#Key West Update

[medicinemane]

I'm not fucking listening to a video on geopolitics if you're gonna but dramatic fucking generic as shitty movie music in the background

This isn't Batman trying to figure out what the Joker is up to, this is real world shit going on, and I'm fairly familiar with the subject and you just happened to have a detail I don't know as much about in your title

So I'm like cool, let me learn about what's going on with that

Well I'm clearly not gonna with your shitty video. You're a backwards clickbaiting moron trying to drum up investment using techniques I think are cheap and bland in even movies, so why would I want them here?

You absolute pissant, you fucking stain on society, you're a worthless little idiot with nothing useful to say that's trying to turn important shit into entertainment and I think you suck ass

Fucking hell, imagine I talked about the US economy while playing bad dramatic music in the background, it would be stupid

I clearly know more about this than you, for an american civilian with no special access to information, I'm probably one of the better informed people on this subject. Your yank ass can fuck off cause it's really only people actually from the area and actual professionals that are gonna know more than me on this

I am actually annoyed, and I'm just annoyed by every last fucking thing being turned into entertainment by random little internet parasite

[roxygen22]

Timothee sickfic but you chose whatever sickness

With Female reader plz

Since I just posted a Timothée/Laurie sickfic yesterday, I switched to a sick reader instead.

Stay With Me

C/W: fever, fainting, hospitals

I heard a muffled voice as I came to, like I was underwater. When did I fall asleep? I felt someone shaking my shoulders.

"[incoherent mumbling]...[y/n]...[Y/N]!" The voice became clearer. Timothée's voice. "There you are. Stay with me, baby. Stay with me," I heard him say in a panic. I felt him kiss my forehead. "Oh f*ck, you're burning up."

I blinked and looked around, confused. Why am I in my bedroom floor? When did Timothée get here? I saw the outline of Timothée's form, but I couldn't focus on it. I only knew it was him by the sound of his voice. It sounded like he was calling someone. I didn't want to sleep, but I couldn't stop my eyelids from closing again...so tired...

The next time I woke, I heard the distinct sound of a heart rate monitor. I could smell noxious aroma of disinfectant. Am I in the hospital? Why am I here? The beeping intensified as I became more cognizant - and fearful - of my surroundings. It took a lot of effort to finally get my eyes open. All I could see at first was the harsh fluorescent light above me.

Once I could focus, I looked over and spotted Timothée's head on the bed. His frame was slumped over from his seat next to me. His hand held mine as he slept using his forearm as a pillow. He jumped up from his seat when he felt me stir. I saw the look of sheer relief on his face when he locked eyes with me.

"Oh, [Y/N], baby, you're awake! Oh, thank God, you're awake." Timothée sandwiched my hand between his and kissed it repeatedly. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

"What-" I tried to ask what happened, but my throat was too dry to make more than a raspy sound.

"Shh, shhh, don't strain your voice. Here, let's get you some water." He used one hand to support my head and the other to hold the cup as I took tiny sips from the straw. It felt like I hadn't drank anything in days.

"What happened?" I finally managed to get the words out.

"You didn't answer the door when I came by to pick you up for dinner. I got worried because I hadn't heard from you since we exchanged texts that morning, so I used my key to get in. I found you passed out in your bedroom floor. I have no idea how long you were like that. You-" his voice cracked. "You weren't responsive when I tried to wake you up. When you came to, it wasn't for long. You were feverish, too. I got scared and called 911. They brought you to the hospital."

"Do they know what's wrong with me? How long have I been here?" I had so many questions, but that was all I could muster.

"You've been in and out of consciousness for two days. But even when you were awake, you weren't lucid. They ran tests - you contracted West Nile Virus."

"Two days?! Have YOU been here for two days?" You dropped your head to the pillow. "All of those mosquito bites from the photography walk."

Timothée nodded. "That's what tipped them off to check for WNV first. They asked me about your travel history and habits. They wanted me to stay in the waiting room until they confirmed you didn't have anything contagious, but they relented if I agreed to mask and glove up after I kept bugging the nurses for updates. I didn't want you to wake up alone."

"You hate hospitals," I whimpered.

He half-smiled. "Not as much as I hated the thought of you being alone and scared." He kissed my hand again.

Timothée stayed with me until I was discharged days later, only leaving long enough to go shower and grab some clothes for both of us. He drove me home and helped me to my apartment. He cleaned out my fridge of any expired foods and went shopping to restock it. He waited on me hand and foot and even tucked me into bed. When he acted like he was about to leave, I asked:

"Stay with me, Timmy. Please."

"Always," Timothée whispered as he settled under the covers next to me.

<><><><><>

Masterlist

Tag List:

@croatianprincess

@bluizh

@jindongdongie

@groovyqueer

[mamirhodessxox]

Carlos: Remember, when burying a body, make sure to cover it with endangered plants so it’s illegal to dig up!

Carlos: Make sure to follow me for more gardening tips!

———————————————————————

Y/N: Bottling up negative emotions is bad for your health, so you shouldn't do it.

Leon : I know, that's why I bottle up all my emotions, both positive and negative, so it cancels out.

Y/N: Th-that's not how that works-

———————————————————————

Leon: I love you.

Y/N, not paying attention: What was that?

Leon: I said I’m selling you to the zOo-

———————————————————————

Carlos: Standing next to sunflowers always makes me feel weak like ‘look at this fucking flower. This flower is taller than I am. This flower is winning and I’m losing.’

Jill: Wow, you are not ready to hear about trees.

———————————————————————

Leon: Are you an F5 key? Because that ass is refreshing.

Y/N: Are you a software update? because not right now.

———————————————————————

Y/n: Oh, fiddlesticks! That really ruffles my feathers!

Leon: Please, just say fuck.

———————————————————————

Chris: Where are your parents?

Leon: What are parents?

Chris: That’s just about the saddest thing I ever heard get said.

———————————————————————

Y/n: We need to open this locked door. Leon, give me your credit card.

Leon: Here.

Y/n, pocketing it: Thanks. Carlos, break down the door.

———————————————————————

Y/N: Listen, in the wild wild west there is always a woman in the saloon and nobody messes with her even though they all have guns.

Leon: That's because she's a prostitute.

———————————————————————

Leon: What’s sexting?

Y/N: I'm not having this conversation with you.

———————————————————————

Y/N: Know why I called you in here?

Leon: Because I accidentally sent you a dick pic.

Y/N: *Stops pouring two glasses of wine.* Accidentally?

———————————————————————

Leon: We should get you to a doctor for a check up immediately. What if it happens again, and there isn’t anyone around to help you? What if it’s congenital? Oh my God! Was it me? Did I hurt you?

Y/N: …You realize any other person that made their partner pass out on bed would simply feel really proud of themselves, right?

———————————————————————

Leon: I’m proud to identify as morosexual. I’m attracted to dumbasses and dumbasses exclusively. Someone asked me what the Spanish word for "tortilla" was once, and now I dream of kissing them under the moonlight.

Y/N: What kind of animal is the Pink Panther?

Leon, already taking off their clothes: God, Y/N, you’re so fucking stupid.

[staytinyville]

OUTLAW (46)

ATEEZ poly!ot8 x Reader

Cowboy AU / Wild West

Series Masterlist

Warning: none

A/N NOT BETA READ. PLEASE EXCUSE THE LATE UPDATE. Holiday weeks have officially passed (boo) so we are hopefully back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Your jaw was clenched as you stared at the building in front of you. The boys all stood behind you, trying to come up with a plan to infiltrate city hall. The only thing on your mind though, was getting your father out and putting Hendricks behind bars where he belonged. 

“How do we get in?” Seonghwa asked. 

“We could use the side window, like last time.” Yunho answered. 

“People would notice us by the time we crawled through.” San said. 

“We could wait until Klein steps out and we kidnap him.” Wooyung suggested. 

Each of the boys were too preoccupied with trying to find a way in, that they hadn’t noticed you march your way through the front doors. Your adrenaline from the anger was kicking in and you had not movement to stop your legs and think about a plan before going in. 

“That would take too long.” Hongjoong shook his head. “Quaid could be gone by then.”

“Angel?”

Your hands pushed the door open, making it slam against a wall. Everyone inside flinched, turning to see you walk further in and towards the back of the building. 

“Hey, what's going on?” A worker asked, quickling trying to block your way. 

“Out of my way.” You glared, finding Klein’s office and throwing the door open. 

“Miss, you can't go in there.” The worker called out, but you had shut the door in his face before he had the chance of walking in.

“Stop her!” Someone shouted on the other side of the door. 

However you had moved to turn the key, quickly locking it. Turning on your heel you faced Klein at his desk with Hendricks sitting in front. Hendricks crossed his arms as he took you in, clenching his jaw, while Klein was confused over the whole thing. 

“What is the meaning of this!?” Klein sputtered. “Who are you!?”

“Why don't you ask your dear friend Hendricks.” You turned your stare to the sheriff, turning your nose up.

“Serving men well?” Hendricks asked, eyes boring into you. 

“Arresting innocents ease your mind?” You sneered back, glaring at the older man.

“Excuse me—” Klein tried to put in. 

“This doesn't concern you.” Hendricks scolded the mayor, making you glare harder. 

