#ah also please let me know if i should change their design

[iiktend]

“Here” he says, “Dig in. It’s good.”

patrochilles based off of this fic where they first meet and achilles kinda just offers him peanut butter

fic is called Youre A Walking Disaster by @johaerys-writes

please read it (rn) its very good love it and i love how achilles just does a backflip

[kingofbodyrolls]

BTS fic recs: June 2024

Hello, how are you doing? We are officially halfway through the year, Seokjin came home and in a few months Hobi too! I decided to change the graphics for the rec list to fit with my main design, I think this is cooler, anyway—Weee~ I managed to read a lot again this month! 👏 So this list is filled to the brim with amazing and wonderful stories! 

Some of the authors on this list is on hiatus, but please don’t let that stop you from reblogging or commentating on their story— because you don’t know when they might pop back in a see your lovely note, so please— if you like something, so some love to the author 🥰

I want to thank each and every writer on this list for creating such wonderful stories and art - you are truly amazing ✨ All the fics on this list hold a dear place in my heart 🥹

❗Most of these fics are smutty or dark as hell, so minors dni.❗ 

If you read anything on this list and you like it, please leave a comment to the writer or reblog the fic, it might seem like a tiny gesture, but it really means a lot for writers and I can guarantee it will put a smile on their faces💜 Let’s share and give lots of love!

Looking for more to read? Check ‘The Library’ or last years recs 🙂

[index] → jan | feb (jhs) | mar (myg) | apr | may | 💜 | jul | aug | sep (jjk)(knj) | oct (pjm) | nov | dec (kth)(ksj) | Emoji meaning → angst = 🌩️, smut = 🥵, fluff = 🥰, comedy = 😂, yandere = 😈, thriller/dark = 👻, fantasy = 🪄.

⭐Knock it Down a Peg @thatlongspringnight [3.3k]  // knj x f.reader // est. relationship // 🥰🥵😂

📝 thanks to an idea from Jungkook’s girlfriend, you and Namjoon decided to try something new in the bedroom.

🗨️ this was just so fucking funny 🤣 I really loved it! Like I was laughing the whole time— that’s how funny it was! A short, but very very funny read! ✨

⭐The Truth Untold @rmnamjoons [10.1k] // knj x f.reader // bf2l // 🥰🥵🌩️

📝 you’ve been trapped for months in a loveless, toxic relationship, too afraid of what would happen if you ever tried to leave. Your boyfriend gets so jealous, especially of your best friend Namjoon, who you’ve missed more than your heart can stand. Now, seeing Namjoon for the first time in weeks, you decide that it’s time to tell him everything, no matter the cost.

🗨️ ah what— this was both sad and very very sweet 😭 It’s sad, because it’s cheating— 😭 What she has with Namjoon is pure sweetness, and he is perfect for her 😭💜 I really loved it, though I have conflicted feelings about the cheating (I always have lol), but it was really good and I really liked it! It was so soft, beautiful and I love their relationship and she should just have picked Namjoon from the start!! Anyway, a really good story that will tear you up a bit 💯 Also, just seeing the banner had me in tears already, and looking at it again, I’m already crying 😭

⭐Park and Ride @here2bbtstrash [4.8k] // knj x f.reader // fuckbuddy!au // 🥵

📝 your fuckbuddy asks if the two of you can drive around a bit first, but he has a hard time keeping his hands to himself

🗨️ wow this was both cute and hot 🥵💯 There’s also a small drabble to it that can be found here: [link]

⭐Cream @luxekook [1.8k] // knj x f.reader // est. relationship, idol!au // 🥵

📝 you thirst over the outline in the pants of kim namjoon’s iconic cream suit just one time too many, and he’s ready to make you pay for it.

🗨️ Namjoon in that cream suit— what more do I need to say? 🥵 (also loved it, in case there was any confusing on that part ✨)

⭐Don’t Want Your Sympathy @sketchguk [9.5k] // knj x f.reader x jjk // est. relationship + threesome (kinda) // 🥵🥰🌩️😂

📝 jeongguk is like an annoying little brother to you, but nevertheless, there’s nothing in this world you wouldn’t do for your sweet, innocent best friend. so what are you supposed to do when he wants to watch your boyfriend fuck you senseless? say no?

🗨️ fuck. I’m going feral over this one 😭🥵 First, oc being best friends with Jungkook, so much so that she and Namjoon are willing to show him how to please a woman, please, I don’t know but that must be like the ultimate friendship goal? 🥹😂 I really loved it, and all the sexual teasing and banter was just so hilarious 😂

⭐Off Limits [completed series] @floralseokjin [n/a] // ksj x f.reader // brother’s best friend!au // 🥵🌩️

📝 you’ve been lusting after your brother’s best friend for a while now, ever since you met him at a house party, flirting it up a storm as you failed to realise who the other was. That was months ago now and things are still awkward, but you can’t ignore the sexual tension that’s simmers between the two of you…and it keeps getting worse…

🗨️ I finally finished reading this amazing series! It was really good, and one of my favorites Seokjin stories 🥰 Towards the ending it good really good and I had a tough time putting it down, because I just had to read how things would fall apart to be build back up again 👏 There was also some small plot twists that I didn’t expect and they were a positive surprise 💜

⭐Stuck with You @taleasnewastime [29.6k] // ksj x f.reader // s2l, Christmas!au // 🥵🌩️🥰

📝 it’s the first Christmas since your dad passed away. You, your mum and sister are going to his favourite place to do his favourite thing, skiing. And yet you’re not there. Stuck. Stranded. Trapped. In seemingly the single hottest place in the world. Your transfer flight cancelled so you’re now stuck between home and your family. A snowstorm that causes all flights to be cancelled, heat that just seems wrong at Christmas, your sister crying and shouting down the phone at you, and to top it off, the most annoying man in the world who’s in the same position as you and seems to think you’re friends because of that fact. Merry Christmas to you.

🗨️ this is truly one of my favorite plots and this fic is just so good, also a favorite, hands down!!! I just love me some good comfort, with angst, then comfort and a happy ending ✨

It was just so well done, the plot, and the characters too 🥹💯

⭐Satan, Baby @johobi [2.6k]  // ksj x f.reader // s2??? // 🥵👻🪄

📝 when the devil knocks, you’re only too happy to answer.

🗨️ I am speechless— it was such a nice, dark and smutty read! Really interesting ✨

⭐Redamancy @jeonggukingdom [7.1k] // ksj x f.reader // est. relationship, valentines day // 🥵🥰

📝 it’s St.Valentin’es Day and as per tradition, you are to surprise your boyfriend with a gift and a chocolate treat. On a whim, you decide to cook an entire dinner for him and bake him his favorite cake: chocolate filling and strawberry and cream toppings. Seokjin is bent down on showing you just how much he appreciated all your hard work for him. 

🗨️ gosh— so sweet, cute and sexy 🥵✨💯

⭐You Suck! @ugh-yoongi [18.3k] // ksj x f.reader // s2l, roommates, vampire!au // 🥵🥰😂🪄

📝 it’s St.Valentin’es Day and as per tradition, you are to surprise your boyfriend with a gift and a chocolate treat. On a whim, you decide to cook an entire dinner for him and bake him his favorite cake: chocolate filling and strawberry and cream toppings. Seokjin is bent down on showing you just how much he appreciated all your hard work for him. 

🗨️ WOW— so many thoughts on this; it was perfect, let me start with that. It was so fucking funny, I laughed so many times. I love Seokjin in this, how kind he is, funny, all that, and how he cares for oc, everything. The smut was so fucking funny, not gonna lie, I did not expect it AT ALL, but that shit had me rolling on the floor 🤣

⭐MicroWave [completed series] @btsmakesmehappy [37k] // myg x f.reader // neighbor!au, s2l // 🥵🥰🌩️👻

📝 Yoongi can’t help to worry about his neighbor. Not only that she almost burned the apartment down, she also trusts people too much, and yet she doesn’t want people to help her. She is just trouble written in bold and capital and he shouldn’t be acquainted with her. But yet, he makes it his mission to help her with all costs.

🗨️ I’m still baffled that this series doesn’t have more notes than it has—- because it’s simply fucking amazing! There’s 5 chapters and I read them so fucking fast, I just had to know what was happening with oc. Good pace in the story 👌It’s a series that features in with 6 others (not all are written and the overall general story seems to be discontinued), and I haven’t read the others yet, but I’m sure they’re just as good as this one! ✨

⭐The Road Not Taken [series; ongoing] @prodagustd [n/a] // myg x f.reader // brother’s best friend!au // 🥰🌩️🥵

📝 if you wanted to stop thinking about Yoongi, the first step was as easy as stop seeing him, but why it seemed like he was following everywhere you went?

🗨️ the author just updated this after months and I’m so happy because I found it so interesting and this chapter was just updated is jam packed with essential backstory! If you haven’t read this one yet, I highly recommend it ✨

⭐Fractured @hamsterclaw [6.6k] // myg x f.reader // detective!au // 🌩️🥵👻

📝 Yoongi’s a murder detective fighting burnout when he’s assigned the case that you and your former partner fucked up.

🗨️ oh, I love a good detective and police au! This was so good, the plot was intriguing and captivating— I really loved it ✨

⭐STEAM [completed series] @hoseoksluna [n/a] // myg x f.reader x jjk // est. relationship // 🌩️🥵

📝 one video call awakens your neediness for two cocks.

🗨️ okay this is really hot— and I really mean it, it’s dirty and filthy with all the good stuff! Yoongi is a bit iffy in this, so is oc, lol. I’ve only read the first one as of posting this, but I intend to read the rest of the series because I really like both the writing and the plot in this, and I’m very interested to know what is up with Yoongi! ✨

⭐Cybersex @gimmethatagustd [14.6k] // myg x f.reader // brother’s best friend!au // 🥵🥵😂

📝 the whole point of being a phone sex hotline operator is that you’ll never have to meet your clients. So what are you supposed to do when you find out your favorite client is your brother’s best friend? 

🗨️ I always enjoy Jai’s work, and this is no different! Such a funny and smutty story. Had me laughing at so many moments, like literally giggling out loud like a fucking fool, and OC’s friendship with the roommate is just so precious 🥹 and how oc and Yoongi actually get together is just so freaking funny 🤭 I loved everything in it so freaking much 💖💯

⭐Beleaguer @httpjeon [2.4k] // jhs x f.reader // neighbor!au, e2l, fuckboy!au // 🥵

📝 your neighbor is a pain in the ass.

🗨️ holy— DAMN! This was so fucking hot, so sinful and the dynamic between reader and Hobi??? How much they LOATHE each other 🤭👏 So freaking good! 💯

⭐Rather Be @hisunshiine [4.3k]  // jhs x f.reader // college!au, dancer!au // 🌩️

📝 you’re finally able to attend your dream school for ballet, where things are going well! You’re making new friends, have a chance to become a principal dancer in the winter show, and you’re growing closer to Hoseok. He’s a talented hip hop dancer, but still reeling after a tough break up, and doesn’t know if he’s ready to date again. Torn between you and his ex, Hoseok must decide where he’d rather be.

🗨️ this was just really cute 💜 Also to note, this has a named oc!

⭐Keeping a Secret @kpopfanfictrash [3.7k] // jhs x f.reader // est. relationship // 🥵

📝 you and Hoseok have been hooking up for a few weeks now. No one in your friend group knows. What happens then, when he shows up at movie night looking better than anticipated?

🗨️ aaaaaaahh~ So fucking cute and hot too, I really loved it 💜💯

⭐Liar, Liar @eoieopda [5k] // jhs x f.reader // fuckbuddy!au // 🥵

📝 Hoseok suspects that you’re “phoning it in” while sexting and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t call your bluff.

🗨️ okay. This was amazing and I really loved it 🥵💯✨ 

⭐Cheap Wine & Second Chances @minisugakoobies [8k] // jhs x f.reader // f2l + valentines day // 🥵🥰🌩️

📝 valentine’s Day has brought Hoseok, your best friend from college, back into your life. Is this your second chance to get the one that got away?

🗨️ oh this is so cute and sweet (and a tad bit sad) 🥹 I love this story, it’s just so cute– the one that got away, and they finally get their chance! So freaking cute and I loved every word of it ✨ 💯

⭐As If It’s His Last @vinetae [4k]  // pjm x f.reader // fwb + f2l // 🥵

📝 it had been a simple agreement. You felt bad at how many times Jimin had a hectic schedule. And while you couldn’t do anything about that, you could offer some services out of pity for the boy..

🗨️ well this was just hot 🥵🥵🥵

⭐The Pitfalls of Silk: drabble @ctrlhope [1.7k] // pjm x f.reader // s2l, hybrid!au, soulmate!au // 🥰🥵😈🪄

📝 the winter gods are out to get you. That could be the only possible explanation for the series of bad luck tumbling before you— tropical vacation cancelled, snow locking you inside. Hell, even your shovel broken in half has got to be the gods playing some sort of trick on you. Pulling you along, making decisions for you as they guide you along the red string of fate. Guide you towards the very spider that found his way into your basement. Allowing him to fall into your heart all the same. 

🗨️ Lily just wrote a drabble for the one-shot I read last month!!! And the drabble was just so fucking cute 😭😭😭 If you haven’t read the original, please do that before you read the drabble, the story is really beautiful ✨

⭐The Group Project @noona-la-la-la [8k] // pjm x f.reader x kth // roommate!au + threesome // 🥵

📝 Jimin is jealous when his best friend and roommate, Taehyung, has a date with the girl Jimin has a crush on.

