#anyways no act 5 spoilers please

[asterkatt]

MAJOR ISAT ACT 5 SPOILERS

(DO NOT MENTION ANYTHING PAST DORMONT PLEASE!!)

okay so. wowie. just started act 5 of ISAT and my goodness do I have some thoughts. wowie. wowzers. while I was playing I didn't really get the chance to voice my thoughts because if you've played act 5 you know there is no time to do so. you are getting hit with one emotional train after another. no time to think no time to breathe only time to suffer. but the power of doing a let's play gave me time to think while editing so I jotted down some thoughts that you're now getting. you're welcome. (these will not be coherent at all just. as a heads up. sorry in advance) okay so. first friendquest I did was Mira's (which makes sense considering she's the first one that you run into). one of the things that really stuck out to me is that she - not just now, but even pre-game - has only tolerated the teasing from everyone. She has to remind herself that they're not being mean. she has to remind herself that they're not being mean. I just... she shouldn't have to do that. and that's one of the things I love about this game - the characters are so in depth and so well written that yeah, sometimes they unintentionally hurt each other. we see it over and over and over again with Siffrin. their family will tease them, they'll brush it off, but we'll see that he never really lets go of it. I have a feeling it's the same with Mira. she's okay with Siffrin teasing her, because "it's fine, everyone does." then continuing to say that she probably just has the "kind of personality where it's easy to want to tease me"?? MIRA NO- augh. my heart breaks for her. she struggles with her identity and purpose just like. well. just like everyone else in this game actually. that's. okay. (bookmarking that realization for later). something that's really interesting about Mira's friendquest in particular is how much she seems to be projecting onto Siffrin. I feel like out of everyone, she's looking for someone who can validate her struggles the most. It goes further than looking for someone who can relate - she wants someone who can relate and tell her that everything will be okay.

so, when Siffrin says what he does, she lashes out at them. the thing I found most interesting (and heartbreaking) about how she responds is that she isn't just putting Siffrin down - she's putting herself down at the same time. I'd even argue that she's calling herself out with her line of "always talking as if you're better than me! as if you know me!" because I feel like she struggles with not knowing who she is either. after all, who is she if she can't change in the way that her belief as a housemaiden calls her to??

and of course, this is all solidified in what she says next: "you're just as lost and useless as I am!!!"

because yeah. Mirabelle. Mirabelle. feels lost and useless. she doesn't know who she is if she can't follow the change belief in the way that is required of her. she doesn't know why the head housemaiden burdened her blessed her. she doesn't feel like she's capable. she wasn't able to stop the King before, how is she supposed to do it now?? she overthinks and worries about everything and I'm sure that includes all the choices she makes. I'm sure she's had doubts about all of her family members in one way or another - but she's chosen to trust them. to trust them to help her on this impossible, hopeless, last chance quest. and Siffrin just made it clear that she was wrong to do so.

watch me collapse into a inconsolable heap on the floor because of this game

[artilite]

"Do you know something?"

[dazais-guardian-angel]

Well, at least Fukuzawa got his wish granted, I guess.... he's finally inside Fukuchi <3

[starcrustduster]

how i've been spending the last 3 days

[kurokawaia]

Hi, I read your story, where the kids are rude to mom (the kids of Bakugou, Dabi and Hawks) how do the kids react if their mom decides to ignore them as punishment?

AFTERMATH OF YELLING AT YOUR MAMA!

⋆·˚ ༘ * FEATURING :: Bakugou Katsuki, Hawks, Dabi - (separately)

⋆·˚ ༘ * WARNINGS :: none really, bakugou x fem!reader, hawks x fem!reader, dabi x fem!reader, x fem!reader, second pov, reader is a mother, kids have a little bit of attitude, kids are around 5-8 years of age, slight spoilers for dabi! I don't condone ignoring your children, please don't, + more? MINI DRABBLES.

DABI

Well, you and Dabi's son is a carbon copy of his father, so he acts the same when being given the silent treatment only less touchy (obviously da faq) The first stage is acting like he doesn't care, he will cross his arms letting out a grumpy huff while rolling his eyes, "Whatever, I don't need to talk to you anyways," is what your son will say, but, after a few hours he starts to feel a little weird. His mum isn't nagging, isn't scolding, isn't even looking at him and it feels so wrong because you always give him attention whether he wants it or not.

The second stage will be when he starts to get annoyed at not receiving any attention, he will trail behind you, definitely gets extra moody (shocker where he got that from) he will go around kicking random toys, furniture and overexaggerated sighs. This happens all until he hugs the back of your legs and mumbles, "I'm sorry I was mean, Mum. Can you talk to me again?" looking as far as you can behind you all you could do was regret ignoring him because of how dilated his cyan eyes were, having his lips in a sad pout and a sheen of tears glazed over his eyes.

HAWKS

Hawks’ kid can’t handle the silent treatment, because she is as needy as her father when it comes to attention. The moment she realizes you’re ignoring them, their brain starts spiraling because you usually just forgive her but Hawks suggested a different strategy. There is no phase one with her, she immediately tries to fix it with begs of your name and tugging at your shirt and a big pout on her face (something she learnt from Keigo). Due to you being used to Keigo's antics, you don't fold, then she goes running to her daddy, her head meeting at his lap as she sulks.

"Mummy is going to hate me forever," she mumbles in an overdramatic tone. The only thinks Keigo could do was laugh because he finds his daughter truly fascinating sometimes. "Sure she will, sweetheart."

BAKUGOU

At first, Bakugou’s kid scoffs, you gonna ignore him? Yeah, he's ignoring you too. He will let out the most dramatic huff and cross his arms and poke his tongue out at you and in the most unconvincing voice he will say, "Like I care!" Ti which, you have to force down a laugh that was about to slip out before Katsuki nudged your arm, making sure you don't break character. Although, just like his father, he will make every attempt to make you jealous and it's honestly the pettiest and funniest thing you will ever experience. Your son will say how much he needs his daddy's help right in front of you and Katsuki has to force down his laugh as well because you both know what he's doing.

Then a few hours pass and then he starts to finally let it sink in and then he becomes frustrated and here comes when he stomps up to you while your doing your skincare with Katsuki. "Yell at me, Mum!" he would pout and you were confused at what he was getting at before you let out a soft laugh, bending down to wrap your arms around your sweet boy and he does the same without any embarrassment.

Do not copy, steal, modify, etc. Relogs and like are appreciated.

honey's a/note: hope you enjoyed, this hasn't been proof read so there might be a few grammar and spelling mistakes ^^

let me know if you (inbox or comments) want to be apart of the mha taglist! specify the character and ill tag you in any works they are present in!

[slytherin-pen]

The Secret

pairing: Xaden x Reader

word count: 2.3k

warnings: ONXY STORM SPOILERS, DO NOT READ FUTHER

a/n: ok so during my reread ahead of OS i caught some foreshadowing whenever Xaden talked about family but specifically when Violet asked if he had any siblings. idk it just rang bells in my head, i honestly thought he would have a secret sibling but then we saw what actually happened..i’m still proud of myself like i caught that shit! anyways, here’s me giving my theory some life. also, happy day 5 of Xaden Week! @empyreanevents

“Xaden what is going on?” you ask as you jog to catch up to his long strides.

