#background iron triangle

[youryurigoddess]

So one thing led to another, and I’ve just paid a visit to the first (that we know of) confirmed Good Omens S3 filming locations. Due to the obvious sensitivity of this material, please tag it accordingly and share only with the fans consenting to know potential spoilers.

A fellow Good Omens fan has mentioned that residents of a certain Edinburgh area had unexpected guests recently, knocking on their door and telling them they are filming in their street soon. Imagine their surprise when a polite question about the details led to the offhand answer: “IT'S ONLY GOOD OMENS”.

For those unaware, the City of Edinburgh Council has been working really hard on promoting the city for film and TV industry for a few years now (the effects of which we saw in S2), and has a set of very clear and very publicly available guidelines regarding the modus operandi here.

The Good Omens production has both large scale and a high impact on a specific location due to the crew size, amount of technology used, and requirement for crowd control in most of the exterior and interior scenes (e.g., bookshop, pub, or coffee shop windows), which is why not only the local authorities, but also residents were informed about the filming with an at least 8 days notice:

Ironically, I just had happened to have a trip here planned and a hotel booked within walking distance to the locations on the attached TM and parking plan map, so it would be a waste not to use this opportunity for the greater good of the fandom. Can’t stay long enough to see the actual crew, so unfortunately the hair photos will have to be made by someone else. Disappointing, I know. But there’s still a lot to be excited about!

According to the provided notice, the filming will happen within one working day with the required set-up planned for the day before, mostly in the afternoon hours. The attached map shows planned parking suspension and SYL dispensation on two streets close to the chosen locations, which is where the trailers and equipment vehicles will park:

Location One turns out to be, rather surprisingly, a cosy corner bookshop. The shop — one of the Edinburgh’s oldest surviving secondhand bookstores — is very small, but crammed with a wide ranging library of beautiful books to serve readers and collectors, including antiquarian true first editions and signed copies.

It’s giving Muriel’s sweet and whimsical charm, but the bits and pieces of the unpublished Good Omens sequel point out not towards Whickber Street, where the angel currently resides, but more towards a new in-universe location. Maybe one that will be opened in the future post-Second Coming, maybe one that will remind one of the characters about a home base of operations back in the heart of London’s Soho (and theirs— wait, who said that?).

Notice that the road closure includes north and south sides of the pavement visible in the last photo, so both indoor and outdoor shots could be expected:

Location Two seems a bit more complex, since it’s basically a skewed triangle consisting of one longer street and a short side street diverging from it. Conveniently for the filmmakers, the architecture here is uncharacteristic enough that it could be easily presented as British, Scottish, or even American. I’m personally a bit partial to the last option since it would make sense story- and budget-wise, especially now with the two people previously adamant on shooting the US scenes only on location there not on the production team anymore.

The contrasting structures and materials visible here easily offer background for multiple potential contexts and scenarios, so much in fact that it��s easy to imagine more than one scene being shot here for cost- and time-effective reasons. Some of the buildings along the cobbled road have the right look and feel for historical flashbacks, as you can see below. I find the two separate entrances next to each other particularly lovely:

A considerable part of the buildings in the area, however, belongs to a more modern complex that communicates a very different personality and function. With a bit of camera and post-production magic, it could transform to a wide range of settings — please let me know your thoughts and ideas if you have any!

Specific filming times and more detailed information are consciously not shared out of concern for the crew and cast members who clearly don’t want them to become public knowledge. Those of you who live in the area and might visit the set anyway, please don’t forget to make sure that your presence won’t bother them as well as other locals. And remember to keep any new photos and information contained with tags so that you won’t spoil it to the people who would rather wait for the movie itself!

[felassan]

Taash's art piece is just so beautiful! With how windy it looks (her hair blowing around), the blue-green background, and the wave-like pattern in the background, it gives the impression of the rushing sea. (and with the rushing sea, it has a sense of adventure!). The ocean background makes sense - she is affiliated with the Lords of Fortune, a group with a cephalopod logo and who are based out of Rivain, a nation almost completely surrounded by the sea. Their vibe/aesthetic has been described as incorporating a pirate-y element, they have ships, and they were said to hold dominion over the coasts of Rivain. We've also seen in-game shots now of a Rivaini shore that we will visit, complete with bright blue-green sea. the eye-like pattern in the sea in the top right and some of the 'triangles' in the sea remind me of dragons and sea-serpents.

With Taash's design, the 'protruding' parts of her armor, like around her shoulders (two, three) look like they could be dragon-scales. Trophies from dragon hunts? :) In Thedas, armor can be made from dragonscale. I wonder, is the jade-looking horn (the same color as the sea) a covering for that horn, or a straight-up replacement horn? We can see here that it has polished planes and cut edges in the manner of a cut gem. Gold coins fall around her, fitting for someone affiliated with a piratey, treasure-hunting faction. The red threads, rope-like in appearance, remind me of that aspect of some Qunari armor/clothing. In this piece they sort of flow around her in places, but we can see here for example that they're an element of her clothing. I wonder if she's Qunari, Tal-Vashoth or Vashoth. Being associated with a group originating in Rivain, maybe she's from Kont-aar or its surrounds, a coastal city in northern Rivain that is the only peaceful Qunari settlement on the mainland continent? Her gold jewelry and items are beautiful. Jewelry seems to be a notable part of clothing in Rivain, and among the Lords of Fortune, those that survive for more than a few years wear their treasures, charms and other items. It seems like Taash is a successful Lord of Fortune(/adjacent), someone who has found/won many treasures and accomplished great feats. The gold dragon at her collarbone is a cool touch.

Maybe it was Taash who wrote this Codex, and the title is alliterative, "Taash Talks"? The writer comes across like a dragon enthusiast and it references being near the shore/sea. Iron Bull once said "So, when you face a dragon, does it get your heart pumping? Do you breathe a little faster, feel the blood racing?" (in the DA:TV trailer, Varric says that they will need someone "with fire in their blood" to face dragons). And from this blurb, something has been unsettling the dragons in Rivain, in a way that dovetails in the Lord of Fortunes being concerned with it:

Upon eastern shores and sunkissed sands, the Lords of Fortune no longer hold dominion over the coasts of Rivain – not when dragons are growing bolder and laying wastes to their ships.

[source]

[shmisky]

Talking to @cantgetworsethanthistbh made me think of an AU in which Stanley fails to truly act as Ford in their twin swap.

What I always found interesting in this scene is that Stan, pretending to be Ford, wisely included himself in the group of people his brother would sacrifice the world for:

[x] [x] [x]

And that was puzzling for me at first, given how I think Stan saw their relationship before losing his memories. It might have been because 1) Ford himself told Stan that the deal was the only way to keep Stan and the kids safe, and Stan remembered that, 2) Ford told Stan exactly what to say, word for word, or 3) Ford’s hero complex was obvious to Stan. Of course his heroic, noble brother would ask for the safety of everyone in his family. (That’s not the true reason, but from Stan’s POV it might as well be.)

But notice how Bill’s eye follows and focuses on “Stan” as “Ford” points at him. Notice how quickly Bill agrees to this.

“Fine.” A single word. Nothing else. No teasing, no mocking. From the same insane triangle that was delighting himself in the Stan twins’ apparent fight, just a few seconds before. “Oh, even when you’re about to die, you Pines twins just can’t get along!”

Bill knows exactly how much Stan matters to Ford, even if the Stans were at each other’s throats. I mean, at this point you guys guys might be tired of this excerpt, but this happened while Ford was still holding a grudge against Stan:

And what I always loved about this scene is that Bill turned everyone into tapestry, including even Fiddleford (whom we know Ford cares a lot about!) but forced himself to spare Stan and the kids and place them inside the cages, even though they didn’t know the equation and would have zero usefulness to him. That could only be because he thought he could use them against Ford, so Stan was obviously included for that very purpose.

Wouldn’t it be ironic if Stan-as-Ford forgot to mention himself, mentioning only the young twins (because that would be Ford’s focus, anyway, they were children), or worse, made an active choice not to include himself because he thought it would be more believable given his tumultuous relationship with Ford... and that made Bill recognize him as Stan?

Just imagine it. Stan says something along the lines of, “My only condition is that you at least let the kids go! My brother and I are adults and can handle this, but they’re just kids, please! Pick on someone your own size!” Ford goes pale in the background as Bill starts to laugh. No way the true Ford would’ve missed an opportunity to protect Stan.

[niteshade925]

April 14, Xi'an, China, Shaanxi History Museum, Qin and Han Dynasties Branch (Part 3 – Innovations and Philosophies):

(Edit: sorry this post came out so late, I got hit by the truck named life and had to get some rest, and this post in itself took some effort to research. But anyway it's finally up, please enjoy!)

A little background first, because this naming might lead to some confusions.....when you see location adjectives like "eastern", "western", "northern", "southern" added to the front of Zhou dynasty, Han dynasty, Song dynasty, and Jin/晋 dynasty, it just means the location of the capital city has changed. For example Han dynasty had its capital at Chang'an (Xi'an today) in the beginning, but after the very brief but not officially recognized "Xin dynasty" (9 - 23 AD; not officially recognized in traditional Chinese historiography, it's usually seen as a part of Han dynasty), Luoyang became the new capital. Because Chang'an is geographically to the west of Luoyang, the Han dynasty pre-Xin is called Western Han dynasty (202 BC - 8 AD), and the Han dynasty post-Xin is called Eastern Han dynasty (25 - 220 AD). As you can see here, in these cases this sort of adjective is simply used to indicate different time periods in the same dynasty.

Model of a dragonbone water lift/龙骨水车, Eastern Han dynasty. This is mainly used to push water up to higher elevations for the purpose of irrigation:

Model of a water-powered bellows/冶铁水排, Eastern Han dynasty. Just as the name implies, as flowing water pushes the water wheel around, the parts connected to the axle will pull and push on the bellows alternately, delivering more air to the furnace for the purpose of casting iron.

The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art/《九章算术》, Fangcheng/方程 chapter. It’s a compilation of the work of many scholars from 10 th century BC until 2 nd century AD, and while the earliest authors are unknown, it has been edited and supplemented by known scholars during Western Han dynasty (also when the final version of this book was compiled), then commented on by scholars during Three Kingdoms period (Kingdom of Wei) and Tang dynasty. The final version contains 246 example problems and solutions that focus on practical applications, for example measuring land, surveying land, construction, trading, and distributing taxes. This focus on practicality is because it has been used as a textbook to train civil servants. Note that during Han dynasty, fangcheng means the method of solving systems of linear equations; today, fangcheng simply means equation. For anyone who wants to know a little more about this book and math in ancient China, here’s an article about it. (link goes to pdf)

Diagram of a circle in a right triangle (called “勾股容圆” in Chinese), from the book Ceyuan Haijing/《测圆海镜》 by Yuan-era mathematician Li Ye/李冶 (his name was originally Li Zhi/李治) in 1248.  Note that Pythagorean Theorem was known by the name Gougu Theorem/勾股定理 in ancient China, where gou/勾 and gu/股 mean the shorter and longer legs of the right triangle respectively, and the hypotenuse is named xian/弦 (unlike what the above linked article suggests, this naming has more to do with the ancient Chinese percussion instrument qing/磬, which is shaped similar to a right triangle).  Gougu Theorem was recorded in the ancient Chinese mathematical work Zhoubi Suanjing/《周髀算经》, and the name Gougu Theorem is still used in China today.

Diagram of the proof for Gougu Theorem in Zhoubi Suanjing. The sentence on the left translates to "gou (shorter leg) squared and gu (longer leg) squared makes up xian (hypotenuse) squared", which is basically the equation a² + b² = c². Note that the character for "squared" here (mi/幂) means "power" today.

This is a diagram of Zhang Heng’s seismoscope, called houfeng didong yi/候风地动仪 (lit. “instrument that measures the winds and the movements of the earth”).  It was invented during Eastern Han dynasty, but no artifact of houfeng didong yi has been discovered yet, this is presumably due to constant wars at the end of Eastern Han dynasty.  All models and diagrams that exist right now are what historians and seismologists think it should look like based on descriptions from Eastern Han dynasty. This diagram is based on the most popular model by Wang Zhenduo that has an inverted column at the center, but this model has been widely criticized for its ability to actually detect earthquakes. A newer model that came out in 2005 with a swinging column pendulum in the center has shown the ability to detect earthquakes, but has yet to demonstrate ability to reliably detect the direction where the waves originate, and is also inconsistent with the descriptions recorded in ancient texts. What houfeng didong yi really looks like and how it really works remains a mystery.

Xin dynasty bronze calipers, the earliest sliding caliper found as of now (not the earliest caliper btw). This diagram is the line drawing of the actual artifact (right).

Ancient Chinese "Jacquard" loom (called 提花机 or simply 花机 in Chinese, lit. "raise pattern machine"), which first appeared no later than 1st century BC. The illustration here is from the Ming-era (1368 - 1644) encyclopedia Tiangong Kaiwu/《天工开物》. Basically it's a giant loom operated by two people, the person below is the weaver, and the person sitting atop is the one who controls which warp threads should be lifted at what time (all already determined at the designing stage before any weaving begins), which creates patterns woven into the fabric. Here is a video that briefly shows how this type of loom works (start from around 1:00). For Hanfu lovers, this is how zhuanghua/妆花 fabric used to be woven, and how traditional silk fabrics like yunjin/云锦 continue to be woven. Because it is so labor intensive, real jacquard silk brocade woven this way are extremely expensive, so the vast majority of zhuanghua hanfu on the market are made from machine woven synthetic materials.

Chinese purple is a synthetic pigment with the chemical formula BaCuSi2O6. There's also a Chinese blue pigment. If anyone is interested in the chemistry of these two compounds, here's a paper on the topic. (link goes to pdf)

A list of common colors used in Qin and Han dynasties and the pigments involved. White pigment comes from chalk, lead compounds, and powdered sea shells; green pigment comes from malachite mineral; blue pigment usually comes from azurite mineral; black comes from pine soot and graphite; red comes from cinnabar; ochre comes from hematite; and yellow comes from realgar and orpiment minerals.

Also here are names of different colors and shades during Han dynasty. It's worth noting that qing/青 can mean green (ex: 青草, "green grass"), blue (ex: 青天, "blue sky"), any shade between green and blue, or even black (ex: 青丝, "black hair") in ancient Chinese depending on the context. Today 青 can mean green, blue, and everything in between.

Western Han-era bronze lamp shaped like a goose holding a fish in its beak. This lamp is interesting as the whole thing is hollow, so the smoke from the fire in the lamp (the fish shaped part) will go up into the neck of the goose, then go down into the body of the goose where there's water to catch the smoke, this way the smoke will not be released to the surrounding environment. There are also other lamps from around the same time designed like this, for example the famous gilt bronze lamp that's shaped like a kneeling person holding a lamp.

Part of a Qin-era (?) clay drainage pipe system:

A list of canals that was dug during Warring States period, Qin dynasty, and pre-Emperor Wu of Han Han dynasty (475 - 141 BC). Their purposes vary from transportation to irrigation. The name of the first canal on the list, Hong Gou/鸿沟, has already become a word in Chinese language, a metaphor for a clear separation that cannot be crossed (ex: 不可逾越的鸿沟, meaning "a gulf that cannot be crossed").

Han-era wooden boat. This boat is special in that its construction has clear inspirations from the ancient Romans, another indication of the amount of information exchange that took place along the Silk Road:

A model that shows how the Great Wall was constructed in Qin dynasty. Laborers would use bamboo to construct a scaffold (bamboo scaffolding is still used in construction today btw, though it's being gradually phased out) so people and materials (stone bricks and dirt) can get up onto the wall. Then the dirt in the middle of the wall would be compressed into rammed earth, called hangtu/��土. A layer of stone bricks may be added to the outside of the hangtu wall to protect it from the elements. This was also the method of construction for many city walls in ancient China.

