#and one of them is the sunset at 4 in the afternoon thing. do not understand how anyone further north can survive

[thrashkink-coven]

There’s something very comforting about when you finally settle into your witchy routines and rituals to the point where you don’t have to think about them very much anymore. They just become another part of my every day. Gotta brush my teeth, take the garbage out, give offerings to the old Gods, wash dishes etc.

And sometimes my magical routines feel less “magical”. Like these aren’t “special activities“ they’re just chores, routines, things I gotta do just cause. Not in the bad way where I don’t enjoy it anymore, just in the way that it’s extremely normalized.

and then randomly the whimsy and magic will just get turned back on and I’ll be like damn I really am a witch huh. Like ooohh my crystals look so pretty. Gathering apples for my demon friends, sweeping my altar, aha I’m such a witchy guy. Might say some magic words ooh might draw some sigils and light some candles lol. so fun!

A couple weeks or so will go by and I won’t have very much contact or conversation with Lucifer at all, like I’ll still give my daily offerings and whatnot but I just won’t *feel* him around very much, which is totally okay. I’m just like hm, wonder what he’s up to. Hope he comes back soon. Miss you ❤️❤️ and I don’t feel like one of his disciples really, I’m just a guy that likes Lucifer. Just a normal lad with a little crush. Ain’t nothing special ain’t no thang

and then randomly at 4:25pm on a Wednesday afternoon the wind will hit me just right and the sunset will twinkle in a certain way and I’m just SLAMMED with SO MANY feelings and vibes and become absolutely overwhelmed with how much I adore him and how happy I am to be in his presence. and I’m like YES i am A PATRONED CHILD OF LUCIFER FFFFUCCK YEAHHH this is so fuckin cool. My king? My king is here? with me!!!??!! WWOOOWWW i am an on my hands and knees 🙏

This always happens during this time of year. Near the end of Summer I’ll feel him going further and further away from me and then as soon as early autumn starts to hit he’s SO present and dominating

and I’m like !!!! yippee!!! You’re back!!!! I missed you sm!!!! 💕💖

and it’s multiplied by 1000x whenever he’s like “yes I am back, and I have so many more things to show you ☺️” LIKE YES!!!!!! ITS WORK TIME AGAIN !!! YYYEAASSSS!!!!

It’s spooky season, the leaves are yellowing, The Death Gods are taking back their dominance. The shadows are growing larger. Oh boy oh boy. WE ARE SO BACK.

[byeuijoo]

autumn things 𐀔 boynextdoor

genre : purely fluff ⋆ warnings : absolutely none ⋆ wc : 697

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ୨ ✩ ୧

park sungho ⭒ carving pumpkins

one of autumn's must-do activities is pumpkin carving. and since sungho can't refuse you anything, he instantly said yes when you offered to take part in a sculpture workshop at the end of the day. armed with quality tools and cool aprons featuring cute little ghosts, you now both listen carefully to the instructor's instructions on how to make the most of your future masterpieces. but it's a little more complicated than expected.. which prompts your boyfriend to give you a hand and carefully carve your pumpkin before his. and, of course, he won't stop cutting until he sees the satisfied smile creep across your colorful lips. this activity was actually less strenuous than he had expected.

lee riwoo ⭒ scary movies night

one of the special things about autumn is that it's also the season for your favorite celebration : halloween. and how to start the season without a marathon of scary movies? sanghyeok don't really mind watching 3 or 4 movies in a row with you. he loves the cosy little space you've created in his living room, the pillows on the floor, your back pressed against his chest and the many warm plaids covering you both. although he seems more preoccupied with observing every reaction on your face than following the development of the film, his hand nonchalantly caressing your side is a reassuring touch that prevents you from being afraid of evil screamers.

myung jaehyun ⭒ coffee shop date

coffee dates aren't just an autumn custom, but when this time of year offers you the opportunity to discover new flavors, a tour of the coffee shops is a must. and what better way to do it than to take jaehyun with you? the poor boy doesn't dare say anything to you, he just follows you, smiling, pulling by your hand through the streets of seoul in the late afternoon. the colors are pretty, and the sunset watches over your skin. and after a long search, you finally found what you wanted : an iced pumpkin spice latte. you've been waiting for it since last year, and you couldn't wait to show it to your boyfriend. who, by the way, didn't have the heart to admit to you that he'd already drunk some — too busy finding you adorable with that overexcited look and those stars in your eyes.

han taesan ⭒ cold hands

a colder wind, light rain in the air, a slightly overcast sky... there's no doubt that autumn has arrived. it's time to bring out the sweaters and booties. summer is now over, and of course — you're colder than under the sun. especially your hands. as a good boyfriend, dongmin never misses an opportunity to take you home after class, and he soon notices that you're trying your best to warm your poor fingers. without saying a word, the boy grabs one of your hands, intertwining his fingers with yours before slipping them both into his jacket pocket, keeping them both nice and warm.

kim leehan ⭒ leaf piles

something you've always loved about autumn, are the pretty colors that decorate the trees. long walks in the afternoon are great for leaf peeping — the reds, oranges and yellows that grace the city's streets. donghyun likes to follow you on your walks, watching your face light up with every new color. but the best is yet to come : piles of leaves on the roadside, which gardeners have stubbornly collected, seem to call on both of you to jump in. which you did, of course, with a burst of laughter that rocked the wind. and the poor workers don't dare blame you, because your good mood seems to be far too contagious.

kim woonhak ⭒ rain shower

there's something special about autumn rain – the feeling of raindrops on your skin is different. and it's something you love to share with woonhak, when you get out of class after a long day, and all the other students are rushing to avoid getting too wet. you stare at the grey sky for a moment before walking calmly hand in hand, huge smiles plastered on your faces, and your hearts beating in unison. no matter how wet or sick you get the next day, because running under the first autumnal rain shower is a precious moment you like to share with someone special in your heart.

⠀

reblogs & feedbacks are highly appreciated !

[haerinari]

ᖗ Best Friends

— pairing: childhood best friend!ni-ki x reader.

— genre: fluff

— warnings: none

— plot: your best friend since childhood Ni-ki, has been more touchy than usual.

“How about we go out tomorrow?” Said Ni-ki, he is your best friend since you were little kids.

“That’s sounds amazing” you respond. Tomorrow was Friday, so you had nothing to do. “Where do you wanna go?”

“Maybe we can go eat and buy some clothes, you are dressing horrible this days” he said joking. “Hey! There is nothing wrong with my clothes” you respond. “Just because you have better taste in fashion than me doesn’t mean I don’t dress good”.

“Yeah, whatever” he responded. “I will buy you new clothes tomorrow”

“Really?” You said excited. “Of course, we are going out and you have to look good” he said. “Oh my god that why I love you so much. You are the best friend of all the entire world”

“I know, I know…” he said hugging you. Ni-ki loved to hug you, something about you always make him feel comfortable and safe. Also, sometimes when he hugged you a little too long his stomach felt different, he felt that he was going insane.

You two have been best friends since childhood, you meet on kindergarten and since then you are inseparable. Always playing around, watching movies, playing video games, eating, anything to spend time together. It has been always like that, just happiness and fun.

But now that you both have grown out, Ni-ki started to feel different when he was around you. Sometimes, when you got to close to him, nervousness started to invade his entire body. The way he could see every small detail on your face and smell the perfume that you have always use, made him feel different.

At the beginning Ni-ki just ignored this kind of feelings, telling himself the excuse that he was just feeling humor changes or that he was just growing out and his hormones were betraying him. That was until he took a picture of you one time you two went out and he couldn’t stop looking at it. He noticed that you were actually really pretty.

But the bad side of Ni-ki’s feelings for you was that he knew that you only consider him your friend, your best friend. Even tho, he sometimes tried to make a move on you. Telling you that you looked pretty, occasionally touching your hand, playing with your hair, or just trying to keep you around and be touchy with you.

On your side you did notice this change on your best friend. He was being more touchy than usual, more kind, and even more pretty. Of course that you find Ni-ki pretty, I mean, who would not. You liked how he was behaving with you this last months. You really enjoy his company, you enjoy being with him.

Maybe you like Ni-ki, maybe. But even if you fully did, what would happen with your friendship with him? Would you ruin it? Would it make it 100 times better? Would it make it 100 worst? You didn’t know the answer to that, that’s why you decided to keep this feelings to yourself and let the time take them.

It was around 4:30 pm on the afternoon and you and Ni-ki had been together almost all day long.

As he promised he did buy you new clothes, and damm, they were really pretty. But your favorite thing that he bought for you was two matching t-shirts that you can use together and two bracelets that had your initials with a heart in between.

Right now you were walking thru one of your favorite spots to hang out with your best friend. It was a little place that was all surrounded by flowers, but what you liked the most was the view of the sunset that can be seen from there.

You really enjoy watching sunsets, they had something that it was so magical and special for you. You were so lost on your thoughts that didn’t even notice when Ni-ki left to search something for you.

“Hey” he simply said while giving you a bunch of beautiful flowers that he took from the grass.

“Wow Ni-ki, they are beautiful thank you so much” you said giving him a kiss no on the cheek, he immediately felt his heart beat faster. “Sit here with me, let’s watch the sunset” you said with a smile. “Okay”

There was such a special connection between you two in that moment. You both sat on the grass, admiring the beautiful view the sky was giving. Few minutes later Ni-ki put his arm around your shoulder, embracing you with his touch. You put your head on his shoulder, your heart beating 100 times faster just by having him this close.

“Y/N” he called. “Hmm?” You simply respond. “I need to tell you something”

You leave your position, now sitting in front of Ni-ki face to face.

“What is it?” You asked curiously.

“You know, I really love you very much. I love spending time with you and hanging out every day. You have been there for me every time I needed you and I really appreciate that. You are the most wonderful and beauty girl I have ever met, and I really like you. Y/N I really, really like you since a lot but I didn’t tell you anything because I was scared. I was really scared that you would reject me and that our friendship will be ov-“

You couldn’t resist any more. Before he could finish the sentence you took his face softly in your hand and gave him a kiss. His soft lips around yours, one of his hands now on your cheek, it was the moment that you both waited for so long.

“I really like you too, Ni-ki. But I was also very scared to tell you because I thought it would ruin our friendship, now that doesn’t matter any more. Honestly, I’ve like you since a long time ago, I was just trying to hide my feeling. Ni-ki, you’re the most wonderful boy in this world, I really like you to.” You said, your heart was going crazy.

“Oh my god yes! I’m so glad” he said while resting his back on the grass. “Why?” You said laughing. “I thought you didn’t like me back. Did you know how hard was for me to take the courage and tell you this” he said laughing with you. “Well, now you now I do” you said resting with him as well.

