side, and you openly glared at them for indicating their disappointment with your daughter’s performance. But this wasn’t their fault. It was Joel’s.

“Great call out there,” you spat, shooting daggers in Joel’s direction as you took a few steps closer to where he was standing.

“Oh please,” you could practically hear the roll of his eyes in his words as he prepared to defend himself from your vitriol. “You think I wanted that to happen? I’m rooting for the whole team, not just my child.”

“I am not just rooting for my kid,” you delivered the statement a little too genuinely considering that the truth was probably closer to the opposite. “But you’re acting like you wouldn’t have felt the same way if it was your daughter.”

“I wouldn’t, ‘cause I understand that we’re probably gonna win,” Joel responded casually with a shrug of his shoulders. 

“Well, we would’ve had a much better shot at that if you weren’t so dead set on yelling shitty directions at the girls. Maybe leave that to their coach?”

“Hey, don’t curse! You’re forgetting there are kids around,” one of the fathers interjected, sounding far more offended than he needed to be. 

“Shut up, Mark,” you and Joel said at almost the same time, voices overlapping. Your little spats were yours and yours only, and you’d thought it was common knowledge by now not to interfere when any of the parents were getting into it—but especially with you two. 

As usual, your little back and forth seemed to go on and on. It had reached the point where you weren’t even really sure it had anything to do with the game as much as it had to do with the text you’d received from your ex just a few hours before the game, and whatever bullshit Joel had going on in his own life.

As much as you’d like to say you had self awareness, week after week the other parents shared knowing looks and snickered at your spectacle, yet being the laughing stock of the game didn’t deter either of you. 

This week’s argument was no different. 

To be quite honest, you hadn’t ever really paid attention to those who treated your spats as their mid-game entertainment. Right now, all you could think about was stupid Joel, shouting something stupid at your daughter, making her lose her focus, and miss out on a moment. 

Well, maybe you two had too much tunnel vision, as an uproar of cheers from your side pulled both of your attention from each other, and to the celebrating team on the field. Particularly, Chloe and Sarah high-fiving as they jogged away from the goal. 

Awkwardly the two of you clapped, cheering the names of your respective children. You didn’t miss the slight flush of red on Joel’s cheeks after missing the sight of his daughter working with yours to score, but you would be a liar if you didn’t admit that you felt the slightest hint of embarrassment too.

The game wrapped up soon after, with a quick discussion with the coach before the children were dismissed back to their families. As you waited for Chloe, you didn’t miss the newfound camaraderie between herself and Sarah, with the girls seemingly laughing at something as they made their way over to you. 

Despite whatever negative feelings you may have had towards Joel, you were always happy to see your daughter happy, and if that meant you may have to tolerate the father of her friend, maybe, just maybe, you would stop treating her games as an arena for your shouting matches.

——

As an involved parent, you were no stranger to school fundraisers. For the most part, you would enter a raffle and sit through a catered dinner as the school choir butchered school-appropriate songs, or purchase a handful of chocolate bars from whatever kid was knocking at your door. However, for this fundraiser, Chloe insisted that you volunteer. 

It was a simple bake sale occurring during school hours, and you had the day off. How bad could it really be?

Apparently, really bad. 

Just minutes after you arrived and began to set out the cash box and assorted baked goods, an unwelcome presence joined you, immediately bringing an uncomfortable tension into the atmosphere. If you knew when you signed up for this event that you would be working with Joel Miller, you could guarantee you wouldn’t have been so eager to register.

“Oh, hey,” you tensely acknowledged after a moment, glancing up at the man who was joining you, then back down at the bagged brownies in front of you.

“Hey,” he responded just a second too quickly, then went silent as he seemed to feel out the awkward tension in the room. After a few seconds of heavy silence that felt closer to an hour, he finally added, “Any ways can I help out?” 

Joel gestured to the table where you’d been organizing some of the baked goods. “Is there a method to your madness? Or just…” he trailed off awkwardly. 

It was obvious that he hadn’t expected to be working with you, likely not enthused to be spending a good portion of the day in such close proximity with someone he clearly did not like being around. The situation was almost comical—spending hours in a school with someone that you weren’t sure you could spend five minutes with without breaking into explicit argument. Obviously it would be inappropriate to argue with him in this setting, so you reasoned that for the duration of your shift, you could at least attempt to be cordial.

