#I’m not kidding when I say I took a full page of notes for this lmao

[multiseb21]

bez was a serial liker on marcs ig? that makes me feel all kinds of ways not gonna lie

YES!!!!!! For better or worse, this ask inspired me to scroll through Marc’s entire Instagram again to create a timeline of Bezz’s serial liker era.

2014:

April: The first post Bezz likes is a video of Marc jokingly straddling an exhaust pipe…normal behavior. Moving on.

May: Bezz, known cringefail loser, plays it cool for once in his life by waiting a full month before interacting with one of Marc’s posts again. That post? Marc at a basketball game…shocker

May-December: Bezz fully commits to his serial liker era by liking 90-95% of the photos Marc posts for the remainder of 2014. He likes everything from race weekend pics to selfies to food to whatever weird shit Marc is doing in his free time. He’s an avid liker and he’s proud. Here are some highlights of his fanboy era. Bezz I bet you wish that was you in those ranch pics

2015:

Bezz is still a serial liker throughout 2015. The likes are somewhat less frequent than they were in 2014; however, there are still instances where he likes a hilarious number of posts in a row.

Pre-Sepang: The final photo he likes before Sepang is Marc’s pole position in Phillip Island.

Sepang: Bezz does not like a single photo throughout the lead up, weekend, and immediate aftermath of Sepang.

Post-Sepang: Shockingly, Bezz returns to liking photos after Sepang. He likes a few photos throughout the race weekend in Valencia (including the photo on the right). The final photo he likes in 2015 is Marc testing (left).

2016:

In 2016, Bezz begins his journey into becoming Vale’s strongest soldier. His serial liker era is over. He does not like any of Marc’s posts in 2016…

[EXTREMELY LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER]

SIKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Even the strongest soldiers crack sometimes. He falls off the proverbial wagon and likes a single post about…Cal Crutchlow??? Yeah. Idk.

2017-2023:

Bezz bounces back from his one moment of weakness in 2016 and takes his role as Vale’s strongest soldier very seriously. No likes in the past seven years. Marc Marquez is enemy numero uno and his Instagram is off limits.

2024:

With the way things are going post-Jerez, maybe he’ll one day return to his serial liker roots…TBD

[imfoive]

Love Notes

Lee Minho x Reader (fem.) Genre: Established Relationship au!, Fluff Warnings: suggestive, somewhat proofread WC: 582 A/N: Here’s a late night snippet that turned into something fluffy :) Feedback, Reblogs, Likes are greatly appreciated! Happy reading! ── MASTERLIST

DRABBLE ──────────────────────────

It was a habit of his.

Jotting down words he couldn’t really say out loud. Instead he’s tear a piece of paper he’d find. A napkin, a card, scribbling whatever thoughts that raced through his head.

That’s how it all began.

When Minho’s eyes would rake over the love of his life, taking in the sight that was her, inhaling silently, overwhelmed by words that refused to come out.

Instead staring at Y/N in fascination.

When he was too shy to voice out that she looked breathtaking, actually rendering him speechless.

That the dress fit her so well, the color brought out her eyes.

The style suit her well.

That he loved how she looked. Loved her.

Words he couldn’t say out loud without stumbling over them, without his ears, his cheeks turning red and hot.

So he scribbled them down.

The note was passed with a nonchalant handover, avoiding her confused gaze as she took it, like passing secret notes in school. He acted as if nothing was amiss, waiting for her to read.

Of course her confused expression doesn’t last. Her eyes flitting over his handwriting, her lips thinning into a smile. Seeing which he smiles pleasingly as well.

   “Thank you.” Y/N whispered, already reaching out, tugging at his arms to brush her lips over his warm cheeks.

It became a shared habit almost instantaneously. They felt like kids, once again, giggling and laughing as they scribbled down their thoughts.

Notes filled with compliments.

Words that made them blush. Their hearts hammer in their chest.

Some words were mischievous, one that would make him raise an eyebrow at her playful suggestions. His eyes glancing between her and her scribbles. His lips would morph into that smirk he reserved for moments when he knew he wouldn’t let her leave the bedroom until she was satisfied. The kind of smirk she loved seeing.

His fingers easily lacing around her wrist to pull her into their room, the door shutting with a loud thud.

Their love notes littered the space. The post-it notes on the refrigerator, next to the list of household items and groceries they needed to buy and re-stock, even more scribbles at the bottom, were all filled with warm messages.

That two page letter Minho wrote one night, feeling guilty after coming home too late. On a day where Y/N had no plans besides staying in, staying with him. But ultimately had fallen asleep from boredom because he couldn’t slip out easily from his own responsibilities.

That letter, full of apologies and compliments, was tucked into her box of cherished items. Words that he couldn’t bring himself to voice out loud, yet easily poured them into the page, each word making her heart swell bigger than it was.

   “How lucky I am…”

   “You’re the greatest thing that happened to me…”

   “I’m sorry I don’t say this enough…”

He could have gone on and on about everything he loved about her, how special she made him feel. How much she deserves the moon, the stars, and everything shiny in the sky. But some words were meant to be shared aloud.

Like the ones he whispered into her ear as he cradled her in his embrace, settling comfortably under the sheets. His lips brushed softly against her hair, lingering with gentle kisses atop her forehead. As he pulled her flush against him, her body heat radiating and warming him.

The words easily slip out of his lips.

   “I love you...”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ end.

[fryingpan1234567]

superheroes and social media

do you KNOW how often I see a cute trend on ig or tiktok or anything and I’m just like “man that would be cute for (insert hero ship)”

but that’s an issue because like… putting your face on the internet is DANGEROUS🙅‍♂️

I had. an idea. to solve all the issues!

as fun as it is to imagine the RobinOfficial account having 4 million followers, I think it’s more fun for everyone to have accounts that only follow and allow following in the caped community

so basically Instagram for just superheroes

the ones whose identities are known can post their faces, and the ones who are still under the radar have a close friends list that consists of the people who do know them

a very few amount of people who aren’t heroes are allowed on this Super IG

including Lois Lane, whose entire presence is standard mom posts but with like. Superkids and other Kryptonians. you get it

uhh Bernard Dowd too but he only follows Tim and Steph

Alfred, who only posts the Manor and London with captions like poetry

Selina Kyle because she already had a regular account but B was like “oh that’s dangerous now that we’re affiliated”

she was like “well how am I supposed to fuel my ego with no instagram for people to thirst after me”

B sighed and was like “well,,,,,”

Harley Quinn fluctuates between being banned and interacting with EVERYONE’S content with offensive amounts of emojis

anyways tell me WHY Conner Kent has the most iconic page on the internet

it’s full of these aesthetic photo dumps and crackhead videos of YJ doing dumb shit

also Tim. he’s got chaotic gen z billionaire vibes and most of his stuff is on his close friends list because B doesn’t need to see the REALLY dumb shit he gets up to

yeah they’re both hot and yeah they’re both elite pages. but Kon’s is Sabrina Carpenter energy and Tim’s is P!ATD energy so they’re different flavors of slay

on the opposite end of the spectrum we’ve got B, who has four posts, all exactly 365 days apart

it’s the yearly Father’s Day family portrait

Dick Grayson does that millennial vlog thing but Not

“a day in the life of a 24 year old cop (who also happens to be a vigilante)”

also a compilation of clips of him jumping off buildings, some taken by him and some by other people

can you IMAGINE this dumbass with a gopro

Red Bull wants to sponsor him what can I say

he lets his favorite villains follow him

WHEN I TELL YOU BILLY BATSON HAS THE MOST FAMOUS PAGE OF ANYONE IN THE COMMUNITY

because he was a public figure ANYWAYS. this is the idiot who used to walk around charging people’s phones with his powers and taking selfies for cash. people know him

so Captain Marvel has this crazy account with him doing memes and slo mo compilations of him punching guys from his body cam

his most hit post is a video where he found a cop harassing a bunch of kids on the street (who he happened to KNOW) and without saying anything at first just kindaaaaa walked over and fried the cruiser’s entire inner workings

“yo, copper! I think somethin’s up with your system, man!”

while the cop was trying to figure out how to start his fucking car again, Billy herded the kids down the sidewalk and they all took off running, giggling like maniacs

Damian Wayne doesn’t post a lot, but when he does, it’s to match with Jon

I mean like taking pictures of each other from across the same table and the captions are each half of a whole song lyric, stuff like that

his personal favorite is actually their softlaunch— they found an entire wall of mirrors at the planetarium on a date, Jon had his right hand on Dami’s waist and the other in his pocket, and Dami was standing in front of him, holding the phone with his right and tilting Jon’s face down with his left to press a kiss to the underside of his jaw. neither of their faces are in it and it was Damian’s wallpaper for a WHILE

my babies ANYWAYS

Diana Prince posts exclusively about her favorite ice cream shops

Bart is the kid whose note is always like “in the hospital👍” / “sick again” / “hate broken ribs I can’t eat seven burgers in this condition” / “got possessed by a death god again :/ third time this week” and it’s like jesus man can you catch a break

can you imagine finding fucking Superman has a verified instagram account but it’s private so you can’t even follow freaking SUPERMAN

Duke Thomas is thoroughly over his siblings’ shit and there’s a ton of videos of them being dumbasses with captions like “someone save me it’s two in the morning”

anyways A COMPILATION OF TRENDS

“nobody move, there’s blood on the floor” for LITERALLY any ship it’s so funny

“what? you’re not coming to my tea party? Bethany, I made BISCUITS” with increasingly low res crack pics of Red Hood falling off of things, generously edited and posted by Tim Drake

dance trends with Steph and Cass

“guess which outfit is whose” with Tim and Steph but they’re both in their Robin uniforms

Tim making a cringey thirst trap edit of Jason who in response posted a clip of Tim tripping his own gear and setting off an alarm

“wearing the same outfit so no one can tell us apart” and it’s all the Batkids in their Robin uniforms (most of which barely fit) ((Bruce and Alfred cried))

the Superkids did the same thing a few days later and dragged Clark into it

not-quite-thirst-traps where they just kinda stand there over music but everyone in normal comments would’ve gone crazy

calisthenics trends. Thanks

it’s like a THING between all the Titans where they’ll sneak up behind each other, yell “THIS IS SPARTA,” and kick each other off roofs

someone sneaking up behind Jason while he’s belting Seasons of Love

MOTORCYCLE CONTENT

somewhere out in the world there’s a shaky, blurry video of Robin, Superboy, Spoiler, Blue Beetle, and Beast Boy dancing to and half-singing-half-yelling Tell Your Girlfriend

if you think of any more social media trends or videos or pics you see that remind you of a hero tag me because I’m obsessed with the idea of these idiots on socials

[eliluvschan]

Polaroid Memories

pairing: lee know x reader

word count: 700

warnings: just a cute Minho

genre: fluff

a/n: Lino has been wrecking me a liiittle too bad so another imagine for him today hihihi (next one is bang chan again i promise:)) + polaroid pics are by me :)

standing in my parents’ attic, i rummage through a box and find an old polaroid camera at the bottom.

“hey, look at this!” i call to Minho from across the room, holding the camera up for him to see.

he comes over and takes it from my hands, turning it in his hands and observing it.

“oh wow, haven’t seen these in so long. think it still works?” he asks.

“i don’t know. is there a film in it?”

Minho shakes the camera and we hear the film rattle around inside.

“jagiyaaa.” Minho sings as i look up at him.

there’s a bright flash and a few seconds later, the blank film slides out from the bottom of the camera. Minho shakes the film a few times, and soon my face develops on it.

“beautiful.” he says as he admires the photo of me.

“beautiful? if you told me you were gonna take one, i’d smile.” i say as he smiles. “let me take one from you then.” i say, taking the camera from him.

he looks at the camera, his lips in a thin line and i click the shutter button, the flash going off and capturing his incredibly handsome face.

we end up having a mini photoshoot, using old coats, hats and whatever other trinkets we can find to enhance our photos. we make each other laugh with crazy poses and silly faces.

eventually we use up the last of the film left in the camera after compiling a huge stack of polaroids.

“i love these.” i say as i shift through each of the photos. “but i love you more.” i say as i lean over and give Minho a peck on his cheek.

“i love you too. and by the way, i’m stealing all of these pictures.” he says, taking the stack from my hand.

