#but i need them written still

[dearbongjae]

can someone write a fic where galex schemes with each other by getting landoscar padel lessons for them to finally get together i need it please

[nebuladreamz]

What if I want a kiss from the DCA huh. What if i want to hold their big ass faceplate in my hands and tell them how much they mean to me huh.

What if I want to hold their giant ass hands that is never going to be proportionately human and I just let their fingers completely encase my hand. And I still give their palm little rubs with my thumbs. Because no act is worse than an attempt.

What if I want to hold them so so close to me and tell me things will be okay because I'm doing my best and that's what makes me human. What if I want to lay on their chest and gently trace each fleck of paint that's worn off of their face, their hands. Seeing the wear and tear and still seeing nothing but a shiny new spark of hope.

What if I want to tell them how stupid and goofy they are and they do something just to prove it. What if I want to do mundane things with them and still feel that spark of something new and beautiful because they are that to ME.

[rebrandedbard]

How does the great Sandpiper successfully smuggle 130 children out of the Nilfgaard-occupied territory of Hamm? With the power of a forgotten story, a traditional song, and a masterful lie.

A piece for my upcoming fic, The Piper of Hamm, based on The Pied Piper of Hamelin, next in my fairy tale series.

[kenzan-brainrot-mp4]

talk more about the white whale/whale symbolism in general whatever thoughts you have on the whale stuff i want to hear it 👂

GRAHHHHH YEAH (This one got. Long (again lol) So be prepared (series-wide spoilers but I feel like that's a given atp))

First of all I just wanna say that I love how rgg drags the player along around the final chapter title. With how upfront the other chapter titles are in what they're referring to, you might end up wondering why they chose White Whale for the final chapter title once you see the title card (or at least I did). Of course, this could just be referring to the treasure that everyone's been looking for, but with how nonchalantly they react to the fact that the treasure isn't actually there, it doesn't seem to completely fit the bill.

But then you beat the game (and by this I mean beat the final boss) and lo and behold, there's an Actual white whale, and so you think "Oh! Duh, the chapter's called White Whale because there's a literal white whale and it pretty much just finished off the final boss!" But that still doesn't make that much sense. Why name the final chapter (arguably the most important one) after some whale that appears in the last like 15 minutes of the game? Like, take the final chapter name of (Kiryu) Gaiden, it's literally the name of the game (The Man Who Erased His Name) so it's gotta be something more significant than that, right? (But then of course take into the account that by this point the player is still convinced that nothing really in pyih is too deep/serious, so maybe it could just be something as simple as that).

Then you get to the credits, and they reveal that the "elixir"/the ambergris is found in the stomachs of whales. Damn, that's pretty crazy/cool, but once again, nobody that was actively seeking the treasure (Rodriguez, Jason/Noah, Spade Tucker, etc you know the drill) seems to hung up on the fact that they didn't find it, and they didn't even encounter the whale, so they wouldn't get that same sense that they just missed it either, again, it's not a big deal really, so why make that the final chapter title?

Of course, we all know what this builds up to: the big reveal, the fact that Majima, who we've been following along with this entire game, was looking for that elixir this entire time, was the only one to actually encounter a whale in the game, and then there's the insane line drop from Saejima.

"Kiryu Kazuma. You never could give up on that one."

Ironically, the final chapter title has nothing to do with that whale you saw earlier at all, rather it's a summary of what Majima's motivations/actions for this game, and the past. Almost every game, has meant for him. It's what Saejima spells out for us at the end of the game, but said in even fewer words.

An all-consuming obsession that only leads to your destruction. An impossibility, something that you can destroy yourself over but never achieve/obtain. This is what the white whale means, metaphorically. And it is this, exactly, that Kiryu is to Majima.

Kiryu is larger than life itself, to just about everyone. He's a legend, he's the one Majima has had his sights on since the very beginning, the legend he chases after game after game and also what he destroys himself over game after game.

(see:

Yakuza 1 -> Majima just straight up taking a full-on stab wound for Kiryu. Like, buddy, I literally saw one of my favorite characters die that way in another game, there was No guarantee you were surviving that.

Yakuza 2 -> Majima fights off an army of yakuza for Kiryu. That man was beat to total Shit (which is Not something that happens often) and we all saw it

Yakuza 3 -> Majima re-enters the Tojo Clan for Kiryu even though he is (extremely likely) aware that it is already entering its steady decline that we see throughout the rest of the series up until its dissolution. And while he's willing to do it for Kiryu, we can't exactly say that he's happy about the situation as a whole.