A list of the schools of thought that existed during Warring States period, their most influential figures, their scholars, and their most famous works. These include Confucianism (called Ru Jia/儒家 in Chinese; usually the suffix "家" at the end denotes a school of thought, not a religion; the suffix "教" is that one that denotes a religion), Daoism/道家, Legalism (Fa Jia/法家), Mohism/墨家, etc.

The "Five Classics" (五经) in the "Four Books and Five Classics" (四书五经) associated with the Confucian tradition, they are Shijing/《诗经》 (Classic of Poetry), Yijing/《易经》 (also known as I Ching), Shangshu/《尚书》 (Classic of History), Liji/《礼记》 (Book of Rites), and Chunqiu/《春秋》 (Spring and Autumn Annals). The "Four Books" (四书) are Daxue/《大学》 (Great Learning), Zhongyong/《中庸》 (Doctrine of the Mean), Lunyu/《论语》 (Analects), and Mengzi/《孟子》 (known as Mencius).

And finally the souvenir shop! Here's a Chinese chess (xiangqi/象棋) set where the pieces are fashioned like Western chess, in that they actually look like the things they are supposed to represent, compared to traditional Chinese chess pieces where each one is just a round wooden piece with the Chinese character for the piece on top:

A blind box set of small figurines that are supposed to mimic Shang and Zhou era animal-shaped bronze vessels. Fun fact, in Shang dynasty people revered owls, and there was a female general named Fu Hao/妇好 who was buried with an owl-shaped bronze vessel, so that's why this set has three different owls (top left, top right, and middle). I got one of these owls (I love birds so yay!)

And that concludes the museums I visited while in Xi'an!

[wangxianficfinder]

I'm in the mood for...

July 23rd

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1. Hello :D

Itmf a few things

A. xy and wwx both getting adopted by the jiang clan and maybe xy helping to matchmake wangxian?

b. any wangxian fics where xy and wwx are besties

c. wangxian fics with songxuexiao as a bg ship

1A)

Growing from Mud by Aly_H (M, 147k, WIP, WangXian, XuanLi, SongXiao, SangYang, QingJue, XiCheng, Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Adoption, Injury, YunMeng Jiang XY, Canonical Character Death, Slow Burn, Major Character Injury, Angst Angst with a Happy Ending, Wrongful Imprisonment, PTSD)

1B)

Debts of a Child by Hauntcats (M, 115k, WangXian, dark, YZY Bashing, Not Jiang Family Friendly, Angst and Feels, lots of anger, JC Bashing, not Jiang friendly, Angst with a Happy Ending, Content warning for icky spiders in later chapters.) wwx and xy are adopted brother as wwx leaves the jiang clan early on

🔒Tangled Threads by merakily (T, 5k, WangXian, Modern AU, High School, Humor, Armchair Therapy, Confused XY, WWX & XY Friendship, XY just has some teenage angst he's working through, this is basically a xy+aq buddy cop dramaas they try to figure out wangxian's whole deal, XY learns how to knit)

🔒 necromancy is a valid career path! Series by coslyons, Skadiseven (T, 41k, WangXian, XY & WWX & WN & WQ, Modern with Magic AU, Seattle, Necromancy, Found Family, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Gardens & Gardening, Mathematics, Running, Growing up) foster kid vibes

[Podfic of] Tangled Threads by Merakily by AuntieIroh (T, 30-45min, WWX & XY, A-Q & XY & SL & XXC, Modern, High School, Humor, Armchair Therapy, XY gets the therapy he deserves, Confused XY, WWX & XY Friendship, XY just has some teenage angst he's working through, this is basically a xy+aq buddy cop drama, as they try to figure out wangxian's whole deal, XY learns how to knit, Song: Angry (The Rolling Stones)) therapist rather than bestie but they like each other!

1C)

🔒 live from new york by varnes (E, 87k, WangXian, JYL/JZX, snl au, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, A Family Can Just Be The Staff Of A Popular Late Night Sketch Show, Pining, Getting Together, Modern, Happy Ending, Idiots in Love, and they were ROOMMATES, Frottage, Light Bondage, could not be lighter or gentler bondage) songxuexiao is very subtle but its there

Time After Time by ghosthouses (T, 4k, WangXian, SongXueXiao, High School, 80's Romance AU, Prom, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Mutual Pining, oblivious wangxian, the xuesongxiao is mostly background, fixing love triangles with polyamory, lwj in a suit)

Violet Spider's Choice by tkbenjamin (M, 62k, WangXian, XiYao, SongXueXiao, XuanLi, JFM/YZY, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Kid Fic, Yin Iron, Good Parent JFM, Good Parent YZY, JGY Redemption, XY Redemption, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, LWJ Spoils WWX, No Underage Sex, Everybody Lives, Murder gremlins)

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2. Please help, oh wonderful FicFinders! This is an ITMF request: any fic that is really harsh on Madam Yu but does NOT include Jiang Cheng bashing. Especially if she suffers some comeupance for the way she treats WWX+her kids.

🔒 If Wishes Were Donkeys by NightOwl1 (M, 101k, WIP, WangXian, SVSSS, Time Travel Fix-It, Case Fic, Mpreg, Fluff and Humor, Dysfunctional Jiāng Family, Bad Parent YZY, WangXian Get a Happy Ending,   Period-Typical Homophobia, Crossdressing, LWJ and WWX Have a Breeding Kink, It’s All The System’s Fault, Post-Canon, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Warning: JGS, Good Uncle LQR, LWJ and WWX Are LSZ’s Parents, Inappropriate Humor, Family Feels) THE YZY comeuppance fic in my opinion

🔒🧡 rain falls and soaks into the earth series by RoseThorne (T, 57k, WangXian, WIP, Near Death Experience, Attempt Drowning, Madam Yu Bashing, Recovery, No war AU)

🧡 To have and to hold by Moominmammashandbag (M, 78k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Major character injury, CQL verse, Happy Ending)

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3. Hi do you know any fic about weiying transmigrating into a novel or game or such?

So Call Me a Pessimist, but I Don’t Believe in It by Anonymous (Not Rated, 133k, WIP, WangXian, Food Issues, Family Feels, WWX is a music teacher, WN and WWX are Best Friends from the future, They use memes to talk covertly, Transmigrator WWX, transmigration au, Slow Burn)

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4. Hello! This is my second time asking im in the mood for fics for wangxian suicide squad au or joker au if there is any thank you!

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5. hi!! itmf is there any wangxian fics that has catboy wy like feline misconduct by Papriqua and vicchan @yesibest

stray cat strut by ScarlettStorm (E, 54k, WangXian, No War AU, the world's least mysterious casefic, Comedy, Shenanigans, Slow Burn, a disgusting amount of magically necessary forehead smooches, switch rights)

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6. Hi there. Can you please link me to any "*the most heavy angst* wangxian fic *with happy ending*" where wwx life is constantly in danger as he fought to leave / where wwx desperately tries to gain lwjs love risking everything.

Thankyou for all your hard work

Twin Demons of Mò by XiaoFeiFei (ArfBarkWoof) (M, 358k, MXY & WWX, wangxian, JL & MXY, XY & MXY, JGY & MXY, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Injury, Abuse, Death, Twin Demons of Mo AU, MXY Lives, Major Character Injury, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Minor Character Death, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, Minor Implied/Referenced Incest, Implied/Referenced Torture, Near Death, Near Death Experiences, Canon Divergence, Self-Harm, Found Family, Sexual Abuse, Rape/Non-con Elements, POV Alternating) is /super/ heavy but ends very nicely

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7. Hello! ITMF light hearted secret relationship fics? Either canon or modern, I am just in the mood for some fluff and comedy about WangXian trying to hide their obvious interest in each other from everyone else. Thank you!

🔒 A heated Livestream. by satans_dolly_boy666 (G, 1k, WangXian, WWX & OCs, JC & WWX, WWX & NHS, Modern, livestream, gamer, Established WangXian, Possessive LWJ, Supportive LXC, Jealous LWJ, Internally screaming WWX, Internet Famous, Sugar Daddy, OK no but still-, College/University, College Student WWX, LWJ is fucking rich, Gossip, Surprises, Surprise Kissing, Secret Relationship, Idiots in Love, Dorks in Love, Showing Off, LWJ is a little shit, Identity Reveal, Relationship Reveal, Gay Panic)

After the Final Rose by azurewaxwing (E, 55k, wangxian, modern, reality show au, secret relationship, fluff & angst, happy ending, bachelor LWJ, cameraman WWX, smut)

🔒To Make Him a Perfect Bride by Hinu (E, 139k, WangXian, Modern, Feminization, Crossdressing, Marriage Proposal, Romantic Comedy, Meet the Family, Homophobia, Cultural Differences, Discrimination, Wealth kink, Potentially Unhealthy Beauty Standards, Rich LWJ, Power Bottom WWX, Sugar Daddy LWJ, Plot With Porn, Mild Kink, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Coming Out, Implied Canon-Typical Child Abuse, Phone Sex in Public, Sexual Harassment, competent wwx, Financial Domination, Sexual Roleplay, Light BDSM, WWX’s dog phobia, Submissive LWJ, Blood, Smoking, Mental Health Issues, Panic Attacks, WWX’s dissociative panic attacks in later chapters, Gay LWJ, Protective LWJ, Weddings, Wedding Planning, Secret Relationship, Genderqueer WWX, BAMF NHS, Gay WWX, LWJ and WWX Have a Breeding Kink, fem! WWX is A-Jingyi’s and A-Yuan’s sexual awakening, Office Sex, Airplane Sex, Happy Ending, Class Differences, Crazy Rich Asians Fusion)

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8. ITMF Sunshot Campaign and Burial Mounds Settlement rewrites where WWX still has his golden core? Thank you!

💖🔒 love, in fire and blood by cicer (E, 360k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, YLLZ WWX, Arranged Marriage, political scheming, Gratuitous Domesticity, Mutual Pining, EXTREME SLOWBURN, the inherent eroticism of the forehead ribbon, The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known, neither wwx nor lwj want to be Perceived, but sorry kids! it’s gonna happen!, rated E but the the NSFW stuff doesn’t begin until chapter 19!, bottom LWJ in chapter 20 and 27)

Just go forward like you mean it by tawaen (M, 101k, WangXian, Canon Divergence WWX does not attend the Wen indoctrination, WWX saves Lotus Pier, Inventor WWX, No Golden Core Transfer, Sect Leader JYL, JC Has No Golden Core, Bad Parents JFM and YZY) sort of works by featuring a Wei Ying who keep his core and who helps the Wen remnants, just not in the Burial Mounds.

Cultivating immortality by KizuKatana (E, 231k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Mutual Pining, BAMF WWX, BAMF LWJ, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, unreliable narrator, Found Family, First Time, novel canon relationship dynamics)

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9. Hey! I was looking for some beefy/chubby wangxian fics. Honestly, I'd love to see either of them put on some weight or at least not be just dehydrated muscle-y ppl. Somewhat similar to "the sweetest kind of victory" by stiltonbasket or "as a treat." by Mikkeneko

leave all your love and your longing behind by ScarlettStorm (E, 143k, WangXian, Modern AU, no magic, Meet-Ugly, Panic Attacks, autistic lwj, neurodivergent wwx, the neighborhood asshole dog, if you’ve met one then you know, Hurt/Comfort, Pining, Minor Angst, major shenanigans, Happy Ending, for everyone including the asshole dog, Eventual Smut, switch rights, Sex Toys, horny yearning, Masturbation) WWX has suffered food insecurity in the past but now is healthily chubby which both he and LWJ appreciate

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10. ITMF Wwx going with A-yuan for the celebration of 100 days of Jin Ling.

💖 A Crying Shame by thunderwear (G, 16k, wangxian, canon divergence, fix-it, burial mounds settlement days, getting together, pining, domestic fluff, love confessions, first kiss, sharing a bed, marriage proposal)

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11. To fic finder I request your humble aid I am trying to find podfics of Wei ying and the juniors adventures together and him being a great teacher and a junior being ducklings

🔒❤️ Joy In the Midst of These Things Series by Glitterbombshell (T/G, 53k, WangXian, Angst with Happy Ending, Post-Canon, Teacher WWX, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff) Has 2 podfics available

❤️ The One-Body Problem by metisket (T, 29k, LJY & WWX, LJY & LSZ, wangxian, possession, cohabitation, The One-Body Problem by SeaNoodle, Problem jednego ciała (podfik) by tehanu, [PODFIC] The One-Body Problem by PolynomialPandemic, [PODFIC] The One-Body Problem by Gwogobo, [Podcast] Juniors just wanna have fun by jellyfishfire, kisahawklin) Seeing the reblog, it occurs to me that The One-Body Problem also sorta fits & has a couple of podfics Mainly WWX & LJY, & LSZ is also a significant character

[Podfic] Grow by jellyfishfire (T, 1-1.5H, wangxian, post-canon, de-aging, character study)

Wearing Down Every Bone [Podfic] by Rionaa (E, 2-2.5hrs, WangXian, Groundhog Day, Time Loop, Temporary Character Death, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Case Fic, Curses, Pining, Getting Together, Time Travel, Night Hunts, Hurt wwx, Mystery, Angst with a Happy Ending, Mutual Pining, Depression and Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Podfic Chaptered, Podfic Podfic Length: 2-2.5 Hours, Podfic Length: 45-60 Minutes) This the has a certain amount of juniors + wwx

Juniors' High Nighthunt by AirgiodSLV, irrationalpie, jennisaisquoi, minnapods (minnabird), PolynomialPandemic, semperfiona_podfic (semperfiona), takopods (takonomz) (G, 2k, 10-20mins, Junior Quartet-centric, Minor WangXian, Junior Quartet Dynamics, Comedy, Podfic Length: 10-20 Minutes, Podfic Collaboration, Humor, the juniors accidentally get high on a night hunt)

these two are very much "wwx and his relationships to various juniors" but not on adventures together, but hopefully will still work:

[Podfic] A Civil Combpaign by jellyfishfire (T, 2.5-3hrs, ZhuiLing, WangXian, Marriage Proposal, Teenage Drama, Family Bonding, and the Power of Combs as a courting gift, Podfic Length: 2.5-3 Hours)

[podfic] best friends forever by jellyfishfire (T, 1-1.5 hrs, LingYi, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Juniors shenanigans, Podfic Length: 1-1.5 Hours)

((not a podfic but) A Mother’s Love by FirefliesNLightningBugs (M, 170k, WangXian, XuanLi, Canon Divergence, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Mostly combo of the Untamed and MoDaoZuShi timelines, Unreliable Narrator, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Miscommunication, Family Feels, Found Family, PTSD, Post-Sunshot Campaign, Political Intrigue, Mystery, POV Multiple, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Strong Female Characters, Additional Warnings In Author’s Note, Good Brother In Law JZX, Genderbent WWX, Intersex WWX, not a/b/o, POV Original Character, Expanded Universe, Unplanned Pregnancy, Golden Core Reveal, WWX Has No Golden Core, Cultivation Sect Politics, Bisexual WWX, YLLZ WWX, Yunmeng Shuangjie, Pining WangXian, Parent-Child Relationship, Getting Together, Protective Yúnmèng Jiāng Sect, MXY Lives) wwx is a great teacher to junior ducklings, but it's oc Jiang juniors (tho the canon junior quartet make brief cameos as babies, cause it's a diverging au post sunshot )

[Podfic] 爱不释手; never let me go by argentumlupine (E, 6-7H, WangXian, Audio Format: Streaming, Audio Format: MP3, Case Fic, Blood and Injury, Demons, Body Horror, Mystery)

[Podfic of] To be of use by isweedan (Not Rated, 7-10H, LSZ & LWJ, Found Family, Accidental Baby Acquisition, (kinda), Father-Son Relationship, Missing Scene, Good Teacher LWJ, LSZ is an angel, LJY is the best of brats, Cloud Recesses, Seclusion Lite(TM), Everyone under 20 at Cloud Recesses worships Hanguang-jun, Fluff, Hanguang-jun is the coolest, Worldbuilding, this is not sad tho even though it's set in the time jump, the fluff-to-sads ratio is v high, Audio Format: MP3)

[Podfic] A Matter of Technicality by semperfiona_podfic (semperfiona) (T, 2-2.5hrs, JL & JC & WWX, Post-Canon, JC & WWX Reconciliation, As Helped Along By The Junior Ensemble, Feat. Fairy As A Very Good Girl, Fluff and Humor, Family Feels, Some Minor Nefarious Plotting, It's For A Good Cause Though, The Technicalities Of Transmigration, Questionable Fantasy Inheritance Law, Podfic Length: 2-2.5 Hours, Audio Format: Streaming, Audio Format: MP3, Audio Format: Download)

~*~

12. Hey I was going thru all your wanxian recs and they are all so good and unique! I'm in the mood for a fic where Jiang Yangli and Lan wangji are betrothed, wwx just like canon becomes friends lwj and doesn't realise that he has fallen for him. He acts like he is very happy his 2 favorite people are getting married but also really sad about it not understanding why. I know its very specific but I'vent found anything even close to this concept on ao3. Hope you can help. Thank you💜 @auspiccake

Neatly Arranged by thunderwear (T, 45k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Angst with a Happy Ending, lwj’s mother is here but only briefly, RIP, Shenanigans, Fix-Itof sorts, Canonical Character Death, but not all, did i forget to tag pining, because this fic is like 90 percent pining, Hurt/Comfort)

~*~

13. Hi! Hope you have a wonderful day! For the next ITMF, can I have fics where the Lan Clan is soft/lenient/have favoritism towards Wei Ying? Kinda like Cluster of Clouds by Nika_Raven_Celeste? It doesn't have to be time-traveling, can be set during their CR or Post-Canon.