🗨️ fuck this was so GOOD!!! 💯 Best friend Tae 💜 It was so freaking hot and sinful, like????? Jimin watching them, and then Tae just being best friend ever at the end 🥵 Also, the dialogues were so fucking good! I really loved everything in this 😭

⭐Taste of You @divinelyparkjimin [5.2k]  // pjm x f.reader // childhood friends to lovers, roommates, fuckboy!au // 🥵🌩️🥰

📝 getting yourself off to your childhood friend’s sexual escapades was definitely not on your radar, but seems like it should’ve been a long time ago.

🗨️ a really good read— though Jimin is a total dick in my book 😂 OC isn’t much better, but hey, they do get together in the end, and that is what matters! 💜

⭐Muscle Tension @bluemari23 [0.7k]  // pjm x f.reader // est. relationship // 🥰

📝 you feel a little stressed after a family visit and your husband helps relieve some tension.

🗨️ SFW— sweet fluffiness 🥰 Short and sweet, and I really loved it 💖

⭐Fantasy @pantherxrogers [1.5k]  // kth x f.reader // marriage!au // 🥵

📝 you love a man in uniform. more specifically, you love the way your husband looks in a uniform. he attempts to come home and surprise you, but he's the one left in shock.

🗨️ HOTTTTT 🥵🥵🥵

⭐Shameless @peachypinkygloss [3.6k]  // kth x f.reader // est. relationship, university!au // 🥵

📝 your boyfriend is really kinky. He can never go against his sexual urges, even when you both are in a hot tub with his friends.

🗨️ ADFSFDGFD— Speechless over here 🥵

⭐Backstage @jeonqkooks [0.6k]  // kth x f.reader // est. relationship, band!au // 🥵

📝 intentionally left blank by the author!

🗨️ just hotness 🥵

⭐Good Girl @suga-kookiemonster [3.5k]  // kth x f.reader // office!au, co-workers to lovers // 🥵

📝 you don’t really know much about kim taehyung. what you do know is that he’s your handsome coworker and that, since you just accidentally sent him a nude, you’re good and royally fucked.

🗨️ funny and smutty! Also, what is it about office romance that just hits differently? 🥵

⭐Moonlight [ongoing series] @borathae [6.8k]  // kth x f.reader // est. relationship, vampire!au // 🥵

📝 Taehyung asks you to sneak out with him and you end up making passionate love to him in a hayloft.

🗨️ I love vampires and just from the description and I know the author is amazing at writing, I decided to read this, even though I haven’t read anything from the series at all. But fuck, it was so good! I’ll definitely be checking out the series, it’s a well established one, so there’s a lot to sink my teeth into 😜

⭐Chasing Cars [ongoing series] @oddinary4bts [n/a] // jjk x f.reader // brother’s best friend!au, forbidden love!au, college!au, slice of life!au // 🥵🌩️🥰

📝 when your brother goes to study on a semester abroad, your life collides with his best friend Jeon Jungkook, who's coincidentally your roommate. Will you survive the collision, or will you crumble into dust?

🗨️ I’m on chapter 7 right now (there’s 8 out as of posting this) and it’s still so fucking good! I’m kinda mad at JK though, but it’s okay! I love when stories get me either mad, sad or frustrated at the characters, and Ella is so freaking good at that! ✨ Also, she has been making small drabbles for each chapter from JK’s pov and those are just extremely good too! 💜

⭐Dumbo @cinnaminsvga [17.2k] // jjk x f.reader // s2l // 🥵😂😂

📝 you know what they say about boys with big noses… {or alternatively: jungkook has a big dick but he doesn’t know how to use it, but luckily you’re there to help.}

🗨️ This was just so fucking hilarious I don’t even know where to begin 😂 I don’t know how many times the word ‘dick’ or its many different variations is used in this fic, but damn it a lot, and damn is it fun! 🤣 There’s so many dick jokes it should be criminal! It was so good though, the story was just too funny, almost absurd (lol), but dammit it’s a new favorite! 💯

⭐Fool for You [completed series] @btsgotjams27 [24.9k] // jjk x f.reader // college!au, fake dating, s2f2l // 🥵🌩️🥰

📝 when Jungkook is finally single, you shoot your shot.

🗨️ This is a short series and it’s really good— it’s cute, has angst and a happy ending ✨

⭐Make it Right @jungkxook [11.5k] // jjk x f.reader // band!au, exes to lovers // 🥵🌩️

📝 you’re wholeheartedly, madly in love with jungkook and yet you shouldn’t be because it’s been almost a year since you broke up with him. worst part of it all is that you know he’s still in love with you too.

🗨️ gaaaaahhh, I’m crying 😭 This was so beautiful, bittersweet 😭 I loved it so much and their love, omg, so pure, so precious. His song for her, I’m just like 😭 (can you tell I’m a sobbing mess?) Definitely a new favorites and I loved the fact that, they both knew they were broken, waiting for each other, and even though broken, they will heal and take it slow 😭💯

⭐Coffee Stain @oddinary4bts [1.9k] // jjk x f.reader // grief!au // 🌩️🌩️🌩️

📝 you grief, and it's the expression of your everlasting love for Jungkook.

🗨️ Do you want to cry, but not able too? Go and read this! It’s so fucking sad, but so incredible beautiful and sweet, it will make you tear up in now time. As said before, Ella just have a way with words, and in this one, they sure do hurt a lot 😭 But I fucking love it ✨

Welcome to this new section! This section features member x member stories— if you’re not into that, it’s okay, and you can just skip it. Otherwise enjoy 🥰

⭐Sunday Smut Book Club @gimmethatagustd [7.1k] // knj x myg // s2l // 🥵😂

📝 the cute librarian at Yoongi's local library hosts an adult-only book club. As a fanfiction smut writer himself, Yoongi is intrigued.

🗨️ this was just extremely funny and cute! 🥰 Also, I love that Yoongi writes fanfiction, and as I writer it was very relatable! It has a very ‘meta’/fourth wall feel too it 🤭 Which I fucking adore ✨

Welcome to this small section— it won’t be here every month, only when I’ve written something new, I’ll add it here, just to promote myself a little bit 🫶

⭐Till We Meet Again [11.4k]  // jjk x f.reader // childhood f2l, mermaid!au, fantasy!au, magical!au // 🥵🥰😂🪄

📝 when your childhood friend that you had a crush on, moved away out of the blue— you never thought you’d see him again. A night swim in the ocean will have you feeling delusional, but the voice that fills your ears— sweet like cotton candy, you’d recognize that voice anywhere, it’s Jungkook.

⭐Friendcation: wedding special [12.2k]  // myg x f.reader // established relationship, mechanic!yoongi, roadtrip!au // 🥵🥰😂

📝 Yoongi has done everything in his power to make your wedding truly special, what he couldn’t plan for was the rain. But fret not, a bit of rain will not make your day less special when it’s surrounded by friends and family. And your wedding night? Well, being pushed down into the sheets by Yoongi is easily one of your favorite things.

Thank you so much for reading my rec list, I hope you’ll reblog it to make it reach more people! There’s some insanely good reads on here ✨

I’m not sure I’ll get to read as much in July, because it’s summer holidays ☀️

If you want more, you’re more than welcome to follow me! I do monthly rec lists and sometimes I post my own writing too (only bangtan).  Love you and borahae 💜

[drawnfamiliarfaces]

I’ve been simping over your ‘human’ Nomicon design since it came out in Ninja-November. If you have any headcanons about them, would you please share?

ah, a fellow monster/eldritch horror enjoyer I see! thank you! <3 tbh that Nomicon design was like an one day revelation, because while I love all the human!Nomi designs I've seen over the years (and there are some banger ones, man), it hit me that we as a fandom really underutilize all the uncanny aspects Nomi possesses. So ye. I do have a couple hc.

Nomicon is an entity that doesn't have its own face and voice.

Whenever Nomicon talks to Randy it uses proxies in form of art/images/drawings/scribbles/writings. It gives strangely non-verbal vibes for something so cryptically eloquent! And whenever it does use a voice, its voice of the First Ninja (or more accurately his VA xD) , its first owner/wielder. When it uses a face, its usually the static/unmoving marble-like faces of Art or silly pen scribbles - both of which hold that uncanny valley look of something that looks human but really isn't. Not to mention the fact that it once literally stole Randy's face/body to teach him a lesson.

I like to think that Nomicon has a library of faces/visages/voices it can take on, but all of them are creepily unsettling because - what would a book know about how to be human? It's face moves wrong, the eyes are too wide open, its body is creepily still, the voice uses inflections like its copying someone else (and sometimes voice warbles and changes/overlaps with other voices because it has so many).

All of it gives these fae/cryptid vibes of creatures that steal voices/faces to trick people, but in this case Nomicon collects those faces/voices from its owners along with their memories (which is another messed up thing we collectively forget is very creepy lol).

Nomicon is an entity that doesn't have a body, and most importantly - hands.

The reason I gave Nomicon so many shadow hands is because, well, Nomicon is a book. Hands hold those books, so the hands are very important to Nomi. All those shadow hands? Are memories of all the hands that held it (mostly previous Ninjas, but also the Creep and some others). It remembers everyone who held it.

The fit- the hat and the cape are kind of obvious, it look like center of the cover and the cape looks like covers on either side with pages underneath. The weirdest addition I made - is the spaghetti noodle-doodle 'hair'.

It constantly fascinates me that Nomicon, besides the Greek Key/9 motif, has those sort of concentration circles that are also present during Mask/Suit transformation. It gave me thought of sort of weird halos i guess?? Which adds to creepy vibe, but in this case its biblically accurate angel / holy deity type of vibes.

Nomicon has very basic understanding of humanity.

For all the experiences/memories/personalities it was created from and it absorbed over the years, human things are a rather alien concept for the book. It's the reason Nomicon is so bad at its timing whenever it buzzes Randy. It just doesnt care that you are at school Randy, its trying to teach you how to be a better ninja!!! In some sense, it absorbed the most prevalent quality of First Ninja - the dedication to duty, the whole reason for its existence - to serve Ninjas to be the best they can. So, such human/mortal things as good grades/video games/a good nights sleep are very nebulous concepts to it.

Less of a hc but more of an observation/gripe but-

COME ON ITS NAME??? Ninjanomicon as in Ninjanecronomicon??? Because lets be honest its not just a book/guide for Ninjas its a book full of DEAD NINJAS??? LIKE??? In some sense all previous Ninjas, when they go through Ultimate Lesson, 'die' in the real world (because they are no longer Ninjas) and are preserved in Nomicon. And First is like deadass dead? (Plop plop too lol). So I feel like there should be more creepiness about that.

Anyway thats basically most of it, and sorry for silly doodles but i cant really draw creepy stuff xD

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I don’t know why but I got this idea in my head of Cater’s sisters being really into Ace’s brother. Maybe because I got Cater and Ace mixed up all the time when I first saw the character designs for TW.

Ah, yes. Putting more Heartslabyul boys in familial crises with the fear that their own [relative] may start a relationship with a [relative] of a classmate (the last one was Mrs. Spade + "Silver's dad") :)) That's been my favorite thing to write lately, lol

I wrote Cater’s sisters with the concept of bubbly, sociable girls and gyaru fashion/subculture in mind. There's a lot of "like" and "totally" in their vocabular! Ace's brother is 7 years older than him, so in my head I'm placing the Diamond sisters around that ballpark too. (We don’t actually know what the age difference between the Diamond siblings are, nor do we know that much about the character of the sisters other than having girlish interests and being somewhat bossy with Cater.)

Family means Nobody is Left Behind or Forgotten.

Head-turning was an understatement for the effect the Diamond sisters had on NRC’s general populace. The gemstone of their surname might have implied elegance in the right context—but they were more the gaudy kind of jewels, shining so brightly it was difficult to ignore them.

The Diamond sisters dressed loudly, talked loudly, and lived, laughed, and loved loudly. It earned them no shortage of strange looks and stares. Attention, but not the good kind.

The cards that Cater held so close to his chest threatened to slip out from between his fingers and scatter. Putting on an act was one thing—but when his sisters were present? A whole different act to balance.

People looked too closely. They wondered. All things he worked so tirelessly to avoid.

His house of cards threatened to topple.

“Is this really your dorm?” one sister gushed, disrupting Cater’s thoughts.

She gazed at the red roses that wreathed the lounge. Cards were also strung above to give the illusion of floating down. Suspended clocks ticking away the time, racking up the seconds.

“Heartslabyul’s, like, so aesthetically pleasing!” the other sister declared. “It’s like I just walked straight into a viral Magicam pic.”

“Yup, it’s my dorm alright!” Cater said quickly, careful to not let his smile falter. “Hey, if you like Heartslabyul, then we should check out the other six dorms too. You might find a place that vibes with you even more!”

“Really? But I wanna soak up the atmosphere of your dorm first!!” The first sister fell back into a quilted couch with a pout.

The second shook her head and tutted. “Let’s stop and smell the roses, okay, Cay-Cay?”

“Eeeeh? That’s easy for you two to say… I kinda get tired of smelling roses all day myself. Don't 'cha find it a little stifling? There are other places we could hang."

His sisters looked at him incredulously, neither of them willing to budge. He had feared this--their headstrongness had been the cause of many disputes as children.

"Maybe we could hit up the gardens then?" Cater offered, changing up his tactics. "It's so big, and there's so much to see there! Lots of 'cammable spots! We could spend all afternoon wandering it and getting lost~"

Hopefully out of sight for the entire day. It was more energy than he had hoped to expend, but it was a concession Cater was forced to make.

At this, the Diamond sisters leapt up excitedly.

"Omg, pics with floral backgrounds are like, SO hot right now. It's the season for it!"

“Is there a flower archway? Or a trellis we could pose in front of?”

“All that and more!“ Cater beamed and gestured to the open door. It led into a twisting hallway, checkered in black and white squares. When he looked to his sisters, he mustered all the eagerness he could. “Come on, let’s shake a leg and check it out!”