Yakuza 5 -> Majima's willingness to die for Haruka, specifically stated because "She means more to Kiryu-chan than life itself." Like, of course he wouldn't just let Haruka get killed, but to choose to mention Kiryu as part of his reasoning in that moment? Christ

While I (surprisingly) can't say anything particularly self-destructive happened in (Kiryu) Gaiden and Infinite Wealth, you could argue that Majima trying to more and more directly tell Kiryu not to leave ("No need to rush outta here yet... Alright?" -> "Don't leave! Don't you dare leave, Kiryu-chan!"), knowing that it's likely pointless, knowing Kiryu, is not doing himself any favors.

Pirate Yakuza -> *gestures at the entire game*

Also his reaction to encountering that giant squid ("Sure is a helluva way to die. I think I'm into it!"). Like, okay. I don't want to try and read too much into it because it was very likely just a one off line. But I'm still gonna side-eye it.

Honestly now that I think about it, if Majima Had died fighting that giant squid (that is such a way to begin a sentence thank you rgg), you could argue that that would've been his nail in the coffin for the white whale metaphor. If he had, it would've meant that his obsession for Kiryu is what got him dragged down into the literal depths of the ocean, and even if it wouldn't be Kiryu physically dragging Majima down like the white whale to Ahab, this is a situation that is completely, entirely, fueled by Majima's obsession towards him (Majima had no real interest in the nuclear waste cleanup project, after all, Kiryu was his one motivation this entire time), and it would've drowned him.

Guess that means he got real lucky with the last part, but we all know he sure as hell isn't beating the allegations.)

All this and yet Majima seems to fail to reaching Kiryu time and time again.

Majima does not obtain the Heart of the Dragon, found in the intestines of the literal whale. He does not obtain eternal life for Kiryu. And he (arguably, though the final scene of him walking to Kiryu's hospital room could oppose this) does not resolve the indefinite limbo that has been sitting between them throughout the entire series. What he gets at the end of the game is the acknowledgement (through Saejima, everybody thank him) that he has been obsessing over this, and perhaps the realization that Kiryu was, in fact, this white whale that he would never truly reach ("Well, still just a dream in the end.") Of course this is something he already knows/has acknowledged deep down, and it's a feeling that is hinted at in some of his dialogue in scattered moments, but this is the first time he ever says it in such an outright manner.

I guess in a way, you could say that Pirate Yakuza is a story about the newfound success of all the people Majima helped and supported in achieving their dreams, and the continued failure of Majima in pursuing his own (Kiryu), and him needing to acknowledge/accept that. And the post-credits begs the question of what he decides to do with the aftermath and what he has left. (An oversimplification definitely but still. augh. Augh)

Naming the final chapter White Whale was yet another crazy move on rgg's part. Its so unassuming, seemingly straightforward yet also seemingly insignificant, but once the realization dawns on you it slaps you right in the face, just like everything else about this game does. It's yet another instance of how rgg managed to pull its big reveal so well, with all the small details, all the reframing, all pointing back to the same topic that it had spent the entire rest of the game dancing around.

Majima recounting his story of how he went to Hawaii -> Majima recounts his story to Kiryu in the exact same way at the very end

The treasure everyone's been looking for/known about + Majima, the one guy who didn't have knowledge about any of this legend stuff prior? -> Wrong, he was after the treasure from the very start (before the amnesia at least). For Kiryu

Majima originally being on course for Hawaii so he could help with the nuclear waste cleanup even though he'd be bored as hell? -> Nah. For Kiryu (Ohhhhh you know what this is reminding me of some screenshots I took from near the beginning of the game)

(I'm sure this meant nothing of course. Lol. Lmao)

Majima's dream during pirate yakuza being to fulfill Other People's dreams -> Haha. Well, I think you get the point by now

Kiryu, Kiryu, Kiryu. It all goes back to Kiryu, every single time, without fail, in an obsessive loop that Majima has been dragging himself around over for Years. He is the white whale, seemingly untouchable, the constant object of Majima's attention and devotion in so many forms, his consistent weak point, that only seems to dig at him deeper as the games go on.

Like I said before, while the white whale metaphor is undeniable, and essentially spells doom for Majima, it's not over for him yet. Because, hey, he didn't drown at sea, or die on the beach. He was saved, and he's survived enough to retell that tale and reflect on it all with Saejima in the post-credits, brief as that reflection was. I mentioned before how he really only said one line of any actual substance during that specific part of the exchange, but the significance of it says so much.