“Uh, they just want us to keep twenty items out at a time,” you shrugged. You could be cordial. You could just give Joel instructions, then only interact with him when need be. “And to keep gluten free items in this basket. Other than that, everything is set up. The first lunch period’s in about a half hour, so we won’t have much to do until then.”

“Got it,” Joel nodded, pulling out a rather squeaky chair before taking a seat next to you. 

The following few minutes could only be described as painfully awkward. You could cut the tension with a knife as you attempted to scroll nonchalantly on your phone, and Joel uncomfortably rubbed his hands on his jeans. This was going to be a long afternoon.

“So, what made you decide to help out today?” he asked out of the blue, drawing your attention away from your phone and over to his face.

Okay, you could handle small talk without getting into an argument. Besides, it’s not like you had anything to argue about. And to be frank, were your arguments really ever anything of substance? Sure, sometimes you both had done something slightly annoying or antagonistic, but your arguments never really felt that serious. 

“Chloe knew I had the day off and pretty enthusiastically suggested I come help,” you shrugged as almost a means to shake some of your nerves out. “How about you?”

“Pretty similar on my end. Sarah thought it would be a great idea for me to come in today and help out.” Joel looked at you, then back down at his watch, as if he didn’t want to maintain eye contact for too long. 

What a strange coincidence. Both of your daughters suggest you come to their school and work together on something.

You bit back whatever emotion it was involuntarily forming on your lips as it occurred to you that there was not a chance in Hell that this was accidental. Sarah and Chloe seemed to be quite close—you rarely heard a story that didn’t involve Sarah these days—and it was not unlike your daughter to plot schemes to try to fix relationships, a trait you and your ex-husband know a little too well. Clever, clever girls.

“What are the odds this was on purpose?” you asked, finally not restraining your entertainment by this whole situation. How ridiculous. And ironic. How ridiculously ironic. 

“I’m gonna go out on a limb and say quite high,” Joel pressed his lips together and shook his head to himself. 

And while you’d rather have your child just communicate to you that you’re embarrassing her at games, or that she would prefer you to be at the very least amicable with her new best friend’s father, at the end of the day you couldn’t really blame her for pulling off an elaborate plot. Besides, your feud with Joel was silly and unnecessary, and part of you had always wondered if you hadn’t spent so much time arguing with him, if you two would actually get along. 

“If they did plan this, which they most certainly did, we have some smart kids,” you chuckled softly. “And maybe for the sake of them, we can attempt to be… friendly?”

Joel nodded slowly, “I can do friendly.”

A truce. Although the tension between you could still be cut with a knife, it felt nice to agree at the very least not to start a war at the little table. 

”Can we really blame them for setting us up?” you pondered aloud, “I mean, who would want their best friend’s parents to be enemies?”

“We’re enemies?” Joel asked with a lift of his brow.

“Well,” you paused. You weren’t really enemies. Despite all of the heated arguments, more times than not, Joel provided you a pretty safe outlet to vent your feelings without many repercussions. “Maybe… rivals?”

Joel shrugged, “Maybe. I know for certain I don’t see you as an enemy. Although, I apologize if I ever made you feel that way.”

Was Joel… apologizing? First, working together with the man, and now an apology. Maybe you should’ve gone and visited your psychic after all, with the unpredictable way your week was turning out. 

“I’m sorry,” he admitted, sounding quite genuine. You still weren’t completely sure that this was some weird joke, or that you’d woken up in a parallel dimension. “For always stirring the pot during games. It’s really quite-“

“Joel, it’s really not an issue,” earnestly and without a thought you interrupted the apologetic man, not wanting him to feel the guilt of being solely responsible for your little tussles. “I don’t take anything you say during games seriously. But I also want to apologize. It’s probably not the best to find little things to argue about every week.”

“I just wanted to be clear that I don’t hate you or anything,” he emphasized.

“Well I don’t want you to think I hate you either. If we’re being honest, it’s been pretty nice to be able to inconsequentially blow off steam every now and then. If anything, you’re doing me a favor.”

The corners of his lips turned up and into the slightest smile at your admission, and suddenly it had felt as if a weight had lifted off of your shoulders, and a bit more of the tension had dissolved in the room. 

“No hard feelings?” he offered. 

“None. Maybe the opposite,” you teased.

“Well, you know what they say about love and hate…”

“Now that may be a step too far.”