“Don’t speak to him that way.” You shot back.

“Who are you to tell me what to do?” Hendricks stood from the chair, moving into your personal space. 

You took a step back, an unsettling feeling falling into your chest from how much the man wanted to intimidate you. It wasn’t that you were trying to get away from him. It was the you wanted room to throw a punch if need be. 

Before you could say anything more, something pushed the window behind Klein open harshly. Mingi’s glare was pointed into the room, hands gripping onto the window sill. He quickly lifted himself into the room, moving aside to let all the other boys in. 

Klein gasped out and moved away from his desk, trying to get away from the 8 boys who were slowly crawling in. When Hongjoong stepped through, his harsh glare turned to everyone in the room before stopping at you. 

“Did you really have to lock the door?” Yeosang asked you, sighing in disappointment. 

“Get back!” Hendricks glared, quickly pulling out his gun from his holster. 

When the boys all heard the click of it, Yeosang was quick to put a hand out in front of you while the others moved to get closer to your side. You heard Klein gasp as Jongho and Seonghwa pushed him out of the way to reach you. He placed a hand on his chest, looking appalled at the boys. 

Hongjoong stood on the other side of the room though, quickly taking out his own pistol aiming it back at Hendricks. “Think you're the only one with a gun?” He asked with a tilt of his head. 

You sighed deeply before softly moving Yeosang’s arm down so you could move forward. With the boys all crowded at one side of the room, Hongjoong stood at one corner with Klein at the opposite. Hendricks was still by the chair he had stood from, gun aimed directly at Hongjoong. 

Your lips twitched and lips pursed. “This isn't a grudge match.” You glared. “Put your weapons down.” You added, looking between the two men. 

“Princess, you're testing my patience.” Hongjoong answered you, only giving you a side glance. 

“Put it down, Hongjoong.” You demanded again. 

Hongjoong clenched his jaw as his eyeskept going back and forth between you and Hendricks. The man was not lowering his gun which put him on edge. But the strong pointed look you gave him made him click his tongue. He slowly lowered his gun. 

“Not a smart move.” Hendricks mocked, flexing his arm as if he was about to shoot again. 

The boy all flinched, moving to duck but you were quick to pick something off Klein’s desk and swing it towards Hendrick’s hand. The glass of whiskey hit his wrist making him drop his gun in a grunt. 

Hongjoong quickly dove forward to take the weapon from him as everyone else looked around in astonishment. With him now disarmed, Yunho and Jongho both moved forward to restrain Hendricks.

“You shoot, everyone outside those doors come running in.” You calmly tell Hendricks, standing as if you hadn’t just thrown something at him. 

“You really think they'd believe some criminals over their sheriff.” He sneered, rubbing at his wrist where glass had cut just a bit. 

“They will with the proof of your involvement with Strickland.” You pulled out some envelopes from your pockets, dropping them onto Klein’s desk. The mayor raised his eyebrows, looking over the browning papers with curiosity. 

“Look familiar?” You continued. 

“What are those stupid papers going to do?” Hendricks shook his head. “Strickland is just a town that helps people.” He rolled his eyes. 

“Not with the evidence we have from Quaid's home.” Yeosang put in.

Hendricks glared at the boy, his lips turning up. 

“Mayor Klein.” Hongjoong stepped in, leaning over the desk to look at the mayor directly. “Why have you been raising taxes?” He asked. 

“To help the people—” The old man sputtered.

“Don't bullshit us.” Mingi threatened, coming to stand behind him. 

Klein began to tremble as he had to look up at the outlaw, mouth opening and closing as he tried to come up with an answer. “Quiad told me Strickland would send people down to help reform the city! Make it bigger than Aurora.” He shook his head. 

“It was a lie.” Seonghwa said. “They're making drugs to turn people into emotionless people.”

“No, that's not true.” Klein shook his head, looking at all of you bewildered. 

“It's in the papers.” You told the man, sliding the envelopes closer for him to read. 

The mayor didn’t waste time quickly opening the letters, reading over Quaid and Hendricks handwriting. His face slowly morphed from confusion to frustration as he read over more and more. He threw some down before going over other ones–all reading the same thing. 

“Don't listen to them!” Hendricks yelled. “They're outlaws! They took your money.” He grunted when Jongho pulled his hair back, shoving the man down to the floor and onto his knees. 

“And where have you been getting yours?” You sneered, turning around to face him. “Those boots look a bit too clean to me.” You said. 

“Quaid lied.” Klein spoke to himself. 

“They're feeding you lies.” Hendricks tried to defend himself again. 

“Hendricks!” Klein snapped. “It's all here! Everything!” The mayor growled. “Even yours. I can't—I can't continue this.” He throw all the papers onto the desk, slamming his hands onto the wood as he looked furious. 

“You traitor!” Hendricks growled.

He was quick in shoving Jongho and Yunho off his arms. The two boys grunted as the man’s elbows caught into their noses. Your eyes went wide as you saw the man lunge for you, moving your hands behind you to find something to use as defense. However before he could get to you, San was quick to rush forward and tackle Hendricks to the ground. 

The old man had no chance with how much larger San was. He seemed to know what he was doing because the moment he got Hendricks on the ground, his was swinging away at the man’s face. The boys took a few seconds before finally rushing forward to pull San off the man who was starting to bleed profusely. 

“San!” You cried out, rushing forward to help him.

You pulled his face to look at you, wiping away the smudges he had on his cheeks. You smiled softly, showing him that you appreciated his help. Turning back towards the old sheriff on the ground, rolling in pain, you crouched to get closer to him. 

“Your biggest downfall was thinking you could get away with it.” You told him. 

“Whore.” He spit in your face, you flinching a bit from the blood. 

Mingi and Wooyoung held San back again. You aggressively wiped at the spit, flinging it back into his eyes. “Rot in hell, Sheriff.” You whispered. 

“Guards! Seize him! He's a traitor to this city!” Klein called out, moving from behind his desk.

You got back up and gave Hednricks a small kick with your boot. Scoffing, you turned to look back up at the boys, a smile over taking your features as you took them all in. 

“Not gonna lie.” Seonghwa nodded. “I got a boner.”

Series Masterlist

@thefrog3223 , @iarayara , @0rangemilk , @explorewithd , @detectivedoodle , @bangtanxberm , @a1i33a , @loveforred , @drunken-deitence , @0325tiny , @the-ghostest-with-the-mostest , @atinyreads , @atinytinaa , @lexiigom , @smilingtokki , @mismatchfluffysocks , @brain-empty-only-draken , @sousydive , @alex-tinyy , @h3arteyes4mingi , @onedumbho3 , @popcatx0 , @blue1amory , @mommahwa1117 , @sunnyhokyu , @cloudieclair , @puppyminnnie

[mothandpidgeon]

The Outlaws (Outlaw!Joel Miller x f!reader) - Chapter 2

Moth's Masterlist // follow @mothandpidgeon-updates and turn on notifications to stay updated with my fics!

SERIES MASTERLIST

pairing: Outlaw!Joel Miller x f!reader

rating: T (eventual E 18+ MDNI)

wc: 1.7k

summary: Wanted for murder with a bounty on your head, your only hope of escaping the Pinkerton detectives is an outlaw named Joel Miller and his sidekick Ellie. But Joel has other plans for you.

tags: old west au, enemies to lovers, grumpy Joel, handcuffed together, period/genre/canon typical violence, alcohol, morally grey characters, reader has backstory, no use of y/n

authors note: Posting this today in honor of act ii. Yeehaw. As always, thank you @ezrasbirdie for the beta and support in this (you really need to tell me to stfu about these two) and in life.

Joel once took Sarah to see PT Barnum’s Greatest Show on Earth. Each ticket cost him two quarters. She pulled him by the hand past the tents with Tom Thumb and the giantess, straight to the exhibition of wild animals. There were all sorts of exotic animals in the menagerie– giraffes, elephants, snakes. You remind him of the tiger. Beautiful and cunning. Fierce. Dangerous unless it’s kept under lock and key. 

Which is why he’s grateful he kept these old shackles in his saddle bag. 

You’re in a friendlier mood once camp is set up and a rabbit is roasted on a spit. He knows it’s a rouse, that you’re still spitting mad and hoping to slit his throat in the night. On that train, you were the demure damsel in need of a rescue. Soon as he put that cuff on your wrist, you turned into a fire breathing dragon. 

You can be as mad as you’d like. You’re no match for his strength or his revolver. 

They sit around the fire, Joel and Ellie propped against their saddles. It’s a cool evening, a steady breeze blows off the river. The stars paint the purple sky and the cave is illuminated with the orange glow of a fire. There’s plenty to celebrate. Though, even when they score a good amount of money, gold pieces, and get away without a scratch, Joel never feels much satisfaction. Despite his personal quandary, it would be a beautiful night, really, if Joel weren’t sitting there waiting for you to do something foolish. 

He can tell you’re meditating on some new escape plan, knows better than to look at you too long. A girl like you, pretty and with that sharp mouth, is the type that knows how to use her womanly wiles. You’re desperate enough to try just about anything and he’s not giving you the chance. 