Everything was perfect, the orange and pink color of the sky, you and ni-ki together. You turned your body to face ni-ki’s and put one of your arm around him, giving him a hug. Him giving you a kiss on your head while playing with your hair, he was very happy that you were with him now.

“Are we together now?” He asked with curiosity. “I don’t know, you tell me” you said joking. “I will take you on a date tomorrow, an official date. And I want you to use the matching shirts I bought for us, we are going to look so pretty like that… I mean you’re going to look way more pretty like that, because you are super beautiful now”

The way his words reached your heart make you smile like a fool.

“I love you” you said looking him on the eyes.

“I love you 1000 times more” he said giving you a soft kiss.

[blueepink07]

I decided to look at the calendars and the timetable in Muu's MVs and I think I found some interesting things!

Taking in chronological order, the first calendar should be this one, which has the cherry blossoms. In Japan, usually, the flowering cherry trees come into full bloom around the beginning of April. It is the month when the new year of school starts for students.

So it seems that the friend group started the bullying, since the beginning of the school year, Rei's clothes being wet and her items being splattered on the floor. (the calendar in this scene also shows the cherry blossoms)

Remember this is the moment when Rei decides to turn "upside down" Muu's reputation at school, when she considers that enough is enough.

So then it raises the question... How much time Muu was bullied at school?

Well to find out we have again to look at the calendar.

This one should be a month from autumn, more exactly early September.

To understand better my line of thoughts, I will explain how did I reached this conclusion!

Beginning with the timetable!

Considering that the murder takes place during sunset, I thought that it was important to find when Muu finishes her classes.

"In a typical high school in Japan, teachers gather each morning at 8:30 a.m. for a brief meeting. Students meet at 8:35 a.m. for a 5-minute homeroom period. Regular classes begin at 8:45 a.m. and there are four 50-minute classes before lunch. High school students eat in their homeroom. "

With this information, I figured out that the empty space between hours is for lunch, because there are already four classes before it.

"Two afternoon periods are followed by school clean-up and a 5-minute homeroom meeting, after which students are dismissed at 3:30 p.m."

Muu has, after lunch, one or two afternoon periods.

Also, interesting she also has four classes on Saturday, something that is pretty common in Japan. "On Saturday the day ends after four periods, at 1 p.m."

Getting back to the topic, the classes usually end at 3:30 pm or 4 pm most of the time. However, it's pretty clear that it's not the hour when Rei goes home and the murder happens. Not only the sunset will not start so early, but also Muu's phone gives us a hint of the time.

But why are they at such a late hour at school, if the classes should end at around 3:30 pm? Simple, club activities after classes, at which most students in Japan attend to!

"Club activities are held after school and run until 5 or 6 p.m. One hour per week is devoted to mandatory club activity. Other club activity is voluntary."

They last around 2 hours, so, if we take into consideration Muu's timetable, the clubs should end at around 5:30 - 6 pm. (might depend on the club)

Now, I want to point out this specific interrogation question:

"What kind of kid where you?"

The past tense it's very interesting to me: "I did many extracurricular activities". Yes, it might refer to her younger self, but, considering that, even in high school, clubs are heavily encouraged in Japan, it's rather odd that she doesn't say that she still attends them.

That's because, in reality, she probably stopped going to those once she started to be bullied, which explains why she is the only one in the classroom, waiting for the club activities to be finished, so she can go home.

"School club activities, commonly known as “bukatsu” in Japan, play a significant role in the lives of students. These extracurricular activities are an integral part of the Japanese school experience, providing a platform for personal growth, skill development, and fostering a sense of community."

Club activities are a good way to spend your time with your friends, while doing something that you like. Because Muu started to be bullied, she had no reason to attend to these anymore. Not only she would spend her time alone, but also risk being picked on again, preferring to stay in the classroom.

With the idea that the clubs from Muu's school should end around 5:30 pm, we can decide the month based on when the sun fully sets.

I will admit that it took me a while to notice the yellow dots, which should resemble the leaves, so, because of the warm colours, I thought that the calendar showed July. Not August, because, in most schools in Japan, there is a summer vacation which starts from July 20 to August 31.

However, considering that Muu lives in Minato Ward, Tokyo, as seen in this post, the sun should fully set at around 7 pm, during July. Which doesn't really makes sense, because Rei should be outside of school, after club activities and some time spent preparing her herself to go, at around 5:40 - 5:45 pm, when there is not a sunset.

What made me, at first, not consider autumn as an option, where the green leaves from this scenery. So I researched a little and found put that in Tokyo, the leaves don't start to fall until late November.

Which left me with two options: September and October.

October was easily out of the question, because, in the first day of October the sun fully sets at 5:26 pm, which is too early.

Which leaves us with September, when the sun sets at around 6 pm. Taking into account the minutes before Muu reaches Rei in that day, I think it's safe to assume that early September, should be the time when the murder took place.

I hope I gave a good explanation and found some interesting things about Muu! Thank you for reading!

Sources if anyone is interested!

[syntia13treeman]

Case 15.01

CAT1RB6451-22062023-22032024

what I think happened in:

Case 15.01, the case of "The Sunset Hunt" or "It's EAT the rich, not FEED the rich. Get it right, damn it."

On 22nd of June 2023 a man was shot dead while on the phone to The Sentinel (I'm guessing a private emergency service; like 999 but unofficial).

He used to be a caterer in his own company, catering to the rich.

Before that, he was a soldier. An army cook at some point, but also familiar with looking down the barrel of the gun up close, and the sound of a headshot. Trained to kill, both with guns and in close combat. Trained not to hesitate.

At the time of the call he's been on the run for a couple months, living out of motel rooms, maybe different one every night, always looking over his shoulder, flinching at the sound of dogs' barking.

What he was running from is known as 'Lady Mowbray'. He'd been lured to her property in Wychwood Hall in the Cotswolds on the pretense of catering a 'small family hunt'. Ostensibly, he was supposed to cook and serve game the family hunted. In reality, he and his people had been watched all afternoon as they worked, until, at dusk, in blood red light of setting sun, he was compelled (magically and with threat of death) to kill and cook his employees while the 'family' watched.

He killed at least 4 people that day, maybe more: his permanent employees (minus Steven, murdered by Lady M herself), and any temps he might have hired for the job.

The creature responsible for that was described as a big and imposing matriarch, with electric blue eyes and gunmetal-gray hair. She had dangerous looking dogs with her, and a big-game gun, which she handled with ease. In her arsenal were also: power to force a man into silence with a gesture (demonstrated) and power to made her orders be obeyed without question (heavily implied).

After the Killer Caterer did her bidding, she rewarded him with cash – and a head-start. Neither helped him in the end.

It is unknown if deaths/disappearances of the entire catering company was ever noticed or investigated.

---

On 22nd of March 2024, in the OIAR office, Freddie tried to warn Celia about the approaching predator by queuing this case for her. Was it helpful? Possibly. Celia is smart, but she might not have been as on-guard as she was without it.

Lady Mowbray not very subtly tried to get Celia to give her name. (Celia point-blank refused). Lady Mowbray VERY unsubtly tried to sniff out any additional information about her, with limited success (odd, brave, strong, different). Soon after Lady M was swept away by Gwen, whom she talked to very differently than to Celia. Old money can sniff out old money, I suppose.

I… have some questions

Who or what is Lady Mowbray? An old aristocrat who became as removed from humanity as they believed themself to be? An embodiment of the concept of the ruling class, that forces 'peasants' to do their dirty work for them for little or no reward? ...one of the Gentry? Look, I know I've been yapping about the Fae for a long while now, but here is a literal aristocrat (a lady; a gentlewoman if you will), with literal power over people's minds, who tries to get Celia's name, and Celia (the mysterious, different Celia, who know more than she lets on) knows that she shouldn't give it. (Never ever give them your name!) It's probably nothing… but maybe? How long has she been making people kill other people for her dinner and entertainment? 40 years? 60? 600?

Why is she working with OIAR? She seems like a very different kind of monster than Bonzo (thought they both eat their prey; hm); why would she let herself be in any way controlled? Is OIAR responsible for cover-ups of all the murders committed by 'Externals', and that's why Externals are willing to work for them? Do they even need it? Both Bonzo and Mowbray seem to have their own magic going on in that regard – Bonzo with his music and Mowbray with her voice (and money) that can make things go unnoticed.

Who or what are Mowbray's 'family', and why none of them got to shoot somebody? Are they actual family, ruled by their matriarch's iron fist? Are they just props (fake people to create a crowd for better scare tactic)? Are they followers? Courtiers? Servants? Slaves? Who are you, people with guns and dogs and expensive cars who never get to participate in the hunt beyond watching and eating? (Do you look like someone copy-pasted few random features onto multiple individuals? Asking for a friend).

So who is the next unlucky soul that Gwen's gonna sic a killer on? Do we know them? Will we get to know them for just as long as it takes Norris or Chester to read about their death? (Gwen, are you sure you want to do that, girl? It's not to late... well. It probably is. Enjoy your new job while you can, I guess).

[inazumaclown]

finally. the gouenji post where i rate his looks (soccer and school uniforms excluded).

gouenji is the face of the franchise along with endou and kidou, he has his own manga spinoff, and he's regularly elected as a fan favourite in every popularity contest.

canonically, gouenji has a huge fanclub of girls rooting for him and it's definitely not only because soccer.

so why is he so popular ?

well mostly because he's non verbal most of the time (girls love boys who can shut up), he makes bomb ass takoyaki, and he's also very handsome. but are his clothes helping or is he THAT handsome ? let's find out.

ah, the OG season 1 classic. the first ever outfit. he looks great. orange is as much his color as it is endou's, it suits him very well. we already know gouenji is careful with his looks, since he canonically spikes his hair every morning, and now, we can be sure the fucker knows how to dress himself. he knows how to make colors match, he even matches the sunset. truly unparalleled.

if kazemaru didn't exist, i would have fell in love with him. 10/10

OG season 2. man i want that hoodie. i want it so much. it's as cool in the game as it is in the anime.

i really like how this outfit manages to hide him and completely reveal him at the same time. the orange color, the fucking saiyen hairstyle under the hood. this dumbass had to keep the spikes even though he knew he had to hide them under a fucking hoodie that would ruin his work. it's called dedication. 11/10

before moving on to GO, (where the problems lies mostly), let's talk about two out of category looks.

i love gouenji's looks in the games, especially the very first. he looks like a whole different character, way more rebellious and loudmouthed with his frosted tips, jet black eyes and eyebrows, unbuttoned jacket (we'll talk about those) and single earring. he looks very homosexual. 10/10

after the first game tho, they dropped the delinquent look and he got the inverted pikachu treatment, they made him rounder. a little saddened but not complaining, they kept the best features. 8/10

one day i'll talk about the orion endings in detph, with all the emotions they triggered in me. persisting in giving him a hood is funny though. 7/10