As it turned out, you and Joel made a pretty efficient bake sale team. Joel helped the kids pick out their baked goods, and you cashed the kids out. Sure, it wasn’t the most complex operation, but it felt nice to be in such a comfortable rhythm, especially considering the majority of your professional work you did alone. 

By the end of your shift, you were far less displeased with your situation. In fact, one might even say that you enjoyed spending your afternoon at the sale with your daughter’s best friend’s father. Maybe Chloe and Sarah’s plot to force you together wasn’t so terrible after all. 

Maybe Joel wasn’t so terrible after all.

——-

Every year, Autumn means one thing in your town: the annual fall festival.

It was honestly impressive the way that the entire community would go all out to put on such a large event in order to adequately honor the season, although part of you was convinced that the whole weekend-long event was an excuse for kids and adults alike to indulge in candy apples and Oreo turkeys and show off unnaturally large pumpkins. 

This year was no different, and as tradition, you and Chloe hauled yourselves down to the festival. It just happened to be your luck that as you were exiting the car, a pickup truck pulling into a parking space caught Chloe’s attention. 

“It’s Sarah!” your daughter informed you, practically skipping over to the vehicle. You followed after your daughter (who just so happened to be much faster than you) as she pulled her friend into a hug the very moment she popped out of the car. 

Joel hopped out as well, glancing at your children who already seemed to be walking off towards the fair, then back to you.

“How are you?” he asked, fidgeting with his keys as he put them into his pocket. It was clear that despite deciding not to feud anymore, things were still a little fresh and weird between you two. 

“Good, good,” you trailed off, nodding slowly as you slipped your hands into your own pockets and began to follow the two girls. Somehow, Joel ended up walking next to you as you trailed behind your daughters, and a light tension filled the air. 

Despite feeling slightly more comfortable with him after your shift together at the bake sale, it was clear that there was still some strange awkward energy between you two. After all, you had only made amends around a week ago, and prior to that, the majority of your interactions had included some sort of verbal altercation.

Walking into the fair, you maintained a less-than-comfortable silence as your daughters chatted and led the way to the field, filled with booths and stations as far as your eye could see. 

After a bit of aimless walking around, Chloe suggested a stop at a cornhole station. Watching your respective children play from the sidelines, you couldn’t help but crack a smile at the pure, unadulterated joy coming from your daughter as her and Sarah bantered with each other and tossed little bean bags. After ending with a tie, the pair began to walk away from where they were standing before pausing in front of you and Joel.

“You guys should play!” Sarah suggested enthusiastically, looking up at her father with an animated look in her eyes. 

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Joel trailed off and glanced at you as if he wanted to check how you were feeling on the matter. 

Sure, you didn’t have the upper body strength of someone who did construction for a living, but you were confident in your ability to kick some ass at corn hole. 

“C’mon, mom. And you too, Joel. It’s fun! It’ll be fun!” Chloe, ever the instigator, egged you on. 

“Alright, alright, since you insist,” you played up your reluctance, but happily accepted the red beanbags your daughter offered you. “It’s on, Miller,” you said as you approached the boards. 

“Just you wait,” he shot back, matching the overconfident, cocky persona you’d seemed to put on. “Before I embarrass you, I’ll be polite and let you go first.”

“How kind,” you playfully rolled your eyes, but focused long enough to toss the pack not too hard and not too light, and it slid on the board before landing in the hole. “What was that about embarrassing myself?”

Heckling Joel was unsurprisingly quite easy, considering the majority of your interactions prior to the past week had consisted of taking blows at each other. What you didn’t expect was how naturally the banter between you flowed when both of you were able to acknowledge that what you were saying really wasn’t serious at all.

“I think that was called luck. You still have plenty of time to embarrass yourself,” Joel didn’t even miss a beat as he tossed his bean bag with ease, landing right into the hole.

You’d be lying if you said you weren’t impressed by his aim, and that your confidence hadn’t slightly faltered. For once in your life, it was possible that a man wasn’t over exaggerating his capabilities.

“Not bad, Joel,” you brushed his accomplishment off as you went to toss your next bag. This time, you weren’t so lucky, and your turn ended with your beanbag on the side of the board.

Chloe and Sarah dramatically reacted from the side, cheering or whooping whenever they saw fit. In a weird way, it was like your roles had been reversed. You and Joel were no longer the overenthusiastic spectators.

“What did I say? Luck,” Joel tutted. “Look, girls. I’ll show you how a real expert does it.”