He’s been acting weird all day. Being short with you, not kissing you, and seemingly avoiding any physical affection since you and your squad arrived at Riorson House for your two-week rotation.

It was your first rotation in Aretia from Basgiath since leadership came to an agreement of sorts to both protect Navarre and the provinces outside of the wards. You had been excited, Rhiannan and Ridoc teased you constantly during the days leading up to it. It would be the first time you got to spend more than a day there while conscious. When Xaden brought you here after you’d been stabbed by a venin during War Games, you slept most of the time and once you were awake you all rushed out the door back to Navarre for Garrick and Xaden’s graduation.

Now that you think of it, Garrick, Bodhi, and Imogen have been acting weird since you arrived too. You had even asked Rhiannon if you smelt bad—worse than the usual smell you have after being on dragon back for hours—but she said no. Your confusion had only amplified.

An insecure part of you thought that he was about to break up with you. It’s the only explanation you could come up with. His friends are avoiding you. He’s avoiding you. Why else if not for knowing that the moment you arrived after not seeing him for weeks, he was going to end things? It angered you. Sure, they’re his friends, but you thought they were yours too. That you at least had some form of girl code with Imogen, and if she knew your heart was about to be broken she’d warn you. But you also knew their loyalty to him came above all else. That if he asked them not to say anything to you, they would listen.

You lunge, gripping his wrist and he finally stops to face you. “Can you answer me?” you snap. “What the hell is going on?”

He pinches the bridge of his nose as he exhales slowly. “I—just follow me.”

When all you do is glare at him in response, he sighs again. “Please?”

You drop his wrist but put more distance between him as you walk down the halls of Riorson House. If this is really how he breaks up with you, you’re going to be livid. Two years together and this is how it ends? This is how he treats you? You’ll stab him. And then when you’re done stabbing him, you’re going to stab his friends too. You get it. Kinda. He’s officially the Duke of Tyrrendor—or at least has the title back. He has a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders, on top of everything he already has. It’s a lot, and it doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for him to be your boyfriend. But you didn’t mind. Now, you want to kick yourself for sitting around like a lost puppy waiting for him to throw you scraps.

He unlocks a set of double doors with a flick of his wrist and motions for you to enter the room. Your boots scuff along the cobblestone floors as you hesitantly walk inside. The room is bare aside from a square wooden table and three chairs. The lack of dust on the table tells you it had been moved in here last minute for this very occasion. You nearly scoffed. You were definitely going to stab him after this.

Xaden clears his throat. “Just—uh—sit down and I’ll be right back.”

You don’t even get to send him a withering glare before he’s out the door again, shutting it behind him.

You stomp to the chair on its own side, across from the side with the two other chairs, and plop down. Your knee bounces with anticipation. You can tell he’s nervous. You can count on one hand how many times you’ve heard Xaden stutter, but the sympathy you usually feel for him in those moments is nowhere to be found. How does he think you feel? You’re not stupid. You can tell something is going on, and his nerves only exacerbate yours.

Anger flares in your chest. He has no right to be nervous. He’s not the one being broken up with. He’s not the one being ignored and led to a sketchy abandoned room by yourself. What’s next? He tells you that you can’t join your squad on the next rotation? That he never wants to see you again? Tears prick your eyes but you blink them away. He doesn’t get to see you sad. You’ll stab him and then go cry to your squad. You know at least Sawyer would help you stab the others who knew about this.

As your thoughts continue to spiral, the door finally opens again. Xaden stands in the doorway, shielding your view of the hall with his body and the door.

You roll your eyes. “Just spit it out Xaden. I don’t have all day. Might as well get it over with.”

Confusion flashes across his face but he reins it in quickly. “I have something to tell you.”

“No shit,” you scoff.

Again with the confused face. As if he has no idea why you’re so angry. He really does think you’re too stupid to figure it out.

“Just try not to be mad at me,” he pleads softly. “I had my reasons and you know how far I’ll go to protect the ones I love. It’s not that I didn’t trust you, but no one who didn’t already know before the Apostasy could find out. It was the only safe option.”

Now it’s your turn to be confused. Your face scrunches as you look him up and down. What the hell is he talking about?

He pushes the door open the rest of the way as he slowly walks inside. It isn’t until he’s made it past the doorway that you notice something behind him. Correction. Someone.

Your jaw drops as a child—a boy—who looks like the carbon copy of Xaden shuffles in behind him. He couldn’t be older than ten. He has the same black hair and brows. The same tawny skin and onyx eyes. His hands are held behind his back, just like Xaden’s. The perfect, confident posture that you only learn from years of being taught how to carry yourself as a leader. Regardless, you can tell the boy is nervous with the furrow between his brows. The way he keeps looking at Xaden for reassurance.

“My love,” Xaden begins, glancing from you to the boy, “this is my little brother, Jace.”

The boy—Jace—steps forward and dips his chin in greeting. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss.”

Your mouth gapes like a fish, your brain still grappling with the fact you are not being broken up with but instead being introduced to a child.

“Little brother?” you manage to choke out.

Xaden nods, placing a hand on Jace’s shoulder as he guides him to sit down in a chair across from you, Xaden taking the seat next to him. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner, but it was crucial no one knew of his existence until it was safe. Now that we have some form of an alliance with Navarre, his presence can be known by others but still kept quiet.”

“I—I’m sorry. You have a little brother. That’s why you brought me here?” you stammer.

Xaden tilts his head as he regards you with his inquisitive gaze. “Yes, love, this is why I brought you here. Why else?”

You shake your head, hoping that rattling your brain around will help unscramble your thoughts. “I’m just shocked is all,” you say. “It’s not at all what I was expecting. It’s wonderful to meet you, Jace.”

Jace gives you a shy smile and looks back to his brother.

“Why exactly has he been kept a secret?” you ask.

Xaden sighs and ruffles Jace’s hair, to which Jace swats his arm away with a glare that could one day rival Xaden’s. “As of right now, he’s my heir. With all the targets on my back, and even Bodhi’s who everyone thinks is my last living relative, it was the only way to keep Jace safe. You want to believe no one would kill a child for the sake of ending a family line, but I wanted to believe an entire kingdom wouldn’t keep venin and wyverns a secret from its people for so long, yet here we are. If anyone high up had known that Duke Lewellen was harboring my little brother—I don’t even want to think about what they would have done.”

You nod solemnly. He’s right. You would want to believe they wouldn’t kill an innocent child but you have seen just how far they’re willing to go to keep their secrets or further their agendas. Jace would have been an easy target.

“So now that you’re back, he doesn’t have to be a secret anymore?” you hedge.

“Kind of. Those who are trusted to come to Riorson House are allowed to know about him, but I ask everyone to not let it leave Aretia. Things are still rocky between Tyrrendor and Navarre despite the treaty, and I won’t take any risks when it comes to him. But now that I’m home to watch over him myself, I feel a little better about letting him out into the world.”