OK NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT GO.

the ishido shuuji outfit. iconic.

my man looks EXPENSIVE and that's great. i can see the first game gouenji in him. i cannot tell if he's gay or european. the raybans, the blood read suit, the slutty unbuttoned shirt, the jewelry, the kazemaru blue streaks iN his unspiked hair ! this outfit would cost me more than my day job monthly salary. he's living the life.

i can't buy him as a villain but i can buy him as a mean girl. 100/10

the concept art is as good as the final design. i do get why they didn't keep the spikes for this look. he would have looked a little too much like a gay broly. not a bad thing but understandably unpreferable.

there it is. the glowdown.

his hair does look good unspiked but... where are the blue streaks. why is he suddely hiding his chest under three layes of clothing. gouenji darling you know warm colors suit you best so why the grey-blue-ish suit ? am i supposed to believe this is the real you ? i know it's not. i hope you find yourself. 4/10

OH BOY NEVERMIND WTF IS THIS.

wtf went through everybody's head while designing this. i get this is a way to mimic adult endou's charm but it does not work. gouenji isn't endou. you love endou because he's a very wholesome bundle of joy (voiced by naruto), and you love gouenji bc he is one half of the inazuma eleven equivalent of sasuke (kidou being the other half), you can't dress them the same way and not see the dissonance.

this man is not gouenji, this man buys cheap beers in the early afternoon without saying thank you to the cashier. this man pretends to be a metalhead. this man just divorced kanye. i would not trust him with my kids.

this is not a relaxed look, this is a sad, depressed look. please gouenji talk to someone. people love you. you can be helped. 0/10

conclusion : i don't know how they fucked up so bad at the end, they really made gouenji forgot about his hard-earned fashion skills. thank god he actually IS that handsome but before that he's all W after W. i'm eager to see him in victory road.

[ohno-the-sun]

Hello! :]

About the question game:

🟠 Bright

🟡 Sun's mom (you didn't see that one coming, did you? >:]) the question is in past tense for obvious reasons (i have some thoughts on what the answer may be, but want to hear it from you)

🟢 Y/n and Moon from Mad Scientist AU

🔵 Mad Scientist Sun if "work" and "researches" weren't an option

⚪️ Moon from Luca AU >:}

(I know what I said about getting a good look at the characters firstly. Buuut I've seen him in 1.5 chapters and I've got my headcanons for the time being, so it counts for me. and i'm just being extremely curious about this one)

🪩 Bright and Sun from luca au

🔴 Moon from Mad Scientist AU

⚽️ Freddy... from luca au? (I'm not sure if he plays a significant role in your fic- but still)

Take your time answering these. It's understandable if you ignore some of them if they're unanswerable or if the information shouldn't be disclosed yet

expect more questions at some point. You've been warned >:)

P.S. if you want to infodump about luca au, you're more than welcome to 👀

I barely resisted from asking a bunch of questions about mer Moon. What stoped me is that I want to get to know him more or less gradually. He seems like a finely layered character 👀 (AND YET I ASK THE WHITE QUESTION, YES pffhpffhf)

P.P.S when I address a question to two characters I don't necessarily mean them as a duo, but you can answer it this way if it's fitting

Hehehehe

Gonna put all my thoughts under the cut cause there are LOTS

🟠 Orange- What is a trait your OC hides about themself from others? Do they refuse to acknowledge it or begrudgingly accept it?

For Bright they kinda have a lot of things about themselves they don't like and try to hide from others

I'd say the most obvious one is their phobia, they really don't like talking about it or showing a lot of weakness or vulnerability in general

The only reason they are okay with Sun babying them sometimes is because they've known each other for a long time and Bright knows that is how Sun interacts with everyone he cares about, he tends to be overly protective and worrisome

🟡 Yellow- What is something your OC wants but knows they can never have? How does it feel to never get this specific desire?

Hohoho this is a super interesting one

I would say this gets into some serious spoiler territory but I will say if she could remember and if she was still alive her biggest desire would have been to be there for both Sun and Moon, to have a happy family, all 4 of them

I think if she met Moon as he is now she would have deeply regretted not being there for him

🟢 Green- What is considered a weakness in your OC that is actually a strength? What is a strength in your character that can be twisted into a weakness?

Ooooo ok this is a bit of a toughie

I'd say for y/n I'd say it's their empathy, they are the type to tuck their stuffed animals into bed and cry when spiders are killed

bit of a softy they are

I think its both their biggest strength and weakness considering it both saves and kills them depending on the timeline

Mad scientist Moon it would be his will to survive

It's kept him alive this long, but it also requires the sacrifice of another, potentially the consumption of others

He doesn't want to hurt anyone but if he is going to survive he will need to

🔵 Blue- How would your OC spend a single day of interrupted peace? Where would they go or who would they be with?

For mad scientist Sun, there's a single bench on a secluded corner of campus near a dead tree that he goes to when he needs a moment or a breather

Its at the top of a hill and overlooks the surrounding city, during the late afternoons it gives the best view of the sunset

Sun doesn't get days off, he becomes more stressed when he isn't doing anything than when he's working on something

But in moments he allows himself a break, he likes to go to this spot, maybe bring a cup of hot tea or coffee, just watch as the world passes by

He's brought Y/N up there a few times, it's a beautiful peaceful spot

⚪️ White- When was a moment in your OC's life that they felt the most vulnerable and exposed? Were they alone or surrounded?

HOOOOOO

Don't wanna spoil it for you but let just say its the moments after the incident

**spoilers for chapter 12 of Under the Surface**

Moon oddly enough wasn't super emotionally messed up about killing Bonnie initially, he didn't know the guy and didn't like him

It was the moments after that kill him, the choices he made after he killed Bonnie that eat away at him and weigh on his conscience

I will say that Moon made some bad decisions

🪩 Disco Ball- What was an achievement that your OC felt worthy of celebrating? Was it a personal victory or a big impact on everyone around them?

For Bright this moment is coming up actually and will happen later in the fic

It's not a super big spoiler but I don't wanna reveal it before it happens cause it's a fun wholesome scene

For Sun, back in college he was able to land the lead role in the musical play they put on, he had mainly played cooky side characters before this, so this was the first time he was really acknowledged for his skills

Of course he hasn't landed a lead role since and has kind of given up on theater, but he still holds that moment close to his heart

For both they also consider landing the other a really big achievement pfptpfp

🔴 Red- What is a trait your OC has that those around them don't see very often? Is it seen by a rare few or completely overlooked?

Oooo another MS Moon one

I'd say it's the fact that he's actually quite perceptive

He notices when Y/N is stressed or when some people poke and prod him and he's pretty good at reading those who intend him harm or only want to help

This ends up being an issue for Y/N in the bad Moon ending since he knows that Y/N wants to leave but doesn't want them to. Some of the things that seem like accidents in that ending are actually on purpose

⚽️ Soccer Ball- Who is someone that your OC believes in and roots for? Are they private about their admiration or do they make it well known?

Oooo interesting hmmm for Freddy...

I'd say ironically enough Monty

You'll learn more abt their relationship with the newest chap I hopefully will post today, but Freddy and Monty are uh- not super close right now

Freddy does feel a lot of guilt about the situation though and wants to be friends with Monty again eventually, but as of right now he isn't super vocal about those feelings

[silent-sanctum]

Can you write like a little cute one shot or Drabble of Jotaro (part 3 or 4 don’t matter to me) learning that his crush is a celebrity from America that has come to Japan? If you use part 3 then you can use the exchange student trope!!! 😳

you thought it was just gonna be a drabble? But it was me! A short fic! but sure I'll write a cute lil sumn for you honey ^^ And before reading this, I'm gonna give a bit of context for this world. I used 4taro for this one, placed him in a modern au in Tokyo where Stands don't exist, he isn't married, and he's just living life as an ordinary marine biologist on a break. With that given, hope you enjoy~ ^^

Still with You - Jotaro x Reader

word count: 2.3k

To be labeled as a “poor oblivious old man” at the age of 28 was something Jotaro would dismiss in less than a second, but considering what just happened to him… might as well live up to it for a day or two.

What transpired for that name to be given to him?

The whole thing started one fateful afternoon when the marine biologist earned himself a well-deserved break from a week-long dive into the Pacific Ocean, and he opted to visit a local café that was near his office. It was small and family-owned, serving only up to 20 customers max.

He wasn’t the type to be too picky in choosing his cup of coffee, so visiting small-business shops would end up in his subconscious to-do lists during his free time. Besides, the place was homey- had nice furnishing, theme, and a small stage for any singer to perform on.

It also happened to rain heavily that day, leaving Jotaro holed up in the tiny establishment. Then again, he wasn’t complaining. He loved the sound of the the drops pitter-pattering on the pavement outside while he sipped his warm drink, white coat draped over his shoulders.

The door opened, signaled by the chiming of the bells above. A person hurried inside dressed with a bucket hat, mask, and hoodie, half-drenched by the downpour outside. The owner addressed the soaked clothes but the lady merely shrugged them off and lifted a bag, stating she had extra dry clothes.

Again, Jotaro wouldn’t have even paid attention on a normal day, but for some reason he was curious on what she was up to considering her inconvenient situation. He played it nonchalantly, taking another sip from his cup and waited for her to return in new clothes.

He watched her wave to the eager-looking customers with a beaming smile as she approached the stage with freshly changed clothes and a microphone in hand.

Jotaro cocked a brow. A performance? He huffed. It’s been awhile since I’ve indulged in music. Might as well.

The lights dimmed for the spotlights to focus on her. The music opened to the sound of rain ambiance then combined with the muffled instrumentals, she began to sing:

Your light voice that passes by me Would you please call my name one more time Although I’m paused underneath the frozen sunset I’ll walk towards you one step at a time Still with you

The piano began to play and somehow, the atmosphere grew cozier than before as the soothing jazz music played out. The crowd began to sway, some recorded the singer on their phones, and Jotaro ended up in a trance, focused on the person behind the vocals.

She continued to sing the following verses with an almost alluring tone to it like a siren playing her song to the helpless sailors lost at sea, washing over their worries with a waves of calm and comfort. Eventually, as the chorus came, he found himself unable to tear his eyes off from the performer, his head slightly swaying as a victim to the music.

Her eyes would close from time to time, and when it wasn’t, she would sweep her gaze across the room, watching her audience to let them know that the song was theirs to enjoy.