Turning his back to you and the board, Joel attempted to toss his bag through the board, yet as he turned back around, he found it in the grass between your two boards. 

You, Sarah, and Chloe erupted into laughter at the irony of it all, so much so that Joel couldn’t even help but to join in. 

“Great job, ‘real expert’. Can you teach me your ways?”

You were somewhat stunned with the speed at which the ice had broken between you and Joel. Just a few minutes ago walking into the fair, you were nervous that the evening would be tense and awkward, yet here you were, teasing and laughing right along with each other.

Once your laughter subsided, you both tossed your last bags, with you making it in and Joel missing. After a gratuitous moment of celebration, Joel walked over to you and extended his hand for a handshake. You took up his offer, and firmly shook his hand. 

“Good job out there. You were a worthy opponent.”

“Thank you, Joel. I could say the same, but I won’t. Y’know, since you lost.��

This received a giggle from your kids as Joel abruptly dropped your hand, feigning offense. Maybe it had just been a long time since you’d received any physical affection at all, but the loss of his brief grip stirred something strange deep inside of you. 

Ew. No. 

You could barely tolerate this man a week ago. Sure, he wasn’t terrible to look at, and your daughter had seemed to take a liking to him, but you’d be remiss if you hadn’t thought about all of those charged arguments you’d had during soccer games. You had only just recently considered him to be anything more than a nuisance. 

“Where to next?” Joel asked, pulling you out of your head as the girls began to chatter and move in the direction of whatever booth had caught their eyes. 

That was a train of thought for another time. Maybe you’d let yourself think about it tonight night, as you attempt to fall asleep in a bed that’s far too big for one person and far too cold without someone else there. But not here, where the situation felt like a live wire, and a little too real for your liking. 

——

For the most part, Chloe’s soccer hobby took up more time than it gave you. The time it took going to practices, games, and tournaments quickly added up, on top of working an absurd amount to make sure that you could pay the mortgage and club fees on time and keep your child happy. The one exception to this general rule were team dinner nights—a night where you didn’t have to worry about spending an hour or two in the kitchen, giving you far more free time to do whatever you wanted.

This time around, Joel was hosting the dinner at his place. Clearly, Chloe was excited to be spending the evening at her closest friend’s home, and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t the slightest bit curious to see what his place looked like.

And maybe, just maybe, you were the slightest bit excited to see Joel again. 

“Can we just go over early?” she requested as you checked the nearly done cookies in the oven. “Can I go over early to hang out with Sarah? Please?”

You practically could hear the puppy dog eyes in her voice, and when you looked over to her, she was indeed looking at you with a somewhat convincing sense of desperation. It was never easy for you to say no to your daughter, which she unfortunately knew. This time was no different. 

Sighing softly, you conceded, “have Sarah ask her dad if you can come by.”

Chloe cheered as she dashed off to the other room, seemingly reaching out to her friend who very quickly responded, as your daughter was back in just a few minutes with confirmation that she could come by any time. 

Quickly pulling the cookies out from the oven and throwing them into a container, you packed Chloe into the car, and hauled her over to her friend’s house. 

Chloe grabbed your Tupperware and skipped to the door, politely knocking and waiting patiently as you stayed seated in your car, just to make sure your daughter got in okay. As if she was awaiting Chloe’s arrival (and she most definitely was), Sarah pulled open the door the moment Chloe had put her knuckles to the door and welcomed her friend in. 

A somewhat muffled voice from inside called something out, leaving Sarah to relay it back to you: “Before you go, my dad wanted to know if you wanted to stop in for a drink?” she called out, just loud enough for you to hear from your open window.

Any other day, you would’ve said no. But for some reason, coming in and checking in just felt right today—so that was exactly what you did. It wasn’t like you and Joel weren’t in friendship territory with each other. 

While the girls ran off upstairs, you made your way to the kitchen to find a very stressed-looking Joel. He was in complete disarray as he checked the oven twice, then the fridge for something, then stirred something in a pot.

“Hey, you alright?” you asked right off the bat, setting down the container of cookies your daughter had given back to you onto his countertop. 

“Yeah, fine. Just didn’t think about how I was gonna cook all of this in time,” he moved away from the stovetop and towards a cupboard to grab you a glass. “Now what would you like to drink? I’ve got some coke, some juice, something a little stronger…?”

“Just water is fine,” you hummed, awkwardly standing by the counter. “Joel, do you want some help? You know, four hands are better than two. And I’m pretty competent when it comes to reading and following a recipe.”