“what? why? i want some.” i exclaim.

“you’ll get them back. i just want to do something first.”

“fine, but you better not ruin them.”

“trust me, i won’t.”

— ❀ —

“can i open my eyes yet?” i ask as Minho’s big hands cover my small ones over my hands.

“almost.” Minho replies and i hear some rustling from the table in front of me. then he takes his hands off of my eyes.

when i look down, i see a wrapped gift, resting on the table.

“can i open it?” i ask eagerly.

“of course.”

i rip off the wrapping paper to reveal a simple black scrapbook with the words ‘now and forever’ inscribed in gold lettering on the cover.

“what’s this?” i ask, even though i already have a feeling of knowing what it is.

“open it!”

when i flip the cover open, i see pages and pages full of all the polaroid photos we took that day in my parents’ attic. and some new ones that i hadn’t seen yet. he even had some photos of Soonie, Doongie and Dori.

beneath each one, were neat handwritten captions. in Minho’s pretty handwriting.

“i told you, you’d get them back.” he says.

“i should’ve believed you.” i say, giggling. “i love it. i’m going to look back at this forever.”

“i’m glad you like it. oh! and i wrote a little something on the inside of the cover.”

i glip back to the front cover and see a handwritten note addressed to me.

my dearest Y/n,

i told you that i would give these back to you, didn’t i? i just wanted to say how much i love you. i will cherish all these little moments with you and the kids. all the spontaneous photoshoots, goofy moments, and never ending laugh fits, for the rest of my life. 1 4 3 <3

kisses forever,

Minho.

when i finish reading his note, tears of happiness stream down my face.

“thank you so much, Min. this is the sweetest gift i’ve ever received. i love, love, love you.”

Minho takes my face in his hands and presses his lips against mine. just like every kiss we’ve shared in the last two years, sparks fly and butterflies erupt in my stomach.

how did i get so lucky?

~

[empress-simps]

Self-Destruct [Two]

Pairing: James Potter x Fem! Reader, Sirius Black x Fem! Reader

Synopsis: Y/n Holstein tends to self-sabotage when something good happens, such as James Potter who came into her dark and dreary world like a ray of sunshine that she never knew she needed.

CW: Mentions of Blood Prejudice and implications of abuse.

Note: Hi everyone! Any thoughts on the previous chapter? This chapter is a bit short compared to the last one, that being said, hope you enjoy! (2.1k words)

The Wrong Sort

James ultimately decided that you were one of those snobby, posh, and entitled pureblooded kids.

The frown was still etched deep in his face as he saw you being dragged by a boy away from him, all the while shooting a warning glance to his direction.

James absolutely loathes people like you.

Although— he also concluded that you were absolutely breath taking; the good kind. Despite the somewhat permanent emotionless expression on your face, he definitely feels his cheeks heat up thinking of you. He really doesn’t know why.

Maybe he’s getting too worked up because he’s annoyed by your attitude?

Yeah, that’s probably why… It’s the only plausible idea that his eleven year-old mind could wrap around.

“James, darling! Something wrong?” Euphemia calls to her son, catching his attention and ultimately breaking the eye contact between both of you.

He shaked his head, trying to rid of thoughts that were filled with you.

“Nothing mum, a bit pre-occupied is all.”

He was sure you wouldn’t even interact with him again— Hogwarts has tons of students, right? Also, you might be an incoming student of Beauxbautons!

James Fleamont Potter has proven himself wrong when you’re sitting directly across him in one of the compartments of the Hogwarts Express.

He blinked, took off his glasses to rub it with the hem of his shirt then placed it on his face again, blinking multiple times to make sure he isn’t hallucinating. Merlin, were you haunting him? Maybe you are right— he needs to get his glasses adjusted.

Your sigh made it very much clear that you are certainly real and actually in front of him.

Since when did you get here? Why are you and the boy here?

“The other compartments are already full.” You simply told him, as if reading his exact thoughts before pulling out a book and making yourself busy.

He could only blink in response as Sirius looks at him. As if sizing him up. “Erm, may I help you?” He asked, unsure of what to make of Sirius who seemed to take on the role of being your personal protector.

“Sirius Black.” He holds out his hand to shake, James looks down and quickly shakes it back. His charming grin making its way to his face.

“James Potter. Pleasure to meet you.”

“ Potter? House of Potter? I would say the same, but you slammed into my wife a couple weeks earlier.”

James sputtered, eyes nearly bulging out.

Excuse me, what?

Surely Sirius is wrong, right? He can already feel the dismay entering his system and— wait, why would he even be disappointed? He even finds you annoying when you sassed him at Diagon Alley!

“W-wife?” He managed to choke out, eyes darting back and forth between you and Sirius— staring at the both of you incredulously.

You glared, slamming the book as you stared at Sirius before kicking him under the table, eliciting an ‘ow!’ from him. “We are not yet married, Sirius. Please refrain yourself from calling me your wife.”

“But we’re going to be!” He reasoned out childishly, looking like a kicked puppy.

“And we are currently not.” You grumbled, opening your book again and looking at the page you bookmarked before the bespectacled boy turned to you.

“I haven’t caught your name. I’m James Potter, you?”

You felt your eyebrow twitch in annoyance. This Potter boy surely loves to yap, huh?

All you want is some peace and to read without any interruptions, but it doesn’t seem like a viable option. “Y/n Holstein. Pureblood?” You shot him a question, an eyebrow raised expectantly.

James furrowed his brows, “Pureblood. What does blood status got to do with this?” You hummed in a somewhat approving tone before closing your book gently and crossing your arms over your chest as you stared at him. Noticing the Potter crest signet ring on his pointer finger, you concluded he is the heir of house Potter.

Hm, wouldn’t hurt to talk to him.

“It tells you everything about what a person is, Potter. Didn’t Lord Fleamont Potter and Lady Euphemia Potter ever tell you that?”

James blinks, surprise evident in his features. “How did you know my parents’ names?”

Sirius wasn’t all that surprised, he knew Walburga ensures that his studies are rigorous—drowning him with the history of their family, sacred twenty-eight, dueling, and the dark arts.

Ludwig Holstein took it up a notch, much more intense than his mother. He started training you and grooming to be the successor of the house and the Winzengamot seat ever since you were merely five years old.

You frowned, seriously? Was he never educated or was he living under a rock?

“It’s common knowledge to know the Lords and Ladies of a noble house, Potter. Tell me, were you off dilly dallying when your tutor taught you that?”

James can feel annoyance brewing in his chest yet again as he opens and closes his mouth, trying to come up with words.

You sighed, mock disappointment adorning your features. "My my, Potter. I suggest you brush up on your lessons before we reach Hogwarts? I think that would be fantastic."

You smiled at him politely before opening your book and ignoring how he stumbles over his words.

"Y/n, what house do you think you'll get sorted in to?"

Sirius asked, trying to mask the nervous edge in his tone with curiosity as you and fellow first year students line up in front waiting for Professor Mcgonagall call the names of each student one at a time to get sorted.

"Why Slytherin, of course." You replied coolly, an air of sureness surrounding you. He looks at you wearily, "What if... What if we don't get sorted in Slytherin?" Sirus voiced out his worries to you. His grey eyes glancing at the sorting hat warily, as if it’ll expose his darkest and deepest secret.

"You should never dream about not being in Slytherin, Sirius. You aren't foolish, you know what can happen." You uttered lowly, casting a glance at the boy beside you. Walburga and Orion will not be pleased with the heir of house Black being sorted into a house that isn't Slytherin. Certainly, Ludwig Holstein also doesn't welcome that idea.

"Y/n Holstein."

The chatting amongst students suddenly stilled, everyone's focus was directed towards you, the Holstein heir. Merlin, even Dumbledore himself was looking at you!

Normally, you are able to handle other people's gazes directed towards you, but as you walk towards the stool where the sorting hat waits for you, you can't help but feel the twinge of self-consciousness nibbing at you.

Holding yourself up with such elegance and grace, you sat down and felt the sorting hat placed on top of your head.

'Oh? What's this? Another Holstein?' The hat mused, you kept a straight face and looked ahead, not bothering to respond to its comments. It would be useless anyway; you already know which house the sorting hat will pick.

'Where shall I put you...? I have been longing to put a Holstein in Ravenclaw.' It hummed, you felt your stomach drop, cracks were forming on your composure the longer the hat doesn't announce your house.

'You'll do great in Ravenclaw, young Holstein.'

Merlin, no! You tried your best not to grit your teeth as you try to relax your shoulders.

'Do not even try to put me in that house, I am a Slytherin, through and through.' You thought, 'It will be a shame to the Holstein name. A stain.' you added, making the hat droop down, disappointed yet again. It seems that the Slytherin traits run deep in Holstein’s bloods.

Sensing the reaction, you were rather quite pleased with yourself knowing you had already won.

"Very well, SLYTHERIN!" The hat roared, not even a second had passed, loud and boisterous cheers were heard from the Slytherin table, quite uncharacteristic for them but who cares? The Holstein heir was in their house, it gave the Slytherin house more prestige and power.

You let a small smirk appear on your face as your fellow housemates welcomed you warmly and with open arms, if you say so yourself, they look like they're ready to kiss your arse.

"Narcissa, thank you." You smiled, reaching the table and nearing the girl as she saved two seats, you assumed one was for you and the other is for Sirius.

"Welcome to Slytherin, Y/n." Andromeda piped up, smiling at you. You returned her action and uttered out a 'thank you'.

"James Fleamont Potter."

Now that spiked your interest, your eyes observed him as he walked towards the stool in front as if he's just strolling through the gardens of their estate. He sat and not even five seconds in, the hat has already decided his house.

"Gryffindor!"

Cheers erupted from the respective table as they welcomed Potter with open arms. You hummed, "As I've guessed."

Narcissa turns to look at you with an eyebrow raised, "You know him?"

"Barely, he bumped into me in Diagon alley, and he shared a compartment with me and Sirius earlier." You replied, turning your attention yet again in front as Sirius' name was called.

"Sirius Orion Black."

Similarly to you, the chatter stilled and hushed whispers were heard all over the great hall. You noticed how Sirius' shoulder visibly tensed as he sat in the stool while waiting for the hat to announce Slytherin.

You placed some of his preferred dishes on the plate beside you, marking it as a seat saved for him. Narcissa and Andromeda noticed this which made them giggle. Ah, young love.

You raised a questioning brow to them, but they didn't bother to respond, just motioned you to pay attention to the sorting ceremony. You'll be sure to tell Sirius about his older cousin's antics as soon as he joins you in the Slytherin table.

Except he didn't.

He wasn’t placed in Slytherin like everyone expected.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat thundered; the raggedy thing looked proud— almost smug as it announced Sirius' house. You felt time stilled, your eyes and Sirius' grey ones connected for a split second. His eyes screamed at you.

Terrified.

Absolutely terrified.

Surely this must be a mistake?

The cheers beside your table fell to your deaf ears as your attention was solely focused on Sirius. You didn’t notice how the Black sisters wearily exchanged a glance as their eyes darted to their younger cousin who walks towards the Gryffindor table hesitantly.

The feeling of dread entered your system as you faced Sirius— tables and houses apart.

Sirius really felt like throwing up. His head was spinning. His thoughts are in a jumbled, flurry mess, heck— he was even surprised he didn’t stumble on his way over to the Gryffindor table.

The claps from his house can be compared as an annoying ringing in his ears, they all look quite unsure, but still clapped nonetheless. He really couldn’t blame them.

The black sheep of the family.

A lion in a snake’s den.

“Black!” He quickly scanned the table and saw James calling for him and patting the space next to him— at least he won’t worry where he’ll sit for dinner now.

Nearing the glasses-wearing boy, he saw two boys who roughly looked the same age as them converse with James.

One was littered with scars, both old and new. His arms were also noticeably covered in bandages even with the school robes concealing most of his injuries— poor thing.

The other boy, well— forgive Sirius but he reminds him of a rat. You know, if a rat becomes a person, it will look like the bloke sitting beside scar boy?

“What an unexpected surprise.” James grinned, Sirius fought the urge to scoff. This was hell for the Black heir.

Both you and Sirius are uncertain on what this exactly entails, nervousness festering in your stomachs as this was way off from what both of you pictured.