“What, you’re checking me out?”

“… Eh?” Cater whipped back to the doorway.

A man was now there, casually leaning against the frame. He wore a confident grin on his handsome face, poised with the laidback sort of swagger of a street-smart alleycat.

Riddle would have blown a fuse at how he dressed—his vest was open, his shirt wasn’t fully tucked in, nor full buttoned. His tie was loose too, and tossed over the shoulder… and, worst of all, he had the same impish glitter in his cherry eyes as Ace did. Double trouble, it seemed.

“I didn’t think my lil’ bro’s classmates would be so into me,” the Ace-like man joked.

Cater blinked as realization kicked in. “Eh, could it be that you’re Ace-chan’s…”

Right on cue, the first year in question popped up from around the corner. He crammed himself in the doorway with his brother with a groan.

“Would it kill you to wait up for me?!” Ace cried indignantly. “Just cuz you’re visiting your alter mater doesn’t mean you can ditch me to run off and do whatever!”

“Can’t help it if you still can’t outrun me,” his brother smirked. “Maybe you oughta work out some more.”

“Yeah, right! You just got a head-start is all. I bet I’m WAY more in shape than you are!”

Yup, that pretty much confirms it… They argue like siblings—I’d know it anywhere.

"I didn’t know your brother would be dropping in," Cater began. Rapt gasps cut off the rest of his thought.

“O. M. G.”

The blood in Cater’s veins ran cold. He didn’t need to look to know that something had completely entranced his sisters.

They were both suddenly on either side of Cater, sandwiching him between them. "Cay-kun, who’s this cutie?! Where have you been hiding him?"

For once in his life, he was at a total loss for words. Cater stared pleadingly at Ace, his puppy dog eyes (a technique he had learned from many fake Magicam apology vids) on full blast.

The first year wiggled his brows at Cater, then strolled forward. He slicked hair back with both hands (he had seen it once in a movie) and made what he probably thought was an attractive expression. “Ladies, ladies! I know I'm hot stuff! No need to clamor, there’s plenty of me to go around.”

The Diamond sisters flew right by him, snubbing the boy.

"... Huh?"

Both Cater and Ace gawked as the girls clustered around the older of the Trappola brothers. One sister took hold of his right arm, the other, the left, in a desperate bid for his attention. The Diamond sisters giggled coquettishly, batting their eyes at Ace's brother and toying with locks of their hair.

"Hey, cutie~ You free right now? Cuz we totes are!"

"Let's ditch our bros and get to know each other better! You're, like, def our type."

"Oh, you've got to be kiddin' me," Ace groaned, face-palming.

His brother smiled languidly and shrugged. "Sorry, my dude. I can't help being a chick magnet. Better luck next time."

"You don't sound very sorry about it!!"

"What else is a guy supposed to do in a situation like this? I'll make it up to you somehow, promise!"

"Aw, you care about your little bro's feelings? I love that," one of the Diamond sisters swooned, a hand to her forehead.

"Hot and considerate? He's the total package!" The other traced a light circle on his chest, a longing sigh drawn out from between her lips.

"Oh, BARF." Ace yanked on Cater's sleeve, demanding, "Uh, a little help here, Cater-senpai?! You CAN'T be okay with this, right?"

"Eeeh, you seriously want me to get in the way of true love, Ace-chan?" he pulled back, both hands up--distancing himself from the situation. "Sorry, but I'm not up for it."

"Oh, come on! True love, my ass! You're fine with your sisters peacing out on you to flirt and make goo-goo eyes?!"

"Honestly, whatever keeps them out of my hair~" Cater replied with a mischievous wink. "And besides, I don't want to deal with the potential fallout if they kick up a fuss about it. Haven't you ever heard of 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'?"

With a grin, the third year wrangled his junior by the shoulder and brought him close. "I should actually be thanking you, Ace-chan! You got me out of a real tight pinch there~"

“Yeah, and now you put me in a pinch!” he groused back, shoving Cater away. There was no shame to his senior’s smile, only smug satisfaction. “Traitor!”

“Geez, that’s mean of you to say. I didn’t ever promise you anything, did I? We just happened to cross paths and things worked out in my favor 🎵”

"Well thanks for NOTHING, then!"

[shunin-gumis]

Designs of Happiness - Track A14

L4mps Main Story Translation

Title: Imposed Blessings

Characters: Nagi

Summary: Nagi is working alone at his shop after abruptly leaving the Friday Film viewing. The protagonist chases after him, and he finally explains his unique predisposition.

Thank you aca @463ce6, jes @arcanecrayonn myun @/myuntachis and Niri for helping me with proofing!

Also a gentle request from me, please do listen to the chapter in-game alongside the translation if you don't do so already, the voice acting is very precious 🥺🥺

Location: Flower Laundry

Sonia: Nagi-shan, here ish all the flowers you can use! 

Nagi: …Oh no. This isn’t nearly enough.

Sonia: You came back all of a sudden from HAMA House, sho you have no right to complain! 

Nagi: Sorry. Please get whatever’s left in the storehouse too.

Sonia: Aye aye, Shir! Geez, I’ll bring back as much as I can!

*bell jingles*

Customer A: ‘Scuse me! Sorry for popping in last minute—

Nagi: Oh, that’s alright. What can I do for you?

Customer A: Just a quick question– Does the laundromat here accept IzuPay? 

Nagi: IzuPay… Ah, we don’t use that here yet. There were plans to add it as an option but it was delayed… Sorry about that.

Customer B: Darn… out of luck, huh. I guess it makes sense, not everyone would bother getting the ward’s special payment method.

Nagi: Other digital payment options are still available, and we accept cash too.

Customer A: Huh? Can’t believe there’s a laundromat that still takes cash… 

Customer A: I thought they’d all be gone with the ‘Valley of the Sky’ or somethin’. POTHARU! and all that. 

Customer B: Hey, don’t be rude… He’s standing right there, and that scene is long since over. Um, sorry about that. 

Nagi: …It’s fine. 

Nagi: (Right. I guess the film viewing would be over by now, too.)

Nagi: (...Why did I have to think about that now?)

Nagi: (I wouldn’t have lasted much longer in that situation… Just thinking about it gives me chills. I’m sorry I didn’t stick with Toi till the end, but I had no choice, I had to leave for everyone’s sake—)

Sonia: I’ve prepared the flowers for you!

Nagi: Thanks. —Let’s go, we need to leave right now.

??: Um, excuse me… 

Nagi: Oh, yes, welcome—

Momiji: Good evening… again.

Nagi: …… 

Momiji: Do you mind if we talk for a bit, Nagi-kun?

Momiji: …… 

Momiji: (I can’t believe he ran out of HAMA House during the viewing… I guess he must’ve hated it that much, huh…)

Momiji: (Maybe I was being too naive in thinking that he’d open up with enough time…) 

Nagi: …… 

Nagi: (I can’t believe she noticed I’d left… I might have messed this up worse than I’d thought. She must be annoyed with me…)

Nagi: (No, I shouldn’t jump to conclusions, maybe she’s just here to check up on me. I clearly suck at communicating with others, so that might have gotten her worried…)

Nagi: (Still, it doesn’t change the fact that I troubled the Chief… I’m worth less than a plant louse that preys on flowers. I mean, even plant lice are useful to ants, yet I’m…)

Nagi: (No one would want a Ward Mayor that’s worth less than a louse.)

Nagi: (I wanted to take responsibility and see this job through to the end, but…)

Momiji: …You see, Yodaka-san just informed me earlier. 

Nagi: Yes?

Momiji: That you haven’t slept at HAMA House even once, Nagi-kun.

Nagi: …… 

Nagi: (So he knew. He’s too sharp to slip past, huh.)

Momiji: …… 

Momiji: (Ah… He’s tensed up.)

Momiji: (I wonder if I should’ve approached it more delicately…)

Momiji: (I’d readily help him if he’d just let me know what he’s having trouble with, or if there’s something he’d like changed… But what if he says that he never wanted to be a Ward Mayor in the first place? Hrm… What should I say…)

Nagi: …… 

Nagi: (She looks really troubled… I feel guilty that she’s worried over someone like me.)

Nagi: (I should just explain everything, even if it makes me uneasy. I know it’s the right thing to do, but… If I really just blurt everything out, she’d probably think I’m some kind of weirdo.)

Nagi: (But if I keep quiet any longer, she might feel hurt instead. What should I do…)

Nagi: (...The cyclamen at the storefront just caught my eye… In flower language, they mean “resignation” and “words of parting”...)

Nagi: (And next to it are the anemone, meaning “abandonment,” and the calendula, “sorrow of parting.”)

Nagi: (I see… I get it now.)

Momiji: Um… 

Nagi: (I should… brace myself.) 

Nagi: …… 

Nagi: …If I don’t hand out flowers, it rebounds. 

Momiji: Huh?

Nagi: The other side of the Yajirobe*. 

Momiji: Uh?

Nagi: This is just a theory of mine.

Momiji: O-Okay… 

Nagi: I believe that, just like with human emotions, if a person experiences great fortune or misfortune, then they will eventually have to return to a neutral state.

Momiji: Uh huh...?

Nagi: In my case, the rebound is especially strong. If I experience any fortune, then misfortune is sure to follow soon after. 

Nagi: That’s what happened when I got caught in that bee trap before; I’m sure it’s because I’d won a set of tissue boxes the day before, at a raffle in the shopping district.

Nagi: This is my theory on the phenomenon I call “The Yajirobe of Fortune and Misfortune.”

Momiji: I-I see... It’s like when people say bad luck doesn’t last forever, or how something good is bound to follow after something bad… Is it like that?

Nagi: …Are you a genius? I feel embarrassed for making up a whole theory now. I’ll just use your explanation next time.

Momiji: No, no, I understood what you were trying to say with your Yajirobe theory.

Nagi: …To avoid having the Yajirobe go crazy, I need to avoid any situation that might make me happy, intentionally or not. 

Nagi: Even a single slice of cake is too much for me. That sort of kindness… is too much happiness for me to bear. 

Momiji: (So he’s saying the cake made him so happy that he had to avoid accepting it, and even ran out of the dorm just so he could avoid inviting misfortune…)

Nagi: But sometimes, no matter how careful I am, the happiness just piles up anyways.

Nagi: That’s when I bring these out.

Momiji: Flowers…?

Nagi: My special ability– Flower Power: Imposed Blessings*.

Momiji: …Um?

Nagi: By imbuing flowers with the energy from my accumulated happiness, I can impose the excess onto others. There's no limit to how many flowers can be handed out. The only debuff I have to suffer is embarrassment.

Momiji: (Oh…)

Momiji: (Is that why he was handing out flowers in the middle of the street the first time I met him…?)

Momiji: (Honestly, I’m not sure how much of this I’m supposed to believe… But at the very least, I can tell Nagi-kun is being serious about this.)

Momiji: I…see. So if you give away your flowers—

Nagi: The misfortune’s rebound gets weaker. 

Momiji: –The misfortune’s rebound gets weaker…… Right. 

Nagi: (As expected, she looks really confused.)

Momiji: Um, let’s see if I got this right– You felt that joining HAMA Tours, and living at HAMA House would—

Nagi: Accumulate a debt of happiness.

Momiji: Which is why you left.

Nagi: Yes. Something like–

Nagi: Something like working together, and living alongside others, just like a ‘family’... There’s no way to predict the amount of happiness I’d receive from just being there.

Momiji: (The amount of happiness…)

Nagi: Being surrounded by happiness like that… Holding hands, and shouting POTHARU together with everyone—

Nagi: It wouldn’t surprise me if an earthquake hit right after, and HAMA House ended up as a pile of rubble…! 

Momiji: …… 

Nagi: (She looks stunned. I guess that’s expected.)

Nagi: (It was just impossible for someone like me, who’s always avoided other people, to suddenly work with others and live alongside them.)

Nagi: (She probably thinks I’m a weirdo. It’s not something you can wrap your head around. It’s a natural reaction.)

Nagi: (I’ll just get myself fired right here and now, so I can return to my old lifestyle. A life with no big waves, just the mundane everyday.)

Momiji: I understand your situation now.

Nagi: …… 

Momiji: Can I have all your flowers, then? 

Nagi: …… 

Nagi: —Huh?

Momiji: You just have to reduce that, um, debt of happiness, by giving away your flowers, right?

Momiji: But it’s probably difficult for you to find people to give flowers to on a daily basis, huh?

Nagi: …Is that… where this conversation is supposed to go?

Momiji: I think so?

Momiji: Then um, maybe your costs increase because you have to give out more flowers?

Nagi: No, that’s not really a problem. I can get a good discount if I buy it in bulk, so… 

Momiji: I see. Then, it’s just a problem of who you can give your flowers to. Accosting strangers to give them flowers is probably taxing for you, and confusing for the other person too.

Momiji: But, since I know what’s going on, I can take as many flowers as you want to give away.

Nagi: I… I guess that makes sense. 

Nagi: Wouldn’t it be a bother to you…?

Momiji: Of course not. You can never have too many flowers! I mean, flowers give a feeling of a fresh beginning, you know? They’re always nice to have.

Nagi: …… 

Nagi: Here.

Momiji: Oh! A flower! Thank you very much. You popped that out like some kinda magician!

Nagi: …Flowers have always been a part of my life, before I’d even realized it. That’s why, it’s always there, right beside me, where I can reach for it whenever I want.

Momiji: Still, what a large flower! What’s it called?

Nagi: Peony.

Momiji: Aw, it’s so pretty! And it smells so good too!

Nagi: —......

Nagi: Next, this one.

Momiji: It has such a unique shape… What’s its name? 

Nagi: Serruria.

Momiji: It’s so peculiar and cute! I wonder what I should decorate with it… 

Nagi: Here.