Bonus points if other people can literally see the difference of treatment between wei ying and them lol

🧡 Stunted, Starving Juvenility by TomatenMark (E, 828k, WangXian, WIP, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Getting Together, Supportive LQR, Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It of Sorts, Supportive LXC, Canon Divergence, Inventor WWX, Possessive LWJ, Cultivation Sect Politics, Pre-Sunshot Campaign, Fluff and Smut, Burning of the Cloud Recesses, Fall of Lotus Pier, Angst, Sunshot Campaign Not JFM Friendly, split into parts, Part 1 complete, Part 2 complete, Original Character(s)) The Lan clan loves talisman genius!WWX, & someone even notes that LQR is biased towards him

I Have Arranged to Tie You to Me by xxxMiaHikarixxx (G, 76k, WIP, WangXian, Lan protective team, Time Travel, Past, LWJ oriented, Arranged Marriage, Boys In Love, Soulmates, Fix-It, Jiang siblings, not jiang parents friendly, Soft LWJ, Protective LWJ, Genius WWX)

🔒The Second Hand Unwinds by trulywicked (E, 64k, wangxian, JYL/JZX, WIP, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Time Travel Fix-It, Not JC Friendly, Not Yunmeng Jiang Sect Friendly, Not Jiāng Family Friendly, Not YZY Friendly, Time Travelling LWJ, Protective LWJ, Fluff, Minor Angst, Minor Character Death, JGS is his own warning, Wooing, LWJ is romantic af, Inventor WWX, Genius WWX, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Protective Gusu Lan Sect, Supportive LXC, Good Uncle LQR, WWX Protection Squad)

Just Say Yes series by edenwolfie (M, 338k, wangxian, canon divergence, matchmaking, pining, cloud recesses study arc, getting together, fluff, humor, hurt/comfort, everyone lives au)

in the shadow of moonlit flowers by Reverie (cl410) (T, 56k, wangxian, LXC/NMJ, cloud recesses, NHS & LWJ friendship, developing relationship, LWJ pov, minor injuries, autistic LWJ, implied/referenced child abuse, aka YZY warning, genius WWX, light angst, hurt/comfort, WWX protection squad)

Dispersing Clouds by dreamingofcake (E, 283k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Genius WWX, Inventor WWX, Not Jiang Family Friendly, Abusive YZY, Canonical Child Abuse, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, Eventual Sex, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm (Background Character), Background Character Deaths, child deaths, Canon JC, Good Uncle LQR, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Cultivation Sect Politics, Homophobia, Heteronormativity, Feelings Realization, WWX is Not Oblivious)

~*~

14. 👋🏼 Hiii

Itmf

A) Fics where Wei Ying has real siblings , they can be blood related or adopted Excluding jiang cheng and Yanli or any of the characters from the Canon. What I am looking for is OCs . And no transmigration

B) Fics where Wei Ying is blood related to the Jiangs not as son or anything but as cousin or distant relative or so . [If u can find something where the jiangs knows of this and are thus treat him nicely then plz

We Meet at the Thousandth Step by Admiranda, Rynne (T, 316k, WangXian, CSSR/WCZ, Canon Divergence, No Sunshot Campaign, CSSR & WCZ Live, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Different First Meeting, Night Hunts, Genius WWX, Inventor WWX, Plot, Romance, Drama, Fluff, Strangers to married, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Everyone Lives, Developing Relationship, Minor Violence, Case Fic, Mystery, Flirting, WWX's Canon-Typical Flower Flirting, Arson, There Was Only One Bed, Getting Together, First Kiss, Meeting the Parents, Resolved Sexual Tension, Resolved Romantic Tension, WWX Is a Good Big Brother, New Relationship Bliss, Chinese Mythology & Folklore, Blood and Injury, Yiling siblings, Married WangXian, Honeymoon, Wangxian's Baby Fever) gives Wei Ying a sister who features heavily in later chapters

🔒Through the Storm by marhikit (T, 33k, WangXian, WX/OMC, Not JC Friendly, Canon Divergence, Not Madam Yu Friendly, Not Jiang Family Friendly, WWX gets big siblings that love and adore him, JZX ends up with someone different, No Golden Core Transfer, Creepy JGS, JZX & WWX Friendship, WWX in a different sect) gives Wei Ying an adopted brother and sister.

~*~

15. Hi! Im in the mood for a fic with animal transformation (for either Wei Wuxian or Lan Wangji)like full on turn into an animal, any animal works- cat, bunny, fox etc. and the other having to take care of them until they find out how to turn the other back into a human

the soft animal of your body by sysrae (T, 15k, WangXian, modern cultivation, Golden Core Reveal, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Animal Transformation, Shapeshifting, Getting Together, Confessions)

quarantine required by lazulisong (G, 1k, WangXian, cat fic, Animal Transformation)

Tales From Bunny Mountain by telarna (G, 5k, wangxian, JL/LSZ, JL&WWX, so many bunnies, lan buns, Tales From Bunny Mountain [Podfic] by esbielle)

🔒 and in the spring i shed my skin by wvlfqveen (T, 11k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Professors, Shapeshifter LWJ, Not Quite Necromancer WWX, Mutual Pining, WWX being an oblivious idiot, Fluff, Love Confessions, yunmeng trio, Family Feels, get JC therapy 2020, Kissing)

🔒💖 blue-ribbon bunny by cicer (G, 15k, wangxian, modern, shapeshifting, supernatural elements, fluff & humor)

in the arms of the angel by ScarlettStorm (E, 37k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Fox WWX, animal rescuer LWJ, Minor pining, major shenanigans, Comedy, Smut, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Adhd WWX, the mortifying ordeal of getting your head stuck in a peanut butter jar, and getting subsequently rescued by your crush, there were in fact two beds, but LWJ knows what he's about, Blowjobs, Frottage, switch rights, Scent Kink, mildly telepathic sex, courtship via kittens)

Playing Possum by DizziDreams (T, 1k, WangXian, Modern AU, Crack, animal shifter wwx, sometimes meeting the love of your life looks like a naked man playing dead in your laundry room) should work but the human caring for the animal doesn't realize the animal has shifted from human in these.

Kitty-cat by canis_lupus (E, 98k, WangXian, WIP, Cat WWX, Modern with Magic, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, dom LWJ, Sub WWX, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Jiang Family Dynamics, Abusive Jiang Family, POV Multiple, WWX Has ADHD, Autistic LWJ, Masturbation)

~*~

16. Hello, itmf works where:

A) No sunshot campaign.

B) -Wei Ying reaches immortality young

Or

-Wei Ying loses/fractures his core due to Zidian

In both cases he tries to hide it

Thank you !

A) A Life Without Regrets by naqaashi (M, 74k, wangxian, JFM & WWX, JC & WWX, WRH & WWX, LXC & LWJ, LQR & LWJ, LWJ & NHS, Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Crack Treated Seriously, musical cultivation, Slow Burn, Pining, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Murder Husbands, PTSD, BAMF WWX, Demonic Cultivation, POV WWX, Cultivation Sect Politics, Worldbuilding, No Yīn Iron, Genius WWX, Inventor WWX, Artist WWX, Musician WWX, Night Hunts, Fate & Destiny, Bad Parent JFM & YZY, Golden Core, Cultivation Theory, Sentient Burial Mounds, Father-Son Relationship, Dysfunctional Family, Grief/Mourning, Parent-Child Relationship, Angry WWX, Pining WWX, WWX is Not Okay, No Golden Core Transfer, BAMF LWJ, Pining LWJ, POV LWJ, Angry LWJ, One-Braincell Wangxian, Love Confessions, Idiots in Love, WIP) I apologize for not quite understanding what they're requesting but if they're looking for both no war AND Wei Ying becoming immortal at a young age, then I recommend A Life Without Regrets

B) 💖🔒love, in fire and blood by cicer (E, 360k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, YLLZ WWX, Arranged Marriage, political scheming, Gratuitous Domesticity, Mutual Pining, EXTREME SLOWBURN, the inherent eroticism of the forehead ribbon, The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known, neither wwx nor lwj want to be Perceived, but sorry kids! it’s gonna happen!, rated E but the the NSFW stuff doesn’t begin until chapter 19!, bottom LWJ in chapter 20 and 27) (link in #8) If they're looking for either A or B, I'd suggest love, in fire and blood for B. Sorry again for my confusion!

~*~

17. Itmf some pwp fem!wangxian

give me one good honest kiss by occultings (microcomets) (E, 25k, Female wangxian, Rule 63, Femslash, Cisswap, Practice Kissing, Pining while fucking, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sleepovers, Misunderstandings, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Compulsory Heterosexuality, Cunnilingus, Vaginal Fingering, Strap-Ons, Semi-Public Sex, Lesbian Sex, lwj's canonical tantrum biting, the inherent homooticism of high school orchestra, the emotional catharsis of lesbians beating the shit out of straight men, College/University)

good friends by plonk (Not Rated, 11k, Female WangXian, WangXianJue, Modern AU, Gender Changes, A/B/O Dynamics)

Happy for Now by ScarlettStorm (E, 79k, Female WangXian, Rule 63, Femslash, Cisswap, Practice Kissing, Pining while fucking, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sleepovers, Misunderstandings, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Compulsory Heterosexuality, Cunnilingus, Vaginal Fingering, Strap-Ons, Semi-Public Sex, Lesbian Sex, lwj's canonical tantrum biting, the inherent homoeroticism of high school orchestra, the emotional catharsis of lesbians beating the shit out of straight men, College/University)

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[strawberryshortcake1495]

Sock Opera Alternative Ending…?

“I am giving you away, you are a woman now!” I said in my best Grunkle Stan impression. “Waddles, the rings!” This was fine. I could do this all night until I get my body back. My eyes trailed upwards and as the words left my mouth, my voice still held that stupid high-pitched tone.

“Oh no.”

Mabel and the demon possessing my body come flying down on the wooden cake hung up by a thin rope. Only now that rope wasn’t holding onto anything and they both land hard on the stage with a loud crash. The noise is too loud and I find myself scrambling to get farther away, even though I know nothing can hurt me.

“Get out of my brother’s body, you evil triangle!” Mabel cries out. Bill holds her back with my arm as they tussle for the journal. “Children fighting? I can sell this!” Grunkle Stan says, pulling out a video camera. His voice sounds too far away and I’m sprawled out at the edge of the stage. I can’t move. Why can’t I move?

With one swift move, Mabel snatches the journal and slams it on Bill’s- well, it’s technically MY face. By the impact and the loud “PLAP” sound that can be heard, I know it’s gonna hurt like hell once I get my body back. She probably broke my nose or something, but I’ll manage.

“You can’t stop me, I’m a being of pure energy with NO weakness!” Bill screeches. I’m in a somewhat dazed state as I watch them fight like two hungry cats. I can’t feel my body. Wait, I’m not even in my body. What the hell am I thinking???

I try to focus my eyes on the two of them, and that’s when he locks his fingers around her neck.

That wasn’t all either. Once he was sure he got an iron grip on her, he twists his waist and fucking slams her onto the remains of the wooden background and puppets. When I hear her cry of pain, I’m brought back to myself. Without thinking, I zoom over to them.

“NO, STOP! LEAVE HER ALONE!” A guttural cry rips out my throat, but no one hears me. The audience has become seemingly aware that this isn’t part of the play and I watch as Soos and Wendy run upstage to pull him- ME off her.

“Dipper, get off her!” Wendy yells. “What are you doing, dude?!” Soos asks nervously. Their pleas fall on deaf ears as Bill tightens his grip. “Get off me!” He says aggressively. Too aggressively. He then proceeds to slam Mabel again onto the broken floorboards, the chipped wood slicing away at fabric and skin.

I begin hyperventilating when I see her face turning blue as she stares at him. Her eyes literally bulge out of their sockets and her mouth is wide open, trying futilely to breathe but his hands are pressing down on her windpipe, effectively cutting off her air. Despite this, the journal is tucked neatly in her arms and she holds onto it like a lifeline, refusing to let go.

“OH GOD, NO NO NO! LEAVE HER ALONE! STOP! STOP! LEAVE HER ALOOONE!!!” I cry desperately, my voice seemingly having raised in pitch or so. Of course, he doesn’t stop. Mabel begins to lose consciousness. Her eyes slowly flutter shut and her grip on the journal goes slack.

Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god oh god. Is she dead? Did he kill her? Oh my fucking god. He killed her. He killed my sister. Everyone thinks I killed her. That- that-

Bill watches as the journal slides out of her arms and reaches out to grab it, but then Grunkle Stan slams his video camera right into the back of my head. The action sends my body crumbling down, and Bill goes flying out like a frisbee. “Woah woah woah, hey!” He screams. Then he’s gone.

Subconsciously, I fly right back into my body. I know everything will hurt like hell, but if I let that demon hurt my sister, then is it really that bad?

The first thing I feel is my heart pounding in my chest, a steady beat that sends waves of bile to my throat. Then the real pain floods through me. I feel my arms aching with the stab marks from the forks, my eyes stinging from the Pitt Cola, and the pool of blood forming around my head.

The pain immediately sends me into shock and the only thing I can focus on is the rapid rise and fall of Mabel’s chest as air rushes into her lungs, half of her hair spread out on the stage with the rest covering her face.

Slowly, my breathing matches hers and I just lay there as stars dance in my vision. I can’t breathe. Why is it so hard to breathe? The last thing I see before blacking out is Stan’s wrinkled face shifting from surprised fury to regretful horror as he realizes what he’s done.

[bluecloudsandpinksnow]

the triangle is the strongest shape (akabane karma x reader x asano gakushuu)

summary:

Studying together is a love language.