He should be sitting beside you, eating and conversing with his older cousins. Instead, you both were staring at each other, a gap that seems impossible to conquer creating distance between you both.

[cerulean-crow]

I was a creepypasta and mlp grimdark kid- I absolutely loved them and they definitely shaped my interests in horror and gore that I have now! I am not immune to the nostalgia of these infection au��s, and honestly I am thriving. I love reading everyone’s ideas and seeing everyone’s art, and I got inspired to try my own hand at one!

I’ve been calling it the Crystal Heart Contagion. I am not sure how far I’ll take this but it’s fun to draw and think about. I considered going a bit crazy with actual gore, but this was just supposed to be a concept page and I wanted to keep it simple and just flesh out some ideas I had bouncing around in my head. Besides, I actually really like body horror that doesn’t involve a ton of gore- and like that note says, has an air of beauty alongside the disturbing elements.

Again, not sure how far I’ll take this- so I’m just gonna jot down some thoughts and notes! I’ll put ‘em under the cut because I am very wordy <3

Also I try to tag my stuff as best as possible because I know not everyone loves horror and these Mlp horror au’s as much as I do! I don’t want people to interact with my posts if it makes them uncomfortable, so if I miss a tag please let me know.

The Crystal Heart Contagion is transmitted when infected crystals come into contact with one’s bloodstream. The afflicted will experience body pains and stiffness at first, hemophilia, and symptoms like lethargy and migraines. The crystals will begin to form in clusters on the skeletal system, eventually breaking through the skin and, after a long enough period of time, will completely petrify the afflicted in solid crystal.

I imagine that one’s teeth, hooves, and horns are where crystals will begin to break through first. I like the idea of stylizing manes as they crystalize- but that’s exploration for another day!

I am currently thinking of the infection more like a parasite of some kind. Parasitic crystals that feed on magic and rely on living creatures to carry them farther in order to spread themselves.

The infection originally didn’t do much to change one’s personality, they would just get weaker and weaker as they were overtaken by the crystals. It was only when the infection started again, when Equestria was home to many more different species and overflowing with way more magic, that the crystals would begin to mutate at a rapid rate. Those afflicted would begin to show signs of aggression that would have them attacking others, thus leading to further spreading.

Some physical details I like is the eyes hollowing out and resembling geodes! Crystals emerging from the spines, horns becoming crystallized, and crystals forming over teeth and jaw to create fangs are all stuff I would love to flesh out in further detail.

I also love the idea of the chest ripping open to reveal a crystal heart held in a crystallized ribcage! I think I will forever be influenced by the Angel Trap in Saw 3

The idea of this infection is still developing and I’m still doing a lot of research and thinking on the words to describe it. My original thoughts took inspiration from a parasitic infection and rabies. My brain also likes thinking of it like a mold in how it spreads or thinking of the crystals like a coral reef (mostly as a visual inspiration)

The background and timeline is all still a work in progress. I haven’t rewatched the full series in so long and I’m implementing plenty of my own headcanons- so it’s all very vague right now.

The original idea is that the infection started during King Sombra’s reign. He created these parasitic crystals and unleashed them upon Celelstia and Luna’s army with the hopes of dwindling their numbers and expanding the reach of the Crystal Empire further through the Frozen North. When he was sealed away, Celestia and Luna would bring several of the infected back to Equestria for study. They would hide them away deep underground beneath a mountain, where the lack of nutrients in the rock would eventually cause the crystals to stop forming and enter some kind of hibernation.

Celestia would later build Canterlot after the banishment of Nightmare Moon, and she would use the very kingdom itself to block off the caverns and keep them hidden for everyone’s safety.

The Crystal Caverns would become known again during the Canterlot Wedding when Cadance and Twilight escaped from them. However, nothing would ever happen after the fact, and Celestia and Luna would continue to hope that with Sombra sealed away and the crystals dormant for so long, that this infection was truly no more.

When I first got this all in my head, the idea was that Flurry Heart’s Crystalling was what caused the parasitic-crystals to get a kickstart of energy and begin spreading again.

That is the part where the timeline starts getting really wonky. Cause I think I’d want Twilight to be running her school and have the young six around, but that’s in season 8 and the crystalling was in season 6. But I can honestly fudge the timeline however I want, it’s an alternate universe after all.

I think that Celestia sacrifices herself in order to save Luna and help as many people flee Canterlot as possible. This was when I still very early into thinking this au through and a potential story that could be told with it- and with the worldbuilding I’ve been doing over the last few days I don’t entirely know if it still fits. I love the scene in my head that comes from it though- so I decided to keep the sketch of crystallized Celestia in the end.

I love the idea of crystals on her head mimicking sun rays! And her forelegs and wings becoming one so she staggers around like a wyvern. That’s definitely a design I would love to flesh out if I get the time.

I am having fun!

[batbabydamian]

🦇🐥 Batman and Robin (2023) #5 rambling and a conspiracy theory lol

tbh this is the most exciting issue for me since…the first one 💀 i’m going to talk about the story and art separately because Nikola Cizmesija’s one of my favorite action focused comic artists so this issue’s a treat 😭

Alfred used to mediate during a lot of Bruce and Damian’s early relationship, so it’s refreshing to see Bruce take more initiative involving himself in Damian’s life even if it’s for a case lol

a couple instances of Alfred’s fatherly support on behalf of Bruce and Damian from Batman and Robin (2011) #2, 4, 39 and Teen Titans (2016) #1

Damian seems to take Bruce's involvement more as a sign he’s not reliable rather than Bruce finally just. being around to help him. which is fair 😭

this is complementary to Cizmesija’s art, but i love this half of the page so bad 😭 the negative space and the shaded foreground with Damian mid-run gives this feeling of time kinda stopping for us to really feel the impact of Damian’s entrance AND the effect it has on Bruce, like!! that wide eyed expression in the below panel!! 😭

Bruce’s quiet “you can do it, son” to A FULL BODY CHEER OF “GO, DAMIAN!” Bruce witnessing Damian be great outside of Robin, and on top of that it’s just another mundane moment that Bruce has wanted with Damian 😭

this is such a goofy bully line sdfgh though the whole “broken” bit might be a callback to Batman and Robin (2011) #1, in that Bruce is really trying to do his job as a father here or i'm likely reading way too into it

SO the “shocking ending” of Zach being Zsasz’s kid was definitely a surprise but then got me wondering what is up with Williamson doing reveals of new kids for villains lol otherwise, the hints in the issue were neat!

the tally marks!! at least tallying blocks is pretty innocent compared to kills 😭

and Damian would recognize how Zsasz moves, since he’s personally fought him before in Streets of Gotham (2009)!! very much not in a sport, but uh maybe it was to Zsasz

the art!! first a shoutout to the colorist Rex Lokus for giving Damian his green eyes and maybe melanin (it didn’t look consistent throughout so i say maybe)!! 😭 also a Talia by Cizmesija!! even though this panel calls her a “not great” teacher…💀

SUCH A FUN PAGE 😭 i’ve been into montage scenes lately lol and i love how quickly Cizmesija establishes Damian’s routine - Tues, Wed, and Fri are the funniest for me!! Damian grumpily getting lectured by his teacher in the foreground while his classmate’s still visibly steaming from the hit he took LOL, DAMIAN’S BUG EYED STARE WITH HIS SUNGLASSES UP, and then Damian looming. stealthily. in a tree. while some kid is blatantly pointing him out HAHA 😭

Cizmesija’s use of motion lines and effects when conveying movement is so cool!! the shonen manga vibes jumps out!! the smoke/dust trails following the movements; the limbs and soccer ball having a sort of blur effect with the motion lines. V COOL.

which leads to my favorite part of Cizmesija’s work - HIS IMPACT SHOTS!!

more motion lines and effects!! the splatter effects!! the arcs!! the jolting impacts!! GRRAAHH!! the setup to that impact shot of Zach's block is so great, and then following with Damian's reaction!! i almost wish that "???" wasn't there, just because that expression of stunned silence already feels so loud!!

last thoughts about Cizmesija's art is that i'm really hoping for a showdown between Damian and Zach next issue because i need to see a Damian fight scene in Nikola Cizmesija-fashion 😭 we get a taste of it with Orca and soccer but i NEED MORE LOL for now, dropping the moment when Damian overpowers Zsasz, in Batman: Streets of Gotham #11 since it was such an epic moment

okay SLAPPING MY CONSPIRACY BOARD!! so on another note Principal Stone being Shush is starting to feel like a red herring and Ms. Heather Hall could actually be Shush. Shush’s main point about Damian as his instructor was emphasizing how much potential he has, but the “wrong” influence could affect that

Stone and Hall have made the same observation about Damian’s potential, but the difference is how they address that - one wants Bruce to be more involved while the other wants Bruce to back off

Stone acknowledged Damian can take care of himself but still wants Bruce to step up in Damian’s life; Hall says it’s okay to be a helicopter parent BUT implies giving Damian space (which we already know Bruce has given so much of after Alfred’s death to the point of neglect 😭)

Hall even suggests moving Damian on to college, which would estrange Damian further. also idk how Damian kicking his teammates/bullies asses at soccer is really “making friends” lol

and of all the subjects she’s teaching, it’s AP Biology - according to the current case Batman and Robin are working on, which is centered around DNA-sequencing, it makes Hall the perfect accomplice to Langstrom

this is where my brain started reaching because i laughed at first at how specific that comparison is, but then it just made me think of how Shush’s first introduction was sniping Bruce LOL anyway, Bruce’s reaction is me 😭

one more Cizmesija appreciation panel - the lil running effects behind Damian :)

[supakixbabe]

Ah, hello. I welcome you back to your normally scheduled program of me deciphering what I think is happening within a wrestling storyline by concluding all context and visual representations. It’s a little something I call, “Kayfabe With Laura.”

Today’s topic: Hangman’s Redemption Story; Is Hangman Okay?

The answer is: No.

By now I’m sure you all have either come to the conclusion ‘Hangman’ Adam Page is either a face, heel, or justifiably morally gray before he returned and after he returned. Let’s break down Hangman’s vignette that was shown on AEW’s Saturday night program, Collision. The vignette showed Hangman sitting alone in what is to be believed to be his living room while movers are packing up his things and moving them to what we now know is where he relocated to. Followed by his favorite artist Orville Peck playing ominously in the background. While I can’t decipher the Peck song, I can give you my thoughts on what I think it means.

The song is, “Chemical Sunset” by Orville Peck. There’s a line in his song that goes: “I can see it in your eyes, you're not afraid to die.” And what I got from that is Swerve and The EVPs took everything he had. Made him hate who he is even more than he already does. This man is no longer afraid of the consequences of his actions and will go down swinging. He wants Swerve Strickland, that is his main goal. Swerve broke into his home and went into the presence of his kids' nursery to threaten them both. And Hanger being a family man, you just don’t screw with other people’s families.

We all noticed his shirt. It was the same shirt he wore when he was kicked out of The Elite the first time. The same shirt he went drinking his sorrows in. People are convinced Hangman is on a warpath for the championship, but I’m here to tell you it’s a lot more than that. Sure, he’s consumed by needing that gold strap around his waist; he feels like that will solve all his problems and he’ll be whole again, but he mainly doesn’t want Swerve to have it. Swerve went to depths no man should ever go to with another man, and Hangman wants his redemption, but not just for him, but his violated family.

Hangman lost to Swerve three times in their rivalry, the fourth was a triple-threat at Revolution 24’ so I can’t necessarily count that one. Their match at Wrestle Dream 23’, then their Texas Death Match at Full Gear 23’, then their Dynamite match before Revolution in 24’. Hangman has been blinded by unadulterated rage. Plus Swerve not giving him that ‘five more minutes’ really killed him inside. And his former best friends, the EVPs, Nicholas and Matthew Jackson are latching onto his rage and pushing him through obstacles to get what they want, not really caring if he gets the redemption he needs.

Hangman’s shot was unfortunately taken away by “The American Dragon’ Bryan Danielson by losing to him in the Owen Hart Cup, but I do not believe this is over.