Momiji: This is a crazy amount! It’s starting to look like a huge bouquet at this point!

Nagi: Here.

Momiji: Oh dear, the colors are clashing…!

Nagi: Here.

Momiji: I can’t see in front of me anymore…! *giggles* But—

Momiji: Thank you, Nagi-kun!

Nagi: I should be the one saying that.

Nagi: Thank you for taking on my happiness, Chief. 

Notes:

Yajirobe is a term used for Japanese balancing toys. The mechanism involves balancing the main body at a fulcrum and making sure it doesn’t tilt too far in either direction before it’s balanced again, swinging back like a pendulum.

The name of Nagi’s ‘special ability’ literally translates to “imposing happiness/good fortune onto others through giving away flowers” which is super long hence why it got changed. He’s the type to make up silly names anyways.

Flower Language:

Peony Bashfulness, Shyness

Serruria Yearning, Beautiful heart

[amugoffandoms]

Woo!! It's time! It's time for the gift exchange!! (@milgram-valentines-exchange) Happy Valentine's Day to @mrcrazyvillainvillainn!! I had such a fun time writing your gift!! Truly gotta let Mahiru and Mikoto be silly and happy! I really hope you enjoy!! I've never written a ship fic for any of the prisoners, so I guess we ball?? (Also, let me know if you want the art without the titles!!) JIAWODJIAOW Anyways, here we go! Please enjoy...

do i dare love you? (i have always loved you)

Is this selfish? This isn’t too much, is it? I just love you so much. How long would this dream go on? I guess we can just say that this feeling is happiness~ Do you really think you know what love is? You don’t have to keep it in and hide it away. "I love you", the reason why I'm here This is how "I" will love "you"! --- "To be honest, Mikoto Kayano didn't know what to expect." "Mahiru Shiina fixes the flowers in a bouquet and hands it off to the customer." (Mikoto Kayano and Mahiru Shiina love each other in the smallest of moments.)

To be honest, Mikoto Kayano didn't know what to expect. Getting a mysterious call out of the blue? Well, ah… That’s sure to scare him.

No, no, everything’s fine. No need to resort to anything crazy. 

Mikoto exhales and splashes some water on his face. Turning off the sink, he looks up at the mirror and flashes himself a smile. 

…ah, okay, that was a little embarrassing. Mikoto laughs to himself as he walks out of the bathroom and back to his desk.

He drums his pen against his desk as he moves his mouse around to turn his computer back on. Placing his head on his hand, he scrolls through emails and emails.

…

It’s just the same emails. “Fix that.” “I liked the original design better; can you do it again?” “The deadline moved. Make sure your designs are ready for–”

Ping!

Mikoto blinks and glances over at his phone. 

New Message: make sure to come soon! 

Right, yeah. Mikoto has to head back home soon. Okay, he should really get a start on his work so he can head home early!

Sitting straight, Mikoto pulls up some designs on his computer and grabs the small stack of papers. 

With one more glance at the ideas given, Mikoto starts designing.

Mikoto leans back in his chair and slumps back. The design… is done! This is where Mikoto pretends to hear a soft achievement noise. Ding!

Anyways, Mikoto exhales and looks at the papers on his desk. The design is nice! One of his finest designs, actually. He flips through the papers and nods to himself, happy with the result. 

In the corner of his eye, he notices his boss and quickly waves him down. The second his boss looks at him with a small smile, Mikoto realizes his desk is an absolute mess. 

Ack–! Why did he leave his energy drink can here? Oh, these papers need to be in a folder–

Right after Mikoto finishes rearranging his desk, his boss finally makes it to his desk.

“Chief! I finished the design you wanted me to make!” Mikoto hands the stack of designs with a small smile. His boss blinks, clearly surprised at how fast Mikoto finished the designs. He flips through the small stack, checking each design.

 

His serious expression seriously doesn’t tell me anything… Mikoto internally groans.

“Good job, Kayano.” His boss places the stack underneath his arm. “These will probably suffice for our client. Do you have other designs that need to be completed?” “Ah, um–” Mikoto looks around at his desk. He doesn’t think he does. “...No…?’

“Oh?” His boss asks, surprised for some reason. Hey, Mikoto knows how to finish his work if it isn’t being constantly changed! “Ah… Alright then… I guess you…” His boss looks around the office. “...Actually, it looks like everyone is preoccupied.”

Mikoto shifts uncomfortably in his seat. Please don’t give him more work. Please don’t give him more work. 

His boss lifts his wrist and looks at his watch. “Hm… It’s seven. Earlier than I would like to let anyone out.” 

Oh, please. Please. Please-!!

His boss sighs. “Alright, Kayano. You may head home early today. I’m only doing this because you’ve got most of your work under control and I unfortunately don’t want to bother your coworkers with giving you their work.” You would anyway, but you seem to be in good spirits today…? “Thank you, Chief!” Mikoto smiles. “Don’t expect this often from me. Have a good night.” His boss turns right around and walks away, going over to a different cubicle. Mikoto watches as his boss walks away and pumps his fist.

Woo! I’m free! Mikoto grins to himself as he packs his stuff into his bag. Standing up, he shuts his computer off and looks around.  To be honest, he feels really bad for his coworkers… 

But, he promised to get home as soon as he could. Mikoto glances at his phone, specifically that one notification.

make sure to come soon!

He doesn’t want to break his promise. So, with a quiet exhale, he walks to the elevator and clicks the button to go down. The elevator doors open.

He walks in.

…

“…oh, I forgot to press the button to the lobby–” Mikoto mumbles as he quickly clicks the button down.

Mikoto hears the key click in the lock and turns the doorknob. As he walks into his apartment, the lights are all out.

“I could’ve sworn I left the lights on…?” Mikoto mumbles as he takes the key out of the lock and shrugs off his coat. He slowly walks through his apartment, fumbling for the lights. 

His hands land on the switch and Mikoto flips the lights on–

Arms wrap around Mikoto’s neck. Something makes Mikoto twitch. “Surprise~!”

Mikoto jumps. 

Mahiru laughs above him as Mikoto lies on the ground, dazed. “Ma– Mappi???” Someone relaxes.

“Hehe~ Did I scare you?” Mahiru giggles, absolutely beaming. “A… a little, yeah!” Mikoto dusts himself off. “I think I hit my head… Ow…”

Mahiru’s laughter immediately stops. “Ah– did I hurt you? Hey, let me see–”  Mahiru quickly kneels on the floor and scoots next to Mikoto. “No, no. I’m okay, I promise– Please don’t worry!” Mikoto gives a weak smile. “Let me just look, okay?” Mahiru says, with a soft voice filled with concern. (Her voice is always soft, but these moments, they're just a little bit more comforting. Maybe it’s Mikoto being too detail-oriented recently, but he’s decided to notice the smaller things.)

Mikoto swallows. “Okay.”

She looks at the back of Mikoto’s head, checking for any bumps or bruises.  The moment is silent as Mahiru looks all over Mikoto’s head for anything and Mikoto sits there, quiet.

To be honest, he doesn’t want to say anything. He doesn’t want to ruin it. It’s… those small moments, right? When you know someone loves you. Those are the moments you want to hold in your hands because they’re so fuzzy and warm. 

“I love you,” Mikoto whispers. 

There’s a pause. Mahiru stops checking his hair. Her hands are still. She’s not moving. 

Did he ruin it? Maybe he should apologize and–

“I love you, too,” Mahiru whispers back.

And, they’re back to silence.

Mahiru scoots back in front of him. “You’re okay. Nothing too bad, okay?” 

She says it with a voice that makes him know she cares: a warm, loving voice. It makes him want to cry just because she loves him. 

And, he loves her. And, he'll make sure she knows that.

“Okay,” Mahiru says, her voice oddly strained. Is… is she about to cry? “Um… Okay, I made some food for you. I– I know you don’t usually like big gestures and I really shouldn’t push myself, but… I think you deserve it, okay?”  “Okay.” Mikoto nods. He stands up and gives a hand to Mahiru, who takes it with a small giggle. “Hehe, this feels like a fairy tale~” She hums.

“Hey, can I…?” “Eh? Do what?” Mahiru asks, with a tilted head. “I mean, whatever it is, I don’t mind~”  

Mikoto places a small kiss on Mahiru’s cheek.  “Ah–!! Hey–! Oh–” She’s red, blushing from ear to ear. 

Mikoto laughs. “That was payback.” “Oh, you-!!” Mahiru has an angry look, but her smile says otherwise. “Fine, fine! That’s fair. Okay, come on, let’s eat~ I don’t want our food to be cold!” Mahiru grabs Mikoto’s hand in hers, trying to drag him over to the table.

Her hands are warm.  Mahiru quickly pauses as she looks at Mikoto and their hands. “Is everything okay…?” Mikoto nods.

“Everything’s perfect.”

Mahiru Shiina fixes the flowers in a bouquet and hands it off to the customer. “Have a good afternoon~” She grins.

As the shopkeeper’s bell rings to show the customer has left, Mahiru sighs and melts into the counter.  “Shiina…? Are you alright?” One of her coworkers asks as they walk over. Mahiru mumbles something into the counter.  “Uh…” They laugh. “Okay, I’m guessing you’re not okay. Um…”

Mahiru keeps her head on the counter as she hears her coworker’s footsteps slowly disappear.

Mahiru sighs. She’s really tired… She wasn’t able to get any sleep last night. She doesn’t even know why. She just couldn’t sleep. A lady like her should be getting her beauty sleep! 

Oh, well… She’ll just have to brave the storm! 

Mahiru quickly lifts her head up and instantly gets hit with a fit of dizziness. 

Ah, that was a bad idea…

As Mahiru quickly blinks away the dizziness, she notices her boss and coworker walking over. 

“I wasn’t doing anything–! I mean, I was doing something, I promise!” Mahiru awkwardly laughs as she waves her hands around defensively. Her boss shakes her head. “Mahiru, you can head home. We don’t expect that many people today, and you seem tired. I can cover whatever is left of your shift.” “Ah, but–” “I’ll pay you for your full shift, alright? Just head home.” “Okay.” Mahiru hesitantly nods and takes off her apron as she heads to the break room to grab her stuff. 

When Mahiru returns with her belongings, her coworker hands her a small bouquet with lilyturf, dahlias, forget-me-nots, and red lilies. 

“I know you’ve enjoyed taking these kinds of flowers home recently, so here you are!” As Mahiru opens her mouth to speak, her coworker continues, “And, don’t worry about the charge. I already paid for it.” Mahiru blinks, taking the bouquet and looking at it. “Ah… Oh. Thank you.” Mahiru smiles at the flowers.

“Of course! Now, rest well!”

Mahiru smiles at her coworker before leaving the store, the shopkeeper’s bell ringing behind her.

Mahiru hums as she enters her apartment and quickly walks over to her table near the couch, grabbing water from the kitchen. She places her bag on the floor next to the couch.

Sitting on the couch, she pours some water into a glass vase. Then, she places her bouquet in the vase.

Mahiru looks at the bouquet for a few moments, admiring each flower.

When she yawns, she finally lowers her head on a pillow and slowly…

Closes…

Her eyes…

There’s a smell of food cooking in the air.  She feels warm.

Mahiru slowly blinks the sleepiness from her eyes and looks around. 

…why is there a blanket on her…?  Is someone cooking?

Confused, she pushes herself upright and glances at the kitchen.

Mikoto.

Mikoto is cooking.

“Huh…?” Mahiru blurts out, sleepy and confused. Mikoto looks over at Mahiru. “Oh, hey! You’re awake! Sorry, I tried calling you, but you were asleep. Um, so I let myself in with the spare key!” 

Mahiru glances at her bag on the floor and quickly picks it up. Opening it, she searches for her phone. When she finally finds it, she turns it on and sees the notifications flood her lock screen.

3 Missed Calls

10 New Messages:

hey, mappi ^^!!

i’m off from work so i’m coming to visit!

Ah wait you might be at work

Go back to work!!

i think your door is locked??

hello?

mappi??

i’m letting myself in, ok?

oh dear where’s your key

found it!! Coming in now :D

Mahiru rambles as she stares at the notifications, “Ah– I didn’t realize you were calling. I’m so sorry, please forgive me–”

“Hey, hey. It’s all good!” Mikoto smiles. “You were tired, so I let you sleep. I grabbed a blanket from your closet. Hope that’s okay!”

Mahiru nods and sits there for a moment, not sure what to do.

She glances over at the table, spotting the bouquet. She looks at Mikoto, who has a smile on his face as he tries to cook some soup. 

She knows why she likes getting these flowers.

They remind her of Mikoto.

They remind her of how much she loves him.

She loves him.

“Hey, let me help you, okay~?” Mahiru sings as she hops up and skips over to the kitchen. “No, I’m okay. I can cook, see?” Mahiru looks at the small pot Mikoto is using to cook soup. 

It’s… hm… not the best soup…?

“Just let me help you, alright?” “Alright, alright.” Mikoto, stepping back, raises his hands. “Show me what you want to do.”

Mahiru quickly slides in front of Mikoto and glances at the pot. "Can you wrap your arms around me?"

"Eh–?" Mikoto coughs in shock. "Yeah, yeah– Um…" 

Mikoto quickly wraps her arms around Mahiru and looks over her shoulder as he tries to stir.

“Mhm~” Mahiru hums. “You’re stirring a little too harshly. Relax, okay?”  “Alright.” Mikoto slowly stirs the soup.  “Still too tense. Okay, hold on.” Mahiru places her hands on his. “Okay, now… We’ll do this together, okay?” 

Mikoto is quiet. Mahiru takes that as his yes.

Mahiru, with Mikoto’s hands in hers, slowly stirs the soup. She murmurs some small compliments.