“I can take care of myself,” Jace chides.

You roll your lips together as you try to suppress a smile. He’s practically Xaden Junior and you want to laugh at the absurdity of it all. That your thoughts spiraled to something so terrible when in reality, Jace will probably be the greatest gift. He’ll at least make things a lot more fun around here.

Xaden smirks as he looks down at Jace. “Yeah, I’m sure you could, little man. You’ll give Bodhi a run for his money when he starts training you in combat.”

They joke and tussle each other some more while you watch with a fond smile. Your galloping heart is still slowing, still soaking in the truth, but the sight of Xaden and Jace laughing together soothes you. Xaden is so serious all the time, always brooding or giving orders. It’s nice to see him be a little more lighthearted.

As they calm down and remember their company, the seriousness returns to Xaden’s face as he looks at you. There he is.

“I wanted to tell you first, Xaden murmurs. “But I didn’t get to pick the rotation schedule. I’m sorry.”

You shook your head. “No, it’s alright. I honestly—“ You halted, remembering Jace and deciding it wasn’t best to have this conversation in front of him.

Xaden seemed to realize your hesitation and told Jace to go find Garrick with a pat on his head. Jace smiles at you in goodbye and you return it. Xaden picks up his chair and moved it to your side of the table, leaning so his elbows rest on his knees and gives you his full attention.

You reposition yourself in your seat and grab one of Xaden’s hands to fiddle with his fingers in an effort to calm your nerves.

“I thought you were breaking up with me,” you whisper.

His head rears back, shock clear on his face. “Why the hell would you think that?”

Heat spreads across your cheeks from embarrassment. “You were acting weird. Everyone was acting weird. It’s just the first thing that came to mind, I’m sorry.”

Xaden places one of his hands on yours to stop your fidgeting, forcing you to look up at him. “Don’t apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for. Everyone was acting weird because they knew I’d be telling you today and honestly, I was terrified,” he says, his voice cracking at the end.

Your brows furrow with confusion.

Xaden sighs and scoots his chair closer to you, your knees touching. “In the beginning, I had to keep so many secrets from you. And we promised each other to be truthful after you found out about the revolution. I worried that when you found out…you’d break up with me. It’s why I didn’t let myself touch or kiss you. I thought it would just make it worse for myself.“

“Oh, Xaden,” you sigh. You get up from your chair and crawl into his lap, straddling his muscular thighs as he moves his hands to your hips to support you. Your hands cup his face as you speak. “I don’t blame you for my insecurities. And I definitely don’t blame you for protecting your little brother. It’s quite sweet, actually.”

Xaden scoffs and looks away, a slight blush crawling up his cheeks. You smile at the man you love. The man you are so happy isn’t breaking up with you. It’s the first time you’ve been grateful he had another secret.

Onyx eyes meet yours and you practically melt at the love shining in them. “I’m so glad you aren’t mad at me,” he whispers.

“I’m glad you aren’t breaking up with me,” you whisper back.

His lips find yours, slow and passionate. As if he’s pouring his love into your mouth and making sure you savor every declaration.

He rests his head against yours, your chests heaving as you catch your breaths. “We are going to have a talk about why in Dunne’s name you thought I would ever let you go.”

You laugh, throwing your arms around his shoulders as your head tilts back.

There’s a smirk on his face when you calm down, but his eyes tell you he’s not joking. He won’t be letting this go anytime soon.

“So when do I get to watch Jace kick Bodhi’s ass?” you ask.

This time Xaden is the one to laugh.

[becausebuckley]

michelle's buddie fic recs: week 50!

another lovely round of fics for you all <3 full disclosure i did not double check this with my masterlist of recs so while i doubt it, it's possible that i've recced some of these before... i guess that could just be a sign that they're extra good lol.

this is a mix of fics with all ratings, so some include NSFW content. please take a look at both the ratings and the fic tags before reading! some might also contain spoilers for season 8.

if you come across something you like in this list, remember to show some love to the author by leaving kudos and a comment!

75 best knitting puns that will have you hooked | iphigenias/@oatflatwhite | 4.1k | GA

Buck—Buck is knitting. Eddie blinks, rubs his eyes. Yeah, Buck is knitting: thick fingers a little clumsy as Bobby shows him how to purl stitch with a soft-looking ball of pink ombre wool.  softest most domestic little fic <3

all the lights are coming on | sharpbutsoft/@sharpbutsoft | 1.2k | GA

What good is having a key to your best friend’s house if you can’t use it to spread a little holiday magic? spreading the holiday magic <3<3 this was everything i needed and wanted and i love it so very much

any other bodily sense | kiwiibiird/@buckevanley | 10.2k | GA

Post-s2 sickfic. Buck is stuck with a broke leg and a bad cold. Maddie and Eddie help him out. forehead kisses and maddie and buddie and hurt/comfort... literally what else could a girl (me) need? the answer is nothing because this fic is everything!!

born with a weak heart | foxwatson/@eddiediazes | 7.5k | T

the one where eddie won't touch buck once he wakes up in the hospital, and buck goes absolutely bonkers bananas about it. is it truly a michelle rec list if there's no touch-starved fic on there? i don't think it is lol. i've reread this several times now and it's just the absolute loveliest <3

don't break | odysseus_calls | 2.4k | T

5 times the 118 is tired of Buck and Eddie acting like a couple, and the time they find out they've been dating the whole time. i LOVE hijinks and shenanigans <3 this captures them so perfectly!!

hooker | mansikka | 3.9k | T

When Eddie's life turns to hell, he turns to hooking. Crochet hooking. i've been attempting to crochet again (made a little cat today!) and it's only half because i want to be cool and crafty and half because people make it sound so cool and crafty in fics. anyway point is this was brilliant and so eddie and i loved it v v much!!

i sleep so i can see you ('cause i hate to wait so long) | turquoiseviolet/@turquoisevioiet | 25.7k | T

eddie’s not sleeping and buck��s worried. after all, he’s supposed to be the one who fixes everything, isn’t he? platonic cuddling! homoerotic friendship! getting together! if buddie fic had a bingo card, this would tick all of the boxes <3 so good!!

loves a game, wanna play? | 42hrb/@exhuastedpigeon | 57.5k | M

In the aftermath of Chris leaving for the summer, Buck convinces Eddie they should apply for Love Island together. okay so admittedly all my big plans to read my marked for later list this week failed miserably, cause this is the only fic from there that i actually read... on the other hand, what a brilliant one it is!! it's so funny and so good and i loved the social media elements in there. also, maya and maria <3

sub drop city, population: eddie diaz | peaktotheocean/@peaktotheocean | 4k | T

It takes Eddie longer than he cares to admit to realize that Buck has been giving him aftercare on the sly. i'm such a sucker for aftercare and this has SUCH a lovely buddie dynamic <3

swinging there, in the corner of our haven | anti_romantic_cherub | 1.6k | GA

Eddie bought Buck a hammock, and now he's reaping the rewards (Buck napping in his backyard). buck napping in eddie's backyard <3 such a lovely image and this is executed so so well, i love it!!