"Well, still just a dream in the end"

As much as it hurts to here Majima address the hopelessness of it all, to hear him say something like that after Saejima basically just laid out his sheer devotion and refusal to give up on his dream for everyone to see, I think the bittersweetness is. Good, actually. Captain Ahab never gave up on that pursuit on the white whale, and it destroyed him; that whale dragged him down until he finally drowned, and it feels like all Majima has been doing over Kiryu since Yakuza 3 is drowning himself in him.

Don't get me wrong, I (for now at least) do not take that line as a complete admittance of defeat, or Majima finally giving up on Kiryu, on that dream he could never let go of. (Like I've been saying, it's an acknowledgement, not exactly a declaration.) I do not think it means he is just letting go, full-stop.

But I do hope it means he can stop himself from self-destructing completely. I hope it means that he can slow down with the wild chase, (and that he and Kiryu can just. Sit down and talk like fucking normal people. Which i guess they are doing in the post-credits, supposedly) and I hope it means that he won't drown completely, especially in the case of the worst possible scenario.

[quetzalpapalotl]

I know Orion and Zeta's relationship is not at all homoerotic if you compare it to Shockwave and Megatron, but I want to reiterate that Zeta was indeed important to Orion

Literally to this day Zeta is a figure that haunts Optimus and whose lessons he recalls, for good or bad

Barber literally wrote a mini-flashback arc dedicated to explain how Zeta Prime is linked to Optimus current neuroses

[cent-scratchnsniff]

something bad did indeed happen to that man. spent abt 25 minutes trying to find a better picture of that one (1) offical piece with his eyes open that wasnt compressed or tiny

[rottengurlz]

oc introductions

[wavewavethoughtsonly]

just want you to know that you're an incredible writer

🥹💙💜

[ricciardo133]

Lusail 2024

maxiel, phone sex, praise and sweat kink, missing Daniel hours

-

Everything feels off-balance to Max, but he knows one person who can make him feel grounded. He slips away from the team and his family, saying he needs a moment by himself before qualifying. He hides away alone in his driver's room, but he wants to be alone with Daniel.

He presses Daniel's contact on his phone and holds it up to his ear. Of course, Daniel picks up on the first ring.

"Howdy," Daniel says in his relaxed tone. "Car off-pace?"

"Yes," Max says. Naturally, Daniel already knew why he was calling. He much preferred when Daniel was also in the paddock and Max could slip out and navigate each memorized, covert path from his driver's room to Daniel's. Max paces instead, feeling caged and pent up. "Where are you?"

"Somewhere along Mescal Canyon Road near Azusa Canyon. Gorgeous spot. Gotta take you here sometime when you're in LA again."

Ah, he's biking. "If you're with your friends," he starts nervously.

"Nah, Maxy. Solo tripping at the moment, so I can help." Daniel pauses. "If you want me to help...like we used to."

Max hates the past tense. He wants him here. He wants him now.

"You're outside," Max says.

"I'm alone, not a soul around. And plus, I want to hear you do it." Max catches his breath, imaging Daniel in front of him as he closes his eyes. "Tell me as you do it, Max."

"Daniel," he breathes. He holds the phone against his shoulder as his hands undo his coveralls. "I'm getting undressed."

Daniel used to peel off the layers with the most gentle quickness, smooth and effortless to curl the fireproofs off Max's thighs. Max sits on the sofa in his driver's room and feels his bare ass hit the cold, plush surface. He's already hard, just remembering how Daniel used to grip his length. His own hands feel too big, too shaky.

"Daniel," he says again. "I'm...I'm sitting down."

"Are you feeling yourself?"

"Yes."

"Tell me more. Also don't do it dry, Max," Daniel laughs gently. How, Max wonders in warm awe as he leans over to his backpack and gets out the lube. Daniel is thousands of miles away and he still knows just how Max is jerking himself off. It feels too cold on his palm as he goes back to pumping, now slick in his hand as he grows dizzier with need.

"Jesus, Daniel," he whines quietly. He looks over, assured the door is still locked. "I wish you were here."

"I am there. I'm with you now," he says back. "Talk to me. How do you feel?"

"Nervous. I hate it." His eyes tear up as his hands work faster. "The car's fucked. The team's fucked. I'm fucked."

"I can help with that last one," Daniel says. Max can see the way he smiles as he talks. "Not that you need my help being incredible, Max. You do that on your own. You just forget sometimes."