You must think he’s stupid enough to fall for it too. He reluctantly passes you his flask and, after you drink, you wipe your wet lips with a seductive  finger. 

Ellie’s being a real chatterbox, recounting each moment of the robbery as if she’s writing her own nickel weekly and peppering you with questions. He’s not surprised she’s taken a liking to you. There aren’t too many of the female persuasion out here. Maybe she can see some of Tess in you. He doesn’t. Tess was always calm and controlled. And when she was angry, she never fucking spit at him. In fact, he resents you for making him think about Tess at all. 

“Ten thousand dollar bounty, huh?” Ellie asks you. “What’d you do?”

Joel’s seen more than a few people running from the law but none of them look like you. You’re no Annie Oakley. 

“My sweetheart was fooling around with my sister so I killed em both,” you say. 

“Really?” Ellie asks. 

“No,” you say. 

“What was it really?” she tries again. 

“Leave it,” Joel says. 

He’d be just as cagey about his past. Outlaws don’t live by any code but if they did, questions like that would be frowned upon. 

Ellie grumbles at him. 

“I’ve got ten on me too,” she tells you. 

“Your daddy must be proud,” you say, looking to Joel. 

They respond in unison— “He’s not my Pa,” and a “I ain’t her daddy.” 

You do a lousy job suppressing a smile. 

“So this is the infamous Miller gang? Ain’t much of a gang if you ask me,” you say. 

Joel grinds his molars. 

“We used to be a proper one. Most of ‘em are in prison now. And then we lost Tess to a bout with fever. And Tommy left,” Ellie recounts. 

“Who’s Tommy?” 

“Nobody,” Joel says same time as Ellie tells you, “His brother.”

You look Joel up and down. 

“That’s enough yakking for tonight,” he says. “I’m turning in. C’mon.” He pulls the chain. 

Ellie laughs. “I should warn you. He snores something awful.”

You scoff. “Is this some kind of ploy so you can wake up on top of me?” you protest. 

Joel’s patience is wearing thin. He’s got half a mind to turn you loose and let the wolves deal with you. 

“You can quit the belly aching, missy. I ain’t taking that thing off til you’re with the sheriff in Jackson.”

“You’ll wear him down eventually,” Ellie encourages. 

“Ellie, go to sleep,” Joel orders. 

She rolls her eyes. 

“What if I got to use the privy?” you ask. 

“Hope you like company,” Joel says. 

You huff. 

“You at least going to give me a blanket? Cold out here,” you say. 

Joel’s only got one in his bed roll, a beautiful Pawnee blanket he bought off a trader from Kansas woven with geometric patterns. He knows it would be gentlemanly to let you sleep with it but you’re no lady. 

He sighs as he hands it over. You wrap it around your shoulders with a self-satisfied look on your face. 

“Anything else I can do for you, missy?” he says with mock cordiality. 

“You can stop calling me missy,” you say. 

“G’night, missy,” he says. 

It’s not your best plan. But just because it’s simple doesn’t mean it won’t work. 

First step, you wait for Ellie and Joel to fall asleep. The girl takes a while. She’s got a dime novel with a cowboy on the cover that she flips through as the flames die down. You watch her through your cracked eyelids, pretending to have already drifted off yourself. 

It’s hard to tell if Joel’s out. He uses his saddle as a pillow and you’ve positioned yourself on the other side of it, your arm outstretched so you don’t have to be too close to him. 

He murmurs to himself. You strain to catch what he’s saying. At first, there are words you can understand. The name Sarah passes his lips. But then you hear him make a sound you can only describe as a whimper. 

It gives you pause. You’ve never been a nurturing type but it pulls at your heart strings, almost makes you want to put your arms around him. You imagine a hurt puppy inside that big, snarling dog of a man.

His sharp silhouette is highlighted in the amber glow of the campfire. It’s a shame he’s such a mean son of a bitch because he really is easy on the eyes. Then he rolls over. His unexpected motion nearly twists your connected arm out of its socket and you bite your tongue to keep from swearing. That bastard has you chained up like a dog. You do all you can to control your temper, swearing soundlessly. You can’t afford to wake him. 

You wait a long while, listening to him grunt and snore. Once you’re sure he’s good and asleep, you move. 

It’s a process. You begin by flexing your wrist. An innocent gesture that could be explained by sleepy twitches. He doesn’t stir. 

Eventually you feel bold enough to inch towards him, pulling the chain carefully along the ground. You crawl on your belly until you’re in front of him, then you dare to lift your hands up. 

The chain clinks against the buzz of the night insects and you swear it’s so loud you hear it echo off the mountains. You hold your breath, wide eyed, every muscle in your body taught. 

Joel doesn’t wake. He might be pretending but his chest still rises and falls slowly. Either he’s a hard sleeper or he’s deaf. Might be a little of both. You’re always tired after the rush of a big score. 

Ellie hasn’t woken up. Her eyes are closed, mouth hangs open. Down for the count.

You flex your fingers before you begin the next step, lick your lips and take a steadying breath. 

You’ve picked pockets before. Never tried it on a sleeping man, though. You keep your touch light, delicate, unbuttoning his waistcoat with one hand. It falls open for you and you can’t help but smile. 

The key to the handcuffs is tucked in the inner pocket. You saw him put it there. All you have to do is lift it out, unlock the cuff, and you’re a free woman. What you’re going to do after that, all alone in the middle of god only knows where, you’re not sure. But that’s not of material importance until you have that key. 

Your teeth dig into your bottom lip and you move slower than molasses in January, easing your first two fingers into the little pocket. Your fingertip connects with metal and your heart jumps. Pinching the ringed end, you hold on and pull. It’s awfully heavy. 

Because it’s not the key at all. You’ve fished a pocket watch out of Joel’s vest. Damn it. It’s a dainty little thing— fine gold with intricate scrollwork engraved on the back. The face is all busted up and it doesn’t seem to be ticking. Most importantly, though it’s not a key. You need that goddamn key if you want to get— 

The unmistakable click of a gun being cocked makes you freeze. Joel’s awake, dark eyes shining in anger. You’ve had guns pointed at you on a number of occasions but still it makes your blood run cold. 

“The hell are you doing?” he asks. 

“You’re dreaming,” you tell him. 

He doesn’t think that’s cute. The scowl on his face just deepens. 

“Alright,” you say, raising your hands in surrender.

You put the watch back in place and crawl back to your spot. 

“Gimme the damn blanket,” Joel growls. 

You toss it to him, cowed. But what did you expect? This had never been a very good plan.

Once you hear the hammer of Joel’s gun go back into place, you breathe a sigh of relief. It’s quiet for a while as Joel gets under his blanket and you know he’s laying there waiting for you to fall asleep. 

You try to settle down, wrapping your arms around yourself. The night air bites at you now that you’ve lost your blanket privileges.

“Sarah a sweetheart of yours?” you ask him. 

His head snaps your way so fast you think his neck might break. 

“You was talking to her in your sleep,” you explain. 

“Say that name again and I’ll wring your neck,” he says. 

He sounded like he meant it before but you feel like he’s looking forward to putting a bullet in you. You shiver. You’re smart enough not to say another word. 

---

Chapter 3

I'd love to hear from you! Comments and reblogs appreciated. My asks are always open!

[mclzandaya]

My Candy Love New Gen - Episode 3 Guide

This episode cost me 1411 APs on Roy's (+Jason) route with jokers, without Archibald. 1212 on Amanda's route (didn't meet Jason), with jokers, with Archibald. 1431 on Devon's (+Jason) route with jokers, with Archibald.

Key:

Negative affinity result: - Neutral affinity result: = Positive affinity result: + Needs to be checked: *

Illustrations: 5 (See at the end.) None of them are automatic, you can get 2 of them in one playthrough if you're on Roy/Devon's route.

Archibald: You can find him at the west end of the shopping mall once you're done shopping. You have to ask him if he wants to come as well. (details at the shopping mall with Amanda.)

Outfits: The yellow jacket one is for Roy/Devon/Jason, the purple skirt one is for Amanda/Thomas.

The answers for Devon and Thomas are translated from French, Thomas' answers may be incomplete. Amanda, Devon, Jason and Roy's guide are complete! Idk if I'll update Thomas' answers as I won't be playing his route anytime soon, if you have his exact answers (with personality) don't hesitate to message me/leave an ask!

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

DIALOGUE 1: (Everyone looked at me and applauded again.)

(I stared at the table, a bit embarrassed by all the attention.) 40 + Amanda and Elenda (I modestly nodded as a sign of thanks.) 40 + Thomas and Brune*(I joined in the applause, a smile on my face.) 40 + Roy, Devon and Elenda DIALOGUE 2: (choose the person you want to get the illu with) Devon: You can go with one of us, there will be enough of us to finish things up here...

Roy, how about a walk around the mall? 80 = Amanda, do you want to come with me? 80 = I'll admit that if you accompanied me, l'd feel more legitimate using this card... 80 = Thomas, do you want to go for a walk? 80 =

DIALOGUE 2 (bis): if you choose to go with Thomas You won't let yourself be surprised?* I wouldn't be able to function like that. I'd feel limited.* That's not a bad idea. I might try that. +*

Go to the mall to do the shopping.