---

While you turn to Karma with the look of utmost betrayal, Gakushu faces him with frustration, “It was three points, you cretin! Besides, I’d like to see you keep rank one with the amount of extracurriculars I have to balance.”

Karma laughs mischievously as he sticks his tongue out at both of your disgruntled expressions. “Come on now, Rank 2. Let’s help our dearest Rank 4 with their educational struggles.”

“You are appallingly infuriating.”

“Aww, I love you too, Pres~” fandom: Assassination Classroom by Yûsei Matsui pairing: akabane karma x gender-neutral! reader x asano gakushuu warnings: none notes: - cross posted on ao3 under the same name - inspired by that one head-canon post on Tumblr involving these two that kickstarted my downward spiral, pls give this person appreciation (https://www.tumblr.com/jupiter-esque/709152335950200832/hiii-can-i-request-asano-x-reader-x-karma-in-poly?source=share) - also aspects of trephacard (castlevania season 1 esp!!) AND iron widow's trio were quite helpful in building the dynamic. - please enjoy! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

--- START ---

After the hustle and bustle of the previous midterm week had passed, the school’s atmosphere had relaxed far too quickly for your comfort. Going from days of seemingly never-ending examinations to back-to-back class projects had left you on edge and hopped up on a near-illegal amount of caffeine.

Yet, after all that stress-inducing work, you were still antsy to do more. I mean, seriously, how does someone relax back into a schedule of only lessons after that assassination attempt of a school week?

You wouldn’t consider yourself an overachiever or workaholic by any means, but by God-

Seeing Koyama’s expression of absolute despair after you had wiped the floor with him on the biology examination had you beaming with vainglorious pride.

A score of 98 out of 100 to his measly 95.

Serves Mr. Memorization Monster right, you had thought. Whenever Gakushu would bring him around for study sessions, you always argued vehemently with Koyama against his reliance on memorizing the material over understanding the concepts.

Call it petty and childish, but that taste of victory and being objectively correct? Now that’s a drug you could get addicted to.

With Koyama down for the count, you have three people remaining on your ‘Kunugigaoka High School Hit List,’ and Ren Sakikibara was next in line to be absolutely obliterated by your spite-fueled rank climbing.

Ren has been a notably difficult target, but Korosensei never taught you to be a quitter. You had spent a good chunk of the last few years fantasizing about the flowery prose you would use in your future victory speech against the Japanese Virtuoso himself.

Now, all you needed was the scores to prove your dominance.

Hence your current situation: sprawled on a couch in Gakushu’s room, offhandedly reading through the annotated notes of the current lesson in your Japanese Folk Literature class. The sounds of quick typing served as your background noise as you reviewed your initial literary analysis.

You had mostly skimmed the sections you highlighted, having gone over them with Kanzaki earlier in the week. However, a rather confusing passage stopped you in your tracks; you had spent the better part of the past hour re-reading it in an attempt to understand the excerpt.

To no avail, you can’t seem to wrap your head around it despite all your best efforts. Disappointedly, you knew that it was time for you to swallow your pride and ask your two other targets for assistance.

Luckily, the two in question are currently in the same room as you. Quite convenient.

You lower your readings onto your lap and look around at your surprisingly tranquil surroundings.

Sitting at your front was Karma, who was on the floor beside you, plotting out motion time graphs for his Physics elective. He was rather focused, drawing out the lines for the acceleration-time section, so you decided to leave him be.

If you caused Karma to draw a jagged line across his worksheet, he would need to reprint it and draw all the graphs again. Knowing him, he might just end up poking you with the uncapped permanent marker in his hand as revenge.

You decide to bother Gakushu, who is sitting on the couch next to your reclining form. He had his laptop on his lap and had somehow not stopped typing for the past two hours that you three have been studying.

“Gakushu? Are you busy?” you ask softly, craning your neck to look up at him.

He doesn’t give you a verbal response, but you know he heard you as soon as the sounds of typing stop abruptly.

“Can I ask you for the historical context of this author? It might help me understand what he wrote.” you requested, flipping to the front page of your readings and raising them towards Gakushu.

He briefly glances at your paper, and you perk up in joy when he seems to adhere to your request.

“Thank you-” you start, before realizing he had just gone back to revising his Chemistry lab calculations.

Never before had you experienced such blatant disrespect. The audacity of this boy, all because he was a few grade points up on you.

Putting on your best, Irina-sensei-approved, pouty face, you reach forward and tap Gakushu’s knee.

“Aww! Please, it won’t take that long. Just a quick Google search?”

You look up at him with as much unrelenting cuteness as you can muster, but Gakushu doesn’t even give you the benefit of a glare. Not even you bonking your head lightly against his thigh had broken his concentration.

“If you truly need the information immediately, I don’t understand why you won’t just get up and grab your laptop,” he states coldly.

Unbelievable. Not even Karasuma-sensei was this much of a square. What made the electrolyte count of Japanese sports drinks more interesting to him than helping you?

“But Mr. President, your couch is so comfy. Its gravitational force is too strong!” you stretch out your limbs, leaving your arms to fall lax on Gakushu’s forearms.

He stops typing once more, and gives you a sigh, shaking his head. You smile up at him, vocalizing a mischievous “hehe.”

“I can assure you it has nothing of the sort. Why don’t you go bother Akabane instead.” Gakushu responds in exasperation, simply pushing your arms off of his while you cry out in complaint.

Karma, upon hearing his name mentioned, perks up with a ‘hm?’ and puts down his marker. You turn to look at him with faux dejection, noticing that he has almost finished his worksheet. He tilts his head at you in response, a mixture of confusion and amusement on his face.

“Whatcha say to them, Pres? Why do they look so sad?” Karma asks as he gathers up his graphing papers.

“Karma, he was being mean to me~” you whine, only for Gakushu to huff out air in irritation. “See! So cruel, I was just asking for help.”

In response to your silly antics, Karma snorts out a laugh. “Gaku-kun, aren’t you supposed to help out your fellow students in their education? You should be a good example.”

Gakushu groans in annoyance, “Akabane, don’t enable their childish behavior. They are just too lazy to get up and walk three steps to get their device.”

Upon processing his words, you shoot up in offense, moving to a quick sitting position while crossing your arms. You couldn’t understand why he couldn’t give you this short act of service.

“Gakushu! You’re so mean, I just wanted your help with this.” You frown, pouting with a little more anger. Karma’s lips pursed into a thin line as he glanced at Gakushu who had not stopped typing, seemingly unbothered by your distress. However, Karma doesn’t seem to say anything and goes behind the couch to put his graphs into his bag. Figures, he’d leave the growing tension for you two to deal with.

You let out a sigh of disappointment, “You know what, nevermind. I’m sorry for bothering you when you’re clearly busy.”

Swinging your legs off the couch, you awkwardly move back into your earlier reclining position and mentally prepare yourself to re-analyze the difficult Japanese excerpt again. However, right as you lift your readings towards your face, someone grabs the papers from your hand.

You look up in surprise, seeing Gakushu put down his laptop on the coffee table with one hand while he reads your papers in the other. After a brief silence, he speaks your name.

“You’re intelligent enough to analyze this regardless of historical context. I’ve seen you tackle more difficult prose than this one.” Gakushu states, giving you back the papers.

Furrowing your eyebrows, you try to process your next action. Were you supposed to preen at the praise, or be insulted at his lack of understanding of your intentions?

“Gaku-kun, don’t be so dense. I’m pretty sure they just want us to study together.” Karma finally cuts in, leaning on the couch’s backrest behind you and Gakushu.

You look up at Karma with silent thanks before clearing your throat. “Yeah, that’s what I wanted. Look- I’m really glad that you think so highly of me, but this is genuinely stumping me and I just wanted your guys’ help.”

Gakushu and Karma gaze at you silently, both processing your words with deep thought. You decide to continue and get your piece out, hoping to smooth over the tension you’ve created.

“I value your guys’ opinion, okay? Talking about these things with two of the most intelligent people I know really helps me understand them faster. Besides, we’ve been having non-stop study sessions for the past two weeks. Yet, we’ve barely spent any time together that wasn’t just an individually focused study period.”

You cover your face with your papers, feeling sheepish about your sudden vulnerability. The room is silent, and you start wondering if it’s time to back-pedal and try to avert course.

Once you gather enough courage to look at the two boys, you first see Gakushu give you a troubled, guilty look.

“I apologize for being so indifferent. I- I didn’t mean to disregard your needs.” 

Upon meeting your keen, curious stare, Gakushu pauses for a moment and looks away, flustered. He takes a moment to recollect himself before continuing, “You’re usually so self-sufficient, and so I unfairly assumed you were simply just fooling around to get our attention.”

“Well, that last part is kinda true, but I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted your help,” you replied softly, cautiously reaching out for Gakushu’s hand in an attempt to give physical comfort. To your elation, he reaches out to take your hand, keeping yours in a gentle grip while moving to rest your intertwined hands on his lap.

Karma, who for the past few minutes chose to keep quiet while the two of you worked out your feelings, let out a big sigh of relief that he didn’t know he was even holding in.

“Geez, you guys sure know how to make things more dramatic than they need to be.” he voices, wiping away an imaginary sweatdrop in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Hey!” you can’t help but smile as you reach up to playfully swat Karma’s shoulder with your note-holding hand.

The redhead dodges your papers with ease, laughing softly as he continues to tease, “Did you really need to put us through that soap opera just to ask for help? So theatrical of you~”

You let out an impish “hmph!” in response to Karma’s jests, choosing to ask Gakushu for support with a light hand squeeze and your best puppy-dog eyes.

To your chagrin, however, he simply shakes his head with a small grin. “Unfortunately, Akabane is right. That was a rather ostentatious way of asking for our assistance.”

Karma lets out a boisterous laugh as your face turns red. He even has the audacity to reach out and pinch your tomato-colored cheeks as you wallow in your shame.

“Ehh! Why are you two ganging up on me now? Just help me already! How else am I beating Ren and catching up to you two?” you whine light-heartedly, grabbing Karma’s wrist so he stops pinching your cheeks.

“Huh? Is that your motivation? Gee, I didn’t realize that was why you were on a ranking warpath.” he asks, finally moving his hand away from your face and straightening up.

“Ah- Yea, maybe? Ehe,” you utter, still reeling from the mortification of the previous topic.

Gakushu puts a hand to his chin, analyzing your statement. “Hmm, that does make sense. I thought you had just wanted to prove Koyama’s studying method wrong, but if we take into account your history, you’ve actually been slowly outranking the Virtuosos throughout the examinations.”

“You’ve already outranked Koyama? Hah! No wonder he’s been such a sourpuss lately.” Karma exclaims, moving around the couch and grabbing his practice problems from the coffee table.

“Yeah! Didn’t you guys see my name above his on the rankings board?” You question, amused at the thought of completely ruining Koyama’s week with your complete, and utter victory.

“I did,” Gakushu pats your head with his unoccupied hand, “Good work, please keep at it and go humble Ren.”

You preen at his praise, heart pumping and even more motivated to dethrone Ren Sakikibara.

“Ehh, sorry, I didn’t see. All I need to know is that I’m still above Gaku-kun over here.” Karma admits, seemingly completely guiltless about his offense to you both.

While you turn to Karma with the look of utmost betrayal, Gakushu faces him with frustration, “It was three points, you cretin! Besides, I’d like to see you keep rank one with the amount of extracurriculars I have to balance.”

Karma laughs mischievously as he sticks his tongue out at both of your disgruntled expressions. “Come on now, Rank 2. Let’s help our dearest Rank 4 with their educational struggles.”

“You are appallingly infuriating.”

“Aww, I love you too, Pres~”

Gakushu rolls his eyes as the redhead blows him a kiss, untangling your hands to reach out for his laptop.

“Scoot.” Karma taps your lower leg with his rolled-up problem set paper.

You lazily raise your head at him, “Mmm, nah. Maybe, if you were nicer, I’d let you sit with us.”

“Come on, move.” Karma starts incessantly whacking your knees with his Math worksheet. You kick back at his arm halfheartedly.

“Alright, don’t move. Fine by me.” he seemingly concedes, halting his paper-swatting assault on your legs—

Before plopping his butt on your outstretched legs.

“Hey!” You immediately struggle against his weight, “Hey! Move off, you're crushing my legs.”

Despite your best efforts, you can barely lift him off of you in your current position.

“Nope, these are the terms you agreed to, sweetheart~” Karma teases.

Still kicking and flailing, you call out to Gakushu for help, but he only goes back to work despite the disturbances. “You’re heavy! Gaku-kun, please get him off me.”

“Akabane, please refrain from causing bodily harm to our partner.” Gakushu requests with a hint of amusement present under his exasperation.

Karma groans but unenthusiastically complies nonetheless. You kick at him in playful revenge once the circulation returns to your legs, and he makes a mocking face at you before setting down his rolled-up Math worksheet on the coffee table.

“Come on, at least move up. I don’t have space.”

“Nooo, if I move up any further Gakushu might push me off the couch.” You protest despite Karma’s expectant looks.

Luckily, Gakushu cuts in, “I would do nothing of the sort.”

You look up at him in surprise. “Eh?” You breathe, waiting for him to continue. He responds by moving his laptop forward and patting his thigh, signaling for you to lie down on him.

Karma shares a surprised look with you before quickly encouraging you with wild hand movements to not pass up the rare opportunity where Gakushu initiates physical affection. You move up to rest your head on his lap despite your reddening face, and when you glance up at the strawberry blonde boy, you see a faint hint of red light up his cheeks as well before he clears his throat and continues typing.

After shaking off the brief shock, Karma finally gets to sit down on the couch. “You can stretch your legs over mine, I’m just gonna read your excerpt so we can finally help you with it.”

“Oh, uh- okay? Thanks,” you say, flustered at the close proximity to your partners. “Let me get them.”

You recover the papers squished between you and the couch and hand them over to Karma. He proceeds to start reading them, and the three of you fall into an easy silence.

—

Well, as easy of a silence as you can maintain, laying there with absolutely no clue what to do while in between your two preoccupied partners.

Karma is still reading the passages on the paper, however, his idle hand had started tracing circles on your ankle at some point. Despite your burning face, you still feel too meek to move or say anything about it.

Gakushu on the other hand, has moved on to his student council work, reading through club constitutions with his left hand scrolling the documents with the trackpad, while his right is combing absentmindedly through your hair.

Despite being physically frozen, your mind is overclocked with the proximity and their casual ministrations. Gakushu and Karma are much too uncomfortable for any overt PDA outside of hand-holding, and you’ve been so busy with schoolwork that you three rarely even have the chance to be physically affectionate in private.

Well, you suppose there has to be a start for everything. Still, you wish you couldn't hear your heartbeat so loud in your ears. You want to be able to relax and enjoy the rare domestic moment with your partners.

They aren’t really making it easy for you, though.

“Hey, hey. No falling asleep now. You still have to defeat Ren to havee any chance at beating us, remember?” Karma gives your leg a double tap to catch your attention.

You jolt, “Wait, eh- Did you say something before that?”

“Yeah, I was asking for which passage you didn’t understand,” Karma states, looking at you in anticipation.

“I- Uh.”

You were trying to formulate a response, trying to remember what exactly you even wanted their help with. But Karma started tracing circles around your inner calf and Gakushu was lightly scratching your scalp with his fingertips, leaving you to do nothing but gape and stutter.

“Hey, sweetheart. You alright?” Karma asks curiously, as if it isn’t clearly obvious that you’re currently flustered.

Laughing awkwardly in response, you resort to covering your face before Gakushu notices that you are as red as Karma’s hair. “Haha, I’m fine,” you mutter into your palms, though the sound is muffled.

You peek out from in between your fingers just in time to see realization dawn on Karma’s face. He gives you a sly grin, now tracing the circles on your calf with more intent.