Max feels his body awash in a fantastic heat, like each of Daniel's words is drenched in sunlight. He works harder on his cock, hand slick and tight but not as tight as he wants.

"Daniel," he whispers.

"You're amazing, Max. I said it all in that video message but it's nothing you don't already know," Daniel says through the phone. "You did it, Max. Four times. And you'll do it again if you want because you're just that fucking good."

"Daniel." His voice is hoarse, pleading. His tempo picks up, pushing on the edge.

"You got this, Max. You can do fucking magic in any ride. Even riding me. We can do it again, next time we're back in Monaco," he says words playful and heated. "I still got your ass in paddle a few weeks ago but you were so fucking sweaty after, so fucking good."

Max feels careening dangerously to the brink. He remembers pressing his face into Daniel's shoulder, breathing into a grey sweatshirt Daniel had worn for hours, damp with sweat from their paddle match and then even sweatier after eager ruts on Max's sofa in his empty apartment. He remembers races and races of Daniel drenched in sweat. That sharp, heady smell that was distinctly Daniel. It was pine. It was evergreen. It was him.

"Daniel, I need you," Max says. He feels his eyes leak as his dick twitches and spills with precome. "Oh, God, Daniel. I need you so fucking bad."

"I'm here right now. I'm always here for you, Max."

Max can't help it. He chokes on a small cry as he works his cock harder and faster, trying to catch a ghost of the way Daniel would grip him and slide from head to base. Max whispers his name over and over as Daniel showers him in such unrelenting praise. Max almost thinks to riffle through his bag where one of Daniel's shirts is balled up inside, but he's too close. He has the scent of his sweat firmly etched in his memory, always on tap. Years of breathing in him.

"I"m going to come," he says softly over the phone. "Daniel, I'm going to come."

"Come for me, Max. You can do it. You got this, baby."

Max breaks, grabbing a nearby towel and gasping in shock and release as he comes. He holds his now spent cock and leans back into the sofa, reeling in the heady warmth that unspools in his chest. He looks down at the towel, thinking of days past when Daniel would abscond things like this, coated in Max, just as eager to smell and taste whatever he could.

Max heaves a sigh and stares up at the ceiling. "I miss you, Daniel."

"Almost the holidays, Max. Soon."

"Are you," Max blinks fast. "Are you...do you need me to..."

"I plan on being wicked horny all on my ride back. But call me tonight," Daniel says. Max savors the joy in his tone, the warmth. "Call me after you get pole. Then I can be a little bit more private instead of jacking off in the woods."

He once told Daniel his sweat smelled like trees. The sharp twang of pine with a hint of mountain air. He pictures Daniel out there now, fitting so perfectly in the woodsy tapestry. Still, he fits better here, sweaty after a race and in Max's arms.

"I'll be there for you, Daniel. Like you're always there for me."

"Mutual emergency contacts," Daniel smiles.

"Always."

"See you soon, Max," Daniel says. "You know you got this."

And Max does, too. He knows it. He grips the phone and feels that familiar assurance he needed so badly. "We got this," he nods into the phone. He blinks back wordless tears and smiles as they end the call. He thinks of Daniel, the sheen of his sweat, and a wide expanse of forest as he gets dressed and heads back out to the garage to get pole position.

[azelmawrites]

I miss my hoes (yelena & hange) why are they so ignored now that aot is over? why are we forgetting the visceral effect they had on us?

therefore, please give me ideas to write about either. I beg.

[triglycercule]

i love that the murder time trio all have dangerous little greetings. horror has his little hand drill thing. killer puts a knife up his sleeve and then does a little switcharoo. dust INSTINCTIVELY shoots whoever he sees with a bone. no greeting whatsoever. so just imagine how things go on a first meeting or whatever. immediately horror and killer have to dodge bones from dust and horror's like hey wtf man. mildly irritated but he just met these guys so he's willing to forgive. he's not gonna lose his cool in front of these two random ass guys even though one just tried to kill him. killer just has that dumbass smile on his face like always (but he was intrigued when dust did that. like who tries to kill someone on first sight?? he's curious now :3)

and then theyre all just standing together and staring for a moment and horror sticks out his hand. killer takes the bait but then he just points a knife to horror's stolen eye once he realizes that he got duped and his other hand is now currently being drilled into. dust didn't shake either of their hands because he could see the drill and tell that killer had something off about him in general. but he does give a tiny smile when he sees the state that the two r in rn with the drill and knife. it's an eensy bit funny in his eyes

least violent mtt interaction

[blackfilmmakers]