“Please,” he barely let you finish speaking before he spoke, and desperation was practically dripping off his tone as he passed you a glass of water.

You weren’t sure you expected him to say yes, but you were somewhat surprised when he agreed anyway. He didn’t exactly seem like the type to accept help, let alone ask for it. Joel must’ve been even more stressed than you initially picked up on. 

“Of course. What would you like me to do?”

“Uh, if you could just cut up some of the fruit that would be great,” the man ran his hands through his hair as he approached the fridge once more.

You nodded and walked over to the cutting board where it was clear that Joel had begun to attempt cutting some fruit up, but had been interrupted by one of the many pots on the stovetop or dishes in the oven.

Although you didn’t necessarily envision your evening being spent in a frantic Joel Miller’s kitchen, you weren’t particularly mad at it. It didn’t take long for you two to fall into that easy collaborative rhythm that you seemed to always have when it came to working together. Maybe you weren’t too bad of a team after all. 

By the time the doorbell rang with the first family, you and Joel had just finished up, and your daughters had just about finished setting up the table in the dining room and on the patio. Taking you by surprise, Joel reached out for a high-five, which gave you a hearty laugh as the two of you tapped hands.

“I appreciate your help,” he remarked. “You saved my ass tonight.”

By all means, dinner was a success. Parents and children raved about how good everything was, and conversing with Joel and the other parents was surprisingly easy—despite you not noticing the knowing looks that a few of the more gossipy moms frequently shot each other. 

Luckily, a few families assisted in cleaning things up after dinner before heading out, cutting the time you’d need to spend helping with cleaning pretty significantly. As the night wound down, it came as no surprise when Chloe asked if she and Sarah could hang out for just a bit longer. It’s not like an extra hour would kill you, especially not when Joel was pulling out a bottle of white wine and suggesting sitting out on the patio in the pleasant Austin autumn weather. 

As you got settled into your seat, Joel poured you out a glass before pouring himself some. You sighed contentedly, happy with a rather pleasant evening, but tired from the stress of the day. 

“Thank you for helping me out. There’s no way in hell I could’ve done this without you,” he confessed, peering deeply into your eyes. He looked at you for just a moment too long, the attention bringing a warmth to your face.

“I’m always happy to help anyone,” you smiled shyly under the pressure of his intense look before taking a sip of your drink. “Well, maybe I wouldn’t be happy to help Amy. But I’m always happy to help you.”

“Well, I appreciate you,” Joel paused as he drank. “And I wouldn’t help Amy either.”

The two of you shared a little laugh before a rather comfortable silence filled the air. The two of you looked up at the sky, gazing at the stars that seemed to be shining a little more bright than usual.

“I’d like to repay you somehow,” Joel said, breaking the silence as he continued to keep his eyes fixed on the sky. 

“Mm, that’s not necessary,” you hummed. “Dinner was plenty. It was great, and Chloe and I will definitely be enjoying our leftovers.”

“It’s necessary to me,” Joel paused as if he was contemplating even saying the next words. “Would you let me take you out sometime?” 

It was clear that he was looking right at you, nervously anticipating your answer. 

You cracked a slight smile as you turned your head towards him, “That would be nice,” you nodded. “I think that would be really nice.”

[devildomwriter]

Obey Me As Tumblr #14

Leviathan: I got a headache

Leviathan: Google says I’m gonna die

Simeon: Why is google sending you death threats for having a headache

•

Solomon: Shower thoughts: if 666 is evil, then 25.806975801127 is the root of all evil

Leviathan: Do you have a fucking calculator in your shower?

•

Mephistopheles: Welcome to plastic surgery addicts anonymous. I’m seeing a lot of new faces in the crowd today and I just have to say I’m disappointed.

•

Mammon: I hate public bathrooms for all the obvious reasons but also because one time somebody in the next stall silently reached over and untied my shoe

•

MC: In an emergency a crayon will burn for thirty minutes

Mammon: How long will it burn if it isn’t an emergency?????????

Belphegor: #what does the crayon define as an energy

Lucifer: I would guess that being on FUCKING FIRE is what a crayon would consider an emergency

•

Asmodeus: Lightning McQueen is a twink

Simeon: Common misconception he’s actually a car

•

Mammon: *Walks in kitchen at 2 AM*

…wow okay…I need to be quite…

TRIPS OVER CHAIR, BREAKS LEG, CATCHES HOUSE ON FIRE

Barbatos: who brushes their teeth in the kitchen?