the city is a jungle and i'm a beast | putanauhere/@putanauhere | 42.8k | M

Eddie has enough on his plate this summer – a newly empty nest, a terrible new captain, and a new mustache – without adding a new werewolf to the mix. the most fascinating werewolf au <3 i love the buddie dynamic here and how they approach the werewolfism with such different attitudes. so good!!

toss up | saucerfulofsins/@saucerfulofsins | 3.5k | E

Eddie is caught browsing bad gay porn, and Buck takes it upon himself to show Eddie the good stuff. most glorious brilliant fic concept to ever fic <3 this is fantastic!!

trivial pursuit of love | niemi | 6.2k | T

Buck attends Tommy’s trivia night with Eddie, his newfound feelings for his best friend bottled up and ready to burst. As it turns out, he’s not the only one with a secret. buddie at trivia night!! i loved this fic so much, it was a real highlight on a rainy morning bus ride <3

weaving in our loose ends | PretentiousSwanQueen/@hotcinnamonsunset | 8.6k | T

Eddie is a knitter with the Loose Ends Project and he's assigned to finish the project of a loved one of Buck's. the gasp i let out when i realised what buck's project is... gorgeous fic!!

white sheets, you and me start to lay close | effervescentwolf/@effervescentwolf | 1.5k | T

He thinks of his empty bed at home, and his chest feels tight. It’s just that—it’s okay if it’s Buck. He can let Buck catch him. give me all the bed-sharing fics, please and thank you <3 this is one of the best uses of the trope i've seen in a long time, it's so lovely <3

[noxiousgrace]

I need more self indulgent cale & eruhaben fics in my life 😔

---

(set after part 1 of the novel, canon divergence, spoilers ahead)

I'm writing this at 5 am, don't mind the inaccuracies i haven't re-read part 1 fully yet

> cale telling the truth about his transmigration to eruhaben <

----- part 1/? -------

'This ability is more of a curse, than a blessing, for fucks sake. Is a good nights rest too much to fucking much to ask for?' Cale lamented, a few seconds after waking up.

inside of his room in the super rock villa, he sat up to rest against the headboard of his bed.

He didn't say anything after waking up, silently munching on the assortment of fruit placed conveniently next to his bed, his gaze focused on nothing.

Eruhaben: "good morning."

Cale flinched, but replied almost immediately: "good morning, eruhaben-nim."

Eruhaben: "..."

Cale:"..."

...

Eruhaben: "so, you're just gonna refuse to talk about it?" He asked, a single eyebrow raised in accusation.

Cale glanced at him from the corner of his eye, debating on what would end this conversation the fastest.

Eruhaben, all too familiar with his tactics, continued speaking: "the kids aren't the only ones worried about you. I think these last 2 years have been more than enough for you to realise you can rely on us, no?" His voice held a slowly rising feeling of irritation.

Cale, his eyebrow raised and voice almost drowning in confusion, replied: "where is this coming from, eruhaben-nim?"

The ancient dragon didn't reply to the ignorant human. gathering his thoughts so that he could, by some miracle, verbally beat some sense into this dense bastard.

The bastard in question had been talking in his sleep, every night for the last week, which wouldn't have been much of a problem if the words coming out of his mouth weren't so unnerving.

They weren't even in a language that eruhaben could understand, the dragon had questioned choi han, after noticing the swordsmans discomfort to cales newly acquired habit.

"the language is korean" was the only explanation the elder managed to get out of him.

Tsk, the easiest way was to just question the source of concern directly.

Eruhaben: "how the hell do you know korean? Choi han is the only person from his hometown as far as we know."

Cales expression remained stoic, the sweat gathering behind his ears was the only sign of discomfort eruhaben could see.

After a few beats of silence, cale seemed to have reached the end of his internal war, and sighed: "it's better if i just tell you the truth, please keep this a secret between the two of us."

The dragon nodded, his unease only growing with Cales anxious attitude: "I promise."

Cale, at his wits end, spat out the truth: "I'm a transmigrator. I was born in choi hans hometown, which is called korea by the way, and ended up here soon after i turned 36."

Eruhaben didn't reply immediately, processing the information. Eventually, he found the explanation sensible, and asked: "I see, what does that have to do with your sleep talking?"

Cale: "my ability, record, has been acting on it's own and replaying everything I've recorded so far."

Eruhaben nodded, hiding the rising confusion and concern inside him: "i understand. I'll make something that'll help you sleep easier."

Cale: "thank you"

---

There weren't any further problems since then, but eruhaben was known for his curiosity, so he continued to question cale anyway.

The questions themselves weren't too invasive, mostly asking about the korean lifestyle and culture. Nothing pertaining to cales backstory specifically.

Until now, of course.

Eruhaben: "what was your family like? "

Cale: "I don't remember. "

Eruhaben: "what? "

Cale hesitated, he knew it was disrespectful to not even remember the face of the person who gave birth to him, but it wasn't entirely his fault. he just didn't know how eruhaben would react to it.

Well, he's already in this deep, no reason to stop telling the truth now.

Cale: "I don't remember them. "

Eruhaben was stunned, he gave cale a once-over, this kid seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, so the dragon had assumed the parents worked hard for that to be so.

Eruhaben, with a sense of foreboding, asked anyway: "how come?"

Cale: "they died when i was young, it's been a long time since then, i hardly remember anything from my childhood."

Eruhaben, with a heart pinched by guilt, answered: "that's okay."

Cale simply nodded, unaffected.

The dragon didn't ask any more questions for a while after that.

----

Cale: "eruhaben-nim."

Eruhaben: "what?"

Cale: "you've been staring at me a lot lately. Do you need anything?"

Eruhaben: "tsk. I'm just worried about you."

Cale: "oh?"

Eruhaben, never one to shy away from a problem for too long: "what happened to you after your parents died?"

Cale, not entirely expecting the blunt question: "i lived with my uncle."

Eruhaben, relieved, answered back: "i see, he must've raised you well then. I'm glad you weren't alone."

Cale: "No."

Eruhaben: "No?"

Cale snorted: "that piece of shit doesn't deserve any praise, eruhaben-nim."

Eruhaben: "what do you mean by tha-?"

Cale simply turned around and left, preferring disrespecting eruhaben to opening about this specific part of his life.

The dragon stared at the receding back for a while, his previous relief reduced to dust.

----

[chasthewriter]

Hi. I read your Mr Puzzles x Reader on Ao3. I think it's really cool. Say, what are your headcanons for Mr Puzzles x Reader anyway? Just curiosity speaking.

Oouugghhh!!

Small semi spoilers for whats to come in my fic but i don’t care to share!!

No big title or anything! Just sharing silly little headcanons

His love language is acts of service! He likes to give the one he genuinely cares for items of appreciation, as he never had friends or anyone more in his life before now.

He dreams about you and him having a super nice domestic life, where he can pay for everything because hes famous. He seriously adores you and wants to provide more than he is currently capable of

He’ll tell you he regrets what he did to the crew, but he really dosent (he’ll say it just to see you smile a little)

His favorite part of you is your face, mainly your smile!