I hate how Aang is just never allowed to feel bitter about having his culture colonized. Like he apparently shouldn't feel so upset about colonizers that destroy his people's temples and replace it with pipes and smog. He apparently shouldn't feel angry when he learns that they build weapons of mass destruction for the Fire Nation

And then they try to make him out to be an "airbender purist" in Korra and like....he literally wouldn't be like that

"Aang is a bad father because he only paid attention to his one kid that was an airbender" his culture literally involves venturing out to other nations, and he befriends so many people and learn their cultures through these exchanges

If Aang is excited to share his culture, he is literally going to share it with his entire family, whether they are an airbender or not. He is literally excited to show Katara and Sokka how to play airbending games.

And he would want to do the same with the Southern Water Tribe because that's his wife and brother-in-law's homeland. He would take his children to travel around the world with him because that's what his people do

[rambrandt-the-painter]

i hate reading and im checking mariam webster to figure out how to use punctuation marks but im still writing weirdly artful furry porn.

never give up on your dreams!!!!

[jedi-bird]

It is finished!!! There is no way easy way to take a full or good photo of it at the moment but I don't care. 120 rows and almost five skeins of yarn. This is honestly the biggest thing I've ever made (it nearly covers our queen sized bed and probably will after I finally get to block it).

The pattern is For from Hooked On Sunshine. Yarn was Yarn Art Rose Garden in color 325 (sky blue to deep navy). I did minimal color control, just enough to ensure that the darkest color stopped at the end of a row. Hook was an E-4 (3.5 mm) from Tulip.

Tagging @peppermintquartz (thanks for putting up with my rants about the pattern lol) @not-available-for-comment @bladelei . I think I'm going to try to force myself to take a break for a few days from crocheting to let my shoulder calm down, but should my next thing be another blanket or a second attempt at a sweater?

[kacievvbbbb]

Maybe it's just me and I just don't understand the arc. Or maybe this arc will get some grand conclusion I'm really starting to doubt. But like I'm sick and tired of Tashigi being used as Zoro's misogyny proxy. Like the "a woman swordsman could never beat a man" belief and trauma made sense for both Kuina and Tashigi and was a very valid fear way back in the East Blue when they were still fighting relatively normal people and had no scope of how big the world is

but at this point where there are literally 20 feet tall dudes and people can blow up a whole city with just Haki the only reason Tashigi is still weak is because she is being written that way. Which is really hard to understand because it seems now more than ever One Piece has been getting more and more strong female characters so I don't know why every time Tashigi is on screen with Zoro we have to rehash this. It's even worse cause all she does in the scene is prove Zoro right by getting in a fight that she can't handle and needing saving. It's such a confusing message and honestly doesn't really apply or come up anywhere but with Tashigi and Zoro (outside of that one time where Zoro yells at enel for blasting Robin because she's a woman which was weird because Robin's been in a lot of fights before but seemed there just so enel could point out just how ruthless it is.)

Hell with the exception of the G5 all being in love with her. She is treated like a regular character and not just "the woman"

It honestly feels like both Tashigi and Smoker got lost in the narrative and Oda just doesn't know where to put their arcs. It feels like she was being written to help Zoro overcome whatever mental block Kuina's death instilled in him about facing female opponents with his sword. But she is just sooooo far behind him it renders the point moot and strengthens his convictions (it's weird that he will literally crush a woman's face rather than use his sword and is the only reason I won't say he doesn't fight women he does he just seems to have a mental block about cutting them down especially if they fight with anything blade like) but also we've only ever seen him face female character he knows can't challenge him it would have been interesting to see what he'd do in a fight against someone like big mom, tsuru or smoothie doubt that will happen though. But here's to hoping for Tashigi to have an actual arc.

[good-beanswrites]

Some LCSYS thoughts to make me feel better after the new update ;-; More Mahiru-centric, but Haruka and Shidou are definitely here chillin. At some point I'll need to rewrite that last chapter, too, ough...

“Alright, is everybody ready for Curtain Ca–”

“Stop!” Mahiru pressed a finger to Jackalope’s lips, despite the look of exasperation he gave her. “No work talk at a party.” She breezed away from him to the table where the others were gathered.