“Gaku-kun, it seems like we haven’t been the best boyfriends. Look how red they are, we aren’t even doing anything that scandalous yet.”

You let out a little squeal and cover your eyes one more.

“Eh! What do you mean yet? And no, you’re great boyfriends! The best! Just- I’m not- Not used to this.” you stutter out quickly, lowering your hands to uncover your eyes.

“If that’s the case, we’ll make sure you get used to it.” Gakushu gives you a casual head pat, as you look up at him. His heartfelt gaze combined with your comprehension of his statement causes you to shrink into his side to hide your face further.

“I- ugh! You two, you’re gonna kill me here,” you grumble.

Karma laughs loudly and you feel Gakushu vibrate with a chuckle, “Dying from too much love? Now that’s truly a modern-day problem, dearest~”

Comically peeved by his remark, you turn away from Gakushu’s side to glare at Karma, who simply waggles his eyebrows at you in response.

“Anyway—” you start, abruptly cutting yourself off when you feel a ticklish sensation at your feet.

You kick wildly, trying to get away from his hands. “Karma! Stop that- haha! Stop!”

Gakushu quickly lifts up his laptop to avoid your flailing limbs, and you end up falling off the couch from your frantic movements. You roll onto the coffee table with enough force to displace the items placed on it, forcing Karma to get up quickly and check on you.

The panic starts as soon as you raise your head and see Gakushu’s water tumbler topple over.

With the quickest reflexes you can muster, you dive for the bottle before it can hit the floor.

“Gotcha!” you exclaim, catching it just in time.

To your surprise, the tumbler is heavy, as if the water inside was barely depleted. Karma seems to pick up on your realization and raises his hand to his mouth in faux concern. “Uh-oh.” He side-eyes the strawberry-blonde boy on the couch.

Gakushu stiffens up, registering what you two have discovered. He tries to play it off, continuing to type despite knowing what’s coming next for him.

“Gaku-kun?” you smile sweetly at him.

“Mm.”

“When was the last time you drank water?” you question, setting the bottle on the table and standing up to walk over to the couch.

“... I’ll drink some as soon as I finish reviewing the Debate Club’s renewed bylaws proposal,” Gakushu replies curtly, not wishing to elaborate further.

“Gakushu. Go drink water, now.” You demand sternly, tapping your foot on the floor. Karma stands next to you and leans over the strawberry-blonde boy’s laptop.

“Yeah, Pres, it’s not like their constitution will run away while you aren’t looking.” he jokes, using a finger to push down the laptop screen.

Gakushu tugs the laptop away, “Just let me finish this, it won’t take long.”

Despite his attempt to ignore you two, the both of you continue to stare at him expectantly. You have half a mind to just start telling him off again for neglecting his health.

However, before you can speak, Karma shrugs and walks away. “Whatever.”

You almost get annoyed at the redhead’s disregard for your shared partner’s health, until Karma signals something to you as he’s walking behind the couch.

‘Play along.’ he mouths, getting into position.

Not wanting to foil his plan, you put on a stern expression and put your hands on your hips. “Gakushu, what did we tell you about taking care of yourself?”

“I know, I’ve been keeping it in mind. I just got carried away today,” he replied, still averting his gaze and typing incessantly like a man on death row.

You crouch down to put your hands on his laptop and push the screen down, “Please look at me.”

Upon being forced to look you in the eye, Gakushu falters and loosens his grip on his laptop. You take the moment of weakness as an opportunity to place it gently on the couch beside him.

“Gakushu?” you ask softly, leaning in closer.

“Yeah, I know.” he shuts his eyes and exhales, bowing his head to meet your gaze once more.

Gakushu doesn’t notice you glancing towards Karma who is now positioned right behind him.

You drop the act and smile wickedly, “Sorry for this.”

Karma quickly dives behind Gakushu to scoop him up by his armpits. Meanwhile, you turn away from him and take hold of his legs, propping them up on your shoulders. “Hah?” your victim yells out in surprise.

In perfect synchronization, you and Karma lift him and start hauling him downstairs to the kitchen.

“Release me, you ingrates!” Gakushu shouts.

“No can do, Pres!” Karma responds, howling with laughter as you run down the stairs.

You can’t help but giggle at the situation, “Not a very polite thing to call your partners, Gaku-kun!”

Right as you reach the bottom of the stairs, Gakushu manages to struggle enough to send the three of you tumbling down into a tangle of limbs, complaints, and giggles.

Gakushu tries his best to untangle himself from you and Karma, but the two of you are much too amused to let go of him and get off the floor.

Eventually, he stops struggling and lays back down with you two on both sides of him, pinning his limbs down. “Never do that again,” he demands tiredly.

“Only if you promise to never neglect your health again!” you tease, getting close to his face and staring giddily, unable to control your smile.

Karma follows in tow, leaning over Gakushu’s face, “Yeah, Pres, can’t make demands without giving something in return~”

Gakushu looks at both of your grinning faces, exasperated at the two imbeciles he chose as his romantic partners. After a brief moment, rolls his eyes in faux frustration, before letting out a chortle of amusement, “You two are unbelievable.”

The three of you devolve into a series of giggles, snorts, and chuckles.

After you three calm down, you lay your head on Gakushu’s chest and look up at him, “But you still love us right?” Karma reaches over to pull you into a closer hug and settles his chin into Gakushu’s neck.

Gakushu smiles softly, answering your question confidently as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Of course I do.”

---END---

end notes:

motivation has returned full force like koro-sensei flying to hawaii at mach 20 (idk if that allegory makes sense LMAO)

was thinking of a final scene where Gakuho walks in on these buffoons cuddling on the floor at the bottom of the stairs, but nah, wanted to end it on a soft note

have a gold comment from my beta reader, she puts up with so much: (Regarding Karma's circle tracing) - PUTANGINA MO GAGO, HINDI TO LARO, SERYOSOHIN MO TO, PUSO KO YUNG NAKA SALALAY DITO, TARANTADO

on a last note, i've been rereading Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao cause i just got Heavenly Tyrant, and i am this close to writing an au with karma and gakushu in that universe THIS CLOSE-

anw, thanks for reading! let me know your thoughts if possible, and constructive criticism is much appreciated

pls stay safe and have a good day :DDD

[morporkian-cryptid]

HELLO LUPIN III FANDOM, A NEW TRAILER JUST DROPPED !! YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS !!

That’s right, it means I get to sit down and watch it frame by frame and write down everysingle details to make predictions. Let’s fucking go !

I’m translating all the text with Google, I’ll come back later with a more accurate translation and hopefully an idea of what the voice-over is saying.

The first part of the trailer is pretty basic and doesn’t tell us much, things start getting interesting with the polaroids.

0:00 to 0:08 : These are just clips taken from the previous movies.

0:06 : ‘’Original : Monkey Punch’’

0:09 : Lupin and Jigen exit some old dilapidated building, with bars on the doors and windows. Probably an abandonned prison.

0:09 : Lupin and Jigen are running through a forest. This is a different forest and outfits than in the later clips, so not much we can get from this.

0:10 : Lupin and Jigen running and jumping over the balcony of a fancy mansion. There are police cars in the background, so they’re likely getting chased by Zenigata.

0:11 : ‘’Lupin III – for the first time in 30 years – In theaters soon’’ (what do they mean for the first time in thirty years ?? the anime franchise is over 50 years old ??)

0:13 : a fancy blue collector car crashing through a wall. No way to tell who’s driving it but considering the next clip, probably not Lupin.

0:13 : a different car (yellow this time) swerves into a very fancily decorated tunnel, with gargoyles and everything. It’s being pursued by a blue car. It’s hard to tell but it could be the one from the previous shot (but I’m not getting tricked into this kind of assumptions again, TMS ! -sideglance at the Part 6 trailer-). Lupin is driving the yellow car, with presumably Jigen in the passenger seat, and he looks like he’s having a great time AND is about to shoot someone. NICE

0:15 : ‘’The new target is’’

This is where things begin to get crunchy! -rubs hands-

0:17 : photos laid out on a wooden table with what looks like a glass of alcohol. The first one is a rock formation near the seaside, similar to the landscapes we’ll see later in the jungle section. The second is a bunch of people in what looks like a crossover between a cult robe and a hazmat suit, surrounding a large humanoid silhouette that’s hooked with cables to something like a creepy experimental lab. Third one is two of those same robes figures looking at… something, behind a wrought iron fence. We can’t make out what’s behind it, but it looks big.

0:18 : Lupin and Jigen have got new outfits babeeeyyyy !!! Gotta love Koike’s sense of fashion (except for Jigen’s fugly sunglasses in Fujiko’s Lie, those can go to hell).

0:19 : a plane flying low in a snowy mountain range. I think here it’s safe to assume Lupin and Jigen are flying it (judging by the outfits and the following clips).

0:20 : ‘’a mysterious island not on the map’’

0:21 : the whole gang is in an airplane hangar in a mountain range, with Jigen and Lupin wearing the same outfits as before, so yeah, they were driving the plane. All four are holding up playing cards (Lupin an ace, Jigen a king, Fujiko a queen, and Goemon a jack, all from the diamond suit). All but Lupin seem somewat miffed or surprised about the cards. Fujiko and Goemon look like they got here on their own and are meeting Lupin and Jigen. Thank God, Goemon is finally wearing weather-appropriate clothes.

0:23 : Zenigata also got a card. We don’t get to see what it is ; going by the pattern it should be a 10, but I have a feeling it might be a joker. He’s in a different location, but he’s also got warm clothes, so probably the same general region. He’s chasing them and he’s got a good idea of their location.

0:24 : someone is unfolding a map of the Bermuda Triangle. It’s impossible to tell who it is, the sleeves are not the same as Lupin’s in the previous outfit, but that doesn’t mean anything. It’s interesting to note that in Goemon’s Bloodspray, Hawk was said to have disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle.

0:25 : different region, different plane. This looks like a seaplane to me, but I can’t be sure. The landscape is a jungle, presumably the same we see in the next clips. I’m going to go ahead and assume this is in the Bermuda Triangle.

0:27 : LUPIN WHAT ARE YOU WEARING ???

0:28 : Lupin is driving a… tank ? armored jeep ? Some kind of armored vehicle on a Glowing Blue Road (???). He’s not having a great time. There’s some weird lights moving around ; it could just be a cool visual, but I think there’s a non-zero chance there are drugs involved. (I need to check what art effects were used for Binkam’s altered mental state in Fujiko’s Lie). Oh, and the vehicle is losing fuel. Always fun, that.

0:32 : brand new Mutant Antagonist !!! Lupin doesn’t like him. It’s too soon to tell, but it looks like this is going to be Lupin’s Personal Antagonist (in the same way as Jigen/Yael, Goemon/Hawk and Fujiko/Binkam), judging by how he seems to focus on Lupin in the trailer, puts him in serious difficulty, and that he’s wearing a suit and tie. The other antags’ outfits didn’t necessarily mimic their respective protags, but it’s still a significant details as far as I’m concerned.

0:34 : just Jigen getting to be badass. Interesting to note that he now has the fluffy bangs of the later TV specials and Blue Jacket, rather than the early anime’s slicked back hair that he had in the previous three movies. Also he didn’t have a waistcoat in the other movies. I like the fact that his style evolves as a reminder of his character evolution (also, I like that he gets character evolution in Koike’s movies)

0:35 : ‘’The mystery of this island’’ Something is exploding. Also there are TANKS out there.

0:36 : Goemon is naruto-running in the woods. The vegetation in the background of his and Jigen’s clips doesn’t exactly look like the rainforest we see in Lupin’s clip, I think, but I can’t tell for sure.

0:37 : there’s a lava aqueduct ? A lavaduct ? We see a volcano later on, and I’m really curious whether this thing is pulling lava out of the volcano, or putting it in (maybe this is the biggest middle school science fair project ever made)

0:38 : Fujiko and Zenigata are in the same frame ?? That’s unusual ! And interesting. So there’s going to be some sort of truce at some point. I think that’s a tank behind them, but I’m not sure.

Aaaaaaand I reached the image limit, so the rest is gonna have to be in a reblog. Sit tight!

[chaoticmusicmoon]

hii!! todays activity is: overanalyzing strangerthings.things post on Instagram!

today, there was a new post with celebrating spring, which im congratulating all of you too! but its a bit ironic how they worded it: "hawkins is blooming", cuz we saw at the end of the season 4 how literally everything is dying!

but whats interesting its the screenshot and the order that they put them in.

so the first picture its El, from the scene where she looks forward and examines the situation that Hawkins' is. everything is falling apart; nothing here is blooming.

then we have Steve from season 3, trying to find Russians in the food court. they both (Steve and El) seek for something or checking the situation.

then we see Nancy with beautiful flowers! but the important part is that in that scene shes about to "gift" flowers as a grandkid of that poor grandma (whos name i forgot). the gift is purely platonic...

"From Mike"

then we see Will and Mike! Byers and Wheeler. and what Wheeler is also has very deep connection with Byers? Nancy Wheeler who had a love triangle with Jonathan Byers and Steve Harrington. So I would count this as another hint of love triangle and undeniable choice from Mike Wheeler for the side of Byers, Will Byers.

then we see our girl El again!... and Will in the back lol. I know she supposed to be look happy as she greets her boyfriend, but the look in her face is so distressed 😭 because this girl is stressed! she was waiting to Mike to acknowledge his love atleast in writing for months and yet again was disappointed and miserable.

then we see Steve again! a clear comparison between these two scenes. Here, he also wanted to show his dedication by a gift, flower for Nancy but then was forced to help Dustin with Demogorgon. flowers = romance, they're fading into the background. its no longer relevant, now their goal is to help their friends, save them.

conclusion: its just promotion of the new love triangle in season 5 😭 and comparing Steve and El its just blatantly showing how things will end.

have a nice day, byler nation🙈

[sofixt0k]

OPINION ABOUT THE NEW MILEVEN DEFENCE VIDEO ( 9 )

Part Nine Her comments / My comments

"Another accusation they often make is that Mileven is toxic, especially in Season 3 and Season 4, so I'm going to talk specifically about things that happened in Season 3 and things that happened in Season 4. In Season 3, the first thing they say is that it's toxic because they break up after Mileven hears that Mike lied, and Max tells her to break up with him, and she does. They say it's toxic because they don't talk things out, but actually, they do talk things out and talk about everything. The fact that Mileven was influenced by Max's thoughts doesn't mean she doesn't want to talk things out. Eleven was simply angry because we know that Mileven defends to the death that friends don't lie, and if Mike lied, it's like, come on, you're going to lie to me? Mike lied to Eleven out of fear of Hopper, not because he doesn't want to be with Eleven, which is something I've also heard. And let me tell you something, the breakup in Season 3 is the most ironic and sarcastic thing in the series. It's not that they broke up because they had a problem in the middle and said, no, we can't be together anymore. The breakup in Season 3 was made to be funny. If it had been an emotional scene, they would have done it with just Mike and Eleven talking, emotional music, crying, and no, it's a scene like 'I don't trust you,' and I leave like the queen I am. It was simply something to give more liveliness to the season, not to be seen as something bad that happened between them.

It's good that you say this last part because I see that breakup as anything but bad. It actually makes me happy because it shows us many things!

First, that Eleven only sees Mike as her FIRST boyfriend. Second, that Eleven's attitude when breaking up with him and Mike's immediate reaction always made me think that at that moment, he thought she was pathetic, or to avoid using that word, let's say he didn't care because it was a "silly" attitude of hers. And that's it, he didn't care at all, at least until Lucas mentioned it, which makes me see the scene as something precious, not bad. Will smiling in the background. Just that. Like a slightly riskier initiation of this love triangle. That this will trigger one of my favorite parallels, which is Mike losing Eleven vs. Mike losing Will.