Mahiru lets go of his hands and smiles. “See, you’re doing it now!”  Mikoto breathes a sigh of relief. “Is it better? Honestly, I really couldn’t tell the difference.” “Hmm… Well, I guess there really isn’t.” Mahiru shrugs. “But, I think the amount of quiet, slow care you put into something will show itself." She's made herself learn that love can be soft and strong. Ever since her last boyfriend and she broke up on... amicable terms, she's tried being better. For love, and for who she loves. “I see.” “...I know it really doesn’t make sense. I’m sorry.” Mahiru shakes her head and slides out from in front of Mikoto.

“No, no. It makes sense, I promise.” Mikoto looks over at Mahiru with a smile. “It shows that you care.”

Mahiru smiles back.

After a few moments with Mahiru helping Mikoto cook, they finally eat together at the table. 

“Mappi?” Mikoto fidgets with his spoon. “Hmm?” Mahiru hums, food in her mouth. “Thank you.”

Mahiru blinks and just nods. “Y-yeah, of course…!”

Ah– That was so embarrassing…! Not at all lady-like! I should’ve just…!!

“I really don’t cook often, so that was really helpful. Haha…” Mikoto rubs his neck with a smile. “I mean, I do cook! It’s just… noodles and stuff.” “Well, now you know how to cook one more thing!” Mahiru smiles.

“Yeah.” Mikoto looks at Mahiru with a loving smile on his face.

His smile is so sweet. He even tries to do stuff he’s never done before for me! Ack… My heart can’t take it–!!

I love you.

Mikoto stares at Mahiru before laughing. 

“E-eh?? What did I do??” “Nothing, nothing. I love you, too.” Mikoto grins.

…she said that out loud…

Mahiru is instantly embarrassed. She feels warm again, but she’s not wearing a blanket. “Oh… Ah–”  “Hey, hey. It’s okay. It’s sort of cute, I think…?” Mikoto rubs his neck. “Ah– If you say so…!!”

The two of them continue eating when Mikoto suddenly speaks up again. “Hey, did you mean to make you help me feel like one of those scenes from a movie…?” “E-eh?? No, no, wait– Ah. I really didn’t, I swear!!” Mahiru frantically shakes her head. Mikoto blinks, seeming to realize Mahiru is a little panicked. “Hey, no! I thought it was sweet–!”

Mahiru awkwardly laughs. “I’m glad you do… Um… Maybe I was subconsciously inspired by something…?”

“That’s okay.” Mikoto shrugs. “Everything you do is sweet.”

Mahiru beams. 

“If it’s for you, I’ll make sure it’s worth everything.”

[tokuvivor]

Could I please request “here you can borrow my jacket” with Gyro and Selene?

*puts on glasses, straightens them*

Yep, I read that right. Um, sure. Really not sure how this dynamic will turn out, especially since I’ve never written for Selene before, but I’ll give it a shot.

I give you…

It’s Getting Cold in Here

Originated from this post.

“So your uncle really keeps all his money here, in this one building?” Selene asked.

“Yep,” Della replied. “They don’t call it the Money Bin just for kicks.”

Since Selene was in town with Storkules and Zeus, and it had been ages since they’d hung out, especially on Della’s turf, Della thought she’d show Selene around as a bit of a refresher.

Selene had never actually been in the Money Bin before, but she’d heard of the vast amounts of wealth it held. She’d even heard that the vault itself, where Scrooge McDuck’s money actually was, used to be filled to the ceiling with money. Before, well, Della got stuck on the moon. Her moon. Selene was honestly still annoyed at her father for not letting her help.

“Yep. So this is the Money Bin,” Della said. “Lot of money, lot of offices.”

“Ooh, where does this elevator lead?” wondered Selene.

“That leads down to the underwater lab, where Uncle Scrooge’s top scientists work,” Della explained. “Why it has a whole separate elevator from the rest of the building, I don’t know. Why don’t I show you? I’ve been meaning to pay ol’ Gyro a visit, anyway.”

“Sure!” Selene replied. And the two friends made their way down to the lab.

The hum of the elevator caught Gyro’s attention.

“Was anyone expecting any visitors?” he questioned. “Mr. McDuck never mentioned to me that he was coming, so besides him, I have no idea who it could be.”

“I’m on the same page as you, Dr. Gearloose,” admitted Fenton.

At last, the doors opened, and Gyro’s question was answered.

“What’s up, Doc!”

“Hiya, Della!” greeted Fenton.

“Della,” Gyro replied flatly. “I should have known. What business have you being down here today?”

“Well, I brought a visitor,” Della answered back. “All the way from Ithaquack, the Goddess of the Moon herself: Selene!”

“Oh! Well, then. Hello,” Gyro greeted. “It’s certainly not every day that we have a Greek deity in the lab. Dr. Gyro Gearloose.”

“It’s an honor, ma’am,” Fenton piped up, bustling over to shake the goddess’ hand.

“Oh, please, just call me Selene. And you are?”

“Fenton. Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera,” greeted Fenton.

“Fenton works here full-time for Gyro,” Della explained. “Huey and his friend Boyd, who is Gyro’s son, also work as lab assistants in here.”

“Very nice.” Then Selene’s attention was taken elsewhere. “Is that a stone horse?” she asked Gyro, eyebrow raised.

“Oh, that’s Manny,” clarified Gyro. “He works here, too. He communicates by clopping his hooves. And Lil’ Bulb-“ he gestured to the small lightbulb robot on the desk “-communicates in Morse code.”

“.. - … / …- . .-. -.— / -. .. -.-. . / - —- / — . . - / -.— —- ..-,” greeted Lil’ Bulb.

“I don’t know Morse code,” admitted Selene. “What did he say?”

“He said that it’s very nice to meet you,” translated Gyro.

“Ah! Well, that’s very kind,” replied Selene.

“Hey, Della, did your uncle know Samuel Morse?” wondered Fenton.

“You’d probably think that,” chuckled Della. “But no, their lives only briefly overlapped. So, Doctor Gearloose, what are you working on?”

“If you must know,” Gyro shot back, “I am building a climatization ray.”

“A what?”

“It’s a ray designed to change the climate of the immediate environment it is in,” Gyro explained. “For obvious reasons, it works best indoors.”

“Well, Doctor, I’d certainly like to see how it works,” offered Selene.

“Very well then. A test,” Gyro announced. He set the dial to “Arctic”, braced himself, and fired. However, the beam caromed off the corner of a metal cart, and headed towards the wall.

“Oh, blatherskite,” Gyro responded flatly. With a shower of sparks and a quick whiff of ozone, the beam hit the lab’s thermostat.

“That…is not good,” Fenton reacted.

“Did you mean to do that?” Della questioned.

“No,” Gyro replied firmly. “This is what I would consider a near worst-case scenario.”

Suddenly, the temperature started plummeting, and icicles began to form on various objects around the lab.

“I’ll get our jackets!” Fenton exclaimed.

“Thank you, Dr. Intern,” Gyro responded.

“Hey, Selene, do you want mine?” Della offered.

“No, that’s fine,” Selene answered. “You obviously need it; it’s your jacket.”

“Well, okay then…” Della replied hesitantly. She did feel kinda bad about it, though. As she stood there, internally cursing Gyro, she noticed that Selene was shivering a bit.

Della was not the only one to pick up on this, though. Gyro noticed the goddess’ evident discomfort, too. From what he knew, Ithaquack’s climate was nothing like this.

He didn’t normally do something of this nature, but it seemed the logical thing to do.

“Pardon me, Selene.”

Selene turned towards the scientist. “Hm?”

“I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that you’ve never really dealt with weather of this nature before, unnatural as the situation may be.”

“No, not really,” Selene admitted. “Ithaquack isn’t very apt to get snow or ice. Even our winters are usually in the teens, temperature-wise.”

“That doesn’t sound that warm to me, Selene,” Della noted. “Not even seasonably warm.”

“She means on the Celsius scale,” corrected Gyro.

“Oh. Right,” Della replied.

“Anyway,” Gyro continued, removing his own jacket, “here…you can borrow my jacket.”

Selene was surprised by the gesture. “Are you sure about this?”

“Why not? You’re not as used to the cold; you could use it more. I can find another.”

“Well then,” Selene smiled. “Thank you very much, Dr. Gearloose; that’s rather nice of you.”

“Don’t mention it.” He turned to Della. “That goes for you too, Duck.”

Della feigned offense. “What? I wouldn’t tell a soul! Okay, fine.”

Selene looked a little confused by the banter between the pilot and the scientist. Gyro just headed to the back to find another coat.

[iheartmomochi]

Dear Vocalist Momochi YO • NA • KA translation

Important: i DID NOT make this translation. I commissioned currytantou on twitter, so all credit goes to them! I 10000% recommend you also commission them if you want a jpn -> eng translation!! And please do not repost this translation anywhere or use it for re-translations into another language.

[0:08]

Alright. Thanks for keeping me accompanied this late today. See you tomorrow. Oh, really? I don’t feel like I’m drunk though. Huh? It’s fine, you don’t have to do that. I’m fine, really! I mean, I just have to take the elevator. I’ll be fine on my own. I don’t want us to be late for tomorrow, so you guys should leave soon and get some rest. Alright then, bye bye! 

[0:46]

(sighs) That surprised me, seriously. I thought they’re gonna hang around again. Gimme a break. Gee, every bunch of ‘em are nuts. They’re thinking they can be all friendly and act over-familiar with me. Anyway they just can’t read the room. (sighs)

[1:21]

In the first place, it’s already midnight. I shouldn’t be out drinking. I didn’t even know drinking with them was part of the plan. Not to mention the no smoking area. Ugh. (sighs) I’m tired. I wanna shower and sleep right away. Ah, but I gotta smoke... Hm? Huh? What’s up with this poster? “Smoking is prohibited outdoors except in designated areas.” Hmmm. I see. In other words, you’d be penalized for this. Sooo? I knew that a long time ago!! Ugh! I’ve been patient until I’m home! And yet they had this notice on! How much harassment do I have to deal with until they get satisfied?! Stop bullshitting me! Uhhh! How annoying. 

[3:03]

(sighs) I’m back. What? Actually, can you not follow me around right up? I’m tired. (sighs) Like I said. I said, “Don’t follow me around” right? Huh? Sure, I tweeted a bit earlier. But why do you- (gasps) I-it was a mistake! See, I’ve deleted it. Plus, it’s not a big deal. 

[3:59]

Ugh! (chugs drink) Anyway, it’s the proprietary company’s fault this happened. What’s their deal? Having that poster up after all this time? Do they know what place this is? It’s a high rise! Not a public place. I always smoke when I’m at home, see? I’m not bothering anyone. I always make sure it’s alright to smoke too. Ugh, it doesn’t make sense. Why do I have to feel irritated even when I’m at home? 

[4:47]

They had construction out of nowhere outside until last year too. The proprietary company seriously don’t get it. If I knew this would happen, I’d prefer the previous high rise. No way I’ll let the proprietary company and the real estate go away for introducing me to this place. At this point, I’ll change this high rise for the worse! Huh? Obviously. I don’t want to spend any longer here. 

[5:24]

That said, I’ll visit the real estate on my next day off. Will you select a few good looking places? Bet you’re free anyway. Oh. But it has to fulfill my conditions. I’m gonna say them out so make sure you remember them. Got it? Here we go. It has to be away from loud streets, allows smoking, must have ten or more levels. Must be close enough to Shibuya, so close that 5000 yen for a taxi fee is enough. Also must come with a delivery box. I don’t want to unlock the door just to accept my stuff. And my working room must be soundproof. I definitely don’t want to meet up with any complaining middle aged neighbors. Has really good security. But I don’t want a place that has concierge or janitors ‘cus they’re annoying. And this is the most important. A place with a proprietary company that gets it, okay? Alright? Did you remember it? 

[6:40]

I’ll never forgive you if you miss even one condition, okay? No way it’s gonna be easy to find that. The residence changes I had thus far were greatly awful. But I’ve no choice, do I? What’s the point of moving, when I come across a bad place like this? Besides, the reason why I have to find something as petty as moving residence’s a hassle. Think carefully, will you? It’s all your fault. If you’re not someone who doesn’t do anything unnecessary, I wouldn’t be so rigid with looking for a place. There are plenty of places I could find right away. 

[7:39]

Do you think an apology could solve this? You know that’s not true. Not when all you’ve been doing is bothering me. Just like that. You still think that I would forgive you if you say sorry, huh? Hehe! You never change. Hehe! Ahh! Looks like you’re in pain. But I know you like this. You can’t help it, you want me to do this. I don’t hate that look on you either. It’s strange how I can distract myself when I see that. Even though I was so irritated until just now. Hehe!

[8:54]

There. I bet this feels good. Seeing how you don’t resist must be because you’re enjoying this. But is it because you love to be strained? Or is it because it feels like I need you? So, how? Was that enough? Or perhaps you wanted more? Haha! Why the silence? When you have such a desirous look on you. You should be honest. Say, “I want more.” Hehe. You are so pathetic. Nobody loves you and you have this “I’m so lonely” face. But I think you’re kind of cute now. It might be because I’m drunk. Thanks to you, my irritation just now is gone. A reward sounds nice but what do you think? You want it? I see. Come here. 