But then as she reached the verse after the chorus, her gaze stopped at him and with maintained eye contact, continued to sing:

The moon looked lonely It looked like it’s crying brightly in the night sky Though I know that the morning will come I wanted to stay by your sky like a star

The day, the moment If I knew it will be like this I would have kept more of them When will it be if I see you again face to face I’ll look you in the eye and say I missed you

At that one moment, Jotaro’s heart fluttered beneath his stone-mask façade, breathless. What was the purpose of that prolonged eye contact? Or was he overthinking? She may have turned away back to the others, but he couldn’t forget how she didn’t stray away from his gaze for that long.

But even then, he couldn’t stop watching. The chill music didn’t help either. The chill beats were the type of tunes he’d hear from his playlist, and he’d hear from his coworkers that there was the additional charm when hearing it live.

And he’d be lying if he said that was a false statement.

He tried to pull away from the melody as the song neared its end, but as if the singer sensed his intentions, her hooded gaze returned to him and he couldn’t turn away as she sang the final verses of the song:

Behind the faint smiles that gaze at me I want to paint with the beautiful light Even though our footsteps might not match I want to walk this path together with you Still with you

The café burst in applause, some cheering as the performer smiled at the crowd with a bashful smile and bow. “Thank you everyone!” With one last wave, she walked off the stage with a bounce to her steps.

Yet Jotaro still remained on his seat, brows furrowed as he could only stare into the half-emptied cup in his hand that has gone cold. That was intentional. He shook his head and drank, not minding the coolness of his coffee. Impossible. What are you even thinking? Has Polnareff filled my head with all his nonsensical sappiness? He rubbed his temple with the added stress. Damn you Pol-

���Uhm… hi there.”

Damn me. Jotaro didn’t reply anything back to the singer standing by the chair opposite of him, a cup of coffee in hand, the smile still fixated on that face of hers as she spoke fluent Japanese to him. “You wouldn’t mind if I sit here, right?”

“Why here?” He said, arms crossed. “Aren’t there other tables for special guests like you?”

She shrugged. “There are, but there are some things that need addressing and will keep me awake all night if left unsaid.”

He scoffed. Tell me about it. Without a word, she took her spot in front of him and set her warm drink on the table. “So… I know you noticed something during my intermission.”

The maintained eye contact with the lyrics? “And what would that be?”

“Being stoic are we?” She chucked. “Well, I know you know what happened so I’m not going to beat around the bush any longer. First thing’s first,” a hand reached out to him. “Y/N. Just a tourist on vacation, but you may have known me from somewhere.”

He tilted his head and tried to remember the many face he’d seen throughout his life, but he couldn’t recognize yours in any. Regardless, he shook your hand. “Jotaro. And no, I don’t know who you are.”

You widened your eyes. “Really? Even from somewhere like… I don’t know… movies or shows from the States? Showbiz, Internet, and all?”

He shook his head. “I don’t watch much media nowadays, neither do I stay online. Too busy with work. I’m also not interested in showbiz. Why? Am I supposed to know you?”

“Oh no! No no no,” you laughed, nervous. “I’m just a cover artist in YouTube. When I’m not busy, I sing either to myself or to others, like now. I just asked… out of curiosity.”

“Mm… I see,” Jotaro said. “Though I’m still asking why you chose this table specifically among-”

“You’re cute.”

He stopped short, mouth agape with words left unsaid. What followed was his cheeks growing warm together with the tips of his ears and his eyes widening by a bit. “Ah…”

“Hey, I told you I’m not gonna beat around the bush,” you giggled, shrugging. “And I’d be lying if I told you that you were otherwise.”

Jotaro cleared his throat as he looked away, lower half of his face hidden with the back of his hand. “That was so sudden, I apologize if I’m turning away for a bit.”

“Oh no it’s okay!” You said. “It’s natural for the crowd to turn bashful around my presence after all~”

“Well, aren’t you boastful…” He said lightheartedly, glancing back at you for a second.

You hummed, leaning on your hand on the table as you stirred your drink with a small cheeky smile and slightly puffed cheeks that surely didn’t tug at his heartstrings. “Can’t help it. It just comes naturally good sir.”

It took him a couple of minutes to recollect himself from the out-of-nowhere compliment. Only after about 5 sips of caffeine and the simple music of the cafe’s playlist did Jotaro turn back to face you with a straight back and steeled face. An imperfect one at that with how his brows were furrowed and how his cheeks were still likely tinted pink.

“Uhm… thanks.”

You smiled at him and nodded in acknowledgment, closing your eyes to take a long sip of your drink. Shit, what now? Part of him wanted to remain quiet, waiting for you to continue talking, but another wanted him to say something back to not make the conversation too one-sided.

“I…” You looked at him again with shining eyes and he had urges to just back out and leave with a lame excuse. But he trudged on… the best he can. “I- You… you have a nice voice. And music.”

This time, your cheeks bloomed a warm pink and hints of a shy smile were forming, and Jotaro looked away for the umpteenth time, the visual too endearing for him to handle. “But I know you already knew that. Might as well give my review.”

“I can tell,” you said, breathy as if you had to stifle in your bashful chuckles. “You kept watching me when I sang in front of you all with this look of intrigue and awe, and…” A huff of breath. “I couldn’t help but return it. The cover I chose to use today certainly didn’t help either.”

As you let out a short embarrassed laugh with your hand covering your smile, your eyes closed from the joy that paired with your natural blush, Jotaro couldn’t help but smile back with his own cheeks warm. Your happiness was infectious apparently.

“You know,” you started as you finished your drink and got ready to leave. “You’re a nice guy despite your initial grumpy demeanor.”

“Get used to it. It’s not a demeanor.”

“Oh? Are you implying we’re gonna meet again, Jotaro?” you asked with a raised brow and he spluttered, not used to hearing his name being blurt out from your lips with that voice. At his response or lack thereof, you chuckled and ripped out a piece of paper from a notebook in your bag.

“I see. Lucky for you, I too hope we get to hang out together like this sometime soon.” With a pen from your pocket, you wrote down a series of numbers and your name with it. A second later, you handed your number for him to take. “Will I be expecting something from you soon?”

Jotaro cocked his head with regard and took the slip of paper. With no hesitation, he folded in half and ripped it, leaving your number unharmed as he took out his own pen and wrote his on the other blank half.

“I don’t mind chatting with you,” He slid his contact to you. “But don’t expect me to be the one to start conversation. As I said, I’m busy.”

You scoffed, albeit playful and smiling, liking his wager. “We’ll see about that.”

~

It’s been a week since your encounter with him at that mini café, and even in the midst of paperwork and research, Jotaro couldn’t forget the sweet-voiced singer and the song she sung.

He knew when it came to these feelings, he didn’t know shit about them and so he wasn’t aware that they’d persist for this long.

Jotaro didn’t want to do this but he figured he’d first figure out to deal with the current issue through communication with a friend or two. Either that or end up thinking about a café performer who he just met 24/7 until god knows when.

Suffice to say, he came out of the conversation dumbfounded, flattered, and very much the one with a mind of an “old man”:

“Pol, can I ask you something?”

“Jotaro asking me questions? Now that’s a first! What is it buddy?”

“Something happened when I was at a cafe and… ah good grief, I can’t believe I’m about to say this…”

“What? Tell me! You say it like it’s something serious-”

“I think I got… I have… a crush on somebody.”

…

…

“Oh my god. You’re 11 years too late but holy shit! My man! Finally! Do you have her number?”

“Ah right. It’s here.”

“Aha~ A phone number~ So you weren’t lying. Did you text her?”

“I wouldn’t be here if I did Pol.”

“Oh?”

“OH?!”

“What is it this time?”

“Jotaro, you have a popular actress crushing on you?!”

“Huh?”

“Y/N L/N?! The Y/N L/N?!?! MY GUY-”

“She’s one of the most critically acclaimed celebrities in the United States. I’m definitely sure Mr. Joestar have heard of her since he’s always glued to whatever’s showing on screen. She also has her own YouTube channel where she does a lot of gorgeous covers of her favorite artists!”

“Oh.”

“'Oh' doesn’t cover the fact that you discovered one of her secret busking spots, got her to talk to you over coffee, liked it, AND GOT HER TO LIKE YOU.”

“Ah.”

“YOU REALLY DIDN’T KNOW?!”

“I don’t watch much and I’m not on the Internet as much so-”

“Damn I may be the older adult here but you sure are one poor oblivious old man.”

…

“So are you going to help me talk to her again or not?”

“You bet your stone aged ass I will. Just make sure I get an autograph in return~”

[bengiyo]

I Told Sunset About You Rewatch Ep 4 Stray Thoughts

Teh broke all of our hearts last time by bringing Oh to the edge and then running away. We made it through the most Skyline episode of the series, and now it's time to pick up the pieces.

Oh, Teh, you can't just go back to studying like normal after last night.

The gay experience of having the mother of the boy you love ask you to keep an eye on his heterosexual endeavors.

Oh-aew fascinates me. He is walking such a complicated line with Teh. He doesn't mind being discreet about their connection, but he does want some assurances that Teh is serious about him and reciprocal about these feelings. Oh was right to ask about Tarn, especially if Teh feels jealous of Bas.

These two convey so much of their angst even when they're just laying on floors or couches. Nothing worse for gay crisis than seeing your friends being happily hetero on socials.

Poor Tarn. She wore her sexiest bra today in the hopes that she would make progress with Teh.

Look at Tarn. Chest out. Purple blanket. Purple bra. And yet he still chose Oh's red.

Mhmm, this is what I have always said. Tarn had so many reasons to expect things from and invest in Teh. Things were said.

I like Tarn reminding Teh that she has things she really wants to focus on that he's been distracting her from only to waffle.

Truly, Billkin is so good at nervous pacing.

Look at Oh showing up deep in Teh's blue, only for Teh to be awkward and distant. My love for Oh's straightforwardness knows no bounds.

Oh asking Teh to reply to his messages is such sad foreshadowing about the future. He always asked Teh for completely reasonable things and Teh always read way too much into it.

I love their friends. They know instantly that something happened between Oh and Teh again.

There he go score peeking again.

Oh literally ran from that boy.

"You've never understood me. I'm hurt." Give PP all the awards, honestly. We're gonna have another conversation in the street in IPYTM like this that's going to hurt.

Teh 🤝 Saengtai - "Aren't my actions enough?" NO. YOU STAY CONFUSING PEOPLE!!

Teh's mom steadily foreshadowing the consequences of Teh prioritizing Oh over himself.

Oh is literally wearing a tattered blue shirt that says "THINGS I'LL NEVER SAY."

Lobby scene, my beloved.

Lol the back of Oh's shirt almost says SUSS.