OUTFIT CHOICE: Yellow for Roy/Devon/Jason. Purple for Thomas/Amanda.

A little window shopping before you go shopping can't hurt!

IF YOU GO WITH AMANDA:

DIALOGUE 3 Amanda: With little cups, and everything... It's too cute, don't you think?

Sweet: It is pretty cute! 56 + Energetic: It is cute, but it's really expensive! 53 = Rebel: Funny, I wouldn't have thought that was your thing. 49 -

DIALOGUE 4: Amanda: And you? Is there anything you like?

I could definitely see myself wearing those overalls! = I like that little dress. It's elegant, and simple... = How do you think I'd look in those shorts? =

DIALOGUE 5: [...]

The drinks. That way, we'll have the heavy stuff at the bottom of the bag. = TRIGGER JASON'S ROUTE (see roy's route dialogue 6) The food. That way, we'll choose the rest in accordance. = Things to snack on. It's no use to carry heavy things around with us. =

To meet Archibald, you need to go to the west area of the shopping mall once you bought everything that you need, but before going back to the office! DIALOGUE 6: You aren't going to follow me there, right? 40 Oh, actually... do you want to come? 40 TAKI'S OUTFIT I can't be late. 40

IF YOU GO WITH DEVON:

DIALOGUE 3: [...]

Rebel: I'd say children's clothing store? 53 - Sweet: The game store, or the DVD one... 60 = Energetic: I'd say... None. It's the first time you''ve stepped a feet in here. 46 +

DIALOGUE 4: Devon: I mean, in general. I imagine that you haven't had the time to completely explore the shopping mall... 

I like home decor shops! =* Libraries. No shops fascinates me as much. = Any clothing store, I love it. =*

DIALOGUE 4: [...]

The drinks. That way, we'll have the heavy stuff at the bottom of the bag. = TRIGGER JASON'S ROUTE (see roy's route dialogue 6) The food. That way, we'll choose the rest in accordance. = Things to snack on. It's no use to carry heavy things around with us. =

IF YOU GO WITH THOMAS:

DIALOGUE 3 I know Thomas offers you an ice cream I think?

I think I'm part of those people... * I don't mind at all. Here you go. = Is there a third option? idk*

DIALOGUE 4: [...]

The drinks. That way, we'll have the heavy stuff at the bottom of the bag. = TRIGGER JASON'S ROUTE (see roy's route dialogue 6) The food. That way, we'll choose the rest in accordance. = Things to snack on. It's no use to carry heavy things around with us. =

IF YOU GO WITH ROY:

DIALOGUE 3 Roy: Everything looks good.

Energetic: Plus you can afford it! 53 =* Sweet: Yes, it's always a dilemma... 56 + Rebel: It's funny, I thought that great athletes paid attention to their diet... 49 -*

DIALOGUE 4: Hey! Can't you watch where you're going?!

Energetic: And you?! Can't you be polite?!* Sweet: I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention... = (Roy defends you) Rebel: Why don't you watch where you're going?! *

DIALOGUE 5: Roy: Well, it looks to be out of harms way.

Energetic: We make a good team! = Rebel: Thanks, but I could have handled that just fine on my own.* Sweet: Thanks. It's rather practical to be accompanied by a tall and strapping man like you. =

DIALOGUE 6: [...]

The drinks. That way, we'll have the heavy stuff at the bottom of the bag. = TRIGGER JASON'S ROUTE The food. That way, we'll choose the rest in accordance. = Things to snack on. It's no use to carry heavy things around with us. =

DIALOGUE 6 (bis): Jason: What am I going to do with my evening..? Certainly bore this poor gentleman until who knows when. 80 = I don't want to know. 80 = You, Sir, can come, if you want. 80 = JASON'S ILLUSTRATION

DIALOGUE 7: (this dialogue is slightly different on Amanda's route but it's the same outcome, idk about Thomas.) [...]

(Pizzas and mini-quiches to share.) = (We decided to take various pre-cooked dishes directly from a deli.) = (A whole assortment of little things to nibble on for an appetizer buffet.) =

Go back to the offices to drop off what you bought. (See Amanda's Dialogue 6 above for Taki's outfit before going back.)

DIALOGUE 8: [...]

I really want to have the party at my place. 80 TOWARDS DEVON OR ROY'S ILLU Let's go to the park! 80 TOWARDS AMANDA OR THOMAS' ILLU

Go take a shower.

Just go to your bedroom.

IF YOU HAVE YOUR PARTY AT THE PARK:

Go to your welcome party at the park!

DIALOGUE 9: Brune: Did you choose the park to avoid upsetting Amanda?

Sweet: Yeah, I thought it'd be best. 56 = Energetic: I found her idea of a neutral space a pretty good idea. 53 - Rebel: That's not really why I did it... 50 +

DIALOGUE 10: [...]

I'm one of the ninety percent of people who loves mini-quiches! = I confess that I am intrigued by the asparagus toasts... = I think I'm going to try your tapas, Brune... = I'll take some raw veggies! I want to save room for the cake. = towards amanda's illu?*

DIALOGUE 11: Brune: Let's say I'm in between... And you, Candy?

It's not really my passion either. = I love to cook! = I'm like you, Brune. =

DIALOGUE 12: [...]

So, Thomas, you have a motorcycle? TOWARDS THOMAS' ILLU Wouldn't it be time for dessert? TOWARDS AMANDA'S ILLU

IF YOU CHOSE THOMAS ANSWER:

DIALOGUE ???: thomas dialogue [...]

No, I think it's scary... * It never really tempted me. * I've never had the chance before, but I'd be curious to try! THOMAS ILLUSTRATION

IF YOU CHOSE AMANDA'S ANSWER:

DIALOGUE 13: [...]

What, it's not prestigious enough for you? 80 AMANDA'S ILLUSTRATION Come on! It's no fun alone! 80  Well, I'm going... If you don't come with me, it'll be even more ridiculous. 80

DIALOGUE 14: Amanda: The good times. When everything was easier...

Because things are complicated now? 40 = My mother was the one who took me to the park. 40 = It's true that everything seemed simpler when we were children. 40 =

IF YOU HAVE THE PARTY AT YOUR PLACE:

It's time to party!

DIALOGUE 9: [...]

What do you think of Roy? =* And you..? Well, I mean... tell me a bit about yourself...? = And you, do you get along well with Devon? =* What do you think of Thomas? =*

And you, you seem to get along very well with Brune... = Do you get along well with Amanda? =*

Show Elenda, Roy and Devon around your house.

DIALOGUE 10: [...]

Energetic: I think I'd start by taking revenge on my ex. = Rebel: It's obvious: Id rob a bank. = Sweet: Maybe I could become an investigative journalist? =

DIALOGUE 11: Elenda: No, no, I'm kidding: I don't really want to know more.

Energetic: I wouldn't mind a few more details... 53 + Roy, - Devon Rebel: Me neither, l'm not sure I'm very interested... 50 + Devon and Elenda, - Roy Sweet: (I was careful not to share my opinion.) 55 =

DIALOGUE 12: [...]

I hope that the card is for Devon... 80 TOWARDS DEVON'S ILLUSTRATION (I wonder what this card'll have in store for me...) 40 (I hope that the card is for Roy...) 80 TOWARDS ROY'S ILLUSTRATION

IF YOU CHOSE DEVON'S ANSWER:

DIALOGUE 13: [...]

You mentioned a wildcard a few seconds ago..? 80 (Delighted, I smiled at Devon from ear to ear.) 80 DEVON'S ILLUSTRATION Isn't it a little... inappropriate? 80

IF YOU CHOSE ROY'S ANSWER:

DIALOGUE 13: [...]

You mentioned a wildcard, didn't you..? 80 "Kiss", it can be on the cheek! 80 (After all, it's the game... Roy is attractive, here I go!) 80 ROY'S ILLUSTRATION

[television-bodies]

what's your favorite set design for les mis? alternatively, how would you stage it yourself?

oh anon, you have provided me with the dream question! this is about to be a very long answer.

i fell in love with les mis via the west end production in 2014 and have not been normal about it since. i was lucky enough to see said production, with that staging, quite a few times before the theatre was renovated in 2019 (this was when the revolve was removed and the production was updated to have the same staging as (i believe) every other global production of the show). since lockdowns etc ended i have seen the updated production on the west end a few times now too, and let me scream this from the rooftops: I MISS THE OLD ONE EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE

(i never like to assume people’s knowledge so i will continue here as if you’re not familiar with the key changes, and i apologise if i’m telling you things you already know!)

something that i loved about the original production is that there were almost no set pieces. there were always props, and the odd piece of set as in a wall or something e.g. the gate at rue plumet, but the majority of the settings were created through LIGHTING. examples, i hear you cry! i shall provide. my favourite example of this was in the sewers. when valjean is carrying marius, time was shown to pass as they walked around the revolve with a spotlight illuminating them every few seconds. the actors would change carrying positions in the dark gaps between these lights, so that it acted like a time jump. none of this animated scrolling backdrop screen nonsense they do now. if you haven’t already clocked it yes i am salty about this

lighting also played a bigger part in javert’s death — another point in the show at which they now have a backdrop to act sort of in place of this — the swirling water that he falls into used to be created solely through lighting effects and it was MARVELLOUS. real take your breath away type shit.

the other big point to make is about the revolve, my beloved. it was such a central part of the production but the most important use of it (and one that i see the masses on here mourn fairly often) was that at the end of the final battle, the barricade would slowly turn around to show all of the students dead across it. it was heartbreaking and beautiful and the way they have to literally wheel enjolras’ dead body onto the stage in the current production just does not have anything close to the emotional gutpunch of how it used to be staged. :’(

all in all the original production was much more stripped back visually than the show is now, and i think this served to amplify the power of the acting and singing and the PLOT whereas now it gets me down, because as much as i hate to say this, the current production sort of just looks like everything else. les mis used to be the best thing on the west end by a fucking mile, and it seems (to me) that they have lessened that gap. i understand why other productions of the show — particularly touring ones — would have to go without the revolve, but for the one on the west end, which has been in the same theatre for twenty years, i simply do not see why they thought to change it. change it for, in my clearly strong opinion, the worse.