[spamtoon]

DCRC Week 7. I'm so close

I'm so close to catching up. time for an earthquake! I know that from puffy's various jokes about it something happens with the west coast in this one hoo boy calisota is gonna be in danger tonight! I'm so close to catching up. So inanely close. oh wiat hold on lemme get in club pen.guin again

ALRIGHT okay interesting first panel. i like the colors here and the sound effects. sorry these panels are so bright paperinik's style...

my favorite standard font title replacement so far i think

i like how the money symbol is there so we can tell its mcduck enterprises

im so mad i love how he's ploping the bear into the coffee. hot chocolate. something like that

the little crackers surrounding the coffee mug as theres a rainy scene in the background. the color contrast... hi one you look so silly today

i love how uno's just floating today usually they try to show his little chord or him attached to something but he's so silly

im so mad. get uno's ass donald

hes so silly though... the way donald rattles off all the things and uno's just like shut up please. he thinks he's onto something btu he's literally onto nothing

im so mad. do you know how to ride a bicycle this is not that

divorce (they argued for two seconds)

hello girl. i dont know who you are but your design is everything to me

im so mad shoutout to when comics do this. more heroes should be federal criminals and evade taxes. i love the way he's like Oh Fuck! I'm a Criminal Now! glad the government gets on pk's bad side too RIGHT after the time police nonetheless

she... i might have her job someday. imean not LITERALLY like i dont wanna go into security but i do want to work in an environmental department. i love how uno is just really into snooping on the fbi and honestly who wouldn't be Donald. be peer pressured into getting yourself into more trouble with the govenrment come onnn

physical antiviruses... ugh code wall so cool im. the way they're battling on the us fbi logo

IM SO MAD i actaully laughed at them getting angus fangus. if he blamed this on the duck avenger randomly he would be right and he could convince them so this could have been the worst play ever but its also the most cathartic

hello mary ann flagstarr...

cog donald's little red eyes... the digital and the real are blurring for a moment but i guess the fbi's security system is so complicated it has. air vents. or he's in the real fbi nevermind

holy shit guys its MEEEEEEEE yeah i never told you guys i was in pk the whole time. its insane

I LOVE HOW HES JUST LIKE. BEATING UP FEDERAL AGENTS NOW AND IT SLIKE OKAY things are only going to get worse im . this is a you call yourself a superhero moment but also the government is the government so!

odnald duck really did think nobody would show up at 3am

hes so fucking smug

ah the pangea project! surely that doesn't mean good things for calisota! ah okay they're not painting the whole government as evil just this guy specifically that makes a little more sense for a disney comic

she's so sad... ooh this is gonna be a ba.xter stockman situation isnt it (SORRY i have seen 1 episode of 2003 and it was. the banned one in call with everyone). she's just like oh my god you're fucking dying and he's like my plan... you must do it... it was my wife's definitely

WHAAAAAAAAT NOOOOOO... HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN IN MY DONALD DUCK STORY? (sarcastic)

sorry this was like the one thing i knew about this comic beforehand. other than like. uno existed. sarcasm aside i do love this panel

i like they Try to give a reason as to why the govenrment is doing this "out of good will" despite the evil laughs and such as like. a climate change backup--land we haven't messed up yet. but like this should be a last resort and not an immediately executed plan and i get you cant evacuate the whole west coast but california has so much of what the us is known for the us would be stupid to let those countless tourism dollars go to waste--especially when new land may not immediately go to claim of the us and Wars might happen over it. sorry im not nitpicking or anything i'm just saying my thoughts. like st canard is a massive city and so is duckburg and--sorry

and uno is sad because he doesnt know whether the sacrifice is worth it which. alright! yeah! but everything's not gonna be peachy keen just because we have some new land to work with. its got to grow naturally and as its arisen from the sea unless its all completely man-bulldozed its going to be rock, dead coral, and lichen for a while before anything grows naturally. the thought process of a scientist who can see everyone as getting in the way, climate change disaster as inevitable unless there are serious changes in human behavior or just straight up more resources and time (and who HATES calisota because he lives there), sure. believable enough for a silly comic like this

IM SO MAD AND THEN IT JUST CUTS TO

HIS STUPID PLANE its beautiful.

PLEASE dont kill of mary ann i love her already

im so glad she doesnt shoot either of them right away like its a massive ??? situation. you cant shoot donald duck

uno feels so bad for dipping for a second for being unsure :(((( poor guy...

this ending panel with the seagull is so good but oh. hohoh. are we gonna get more uno lore next issue ANYWAY yeah! good comic i see why this one is a lot of people's favorites. im glad im having fun reading paperinik again... that sure was a terremoto and boy oh boy... the west coast DIDNT sink? thanks to donald duck? wow. incredible.

[asordinaryppl]

A3! Main Story: Part 4 - Act 14: DREAM CATCHER - Episode 12: Established Reputation

Tenma: Seems like we’ve got some time until the film festival.

Izumi: But I don’t think that means we have time to go sightseeing…

Misumi: Let’s take a walk~!

Muku: Simply walking around this area does seem like it’d be fun!

Kumon: Oh, there’s a park over there!

Kazunari: Let’s go, let’s go!

Yuki: They don’t change gears whether we’re in Japan or the US.

Izumi: That’s the beauty of the never changing Summer Troupe.

-

Misumi: Ah! They’re drawing~!

Kazunari: That’s chalk art.

Muku: Some people are handing out chalk, I wonder if there’s some kind of event going on?

Young man: << Do you guys want to try it too? >>

Kazunari: << Is that okay? We do! >>

Young man: << Here you go! >>

Yuki: We can draw?

Kazunari: Seems like we can. What should I draw~

Misumi: Something triangular and Summer Troupe-ish~

Kazunari: Then, something like this~...

Kumon: Hey, we should try it too!

Muku: It looks fun!

Kumon: I’ll go get some chalk~

[Kumon runs off]

Young man: …

Young man: << You’re good. Are you Japanese? >>

Kazunari: << Yeah. I’m a designer. >>

Young man: << Ohhh! I’m also studying design. I’m an exchange student from Spain. I was considering studying manga in Japan. >>

Kazunari: << I see. You should come one day! How’s life as an exchange student? >>

Young man: << It’s really exciting. It’s made me realize that there’s so much more out in the world. >>

Young man: << There are all sorts of art pieces and designs, not only in this country, but all over the world. It’s important to see them all with your own eyes. >>

Young man: << There are ideas everywhere you look. Thanks to that, every day is fulfilling. Finding inspiration is important, after all. >>

Young man: << I’ll definitely go to Japan one day. Well then, have a nice day. >>

Kazunari: …

Kazunari: Inspo, huh…

-

Kumon: Wooow~! Gorgeous! That’s a lot of Hollywood celebs!

Muku: This person was in the movie directed by Jim Cooper that we watched a while ago!

Kumon: Ah, you’re right! That movie was so good!

Izumi: Being able to see him in person is amazing.

Yuki: Everyone’s outfits are well-made. What a sight.

Kazunari: Gotta take lots of pics and upload them to Inste!

Kumon: Huh? Is that Tenma-san’s–

Issei: Hello.

Kazunari: It’s Issei Sumeragi-san!

Issei: I’m glad you made it, you lot.

Tenma: This is a great opportunity for us.

Izumi: Thank you for inviting us. And also for taking care of all the expenses–

Issei: Not at all, should the Summer Troupe grow, Tenma will grow as well. This is nothing for you to bow your head over.

???: << Oh? Issei, is this him? >>

Issei: << I’ll introduce you. This is my son, Tenma. >>

Muku: !! It’s Jim Cooper…

Kumon: I-It really is!! Um, umumumumum, please give me an autograph!!

Jim: << Haha, alright. >>

Kumon: Th-Thank you!

Jim: << You’re welcome. >>

Jim: << By the way, Tenma, I watched the movie you starred in a while ago. >>

Jim: << I looked you up because your acting impressed me, and I found out your family name is Sumeragi. >>

Jim: << I figured you’re related, so I asked Issei about you. >>

Tenma: Uhhh…

Kazunari: The director streamed your movie~ He looked you up and realized you’re Issei-san’s son.

Tenma: << Thank you. >>

Muku: Jim Cooper knows you by name… You’re amazing, Tenma-kun…!

Kumon: Right, right!

Jim: << I’m looking forward to working with you one day. >>

Kazunari: He said he’s looking forward to working with you one day!

Tenma: << … Me too. >>

Kumon: AWESOMEEE!

Kazunari: TenTen’s got like, Mr. Worldwide reach!

Issei: Well, we can’t stay with you, but I hope you enjoy yourselves.

Izumi: Thank you very much!

Izumi: (I’ve experienced Tenma-kun’s popularity in Japan first-hand, but to think he’d be popular overseas as well…)

[Bump]

Izumi: << Oh, I'm sor– >>

Suspicious man: — —

[The man runs away]

Izumi: (I wonder what’s wrong? He left in a rush. Maybe he’s in a hurry?)

Yuki: Are you okay?

Izumi: Yeah…

Muku: They say there are a lot of pickpockets abroad, we have to be careful in crowded places like this.

Izumi: (Could it be–)

Izumi: !!! My wallet is gone!

Muku: Whaa!?

Yuki: Then that guy’s a pickpocket?

Misumi: Gotta catch him!

[Running]

Kazunari: << That man is a pickpocket! Get out of our way! >>

Misumi: Move! Move~!

Izumi: (We’re gonna lose him in the crowd–)

???: << Alright, alright, alright. Stop! >>

Suspicious man: << !? 〇✖⬤✖✖ ! >>

???: Ah?

[Punch]

Suspicious man: Gh–

Ibuki: << Ugh… Don’t underestimate Ibuki just cause I’m cute! ✖✖〇⬤✖ ! >>

Izumi: I have no idea what they’re saying, but I feel like I just heard some very unfavorable words…

Kumon: Woah, isn’t that…?

Ibuki: Eh!? It’s ManPany!

Kumon: It really is you, Ibukichi!?

Ibuki: What’re you doing here?

Kazunari: We oughta be asking you that!

previous episode | masterpost | next episode

[scarrletmoon]

Twilight but college outtakes PLEASE

from the WIP list

so i thought this was the twilight au but it's actually the time i decided to rewrite twilight but set in college and dont ask me why, i got so far into it and then was like "stephenie meyer will probably write this herself 10 years from now anyway so this is just a huge waste of time"

so i'll just talk about the twilight college au i started writing for ed and stede instead which is way more interesting anyway

stede is an english major, sophmore year transfer, and finds out about edward through an on-campus exhibit from the art and fashion students and is FASCINATED by ed's designs. so he asks his roommate buttons if he knows who this ed teach guy is and buttons is like. ah.........the vampire

so stede thinks he should ask someone else for answers instead

meanwhile, ed happens to read the latest issue of the campus literary journal and LOVES stede's work in it

stede loves going to museums by himself and his student ID gets him free admission to the local one, and he ends up at an exhibit of clothing through history at the same time as ed (there's a joke in here somewhere about some of those clothes being ed's which he alludes to)

(very annoying when your fave dress gets robbed out from under you by fucking historians)

here have some dialogue i threw in the outline:

and then they talk all night until the sun comes up and ed suddenly has to leave

stede can tell that ed's hiding something but he's not about to ask questions and scare off the only person he's ever met who finds him interesting. and you know, ed starts designing stuff outside of assignments that he wants to see stede in, maybe, if he wants. and that's where they're at when stede invites ed to this halloween party, bc he's afraid to go alone but it'd be nice if he knew one other person there, and he knows ed isn't really into the whole party scene so like, no pressure if he's not interested, and it's a costume party so--

ed says no and stede tries (and fails) to pretend that he's not heartbroken about it

stede goes to the party bc fuck it, he cant go through college with just ONE friend and his roommate -- and surprise surprise, who walks through the door but one ed teach, dressed as a slutty vampire. ed's changed his mind apparently! and they almost kiss! but ed runs away at the last minute

so then it's like. WEIRD. bc they're obviously into each other but ed has this Secret. and stede's oblivious but he's not COMPLETELY stupid so he figures it out but just.....doesn't say anything. and then ed is finally like. stede i have to tell you something, dont freak out. in his head, stede is like "oh god he's going to say he has a boyfriend he's going to say he has a GIRLFRIEND--" and ed's all "im not human" and stede lets out this massive sigh of relief to which ed says ?????

so like, okay, ed's a vampire but he's like, single. right? so. nbd. ed keeps waiting for stede to freak out but, honestly? it's stede. this is fucking weird but it's HIM. so now that weirdness is out of the way, they have this INTENSE UST. like. everyone around them can't even look at them, they want to fuck each other so bad. ed's best friend izzy's about to have a rage stroke despite also being a vampire. and eventually stede's like. so. are we like. just not going to have sex. that's fine!! i'd just like to know

ed's all ??? stede i could LITERALLY kill you, i thought that would be enough of a deterrent. but stede TRUSTS him. and ed wants him BAD. so they try

stede comes out of it covered in bruises of course, and ed is HORRIFIED. but stede tells him that he's a grown fucking man and can make his own choices and ed's not going to decide for him what he wants. so then there's maybe another week where they're sort of mad at each other but stede's trying to give ed space and ed's trying not to hurt stede but like, they're the last people on earth who could ever keep their hands off each other long term, so they have sex again. and it's hot and it's desperate and it's filthy but this time stede doesn't have bruises

oh also i know this is a twilight au but ed has fangs bc he HAS to. let's just say he has a glamour that hides them from regular people

meanwhile izzy is Big Mad and now ed's broken the Cardinal Rule of Being a Vampire (dont tell humans, and if you do, dont KEEP THEM AROUND) so he goes to the volturi about it, and ed's forced to decide between killing stede or turning him. they have a month.

and like, stede's down immediately, obviously. just turn me into a vampire, easy. this rocks. but ed, who's been a vampire for so long that he's tried multiple ways to kill himself at this point is convinced that it's a sentence worse than death. except he doesn't say it this way so stede thinks that the man he loves would rather the volturi kill him than spend forever together

but then these two idiots clear that up and ed's all "i dont want to doom you to an eternity of boredom" and stede says some gross romantic shit like "how much of a torment can immortality be if i spend it by your side?"

and then stede bcomes a vampire and he finally gets to fuck ed and they live happily ever after, the end

[poisonappletales]

@automaticcheesecakenacho’s Valentines + White Day Replies [3/5]

@automaticcheesecakenacho submitted the following Valentines:

She wrote:

Here's the first of the second Valentine collection and it's for majority of the characters that I wrote a Valentine gram to last year, 2023. The only one that I wrote a friendship Valentine gram to is for Sis Ambrosia~ 💌 This is part 1 and it's to Sis Ambrosia~ Love you Sis Ambrosia~ ❤️ 

Link to where I posted all of the second Valentine collection:  https://www.tumblr.com/automaticcheesecakenacho/741165649700782080/hi-again-world-please-see-the-first-post-from?source=share

She wrote:

Here is the 4th Valentine of the 2nd Valentine batch to Chase (Second batch)

She wrote:

Here is the 6th Valentine of the 2nd Valentine batch to Barium (Second batch) 

She wrote:

Here is the 7th Valentine of the 2nd Valentine batch to Unknown (Second batch)

She wrote:

Here is the 8th Valentine of the 2nd Valentine batch to Viktor (Second batch/collection)

She wrote:

Here is the 14th Valentine of the 2nd Valentine batch to Grant (Second batch) 

♥♥♥

Here are the White Day replies!