The way so much happens in this scene with the way Oh chooses to move relative to Teh. You can feel Oh's frustration and yearning pouring off of him.

When Oh moves away from the kiss he almost initiated? Incredible acting.

The PP Ru He version of Skyline. Still undefeated.

There's just so much about this hug under the stairs. Oh is saying that he can understand that Teh needs time before they can do anything more public.

Float scene, my beloved. Poor PP had such a hard time filming this from all the fish nipping at him. He was shaking when they got him out of the water because he's afraid of fish.

Straight people will never get the underwater kiss back. Not after this scene. It belongs to the gays now and forever.

Love that Billkin and Smile nailed their kiss in one take. Meanwhile, he and PP had to practicing scuba diving to learn how to take in air so they could spend an entire afternoon filming this kiss.

Can you believe that they still managed to continue the narrative about Teh's feelings about boobs during this kiss? Like wtf? This kiss is not fluff! There are huge dramatic stakes here.

Of course these two can make buttoning a shirt feel intensely intimate after that moment.

Friends don't have the greatest underwater kiss ever, Teh.

"You feel it too? What did I do wrong? Why are you doing this?" Gays, cuddle pile at my place. If you grew up Knowing, you understand this scene.

"I think I'm not sure. One day, I'll stop feeling this way." No, but this is the primary gay fear about love. Also, why can guys like Teh only admit their feelings when they describe them as temporary?

These two went from the greatest kiss ever to one of the most painful breakups of all time. They have the range.

Skyline now? Really!?!

Oh, Teh. You really are such a little brother.

"Are you proud of me?" Right after Teh broke up with him on the premise that this was all temporary? Incredible. We all knew what this was. Someday I would love to see this whole scene. PP looks like he gave everything to that scene and we only got a snippet.

Oh, the bra scene. It's really something to see Oh crying on the floor because he can't be what Teh wants. It gets me every time.

I really like that the Yongjian failed masturbation scene occurs immediately next. We just do not get a break in this episode. This is very much the spiral.

And then we go to the final break up with Tarn scene. God, Teh really can be such an ass sometimes. I really hope Tarn found love later.

And now to Bas, my sweetest boy. He's correct that Oh can't give up on himself because of Teh.

Love the friends coming to see Teh off, and Bas has refused to wear his color. He's mean-mugging this man all the way for leaving Oh like this.

Really hate that Teh genuinely thinks he's helping Oh as he decides to give up his spot for him. He thinks he's keeping a promise.

It really is so awkward that Oh and Tarn had to talk about Teh, and it's timed so well for Teh to come back home and face the consequences of his choices.

Smile is so good, seriously. The panic and anger she's feeling is so intense.

Everyone is so good at ugly crying in this show.

Everything Tarn said is true and correct. Smile and Billkin did that in a single take.

I remember Boss talking about Billkin and Na getting stuck in character together in this scene, so he just grabbed Nat and the girlfriend and just threw them into the scene. Nat improvised this hug.

As if all of that wasn't enough, they prepared his new uniform for him as a gift, along with two semesters of tuition. Goddamn.

I feel bad for MoRaoYuLok, because they were never able to help Oh and Teh really.

Now, to the ugly IG fight. This part is just so difficult to watch.

Billkin hyperventilates if he cries too hard. This is much harder to watch since NiNi told me that fact.

And now he has no study materials. He literally gave it all to Oh.

How dare they end this on the Lost in Translation instrumental.

JFC I forgot how it's just one hit after another in this episode. It's almost an hour of losses starting from the hammock. So much of this episode is really just the fallout of Teh bailing at the end of episode 3 and just spiraling about it. Oh told him earlier. He never understood Oh, and now look at them.

Whew. I don't have time to finish tonight, but I probably shouldn't anyway.

[little-den]

Since i finished the Baxter DLC, i think is time to put out there some scenarios, fic ideas and such i have for Gin and Baxter ✨

Art by Nicole Zepeda in fb

Step 3

I had ideas for some moments ideas hahaha

Night/surprise date (The longer one first):

This one goes after the moment Drinks and Planning. Btw i'll skip over the logistics of some parts here but i have everything thought out hahaha

Gin wants to invite Baxter to a date, after all he invited her to dates but she have not invited him to one until now.

So...other way to plan a surprise instead of doing it at the last moment, is letting others doing it for you. So Gin ask for help of her friends to set up all she needs for that night date, a silly but cute date.

The point is to take advantage of a lot of things, Baxter having a suit and waiting for more chances to use it, having a chance to dance without spectators, Sunset bird is a quiet place at night, there is some parking lots with nice lighting.

Cove, Terri and Randy are setting up everything while Gin is passing time with Baxter so he can't suspect something (she only told him that they are going to a semi-fancy place to eat dinner later). In the late afternoon almost night she takes him to the place, asking him to close his eyes since it's a surprise the place, so when they arrive...

The date is a dinner in a parking lot hahaha But imagine something more pretty haha, a fancy table for two, nice plates, a beatiful vase with fresh white flowers (obviously they have nice meanings but i'm lazy to search which ones hahah) and some background music.

So they have a nice dinner and the chance to dance in fancy clothes in a pretty much a empty space.

Picnic

Gin has a tradition of having a picnic in poppy hill once a month, sometimes she invites other people but is mostly just her. In Baxter route Gin is planning to study overseas so maybe this picnic could be one of the last in a while.

So one afternoon just as Gin is leaving the house ready to go but Baxter is leaving his house at the same time, (both of them going like :o o:). She decided to invite him, and he changed his plans and accepted.

Photoshoot (Short one for the last):

A tour around Sunset bird together, while Gin is taking photos of everything and the ones she wanted to take of herself and Baxter joining in some of them.

Step 4

Summer Soiree again

They decide that re do their first first meeting, so they decide to go to another Summer Soiree in the country club, and even go to the lengths to obtain similar outfits and all.

(The art in this post is reference of this one)

Notes beforehand for some of the next ones:

Gin's full name is Gin Avi Ash, she barely uses her middle name in her day to day but is most common in her job setting.

Gin is manly a wedding photographer (She takes another type of photoshoots but it's not her main focus), so it's almost destined to them encountering each other in a planning of a wedding.

She has her own small studio and all.

So i have some possible reencounters for them (Also i'm a bad person and i'll stop in the fist enconter):

Job related

A couple hired Gin for when one of them proposed and both liked the photos so they want her for the wedding. Also they hire a wedding planner, who happens to be Baxter.

So all starts when a couple arrives to Baxter office and start to see all they need and when he mentions the company has already a photographer, they mentions that actually they want to work with someone else, a photographer named Avi, who worked with them in the past. He ask them to send her contact info after the meeting.

The message arrives with the photographer's contact, while he is trying to add it to his contact list, notices that he has already the contact saved, oh no, it's a number he didn't expected to contact again, Gin Ash, the charming neighbor he dated that summer in Sunset bird, the one he sweared to never see again.

He can't turn down the job, he already said yes, and that would be very unprofessional, also his company understands a lot of things but probably not rejecting a job because he didn't want to talk to someone.

So he decides to make the call hoping that Gin doesn't remember him, ignoring the fact that probably it would totally break his heart if that were the case.

Gin is busy working when the call happens so doesn't notice that the call is from a contact she never deleted. She answers and recognized him immediately but doesn't bring anything of the past up, she can't gather the courage to do that, and that being a very clear job call won't do it anyways.

He cannot escape the Holdens hahaha

I talked about this one a bit in Twitter, where i also shared a bit of Gin's sons with Cove (Maureen and Morgan for those interested)

Morgan following her mom's steps but in a different way, works as a live painter in weddings so the first time Baxter sees Morgan he thinks he looks so familiar despite he never seeing the kid before. Morgan says that probably he knew his parents and shows him a photo of them, while mentioning that if that's the case they should meet eachother again or something.

A common contact (This is more general for any MC)

Xavier is the most important piece here!

So imagine you are hanging out with the Suarez brothers and decide to go to Xake for some treats, and pay a visit to Xavier too. Something common since that first time all of you went together.

When they arrive they see Xavier is busy talking with some people, who happens to be Baxter and a couple he is currently working. Xavier stops for a second to greet them, and in that moment Baxter turns and sees you. Similar reaction that the one of the restaurant in the DLC (Deflect, project, redirect, avoid mode activated hahaha), but since he is working he can't totally escape the situation, he barely recovers his working mode and tell you he is busy so he can't talk really that much, and he need to focus on that.

Oh boy, i need to comission someone to write me fics of some of these for me, because i don't have that much energy to do it myself.

[darkroguescribe]

Hitsuhina Week 2023 - Day 4: Back to Back/ I’m Sorry

Rating: K

Summary: Momo and Toshiro have an argument weeks before their wedding.

AN: A bit shorter than I usually like but still a good one.

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

The grass blew lightly in the peaceful summer breeze as birds flew in formation above. The light of the sun reflected in the clear and calm waters of the canal that cut through Karakura Town. Momo sighed, blowing wisps of her hair that had come loose from the chignon she had hastily downed her hair into earlier. This wasn’t where she wanted to be. But she’d had to get away from… everything. Momo held her hand out and stared at the diamond ring on her left hand. Everything had started out so perfect this morning. She had woken up in the tight embrace of her fiancé, their legs tangled together with the sheets. They’d had a nice breakfast and discussed the ongoing plans for the wedding.

She’d chatted on and on about about the catering, the cake, and gushed at the custom embroidered napkins Rangiku had ordered for the occasion. Toshiro really didn’t care about that kind of stuff, but he’d smiled and listened anyway, contributing his own opinions, and remarking on how diligent Rangiku has been since she’d appointed herself as their wedding planner. But then he had to bring up the paperwork involved with marriage. Boring legal documents, and certificates that they needed to fill out either before or after the ceremony to make everything official. The problem was that it inevitably brought up the topic of names which had been something they hadn’t really discussed at length.

She had come to the decision on her own about a month ago after spending weeks debating the whole thing with herself. She wasn’t going to take his name when they married. Momo liked her name. Momo Hinamori is who she had always been. And as much as she loved Toshiro’s name, Momo Hitsugaya just wasn’t the name she wanted everyone referring to her as. She loves Toshiro. She wants to be his wife, have a family with him someday. She wants to be by his side everyday for the rest of their lives. But she just wants to do it carrying her own name. What about that was so hard for him to understand?

Young as he is, there are some things that makes him seem like such… an old man. Insisting that husband and wife need to carry the same surname. He even went so far as the suggest he take her name. Toshiro Hinamori. That just sounded stupid. His name was perfect for him. And maybe for their children someday. But not for her.