And finally, let's go to the 'I love you too' scene. The number of things said about this scene that don't make sense is incredible. Basically, at the end of Season 3, Mike goes to Eleven when she's trying to use her powers to bring down the bear from the closet, and Eleven slowly confesses that she heard Mike say he loved her to the rest of the group, telling him 'I love you too,' and kisses him. Many people say that Mike doesn't like Eleven because he was kissing her with his eyes open. Literally, Mike was surprised, first because she just told him 'I love you' to his face for the first time, obviously that surprises you. Second, because supposedly they were no longer a couple, she kissed him out of nowhere after three months of being separated. Remember that at the end of Season 3, between the Starcourt battle and the 'I love you too' scene, there's a three-month gap. So suddenly, Mike sees Eleven kissing him, and he's like, but why? And third, because Mike is trying to process while Eleven kisses him that he had said he loved her, and she heard it, and she's kissing him. Mike is processing 28,000 things per second while she's kissing him. Obviously, Mike is not going to respond immediately; he's going to be like, what the heck is happening? Not because he doesn't love Eleven. A lot of things happened in a second, and he has to process it all.

No, he was surprised because he thought he had finally gotten rid of her—just kidding (or not…). I've always seen it a bit that way, to be honest. Also, because he doesn't remember/pretends not to remember saying he loved her, and the contrast of how at first, it looks more like ElMike and is cute, and then it changes to Mileven and is awkward.

And another thing they say, which I find ridiculous, is that there's an indirect hint that Mike likes men because they're kissing in front of an open closet. What theories do they have?

People who say that… say it… because… in cinema… any detail… like colors… light… music… clothes… etc… are important. Let's say, LET'S SAY I let this one slide, okay, that open closet doesn't matter, but in Season 4, a sign that says 'One Way' literally pointing to the closet from which a celestial light shines on Mike???, please.

On top of that, when Season 3 ended, they started saying that in Season 4, they wouldn't be together because Mike is in front of an open closet, which is an indirect hint that Mike likes men. I saw them perfectly fine in Season 4, I don't know about you.

Well, my friend, what can I say? If lying to each other and committing a fashion crime like Mike did at the airport seems fine to you, then okay.

I saw them very much in love, and I didn't see any declaration that Mike liked men, even though they were kissing in front of an open closet. But that's how Byler shippers base their theories, on theories that don't make any sense.

Of course, it doesn't make sense to assume he's gay when in the first season, he's coded as such. It doesn't make sense to think he's gay when everything "romantic" he does in relation to her has to be pushed by someone else. It doesn't make sense to think he's gay when he tells Will, 'It's not my fault you don't like girls,' as if it weren't literally a projection since he doesn't know Will is gay. Is it a sin to think that an 80s nerd boy who is trapped in a highly heteronormative circle and is insecure about himself because he doesn't have the courage to be genuine is gay?

And now let's talk about the things people see as toxic in Season 4. The first is the argument they have in Episode 3, where Eleven reproaches Mike for not telling her he loves her. It's a scene that, despite being a fight or an argument, both of them approach in a very mature way.

'Very mature,' girl—

And it's not just me saying this, it's a psychologist. There's a YouTube channel that I'll leave you the name of, a psychologist who analyzes scenes from movies or series, not just Stranger Things but also Euphoria and more movies. He specifically analyzed the scene of the argument between Mike and Eleven, and let me tell you, he spoke wonders about Eleven because that argument wasn't a bad one. It wasn't a fight for the worse; it was an argument where Eleven brought her feelings to light, and Mike tried to absorb, process, and understand them. The only thing the psychologist found bad in that scene is that when Eleven starts saying 'from Mike, from Mike, from Mike,' Mike tells her, 'Eleven, you're being ridiculous.' That's the only thing the psychologist reacted to negatively, saying, 'Oh, that's wrong, you don't say that.' All the other things that could be bad about my ship, I'll admit, Mike's comment was wrong, but he didn't mean to say that Eleven is literally ridiculous.

Whether or not it's an allusion to the fact that Eleven is literally ridiculous to Mike (though we know our dear Michael, when making those kinds of comments out of nowhere, they come from the depths of his heart), seeing your girlfriend crying after having a horrible day, hearing that you make her feel like a monster, and implying that she doesn't feel loved, YOU, YOU CALL HER RIDICULOUS? THE PROBLEM HAS NEVER BEEN PROVING THAT MIKE IS A GOOD FRIEND; THE PROBLEM IS PROVING THAT HE'S A GOOD BOYFRIEND.

In a derogatory way, he called her ridiculous like, 'How can you think that way when I love you so much?' That's the only bad thing the therapist said about that argument; everything else was good, and he added, 'Okay, what don't I understand?' You can ask that same question with a different tone—'Oh, okay, what don't I understand?'—and it sounds completely different. But he's very humbly asking for more information, and that's freaking beautiful. After watching all the bullst and Euphoria videos, where everyone treats everyone badly all the time, and there's no maturity or responsibility, this is—now let's talk about Mike's monologue. I mean, people criticize the monologue all the time because they would love for Will to be the one listening to it.

Us? Wanting Will to hear THAT monologue? No, thanks. It's too cheap, forced, far-fetched, deceitful, senseless, with holes, etc. Besides, we already have our own monologue where no other character interrupts the scene, and Mike genuinely says things from his heart—and oh, that monologue helped save the world at the time.

And for it to be for him but it's not, the first thing they say is that Mike lied in the monologue because he didn't want to say 'I love you.' Because if Will hadn't said, 'You're the heart,' Mike wouldn't have set the stage to tell Eleven, 'I love you.' Byler shippers, did you watch that entire episode?

Yes, we've watched the series forward and backward, why?

Because there's a scene in that same episode in the monologue where Mike and Eleven are both eating pizza, and Mike starts giving hints that he wants to tell her he loves her, literally,

Oh, with the word literally again. Literally. Literally. Literally. Literally.

It's in that same episode, so if you watched the monologue and think that Mike lied,

Because clearly, when you love someone from day one, you also think about sending them to an asylum on that first day, unless it's helpful for—

Clearly, you didn't see the scene in that same episode where Mike was already trying to tell her he loved her without any prompting, without Will saying, 'You're the heart,' Mike started saying it because he felt like saying it.

Yeah, sure. He felt like saying it after about 28,738,372 conversations with Will where Will basically didn't understand what Mike was looking for, so he ended up doing what he thought was right.

And let's go back to Season 3, when Eleven had an injured leg from the Mind Flayer, and Mike was treating her. Mike starts apologizing because he was jealous of Max and behaved badly, and he's happy that Eleven has a new friend, etc. And in that scene, Mike again tried to tell her he loved her.

Oh, really, he wanted to tell her he loved her there? Don't tell me we can read minds now too.

It's like a feeling, like those old people saying to each other, 'What I want to say is that I know I...' I mean, Mike obviously knew he wanted to tell her 'I love you.'

This girl, I really don't understand how she doesn't realize that the one couple in the series that has a big problem saying 'I love you' is Mileven. You don't need to say it in Jancy, Jopper, Lumax, to know they do. That she thinks it's normal and that Mileven's plot is based on getting to say 'I love you' to each other really surprises me. Like... do you think Stranger Things is that basic and cliché?

He just didn't dare to take the step and say it directly to her face because obviously, it's scary to take such a big step with someone you love. But he was already giving hints that he was going to say 'I love you' last season. So him saying it in the monologue after Will told him, 'You're the heart,' doesn't mean Mike didn't do it on his own.

And here's when I say, if the boy was perfectly capable of saying it on his own, we didn't need the scene of Will giving the painting, we didn't need Will feeling miserable, we didn't need that untriggered lie from Will to Mike.

That lie literally made all three of them miserable.

Or he wouldn't have set the stage without Will telling him. Do you get it? Then in the same monologue, they literally say that Mike lied in the monologue because he doesn't love Eleven. Seriously, I swear, I ask you, does he look super excited to be able to say that he loves her?"

Seriously, I've never seen a TV character say 'I love you' with such a depressing face as Mike does in that monologue. It's not even a face of concern because she's in danger; it's more like, it really costs him to say those words, you know? IT COSTS HIM, BECAUSE HE DOESN'T FEEL IT—"

[tillichan]

⭒˚‧ ︵‿⭒ཐིཋྀ Love Triangle Matchup for @babulejka ཐིཋྀ⭒‿︵ ‧˚⭒

The first time Matsuoka Rin met you was when he saved a stray cat. That poor cat was hungry and injured, so Rin decided to take care of it, bringing a cat to the school. He was at a loss, because he didn't know what to do. Rin wanted to help, but he couldn't bring the cat home, because Steve, his cat, might reacts badly to a new cat. The school seemed like the best option for Rin. And fortunately he wasn't wrong because he met you on the way to Samezuka Gakuen. You took a cat at your home clinic for injured animals. And Rin, feeling responsible for this situation, offered you his help. You had to take care of Rin's scratches though, because cats don't like Rin for some reason. You didn't mind, because you like making friends. So you two became closer, taking care of your fluffy wingman. Rin was immediately hooked by your outstanding abilities, especially the way you helped a cat with confidence. Not to mention, that you was literally the coolest person Rin has ever met sorry, Haru. So he started to develop his feelings for you. Rin thought that he just admired a cool person though. It took the time for Rin to realize his feelings are a crush, not a sense of respect for a cool friend. It's so ironic, but the one who helped Rin to realize his crush was his best friend and rival in love, Yamazaki Sosuke. Sousuke, unlike Rin, realized his crush on you pretty fast and then started his attempts to win you over. It made Rin feel strangely, he didn't want to see you with Sosuke, he was jealous. In trying to make sense of what he feel, Rin turned to Makoto. But Tachibana just laughed and said, that Rin was in love with you. From this moment on, Rin joined the fight for your love. He was so soft with you, trying to spend as much time with you as possible and to be involved in your life and hobbies. Being a true romantic at heart, Rin confessed you under the cherry blossoms. Even though he did his best to act cool, he was blushy, scratching his head awkwardly. "I like and adore you a lot. Please, go out with me!"

• Right after your confession, you and Rin found out you two were being tracked. The members of Iwatobi and Samezuka swimming clubs decided to spy on Rin's confession. And, being discovered, they began to cry and congratulate you two.

Nagisa: Rin-chan, I'm so happy for you! I thought I would not live to see this moment. Haru: I'm glad. Let's celebrate this wonderful event and eat a mackerel cake. Makoto: Haru, ah, only you like that. Momotaro and Ai: *crying in the background*

• Rin is the most romantic boyfriend ever. He takes you on the breathtaking and romantic dates like walking by the coast of the ocean You two can go diving together if you'd like to see the ocean depths, stargazing at the observatory or just at a good place, wandering in forests, especially he likes to see sakura blossoms with you together. • He is very involved in your hobbies. You do such a lot of interesting things, that makes Rin be interested in too. This boy is naturally talented and competitive, so expect that he'd like to do the friendly challenges and competitions with you. • Rin keeps a diary, in which he writes all of these cheesy romantic stuff he'd like to tell you but be too embarrassed to do it. He'll die of embarrassment if someone reads his diary one day. Spoiler: of course, his friends found this diary one day. And they can't stop teasing him, quoting some phrases.

"You sing like a siren. When I heard your beautiful voice, I understood why seamen were dying of siren's songs, being hooked by their ethereal songs. I'm ready to die for you more and more times to hear you one more time"

"You looked so beautiful today with the flowers in your hair, like a fairy of spring"

• Yes, Rin is cheesy lovestruck fool, who is absolutely whipped for you. You're the first thing he thinks about when he wakes up in the morning. And the last thing he thinks about when he goes to sleep. Sometimes he's so overwhelmed by his feelings that he can't sleep, thinking about the moments you share together. • The boys from Ivatobi and Samezuka love and adore you a lot. You're the mother of their teams. The way you always take care of them, bringing some snacks and cookies for the boys and helping them whenever they're injured, makes them happy. They're happy that you and Rin are finally together. And no, not because this's very funny to tease Rin. Not only because of that to be exact. The main reason is that you two are their precious friends who love each other. • Rin's mother and Gou think about you as about a part of their family. Even though it's not officially yet, but they're already planning your wedding. For Gou you're an older sister figure, who always give her a good advice and help whenever her overprotective brother interrupts the dates even if it isn't an actual date.

You and Yamazaki Sosuke met when you two were treated in a hospital. You overworked yourself and ended up in a hospital, and Sosuke treated his arm. Yamazaki was very nervous these days, because the state of his arm was getting worse, but the meeting with you helped him to make decision and calm him down a little. Your cryptic advices and uncannily wiseness intrigued him. Sosuke wanted to know more about you. He developed his feelings for you after a few meetings. Of course, he slowly but surely started to court you. Sosuke observed you, memorizing all the small details about you, and then surprised you by acts of service or very thoughtful gifts. He was testing the waters by little compliments and vague hints, but unfortunately your heart was already taken by Rin. Even though Sosuke knew that, he confessed you. He wanted to make things clear for you two, at least be rejected and then move on. It was simple and straightforward confession. Sosuke invited you for a walk and confessed in the park, while you were sitting on the bench and drinking the beverages in metal cans. The rejection was expected. Sosuke felt himself a little sad because of it, but he also was happy for his best friend and best rival, who found the love of his life. Some of the most insightful friends, such as Makoto, Rin and Ai, knew about Sosuke's feelings for you. But they also knew that you didn't love him back, so they tried to cheer him up and hope that Sosuke will find his significant other in the future.

[cafeeeeeeeeee3]

Update!! :D

I painted Nightmare(uncorrupted) clothes. Last time, the colour ended up pretty gray, and it wasn't fun at all! That was because I do not have purple (and if I did have, it'd likely be some clowny vibrant purple, which I do love, but would not do my boy justice), so I have to mix it in; as it turns out, when using guache, you might find yourself having a better time w/ pink and blue rather than red/blue.

I am also running out of white, because every colour seems to end up becoming darker when I want it to be lighter. Why does dark blue/pink and light blue/pink end in the same colour? Send help.

I also added the window in. I am not very happy with it, but I might try to make it look better tomorrow. Give it some white splotches so that it looks more glass-y, and reflects the moon better.

All in all, I'd also like to add how ironic everything here is.

From putting Nightmare(uncorrupted and hanged) in the top of the painting, when the top of anything is usually reserved to authority to putting Nightmare(corrupted) in a spot which, when you read as most people do in the west, indicates the past. The way he's slouched like a f🌜cking animal, too. Barely dressed.

There's no point to be made. I just wanted to be weird.

I also really don't like the choice of making Nightmare sit on a square chair. He deserves a triangle, to oppose the circle of the window. I might change this later.

I'm not proud of this at the moment, but I also am. It's the third time I actually use guaxe in over a decade.

I do not have enough guache to paint in the background, too. Nor the patience. But it feels heinous to keep it white.

Did I mention my eraser is black? It's smudging everything. The circle is also ovalled. It irks me.

I also drew in Nightmare's goop.

I'm afraid of drawing in the rope. It feels heinous to think about where to put it, so I'm afraid it'll look bad.

Anyways, Nightmare has a skeleton in his closet. It's not a literal closet, but it is a literal skeleton (should I crack his skull in tomorrow?)

[13a07s]

Spoiled #1

(Shoyo Hinata)

[Artwork is not mine! Credit to oretsuu]

Requested by: Idfk... Jack Frost, maybe?

Word Count: 4,096

Warnings and/or Pre-Notes:

Name Calling: Baby Doll, Brat

Rich Girl/Poor Boy Trope

Part Two to Come

I feel like I wrote Hinata so out of character but idk if I actually did or if it's just self-doubt so beware

————————���——————————————

My brother's voice wraps around the gym, easily leaking out the creaked doors I'm heading towards to paint the hallway in his words as well. "In moments of temptation, you should consider not what you may be offered, but instead what you may lose," Wakatoshi babbles, making me shake my head.