His dreams display on his screen if hes in a deep deep sleep

He’ll make scripts for things that involve you both kissing at the end, its all an excuse to have your lips on his screen since he’s absolutely horrible at asking for attention

For someone so menacing he’s honestly a big sweetie with you

Can and will let the world burn for you!

Since ratings arent his main thing now, and its you instead. He’s willing to do just about anything to make sure you dont go away like his 5 stars did previously

Sometimes calls you by “Angel” or “My Savior” because without you he probably wouldve been an abandoned tv in the woods

Normally uses “dear”, “love”, “honey” if hes not in a particularly sappy mood (on serious occasions he’ll actually use your name, and its never because hes mad at you.)

Likes to bring you to his tv dimension inside his head, the zero gravity type deal makes it more easy to grip onto you and just float freely.

Sings to help you sleep

He’ll say your main clothes are trashy, but in reality he just wants you to look all dolled up (like a said, man is a giver)

-Bonus!-

Reader’s outfit!

(i used Gacha but ignore that-)

Anyway if there are anymore questions abt the fic, please ask, i love when people ask abt my works!

[superums]

monkey d. luffy's 5 love languages

gender neutral readers. fluff. improper grammar. no uses of (y/n) or (name). established relationship. strawhat-coded reader. i tried to lean into luffys childlike personality without infantilizing him... tell me how good i did that please. is meant for opla!luffy but it can go for anime!luffy as-well. spoiler free

color coded text: luffy

physical touch: luffy is very touchy feely. he likes wrapping his entire body around you like a wet noodle just because he can and you're going to have to deal with that!! he loves giving you cheek kisses or small bites on your fingers, shoulders and chest but in a non-sexual way! he loves holding your hand and swinging it back and forth. he thinks is super fun and he'll do it really hard sometimes and make his arm loose shape and flail around in the wind.

acts of service: you could ask him to get a star out of the sky he'd do it!!! he'd do little things like get things off of shelves, grab something from your room or giving you a piggyback across an island but he'd literally do anything you ask him to without a second thought..well maybe be sides share his food, he'd have to think about it foe a second and then give you a piece. but fr he's big on helping you though, he likes doing things for you. and if you ever asked him why he dose he wanna help he'd be like 'because you need help' which translates to 'because i like being with you'.

quality time: you two spend alot of time together not only because you live on a boat together (with the crew ofc) but he also seeks you out when he's bored. downtime on the ship is v common because it can take weeks to get from point A to point B and thats where you come in. sometimes he takes you to the figure head and makes you tell him stories or talk about your thoughts. other times you just sit on the deck and sunbathe while he holds your hand it all depends really.

giving/receiving gifts: it doesn't take alot to impress him he's like a baby—easy to please! you could give him a fish & he'd wiggle it around before yelling at asking sanji to cook it for him. his gifts however are usually one of two things either— 1) it takes trials and tribulations to get or 2) it comes of as simple to someone from the outside looking in but it means alot to him no in between! like lets you say you want a apple he'd somehow fight a congregation of alligators to bring back 1 apple then he'd ask for a bite. ORRRRR he gifts you something like a drawing of you that looks rushed and childish with gears around it but it took him an hour—you watched him as he would go back and forth between looking at you foe a minute and scribbling and erasing on his paper. some might make fun of him for that but you of all people know that it means a lot to him that you have!

words of affirmation: he talks about you like you hung the moon and stars you could be a marine, a civilian, someone on his crew it doesn't matter. he'd tell everyone how he feels about you regardless if you're there or not. he never misses a moment to talk about you highly though his vocabulary is a little limited so he doesn't say things like "you're extravagant" or "i admire you." when he compliments you he says things like "you're so fun." and "i like you so much." again his words are surface level to those who don't know him but he really does think highly of you even if his words don't exactly reflect it but actions are louder than words anyway.

[asterkatt]

started act 5 of in stars and time.

what.

[mechanoize]

I ASKED! I ASKED! WHATS THE AU ABOUT? //SHAKES YOU GENTLY// PROWL???

- @corvus-divum

ALRIGHT AU RUNDOWN TIME!!

Essentially just a heaven vs hell au. but not. kinda. taking bits n pieces from everywhere. angels vs angels but they’re vaguely demonic. and they’re all robots. ANYWAYS!

Primus and Unicron ruled over Cybertron’s underworld and paradise as one, with the original 13 acting as loyal archangels beneath them who oversaw the mortal plane. Eventually, Unicron’s tactics grew forceful, violent. His efforts to protect their planet and species branched off to ideas of colonization and mistreatment of cybertronian mortals still living, who he had learned to detest for their selfishness n the general flaws that came with free will. Reached a point where there was a bit of a war, mainly a battle between the brothers, where Unicron prevailed and most/all of the thirteen were extinguished. Unicron was gravely injured, and left with a festering wound that would continue to eat away at his frame until he deactivates. Unicron took over the heavens, banishing Primus and anyone who chose to align themselves with him to the underworld. He appointed one mech, Megatron, to watch over the mortals of Cybertron alongside Primus, who had sent out Optimus. They’re meant to work together, since Unicron wanted nothing to do with the mortals still living, and Primus cannot step foot outside his domain.

In my mind, Unicron also took over total responsibility of deciding if a spark gets to ascend to paradise or bets banished down to Primus. The angels who work beneath him take on dishing out punishment instead. Primus was essentially stripped of all purpose / power. 

So, those dynamics are established. Now, jumping back to the wound Primus inflicted on Unicron during their battle— Unicron was painfully aware his frame was giving out, and he only had so much time to enact his plans. He singled out Prowl to assist Megatron. Yaddah yaddah Prowl’s unyielding loyalty made him easier to manipulate than Megatron, who still knew to stand his ground on occasion. Unicron constantly downplays Prowl’s accomplishments n stuff to keep Prowl desperate to please him, wherein Unicron’s final request to Prowl would be to offer his frame as a vessel, an ultimate act of devotion. Would instill Prowls frame with his weird freaky god powers, go down to the underworld, euthanize Primus and take total control over all three realms cus he’s greedy.

(Where are Soundwave and Starscream? Soundwave probably detested Unicron’s sentiments and his treatment of megatron as the equivalent of an errand boy. thought to argue and was cursed with NO VOCALIZER!, so he’s basically forced into obedience. Starscream.. is probably too busy finding joy in punishing mortal souls.)

Primus knew Unicron had a plan, just didn’t know what. Queue him summoning op for help, and Optimus sends up Jazz as a spy. He steals a preexisting angels identity and gathers all he can. Ends up bonding with Prowl in the brisk time he was up there. Prowl overhears Jazz reporting to Optimus, immediate betrayal n is sort of like “bro. if you don’t leave right now i’m snitching on you.” cus spoiler, angels r incredibly touch starved as Unicron sees no purpose in acts of affection or friendship, sort of taboo to make friends up in heaven. And jazz showing him something akin to care made him hesitate with immediately reporting him.