(i will say here — as vaguely as i can — that i do have a modicum of insider knowledge, and that i can blame this change on cameron mackintosh. but that’s hardly a surprise)

this may all be coming off as very ‘old man shouts at cloud’ of me so i feel the need to say that i do still enjoy the new production — if i didn’t, i wouldn’t have been to see it multiple times. at the end of the day (ha) it is still les mis, and les mis is les mis. it’s always brilliant. i just think it used to be more, and it makes me sad that there’s nowhere to see that original staging anymore. i mean, sure, there are bootlegs. but no proshot? *breaks skateboard* alas, we seem doomed to concert versions until the end of time

thank you so much for the ask! i’m sure you can tell that you hit a nerve with this one lmao but i greatly enjoyed answering it

[tanoraqui]

Dungeon Meshi Liveblog: In Which Chilchuck Begrudgingly Has Feelings for his Coworkers, and Kabru Has...Something. He Sure Has Something Going On Over There.

Before we continue, I feel I should clarify 2 things:

I've been trying, ish, to avoid spoilers for this comic, but I've watched through the Golden Country episode and more importantly I'm so bad at not reading spoiler-y but interesting- and insightful-looking analysis. So, much of this commentary isn't wholly original and any particularly genius theories of future events are likely made with actual foreknowledge.

When I said on the first post that I was starting the comic because "I need to know what happens", what I specifically meant was "I need to know how the Laios-Kabru dynamic ends up, and the general geopolitical situation, so I can accurately daydream what sort of tariffs they'll set in the kingdom of which Laios is definitely not going to be the one managing the political, economic, or social minutia." Tariffs are going to be important, okay. They're a key way a nation-state interacts with other nation-states, especially one with rare materials to trade, powerful neighbors who want them, and the natural barrier of an ocean. Truly, every fantasy series ever should be required to have an epilogue or many an additional book/season/etc of a The West Wing-style depiction of day-to-day governance of whatever resulted from the story's climactic finale.

Okay, back to the liveblog.

.

Inch resting. The manga characters, having met the Mad Mage, keep using she/her pronouns for them, where in the anime they used he/him. I assume one of these is just, like, wrong - some translation choice was made before truth was revealed later in the course of publication?

But it makes SENSE that the characters wouldn't necessarily know, at this point! The Mage's appearance is pretty gender-neutral, especially as an elf, an notably gender-ambiguous race. So the characters in the manga picked one guess and stuck with it, and the characters is the very slightly alternate timeline of the anime picked another and stuck with that!

Now: having used they/them throughout this musing and previously he/him because a) the show and b) that's what I saw in fandom, I think I'll switch to referring to the Mage with she/her pronouns now. Because A) that's how the thing I'm reading apparently will be doing it, and B) they still call her "Lord of the Dungeon", which is obviously the greatest gender option of all.

...however, the manga does keep saying "lunatic magician" rather than "Mad Mage" (caps mine), which is a TOTAL failing in drama. Always alliterate, preferably archaically.

.

Orc woman: Ugh, this halffoot sucks. I'll tolerate his company only as a favor to the vegetable guy.

Orc woman after listening to Chilchuck complain about his coworkers for an hour: Nvm, this halffoot is a worthy and loyal friend of the vegetable seller, and I guess those other guys too. He's just emotionally constipated about it.

.

Laios just has these soft little fond smiles sometimes and I? want to hug him?

.

MY MAN IS BACK!! Kabru wink count: 1 this chapter, 4 total [updated as I read]

.

Corpse Retriever: If you don't report us for trying to get you guys killed so we could collect a retrieval fee, we'll let you kill those two of our guys who are already unconscious and collect that fee yourselves. We'll just take 30% of it, for not telling on you.

Kabru, internally: Hm. Well, I'm not king of this dungeon yet, but nonetheless I feel comfortable passing and executing a just judgement upon you for your many known, presumed and planned crimes. Emphasis on 'executing.'

Kabru aloud: I accept!

Kabru: [starts killing them with a classic faint, wide-eyed smile]

What a guy. He's even holding that knife so well. Look, next he's analyzing social trends and acting ruthlessly to adjust them toward the direction of the greater good!

What a guy. Truly this is a "so my type that it's embarrassing" situation.

.

I can't efficiently crop panels to show all this, but favorite parallels in these chapters full of parallels:

Kabru's breakdown of the Touden party is like Laios eagerly explaining and analyzing the behavior and anatomy of monsters (including, though we don't know it yet, calculations for killing them - though we DO see him saying that humans are easy to kill because he knows all the physical weak points!)

The references throughout these two chapters, by Kabru and his party, to the interconnected socioeconomic dynamics of the island and dungeon - the corrupted system fails to check corpse retrievers, the Island Lord as an annoying but necessary bulwark against the Elves, the dungeon growing hungrier as fewer adventurers go down because there's less money and more risk - are so so so like Senshi and Laiois discussing the dungeon biome's ecosystem and food pyramid.

The whole vibe of the party re: their respective weirdo tallman leaders. We watched Team Laios develop this, recently crowned with Chilchuck's near-tearful argument to turn back for a rest, which means we can recognize it when we're dropped into it with Team Kabru: that "this guy is SUCH a goddamn weirdo, but I already followed him into some level of hell, so I'm obviously not turning back now." Kabru's party does think he's weird - "You remember so much about other people that it's creepy." "Why are you enjoying this?" But they're also pitching in on the speculation like Team Touden all hel cook monsters. Compare:

Also!! Something something predisposed beliefs and presumptions of others... This party is so eager to assume the worst of our party, even though our party objectively saved them from perma-death twice, once from ghosts and once from being eaten by fishmen. Chichuck is greedy and bossy, Senshi smells so...notably...that he's judged to be sketchy af... Kabru is trying his best with what info he has, he knows it's not enough to pass a judgement and he wants more, but it's very...uncomfortable? To see this sort of discussion of people we know are great, when we're so used to watching monsters be killed with exquisite understanding and respect.

...I'll chew on that angle of theme more later. Man, you know how, say, what makes the musical Hamilton so good is at its heart it's just like 5-10 leitmotifs that interweave to create every single song? Dungeon Meshi is like that. Hmm a Dungeon Meshical...

.

"Yeah, yeah, we've all heard your weekly lecture about how someone responsible and sociopolitically conscious needs to take the dungeon and the throne or everyone in this region is doomed. None of us can wait to see you flip off the Island Lord to his face. Eat your rations, buddy."

.

JUST THE CUTEST, INNOCENTEST, POLITEST, HELPFULEST (WITH NO ULTERIOR MOTIVATIONS WHATSOEVER) YOUNG MAN!! LOOK AT HIS BIG BLUE EYES AND EAGER LITTLE SMILE!

[3 seconds earlier:

I'm obsessed. In the spirit of this comic: I want to eat him with a spoon. I want to take small divots out of him and lick each one carefully off the spoon, luxuriously exploring and enjoying the complex texture and flavor. Like he's a really good pudding. And then I want to see if, if he and Laios kiss, do they both explode in antimatter.

[hesbianyaoi]

The Soukokus and the Four Symbols: Pt 1

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

WHO AND WHAT EXACTLY ARE THE FOUR SYMBOLS?

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

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

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

Sound familiar?

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

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

ATSUSHI: BYAKKO, THE GUARDIAN OF THE WEST

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AKUTAGAWA: GENBU, THE GUARDIAN OF THE NORTH

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

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

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

Honestly, need I say more?

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

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

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

He is anew. He is enlightened.

SO, WHAT COULD THIS MEAN?

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

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

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

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

[onlyseokmins]

idiot • h.j.s.

Pairing: joshua hong x afab!reader

Genres: mentions of smut (minors dni!), fwb!au, swearing but fluff and comfort basically

Warnings: menstrual cramps, food, swearing, and beloved idiots haha

WC: tumblr mobile idrk haha just a blurb

A/N: Sorry randomly thought of this while leaving work - in the middle of a Hoshi fic lmaooo okay I wanted to do smth angsty but I need love rn and haven't finished smth this fast in months and not really smut but anyways, imagine a fwb!relationship with Joshua but not quite...