This brings me to Blood & Guts coming up in less than a week; Team AEW Vs Team Elite. Now before you all get excited, Hangman is not a part of The Elite. This is merely a business deal for him to get his hands on Swerve. That’s all he wants – blood. Swerves blood on his hands and his head on a stick. Yeah, it used to be about a championship, but now it’s about Swerve not being on top any longer than he currently is. Now as Matthew and Nicholas seem to think they are on the receiving end of a good deal, they may have made a huge mistake by adding Hangman.

If Hangman is fueled by his rage, who's to say he won’t turn on The Elite during or after the match. Who's to say he won’t be blinded again and cost The Elite the match? Tensions are running high, but one thing is fairly certain, Hangman is on a mission and he will not stop until Swerve’s time on the mountain comes to an abrupt end.

My only question: Can Hangman and The Elite co-exist even after everything that went down? There is some serious bad blood between them all.

Note: Feel free to reblog with your own thoughts and opinions. I love reading them. ♥️

[aheckinmess]

Don't Lie Over Spilt Milk (Dad Nanami)

(Part 3 of Season of Serendipity.)

Read on AO3.

Tags: Dad Nanami, Child Yuji, Child Yuuji, Original Female Character(s), Original Child Character(s), Ryomen Sukuna, Ryoumen Sukuna, Nanami Kento, Yuji Itadori, Yuuji Itadori, Besu Sukuna, Parental Nanami, Dad Sukuna, Soft Sukuna, Protective Sukuna, Canon Divergence - AU, Sukuna Has a Daughter, Yuji is Nanami's Son, I Merged Two of My Series, Yuji Itadori is a Good Friend, OC Gets Picked On, Yuji is Protective and Determined to Help Her Feel Better, Sukuna is a Good Dad, In His Own Way, OC is His Little Princess, Fluff with Angst Sprinkled In, Fluff and Angst

Word Count: 3, 267 words

Summary: Yuji and Besu become fast friends in Pre-K, but when a group of classmates tell Yuji they won't sit with Besu because they think her dad is cursed, Yuji is determined to prove them wrong.

Author's Note: This took so long to write and went on longer than expected, but it was so much fun! I don't really know where this series is going, but it's adorable and I'm not stopping any time soon.

Yuji and Besu were inseparable. For one of the most extroverted kids in class, Yuji could be found almost exclusively by Besu’s side. For one of the quietest kids in class, Besu talked Yuji’s ear off anytime they were together. 

When Ms. Chotto chose their partners instead of letting them pick this morning, Yuji gave Besu a smile and went to find his group, instantly relaxing into a conversation. He didn’t worry about Besu until Kia and Kai both stepped over to his table and sat down.

Which was odd because they were the only other two in Besu’s group.

“Can we sit with you?” Kia wrinkled her face into a frown.

“Yeah. We don’t want to be in her group.” Kai matched her expression.

Yuji looked over to see Besu staring at her table, her coloring page already finished. He tried to see her face, but her pink hair created a veil between them. When he turned back to the twins, Fuyuki and Yuto were already ushering them over with smiles.

“Why don’t you want to be in Bechan’s group?” Yuji interrupted them, feeling fire heating up his chest. “She’s really nice. And she doesn’t copy your work.”

“Don’t you know who her dad is?”

“My mommy told me that he’s really mean.”

“Yeah! I saw him in car line and he’s really scary!”

Yuji stared at his tablemates, dumbfounded. He’d met Mr. Sukuna plenty of times! Often, Otouchan would speak with him to give Yuji more time to play with Besu after school. And if Otouchan was friends with him, there was no way he could be mean!

“There’s nothing wrong with him. Otouchan talks to him all the time.”

The entire table gasped and shoved their chairs away from the table. The commotion led Ms. Chotto over to see what the issue was, and Kai immediately pointed at Yuji.

“Yuji’s dad is cursed!” 

“He speaks with Mr. Sukuna!”

Ms. Chotto sighed and shook her head, kneeling at the table full of children.

“Those are not very nice things to say. People are not cursed just for talking to others.”

“But Kai’s right! My momma said that Mr. Sukuna is a cursed man!” Fuyuki explains. “And he’s got tattoos!”

“Mr. Sukuna has given no one any reason to believe he’s mean or cursed. And that should be no reason for you to leave Besu to do all of her work alone.” Ms. Chotto said sternly. “Now, go over there and apologize. And finish your work!”

. . . . .

Yuji sat by Besu during recess as she filled a yellow bucket with sand. Yuji felt bad for her and decided to be her tunnel digger. He knew she liked mixing together the sand. Besu quietly and methodically filled her shovel and poured it into the bucket. Shovel, pour, mix. Shovel, pour, mix.

“Do you think I’m cursed, Yuji-kun?” Besu broke the silence as she flipped her bucket over, patting the bottom and revealing the beginning of a sandcastle.

“Don’t listen to Kia and Kai, Bechan. You’re not cursed, and your dad is great! He gives you the best snacks.” 

She nodded, but Yuji didn’t think she really believed him. The burning fire in his stomach returned, but this time he felt sick, too. Frowns didn’t look right on Besu’s face.

“We’ll show them. I’ll ask Otouchan if I can go over to your house! And then they’ll see that there’s nothing scary about your dad!” Yuji said, pausing to pick out a tiny pebble caked under his nail.

Besu lifted her head minutely, seeming unsure, but when she heard her father’s voice across the playground she waved to Yuji and rushed over to crawl up into his arms. She buried her face in his neck and squeezed him tight without sparing another glance to Yuji.

Yuji watched her go, and when his dad came into view he shot over to him like a rocket.

“Otouchan, can I go to Bechan’s house this weekend?” He asked, grabbing Nanami’s hand as he looked up at him.

“Mm?” Nanami quirked a brow. “I guess we’d have to ask her father first, Yuji-kun. We don’t have any plans. Are you sure you don’t want to invite her over to our house?”

“No! It has to be her house!”

That got Nanami to raise a brow.

“Oh? Why is that?”

“Fuyuki’s mom said Mr. Sukuna is a cursed man. And I’m gonna go over there so they know he’s not!” Yuji stated matter-of-factly as Nanami walked him down the street.

“I see.” Nanami squeezed Yuji’s hand and led him home. “I’ll see what I can do, Yuji-kun.”

. . . . .

When Nanami drove Yuji over to Besu’s house that weekend, Yuji readied himself with all the essentials. He stashed his detective hat in his overnight bag, along with a flashlight for late night searching. A magnifying glass and a toy laser shooter joined their company. 

Nanami even let him bring a disposable camera! He was ready to prove to those kids that there was nothing wrong with Besu or Mr. Sukuna!

“Now, you know what number to call if you need me, Yuji-kun?” 

“Yep!”

“And if you can’t remember it, do you know where to find it?”

“On the tag in my bookbag!” Yuji patted his bag and unclipped the belt to his car seat in seconds. “Come on, Otocuhan!”

“Wait, Yuji-kun,” Nanami chuckled and a moment later he helped him out of the car. 

Yuji saw Mr. Sukuna at the end of the long driveway with a hand in his pocket. Besu hid beside him hugging his other arm.

“Hi, Bechan!” Yuji’s pace doubled as he pulled Nanami along with him. “Guess what? I brought my magnifying glass and my hat so we can play Detective!”

“I have a hat I can use too!” Besu brightened and Yuji smiled.

“Come on! Let’s go–”

“Yuji-kun, aren’t you going to say goodbye?” Nanami called from the doorway.

“Oh!” Yuji giggled and rushed back over to him. He barreled into Nanami and squeezed him tight. “I love you, Otouchan! See you tomorrow!”

“Be good, Yuji. Try not to cause much trouble.”

“Okay!” Yuji grinned, bumping into Mr. Sukuna as he stepped back. “Sorry, ‘scuse me!”

He flew around the large man back to Besu as Nanami shook his head with amusement, making a few final comments to Sukuna about bedtime and dietary needs. 

“Just make sure he doesn’t have any sugar before bed. I’m sure you can see, he fires on all cylinders without sugar as it is.” Nanami chuckled.

“Otouchaaann!” Yuji whined, pouting as he turned around.

“Okay, okay.” Nanami turned with a wave. “Have fun, Yuji-kun.”

“Let’s play Detective, Bechan!” Yuji had his bookbag open in seconds, shuffling through clothes and toys before a large hand settled over his.

“I’m glad to see you’re excited to play, Yuji. But why don’t you let Besu show you where you’re staying so you can keep your stuff in one place?” Sukuna suggested, raising an eyebrow.

“Okay!” Yuji nodded, turning back to Besu, who giggled and tugged his arm.

“I told Daddy that we’ll stay in the upstairs! There’s a window where you can see all the stars, and I made us a blanket fort!” Besu rattled on, hiking up the stairs two at a time in her excitement. “And he’s making us sushi for dinner! Oops, wait…I wasn’t supposed to tell you. I wanted it to be a surprise. Um…pretend we’re having meatballs!” 

Yuji liked this Besu much better. Ever since Kia and Kai said Mr. Sukuna was cursed, she’d lost her smile. Yuji could feel bright light flooding his chest as he watched the corners of her mouth reach her ears.

“Meatballs, got it!” He agreed easily, and then his mouth hung open as he set his bag at the door. “Woooww. Is this your room?!” 

“Mhmm!” She beamed. “And look! Daddy had Mr. Mokuzai build a shelf in my wall. Now I can keep all my books here!” She hopped onto her bed and started pointing out all of the pretty colors. “And there’s a big window! That’s where we’ll sleep so we can see the stars. See? I told you I made a fort!” She pulled him inside and Yuji laid on his back and stared at the sunset through her large picture window.

“Wow!” Yuji gaped again, eyes twinkling with the reflection of sunlight before he remembered his bag. “Oh, yeah! Come on, Bechan, let’s play Detective!”

While Yuji loved playing with Besu in general, he was determined during this sleepover to get plenty of evidence that Mr. Sukuna was not cursed! He took her exploring through the house with his magnifying glass, looking for proof of Mr. Sukuna’s not cursed-ness. 

“Why is Daddy’s dreamcatcher going to help show Kia and Kai that he’s not cursed?” Besu whispered as she stood guard at her father’s door. 

“It catches his dreams so he can’t have cursed dreams!” Yuji said.

“Oh! What about this, then?” She pointed up at some green pieces of glass hanging from strings against Mr. Sukuna’s door. 

“Won’t that hurt us? It looks like glass.”

“It’s seaglass. Daddy says it helps him see ghosts so he can make sure they don’t hurt me!” 

“Ooo, yeah! Grab that too!”

By the time they’d compiled a large group of items meant to serve as proof, a knock sounded at Besu’s door.

“Besu? Yuji?” Sukuna called, and chuckled when the two of them poked their heads out of the fort. “Dinner’s ready.”

“Oh, boy!” Yuji exclaimed, before remembering he wasn’t supposed to know what dinner was. “Are we having meatballs?” He covered quickly.

Sukuna smirked and Yuji thought he’d been discovered, but he merely waved for them to follow down the stairs.

“No. But Besu wanted dinner to be a surprise, so why don’t you come see what we’re having?” He offered.

Yuji flushed at Besu, who giggled and raced him down the stairs to the dining table. Once both were set, they wiggled eagerly in their seats. Sukuna placed their plates down and Yuji beamed as sushi served with sides of ohitashi and edamame made him salivate.

“What would you two like to drink?” 

“Milk!” 

“Me too!”

“Okay, but you both have to drink your green tea afterwards.” Sukuna warned.

As both children hastily agreed, the room grew quiet as Yuji stuffed his mouth with food and the only sound between the three of them for a good ten minutes was the clink of silverware.

“So, Bechan, I see you and Yuji have been going through the things in my room.” Sukuna hummed as he reclined. “What’s all that about?”

“We’re gonna show Kia and Kai–” Yuji began, but Besu cut him off.

“We were playing detective and those were our clues.” Besu said, her eyes focused on her plate.

Yuji tilted his head at her curiously. Sukuna made a low rumbling noise in his throat.

“Is that so?” He said. The way he said it made Yuji frown into his sushi, stuffing a big piece in his mouth so he wouldn’t have to say anything. “So what was all of that about cursed dreams then?”

Besu didn’t say anything, but Yuji was practically combusting from the need to explain the situation. He wanted her to look at him so he could figure out why she wasn’t telling her dad about Kia and Kai, but her hair hid her face from view as she continued staring at her plate.