Fast forward a bit. Jazz is miserable. Prowl is miserable. Prowl is beginning to question his faith and his slip ups make Unicron temporarily dismiss him.

Jazz is stupid and dumb. Despite optimus warnings he sneaks back off to heaven and turns himself in, where he credits Prowl for his capture and imprisonment.

Optimus really wants his stupid specops friend back. Queue trial with megs unicron op and jazz. Jazz is not let off the hook. Prowl requests to personally enact his decided punishment, to reaffirm his usefulness to Unicron. In actuality they just spend 5 hours talking things out. 

With Prowl now compromised, Unicron crashes out. Goes on a villain monologue, sort of incriminates himself wherein Megatron steps forward and offers himself as a vessel. Unicron gets played, Megs imprisons the fuck in his own mind / does not give him control and now he just lives with Unicron nagging in his brain. For some context Megatron is not necessarily tyrannical nor is he evil. He just resonated with a lot of Unicrons sentiments to keep their planet safe under any circumstances, with the inclusion of violence. When Unicron was like jk lmfao i jjst want power. Megs was like bruh.

After that the divide between both realms dissolves, both parties are reintroduced with Primus sorta sitting back and letting Megop lead it all.  

Some far off resistance probs develops and acts as a threat to peace, maybe some stuff with megop, megs n unicron. but that’s the gist of it!

big thank you to my friend for making this au with me and helping world build :3

very bad doodle of said friends jazz design! i’ll do something better once I get down my angel megatron design hehe :3

[10000year-old-child]

GUYS! I've been reading this random CN novel I picked on an absolute Whim and I haven't slept for 2 days because tell me why the MC and the ML are giving reincarnated Shen Jiu and Yue Qingyuan vibes!! The novel is sooooo freaking good too!!

Excuse my rant but I HAVE TO SHARE THIS.

The story is about this very famous modern world actor that gets into an accident and accepts a deal from the System to finish a couple of worlds -transmigration style- in order to go back to his original world (because he doesn't want to leave his best friend's grave unattended and all alone for too long 🥺)

The mission worlds are considered finished when the targets regret level reaches 100 points. BUT BUT....! here is when it gets super interesting. at the end of arc 1 mini spoiler ahead :)

.

.

.

we quickly and shockingly discover that the OG body owners ARE STILL ALIVE!!! They're still inside the body but unable to communicate when the MC Transmigrates into their bodies. The MC is Shen Jiu coded but has to act like Shen Yuan to accomplish his mission (so it's like reverse SVSSS)

-Also guess who the ML is... hehehe-

Anyway, The Novel is: Don't pick up boyfriends from the trash bin.

It's rated 4.7 out of 5 and it's crazy good I tell you. We have a big Villain as well as plot twists every arc and wholesome slow burn, power couple and Hua Cheng's Style DEEP DEVOTION. so please go give it a try if you ran out of Shen Jiu’s fanfics like I have lol

[cornerdreams-txt]

oh! also! im going through persona 5 royal (slowly, and with help from one of my partners) and we are on the sixth palace (out of. nine. if you count the public one. yk?)

anyway. here's some headcanons about various characters! ill try to keep it as spoiler-free as possible in case other people still going through p5 are braving the tags to look for content until they can keep playing :)

contained characters: akira kurusu, ann takamaki, futaba sakura, sojiro sakura, akechi goro

♠︎ AKIRA KURUSU .

• his hair is actually curly, it's not just messy. but he's not too sure on how to take care of it, so he just tries to keep it relatively tangle-free and not too frizzy. he ends up getting help from ann and haru later down the line.

• soggiest, saddest puppy eyes ever. he looks at someone sadly and it's like a punch to the gut. maybe it's the fact he doesn't realize he does this, that makes it so effective.

• very awkward about physical affection. he doesn't want to overstep boundaries, doesn't want to make anyone uncomfortable - typically this means other people have to initate physical affection with him of their own accord. he does enjoy it though! he loves hugs!

• extremely protective. he doesn't act like it much of the time, but if someone is uncomfortable or upset, he's quick to put the attention on himself, or get right in the offending person's face. he's done this to akechi. multiple times.

• self-sacrifical. he doesn't appreciate the other phantom thieves being put in danger, and will always use himself to shield them. they're grateful for him, sure, but seriously, it's worrying. they want to help too, you know...

• one of the only people he voluntarily initiates affection with is futaba. your honor, they're siblings!

• can't help the older brother instincts. it's just his protective habits but amped up, but he doesn't realize he acts like a sibling until makoto points it out to him offhandedly, after a study session.

( "You know, how you act around Futaba and Yoshizawa reminds me of my sis. Are you an older brother, by chance?"

"...huh?" )

• thinks akechi's laugh is really cute. this fact absolutely infuriates him.

♥︎ ANN TAKAMAKI .

• sassiest little shit you've ever met, when she's particularly bored. subtle intimidation doesn't work on her, she loves vaguely irritating her friends.

• the group's photographer. she LOVES taking pictures of her friends - she has dedicated albums for each event (holidays, school events, celebrations), and then dedicated albums for each friend!

• meticulous skincare routine. can identify potential acne causes with just a few questions.

• SLEEPER BUILD. this girl can knock your lights out, even if she doesn't look like she can. you can thank ryuji for helping her learn how to build a body type like that!

• trilingual! japanese, english, and she's learning french. haru helps her with this!

• do not trust her to drive. ever. please.

◆ FUTABA SAKURA .

• has hypermobile elhers danlos syndrome, a condition categorized by extreme flexibility and elasticity, as well as frequent dislocations and sublaxations, as well as other issues (can include gastrointestinal issues, skin conditions, and all kinds of other problems), often caused by underdevelopment of connective tissue, including but not limited to cartilage.

for her, this presents as chronic pain (and chronic fatigue, as caused by that chronic pain), hypermobility and absurd flexibility, dislocations to varying degrees, physical weakness, and difficulty standing or walking for extended periods of time.

...to be honest, im projecting. but also, it fits. so, rejoice! disability headcanons be upon ye!

• as she starts getting out of the house more, she ends up needing braces to help keep her joints in place and supported. she uses a mix of kinestheology tape (good for supporting joints and reducing pain!), and actual medical braces.

• has repeated stress injuries in her forearms, wrists, and hands from being at her computer all day. wears compression sleeves and braces to help with this!

• the headphones she wears are sound canceling, but she usually has music or a podcast playing at a low volume through them too. but she cranks the volume whenever she's in public to help with anxiety being around other people! she wears them around the back of her head instead of On her head, however, because it gives her headaches to do that.

♣︎ SOJIRO SAKURA .

• once he warms up to akira more, he feels really bad for how he treated him at the start of akira's stay with him.

• intentionally starts buying a little more ingredients than he really needs once akira catches onto how to make the curry really well. he doesn't want his charge to starve, after all. he's not heartless.

• he loves dancing. when nobody's around, and he can play the music he likes, sometimes he'll shuffle the footwork to old dance steps he doesn't have a partner for, but loves to perform, anyway.