↪ 7/14/23 update: loosely based prequel

It's like you're not really friends but you do have the benefits of fucking the hot man that drifts to and from different social circles among the large friend groups you mingle about and share.

You know his favorite color of lingerie that he'll rip off immediately, shoving your panties in his pocket ("for later," he winks and promises to buy you a new pair every time - he doesn't). But you are sure he doesn't even know your favorite color (it's baby blue, the same color of the shirt he wore when you first met - coincidentally the same one he wore when he seduced and ended up fingering you against the wall of the club's bathroom and then propositioned this arrangement - and like a fool, who are you to say no?).

He's always been nice - too nice. So nice, he's aloof at most times. Never letting anyone too close. And you really try not to yearn to be the first one he opens his heart to.

Definitely not.

It's why you're crying in bed one late afternoon, chalking it up to the hormones and cramps that come with mother nature's wrath. There's a gentle knock on your door before the key code is punched in. You think it's Seungkwan, the kind soul who always stops by to bring goodies and solid words of wisdom you never dare act on but no - it's fucking Joshua Hong.

"What are you doing here, I'm on my period."

You're grouchy and while it's not his fault that it's that time of the month, it is his fault that you're even more irritable than normal. Oh, and maybe those stupid feelings or whatever.

"I know."

All he does is simply nod and set down the bags he's carrying, taking stuff out that you realize are pain meds, compresses, ice packs - your cheeks heat up - even a stash of various pads and tampons.

"Seungkwan, that lil bitch."

Joshua turns with a raised eyebrow, holding what you recognize is a takeout container from your favorite restaurant. One that's all the way across town so you rarely go.

"What does this have to do with Seungkwan?"

You sigh. "Look, if he forced you to bring this stuff or somehow blackmailed you, don't worry. I'll chew him out on your behalf later."

He laughs, opening up the food and unwrapping the utensils, waving them in your face. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie."

"I'm not!"

"You're saying you drove all the way to Seokmin's place to buy that - mind you it's even further of a drive there for you than it is for me - and bought hygienic products?"

"Yeah. I didn't know exactly what to get so I just grabbed everything on the shelf."

"What the fuck, Joshua. Why? I'm not fucking you, I feel like shit. I also look like shit."

He flinches but gives you a glance-over that has you frowning even harder. "I'll admit you do look very pretty with my cock inside of you or when you get all dolled up..."

You roll your eyes and flop back on your bed, rolling over so your back faces him out of spite.

"But you do look hella sweet right now. Even if you're pissed off."

"Don't placate me, I'm not fucking you. I won't suck you off either."

Joshua's soft laugh makes your heart flip-flop. "I'm not here for that. How hard is it for you to believe that I came to really take care of you?"

"If the sun rises in the west tomorrow, I wouldn't be surprised. Clearly you're just a hallucination."

"Did you know hallucinations are our true desires?"

"Where'd you hear such bull crap? Jeonghan?"

"No," he snorts, "but I know you like me."

"I'm not fucking you the next time you want to either. Actually, I might not fuck you ever again."

It leaves a bitter taste in your mouth honestly, especially when he touches your shoulder with a gentleness that shouldn't exist. You glare at him. He smiles.

"That's fine. I mean, I'd like to fuck again sometime in the future but just hanging out is cool too. Maybe even for dates?"

"Maybe you're right. You're nothing but a figment of my imagination."

"Then I'm also right that you like me."

"Do not!" You throw the covers over your head. "Remember, we fuck without feelings, Joshua. And remember who set that rule, Mr. Hong?"

"An idiot did. So what if that idiot changed his mind?"

"He'd still be an idiot."

"... Correct, but may I clarify - an idiot with feelings."

When you emerge and peek out from the blankets, he's fiddling with his fingers nervously.

"Would still be an idiot."

"An idiot that likes you."

"Whatever," you huff but he sees the smile on your lips before you're diving away from sight again.

Relief floods him, knowing he's not wrong - you like him too. Laying gently over your prone body, he hums in content.

"When you feel better let's go on a date." All you do is wiggle beneath him and he smirks. "I'll wear that shirt you like. You know, the blue one."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure, not like you jump me every time I wear it."

"I do not!"

"It's okay, I know a lot more than you can guess but I still think you're cute anyways."

And maybe you realize it's you that doesn't know Joshua all that well. But he seems to think he knows an awfully lot about you. And maybe he does. But you want to prove him wrong.

"Alright, let's go on a date," you peek back out, the blankets a shield between you and him as they're pulled high under your nose. But he's still looking at where your mouth (he's never kissed - yet) would be. Bastard. "Wear that stupid shirt and I'll prove I won't jump you."

His warm brown eyes crinkle playfully. "Sure, let's, I'll buy you a couple of pretty sets like I promised since I ripped so many."

"About time."

He shrugs. "Don't worry, I'll make up for it. I was worried about what you would think it meant but now I don't have to care. I want it to be official."

You take the food from him when he brings it back over. "I guess I do too if you're going to drive so far just to get Seok's delicious food."

"So I'm just an errand boy to you? That's all it took to get to your heart? Seokmin's food?"

Looking at him under your lashes, you bite your lip. "You know it's much more than that..."

Joshua laughs, big and bright - just like the moment he first caught your attention. "And just so you know, I like you much more than you think."

And he'll spend all of his time proving it.

[sasterisk]

I've recently gotten into ION Object Show. It's unique, nothing quite like it. I'm on anon as the show has sparked some controversy. It has one of the most faithfully depicted autistic characters I've seen in media as well. Basically it's a passion project I'm low-key begging people to give a chance to.

Alright y'all I just finished watching ION, here's my thoughts;

Overall I quite enjoyed it! Excited to see what happens next, and I have some notes to share as well;

LOVE THE ART STYLE. it was a bit jarring at first but for a story of this type, the typical object show art styles wouldn't communicate the stakes effectively imo. It also works to show the complexity of the emotions on display here, this is a horrible situation for anyone to be in, and the expressions communicate that very well

The backstory is... predictable... but I can see that they are moving quickly with it to get to what these characters actually go through. Appreciate that, don't drag out what we can guess had happened as this big mystery (or throw some curveballs and prove one of the earliest theories right *ahem* steven universe *ahem*)

The story that we are shown so far is really good! No descriptive notes on that for me.

I like the characters! From what I've heard Cracklin is a pretty realistic autism rep, I don't have autism myself so I can't comment on that but love to see some representation. Chief is the stoic on the outside, desperate to find a solution on the inside, and seems to be very loyal to others. Sylvia is snarky and sarcastic, love-to-hate-her situation! Well done!

some of the "awkwardness" in the writing I believe stems from the language barrier and cultural differences between the "west-side" of the OSC and Russians (to me, some similar awkwardness happens with Metal Family for instance), so I'm giving it a pass there, I'm sure it feels much more natural in its native language!

I'm excited to see what kind of stuff happens in the series later!!! I sent it to my non OSC boyfriend (only other show he's watched is ONE because I told him to lol) to watch since this is the kind of genre that he really enjoys, I shall update with his thoughts :P;

Update with his thoughts: watched the first episode and then had to go to sleep BUUUTTT he immediately started theorizing about Orange Herald teehee :)

[eretzyisrael]

By Nachum Kaplan

Hamas correctly identified that antisemitism was only dormant in the West, and that they just needed to wake the sleeping monster. They knew this because there were clear tells, such as the international media’s fixation on Israel, the over-reporting of the country, and that the Pavlovian way the conflict becomes newsworthy only when Israel responds to an attack.Hamas stuck to what has worked throughout history. The blood libel trope was modernized into accusations of genocide and deliberate starvation, while the trope of Jews being responsible for their persecution was updated with the notion that Israel had turned Gaza into an open-air prison.They leveraged their numerical advantage.With more than a billion Muslims globally, Hamas knew it had a huge virtual army it could activate on social media to reach a global audience.Hamas flooded social media with lies to exploit the Repetition Bias, a heuristic (mental shortcut) in which repeated information feels more true than new or unrepeated information. Social media repeated these lies exponentially, aided by extensive use of AI-generated “photographs.”The Palestinians also exploited another numerical advantage, the number of Muslim states, which is 48. This has given them weight in forums such as the United Nations and its various committees and bodies, creating a suited army of bureaucrats with credible titles to tell lies to the international press.Almost comically, Iran has just assumed the presidency of the UN Conference on Disarmament. That is the same Islamic Republic that funds, arms, and trains Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen — and ships arms to Russia to use in its invasion of Ukraine.They controlled the information flow.Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have used traditional authoritarian tactics to control the information flow from areas they govern. Reporters cannot report freely or unfavorably from Palestinian-controlled territories if they want to retain access. Threats of violence keep the few unsympathetic local reporters in check.Exploiting the inability of most media to report from Gaza directly, Hamas has used local Gazan “journalists” to feed lies, distorting images, and fabricated data to the credulous international media. Time and again, the foreign press has swallowed them, including claimed civilian death toll numbers that are demonstrably untrue (and presume every person killed was a civilian).Hamas has only needed the media to report its numbers, knowing that if repeated enough, they be treated as true and that no one will pay attention to the fine print stating they are unverified. Hamas at one point even had the media complaining that Israel was simultaneously not allowing reporters access to Gaza and targeting journalists there.They mastered the 24-hour news cycle.The internet has blurred the traditional lines between print and television news, turning all news media into digital services beholden to the 24-hour news cycle.Hamas has understood that as long as it keeps manufacturing outrages, the news cycle will move on quickly, and they will never be held to account. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera, which has the veneer of a real news organization, has played a key role in this.They have exploited a ‘post-truth’ world.Hamas recognized that the post-Modernist rot has resonated in much of the West, including across its media and universities. The belief that people cannot only have their own opinions, but their own facts, sounds laughable, but it has become worryingly normal.Political tribes express opinions mainly as identity signals, and tribal loyalty is more important to these people than truth, or even reality. Hamas has understood that this liberates it from any need to have a fact-based narrative.They use simple slogans.“