“We were talking about your dreamcatcher.” Her voice was soft and scared, like the first day Yuji met her. “It keeps you from having cursed dreams.”

“Besu, what aren’t you telling me?” 

Yuji couldn’t help himself.

“Mr. Sukuna, it was–” But as Yuji reached out his hand, it sent his milk glass tumbling over. “Oh! I’m sorry!”

Sukuna’s reflexes were quick as he ran over to a roll of napkins and he soaked up Yuji’s drink. By the time they cleaned it up, Besu’s lip quivered and tears ran down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Sukuna. I didn’t mean to.” Yuji apologized.

“You’re not in trouble, Yuji.” A pause settled between the three of them. “And neither are you, Besu. But I want to know what you’re so scared to tell me.” 

“Do you want me to tell him, Bechan?” Yuji asked.

“I appreciate your attempt at honesty, Yuji, but this is something I need to hear from Besu.” 

Yuji watched Besu sniffle in silence for a minute or two before she wiped her eyes and looked up at her father.

“Some kids at school said that you were cursed, so Yuji-kun and I were trying to play detective so we could find stuff to prove you weren’t.” She whispered.

“It was Kia and Kai!” Yuji adds, feeling a pressure off his chest now that he could talk about it. “They wouldn’t sit with Bechan because they said you’re mean and cursed! Fuyuki and Yuto thought so too! But I told them that you can’t be cursed because Otouchan talks with you all the time, and Otouchan says you’re a good man. But Fuyuki said her mom thinks you’re cursed because you have tattoos and so we were getting stuff and taking pictures so we can show them you’re not!”

“Besu, is that true?”

She nodded, and Yuji shoved one more piece of sushi in his mouth while the two spoke. His hands clenched into fists at his sides when he heard her sniff. Yuji watched Mr. Sukuna set his chopsticks aside and glided over to kneel by her chair. He moved her pink hair out of her face, and Yuji thought he looked a lot like Otouchan did when he tried to help Yuji during a crying fit.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Princess?” He cooed.

“I-I didn’t…” She choked on her words for a few minutes, and he pulled her into a pair of strong arms. Yuji couldn’t help himself. He toddled over to them and threw his arms around Besu. “I didn’t want you…to be sad…be-because they said you were bad.”

A beat of quiet got interrupted as Sukuna suddenly burst into laughter and squeezed Yuji and Besu together.

“Oh, my little princess, you’re too sweet for your own good. Too sweet to be mine.” He sighed and smiled, before ruffling Yuji’s hair. “But you’re good at picking friends. You’re a good kid, Yuji.”

 Yuji beamed and then asked if there was any more sushi.

. . . . .

For the rest of the evening, Yuji and Besu continued their trek through their house with Sukuna’s blessing. Besu also swore he’d left extra items out for them when they circled back to the living room to find an old gold piece hiding under a magazine.

“We might have just missed it the first time.” Yuji reminded her.

“No. Daddy definitely put it there.” Besu giggled.

By the time they’d amassed enough evidence of Mr. Sukuna’s non-cursedness, it was time for bed.

“Besu! Yuji! Time to get ready for bed!” Sukuna called up the stairs. “Be ready in ten or I’ll pick off all your toes and eat them for breakfast!”

Yuji’s eyes widened at Besu, who only laughed as she grabbed her clothes.

“He just means he’ll tickle us if we don’t get ready fast.” She explained, and ducked into the bathroom to change. 

Both of them were ready well within the ten minute range, but that didn’t stop Sukuna from coming in and pulling Besu into his arms to tickle and torment her with raspberries against her cheek. Yuji rocked onto his back with a boyish giggle before the moment ended and Sukuna tucked them into their sleeping bags under the blanket fort.

“Now, you’re sure you don’t want to sleep on your bed, Princess?”

“I’m sure. I’m gonna show Yuji the stars!”

“Okay. Well, you sleep well. If you stay up late behind my back, make sure you’re asleep before dawn.” He pinched her cheek.

“Okay.” She smiled.

“And you sleep well, too, Yuji.” Sukuna said, ruffling his hair.

Yuji grinned, but chewed at his lips when a question came to mind. 

“Mr. Sukuna, why do you think Kia and Kai think you’re cursed?”

“Hmm,” Sukuna rumbled, looking between the two of them before sighing and resituating his long legs. “I have a theory, but it’s a bit of a long story.”

“Will you tell us? Please?” Besu sat up, eyes sparkling in the evening light. 

“Yeah! If you tell us then we can definitely prove Kia and Kai are wrong!” Yuji agreed.

“Very well.” Sukuna shook his head as they both turned their attention to him. “Besu, when you were just a girl, your mother grew very ill and died. I’ve told you the story, yes?” When Besu nodded, he continued. “Well, before your mother died, and you were still a baby, we moved into this house. At the time, and even still, it was rumored to be haunted.”

“Haunted? But we’ve never seen any ghosts!” Besu gasped. 

“That’s because it’s not actually haunted.” Sukuna chuckled and patted her head. “But because it hadn’t been lived in and was abandoned for a while, people thought it was. Some men who weren’t very nice stopped your mother while I was paying for groceries one afternoon and when I walked out, they were crowding around her, threatening her for staying in the old Juju house and calling her a…well, some not nice words.” When he paused, Yuji watched him put a hand over his mouth for a moment before his hand settled into a fist on his knee. “Well, I couldn’t let them hurt you or your mother. I beat the bastards…shit, that’s a curse word. Damn!” He facepalmed and Yuji giggled. “Anyway, I beat them up for messing with the two of you and was put in prison for it. The neighborhood we stay in is bad about gossip, so the whole neighborhood knew that I’d been in prison and they stayed away from us and told your mother to leave me or she’d be cursed.”

“Why didn’t you tell them about the bad men?” Yuji asked.

“Her mother tried, but sometimes adults can be very closed-minded.” He pulled Besu into his side to kiss the top of her head. “Like I was, before I met your mother.”

“Then what happened, Daddy?” 

“Well, your mother didn’t leave me. She was pure of heart, much like you, so she stayed by my side until the very end. Unfortunately, it was shortly after that that she became sick, and only a little while after that she died. That seemed to solidify to everyone that she was cursed, and by extension, me.”

“So, if we show them what we found, maybe they’ll see that you’re not cursed!” Besu said, hugging her father’s arm. “Right?”

“Well, Princess,” Mr. Sukuna sighed. “People don’t always work that way. Sometimes when they’ve made up their mind, they’re set on it.”

“But we can still try, right?” She pressed, face determined.

“Yeah! Since we played detective, we can show them you’re not cursed!” Yuji added.

“Heh,” Sukuna looked between the two of them and tickled both of their necks before he stood. “Maybe you’re right, kiddos. Sweet dreams, then.”

When he left the room, Besu suddenly tackled Yuji into a tight hug.

“Thank you for helping me, Yuji-kun.”

Yuji could only squeeze her back before they relaxed on their sleeping bags on the floor. And Besu told Yuji all about the stars and their stories, just as her father had told her growing up.

Their eyes closed just before the sun began to rise.

[lovelytsunoda]

welcome to wherever you are (the lore behind the verse)

'sup guys, here is the long awaited post about the very real lore behind the welcome to wherever you are series! i am a big fan of music from the eighties, specifically rock and new wave. i was really inspired to write this series shortly after learning about the life and times of inxs, a band i have loved since i was a kid listening to 'the stairs' for the first time. this is a very niche special interest area, and i feel like sharing the lore would really add to the series. so, without further ado, the real life history behind one of my favorite reader inserts. the lore is under the cut :)

y/n elodia heaven hutchence, was two years old when her father, australian rock god, michael hutchence took his own life in a sydney hotel room. while his death occurred in 1997, and lance stroll was born in 1998, i have adjusted (and been purposely vague) about his time of death to make the ages for the story line up. she was raised by her single mother, and eventual stepfather paul, with the help of her father's ex-bandmates, kirk, gary, tim, andrew and jon. of the four, she's closest to kirk for reasons she can't explain.

given her father's popularity in australia, comparisons were not easy to escape. she leads a very private life, away from the prying eyes of the gossip magazines. every few years, she carefully composes a statement that she releases to the press, giving minor, inconsequential life updates.

now, it is important to note that while the basis of this au is based in real life, almost all of it is fiction. the true story of michael hutchence and the people he left behind, including daughter tiger lily, is sad.

here is a link to an article by the new zealand herald that talks about his downward spiral, brought on by a massive brain injury he suffered in the early nineties. as a result of this injury, he was left unable to smell or taste. he also lost his ability to regulate his emotions, and was prone to angry outbursts, a sharp change from a man who friends had said was calm, lively and full of spirit.

helpful links about the life and legacy of michael hutchence: inxs wikipedia page, michael's wikipedia page, podcast episode on michaels death, inxs' first interview since the death of micheal hutchence

to this day, saxophonist and guitarist kirk pengilly maintains that micheal spoke to him in a dream just days after his death, with the singer saying ‘I’m alright now, you don’t need to worry about me any more’

it's stated that micheal had a fear of not being loved, and a confirmed fear of growing old. i'd like to think that these are traits baby hutchence shared with her father until she met lance.

despite being australian by birth, micheal was buried in los angeles, where his mother lived. he is buried in the same cemetery as matthew perry. baby hutchence has never visited his grave.

lance and y/n would have met through a friend. and by friend, of course I mean kirk. kirk and his wife would have gone to a grand prix, and when kirk first laid eyes on lance, he had a gut feeling that he was a good fit for yn.

their first date would have been low key, on the beach at sunset. a picnic followed by a trip out on tim’s boat (before tim lost his fingers in a fishing accident).

they were married two years later. andrew thought they were rushing into it too fast. gary and kirk thought that when you know, you know (they also have four divorces between the two of them, so what do they know?)

all y/n and lance knew was that they were truly and madly in love, and that’s exactly where our au starts.

for those who want the full inxs story, please consider watching ‘never tear us apart’.

[jackfrombaskinrobbins]

daredevil fam celebrating teen!intern!reader's birthday! (headcanons)

type of writing: headcanons / scenario

word count: 906

request: yes / no

original request: “HIII FAVORITE AUTHOR OMG ok soo my birthday is comin up on the 19th and i was just wondering how the daredevil fam would help celebrate w a teen!reader -- intern or adopted kid, whichever you’re feelin. and there’s literally no rush! i’m just excited that my birthday’s coming up :) “

dynamic: daredevil fam (nelson murdock & page) x teen!intern!reader

characters: reader, matt murdock, foggy nelson, karen page, josie, marv LMAO

a/n: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! omg i hope u have the best day ever!! this request was SO FUN to write & i rly loved thinking up how the fam would help celebrate!! i used a more professional looking pic bc i think these headcanons may be my most chaotic LMAO 🫶

taglist: @nutellani @thecloudedmind

(fill out this form if you'd like to be on my taglist!!)

-----------------------✰----------------------

ok so the way they found out it was ur birthday is lowkey stalker-ish

maybe not full stalker but it’s not like it was out in the open.

a certain… ahem…. fogwell foggy foghorn fogster fog jr 

i forgot his full name this is embarrassing so let’s pretend i said that on purpose as a joke!!

haha hehe omg mae ur so funny

why thank you!!

anyways he was looking in ur file that ur school had given nelson murdock & page so that u could legally work there

and he saw that ur birthday was in two days!!!

two days!!!

so he was in full panic mode

below are real (YEAH, REAL!!) texts he sent to karen & matt

i gotta prepare myself yknow i gotta get in that foggy texting headspace

ok i'm ready

ahem

“OMG (oh my gosh) 😱😱😱😱!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! y/n’s birthday is in TWO DAYS 🚨🚨🚨RED ALERT RED ALERT 🚨🚨🚨we have to do something for them!!!!!! like maybe get a gift 🎁or some cake 🍰🧁🎂? they would like that, right? of course they would, who doesn’t like cake 🤩🤩🤩🤩?? well, except for you matt 😡😡i judge you for that. JK (just kidding) LOL (laughing out loud)... or am i🤔🤔?? anyway we need to be READY!!!”

imagine matt’s text to speech reading that

like it would be saying “exclamation point” until the end of time LMAO

(laughing my ass off)

HAHA

also i do think matt prob doesn’t like cake

he prob would want one of those meatloaf cakes for his birthday like the ones that ppl “frost” with mashed potatoes? they seem like his vibe

ok anyways so you were kinda suspicious when you got to the firm the next day

you had a lot of stuff to file so you were trying to get down to it

but then they all kept coming over and asking questions

“hey, y/n. what’s your favorite color?”