• totally a geek. a fan of stuff like old voltron series, star trek, classic video games - the works!

• a creative type! knows how to woodcarve, but doesn't do it much. it's messy :( and it's a health and safety hazard to make food for the public with open wounds on your hands, so... better safe than sorry.

• would totally let futaba dye his hair if she really wanted to. but only streaks! little highlights! nothing too fancy, you got it?

● AKECHI GORO .

• breakfast is his favorite meal of the day. a moment of peace before work, time where he can sit and eat something he likes, before he gets up and at it.

• "if you want it done right, do it yourself" type of person. it pains him to watch other people struggle through things he knows he'd be able to do perfectly fine. he has to use... so much self restraint to not take over other people's work if he thinks they're doing it wrong.

• pattern recognition sharp enough to cut a man. he'll pick up on even the start of a pattern before he realizes he's noticing a pattern. it's useful, though. very useful.

• has contingency plans to his contingency plans to his backup plans. the most paranoid over-planner you've ever met. it works out for him, very well! but he goes overboard sometimes. at least it helps him stay cool in tense situations.

• knows his laugh is cute. also knows akira's mad about this. he finds it hilarious.

so obviously he laughs at akira over it.

[siffrin-brainrot]

In Stars and Time, Fanfiction Rec

Information about the fanfictions I rec;

- I have no real intrest in romantic Sifloop, so no fanfictions I reccomend will have that as a ship. (Maybe implied, but thats all tbh) sorry Sifloop enjoyers.

- Most of these fanfictions will have spoilers for the game, achievments, twohat ending & more

- Please read the tags, if a tag makes you uncomfortable or is a trigger of yours, then please skip that one.

Joy of Sadness from SnickeringDragon

Description: Siffrin dies to the king in act 5, and we all know what happens when someone is slain by the king and full of grief.

Why I reccomend this fic: One because it has creature Siffrin in it and two (and more importantly) the plot is intresting, seeing the others interact with Sadness Siffrin and the cute moments he has. But the main question thats bouncing in my head is; If Siffrin can be healed what will he turn into? His Human form? A hybrid? Something else entierly?

Also checknout the Fanart from luckymagicbelle!

Thank you, kind wizard. For making me a frog by Spinning_Planet_of_Love

Description: With Siffrin's timelooping journey at an end, he walks away with a LOT of new information and trauma to process. Moving forward is a difficult feat, even with his family by his side. Mirabelle suggests that, perhaps, keeping a journal to organize these thoughts and communicate his feelings to the others may help, so he decides to give it a try.

Contains spoilers for ALL content in ISAT, including achievements, quests dialogue, and eventually the epilogue too.

Why I reccomend this fic: I love fanfics that bring back the Island or allow Siffrin to remember things from the past. The memories he regains here range from adorable to bittersweet and without spoilering anything, I will say that my favorite parts in the story so far are the Memories Siffrin regains from his time in Bambouche

Follow the stars back home by Loafabun

Description: There's an island north of Vaugarde. You were never able to remember its name. So why now? Why after all this time? It's so close. You can see it now. You want to go home.

Why I reccomend this fic: One of my first fanfics I read in thr Isat fandom and fell in love with it, thr sland is back and Siffrin (+his found family) reuinite with his parents. A lot of heart warming content between those three, with a side of Isafrin (a great fluffy story to read whenever you need a Pick-Me-Up ^^)

Traveller's Blessing by jammhammer

Description: [Spoilers for; 2hat ending] “What… happened after you drank that wine, Siffrin?” Odile asks. She’s finally out of the stupor. If you give her an inch she will take a mile, you saw her figure Stardust out once or twice, but just how much do you need to give her?

“I became a star and watched myself die a bunch. Would not recommend it. Anyways…”

Why I reccomend this fic: I would recommend this to every Loop fan or enjoyer, seeing them return to their Original universe and reuniting with their family was amazing. And don't get me started on the ending, it was amazing, the secret hand sign also comes into play again :D

Follow The (Blinding) Script by Gemidori

Description: Siffrin manages to take down the King himself. It doesn't work, and thus he finds himself at the brink of sadness. He wills himself to try again. This time, he lets go.

And then something else stares at his family.

Why I reccomend this fic: In this fanfic Siffrin turns into a Vilian after defeating the King and then starts to do small crimes, it's all fun and games until he snaps. Not to mentione the moments we see him fighting with himself, it's such a good fic and I have to hold myself back from spoiling the ending!

[chibimui]

The Apothecary Diaries LN3 Thoughts - Ch14: His Former Majesty

LN 3: Prologue-ch2 - ch3-5 - ch6-8 - ch9-11 - ch12-13

Are you surprised I dedicated an entire post to one chapter? Well honestly so was I, but chapter 14 drops so much information about the royal family, Jinshi, Anshi, as well as the former Emperor. In hindsight, there is no way I couldn't have a million and one thoughts about this chapter.

It's also extra hard for me not to be extra-invested in Jinshi/royal family focused chapters because we get them so rarely. Jinshi is truly a character we learn about drip by little drip. Especially up to this point, and this chapter gives us basically a whole stream. It's such a gift! If it weren't for the summer retreat chapters later on this would probably have been my most favourite chapter of this volume.

(Warning: These thoughts may contain spoilers from later light novels all the way up until LN15.)

Chapter 14 - His Former Majesty

So, a fun thing with reading in Japanese is there is something called "gikun" (義訓) which is when you have a kanji with an irregular furigana reading attached to it. This creates fun things like how the former Emperor is described as a 幼女趣味 and the furigana reading for it is ロリコン (lolicon).

I don't think there is an actual proper reading for 幼女趣味 so the irregular furigana makes sense, but the characters literally read as "young girl hobby" which... I think most people can understand what that implies. Anyway, the reason for this random tangent? I just want everyone to know, I think it's hilarious that the Emperor is literally called a "lolicon".

ANYWAY. Moving on.

One of the things I enjoy about all these little court politic details is how much it reveals about each of the characters without actually explicitly saying anything. The implication here is that Gyokuyou is modest, Lihua a bit more ostentatious, but befitting of her rank, and Lady Loulan is just... ridiculous. And then there is Lishu who is trying her best, but gets stuck awkwardly in the middle--not doing enough to befit her rank (presumably), but also not doing so little as to make it seem purposeful so it's obvious she's just kind of floundering. Poor girl.

No someone please help this poor girl out seriously.

When I think about future events, I realize this moment is actually quite significant. One of Maomao's stipulations about not wanting a relationship with Jinshi is because she does not want to become enemies with Lady Gyokuyou and I feel like part of that comes from her experience acting as both Jinshi and Lady Gyokuyou's retainer. She hasn't even done anything necessarily wrong and is already getting a small taste of what it would be like should Hongniang even get the smallest inkling that Maomao may have negative intentions towards her lady and it's not great.

We also get this passage a bit later:

At her core, Maomao doesn't want to hurt anybody nor does she want anyone to be hurt by others. It makes me realize that this shuffling back and forth was probably quite stressful for Maomao.