Mammon: What

•

Diavolo: But why would we ever remove the wises of our teeth

•

Solomon: Balloons are so weird… “happy birthday here’s a plastic sack of my breath”

•

Leviathan: My body may be at work right now but my soul is stuck in the wii Sports universe

Diavolo: Which game

Leviathan: Bowling

•

Leviathan:

Me at my second rodeo

Me: this ain’t my first rodeo

•

Leviathan: When did lmao become short hand for “I’m fucking suffering”

Simeon: Lamenting my anguish online

•

Mammon: All our generation wants is a small house and a spouse that loves them back

Leviathan: I also want a sword

•

MC: One day I hope I am the girl that walks into a room and all eyes are on her

Mammon: The trick is to get a really big hat and then scream

•

Mammon: Name on fragrance commercial that has ever made sense

Asmodeus: What are you talking about they all make scents

Mammon: Shut the fuck up

•

Leviathan: I just got arrested for being too ugly

Leviathan: Can someone come bail me out

MC: On my way!

MC: Can someone come bail me out

•

Raphael: The breakfast club isn’t even about breakfast

Beelzebub: You could have at least said spoiler alert

•

Solomon: My roommate is two days younger than me so I’ve gotten into the habit of saying “when I was your age” and describing what I did two days ago

•

Satan: Am I the only one that finds it weird that I can transfer data from my brain to someone else by opening my mouth and pushing air with vibrations in their direction

Lucifer: How high are you?

Satan: 5’11”

•

Belphegor: If you put a science book under your pillow when you sleep you’ll gain the knowledge through osmosis

Satan: NO OSMOSIS IS FOR WATER!! KNOWLEDGE AND EVERYTHING ELSE IS TRANSFERRED THROUGH DIFFUSION!

Belphegor: I can see you slept with your science book last night

Last • Next

[succ-my-coke]

Trigun Stampede ep 1

-THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR TRUGUN STAMPEDE!!!!-

I gotta say that the first episode of this remake is really living up to my hopes and dreams. While a shall forever be disappointed that it’s not a full redo I’ll be content with this I think. I’m gonna talk about my thoughts/feelings/observations about the new series and what’s different so far. THIS IS NOT A SUMMARY

Characters

1. Vash - I’m loving his characterization right off the bat, he’s goofy, kind, and has his serious moments, pretty true to his original character. I do like however that he doesn’t seem as jaded(so far) because they seem to be portraying him as younger than he was in the original. His introduction of a batshit evil laugh was amazing honestly. I had some initial issues with his redesign but I think it meshes well with the character. His arm being addressed and then instantly being used to make a joke was great honestly, very on brand. I think it’s really interesting that they are having him be more actively involved with the plants and their upkeep unlike the original where he only interfered occasionally.

2. Meryl - so far I feel like Meryl has been changed the most. She’s much younger in this, it’s called out specifically that she just graduated from a fancy school and seems to be very naive. Nothing at all like the original character. She does have her stubbornness and morals which is good and I think her over all character here will mesh well but may not be as bad ass and the original Meryl. Her design though is kickass and very reflective of how young she is

3. Roberto De Niro - A new character! One that I have nothing to compare against! I think he’s really ingesting so far. Obviously very jaded and aware of the how bad the world is but Al’s has some sense of morals. He doesn’t seem to be a reporter that cares about leads to much but he does know how to throw his status around and use it to help out.

4. Knives - we saw very little of him in this episode but what we did see was pretty cut and dry evil. He’s got and evil organ and some control over the wildlife of the planet, using it to spy on his brother. I did like the larger emphasis on him attempting to have Rem be saved as well as them. His design is extremely interesting when compared to Vash’s. Knives completely seems to embrace his inhuman tech side while Vash is trying very hard to look human.

Observations

1. I found the pacing interesting for the first episode. There’s already some man ikr things being addressed such as the plants and Knives and their connection to Vash. The new series obviously isn’t shying away from these things like the original material did and it makes me wonder about how the plot progression is going to go.

2. I am likening all things being used, the setting of Jenora rock and the references to the city of Julai (July I believe) and the direct reference to the Bad Lads gang. Speaking of which I am truly excited for the possibility or brilliant dynamites neon to be animated in this way I think it would be spectacular on all levels.