“[your fave color].” you answered

and karen nodded but she took out her phone and made a note so you were like “hm”

but you thought nothing of it

and then matt came over 

and he was like “what’s something you like”

and you were like “...”

and he said “well?”

and you were like “just… anything?”

“yeah.”

“uh… i like watching baseball. and … cats.”

“ok, baseball and cats. perfect.”

and then he smiles as he walked away because he understood that he just unintentionally made the perfect pun

THE PURRFECT PUN OMG

so that was kind of funny

and kind of sweet bc like maybe they were trying to connect w u more!

but then u saw foggy taking a picture of u filing

“foggy, what the hell are you doing??”

you knew they didn’t like you swearing in the office but y’all desperate times call for desperate measures

“uh.. i’m… taking a selfie.”

“yeah? let me see.”

so he tried to hide it from you

but it was very clearly a photo of you!!!

“foggy --”

“y/n. it’s a new filter. don’t worry. it only LOOKS like you. it’s actually me.”

“uh-huh.”

so you went to bed that night kinda nervous

like were they going to kill u or something??

did u need a witness??

oh well

anyway so the next day was ur birthday!!

yayyyyyy

happy birthday to u happy birthday to u happy birthday y/n happy birthday to u

that was from me to u reader, but ik u wanna know what matt and foggy & karen say so i’ll go do that

you were lowkey scared to go in the office

bc again, they were all acting weird 

AND AS SOON AS U OPENED THE DOOR

u heard foggy whisper “go”

and then nothing

and you heard foggy curse and karen was like

“we told you these confetti poppers were expired!!”

regardless, they all were like “SURPRISE!!!”

and you were totally floored

bc this was like so nice

& u never expected for them to do anything for ur birthday

THEY EVEN GAVE YOU A GIFT!!

really really nice seats to a baseball game!!

not that it mattered for matt where u sat 💀 

OK SORRY I'M DONE W THAT

and yeah they were gonna go with you 

which was so cute like aww

KAREN MADE YOU CUPCAKES

bc lets be honest she would be the best baker

and she piped these like little cats on them!!!

they were so cute

except for the fact that they weren’t in the fridge so they were kind of half melted

but you loved them so much it literally didn’t matter

if you didn’t suspect that this internship was the best thing to ever happen to you before, you definitely had it confirmed now.

ok last little anecdote so i don’t end on such a cheesy note

HAHA

after u did some filing

ok it was ur birthday but that didn’t mean u got out of work

the fam took u to josie’s and foggy told her it was ur birthday

and she was like “happy birthday kid.”

and then she looked him straight in the eye and was like “you’re not getting food for free because of that.”

but guess what?

everyone in the bar was pretty jolly bc its a bar guys ppl drink

anyway so they sang happy birthday to u!!

ur fave old man marv (who u had that wing eating contest with once) led the singing

IT WAS THE BEST DAY EVER :D

-----------------------✰----------------------

[secrets-of-everwich]

11-3 Rin’s Final Statement

[Click]

[Electronic hum underlies recording]

{Callie}

Hello, and welcome to this episode of Secrets of Everwich. I’m here with Rin again, to get her full statement of the case.

{Rin}

Hi.

{Callie}

Can you start at the beginning, and tell me everything that happened up until now?

{Rin}

Okay, I guess. Start of the month, Emilia didn’t come into school. We had a chemistry test that day, and I knew something was up, because I’ll be damned if Em’s ever missed a chem test. She loves chemistry. I think I called her? I don’t remember at this point, to be honest. Either way, I remember being really worried because she didn’t really talk to me that much that day.

The next day was my birthday. Ash surprised me by calling me over to his house, I thought they needed help with something, but then Xavier and Em were there too, and they’d set up a surprise party for me. It was nice. But Em didn’t really talk to me, or anyone else. We then went round to this place-

{Callie}

For the record, we are currently in Everwich Manor. Sorry, continue.

{Rin}

Yeah. Everwich Manor. We went round to Everwich Manor, to see the show tour, because… I don’t really know why Ash wanted to bring me to it, to be honest.

[Laughter]

We were in the queue, and Em really didn’t say anything, didn’t look at us. I noted that she was looking pale, and she just kind of shrugged and said- Oh what did she say? Something like ‘It’s nothing’, or something. I dunno, whatever she said it felt different.

X and Ash walked off, so it was just me and Em. I have to say, it was… Kinda awkward. She didn’t say anything, barely responded to me. I was getting really worried to be honest. It was interesting- You know, you’re really good at the tours.

Oh… Thank you! Continue, continue!

{Callie}

{Rin}

We got to the end of the tour, and we stood around looking for Ash and X, and Ash appeared from somewhere else. I knew something was up. He’s my best friend, I’ve known them since we were kids, I know when something’s up. But he shrugged, and X appeared, and we left to go back to Ash’s place. Well, just me and Ash. Em just kind of disappeared, and X said he had to do a tour.

The next week or so- Few weeks? I don’t remember at this point. This whole month has been… Weird, to be honest. But, I kept seeing Em acting weird. As I said before, she was in the girl’s bathroom a lot working on some kind of experiment. This one girl, Abby, came up to me and that Em was doing some kinda weird chem experiment in the bathroom. I remember running to see what it was, cause I’d been looking for her anyway. She hadn’t been sat with me, Ash and X. If she’s not sat with me and the others, she’s in the chem lab, or the library. But she wasn’t.

I then went to see my grandfather. Well, my dad and Jamie’s mum made me, and my siblings. Jamie was showing off- What was she showing off? Some awful singing or something, and Grandpa took me to the side to show me his old journal. It wasn’t until he said that he knew something was wrong with the town that I started listening. I had a flick through and got to the page about his friends acting weird. I was really shocked, to be honest. It was the same as how Em had been acting.

So, I called Ash and they said that he would get bored, but to tell you, so, you did, and… Well, you’ve got it on tape how that went. I thought everything was fine. Em was acting normal again. I… I thought it was okay.

Then Ash came running, crying. Saying Em and X were going out. They’d been spending a bit more time together than normal, but… It was weird. Normally it’s me coming to Ash in a moment of crisis. I’d never seen him like that. They were… Really upset. I dunno, even I felt annoyed that Em and X were together. Maybe it’s cause they didn’t tell me. So, I told Ash that I’d always be on his side. It was scary, to be honest. The thought our friend group would split that much so close to our exams.

Ash eventually went home, and I woke up to a phone call.

[Rin’s voice sounds like it’s trembling]

Em had…

{Callie}

It’s okay, I know. You don’t need to say.

{Rin}

No, I- I know she’s okay now. [Sniffing] She’d tried to kill the spider. It had got back on her. I don’t even know how. I thought we’d gotten rid of it. I didn’t know it was the spider though.

I dunno, I don’t remember much of what happened next. I just felt so numb. I couldn’t think properly. Jamie’s mum told me to take her to school, but I didn’t even get as far as the playground. I just left her there. It was like my body was moving without me meaning to.

And then Ash was there, and he grounded me. Told me everything was okay. Told me Em was alive. Told me it was the spider again. God, I don’t know where I’d be without Ash. He told me everyone was in Everwich Manor, and that Jamie was in the playpark, she’d been there all day. I felt awful for just leaving her. And then we came back here.

[Rustling]

{Callie}

Thank you for telling me this. It’s really useful, getting a full picture of the ‘case’. If there’s anything else, just let me know, but in the meantime can you go and get X?

{Rin}

Okay.

[Rustling]

{Callie}

Hey, I like your new hair! It really suits you that short.

{Rin}

Oh. Thanks. It was… An accident. I need to get Ash to help me even it out. God, Jamie’s mum’s gonna have a field day telling me about how I’ve ruined my hair again.

{Callie}

It looks nice.

[A pause]

[Door opening]

[Door closing]

I hope Emilia wakes up soon. I’d like to get a statement from her. I hope she’s okay. In the meantime, I’m going to get a statement from X.

[Click]

[stitchlingbelle]

Watching Halo, Episode 2

Episode 2

Ok kids, I binge-watched this entire show and took THIRTEEN PAGES of handwritten notes so I didn’t forget to talk about anything that caught me! So let’s be about it.

First off, may I say how much I appreciate that John is not a good-looking guy? He’s just a dude (the other Spartans likewise) and that sells the whole thing to me more than if they were all pretty. (Granted, I also thought Hiddleston and the cucumber guy were not pretty, so YMMV.)

Speaking of the other Spartans, how many are there? “Silver Team” implies the existence of a “Gold Team”, at the very least. And we open with a flashback to at least one getting away, or trying to—is he the only one to try, or to make it out? John apparently was supposed to go with him, or so Soren thought. He doesn’t (obviously), but he does give Soren a small headstart. (I can only assume that John/Soren is one of the top tags on AO3, this is Serious Emotional Bond stuff.) Why is Soren able to want out? Glad John didn’t shoot him.

In the present, Halsey is plotting something, because of course she is. The Spartans are trying to track John down, seemingly under some protest over whether he actually needs to be tracked down. I pegged Kai as the smartest Spartan last episode, and I’m getting confirmed in that opinion now. She questions and she thinks. Whether this is going to serve John’s arc or the UNSC, I don’t know yet.

Here we are with Kwan and Master Chief, with Kwan asking the real questions, which is a talent of hers. May I take a quick aside to point out that asteroids do not, in fact, float around that close to each other? It’s a very fun SF trope, though. Oh, so THIS is why the place is called “Rubble”. Clever. That is a seriously cool asteroid city design. YAY for someone speaking Hungarian! This show excels at showing that more than people from Iowa made it off the planet. (I appreciate all the accents to this end, as well.)

Uh, the armor’s a bit conspicuous, Chief, shoulda left that on the ship. Wow, they found Soren fast. (Has Kwan ever been off-planet before? She’s looking a little overwhelmed. Which is fair, shit is A Lot right now.) I laughed at the “mind the gap” reference. The tram thing is pure Universal Studios Ride bait.

I have a lot of feelings about Kessler and Laera, in order:

Cute kid and happy family? Oh shit they are doomed.

Otoh, Laera’s pretty glammed up, maybe she’s the sell-them-out type

Pale hair, intense eyes, Covenant destroyed her planet? Is she related to Makee?

Cute little stamp, this kid is DEFINITELY doomed

…unless they get to tragically lose Soren, instead? I TRUST NOTHING HERE

“Soren speaks of you often.” “Not that often,” Soren says flatly to the man he left behind. You talk about him constantly because you two were deeply in love, I’m calling it.

Makee is planning a mission to get the magical alien tech, full of references I would absolutely get if I were a gamer and which I instead absolutely don’t. As a fan of several long-running scifi series in an era when a lot of them are retreading ground (some brilliantly, some not), it’s novel, annoying, and deeply refreshing all at once to have to discover things as the characters do. I am still super obsessed with Makee’s costume design, and the aliens’ appearance is very well-done. They clearly put a lot of effort into making them stand up.

The UNSC brass are politicking and plotting, as the brass in any universe does, and I’m sorry, AI and cloning are never, ever good ideas in settings like this. I feel for Miranda getting constantly shut out, etc. I do wonder what the other Spartans want. Like, what are their goals? What do they think of the different people ordering them around?

Back on Rubble, Soren’s getting churros and saying “I know a guy,” which of course he does. Reth was… a choice. Ngl, this whole bit was deeply uncomfortable for me. We did get some good intel on the object and the Covenant. I absolutely appreciate Soren calling out explicitly the Mommy Dearest-ness of Halsey, she has predator vibes you can see from space. I do wish we knew more about the (apparently very few?) prisoners the Covenant takes and why and how they pick them. YIKES YIKES YIKES what did that thing just do? And who else can activate it?

And there goes John, leaving Kwan behind (so she can tragically die alongside the tragedy-bait kid??) and returning to Halsey and her creepiness. Meanwhile, Makee gets a gratuitous nude scene, which on one hand had me rolling my eyes and on the other had me glued to every detail of the construction design of that costume. So thanks, I guess, director dude.