[jjmaybankssurfergf]

Got my OC😁

Her name is Bailee Freeman, her birthday is on August, 10 and she was born in Key west, Florida. Her mother died when she was 2 and that left her father to look after and raise her. She moved to the Outer Banks when she was 12, there she met JJ Maybank and John b through school. Later on as she got older the Pouges friend group had formed and everything was perfect. Until her dad found another Woman, Melissa. Bailee didn’t like her at all, she was also a kook, and had two snobby daughters. Kendra and Miley, they were both brats and treated Bailee like shit a lot of the time but put a fact act for their parents. Bailee, started having feelings for JJ when she hit age 14, after that she had googlie eyes for him all the time. She told Kie about it and they talked and gossiped about her crushing on JJ. She thought it was all perfect until Kendra started flirting and talking to jj more and that eventually led them to getting in a relationship. It left Bailee heartbroken, one her best friend and biggest crush wasn’t hers and two her hated stepsister stole him from her.

I hope you guys love the little summary I came up with!!! I’ll be updating when I’ll start writing the series! PLEASE DO NOT COPYRIGHT MY CHARACTER OR WORK PLEASE!!!!

Tags: @chimindity @kraekat29 @johnbwas-here @surferboyjj

@madeupinmyhead @th3eternalersi @rafeyscurtainbangs

@rafeslittleangel @rafesthroatbaby @nemesyaaa

@redhead1180 @pankowkisses

@alliisinwonderland05 @moremaybank @starfxkrinc

@pope4life @jjsgirly @hotestdudeintheobx

[sunshine-vx]

URGENT!!

As the screenshots provided read, the Israeli invasion of Gaza is now fully underway. Not only this, but Israel has announced that people must evacuate from Northern Gaza to Southern Gaza, and if they cannot, they will be counted as a terrorist- all the while, Israel is bombing and destroying the paths to Southern Gaza. In the past 3 weeks, Zionist militants, both soldiers and settlers, have ethnically cleansed 13 entire communities in the West Bank. This is a genocide. We must not stop talking about this. We must not be silent- we must help the people of Gaza and Palestine be heard. Free Palestine.

Update: An update from @letstalkpalestine : "The Palestinian Health Ministry issued what it called its "final warning" to the world, as the main generators at two key hospitals are "hours away" from completely shutting down."

We. Cannot. Be. Silent. Palestine needs our help.

Another update: Here is an instagram post detailing action we can take to help Palestine. -

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Comradam (@savesheikhjarrah92)

(Thank you to @letstalkpalestine on Instagram for the information. The screenshots were taken from a broadcast the account holds, where they post updates on the happenings in Palestine.)

[bronzemettle]

Superhero media is pretty popular IRL. If superheroes are part of the real world in the BronzeRealms, what does that mean for the movies and games and stuff?

Some of it still exists as in-universe licensed semi-biographical media or propaganda.

There is an officially licensed X-Men comicbook published by Image Comics since 2000. It was originally based on the adventures of the original X-Men in the 60s and 70s, but it runs to this day and has fictionalized versions of many more modern events in the current generation X-Men's lives.

Similarly, Fox made X-Men movies starting in 2005 with the participation of Consulting Producer Charles Xavier. He thought both these projects would help normalize Mutants for the public to see them in a heroic light, even if executives demanded they would primarily be fighting against other "bad" Mutants for most of the movies.

Spider-Man, thanks to debuting in Pro Wrestling before he became a superhero, is a copyrighted character whose name and image are wholesale owned by someone who is not Peter Parker. Wilson Fisk bought out that wrestling company in 2006 and immediately started marketing the fuck out of Spider-Man.

Halloween costumes, lunchboxes, popsicles, a newspaper strip, multiple movie series, many cartoons (often running during the same years as other Spider-Man cartoons on different networks), musicals, theme park rides... Spider-Man is just as much of a brand in the BronzeRealms as he is in our world, and he is NOT HAPPY about it.

Marvel Comics exists as a company. It is US government propaganda. It published heavily sanitized and fluffed accounts of the at-the-time recent exploits of Captain America during World War 2, and then continued with entirely fictional stories of Commie-punching after he went into the ice.

The Justice League as an organization assists any heroes who care to do so in managing their brand. They do not partner with any one specific comicbook company, but a collection of smaller companies, Charlton Comics, Fawcett Comics (based out of Fawcett City), Wildstorm, Quality Comics, Milestone, Gold Key Comics, and National Allied Publications.

Some of these Justice League-managed brand deals have led to movies and cartoons, but not anything directly analogous to the ones we know. The 60s Adam West Batman series is culturally more or less replaced by the Fearless Ferret and Grey Ghost franchises.

After the Mortal Kombat tournament concluded in 1990, Johnny Cage got most of the earth-based participants to sign him as their Agent, allowing him to license all of their likeness rights into a fictionalized arcade game retelling the story of their adventures, which quickly became a successful video game franchise under the new NetherRealm Studios, several movies, and more.

In 2005, to go alongside the first movie, Charles Xavier approved the creation of the fighting game X-Men Vs Street Fighter. In 2008, NetherRealm Studios would make Mortal Kombat Vs Justice League, and then in 2013, a much more popular and less charitable fighting game based on real superheroes, Injustice: Gods Among Us.

These two previously unrelated projects would crash together in 2014 with Injustice Vs Capcom 3 (titled such recognizing X-Men Vs Street Fighter and Injustice 1), which later became Ultimate Injustice Vs Capcom 3.

NetherRealm would next attempt to separate from Capcom for another solo game, Injustice 2. However, now that this was becoming an undeniable franchise... the inevitable lawsuit arrived from the real world Justice League after years of being presented in game narratives as murderers, totalitarians, traitors, etc. The game was forced to release a major update renaming and reskinning the entire roster into original characters.

Capcom would return to the franchise with Injustice Vs Capcom: Infinite. Injustice 2: Monsters Never Die Edition would clean up many of the rough edges that the lawsuit-mandated updates had introduced and bring in a handful of new characters. The most recent game in the series, Injustice Vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, is a prequel that uses a retro pixel art visual style and was released in 2024.

Now we've been talking about superheroes, but the BronzeRealms is much larger than that, so let's talk about some other things that have various justifications to both exist as real things, and also be recognized as in-universe media in some way.

The Xena Scrolls, written by the Battling Bard Gavriil before she departed to Themyscira along with the rest of the Amazons, were found by Indiana Jones, and passed through various hands until they were acquired by Ted & Sam Raimi, who pitched an adaption of the scrolls as a tv franchise.

Benny Russell was a comicbook writer, artist, and sci-fi novel author in the 1940s and 1950s. Almost no-one knew it at the time, but he was psychically linked with Captain Benjamin Sisko across centuries into the future. So, when Gene Roddenberry acquired some of his unused worldbuilding notes and directly adapted them into the tv franchise Star Trek, he was unknowingly fictionalizing real future events. This same coincidence would repeat with a different collection of Benny's notes 10 years later for the series Galaxy Quest.

Now, you may wonder why, in the future, no-one starts to notice that these tv shows are coincidentally guessing a lot of real events. This is because, by an extremely convenient coincidence that most definitely wasn't assisted by the intervention of Time Agents, all historical record of the existence of the Star Trek franchise was destroyed in World War 3 and the Post-Atomic Horrors.

There are probably many other similar temporal shenanigans leading to franchises that most people reasonably assume to be fictional actually being loosely adapted from some account of real future events. There are also things like Wormhole X-Treme, a franchise that was knowingly created to obstruct the truth by presenting people trying to claim it's real as obsessive fanboys. This post is not a comprehensive list, just a grab bag of examples.

[chrollo-lucilfers-chains]

Chrollo x reader x platonic-ish!Machi

And they were roommates...

Warnings: none

Notes: How it started.

When the spider doesn't have any missions, the feared phantom troupe spreads out to do their individual business. Some keep up their usual behaviors, participating in minor thefts to keep busy and wait for updates from the boss. Others go back to their respective 'homes' or houses, like the Zoldycks, to lay low and relax for a while.

Machi usually considers herself part of the first. In reality though, at this point she might be the latter.

It's not that she feels some sort of pride in not admitting to a safe place, the reason is more that she hasn't mentally adjusted to the realization, she actually has a place to call 'home'.

The first time Chrollo meets you, he is rather unprepared for it.