3. The people of jenora rock are used in two ways I think. 1. To show that Vash is a good guy and not what he seems to be despite his bounty. And he’s known for things despite his crimes. 2. That while the legend of the humanoid typhoon is widespread the bounty is not common knowledge.

4. The design for the plants are completely new as far as we’ve seen. I’m looking forward to seeing how they are going to address the design of the plants themselves, the original anime made them seem a little more monstrous than angelic and the manga was more angelic that human so I wonder agent they will look like. I also can’t wait to see what the red plant means.

5. The entire scene where Vash is begging for a bullet from anyone already shows so many things. The first being that Vash is a complete goof. The second being that Meryl has a strong sense of involvement with things, unlike her mentor. The third being that people are willing to help him even with his bounty, this being shown by Rosa giving a bullet to him. Also the scene is a great call back to the first episode of the original anime where something similar happens with Vash in a tight spot with no bullets however he has no one to help him out there.

Overall I’m really pleased with the start of the new adaptation and I’ll see you all on the 14th for episode 2!

[legendofzoodles]

More LU thoughts:

Duels

There’s a part in my fic Smoke Signal where in order to discourage Wild from leaving the group alone Time challenges him to a duel. I didn’t really explain the concept further other than it being a big deal that Time was issuing one and that there was no way Wild was going to agree to it. So, I’m gonna dive into it more here:

The concept of duelling would at first only be familiar to the trained knights and sailor. Btw, a duel in this case is a one on one fight where both opponents use the same agreed upon weapon, rapiers and broadswords are the most common. Conditions are set and the winner/loser has to follow through on whatever those terms are. 

Warriors would be the most knowledgeable, with it being an established custom within and outside the army. As a Captain, he may have overseen such fights between his men whenever they disagreed over something. Regarding duels outside the army, these would be a thing within the upper class where nobles would issue such challenges to protect their honour or over Lady. Since Warriors is popular amongst women I’d imagine that many a jealous nobleman challenged him due to this. 

Wild would have a vague memory of this tradition, he may have participated in some in the past- back when he took it extremely seriously. Now however, since the army was crippled during the past 100 years it isn’t really a thing anymore, so it’s seen as outdated. Even though he doesn’t inherently take them seriously, if someone he respects/fears challenges him he won’t even think about joking around. 

In Skyloft duels are part of rising the ranks. They aren’t fought to settle disputes or for honour, they’re just used to grade performances and your progression in training. Any sort of fighting outside of training is very rare and generally frowned upon. 

Wind would’ve gotten introduced to it after spending time on Tetra’s ship. It’s the best way to maintain order as well as for the crewmates to let of steam after days of uneventful sailing. He also doesn’t take them too seriously since pirates don’t follow any sort of fancy rules and will fight dirty if it means securing a win:

Wind: Then he used that moment of weakness to break his nose!

Hyrule: Over a missing pair of boots?!

Wind: [shrugging] Eh, he was fine after a couple of potions.

Warriors: [overhearing] That just sounds like a drunken brawl, not a duel.

Wind: All’s fair at sea my friend. 

Warriors: Would you fight that dishonourably if I challenged you?

Wind:

Wind: Depends.

Warriors: [disappointed mentor noises]

Time, Twilight and Legend would be vaguely familiar with the concept, both having some experience dealing with the Hyrulean Knights in their eras. They’re both sort of on the outside looking in, so while they respect the custom unlike Wild they also don’t have any personal stakes in them. So, they’ll generally accept any challenges, but won’t issue them since it doesn’t mean that much to them.

Hyrule and Four however would be clueless. They’d have zero frame of reference for how these things work, and where Four wouldn’t be all that interested Hyrule would. Warriors would teach him all the rules and conditions, possibly trying to get Wild to pay attention too. 

The chain would have proper duels once everyone’s gotten an understanding of the rules. Mostly when sparring got boring or very rarely to solve a serious disagreement, like in Smoke Signal. Though most of the time it would be over the pettiest of disputes:

Legend: Who ate my leftovers?!

Wild: I did.

Legend: [drawing sword] En guarde glutton!

Wild: [drawing sword] Come at me quitter!

~~~

Thanks for reading!

Masterlist

9th place in the LU character design ranking

Character analysis posts:

Hero of the Sky, Hero of Time, Hero of Twilight, Hero of the Wild, Hero of Warriors

Parkour team - LU drabble

How each member of the chain laughs - LU headcanon