He has a habit of talking in some old-fashioned curtsey way, his words usually coming out in tongues when he's talking about something he's passionate about. Most of the time it means he's talking about volleyball, or occasionally, Tendo.

"The man that gives into temptation will lose his focus, his obedience, and because of that, shall lose the trust his team places on him. Perhaps he may not lose that trust, but that is worse than the former." Wakatoshi's arms are in front of him, sitting in the air like a preacher giving a sermon.

Three boys from the team visiting our school for a practice match are standing in front of him. The mean mugged, buzzed-cut boy looks like he's in Lala land, staring off to Wakatoshi's side, watching Tendo wrap his fingers. The boy with spiked hair and a blonde streak looks amazed at my brother, barely holding back his laughter. The last boy, with flames for hair, is looking up, listening but very confused about the lecture he's getting.

I slowly slide into the gym, making sure to be quiet as I slip in and start walking across the room. Wakatoshi's voice becomes background noise as I hyper-focus on being silent. Despite my chance at anonymity, Tendo spots me, one of his eyebrows shooting up as a smile crawls onto his face. I throw a finger against my lips, silently shushing him, a command he obeys.

Blonde Streak catches wind of me too, poking his head around Wakatoshi to see what has the Guess Monster grinning. When he catches sight of me, his eyes start to flicker around, making a sharp triangle as they jerk between me, my brother, and my brother's best friend.

When I'm two or three feet away, I settle into the spot I'm holding, bending my knees to prepare for a swift takedown. My body buzzes in anticipation, excited for this to finally be the time I manage to scare Wakatoshi. "I got you!" I shriek, lunging forward. I wrap my arms around his waist, slamming my whole body weight into his back.

He inches forward, taking a small step to balance himself. Attempt two hundred and fifty-three: Failure. Mission 'Scare Wakatoshi': Slowly growing into a dying cause.

"Hello, Baby Doll," Wakatoshi greets, his voice still even but lacking the lecturing tone he was using a few moments again. His hand latches onto my wrist, yanking on me until I'm standing in front of him instead of clinging to his back. "Did you harm yourself?" I'm asked as he pats me down, searching for any possible injuries.

"No, I'm fine."

Wakatoshi's hands settle under my arms, taking an iron grip on me before I'm lifted off the floor and dangled in the air. He holds me high enough that we're at eye level with each other. "It is dangerous for you to keep doing things such as that. Imagine if I had not known it was you. You could have been hurt. Or worse, I could have made you cry. Do not do such a thing again, alright?"

     "I'm going to do it again," I answer honestly, getting a long, disapproving sigh from my brother.

     He carefully sets me back on my feet before fixating on my uniform. Wakatoshi straightens my bow tie, toying with the loops of it before his next victim becomes my skirt. He gently smoothes it out, picking off a few stray things of lint left over from cleaning the classrooms. When he's satisfied, he focuses on my jacket, fuzzing with the buttons and making sure the lines of it are crisp. "Your shirt is wrinkled," he points out, now obsessing with my dress shirt. "And half untucked. Come here let me tuck it in for you."

     "No," I mutter, pulling away from him, and shifting closer to his friend. "Classes are done for the week so it doesn't have to be picture perfect anymore," I point out, shrugging off my jacket and hanging it on Tendo's arm that's waiting, bent and hanging to take it from me.

     "You look ridiculous in an untidy uniform. Let me fix it," Wakatoshi grumbles, crossing his arms over his chest. His eyebrows push together as I loosen my bow tie, letting it hang further down my neck. "Wearing your uniform in such a way makes you look mindless."

     "Oh well," I murmur, shaking my hair loose from the updo it's been in all day. "Hey, 'Toshi?" I whisper, spraying a sheepish smile on my face and tipping my head to the side.

     "No," he answers before I can even get the question out. His posture tights up too, like it'll help him stay headstrong about denying whatever I'm going to ask.

     "Some of the girls are thinking about going out this weekend," I tell him anyway, softening my eyes so they'll blow out and become rounder. I blink them slower too, making sure my lashes look more dramatic. "I was wondering if I could go with, please?"

     "I have a practice game on Sunday and a meeting with a scout tomorrow. I cannot escort you. No."

     My smile melts off my face, a pout quickly replacing it. For extra effect, I will some crocodile tears, just enough to make my eyes glossy. "Pretty please? I don't even need an escort. Even if you are set on me having one, I'm sure Tendo wouldn't mind escorting me on Saturday, right, Chibi-Chan?" I ask, turning my fit toward him.

     Tendo's eyes are glued to the floor, suddenly super aware of his sneakers. Out of the two older boys, he cracks the easiest, hence the lack of attention on me. "Ushijima said no, the answer is no," he whispers, sparing a glance at me before he jerks his head up, turning to watch the first years struggling to put up the net.

     I blink a few times, egging the fake tears to spill down my cheeks. My half-assed crying pulls a sigh from Wakatoshi, his hand burying itself in his jacket pocket. He tugs out his wallet, snapping it open and pulling out the stack of cash he has. "Here's eighty thousand yen," he mutters, tucking the smaller stash of cash away. "Tendo will be going with you and you will be back by nine, am I understand? I'm not talking to the Principal to get you out of trouble again because you ignored curfew."

     "We'll be home by nine." Wakatoshi looks down at me for another beat before rolling the wad of money my way. I happily take it, digging through the pocket of my jacket to add the bundle to the cash in it.

     Papa sends each of us twenty thousand yen every week as an allowance to get what we need for school and food and such, but he says we can use what's left over to do whatever. Dad wires money from the States every month too, usually about seventy-five hundred yen. Wakatoshi tends to have more cash than I do, partly because he's smarter with his money but also because of all those articles and such he does because of volleyball.

     What's the point of being stingy with my money if I know I'm inheriting Papa's fortune? When Papa finally steps down, Wakatoshi's volleyball career will be out of its prime and he'll take over the business. My brother gets the company and the means to make his own fortune, so Papa is giving me his fortune, swearing he won't step down until he's certain he's made enough that I'll never have to lift a finger in my life.

     "Spoiled Brat," Tendo mutters, slinging my jacket over his shoulder when I'm done stashing my money away. His hand settles on top of my head, gently squeezing it as he shakes me around. "I'll see you Saturday. Now, run along and go do something other than be cramped up in this musky gym."

     "Alright," I giggle, jumping up on my tippy toes to plop a kiss on his cheek. I make sure to take my jacket from him before turning away, switching my attention to Wakatoshi. His hand settles on the small of my back, pushing me towards the gym doors with the plan to walk me out. I swear it's criminal how easy I can play him.

———————————

I have no clue why I'm getting lectured. I know why Tanaka and Noya are getting lectured; because they were hitting on Shiratorizawa's manager, but I wasn't. I just happened to be standing next to them. Maybe this is the whole 'guilty by association' thing Daichi was telling me about.

"In moments of temptation, you should consider not what you may be offered, but instead what you may lose," Ushijima continues to lecture, making no sense. What does temptation have to do with a pretty girl? "The man that gives into temptation will lose his focus, his obedience, and because of that, shall lose the trust his team places on him. Perhaps he may not lose that trust, but that is worse than the former."

That makes some sense, but somehow even less sense. Girls are distracting, especially really pretty ones, but his manager wasn't going to distract me from our practice game. Is he lecturing us about girlfriends? That's what this is about, right? Where's Tsuki when I need him? He'd tell me why I was being yelled at.

     I glance to the side, trying to figure out how my teammates feel about the lecture. Tanaka is distracted, looking over the Monster blocker's shoulder to continue ogling over the manager. Noya looks like he's going to laugh, his eyes constantly moving back and forth. What's funny about getting yelled at? We're visitors. We should be trying our best to be respectful.

     With them being no help, I decided to look back up at Ushijima, trying to piece together what he was trying to say. I'm pretty sure he's saying trying to get a girlfriend will distract us from volleyball... I think.

     "I got you!" A soft voice cuts through Ushijima's, ending our lecture.

     The ace stumbles forward, his hand falling down to press against the hands resting on his stomach. They look small, the hands under Ushijima's, and carefully cared for, reminding me of porcelain. The intruder's skin is smooth like they've never been tarnished or exposed to the harmful lick of sunlight.

The person's nails are as carefully cared for as their skin. Long and carefully manicured, perfectly sporting the plaid purple of Shiratorizawa. Three rings decorate their fingers. The two on the right are simple silver circles of metal encasing their pointer and ring fingers. The one on the left, circling their middle finger, isn't as simple. It's shaped with inspiration from vines, wrapped around their delicate skin and the gems alike. Eight purple rocks are stamped into the jewelry, reminding me of roses among thorns.

     It feels too expansive to even breathe with so much beauty and money wafting off such a small section of the intruder. I'm not dumb... I'm not that dumb. I know Shiratorizawa is a school packed with rich kids. I know Ushijima and the rest of the team were going against mainly come from families with money, but I've never really seen it aside from the school grounds.

"Hello, Baby Doll," Ushijima murmurs, his tone notability softer. His shoulders relax like a weight was taken off with the presence of the person holding onto him.

     I glance at my teammates, trying to see how they're taking the sudden lack of tension that he always carries himself in. Tanaka is still busy looking over the manager, but Noya's focus is on the same thing mine is. His eyes shine and his head is titled in the usual way it is when he spots a girl that sparks his interest. I'll safely assume the intruder is a she then.

Ushijima's movements are careful like he's suddenly aware of his size. My assumptions were right, it is a girl. A girl the ace is carefully clinging to as he guides her around himself. "Did you harm yourself?" The words come out so soft I'm convinced I made them up. The squishing of my competitor's eyebrows - the only hint of emotion he's ever shown to me - telling me otherwise. Well, aside from careful hands patting the girl down, in search of injuries along her ribs.

The rest of her breezes expensive just as much as her hands do. Her hair is up, twisted, and curled in a way that would make YouTube Hair Tutorial artists envious, held in place by a hair clip. A hair clip fashioned in the shape of four small white flowers enveloped by pastel greens. It glints under the gym lights, almost like it's made out of glass. Maybe it is made out of glass. Either way, I'm sure the accessory alone costs more than my volleyball shoes.

     Splashes of purple, blue, and white are wrapped around her, looking like the least expensive thing but still somehow seeming worth more than a simple school uniform. Her floral scent seems to fill the whole gym and has settled on my chest, my lungs almost feeling flower pedals rubbing against them with every breath.

     "No, I'm fine," she answers, her voice sounding like the bells of heaven. I get why Ushijima called her baby doll. She looks like one, everything so perfect, even her imperfect dress shirt spilling out over her skirt. It's all just too... too... too meant to be. Like the universe adjusts just for her.

     The personally caused reminder of Ushijima calling her baby doll weighs on my chest, quickly burning up her floral scent and leaving behind ash to fill my senses. When his hands slide up and cup under her arms, the fire is quickly frosted over by ice. She looks even more perfect elevated in the air, raised so the taller boy can look straight into her eyes. Like this, she looks like an angel, her wings simply hidden underneath the material of her jacket.

     "It is dangerous for you to keep doing things such as that. Imagine if I had not known it was you. You could have been hurt. Or worse, I could have made you cry. Do not do such a thing again, alright?"

     The icy grip of jealousy is quickly melted away with the flames of anger again. How dare Ushijima lecture such a perfect being? Especially over something as simple as grabbing at him. Doesn't he see how her touch is made of gold? How lucky he is to have someone so beautiful, so perfect, so luxurious willingly touch him? How could he possibly think of her crying? I bet she still looks like perfect porcelain when she cries. I bet her tears are made from diamonds.

     My anger is smothered and some of my jealousy dies down when Ushijima places the girl back on her feet. My eyes fall, taking a glance at her shoes. They're the new black and gold Jordans that dropped last month. They're spotless and crisp still like she just took them out of the box this morning. Considering the energy wrapped around her, that scenario is hard to believe. I'm sure she had them preordered and delivered before their official drop.

     Ushijima starts fussing over the girl's uniform, tugging on the purple bow tie wrapped around her neck, making her look like a present. I wonder what it would be like, unwrapping her like a present.

     My sense quickly comes crashing down, embarrassment for my silent thoughts caressing my neck. I bet that's what Ushijima was talking about when he was rattling on about temptation. I was tempted by this shiny rich girl and instantly through my morals to the wind. That's not any way to think of a lady, much less a lady I know nothing about.

     "Your shirt is wrinkled," Ushijima grumbles, rambling up another lecture and successfully grounding me back to Earth. Still, embarrassment, a bit of guilt, and a cup of disgust with myself eat at my stomach. "And half untucked. Come here, let me tuck it in for you."

      A bit of annoyance flickers across her face as she pulls away from Ushijima, leaning more toward the middle blocker who seems terribly aware of her. "No," she hums, her arms and shoulders flexing in tune with her sliding off her jacket. "Classes are done for the week so it doesn't have to be picture-perfect anymore." Tendo jumps at the chance to play coat hanger, letting the girl hang her jacket on his arm.

     The longer the two of them peer down at her, Ushijima's face softer than normal and Tendo grinning from ear to ear, the harder I picture their downfall on the volleyball court. Why do they get to enjoy her beauty? Her sing-song voice? The soft way she flows like a river sliding down a mountain? Because they go to an expensive school? Because they're 'better' players? No, they're not, and I'm going to prove it.

"You look ridiculous in an untidy uniform. Let me fix it." The girl rebels, loosening the bow around her neck and letting it hang loose, which only seems to irritate Ushijima more. "Wearing your uniform in such a way makes you look mindless."

Her hands bury into her hair, pulling pins from seemingly nowhere before unclipping the clasp from her hair, all of which Tendo happily takes from her and stuffs away in his jacket. She doesn't even seem to notice the blocker's silent and blind obedience.

"Oh well," the girl finally responds, shaking her hair before letting it waterfall down her back. I wonder what it would feel like, running my fingers through her shiny locks. I bet it's soft. It looks soft, like her hands. I wonder if it has the same floral scent as -

"Hey, 'Toshi?"

- who the hell is 'Toshi' and why did she say his name like that?

"No," Ushijima grumbles, answering one of my questions. Jealousy bubbles in my chest again, fueled by the stone stare he looks down at her with and the doe eye, soft smile combo she returns to him. At the moment they remind me of a rock and a feather, complete opposites but somehow being a pair. It's not fair.

"Some of the girls are thinking about going out this weekend. I was wondering if I could go with, please?" She asks, tone hesitant like she expects a harder no in return.

"I have a practice game on Sunday and a meeting with a scout tomorrow. I cannot escort you. No," He repeats, hardening his eyes as he peers down at her. She doesn't need an escort. Look at her, she's a young adult more the capable of going out with her friends by herself. If she needs an escort that bad, I'll very happily escort her. Just hand her over already Ushijima.

"Pretty please? I don't even need an escort. Even if you are set on me having one, I'm sure Tendo wouldn't mind escorting me on Saturday, right, Chibi-Chan?" she rambles, tears in her eyes, shimmering like diamonds just like I guessed. She looks as beautiful upset as she does happy.

Tendo's face tightens as he looks between his two classmates, uncertainty and reluctance mixing in his expression before he decides to look at the ground. "Ushijima said no, the answer is no," he whispers, choosing to side with his captain.

Anger flickers across her face, quickly chased away by tears spilling over to coat her cheeks. She's fake crying, completely faking it. A bit of a snicker settles on my face as I watch the two of them slowly fall apart at the tantrum she's throwing. They don't believe this is real, no way... right?

Ushijima caves, a lot quicker than I thought imaginable. Within seconds of the center of his attention shedding her alligator tears, his wallet is out and enough cash to cover mom's mortgage, and then some is being counted out. "Here's eighty thousand yen. Tendo will be going with you and you will be back by nine, am I understand? I'm not talking to the Principal to get you out of trouble again because you ignored curfew."