This is so cute and I love little character-building details like this. Suiren is very much a side character, but I love how Natsu-sensei still takes the time to let us learn a bit about her.

Okay. This next part. I'm basically just going to screenshot all the pages and highlight what stood out to me because there is so much.

Besides the introduction chapter to this LN, this is some of the most information we ever get about Jinshi all at once in regards to his past and why he is the way he is.

As far as LN1 we already had snippets and pieces of Jinshi becoming obsessed with his favourite toys, but now we come across actual evidence of just how much Jinshi loved his toys from Maomao's observation. This is a boy who could've literally had any number of toys he wanted, and all he wanted was the thing he already had in this hands (or which were taken out of his hands).

And it's so clear to everyone around Jinshi who his current "favourite toy" is. The thing that really drives me crazy about this specific metaphor is that typically equating people to toys is done so with a negative connotation. This is played straight all the way through LN1 where Jinshi explicitly calls Maomao his new "play piece" and we get confirmation of growth when Gaoshun acknowledges that Jinshi does not see Maomao as "just a toy" anymore. Now though, we get that flipped on its head because we see just how much Jinshi loved his toys and how much of a compliment it is for Maomao to be Jinshi's "favourite"--he's never going to let her go.

At this point in time though, Maomao still doesn't reciprocate and her answer to Suiren's question in this moment is a clear sign of that. She may not see Jinshi negatively, but she certainly is still many, many, steps away from seeing him as anything but her boss, and this is on purpose by Maomao. At this point Maomao has many avenues to become closer to Jinshi if she just allowed herself, but she doesn't--and so I love how Suiren forces the connection a bit by sharing something intimate about Jinshi that Maomao would never think to pry into herself.

And you know what I love most? That when Suiren provides the smallest nugget, Maomao immediately takes the bait and starts asking questions. Because no matter how much Maomao tries to suppress it, she is genuinely curious about Jinshi and we know that Maomao is only curious about things she actually cares about.

Finally, Maomao's last observation about how people treat Jinshi is an interesting one. Even though Maomao does understand Jinshi a bit better now, she clearly still doesn't see the full picture. She still doesn't connect the dots of what it means that she is allowed to see this side of him--because it as an allowance, not just from Jinshi, but from Suiren and Gaoshun. Oh well, it's baby steps for our girl. Truly the teeny-tiniest of baby steps.

Phew. Alright. Moving on to the resolution of the mystery and stuff about the royal family! So we learn the Emperor was an avid painter and basically inhaled so much chemicals he managed to stop his body from decomposing. Wild stuff. Things that stood out to me:

First, outside of Maomao paying attention to Jinshi, I just personally find Jinshi's reaction quite interesting. I truly wish we had access to Jinshi's thoughts throughout this whole chapter because Maomao clearly doesn't care at all, Anshi clearly has very mixed feelings towards the former Emperor, but Jinshi? Jinshi is a total mystery when it comes to his thoughts on his "father", but it's clear that this new information left him quite unsettled and I want to know why.

I also want to point out, it's interesting that Natsu-sensei decided to make the Emperor's painting hobby be this huge secret because in Chinese history there is the concept of the "four arts" (music, tactics, calligraphy, and art). The mark of a true scholar-intellect was someone who mastered all four, so in my mind I feel like you would actually want people to know he was a great painter--make him look better than he really was. Buuuuut I guess this is just proof that Li is definitely not Ancient China.

Okay - let's talk about Anshi. She doesn't show up much, but the small bit we do learn about her is incredibly revealing.

This entire opening paragraph from Anshi's POV and then the memory of her first encounter with the Emperor is just...

I feel like this gets across much more in the Japanese - but Anshi sounds so detached when going through her memories. You can feel how she is shutting everything down because if she doesn't she will break down and fall apart knowing what became of her life. Yes--she is the Empress Dowager, but at what cost? Well, we read about the cost. Ugh. It's so dark.

The description of both herself and the Emperor in this memory is so striking. The way Natsu-sensei framed things so that somehow the Emperor is the one who comes off as more pitiable than the literal 10 year old girl who was sent to him to be used.

Then we switch to feeling her anger as she describes when, how and why she became pregnant with her second son. The utter contempt she holds for this man, not just because of how he actively hurt her or others, but also that he discarded her. How much had she held back all those years of having her life threatened, having assassins sent after her, of being scorned, pitied, and looked down on for having the Emperors only legitimized son, and then to be "forgotten" by the man who did this to her. Oof.

I cannot believe this piece of info was dropped so casually and then becomes so integral to events that occur later on. I love it. I cannot wait for anime watchers to have their minds blown.

And finally at the end of Anshi's musings I have some uh... corrections/editing to make.

1) This sentence should be part of the previous paragraph. Anshi is reflecting on the realization that she actually loved her second son. I've seen comments with people presuming Anshi made the switch because she couldn't stand to see her son which was born out of rape, but that's not true. She loved her son regardless of how he had been conceived.

2) The entire paragraph about "there on the wall..." - unfortunately appears to have been interpreted wrongly in the English LN's. I don't blame the translator for this--it's very ambiguous and I feel like I only see the connection now because of what occurs in future chapters. In this paragraph Anshi is actually looking at Jinshi and reflecting on how much he looks like the former Emperor. The last part I underlined should read more like "But that person was gone, and few would still recognize the appearance before them that had once existed decades ago".

All in all, minor things, but I remember being very confused at this part when reading the English LN the first time. I didn't understand what Anshi had "suddenly realized" and what painting was being referenced. My first thought had been Anshi realizing SHE was at the center of the painting. I think it's meant to be a bit ambiguous though as Anshi continues to grapple with just how messed up and twisted her relationship and feelings towards the former Emperor were, and how unaware she was of his thoughts towards her.

Finally we hit the end where Jinshi has a brief conversation with Anshi. I've always loved this moment and I wish it was ten pages longer. Mostly because I genuinely find Anshi quite a fascinating character. She's frequently described as "too kind" (and it's often implied in a negative way), but through this chapter we realize she's a woman who is made of reinforced steel. She's a survivor of hell and back and then appears to have made it her goal to stop as much atrocity from happening to others as best she can.

We also get an understanding of just how little direct and open love Jinshi really got growing up, and that it was a purposeful, although regretful, decision. Even with Suiren and Gaoshun in the picture - they are attendants, staff--they can only show him so much love. No wonder why he has such low confidence in himself.

Even so, we understand through Anshi's musings that it's not like she doesn't love Jinshi. In fact, it's clear that son or grandson, she desperately wanted to protect him and keep him safe. And so before they part she gives some final words of advice.

I love how Anshi's advice speaks to her acknowledgment that taking Jinshi's toys, hiding her feelings from him, did not actually help him the way she had wanted it to. So instead she changes her tactic and advises JInshi that if he is going to have favourites to hide them better lest other people find out and use them against him instead.

Does Jinshi do this? Hilariously, Not. At. All. Everyone and their moms know who Jinshi's favourite is. You can't blame Anshi for trying though.

And that's that for this chapter. Happy new year folks!

[ch15-17]