"...If you don't have much experience with confessing or being in relationships, I'm not sure how helpful your advice is, Lady Ambrosia."

"Even if I haven't been with a man before, Lady Jasmine, I do have my observations!

But I do believe trusting your intuition is important, even when it comes to things outside of confessing to someone you like."

"You should've included something about looking your best, too!"

"Ah, I think it'd be better to say...be confident! If looking good helps you to be more confident, then you can certainly do so. It doesn't hurt."

[rolling her eyes] "You give such boring, cookie-cutter advice. Forget about confessing. Just give the guy a smooch. You'll know if he likes you then."

[blushing] "Um...that's a very bold move. It's also possible it may not be appreciated so I...well, I don't know if I'd be able to do that..."

"No duh."

"Not to mention, Sir Thunder might be dangerous so I was including a lot of safety tips..."

"It is almost unbelievable that Grant of the Trold received a Valentine. He also made his card design really simple..."

"There's nothing wrong with simple. Or with him receiving a Valentine! My brother deserves to have one!"

"His wrestling tips could use some work. But cool dog."

"Haha! Is everyone just criticizing everyone's advice today? At least there's nothing to complain about with mine."

"I don't know. I feel like you're kind of copying my Valentine's style."

"No, I'm not. Mine has sushi and yours ice cream."

"They're both food!"

"Um...why does the sushi on the left look like it's crying? I don't think anyone should eat that one."

"Hah, making it your pet now?"

"I'll make it a very happy sushi. I'm just not sure what sushi...eats?"

"Say, Arsenik. You prefer my confession 'tip' over Ambrosia's, don't you?"

"Oh, of course not. Miss Ambrosia gives perfectly sound advice so I wholeheartedly recommend seeing her if the confessor is unsure about things."

[murmuring:] "Never mind the fact that If Miss Ambrosia were to follow your advice with the wrong man...it could completely ruin her first kiss."

---

Here are some extra confessing tips from Ambrosia, tailored for each man!

Arsenik

♡ He seems like a gentleman so I would think he would appreciate good manners.

However! I also believe he has a sense of honor so it's more important to be honest and genuine. If you're someone who's rough around the edges, then let it shine! Of course, self-improvement is always good. But you should not have to change yourself specifically for a man. ♥

So that brings me to my next point!

♡ Charge your confession with the pure power of your love!!!

Chase

♡ Sir Chase looks like he might doze off if you go on for too long. So keep it short, simple and to the point!

♡ Don't let his scars scare you! Once you get to know him, you'll see that he's not such a frightening man at all.

Wind

♡ With Imugi, I feel like it's always best to approach with caution.

♡ You might benefit from confessing with your eyes first. So look at him with the power of your love and see if he returns the look!

Night

♡ I have no tips for Sir Cyanite. You should not confess to him.

Onyx

♡ It's awfully hard to tell what he's thinking. Maybe you should use your finger and draw a heart on the glass of his helmet. Hehe...

King Barium

♡ Um...I think it might be rather easy to confess to him. Rather, he might easily confess to you by inviting you to join his harem! But do you really want to join it?

Viktor

♡ Put on your best smile!

♡ Speak loud and clear!!

X

♡ X marks the spot!!!

♡ Ehe, more seriously...X marks the spot.

♡ Give him some more of his favorite candy?

Unknown

♡ I don't think you need any tips here either. Rather, I would say...don't say 'yes' to everything he wants, okay?

♡ Throw sushi at him.

Prince Alexandrite

♡ Erm...not much is known about him, is there? I don't even know him myself, really...so let's just rely on our trusty fail-safe.

♡ Charge your confession with the pure power of your love!!!

[superthatguy62]

FFIII Fun Facts of the Whatever: Dev Interview Edition (Part 2)

When the DS version of the Final Fantasy III remake was released in Japan, Square-Enix released an official strategy guide to go with it. This strategy guide went into quite a lot of detail about the game, giving tips on how to use jobs, showing off unusual team compositions and even discussing some mechanics that may not be clear in the game itself.

I’ll talk about that stuff later, but the most interesting aspect is an interview with the game staff at the back of the manual, touching upon various aspects of the game.

Thanks to Alex Highsmith of Shmupulations, part of this interview has been translated. I only had enough for an excerpt, but this excerpt is very interesting: In it, Kazuhiko Aoki (Battle Supervisor) and Hiroaki Yabuta (Main Planner) discuss the battle system for III, several of the jobs, a few ideas that didn’t make it into the final game and a rather surprising fact: A PVP mode was considered.

--Please tell us about your overall concept for the battle system of FF3DS.

Aoki: The thing we were always aiming for, throughout the development, was making sure that the battle system would be easy to pick up and enjoy, even if you knew nothing about it or hadn't played the Famicom version. That's why we decided to change some of the finer details from the original. It should still give players that overall "Ah, it's FFIII" feeling, though. I hope older players will enjoy comparing their old memories of how the game progressed, which jobs were good, and so forth with the new game.

Yabuta: For me, I didn't want this to be one of those RPGs where you just spam Fight and breeze your way through it. That's why we changed many enemies' attributes and attacks. During the development, we actually made the enemies TOO strong, and after a single normal battle your party would be practically dead. (laughs)

Aoki: There's no thrill to the battles if you're just mindlessly pressing the A button the whole time. We instead wanted a system that forced characters to make tense choices, one where your characters could easily die if you aren't paying attention.

--It sounds like balancing that system was a big challenge. Compared to the Famicom, there's fewer monsters in each battle... was this also part of that balancing?

Yabuta: When you go 3D, the battles always get a little bit longer. We calculated how often we wanted players in a given dungeon to get close to death, and adjusted the number of enemies, their strength, and the encounter rate accordingly.

Aoki: Speaking of balancing, Aoki kept adjusting the strength of the final form of the Cloud of Darkness all the way to the very end of the development, moments before the deadline.

--Now I'd like to ask you about the job system. Let's start with Suppin [Freelancer].

Yabuta: Since we've added personalities for the four characters, it felt odd to suddenly start the game and see that everyone already had the "Onion Knight" class. So we brainstormed some new names, but it was surprising how quickly everyone settled on "suppin." (laughs) Suppin first appeared in FFV, as the most powerful class that could equip anything, but we've made them a little weaker for FFIII. With everyone in their basic default state like this, players would be able to better enjoy the prologue... that was our concept.

--Did you know from the beginning that you would split the Onion Knight and Suppin in this way?

Yabuta: We had planned to add some special bonus features as apart of the new Wi-Fi functions. At that point we already had separate designs for Suppin and Onion Knight drawn up, so we decided to make the Onion Knight a hidden job, something you'd have to dig a little past the surface to find. Rather than a brand new job, we thought it might make players happier to add the most popular job from the original FF3 as a hidden job.

--You acquire the Thief job earlier now too, and with their attack power and Steal command upgraded, they're a lot more usable.

Suzuki: There weren't many monsters in the Famicom version you could steal from (or items to steal), and we thought players who are used to modern games wouldn't be comfortable with that. So we gave players the Thief earlier and added more items so players could enjoy using Steal more. Also, the number of attacks you get in FF3DS is based on the weight of your equipment, not your speed stat, so you get to take more actions if you wear light equipment. The Thief excels on both these points so he can play a much more active role in battle.

--In contrast, you get the Karate-ka [Black Belt] later now.

Yabuta: The biggest reason for that was to maintain the balance of the number of jobs you get. The water crystal has a lot of fighter-type jobs. But strategically we couldn't afford to hold back the Dark Knight and Dragoon classes. So it was like, who can we put later... and that was Black Belt. My apologies to fans of this class from the Famicom version.

--The Ranger could use white magic in the original, but you've replaced that with Barrage.  

Yabuta: Barrage didn't appear until FFV, but it's now one of the Final Fantasy serie's most well-known, signature abilities. Attacking four times feels great--and my personal love for that ability was a part of it too. (laughs) As for the white magic, we were worried that if there were too many jobs that could use magic, it would make the Ranger's role kind of confusing. We wanted him to be focused on fighting.

--How about the Sage?

Suzuki: Compared to the original we lowered their power a lot, so much so that I was wondering if it's OK. Our image for them was a balance between the Devout, Magus, and Evoker jobs.

--Next, I wanted to ask about the Scholar.

Suzuki: The Scholar works very well with the Thief. The Scholar can use the items the Thief steals 2x as effectively, while being able to discern enemy weakpoints too. He uses healing items like Hi-Potions twice as effectively too, so if you have a Scholar you don't necessarily need a White Mage. That versatility made him very popular with our staff, too.

Yabuta: The problem is whether players will realize these things. We definitely don't advertise the 2x item effectiveness very much in game. But I think once players notice it they will think the Scholar is awesome.

--Next up is the Viking, who I feel has been hugely improved from the original.

Suzuki: In the Famicom version, the Viking was one of those jobs that didn't really stand out. Since they don't get a lot of hits--or rather, they are a low speed character--we decided to compensate for that by making the Viking focused on single, one-shot power attacks. And the biggest change, of course, was adding the Provoke command. If you make use of that, the battles become quite easy.

Yabuta: It's easy for players to get into a habit of just spamming Fight for every battle, so Provoke adds a nice accent to that. It was a great addition for that reason, I think.

--It gives you more of a chance to combo attacks with your allies.

Aoki: Yeah. In the Famicom version he was more of a solo fighter, but this we're hoping players will think of the various combinations they could pull off with the Viking and other characters.

--Moving on, I wanted to ask about Yabuta's favorite job, the Evoker.

Yabuta: This job gave us a lot of trouble. At first, we considered letting the player choose the summoning effect (black or white), but ultimately we reverted to the original way of having it be completely random. We're hoping players will actually enjoy the slight unexpectedness of it.

Shiva, Ramuh, Titan, and Ifrit are about equal strength, and if you can figure out the right one for the right circumstance, then Evoker can be very strong. On bosses, Titan might be best for the consistent damage, while for normal enemies, Shiva is a good choice for the sleep or magic damage... if players realize those distinctions I think they'll have a lot of fun with it.

--Like the abandoned "at-will" Evoker ability you just mentioned, were there any other abilities you dropped during the development?

Yabuta: There were tons. (laughs) There was an ability called "tsuresari jump" [abduction jump] for the Dragoon.

--What was that like?

Yabuta: The Dragoon would grab the enemy, take them into the air with them, and then slam them down on the ground. Another idea we had, actually, was to have PvP battles using the Wi-Fi connection. And for awhile we had a number of abilities related to that feature, but ultimately we felt uncomfortable about it. "Should Luneth and his friends really be fighting and hitting each other...?" So unfortunately,  we decided to put that off for another game in the future.

Thanks once again to Alex Highsmith for translating this. Shmupulations is a site that hosts translated video game interviews from various sources, including several Final Fantasy games, such as VI and Tactics.

[the-himawari]

A3! Sakisaka Muku - Translation [SR] Festival of Blooming (1/2)

*Please read disclaimer on blog

---

Kazunari: Mukkun, we’re gonna swap the clothes we usual wear, right?

Muku: Yes. What about it?

Kazunari: I assume the size’ll probably be fine. But just in case, why don’t you try on some of my clothes right now?

Muku: Sure, I’ll try them if that’s okay with you.

Kazunari: ‘Kay, cool beans! Mm, here’s the top and here’s the bottom! Plus my hat and accessories… Alright, put them all on!

Muku: Thanks! I’ll go change.

Kazunari: Sure!

Muku: It’s really exciting that I get to wear Kazu-kun’s simple but fasionable outfit. First, the pants… hm? …Huh!? W-what do I do, Kazu-kun! It doesn’t look like your pants fit me…!

Kazunari: Seriously!?

Muku: Yeah. I can’t pull them up past my knees no matter how many times I try. Even though I’m shorter than you, I suppose I have thicker legs… Ah, or maybe I gained weight!? I’ve been careful to run off all the sweets I eat though…!

Kazunari: Calm down! You used to do track and field, so I’m sure you just have more muscles on your legs than me! Right? You’re going on morning runs with Tax, aren’tcha?

Muku: Ah, I see. Muscles… that might be it. But what should I do? I can’t wear your pants like this.

Kazunari: Hmmm… ah, I know! Hey, Mukkun. Can you leave this matter to me? I got a great idea!

Muku: Really? Alright, I’ll wait for you then!

-pause-

Muku: (I left the pants issue to Kazu-kun, so that’s taken care of…) I have to think about the main part, my skit. How should I act as Kazu-kun?