Credits roll… wait, what do you mean, executive produced by Steven Spielberg???

[patheticlittlemen]

WORK WIFE

[Edward Nashton x Male Reader]

Chapter 3-Before You Know it, It’s Home

Words: 1844

Warnings: None

You wake up feeling groggy and a little nauseous. Forcing your eyes open, you’re surprised to see an unfamiliar room, small and only lit by the rising sun in the window. You carefully pull yourself out of bed, realizing you’re in nothing but your underwear. You’re getting more concerned now, trying to remember anything after you fell asleep in Edward’s car but the entire night was hard to recall. Maybe you did get the company you joked about last night.

Stepping carefully outside of the room, you see a couch with someone on it. Moving closer, you realize it’s Edward. You breathe a sigh of relief, assuming he just took you to his apartment. The other question, however, is what happened to your clothes. Scanning the area, you spot a room with the door cracked open, revealing a washing machine and your clothes folded neatly on top. Trying not to wake Edward, you make your way to the room but about halfway there your foot slams into a book lying on the ground.

A string of expletives leaves your mouth as the pain sets in, no doubt waking Edward. You turn towards the couch, seeing Edward blinking his eyes, clearly confused about what was happening. He reaches over to a small table next to the couch and puts his glasses on.

“Oh shit! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-” He says, turning away from you.

“If you’re worried about my lack of clothes, I wouldn’t worry too much. I clearly wasn’t the one who took them off and washed them.” You say, laughing a little. Edward turns his head towards you, still shielding his eyes.

“I’m sorry if it was overstepping boundaries, you just-”

“Edward,” you say, cutting him off, “It’s fine. That was very kind of you to wash them.” Edward seemed to relax a bit at that, and you continue to the laundry room to grab your clothes and find the bathroom to change.

After splashing your face with water and deciding you look presentable enough, you enter the kitchen to see Edward taking food out of the fridge.

“You gonna make something?” you say, startling Edward with your sudden appearance.

“Oh, I mean I figured you’re probably hungry, so I was going to make breakfast.”

“Wow, that’s really nice. I’d love that.” You say, smiling.

“How do scrambled eggs and bacon sound?”

“That sounds perfect. Do you have coffee?”

Edward grabs an already full mug and hands it to you.

“Not as fancy as the kind at work but I added sugar and creamer for you,” Edward says, giving a proud little smile. You take a sip.

“Amazing as always.” You say, smiling in return.

“You can sit over there, hopefully this won’t take too long to make,” Edward says, pointing to a tall counter with two chairs next to it.

You nod and pull a chair up, noticing a newspaper on the counter. You set your coffee mug down and pick up the paper, flipping through it. It was a few weeks old and you already read it so you’re about to set it aside when you see pen marks on one of the pages. Opening the page fully, you see it’s an article about some masked vigilante that had been in the news a lot recently. Various sentences were underlined and there were some notes scribbled off to the side, but at the bottom was a word circled many times.

Justice.

While trying to decipher the chicken scratch written underneath, you hear Edward walk towards you. Feeling like you were seeing something very private, you flip the newspaper to another page and set it down. He smiles as he sets down the plate in front of you but a nervous look flashes on his face as he sees the newspaper.

“Were you…” Edward looks like a kid who was caught stealing candy.

“I was just looking through,” you say as you notice the page you flipped to was a filled-out crossword, “I didn’t know you liked crosswords.”

Edward relaxes and walks over to the chair next to you. He sets the plate and a cup of coffee down in front of him and shakily breathes out.

“Oh… yeah. I like all kinds of puzzles.”

“That’s cool. I really like the ones where they tell you how many squares are filled in rows and columns that make a picture at the end.” You say, pouring salt on your eggs.

“You’re probably thinking of nonograms. I like those too.”

“Crosswords are fun though. I think my best time for one was around 8 minutes.”

“Wow, that’s pretty impressive,” Edward says, taking a bite of the eggs.

“It was probably a fluke, I’m not always that good.” You admit. Edward hums with understanding while shoveling more of the eggs into his mouth.

“I gotta say, you’re better than any hookup I’ve ever had.” You say, taking a bite of the bacon. Edward chokes at this remark and you look over at him, worried.

“Are you…” you realize how the statement might have sounded, "Oh my god no! I mean you made breakfast for me, that’s more than anybody else has done.”

Edward takes a sip of his coffee and clears his throat.

“Y-yeah, I figured that’s what you meant. Just a strange thing to hear.” You laugh a little at his statement.

“I’m sure everyone you bring here loves it.” You take a sip of your coffee.

“Well, I… I mean you’re probably the first person to come here. I don’t like people in my space.” Edward stammers.

“Well, I’m flattered. Don’t worry, I won’t ask about your sex life anymore.” You say, laughing a little. Edward’s cheeks flush as he downs the rest of his coffee and gets up to refill it.

“Another cup already?” You say as he walks over to the coffeemaker and pours another cup.

“I didn’t get much sleep last night. I was worried about you, so I was watching you most of the time.” Edward admits. You look over at him, feigning shock.

“You watched me sleep? Weirdo.” You say jokingly as he makes his way back to the counter. Fear shines in Edward’s eyes for a second, but he picks up on your sarcastic tone.

“Would you rather choke on your own vomit? I was doing you a favor, you toss and turn a lot in your sleep.” He retorts.

“I guess that makes it alright.” You say dramatically.

“You made some noises in your sleep.”

“Oh, did I?” Your face flushes with embarrassment.

“Yeah, kind of like… well, kind of like squeaks and sighs, I mean-”

“That’s humiliating.” You stare down at your plate, ashamed.

“Well, I… I thought it was kind of cute.” Edward says quietly. You turn your head to see him looking at his own plate, cheeks red. You laugh lightly at his statement.

“Good to know. Luckily I didn’t talk in my sleep, otherwise I could never show my face around you again.”

“I hope you don’t really think that.” Edward turned towards you and something about the look in his eyes made your brain short-circuit.

“Oh…no, I was joking.” Something about what Edward said brought you to reality and the fact that you were alone with Edward in his apartment made you lightheaded.

You finish your food, anxiety setting in. Edward doesn’t say anything else but takes both your plates to the sink. You drink the last of your coffee, trying to force your pounding heart to calm down.

“Thank you so much for this Edward. You’re very kind for doing all this,” you say, setting the mug down next to the sink. Edwards turns towards you and gives a soft smile.

“Of course. I’m glad to help you out.” He reaches in front of you to grab the mug and you try to step back out of his way but you lose your balance. Edward grabs you quickly before you hit the floor. You lock eyes with him and even after you stand up, he holds on. The worry on his face disappears and the few seconds you’re looking at each other feel like hours. Edward snaps out of it first and takes a step back, pulling his arms back gently.

“Oh… s-sorry.”

“No, you’re okay. I’m just clumsy today it seems.” You say with an awkward smile. Edward lets out a nervous chuckle in response.

“Do you want a ride home? It’s pretty cold out.” Edward offers.

“That would be nice. Could I borrow a jacket? My sweatshirt is kind of thin.” you say hesitantly.

“Yeah, let me go grab one.” Edward quickly walks to his room as you find your shoes next to the front door and put them on. He comes out and hands you a gray jacket, walking away to put his own shoes on.

The car ride is painfully quiet. You try to come up with things to say but no words form in your brain, heart still pounding from the strange interaction earlier. Edward pulls into your apartment complex and stops at the door. You unbuckle your seatbelt and go to open the door, but it’s still locked.

“Um, can you unlock the door?” You say, nervous to break the silence.

“Yeah, sorry…” The lock clicks and you open the door.

“Thanks again for everything.” You say, with Edward humming in response.

Your head spins as you make your way to the building. You look behind you as you open the door and see Edward watching you. You flash a smile and enter the building, hearing Edward’s tires squeal as soon as the door closes behind you.

Mindlessly making your way to your apartment, the morning replays in your mind. Waking up, realizing where you were, the strange newspaper, having breakfast, Edward catching you. It repeats over and over until you open your door and fall on your couch. You rub your eyes, catching the scent of what you now recognize as Edward’s cologne and realize you were still wearing his jacket. You were kind of happy that he said nothing about it, but a thought hit you.

Edward undressed me.

You thought little of it while at Edward’s apartment but now it was nagging at you. It wasn’t so much the fact that someone saw you in only your underwear but was instead the fact that the someone was Edward.

Deciding to find something to do instead of overthinking about last night, you sit up and something falls out of your pocket. Looking to see what it was, you realize it was from Edward’s jacket and pick it up. It was a piece of paper from your work used to add up transactions, neatly folded. Scribbled all down the front were the words “I am enough”. You turn it over and see a drawing that catches you off guard. It was amateur, but you recognized your face in the scribbles. There was a smile on your face and above your head was a speech bubble with dark, scrawled words.

“You matter.”

[tenfoldtranslation]

Phew, first draft of volume 1 turned in!! I'm so looking forward to once this gets announced and I can actually talk about it!! Hopefully it'll have more readers than the last series I worked on ^^; Especially because we really need to make it to some of the later volumes, like people need to buy it so we can get to at least, like, volume 8!

To celebrate, here's a short list of translation quandaries/thought/notes that would be too stupid to put into print!

’Bowl’ is better but I think it says ’皿’ so we’ll go with ’dish’

When the original says "evolve" but that's not how evolution works

’shitsuke’ is hard to translate

(ahh now I see why my editor was complaining about the apostrophes, they only show up as pointed the wrong direction when I copy-paste them out)

Apparently lay is transitive and lie is intransitive, who knew??

Silly owner! -> Tricks are for kids! (changed it to Stupid owner!)

KIDDEN (I can explain once the series gets announced)

Looking up the difference between sardines and anchovies

"Thanks" with your mouth full: could be "Danks" but that looks too much like "dank" (went with "Fanks")

MC is really great but there are several lines the get borderline creepy if you look at them wrong ("SFXCreep", "Ahh. You smell so clean.")

you KICK Miette?! (but that’s anachronistic to when this first came out ;o;)

Translator’s notes I can’t include: this reminds me of the eromanga days ("I’ll make sure it’s not scary. So relax, okay?")

(Followed by "I’m not blushing. Not blushing!!" It do be like that sometimes)

This series has a lot of one-page gags which is way different than the ones I worked on before, it's kind of nice to have it all condensed like that!

(It took me like, a dozen reads to finally get all the tiny story threads with the art and the jokes I think)

Oh wait I forgot to send this!! "[Page 36: The joke was originally a play on ’hayaoki wa sanmon no toku’, meaning ’there’s benefit to getting up early’, and [character] heard ’sanmon’ as ’salmon’.]"

(Same character) ohhh, [redacted]-yuki, light snow fall; small snow flakes (like her tips)

へーい -> Mmkay.

It's kinda refreshing, I guess, that we see [main character] without a shirt on a lot...?

About さんきゅー: lol I’m gonna says ’thanks’ is okay since it’s in hiragana (and then I changed... and snuck in Purrfect, thanks; that'll probably get changed. There's actually a spot where it says "Perfect" later, but I think changing it would interfere with a joke there.)

Translator’s notes I can’t include: since it doesn’t actually say body horror ("Like body horror?" -> "Like a horror movie.")

Translator’s notes I can’t include: ("don't make up a man to get mad at" -> "Don’t judge what you don’t know!")

thank goodness for Katekyo Hitman Reborn so I know what a 仮定教師 is

There's a panel that just says マーキング that kinda squicks me out for some reason.

doesn’t specify which meal but, dinner? could be both…? ("今日のご飯なぁに？" -> "Yuya, what are we having today?")

SANMA SAURY

oh same problem here actually, it’s not necessarily rice… (ご飯)

[character name] is named after another character I like from Ajin and acts like another character from D.Gray-man, so those influenced my first draft, but I think I have a solid enough grasp on his own character now after reading up to volume 10

see ’picked you up’ really doesn’t work here (for 拾う, because it means 'took in', but it could get confused with 'lifted off the ground')

too sexy for his shirt

if boku is uke and 俺 is seme, is オレ switch? >>

[main character] really doesn’t strike me as someone who’d say ’Tch’??!! -> "Got me."

oh, cat fight, I hadn’t noticed (I get so focused on the words sometimes it takes me way longer than it should to notice the art)

meager? flimsy? sparse? skimpy? paltry? *scant?