The argument had been loud, voices raised and reiatsu flaring from both of them as neither of them were willing to concede the point. With nothing left to say, they had gone their separate ways still fuming after the exchange. Momo had tried to find a secluded place to calm down without being reminded of him. But that is hard to do when there are so few places that don’t hold some memory of the two of them together. He’d proposed to her in their old childhood home. The hills on the Academy grounds had been where they’d go to relax after a long day of classes. They liked the same tea shops, and restaurants where they’d go on dates too. And both of their respective barracks were filled with fond memories of lunch breaks and lazy afternoons spent together. Momo glanced up at the sky, groaning as she noticed the blue sky giving way to a light pink color as the sun was beginning its slow decent. Hell, even the sunsets reminded her of him.

Falling onto her back, she covered her face with her arms. Horrible as it sounds, she wished a hoard of hollows was roaming around the city right now. It would give her something to distract from her miserable mood. But, no. Karakura had to be uncharacteristically quiet when she arrived today. She’d spent hours wandering the streets looking for anything to do. But the only thing she’d found were a few wholes that she’d performed konsos on. The rest of the day, she’d just walked around. She avoided her Captain’s visord friends, not wanting her location relayed back to the Sereitei in case her angry fiancé came looking for her. She didn’t want to argue with him again.

Momo let her arms fall away when the heat of the sun faded. Holding her hand up, she watched the fading light play on the edges of the diamond with slivers of red and orange reflecting for a few minutes before finally surrendering to the dark. She frowned and sat up, hugging her knees to her chest. They were getting married in a few weeks and right now, when they should be happy, they were anything but. She couldn’t help but wonder if this was the deal breaker for them. She knew that she couldn’t budge on this. It was her name. It wasn’t something as trivial as deciding which side of the closet was hers, or opening a joint bank account. Momo would be the first to admit that their relationship had been anything but smooth sailing. They’d had their fair share of challenges and concessions over the years. None of them felt this irresolvable.

The hairs on the back of her arms rose as she felt his presence approaching behind her. Her back stiffened as she kept her eyes locked on the water in front of her even as his shadow loomed over her. He made no move to sit down beside her or get any closer, as he kept his distance.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” He said. “Didn’t think you’d actually come to the World of the Living to get away from me.”

“You’re not easy to get away from,” She sighed. “Suppose that’s what I get for falling in love with my best friend.”

“…Yeah…”

She sat up a little taller, squaring her shoulders. “I’m not changing my mind on this, Toshiro,” She said, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

He was dressed in dark jeans and a black button up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. His hands were tucked in his pockets. “I know you aren’t,” He said. “I… is it so wrong that I want everyone to know you’re mine? For you to carry my name and make it clear that you’re happily married?”

“I’m wearing your ring. Isn’t that enough?”

“…”

“If you want me to shout from the top of Sokyoku Hill that I’m with you, that you are the only man I will ever love, then I’ll do it. But I’m not changing my name. And I won’t let you take mine either.”

He was quiet for a long moment, gathering his thoughts carefully before he spoke again. Toshiro sighed, his shoulder slumped. “Is it really that important to you?” He asked.

Momo nodded in reply.

Lifting his head to the sky, his brow was in a tight knit as he thought for several more minutes. The sound of the flowing water in the canal and the chirps of crickets the only sound between them. “Alright,” He said quietly when he was ready. “I… I can’t say I fully understand it. Or even agree, but… I can live with it.” He swallowed a lump in his throat and his shoulders tensed a bit. “I… I’m sorry, Momo.”

She held out her hand toward him and he immediately took it, letting her tug him to sit down beside her. He brought her hand to his lips, kissing the ring on her finger as she scooted closer to him, pressing her body into his side. “You know I love you, right?”

“As I love you.”

Momo smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder as their fingers intertwined and they relaxed against one another. A cool night breeze ruffled the tall grass around them as they just sat there, content in the peace they had brokered. Momo knew there was a deeper reasoning behind the whole name thing for Toshiro. But she wasn’t going to press him on it for now. Instead, she looked up at the stars with him, taking comfort in the sounds of the waters in the canal and the crickets serenading the night.

[radioactivepeasant]

Fic Prompts: Free Day Thursday

Meddling Mar part 10!

1, 2-3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Things were quiet, and even a bit tense between the boys for the rest of the afternoon. Mar was sulking, and Jak was brooding again. Daxter wished his arms were long enough to smack them both upside the head at the same time. If he'd ever had doubts that Mar was Jak’s childhood self, he certainly didn't now. Hopping between beds to keep Mar entertained and check on Jak’s mental state was exhausting when your legs were the approximate length of a four year old's.

As afternoon passed into evening, Daxter noticed that Jak grew more restless. He didn't leave their alcove -- none of them felt like interacting with the two or three men recovering from broken limbs and gunshot wounds in the rest of the ward -- but he paced between the beds often, stopping only to stand on the mattress and peer out the window at the sea. Daxter knew why: someone was supposed to bring them to the Spike King for "evaluation" sometime after sunset. And they'd already had more than their fair share of older folk scrutinizing them to determine their worth.

Daxter bounced up onto Jak’s bed and launched to his shoulder from there. For a moment he said nothing, simply watching the ocean with his best friend. Memories of chasing seagulls and digging for clams washed over him, and Daxter found himself longing to run through the waves.

"Do we have a plan, Jak?" he asked eventually, "What do we think about this place?"

Jak shrugged moodily. "We'll see if they can back up their talk with action. If we don't like it...I dunno. I don't know where we can go, Dax. What options do we really have?"

He leaned on the sill and pushed one hand through the small gap between a sliding screen and the frame. Fingers grasped at open air, feeling the sunlight beating down. Jak inhaled salty air and let it out slowly.

"It's quiet here," he whispered.

Daxter knew what he meant. They hadn’t heard shouting, or megaphones, or gunfire even once since waking in the ward. That had been a daily -- almost hourly -- occurrence in Haven for the last two years. Daxter wanted to interpret that as a good thing. A nice, quiet, place on the coast where maybe they could relax for once. He wouldn't even be afraid of the heat next to this much ocean. Maybe it could even be like home, if he squinted.

Daxter slipped down from Jak's shoulder and dropped to the flattened pillow.

"Okay, so, say we stick around. What's our plan for survival? Look for work like in Haven?"

Jak sighed and pulled his hand back inside the window. "I guess we should figure out whether they use the same currency as Haven. Then again, I don't think a crumpled ration card will get us far even if they did."

He ran a hand through his hair and grimaced at the uneven length. Honestly, that was Petros's fault for leaving him unsupervised with a knife and matted hair. It was lighter, and cooler, certainly. But the random longer parts were driving him crazy. They brushed against his neck just so when he turned his head, and the skin there was beginning to get hypersensitive to it.

"So...maybe if the weather is good I can dive for artifacts to trade," Jak suggested, "Like we did when we were kids."

"Pal. We're still kids," Daxter retorted.

Jak scoffed. "Only according to these people."

He slid down the wall to collapse onto the pillow beside Daxter, and dropped a hand around the ottsel's shoulders.

"I'm...glad you're here, Dax."

Daxter dug an elbow into his side. "Told you I'd never ditch you again."

It was another hour before a stern looking old woman came to take them upstairs. She looked ancient, sunworn skin hardened practically to leather and bone-white hair hanging down her back in an iron-studded braid. The plait alone looked like a weapon.

With a disapproving squint, she beckoned them to follow her.

"Alright infants, evaluation time," she barked. Then she twisted her lips to one side, as if the words tasted funny. "Evaluation! Pah! Straight to a nursery, that's where you should be going. Look at you: not even old enough to earn a battle amulet!"

The old woman bore down on them like an omen of death. "Who left you out there, eh? Ought to be trussed up and left in Turquoise Canyon for the metalpedes, they should."

"Eep!"

Mar made a sound of alarm and ducked behind Jak, hiding from the wizened woman's piercing stare.

Jak shrugged. "They've got metalheads of their own to deal with," he scoffed.

"Yeah! Only they can't send us to do all their fighting for them anymore!" Daxter added.

He could admit to a little spiteful satisfaction at that.

Jak’s grimace didn't suggest that he felt the same way. While Daxter had learned at an early age to push back against every insult, every unfair blame laid on his young shoulders, Jak had just internalized it. He probably thought it would be his fault if people died in Haven while he wasn't there.

I oughta teach Jak the concept of sleeping in the bed you made...

The scary lady -- Ranger Priya, she told them to call her -- marched them up a winding spiral staircase with the energy of the hummerbird in the patch sewed onto the back of her vest. Daxter gave up walking and let Jak carry him after only twelve steps. Mar would have complained about the pace, but in order to keep from falling behind, he'd had to latch onto Jak’s hand.

"Lady," Jak groaned, "My brother has short legs. Can you slow it down before he yanks my arm out of its socket?"

"You call me Ranger, squirt. Not lady," Priya corrected him, "You think I wear the hummer for decoration?"

Jak blinked. "I...don't know?"

Priya turned around and stared at him as though she couldn't tell whether or not he was being serious. Then she raised her thick eyebrows.

"You really have been gone too long," she muttered enigmatically.

"Uh...what?" Daxter blinked slowly. "You wanna run that by us again?"

"Keep up!"

Groaning, the boys stumbled and scrambled their way up what felt like a mile of stairs behind the ranger. Her pace was relentless, and Jak could grudgingly admit that he was impressed. She reminded him of Uncle Erasmus with that energy.

I wonder how far he's gotten by now? Jak found himself wondering as Priya stopped at a deceptively simple door cut into a metal wall. Poor guy absolutely sucked as a guardian, but at least he never ordered us around.

"Huh. Can't tell if he's in there yet or not." Priya squinted through the door and shrugged.

"Shouldn't matter one way or the other. Alright, toddlers, this is your stop."

She stood back and jerked a thumb towards the open door. "Go play. Just don't break anything you can't fix or blame on somebody else. Damas will be along sooner or later."

Jak bristled at the condescension. Go play? Did he look like he played?

Mar let go of his hand and abandoned him in an instant. He darted into the room with a gasp of delight, and Jak came to the belated realization that Ranger Priya hadn't been condescending, she'd been speaking literally.

The entire room had been constructed to look like an indoor oasis, lined with small date palms and tomango plants leading down to three or four tiered streams that seemed to feed into each other in an endless current.

Jak had barely made it two steps in before Mar had discarded his shoes and jumped into the nearest pool of water. Daxter launched from his shoulder seconds later, scrambling to join their little brother.

"Last one in's a rotten egg!" Daxter hollered. He pinched his nose and made an impressive splash.