At the very beginning of planning, as she was pitching the idea of recognizing everyone’s birthday along with hers, Mahiru had placed an order for ten whole cakes. She insisted that the others would miss out on getting a proper one during the trials. Jackalope insisted that ten was a ridiculous number of cakes to have. They ended up comprising on three – a personalized one for each of the prisoners that would be staying behind. (Jackalope would have pointed out that it defeated the purpose, since they were the ones that could now ask for a cake any day they wanted, but he was just glad she had agreed to the terms.)

He followed her to the spread of treats. “I know you’re disappointed, but eventually you’ll have to face that the others are leaving. We have a few last timelines to write up, and then you’ll have to deal with a very short break from–”

“Please!” She pouted her bottom lip. “It’s Mahiru’s birthday, for goodness sake!”

Jackalope crossed his arms. “I thought you said today was everybody’s birthday…”

She looked pointedly away. “I said we’re celebrating everybody’s birthday, but we’re holding it on my birthday.”

“Interesting.”

He reluctantly left her as Yuno called him over to the games corner. Mahiru fluttered a goodbye wave. Shidou and Mikoto joined them at cake table, both sipping from color-coded cups Mahiru had organized.

“Oi Mappi,” Mikoto held his drink out to her. “You should try one of these! Kazu-san’s been making them, I forget what he calls them, but they’re great. You want a sip?”

Mahiru turned him down. A hand tugged gently on Mikoto’s sleeve.

“U-um! Can I try a sip?”

He stayed firmly facing away, feigning confusion. “Huh, what was that?”

“Just a-a little sip.”

“Ahhh… you know, I really miss Haru-kun.”

“Mikoto-saaaan.”

He wiped a nonexistent tear from his eye. “You know, sometimes I can still hear his voice…”

“Pleeease? Y-you said you were gonna see how many you could get Fuuta-san to-to drink tonight!”

Mikoto choked back a sip as Shidou’s eyebrows raised. “Fuuta’s over twenty! I wouldn’t give alcohol to a kid, that’s a crime, y’know?”

Before any of them could poke fun about his choice of words, Muu marched over to them. She held out a slice of purple-frosted cake on her plate and wrinkled her nose. “Shidou-san, something’s wrong with your cake. It’s horrible.”

“Oh no, there’s nothing wrong with it.” Shidou smiled. “It’s vegan.”

“Oh.” Her scrunched face didn’t change. “Muu’s going to get a different piece…” She grabbed Haruka by the hand, leading him away to his own cake. Mahiru noticed she was wearing the gift that Haruka had given her. Birthday presents hadn’t been part of the big party plan, but a few sentimental gifts had been exchanged. Jackalope was still mentally weighing what could be taken into the prison without raising suspicion, while the prisoners were mentally weighing what could be snuck into their cell whether he agreed to it or not.

Shidou frowned. “You better have been joking about Kajiyama-kun.”

“Eh, that’s not a crime.”

“Please.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m already losing sleep about the toll this all will take on Es-kun. Don’t do anything next trial to make me worry about the rest of you, too.”

“Es-kun…” Mahiru’s expression darkened.

Across the room came a laugh. “Come on doc, don’t you trust us?” Kotoko asked the question with a crooked smirk, heading over from where the game was breaking up. By the way Yuno lead Amane in a gloating walk, it was clear who had won. “I can assure you, everything is under control.”

“Why don’t we talk about something else?” Mahiru offered, her wide smile bordering on frantic. “Everyone keeps talking about Milgram, Milgram, Milgram! Let’s talk about something nice, mm? Kazui-san, tell me that funny story you were just telling Shidou-san!”

Kotoko gave her a look. “Have you already forgot your big conversation…?”

“Not at all! I remember every word he said to me.” Mahiru clasped her hands together. She relaxed her face, her eyes closed in perfect peacefulness. “I’m learning to live in the moment. That’s what I’m doing right now.”

“No. You still need to deal with your negative emotions head-on. So, do you have something you want to get off your chest before we head back in there?”

Mahiru was met with pleasant gazes from all sides. A few nodded in encouragement. “I… I actually do.”

She inhaled for a moment. She exhaled just as long. She looked around at the faces around her. She saw the half-eaten cakes. The board games scattered around. The gift wrapping and the cards. She studied the smiles all turned her way.

Lunging at Kotoko, she wrapped her in a tight embrace. Her voice trembled with tears. “Happy birthday.”

She was met with a loud sigh, and Kotoko returned the hug.

“Ah… you’re nuts.”

From the back of the group, Jackalope frantically typed something up on his phone. “Damn, that’s good,” he muttered.