Translator’s notes I can’t include: also now it’s a sneaky Ajin reference (right?) OH that's why I wanted 'play ball' and not 'play catch'... (it did get changed to 'play catch' as of now)

LOTR potato song

just realized [character's name] looks like [redacted] Street

"ass backwards" would be really funny too (went with "Do you two know the phrase ‘cart before the horse’?)

Things on Walmart are called ’senbei’ so that means I can use 'senbei' too right

we were just doing this to Panda (scaring my friend's cat and her tail puffed up)

OMg the jisho example sentence for gikuri… 圭はその問いにギクリとさせられたが、頭を何でもないといいたそうに横に振る。 [redacted] is startled by that question, but shakes her head as it to say that it’s nothing

two very conflicting purposes for this line: not revealing [redacted]'s gender, and also conveying what the line means >>

not to mention it's about おっぱい and this isn't that kind of manga

I mean I guess we could just say 'buns' (instead of dango) but since we're launching directly into Otsukimi that seems unfair to the reader

(It was really funny how frequently things I was doing irl overlapped with what was happening in the manga as I worked on it! Christmas, mochi, snow, cats being cute...)

hey their names all use different writing systems

もみもみ-> knead knead, directly followed by こねこね→knead knead

"Super" seems too girly for [redacted female character]?

"You know, in other countries, they say a lion lived there [on the moon]." I swear I searched for at least half an hour and I cannot figure out what this is talking about. Hopefully someone else can figure it out.

oh like the wood getting in the mochi?? (from the thing you pound the mochi in, we had just been talking about that)

"The moon’s so pretty." -> I love you?

"now I’m translating and I don’t want to get up bc of the cats…"

Staying with my host sister in Tokyo-Chiba gave me perspective on what really counts as ’inaka’ LOL

I probably posted about this already, but over the 2.5 months of translating this, I've become hyper-aware of dekopons. They're everywhere! Even in the U.S.! Trader Joe's just featured them in their latest flyer!!

Translator’s notes I can’t include: deception by orange: ("OK BUT THEY HAVEN’T EXPLAINED THIS YET… god am I going to be sucked into ANOTHER red herring about oranges XnX" -> after Code Geass many moons ago)

"ああしてるとやっぱ男の子だな" -> "Boys will be boys." I dislike this line but I feel like this is an okay solution…? except [main character] isn’t like that XD is that making a new point? I mean I guess what he said in JP would be making the same point… < ah that’s funny because [main character] is supposed to be (speaking?) more feminine

"やっぱユーヤはかっこいいね" -> "You're handsome." this feels like a huge stretch but also supremely in prince [redacted] character?? like she says it offhand. okay well the first word on jisho for kakko ii is ’attractive’, so maybe handsome works? I still think this is the right choice

Tara-> cod means you get poetry like "I think we’ll do hot pot with cod for dinner."

Translator’s notes I can’t include: moyashi (?) ! (like D.Gray-man) -> string bean

is that too SpyxFamily? -> Borf (from わふん) (Went with WORF) (I did borrow "shock" for ガン though)

I thought it sounded dumb but I’m getting attached to it… ("Alarm of cuteness blast")

uptight? careful? particular? mindful? cautious…

Translator’s notes I can’t include: Knitting doesn’t work that way. Also even if it does, the clothes would look more knitted...

仕事、おつかれさま -> "We know you worked hard today." is this what gets me cancelled

最高気温10度 well actually that one works both ways XD XD XD whether it's Celsius or Fahrenheit, 10 degrees is still cold!!!

I don't think the book they're reading about Santa is any existing book in particular

"I’m not a kind" oops -> "I'm not a kid" (silly typo)

"It’s no fun receiving without giving in return." "Prepare yourself!!" (this is about presents, but... is that too sexual or am I just a bad person? it’s fine. bad person confirmed)

lol that puts "Roger!" in two of my series too

Heh sounds too lecherous but hmph sounds too dispassionate…

I really should be writing this 100% in caps all the time huh (since manga is usually lettered in all caps, it might be better to have an idea of what it might look like)

[artzychic27]

Incorrect sb+ib with she ra and the princesses of power quotes?

Max: Imperfection is what makes scientific experimentation possible! Imperfection is beautiful!... At least, to me.

—

Alya: Isn’t it obvious? There’s an amok spy somewhere in the school! *Thunder and lightning* And no one is going anywhere until we figure out who it is!

—

Scarlet Beetle: He’s just so cute!

Monarch: I am not cute!

—

Rose: It’s not easy being the friendly and upbeat girl all the time! And I get that it’s hard being friends sometimes. You gotta work at it. So why am I always the only one who’s willing to work at it?

—

Jean: I can’t cry on cue. Whenever a roll calls for tears, the only thing that works is thinking about people falling. They’re tears of laughter, but no one can tell the difference!

—

Ikati Black: Ooh! Are we messing with Scarlet?! *Sits in Scarlet Beetle’s lap and purrs*

Scarlet Beetle: Ikati, do you have to sit right there?

—

Aurore: The Scarlet Akumas are wreaking havoc across Paris! We gotta find a way to survive, and-

Cosette: Leave this to me! *Slams their notebook on the table and opens it to a few illustrations* I've been keeping track of everyone’s weakness. And I've figured out the best tactical strategy to overpower every one of them. Nath’s weakness is obvious.

Aurore: Uh-huh, uh-huh. Real obvious. And, um, ahem, what is it exactly?

Cosette: Everyone knows he twisted his ankle when he was a kid. If you keep him off balance, his injury will act up on him. *Flips to a page of them kicking Nathaniel’s ankle* So if we come across Evillustrator, I'll target it, and subdue him, and take his akuma, and save him, and remind him of it every time he tries to take the last cupcake at lunch! *Shows a drawing of Nathaniel handing her a cupcake*

Simon: Right. But could we circle back to your not-at-all-weird-and-very-detailed theories on our weaknesses?

Ismael: Yeah, not all of us will be as easy as a twisted ankle.

Cosette: Oh, you don't believe me. That's--That's fine. I'll just demonstrate. Simon’s weakness? *Pushes a laptop off of a desk which Simon quickly catches* tech.

Simon: Demon!

Cosette: Mireille- loud noises. Reshma- also loud noise. Aurore can't act to save her life. Also, EXTERME pigtail-envy with Stormy Weather. Ismael- crippling self-doubt mixed with overwhelming hubris.

Ismael: Whoa, whoa, whoa, that's, like, really personal compared to loud noises.

Denise: What about me?

Cosette: An inability to unleash your full strength due to your overwhelming fear of hurting the people you care about.

Denise: Some might say that's actually a positive quality.

Cosette: It's really not. Jean weakness... *Scrolling through a comments section* Terrible reviews of plays he was in.

Jean: NO! *Smacks the phone out of Cosette’s hand* You've spent a lot of time thinking about this, huh?

Cosette: Contingency plans are how you win, and we will win.

Lacey: Okay, we get it. They are easy to take down. You and your files don't have anything on real threats, like me. *Sees Cosette holding a picture of her brothers over a lit match* You monster!

—

Marinette: *After meeting Audrey* Chloé… *Holds her hands* You’re worth more than what you can give to other people. You deserve love, too.

—

Monarch: I’m like, the only one who’s not a hero.

—

Denise: I Am Brave, Strong, Loyal, And I Give Great Hugs!

—

Simon: What does it say?

Alix: *Reading her dad’s note* It says, “What did the ancient Greeks say when they burned dinner?” … “It was ruined.”

—

Cosette: So, we all pitched in, took Jean’s ration bars for a week, and made this! *Points to a cake*

Jean: I’m hungry, but celebrating your victory is worth it.

—

*After the Wish was made, it’s now the canon universe*

Lila: *Sits next to Nathaniel* Hi. I’m Lila.

Nathaniel: Oh, hey. Nathaniel.

Lila: … *Stares at him* You know, I don’t know what it is, but I do not like you.

—

Nathaniel: *Pulling Alix along* Come on, let’s get you outside. You need some air.

Alix: No, Nath, I don’t need air- *Suddenly, she and Nathaniel are on the roof of the school* … How… How did we get out here?

Nathaniel: We climbed up, like we always do. Don’t you remember?

Alix: I don’t know what’s happening to me. It’s like I’m losing my mind!

Nathaniel: You just need to relax.

Alix: Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. I’m fine. Everything’s fine. *Looks at Nathaniel, and for a brief second, he turns into Monarch* …

Nathaniel: Of course, I’m right. Everything’s perfect. I mean, unless you count HawkMoth running around, but, that’s why we got Ladybug and Chat Noir.

—

Lila: *Pouring some chloroform into a rag* In fact, Kim, I think I know some nice people who can help if you just-

Kim: *Quickly turns around and Lila hides the rag* Lila! You have to remember something! Tell me you remember! Everyone’s acting like things are perfect, except for you. Oh, and don’t get me started on Nath-

Lila: Nath?… Nathaniel?… *Has a flashback of Monarch striking her with his cane and a pink tambourine cracking*

Kim: … You do remember.

Lila: … N-No, I… *Has a flashback of Monarch snatching Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black’s Miraculous* I mean, I don’t know. And, Nathaniel, he… Did he… Do something? *Looks around, startled* … What’s going on?! I keep forgetting things!… This is all wrong! How did we get here?

—

Marinette: *Having flashbacks of Monarch transforming back into Nathaniel, putting on the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous, and smirking* Nathaniel. It was Nathaniel! Nathaniel did this. He… He was dressed as Shadow Moth, he took… *Flashes back to Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black unconscious on the ground transforming into Kim and Max* The Miraculous… He made the Wish?!

—

Kim: Oh, wow. This is gonna be a lot to explain. And it’s gonna sound a little weird, but I swear, it’s all true. *Sighs* … Reality is collapsing in on itself because of the Wish Nathaniel made back in a different reality. The Nathaniel here had the Butterfly Miraculous in the other world except you guy don’t remember because the Wish altered memories. It was pretty crazy. The Butterfly Miraculous is now in Hawkmoth’s hands, but I promise, it used to be Nathaniel’s, and Marc had the Peacock Miraculous, and I was fighting Nathaniel and Marc when they had the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous, because I had the Ladybug Miraculous and I was fighting them alongside by partner, Ikati Black. I had the same powers as Ladybug, but a cooler suit, but Nathaniel- Monarch, used the Ladybug and Black Miraculous to make the wish, and I need Ladybug and Chat Noir to help re-do the wish and save all reality. *Takes a deep breath and starts panting*

Master Fu: I… Uh…

—

Marinette: *Grabs Austin T’s shoulders* Austin, I know what I’m about to say sounds crazy, but-

Austin T: Is this about the unstable portal caused by Nathaniel’s wish that’s slowly consuming and warping our reality?

Marinette: Now, you’re not gonna believe- What did you just say?

Austin T: Oh, I figured it all out a while ago while you guys were still freaking out about Nath and Marc being villains in another reality.

—

Marcelle: Nino! You aren’t the spy!

Nino: You don’t know that! It all makes sense. Who else could it be? *Thunder and lightning*

—

Cosette: I think I saw Marinette with Nino’s phone.

Nino: Wait, you guys have been here the whole time?

Cosette/Simon/Lacey: Uhh…

Cosette: *Offers a cupcake* Cupcake?

~

Sabrina: I can’t believe you read those two! Dark Mystery: The Mercury Case is my favorite.

Alya: Ugh, that one’s so predictable. I saw that twist coming a mile away.

~

Chloé: *Posing on the table*

Kim: Chloé. You weren’t even there.

~

Adrien: I told you how I took out 100- No, 150 guys, right?

Alya: *Groans*

~

Nino: You have to arrest me for everyone’s safety! Otherwise my evil alter-ego might do it again!

Max: Nino. Knock it off.

~

Chloé: *Posing with a ball and chain*

Kim: Still no! And put that back!

~

Max: *After interviewing Manon and Kiran, Mme. Bustier and Mendeleieve, and Denise and Simon who look a little irked after their date was interrupted* Not them. No. No.

Lacey: Okay, so, I think, like, maybe Scarlet Beetle did it!

Alix: Hey! We already questioned you!

Lacey: Oh yeah, I came back for the cupcakes!