With a huff, Jak rolled his eyes and pulled off the flat, cloth shoes the monks made them wear in the ward. He sat down on one of the many boulders surrounding the water and dipped his feet into the gentle current. It was cool, but not cold -- a bit surprising, considering the heat.

"If you guys want to sleep in wet clothes, on a wet bed, with wet sheets, be my guest," Jak drawled. He leaned back on his hands. "I'll stay up here, thanks."

"Boo!" Mar jeered.

"Spoilsport!" Daxter added.

"Just for that, you can walk back down all those stairs yourself," Jak retorted.

Dramatically, Daxter flopped backwards, barely giving Mar enough time to catch him in an impromptu trust fall.

"Oh, such cruelty!" Daxter gasped, pressing the back of his hand to his forehead. "You abandon us? You abandon your poor little brothers to suffer the cruel cruel stairs alone?!"

Unimpressed, Jak pointed out, "Dax, you're older than me."

"But my legs are shorter! O have pity!" Daxter slid from Mar's arms to land in the pool with a wet plop.

"You killed him!" Mar feigned outrage. "Jail for big brother! Jail for a hundred years!"

"A hundred years?" A new voice interrupted, "That seems a little excessive."

Damas strolled casually across the stepping stones leading from the right half of the chamber, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Surely ninety would suffice?"

Jak groaned. "Don't encourage them, they just get worse!"

Then he blinked.

"Wait, how did you know what he said?"

The Wastelander king came to a stop close to where Jak sat and raised a brow. "You expected me not to understand him?"

All three boys glanced at each other briefly, the same confusion evident on all three faces. Mar tossed a whisper to Jak-

"I thought Uncle E said you made our language up?"

"That's what he and Samos always said-?"

Damas snorted and raised his own hands.

"You are using the national language of Spargus. Whoever "Uncle E" and "S Leaf" are, they clearly are not Spargan."

He was using their language.

It wasn't the signing Onin used, the one the Havenites seemed to think was the only sign language. It wasn’t some variation of theirs. The man was using their signs.

Shaken, Jak drew his feet up out of the water and stood. Damas was still taller by a good several inches, but it made him feel at least a little more in control of his situation to be looking the man in the eye.

"What do you mean national language?" he demanded, folding his arms across his chest, "Why would we know a language from a city we've never been to?"

Damas studied him before answering with an uncomfortable, considering gaze.

"Well that's the question, isn't it?" he said quietly.

There was a weight to the king’s words that settled heavily on the boys, stilling even Mar's fidgeting.

When Damas lowered himself to sit cross-legged on one of the stepping stones, they found themselves following suit -- with a bit more effort on Mar's part to hoist himself and Daxter onto another stepping stone.

"I understand you've been through some...trying...circumstances," Damas said, "but nonetheless I expect you to answer me as honestly as you are able. Maintaining privacy is one thing, but understand that I do not tolerate lies."

Jak’s fingers tightened, stiffened into claws against his upper arms. The linen strips they'd wrapped around his old needle scars wrinkled and twisted, and his stomach seemed to twist in answer. It was bad enough that someone had seen the scars. If Damas asked about them-

Shame prickled in Jak’s chest.

No. Nobody needed to know. Especially not Mar.

"Fine," Jak bit out, "But what I say depends on the question. He doesn't need to hear everything."

He jerked his head in Mar’s direction meaningfully.

He couldn't tell if it irritated him or relieved him that Damas accepted this with no more than a nod.

"Very well. Then we will begin with questions of a less personal nature."

Damas steepled his fingers in front of him.

"So. We have Jak, "It's A Secret", and Daxter, ages roughly sixteen, eight-ish, and...unknown. No papers, no guardians, no known reason to be out in the Strider Range alone."

"Sixteen?" Jak interrupted, scowling, "I'm older than sixteen!"

By how much, he wasn't certain, but he wasn't going to say that he'd lost track of time in prison. That would give Mar too many questions to ask.

"Not by much, according to your bone scans," Damas replied calmly. "Seventeen at the oldest."

Well. That was a bit unfortunate. Maybe that explained why he had such a hard time growing facial hair, though? Or maybe he was doomed to just never have a full beard, like Mal the Sculptor back in Sandover.

Jak made a face.

"Only seventeen at the oldest?" he groaned.

"Could've been worse, I guess."

Then he pointed to Daxter.

"He's nineteen. Dax is human. He just looks like an animal."

There was a small but significant flicker of mischief in Jak that enjoyed the absolutely dumbfounded expression on Damas’s face.

"All...right...that's..." Damas blinked, shook his head, and blinked again. "I'm going to...move past that for now."

He cleared his throat.

"Where are your parents?"

Daxter's eyes widened, and he made a slashing motion across his throat, trying to indicate to the king that this was not a welcome topic of discussion. Too late.

Jak’s eyes darkened, and Mar scowled and looked away.

"Don't know," Jak said shortly, "Never met them."

Narrowing his eyes, Damas glanced from Jak to Mar and back again. "You never met your own parents. But you would have been old enough to remember when Seek was born?"

Mar shrugged angrily. "Loghead said he wasn't s'posed to remember I existed."

It was all Damas could do to refrain from pinching the bridge of his nose to stave off an impending headache.

These kids were going to make a lot of paperwork for the monks, he could already tell.

[tortoisesshells]

top five 1899 characters and/or top five scenes from 1899!

unfortunately, I cannot shut up about 1899. to save your dash, it's all under the cut. tl;dr: I fucking love Maura Franklin.

TOP 5 CHARACTERS: (1) Maura Franklin: she's unhinged. she's the only sane man. she's suffered more than jesus christ. she's caused everyone else to suffer more than she has (maybe). she'll never let go. she has to let go. she accidentally keeps committing adultery with the walking talking open wound masquerading as an authority figure. stealth pants. possibly understands far more than she ever lets on. The most character of all time.

(2) Eyk Larsen: so far past his breaking point that it's almost comic. who put this man in charge of a ship and 1500 souls? If 1899 is a story about grief, then he gets so many of the great character beats about it. He'd practically dead himself. He's going to drink himself into an early grave. A shell of a man with a single, half-deranged thread of hope. A man who was saved from inspiring the worst kind of dad issues in his daughters by their horrible and premature deaths. If his story on the Kerberos is completely disconnected from his reality (whatever that is) I think he should be allowed to commit murder.

(3) Ramiro: I don't know what I can say about him that you and others have not said more eloquently than I, but: a man who is destined to keep secrets - not only his own; a man who deserves rest but is not allowed to, either by his own moral compass or the intolerance of the world around him. everyone wants him as a confessor and confidante, but he struggles to find that for himself! he shines in the crisis, but you wish he didn't have to. I hope there's a version of reality where he and Ángel get to sit in the open sun and enjoy a quiet afternoon.

(4) Jérôme: local man forced to abandon perfectly good Count of Monte Cristo plot by supernatural vicissitudes and his own sense of rights and wrongs. I think he should get to get Lucien with the hammer. I think he and Clémence should ride off into the sunset together. I have no idea how he and Clémence got out of Ling Yi's memories, but I think something horrible and plot-relevant happened in there and I'm raging against the heavens that we'll never get to see the full scope of their escape into the boiler room. He doesn't seem to be running away from his past as much as the others, and sets aside his sprint towards rightful vengeance as soon as he sees the miseries of his past playing out again. I still don't know what I believe his original plan was - murder? simply throwing the medal back in Lucien's face? Did he know himself? G O D.

(5) Ling Yi: I, too, enjoy hiding in small spaces, though I'm more partial to handy closets than miscellaneous equipment lockers. She's isolated from her mother by the great secret they're carrying between them, from any common ability to connect to anyone else, from her own sense of self. It's understandable that she tends to expect the worst, all things taken together. If all this has happened before, how many times has she not been able to say goodbye, either to Mei Mei or to her mother? How long has she been staring the end, not of her physical life, but her life as Ling Yi, in the face?

TOP 5 SCENES: (1) "Have you ever lost someone? It's like you're dying with them. They can move on. You're stuck." I've rambled at length in the tags but: Eyk Larsen's whole life as Captain of the Kerberos is one great circle between Southampton and New York, over and over, without end. He cannot escape it. He cannot, except temporarily, escape his grief over the loss of his family and his failures as a husband and father to have done something. And yet (as we know) none of this is real, and all of this is Maura's doing - maybe. Maura, rightly, looks as though she's been gutted: this is her grief reflected back to her. She cannot move on, and because of it, they're all stuck.

(2) I am a giant sucker for well-done SFX, and the Kerberos descending through the maelstrom into the archive left me gasping. Ling Yi's - resignation? - to seeing the impossible spooling out in front of her, when she's lost the only other person on the ship who cared at all for what she thought makes spectacle into tragedy.

(3) The multiple-way conversation between Ángel and Ramiro and Eyk and Eugen about the survivors aboard the Prometheus having need of a priest in the first-class hallway: the multiple conversations being had at once, the switching between languages, the claustrophobic framing, that Ángel, who has not exactly shown himself to have much care for Ramiro's opinions thusfar, shows himself instead to be frightened and a little desperate to not rock the boat (sorry, couldn't resist) and still concerned for Ramiro's well-being as the masquerade seems to be getting out of hand. There's so much going on in such a little scene!

(4) Maura, wondering where everyone on the Prometheus went, immediately asking Eyk how hot the boilers run - skipping right over that it would be significantly easier, perhaps, to throw bodies overboard than cremate 1500 people. I love how your mind works, Miss Franklin. You're terrifying. (actually, the whole sequence of Maura and Eyk immediately deciding to lie to each other rather than converse is a delight. for a given value of delight.)

(5) The fight on the stern of the Kerberos at the end of the mutiny: the lighting! the drama! the spectacle! the realization that all is lost before the significantly worse realization - they are so far beyond the boundaries of the possible, and whatever controls this place is not operating by known rules! The many reunions mid-fight! Iben wins by being willing to murder a child!