Kazunari: …

Muku: (Ah, speak of the devil. It looks like he’s drawing something…)

Kazunari: Oh, Mukkun.

Muku: I’m sorry. Did I interrupt you?

Kazunari: Not at all! I’m just sketching the view from here as a breather.

Muku: Oh, really? Can I watch you as you draw for a bit?

Kazunari: Knock yourself out!

Muku: Thanks!

Kazunari: …

Muku: (Kazu-kun is drawing with a serious look on his face. Yet he looks like he’s really enjoying himself.) (It might be nice to play Kazu-kun when he’s drawing…)

Kazunari: Ah! By the way, Mukkun!

Muku: What’s the matter?

Kazunari: I secretly took a pic of Frooch-san the other day and I got a super sweet shot. ‘Cept he got mad when I showed him~ and he told me, “don’t take pictures without permission. Erase it!”

Muku: Ehh, that happened? Did you delete the picture already? If it was that nice, I would’ve loved to see it too.

Kazunari: I thought you’d say that… So I just pretended to erase it, but I actually still have it! I’ll let you feast your eyes. Lookie here!

Muku: Wow, it’s amazing! This doesn’t look like the usual Sakyo-san!

Kazunari: I know, right!? I knew you’d get what I mean~!

Muku: This is such a lovely photo though. I wonder why Sakyo-san was upset ?

Kazunari: Mm… I doubt he was actually mad. I bet he was hiding his embarrassment!

Muku: He was hiding his embarrassment by putting up an angry front?

Kazunari: Exactly! Taicchan was with me and he thought Frooch-san was pissed for real though!

Muku: I’m the same way, but Taichi-kun’s the type to just accept it as it is when Sakyo-san is angry.

Kazunari: But, y’know, there’s something cute about Frooch-san getting embarrassed over a photo that came out better than usual.

Muku: I think only you and Azu nee-san can call Sakyo-san cute…

Kazunari: Ehh, you think? Anyways, after that Taicchan…

Muku: (I like Kazu-kun when he’s having fun chatting with others like this.) (But I also love the side of him when he contemplates and works seriously on his flyer designs by himself…) Hah. This won’t do. I like too many things about him…!

Kazunari: Woah! What’s up all of a sudden, Mukkun?

Muku: Ah! No, it’s nothing! Don’t mind me!

Kazunari: ?

Muku: (Come to think of it, the goal of this project is to deepen our understanding of each other as roommates, right?) (In that case, the Kazu-kun that only I as his roommate knows and can play would be…)

---

| next

[himemiya-kun]

Secret Swan (Chapter 4)

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Chapter 4: The Truest Self

Summer

Characters:

• Hajime Shino

• Ritsu Sakuma

• Eichi Tenshouin

• Makoto Yuuki

• Tori Himemiya

<Meanwhile, in the garden>

Hajime: Come on, the tea is ready, let me pour it for you ♪

Ritsu: This tea smells even better than the one I drank at the Tea Party event just now. Ha-kun~ It looks like you are very happy, right?

Hajime: Although I was very happy at the Tea Party event, right now, it’s just the three of us from the black tea department so it’s a rare opportunity for me ♪

Ritsu: But isn't Ec~chan in a particularly busy period of work? Did he keep us here without meaning to catch up with us?

Eichi: Haha, why can’t I have a moment of rest in the midst of a busy schedule?

Hajime: Hey hey hey… No matter what the plan of Eichi-onii-chan is, I am already very happy if I can sit with the two of you and drink tea and enjoy snacks ♪

Ritsu: Alas, Ha-kun~ You are always like this, it is really easy to make people worry.

Let me satisfy Ec~chan’s wishes and talk about things that Ec~chan is interested in.

I’ve heard the rumours about STAR PRO and COS PRO competing for the same clothing endorsement.

Producer is also very busy because of this recent issue, so I don’t see her very much in Yumenosaki.

Hajime: Ah, I've heard of it too. But our Rhyth Lin itself is not very inclined to work in this area, and the seniors seem to be busy preparing for other things recently, so I don't know much about it.

All I know is that Tori-kun seems to be favoured by the brand and is going to participate in the audition. As his friend, I sincerely hope that he can get a chance to get an endorsement.

Eichi: Haha, I will convey your blessings to Tori, he will be very happy.

Although I am very curious about how Keito and Sakuma will deal with such a situation. Unfortunately, as Hajime had mentioned, this incident has nothing to do with Rhyth Lin.

Ritsu: So, Ec~chan, what do you mean, do you think this matter has something to do with our NEW DI? Because the designer of the clothes is Aoba Onii-chan? Or one—

Eichi: Haha, I never said that.

I was originally the kind of character who was often thought to be manipulating everything behind the scenes... This time I experienced the feeling of being manipulated by others, which was quite interesting.

Ritsu: Oh? I don't think Ec~chan really thinks he is being manipulated. You STAR PROs must have taken some unexpected actions, right?

Eichi: Not necessarily. The matter has not been carried to the end, and no one knows how it will develop.

After all, this time it's not just about me, it's also about Lovely Tori... If the situation ends up getting out of control, I will have to put an end to it.

Ritsu: Wow~ Ec~chan just now was so scary~

(I have to say, even though that magician hates people saying that he is very similar to Ec~chan, they are still very similar in some ways.)

(Hmph, I'm slightly looking forward to what will happen in the end. Come on everyone, please let me watch a good show ♪)

<Meanwhile, at Yumenosaki Academy>

Makoto: Was that okay? Acting isn’t really my strong point…

Wow, if Producer is applauding so vigorously, that means my performance should be pretty good, right?

What does Himemiya-kun think? If it still hinders you and Tenshouin-senpai, I need to practice a little more…

Tori: —Hey!? AHHHH don’t come here?!

Makoto: Hime—Himemiya-kun? Hiding behind Producer?!

Hey, Producer, do you think it’s a bit scary to see me perform with such acting skills all of a sudden because it’s different from my usual acting skills...?

Tori: I-I wasn't scared! It's just that Yuuki-senpai completely changed, and I felt very surprised!

Makoto: When you describe it like that, you sound like you were actually frightened…

Tori: Shut up, tarsier! Did you secretly go to special training? Hurry up and tell the truth!

Makoto: Eh, eh? Do you want me to shut up or explain it to you!?

Tori: You are so annoying! I order you to tell me now, now, and at once, all the reasons why you are so good at it!

Makoto: Ahaha, it seems that although some people have graduated, they have left a negative impact on the younger generations…

When I was filming Fist of the Shangri-la Idol, I had a lot of rivalry scenes with Fushimi and Hidaka. Just now I was simply imitating their acting skills at that time…

I remember when I first started filming, I was often intimidated by Fushimi. He was really good, right?

Tori: Hm, imitation… Maybe it's the way...?

Huh? Producer, why did you suddenly pat me on the shoulder? Are you comforting me? Well, then I guess I will thank you.

You said, I am not the only one who was suffering...?

Makoto: At this point, I can be sure.

When I was collecting information in the intelligence department, I met Saegusa, and he was also preparing for this job. Judging from what I got from our conversation, it’s most likely that he’s not the one who is auditioning for the leading role this time.

It seems that COS PRO also encountered some difficulties, which means that they did not underestimate their opponents, and did not underestimate you.

Himemiya-kun has studied how to play this role so seriously, maybe we have already gone ahead of them.

Tori: Yuuki-senpai…

Makoto: Ah, Producer seems to have something else to tell you.

Tori: Huh? Is the content you sent to me through the “Hand in Hand Space” (Note: I'm not sure what this is but the original text says 攜手空間) just now the plot plan of the commercial short film?

I hope I get some inspiration from this... I'll meet you in ES's clothing room tomorrow after school.

Well, I see, I will definitely come! Don't be late!

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[silver-ink-iron-words]

Nope still broken. Must be a phone problem.

That said if you could please continue shifter? It's so good!

Ah man, sorry about that. Hopefully the links in this post work

Also, thanks for the request :)

----

CW - discussion of suicide

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Major Shift, Part 4

The tangerine and crimson leaves fluttered into the gentle creek, as Dara stared at the switchblade in their hands.

It had been easy to accept their death when it was an abstract concept. The inevitable outcome of being turned. When it was something that would happen to them, rather than something they’d have to take care of themself.

They weren’t even surprised when the smoke began to pool and slither around their knees.

“Please, kid,” the Shifter King said, settling down beside them in his human form. “Don’t do that.”

“How’d you find me?”

“This is my forest. I always know what’s happening in it.”

Dara kept their eyes on the knife. Ending things here would mean that they wouldn’t be fulfilling the High Huntsman’s wishes. It would be abandoning everything they’d sworn to protect.

But to live out their days as a shifter, to slowly lose themself piece by piece until there was nothing left but the beast . . .

Maybe if they were quick enough, they could do it before the villain had a chance to stop them.

“I think I’ll hold on to that,” he said, taking the knife from their grip. Dara noticed, passively, how careful he was to not touch the silver metal blade.

They turned their gaze up to the fiery trees. It was beautiful as a painting. “Do you think this is kindness?”

“I do.”

Dara sighed. They probably wouldn’t have had the guts to go through with it anyways.

They held up their wrists to be tied.

The villain looked between Dara’s hands and their face. It seemed to take him a moment to realize what they were doing.

“Come on.” He slapped a hand on their shoulder, rising up. “I want to show you something.”

----

Dara wasn’t surprised that the shifters’ base was a sprawling Victorian mansion in the middle of the woods.

What they hadn’t expected was the chipper yellow paint, the elegant wrap-around porch, and the game of frisbee happening on the front lawn.

“David,” a shifter said, after throwing the bright plastic disc. Most of their skin was covered in lichen. “Is that the murderer?”

Dara stiffened. But before they could even think of running, the villain wrapped an arm around their shoulder. 

“Everyone, meet Dara,” he said, addressing the small crowd of shifters. “Our newest recruit. I want you all to welcome them just like you’d welcome each other.”

“I’m not – ”

“Now let’s get inside,” he continued. “We need to have that planning meeting.”

Inside was, put simply, absolute chaos.

It’s not that things were messy. Quite the opposite – the floors were swept, the shelves dusted, the tabletops cleared of clutter.

It’s that the developers must have been high out of their minds when they designed the place.

The front door led first through somebody’s bedroom, and then through a kitchen with a washing machine where the stove should have been. The hallways changed colors and wallpapers as the group passed through them, the floors switching back and forth between tile and wood. They passed one room where every piece of furniture was cat-themed, one that was a steamy greenhouse, one that was nothing but wall-to-wall doors.

Dara suffered vertigo just trying to keep up.

“Where’s the meeting room today?” the villain asked, dodging under a string of vines hanging down from the ceiling.

“Upstairs, ’round where the ballroom used to be,” said a shifter with enormous ox horns.

They approached a staircase, and Dara could see a girl between the slats. She was carving a jack-o-lantern, the knife digging firmly into one of the pumpkin’s yellowy eyes.

They went swerving up the stairs, which were arranged in some confusing crisscross that reminded Dara of a double helix. 

“What’s with this place?” they hissed.

“Welcome to Witchwood Manor,” the villain said. “The place is cursed. Or blessed? It’s hard to tell sometimes. But I wouldn’t recommend leaving your stuff lying around.”

They finally reached a meeting room with tall windows and a long wooden table. The shifters piled around it, with the villain standing at the head. Dara ended up just beside him.

“Well, good news everyone,” he began. “We’ve uncovered a photo of the book.”

“And here I was hoping that you’d actually found the damn thing,” a shifter said.

“So impatient,” the villain replied with a grin. He pressed a button on a remote, and a projector screen began to lower. “Now that we've found this, the most recent known location is Munich, 1998.”

“So we have to go to Germany?”

The ox shifter rolled her eyes. “There’s no reason to think it’s still there, Benjamin.”

The projector clicked on, and a grainy photo appeared. It was in a stone courtyard, featuring a smiling woman holding an ancient book. It was thick, and the pages were uneven. The image of a gnarled, leafless tree was carved into the withered black leather.

But as strange as the book was, a different detail stood out. The woman had a small tattoo on her forearm – an arrow intercepted with three curved lines. The exact same symbol could be found on Dara’s shoulder blade.

The Hunter’s Sigil.

The shifters continued to discuss the book, reviewing their findings and brainstorming where it could be located. To Dara’s astonishment, none of them mentioned the mark.

“Why do you want it so badly?” they asked after a while.

Every eye in the room fell upon them.

“Ah yes,” the villain said. “Thank you for speaking up, Dara. I nearly forgot to explain.” He gestured to the image. “This spell book was written by Joan Morton. The most renowned witch of her time, and the creator of this very manor.”

Dara blinked. “Witches aren’t real.”

The lichen shifter glanced to them. “You’ve never heard that the first shifters were created by witches?”

“I’ve heard that myth, yes.”

“Well, regardless,” the villain said. “We know the book is real. And we know that it contains a variety of very useful spells. Ones that could keep this pack safe against our rivals.”

Dara looked again to the photo. “I hope you don’t think I’m going to help you find it.”

The villain’s eyes lit up in a way that Dara didn’t like. “You may be interested to know, there’s a rumour that one of the spells contained in this book can turn shifters back into humans.”

Dara straightened in their seat. The room buzzed with whispered conversation.

The villain smiled. He knew he had them.

“What the hell is that homicidal freak doing here?”

Everyone looked to the doorway. There stood Corbin, bitter gaze fixed on Dara.

“Ah, Corbin, perfect timing,” the villain said. “I was just about to tell Dara how I’ll be matching them with a partner, to help ease their transition into the pack.”

Dara and Corbin locked eyes with each other. “You can’t mean . . .”

“Oh, but I do.” The villain’s smile was mischievous. “I just know you two will be the absolute best of friends.”