Instantly, the water workers are put away. The girl snatches the money, her teeth shining in a smile and eyes sparkling as she looks up at her school's ace. "We'll be home by nine," she agrees, stuffing the money into her wallet like it's normal Friday and not like she was just handed enough money to cover my grocery bill for the next two months like it was chum change.

"Hey," Noya whispers, shoving his elbow into my side. "Your jaw is on the floor. You might want to pick it up," he teases, softly laughing at my shock.

"That...That's... that's half my mom's mortgage."

Noya shakes his head, his eyes glued to the angel of money, apparently, as she gets dotted on by Tendo. "Well, when you're the granddaughter of the CEO of Ushijima Incorporated, I'm sure you get used to being handed a paycheck worth of money simply for batting your eyelashes."

"Ushijima Incorporated?" I ask, trying to bite down the jealousy forming as I watch Tendo play with her hair. Anger muddies my jealousy when he calls her a 'spoiled brat'.

     "The king company of the volleyball world?" Tanka butts in, looking at me like I'm stupid. "They make literally everything we use. The volleyballs, our jerseys, the nets, they own like fifty percent of the volleyball shoe companies. They sponsor almost every Japan official team. Ringing any bells?"

     "No," I whisper, turning my attention back to Miss Queen of Volleyball. "Wait..." I slowly say, watching her kiss Tendo's cheek. "She's a Ushijima?"

     "Ya," they both say slowly, their amusement only growing with the more lack of knowledge I show.

     "So..."

So, Ushijima isn't into her or with her or anything. They're just siblings. That also explains her brother's tenseness about volleyball. No wonder he tries so hard to be the best.

"Do you feel stupid yet?" Tanka asks, looking at me rather wickedly.

"Why would I feel stupid?"

     "Because you've been drooling since she's shown up."

     "I have not," I mutter, my eyes trailing after the Volleyball Queen, watching as her brother walks her to the door. His hand on her back still tickles my jealousy, just not as bad as before. "I just think she's... interesting."

     "And way out of your tax bracket, bud," Tendo cuts in, chuckling when my embarrassment coats my cheeks. I totally forgot he was here. "Trust me, it's impossible to keep up with the bankroll her dear 'Papa' offers her."

     "You must be doing something right. She seems pretty attached to you," I point out, sending out a feel for what exactly Tendo's relationship is with her.

     My statement must not have been as subtle as a thought. The corners of his mouth turn up, drenching my spine with ice water. "Money doesn't speak to Papa Ushi'. He couldn't care less if you had a hundred thousand yen or one yen in your bank account. Make the Apple of his eye cry and he'll bury you alive and then piss on your grave. Make her laugh and he'll pay your tuition." From the look in Tendo's eyes, I'm guessing he's speaking from experience.

"That's all I have to do? Make her laugh?"

Tendo cackles, the sound scrapping against the gym walls. "No, kid. Grandma Cunt-tress and Mommy Dearest aren't so easy to win over. Lucky for you, the Spoiled Brat doesn't care about their opinions. She does care about Ushi's though. If he doesn't like you, you might as well be dead when the Brat is concerned."

     "How do I get Ushijima to like me?"

     "Be good at volleyball. Step one of that is stop receiving with your face," Tendo mocks me, his hand waving in front of his face as he walks away from me.

     Alright, I can handle this. Step one, make her laugh. Step two, make her brother like me. Step two, point a, don't take any receives to my face during our practice match. Easy peasy... hopefully.

———————————————————————

[mantra-repeated]

Hello! here is a attraction coining idea:

Sanguiaric: Based off bloodlust and primal instincts, where desire is associated with the thrill of danger and the scent of iron. The lover experiences a visceral hunger that cannot be satisfied or satiated, thus being driven by the primal urge to possess and "consume" their beloved. They may feel the need to tear into the depths of the S/O's heart, in a metaphorical sense, to feel and touch every part of them, as if to celebrate "owning" the love interest like a trophy.

is this alright?

I normally don't really take requests, but since this was basically coined for me in a way I will make an exception in this case. So I guess it is alright lol. Sorry for taking so damn long, oops.

Sanguiaric

Pt: Sanguiaric :End Pt

See above for definition.

Symbology of the flag

Pt: Symbology of the flag :End Pt

A lot of the symbology is born from several "Key" concepts I personally noted. Grey meant to be iron, the reds of blood, flesh, meat, and the heart. The jagged stripes like teeth, and thus like consumption. The curving red lines like clawing and "opening up" the body. The blues like the stereotypical blue veins of the heart. The yellow triangle like a danger sign, but could also be like a "tag" that one puts on the collar of a pet and thus "owning" them. Hopefully this flag works for you anon.

Mentions/Tagging: @radiomogai, @orientation-archive, @aspectsofidentity

Banner transcript: This term was made by an Endogenic. Anyone can use it however :End transcript

[Red lizard divider Id: A divider made of two red lines with a red lizard from Rain World in the gap between them. Each line has a diamond on the outer edge and a crescent moon on the inner edge, framing the lizard :End id]

[Sanguiaric flag Id: A complex flag varying in shapes and sizes. In the background of the flag consists of a large stripe, small stripe, triangles protruding downwards on top of a medium stripe, triangles protruding upwards on the same medium stripe, a small stripe, and a large stripe. The colors from up to down are navy blue, baby blue, crimson red, gray, crimson red, baby blue, and navy blue. On top of the background is a larger yellow triangle, where 4 red curvy lines swoop from the top to the bottom. On top of the everything are triangles on top and on the bottom of the flag that are outlined twice. The triangles are crimson red, where the first outline is desaturated red, and the second outline is light desaturated red. :End Id]

[Carmel lizard dividers id: A divider made of two bronze lines with a Carmel lizard from Rain World in the gap between them. Each line has a diamond on the outer edge and a crescent moon on the inner edge, framing the lizard. : End Id]

[Banner image id: a rectangular banner with rounded corners on a transparent background. in the background of the banner is the endogenic flag by greyskies, and it has a transparent inset border. in the center is black text that reads "This term was made by an endogenic. Anyone can use it however.". In the bottom right corner is a blue lizard from the game rain world. :End Id]

[Pink lizard divider Id: A divider made of two pink lines with rain world graffiti of a pink lizard head in the gap between them. Each line has a outline of diamond on the outer edge and a outline of a crescent moon on the inner edge, framing the lizard head. :End Id]

[dafukdidiwatch]

Since we are still blogging, sure! I'll give it a go on why this series is fantastic

TL;DR: Monster Men and Monster Fucking, Clever and Zany world building and science doing, heartfelt natural romance, multiple complex antagonists, and it's Just Really Funny

First, Jaegars exist. They are all cheerful and happy-go-lucky monster men that murder with a smile and passion. They are also silly, loyal, and really funny to read as the comedic minions vs their stoic bosses. They are wild, rambunctious, and will die in the line of fire because it is their duty and they love violence.

I am listing out Jaegers first because they were the Only reason I continued reading this comic and I have no regrets

Second, fantastic world building and science shennanigans. We live in a world where mad scientist geniusus are the norm. And anyone that has mad genius level intelligence are called Sparks. And they all have the weirdest and narrow niches to just explode their sciences on. So you have Idiot Savants all around with wacky Dr. Seuss Machines just trying to defend, kill, or do random shit as they see fit. Like I am reading currently Mad Scientist Woman obsessed with Rats. Her pets and children. She made them giant and poison resistant. She taught them to do a play. She loves them like children. Another crazy spark guy is just obsessed with pies and making pie throwing machines and mood changing pie recipes. No containing the madness!

Third, an Actual Legitimate Romance. I started reading this comic before I got into my dumb-but-no-really romance book genres. So I was really apprehensive about reading romance in comics, especially with the love triangle angles of it or multiple leads. So I just wasn't sure. But here, we see our lead Agatha slowly turn from an unsure clumsy assistant into a science wielding powerhouse that doesn't put up with shit. And during that, because of that, we see the slow burn build up of why and how she fell in love with Gil and Tarvek, and how they became friends/lovers/rivals. How they all care for each other even while trying to be science and the art just shows it well

Fourth, multi-layered antagonists. You think we have a Big Bad? Yeah we do, but we actually have two. Barron Klaus Von Wolfenbach who is ruling with an iron first trying to maintain the peace and is effectively an antagonist who is against our main character Agatha because her legacy and heritage threatens the stability he established. He is not a villain, but 100% an antagonist who is willing to do ANYTHING to keep the world safe.

Not forgetting our gals here, Lucrezia Moonfish. She is the defacto Big Bad. World Domination. Trying to take over earth and dimensions and possible space wherever the hell she's currently at. She is ruthless, evil, sciencey, does what she wants when she wants. She is trying to sacrifice her daughter to herself to bring herself power that's how terrible she is. We love to see a woman villain taking charge because she can.

Also did I say that her and Klaus fucked? Because they totally fucked.

Finally, this comic is just really funny. Like, just Truly Really Funny. Lots one one line jokes. Lots of running gags. Lots of physical comedic, dark humor, sight gags, deadpan humor, background jokes. Anything and everything is fair game. And it's legitimately funny. When you laugh you actually laugh. It really is a breath of fresh air to see my favorites just be funny in any scenario.

God there's so much more I want to go off on, because trust me, I was there, I had to get a nudge to put my foot in the door on this comic. But it is worth it trust me.

[winters8child]

It´s been a long, long time

Chapter 55

I was sprinting through the dense, snowy woods, each step crunching through the icy blanket beneath me. Explosions and gunshots echoed around me, a relentless cacophony of chaos. Our team, a motley crew of heroes, had banded together, pushing through enemy lines toward the Hydra Research Base, the elusive Loki's Scepter our objective.

Above me, Tony streaked through the air, his gleaming red suit a stark contrast against the wintry sky, dispatching foes with precision. "Shit," he yelled, his voice crackling through the comms. Steve, ever the paragon of virtue, immediately quipped, "Language," his tone exasperated but familiar, drawing a chuckle from my lips despite the tension.

"Jarvis, what's the view from upstairs?" Steve asked, his motorbike roaring in the background of the transmission. Jarvis's voice, cool and efficient, responded, "The central building is protected by an energy shield. Strucker's technology is far more advanced than any other Hydra base we've encountered."

Out of nowhere, Thor descended with a thunderous crash, his landing sending a shockwave through the ranks of Hydra soldiers. He struck with unyielding force, each blow incapacitating those foolish enough to challenge him.

"Loki's scepter must be here. Strucker could not mount this defense without it. At long last," he declared, his voice a mix of determination and excitement as he effortlessly felled more guards, his strength and skill on full display.

I was pretty busy myself, surrounded by three guards, each armed with semi-automatic rifles, their eyes gleaming with confidence. They moved in a loose triangle formation, their steps deliberate and predatory. The leader, a burly figure with a scar running down his cheek, smirked. "Give it up, lady. You're outnumbered and outgunned."

My eyes flicked from one man to the next, calculating. My mind was a whirlwind of possibilities, strategies, and outcomes. I couldn’t afford to make a single mistake.

With a sudden, fluid motion, I dropped to one knee, my body a blur. The first man caught off guard and hesitated for a split second too long. That was all I needed. I fired a single, precise shot, the bullet finding its mark between his eyes. He crumpled to the ground, his rifle clattering uselessly beside him.

The other two men reacted instantly, their rifles coming up to aim at me. But I was already moving. I rolled to the side, my movements graceful and controlled. Another shot rang out, hitting the second man in the chest. He stumbled, shock etched on his face, before collapsing.

The leader, now alone, snarled and fired a burst of bullets. I ducked behind a rusted metal crate, the bullets sparking off its surface. My breathing was still steady, my focus razor-sharp. I waited for a brief pause in his firing, then sprang up, my handgun aimed with deadly precision.

The leader barely had time to react. My shot was flawless, the bullet striking his shoulder and causing him to drop his rifle with a howl of pain. I advanced swiftly, my eyes cold and unyielding. With a final, calculated shot to his head, he went down, writhing in agony.

"At long last" is lasting a little long, boys," Natasha's voice crackled through the comms, punctuated by the thuds and groans of the enemies she dispatched. "Yeah. I think we lost the element of surprise," Clint replied, releasing arrow after arrow with deadly precision.

"Wait a second. No one else is gonna deal with the fact that Cap just said 'Language'?" Tony's voice cut in, dripping with sarcasm.

Steve sounded exasperated, his voice weary from Tony's relentless teasing. "I know," he replied, the frustration clear in his tone, which only made the exchange more amusing. "It just slipped out," he added with a sigh, resigning himself to the inevitable ribbing.

When Strucker attacked the city, Tony quickly deployed his Iron Legion to evacuate the citizens. I stood amidst the trees, the silence around me almost surreal when suddenly, a blinding flash from my left struck me square in the chest. I went down with a grunt, a sharp "Fuck," escaping my lips. Wincing, I muttered, "Yeah, I know, language."

“Was that a human?” I asked over the comms, my voice tinged with disbelief. The impact had been incredibly swift, yet it packed a punch, judging by how it hit me with full force.

“We’ve got an enhanced on the field,” Steve’s voice crackled over the comms, carrying a hint of urgency as if he had faced the same overwhelming force.

“Clint’s hit,” Natasha’s voice came through, laced with clear concern. “Is anyone going to handle that bunker?” she added quickly, her tone urgent.

Hulk’s roar reverberated through the forest, causing the enemy to recoil in fear at the sight of the massive green giant.

I dashed to the clearing and crouched beside Clint and Natasha. “Let me check him over,” I said, my experience as a nurse kicking in. I pulled bandages from my thigh bag and pressed them firmly against Clint’s wounds. “You’re going to be fine, Clint. Just hang in there,” I reassured him, trying to infuse my voice with calm.

Natasha gave me a grateful smile and clasped Clint’s hand, offering him support and strength as he grimaced in pain. The fortress’s shields deactivated with a buzzing hum, finally granting us access to the scepter.

“Clint’s hit pretty bad, guys. We’re going to need an evac,” Natasha’s voice crackled over the comms, her worry palpable even through the static.

“We’ll handle the rest,” Steve responded, his voice steady and reassuring. “Thor is heading your way to help out. See you soon.”

Fifteen minutes later, we were all back aboard the Quinjet, the scepter securely housed in its case. I was focused on setting up an IV for Clint, but there was not much I could do on the field. He would have to see a specialist when we landed. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Natasha engaged in a conversation with Bruce. She was the only one who seemed able to soothe the Hulk’s agitation.

I nudged Steve, drawing his attention to the scene. With a raised eyebrow, I subtly pointed out Natasha’s obvious flirtatious glances towards Bruce. Steve caught on and a knowing smile tugged at his lips.

"Thor, report on the Hulk.", Nat called out, as he looked at her, his face etched with a mix of worry and insecurity. “The gates of Hel are filled with the screams of his victims,” Thor declared with an air of pride. Bruce’s head drooped in embarrassment, while Natasha shot Thor a look of clear irritation. It was evident that this was not the response she had hoped for.

Thor quickly caught on and tried to backtrack. “But not the screams of the dead, of course. No, no, it’s mostly the wounded—whimpering, a lot of complaining, and tales of sprained deltoids and gout,” he mumbled, his voice trailing off as he realized the absurdity of his words.

“Gout?” I mouthed to Steve, who barely managed to conceal his grin as he shrugged in response. It was a relief to have the Scepter back in our possession, and with Dr. Cho flown in from Seoul to assist, Clint would be back on his feet in no time. The two enhanced individuals we had faced remained a mystery, but that would have to wait. Tony was adamant about throwing a farewell party now that Thor was heading home.

I suppose it was time for me to hit the shops and get ready for the festivities.

Next Chapter