[rainofdauwuand0w0]

"The Return of Midnight Sparkle" - a review

so uh hi, and um im doing this thing because my interest in this has me excited like pinkie pie on too much fucking cupcakes and I really wanted to share my entire whole thoughts of what I thought of the story for "the return of midnight sparkle" and I wanna sure them all here! Prolouge: a very lovely opening to see what kind of story we are getting into, it sets the tone pretty well in my opinion, shining a light on the many things, thoughts of the main character, and the reasons behind their future actions and thoughts, very much enjoying the idea of how sunset is used here Chapter 1: getting to see and hear your versions of the mane 7 in a sense like this, really set the scene for how things are a lil different or much of the same in some cases, love the setting of the table itself and it was amazing to see all the characters like this! Chapter 2: when you said that this was gonna be like an entire season condensed into writing, I was pleasantly surprised to truly feel like I just spaced out in an afternoon with treehugger to watch time pass by, each character showing different mini-friendship lessons to sunset (at least in my mind) that she may have to use later on in her life or have to take into consideration, especially with how the way it ended, it felt like the climax of a season and the culmination of all the lil lessons learned, and if the mane 7 were allowed to cuss or do talk about stuff more adult themes, I'd see it being pretty much like this, sure its your interpretation but I personally really enjoyed those interpretations! Chapter 3: ohohhoohoho yesssssssssssss, I love all of this, the way twilight and sunset interact, the way pinkie pie reacts (even in this version that you ended up on) is still funny, and it really feels like you elevated her clueless nature to a level that I relate to, just the interactions and emotions were so good, twilight by the end giving in and such, one last push, always the overdetermined gal Chapter 4: I love this, I love the factor of how midnight taunts and prods at everyone but sunset to a degree, how the feelings there are not only in twilight but also in midnight and that theme continues as she tries to coax sunset into becoming the other evil ruler with her, a show that deep down she is still just a crazed version of the same twilight Chapter 5: OHOHOHHOHOHOHOHOOHOHO I love this prison break scene, I love the tension as sunset does her things, giving something for everyone to do, and I actually giggled a little at the factor of pinkie's line when she was given her task, the sequence is beautiful, love midnight also having to try and desperately follow sunset, desperately as the inner battle of twilight and midnight happens, but then sunset going on, and ohhhh I swear some parts I imagined midnight and twlights worried overlapped, harmony between the two of them over the love of sunset shimmer, they did not want her to be hurt, and yet in the end, that was midnights downfall, a simple bit of the unexpected love sparked and stopped both minds in their tracks, long enough for sunset to be a badass and end it off epicly Chapter 6: and I gotta say with keeping it semi-spoiler free for the sneaky sneaks who didn't read the story and just tried to skip here for a summary or something, the ending, the way sunset and twilight interact, everything sunset gains and everything that happens, it's a beautiful way to close it all off for a official chapter, such a nice delicate ending, also mach 5 twilight inbound was not something I was expecting but the visual in my brain that I got from the description was an awesome one

[words-after-midnight]

Seven Snippets, Seven People

Thank you for the tag, @talesofsorrowandofruin!

Tagging: @catchingbigfish, @sunset-a-story, @coffeexafterxmidnight, @justnerdy15, @halfvirgo, @winterandwords, @linaket

I'll share seven snippets from the previous version of Life in Black and White - these mostly aren't my favorite bits, as those are mostly full of spoilers or part of the end arc, which I don't share at all except with readers. However, I do really like all of these!

1.

I called in sick to work tonight. Jenna doesn’t know. I walk through the park at sundown, iPod on, sitting on a bench facing the water. I sit there, in silence, until the retreating sun is replaced by stars and moonlight.

What with the thick fog clouding my mind, I’ve hardly seen the time pass. Before I know it, it’s almost the end of what was supposed to be my shift. I have about an hour, give or take, to get back to the apartment before Jenna starts worrying.

Suddenly, just as I’m about to leave and call it a night, I hear the sound of fireworks. And then I see them, shooting up into the clear night sky, over the water. No idea what the occasion is. I just sit there, spellbound, staring into their bright reflections. I could swear he sent them to me, just to rub salt in the wound. I get up from the bench and step up to the railing, multicolored lights dancing before me.

2.

"You’ll finally be able to move on, and be free of this. Now, I’m not saying you have to go home today and confront him – I know you, and I know that’s not going to end well. I’m just saying, maybe a real, man-to-man talk with your father is overdue. We could do it here, if you’d like. Isabelle could also be present if you’d feel more comfortable.” She pauses and looks at me in a way that makes it seem like she’s done with her little speech, so I say, “Can I talk now?” She says, “Yes.” I look at her very seriously, very overtly, and I say quite simply: “I have nothing to say to my father.”

3.

“Yeah.” I say, looking at him. He looks at me, too, and it might be the vodka, but it’s like his eyes have a search warrant out for my soul. I look back at the moon, so fucking thankful that mind-reading isn’t a real thing (according to Catricia). “Guess we have that in common.”

“Guess so,” he says. “So what’re you doing here, then?”

“What?”

“I mean, you said you go to Isabelle’s when your dad’s being a fuckwit.”

“Yeah?”

“So why’d you come here?”

Does he want me to leave? Probably. This must be a huge inconvenience. “I don’t know,” I say - obviously a bold-faced lie, but he doesn’t need to know that. “First place that came to mind, I guess."

4.

After a few minutes, he opens the newspaper that was left on the table and I go back to my reading.

“There’s coffee,” I say.

“Huh?”

“I made coffee if you want some.”

He looks up from the newspaper and smiles at me. “Gee, Killjoy, you’re doing more than half the people who actually live here. Want to rent a room?”

“You know I’m seventeen, right?”

“So?”

“So my dad would shit a brick and report me missing?”

He laughs. I can’t help but smile at the notion that I could actually live here, and that he would actually be agreeable to that - that he would suggest it, even. Maybe someday. A guy can dream. I am turning eighteen in August…

5.

The leaves on the trees were still green, mostly, but there was a discernible chill in the air. It was cloudy. I was wearing a black zip-up sweater, jeans, a beanie, and dark green chucks. I was tired because I’d barely slept the night before. Jeff hadn’t been home since Thursday, and had mentioned to Daphne that he might be out of town for the weekend. He hadn’t mentioned anything to me. Hadn’t even bothered to message me. 

I kept telling myself, You’re just being paranoid. 

But I just couldn’t make that pesky feeling in my stomach go away. You know the one.

Something’s wrong.     

I was just leaving McDonald’s. I remember I desperately needed a coffee before my doctor’s appointment that afternoon. I remember the coffee was just a little too strong. I remember they were playing Bohemian Rhapsody, and that it was just a little too quiet.

Mama, just killed a man.

Put a gun against his head,

Pulled my trigger, now he’s dead.

Mama, life had just begun, 

But now I’ve gone and thrown it all away.  

I used to like that song, once, in a past life, but I haven’t been able to listen to it since that day. 

6.

A plate containing two thick pancakes is set in front of me. Moments later, a black coffee and a butter knife and fork join them.

“Enjoy,” says Daphne. “Kyle’s a dick, but he makes the world’s best pancakes.”

Jeff, still humming cheerfully and circling the kitchen island like a vulture looking for prey, comes up behind me, and I feel his hand on my shoulder. It’s a miracle I don’t fall out of my chair. “How ya feeling, kid?”

I want to dig a hole in the backyard, crawl into it, and die. “Been better.”

He chuckles. He's back at the front of the kitchen island now, and sits down facing me. “How’s the hangover on a scale from one to ten? I’m at about a three.”

He's acting like nothing happened. Maybe I should, too, I tell myself. “A good seven.”

7.

I remember being comforted by this, at first, because I was thinking to myself that I couldn’t recall the last time I’d been really, actually happy. But then, as I sat there looking at him, cradling his head in my lap, I realized that wasn’t true. That there were some moments where I’d been genuinely happy. They were always just few and far between, always fleeting, never enough. But I supposed they did exist. That they do exist.

“I think happiness is real, but maybe it’s just not what people think it is. Maybe it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.” I can still hear his drowsy laughter, like a song my brain plays to comfort me. It’s one of my favorites. “Christ, who are you, Oprah?” “No, you know what? I take that back. I know happiness is real. Or at least contentment. You know how I know?” “Hmm?” “Because I’m feeling it right now.”

[lilliesforya]

Being tired all the time

Mid to late October

Yesterday, I went to my middle school in the afternoon because of a schedule change, usually I'm there all day. The teacher that I work with told me about the conferences going on for the third years. The school system here is different from the states in that kids work really hard to get into good high schools as opposed to us working hard in high school to get into good colleges. The kids have to meet with the teachers and their parents and talk about what school they want to go to, and the exams they will have to take. The third years are US ninth graders. Their high school is only 3 years. I felt unqualified to choose my university at 18, so I can't imagine having to choose a high school at 14/15 especially because the high school chosen will affect the colleges one can get into. The teacher has to go to all of these meetings back to back and they happen like once a month ish from now until they apply (I'm not sure of the whole timeline). He was like “this is why teachers are always dead during the fall”. And I'd agree. I have never seen that teacher not extremely busy. 

I try to remind myself that this is supposed to be fun. Despite being here to work, my work isnt particularly difficult and I ought to be having fun. More fun? I'm not sure. Considering I have set hours of about 8-4 during the week, it is difficult for me to do much. Though, today is Monday and I am going grocery shopping after work and I'm excited to pick out desserts. Last time I got these waffle pastry cookie things? They're waffles but encrusted in sugar but they're not overly sweet. I love them. I'll also be getting tricolor dango. Anyway, I want to do more stuff over the weekend. But I'm so tired on the weekends that I often don't do that much. It can be difficult to plan things because some information is not accessible to me (websites will be not updated, hard to understand, all in Japanese, etc). Or the events hosted by the Chiba AJET (chiba prefecture jet association) group are so far from me it becomes an all day event and then some. 

Even trying to convince myself to do solo traveling is difficult because I don't think that's my preferred method of traveling. Despite being in a beautiful, new place I am the same person and I have to relax my expectations of how I should be spending my time. Just yesterday, I went to a cafe in the middle of nowhere with a lady from the English circle club in my town. She is very sweet and has lived in California on and off for years, so she speaks great English. The cafe was someone's house but also not? It had a homey feeling, eccentric decorations, and the people there all knew each other. There were also 2 cats that were so cute and friendly. I hadn't seen animals in a while so this was big for me. I got curry rice for 600 yen and it had so many vegetables and beans in it and my friend told me everything was fresh from their farm or garden. I think the cafe was open late for a small event because of the full moon yesterday. My point is that I didn't know I would be going to this place until the morning of when she invited me. I hate doing things spontaneously because it makes my brain anxious and nonfunctional. I agreed despite not wanting to go in the moment because I knew it would be a fun experience regardless. I wonder if pushing myself to do things alone would have the same effect. In the same vein, I could also just let myself enjoy my solitary hobbies in peace. 

Things I've been enjoying:

Waffle cookies 

Genshin Impacts most recent story quests 

Talking to friends and loved ones back home 

Listening to music in my car 

Trying new sweets from the conbini or supermarket 

Making my students laugh/ giggle/ smile 

When the kids say hello or good morning to me at school or wave to me when they see me in the teachers office 

Trigun anime 

The sunsets lately 

The days where I make moms chicken nuggets for dinner 

I bought a winter coat for like only 30 usd and it resembles a coat one of my favorite anime characters wears