There's a sound of keys jingling in the lock and Chrollo looks up from where he's sitting. He turns to Machi with an unspoken question but she only shrugs, apparently unconcerned. If she's not concerned he doesn't have a reason to be either.

They're staying at her apartment in the city of York New after successfully robbing a museum a few cities over.

The phantom troupe members all have various hideouts and properties that they go back to when Chrollo doesn't have any missions for them.

During these 'breaks', as Shalnark calls them, the members of the phantom troupe rest. Some like to do it individually, some even share an apartment (and some just break into random houses).

Chrollo's nearest safehouse would be another few hours west, so Machi had invited him to stay the night at hers after their accomplished evening was done, offering him her couch.

The various paintings and statuettes had been promptly moved to the attic. Chrollo didn't mind if Machi took care of selling them this time. She would send him half the profit later on anyways.

He'd been slightly perplexed by the two bedrooms but had just neatly filed it away in his brain as information for later.

So now they're relaxing in the living room. Chrollo is currently laying in an incredibly comfortable armchair whose brand he's going to have to look up later, while Machi has draped herself onto the couch with a book in her hands.

Chrollo, having also borrowed something to tead, had been positively surprised by her bookshelves as they contained all sorts of philosophy, psychology and sociology, which he rather enjoyed.

When relating this back to Machi, she had only shrugged and said that they didn't belong to her, which in return greatly confused Chrollo. But Machi hadn't said anything else so he hadn't asked.

Apparently Machi has a roommate... How interesting, he thinks and concentrates back on his book.

The door opens and a young woman walks in, still hidden from the two in the living room because of the hallway, hair swept into chaos by the raging weather outside.

The sound of the storm is audible in the background before you shut the door behind yourself with a small curse. Sighing, you hang your coat on the rack and take off your soaked shoes. Stupid storm!

As you shuffle towards the kitchen you appear in the doorway to the living room for a few seconds before disappearing into the kitchen, not having noticed the two yet as they're reading in a comfortable darkness, neither of them having bothered to turn on the lights earlier. After all, they are both able to see very well in the dark and electricity is expensive these days.

In the silence of the room, Chrollo immediately understands that Machi was counting on you coming 'home' and still invited him, which means she's showing him a part of herself that he hadn't known yet. She'd probably calculated this, so it was intentional for him to be here right now. Accordingly she's counting on him to behave with this new information.

"Oh my god! Machi!!"

He had noticed your presence returning from the kitchen before you'd turned on the light and jumped back, almost hitting the door while clutching at your chest in surprise.

"You're home?! I thought you wouldn't be back for almost another week, Mochi?"

Chrollo hones in on the nickname.

Mochi? Like the sweet ice treat? Machi only nods. "We finished early."

"We?", You ask in confusion and it's only then that you notice the pale, incredibly handsome stranger sitting in your favorite armchair.

"This is Chrollo. He's the colleague slash boss. From work."

He smiles with his head tilted slightly to the side, like a cat showing you his pearly white teeth.

"Oh.. oh! You mean that Chrollo?!" You ask Machi who only nods in her typical style of few words.

"Wow! Well, it's nice to meet you! I've heard so much about your adventures together."

You walk over to where he's sitting, extending your hand for him to shake in a friendly manner.

"Likewise," he takes it and squeezes in a firm but not hurtful grip, with the gentle manner that only those certain kinds of people have, who know precisely how to control their strength.

It's a nice grip, you decide, while looking into his eyes.

And damn, those eyes. Steel grey, just as cool as the name of the colour implies, that seems to stare directly into your soul.

At the same time, Chrollo's suspicion is proven right. You're not a nen user. Which is incredibly interesting. Not only does Machi have a roommate but she has a non-user, a civilian as a roommate, who is apparently interested in the same literature as him and calls Machi cute nicknames. The latter is important because usually nobody is allowed to tease her or give her nicknames unless they want their heads cut off.

The fact that she doesn't only tolerate you calling her after a japanese dessert but apparently seems used to it and unbothered, even actively responding, was quite telling about the relationship the two of you seem to have.

"He needs a place to crash for the night. Is that fine with you?" Machi asks.

"Sure, I don't mind. You know where the spare blankets and pillows are, right?"

Machi confirms your question and so you excuse yourself to go to bed, after wishing them a good night.

Truly, how interesting. He's going to have to investigate that a bit further. If only to satisfy his own curiousity.

After you've left, Machi makes him swear to never tell another troupe member about any of this. He agrees easily. The trust of his members is not something he takes lightly after all and Machi seemed to truly care about you in some way.

He doesn't mind his spiders having a private life. As long as it doesn't interfere with their duties when the time comes.

A similar situation occurs after a mission few weeks later and he asks to stay over once again.

This time you're sick and wrapped in blankets on the couch when the two troupe members arrive. Machi takes your temperature in a moment of gentleness that's so out of character for her that Chrollo begins to wonder about her true personality.

You smile at him gently in your feverish state and he feels himself smiling back.

He also marvels again at how weak Machi's friend seems to be. It's not derogative, he's just genuinely surprised at civilians bodies. He's seen sickness before in meteor city but not often in adults and never something as light as this 'cold' that seems to have quite the effect on you.

Chrollo watches as Machi makes a tea for the three of you and carefully places yours on the couch table.

Not for the first time he asks himself why she keeps you around. Again, not in a malicious way, he's simply curious as to why Machi chose you in particular as her roommate.

He poses the question to Machi later, who thinks about it for a few seconds. "I suppose it's just nice not to come back after a mission and walk into an empty, dark house."

She explains how the two of you had started out as a hook-up. You'd met more than once for sex but figured out that romance or a purely sexual relationship just didn't feel right.

But Machi kept coming to your home after missions, enjoying your company. At some point you had apparently asked Machi to just move in already since plenty of her time was spent in your home amyways. What started as a joke became mutually beneficial for both of you. Sharing the rent being just another added benefit. Not that Machi needs the money but she isn't an excessive spender so she doesn't mind saving some either. Saving money is also a habit back from the old days some of the troupe have acquired, even if desperate times are long gone.

Chrollo knows that there's more to you than she is willing to admit to right now but he doesn't pry. After all, he can see the affection in the way Machi takes care of you, gently picking you up in your blanket cocoon and placing you back in bed so you could rest some more.

"She made muffins for the two of us while stuck at home... But she said you could have one if you wanted. By the looks of it, she was pretty out of it too so she probably won't notice one missing tomorrow either way."

Chrollo is perplexed by the cup of sugar being placed in front of him. It looks like one of those advertisements in the subway but still visibly self made. Pink and with sprinkles, he notices, the effortlessly wound white details around the pastry, made of even more sugar.

"She says it calms her down. Baking." Machi offers as an explanation.

Chrollo decides to try the unfamiliar treat and it's the sweetest thing he's ever tasted.

The flavours melt on his tongue in a sinful way and he is delighted by the little sprinkles on top.

It's a light vanilla cream filled with cherries in an incredibly fluffy vanilla sponge. Machi shows a tiny smile to him with a knowing look, while reaching for a second serving herself.

The next morning, when you come strolling into the kitchen in your pajamas, Chrollo is sitting next to Machi enjoying a cup of steaming Earl Grey tea. It's strangely domestic.

"G'morning," you yawn, apparently feeling much better than you did yesterday.

The two others nod at the same time in the exact same way and you disguise a laugh behind your hand at their similar behavior.

Machi had told you that she got along well with her 'boss' but this was just strangely adorable. You wonder if they are somehow related.

Sitting down at the table, Machi offers a plate with toast to you, which you accept with a small 'thanks'.

Then you turn your attention to the black haired man sitting across from you.

"So Chrollo, how do you two know each other? I mean I know you work together but like ... How did that happen?"

He looks at Machi who had told him about her 'alibi' with you yesterday.

You think she is an antique hunter and art collector who finds special pieces on auctions and museums all over the world and resells them to other collectors. It's an alibi most of the troupe uses. You know she makes good cash as well.

"Well, occasionally we go on searches or expeditions together. You could say Machi works for me in some way."

You nod your head, you know that much.

"So you organise and manage the leads and assign them to the others?"

"Sometimes. Other times I take part in the hunts as well."

"Oh, are you a hunter too?" You sound exited at the prospect of another nen user. He smiles charmingly.

"I am, yes." He's not even lying. He completed the hunter exam a while ago to use the hunter licence. It came in handy quite often to be allowed to use nen legally. It hadn't been hard for him anyways. The tests of the exam weren't a match for his abilities so it served more as a vacation with extra credit than anything else.

Machi had assured him earlier that you would never tell anybody about what she or he told you. In the years she's known you, a lot has happened but you've never broken her trust once.

He still won't tell you anything of importance. Partially for your own safety as well.

There's more than one hunter in the world who can find out secrets without the person's consent. Pakunoda is only one of many.

Sitting across from him and staring at his eyes you finally realize what they remind you of. They look precisely the way one would imagine the eye of the storm to look like, calm but surrounded by incredible destructive power.

You can't really place why and you also don't find yourself minding the feeling of being swallowed by the gray.

However, you do find yourself wondering wether jn his eyes there is also some kind of warning.

He might just pull you into the storm and fill your life with the chaos that comes with standing in the eye of a hurricane.