#but i was too much a slacker for such serious work

[stumblngrumbl]

as a somewhat introverted person

imo you can miss out on educational opportunities -in particularly in school - because you're not able to spontaneously ask questions and participate

i remember this one class i took that while yes it was an upper division class i totally didn't expect it to basically be a grad level seminar and i don't think the other 7 students did either

the professor was really into teaching and i could see his exuberance but something was missing

he kept asking questions and in every other class i'd had as far as i know they were rhetorical questions, asked to make a point and the teacher moves on

well this guy asked

and after a few sessions i got the impression that he actually wanted answers

now i was definitely introverted then; perhaps now i've become more functional but at the time i was still working on it, but one day he asks a question and i answered it and i thought he was going to have a heart attack he was so startled

but he was joyous and we started to converse in the class and it all became so much more interesting; the other students joined and i have to say i probably learned more in that class than in any other class at uni by far

that experience was almost missed because of introversion

we need to stop letting introverts think they're inherently smarter than extroverts. those little fuckers might not talk very much, but i know they're having stupid thoughts in their heads just as much as the rest of us

[morganwrites12672]

Normal?

Sam Winchester x Reader

Summary: She had known Sam growing up. The two had both dreamed of a normal life. Sam had gotten out, she hadn't. One day, she decides to visit him at Stanford.

Word Count: 1.6k

Rating: PG-14

A/N: I hope you enjoy this! My requests are open.

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Her life was like a movie.

Not one of the good ones, no. Her life wasn't like a romcom. Her life was like a goddamn horror movie.

After her mother's rather brutal murder committed by a Werewolf, her father had lost his mind. The man had been on a bloody war path to kill anything Supernatural he could get his hands on. She had been dragged down the horrible path with him. Having been only five whenever her mother was killed, her memories of the woman were spotty. Almost everything she remembered from her childhood was shitty.

Cheap motel rooms, killing ghosts, lying to everyone she met, and nightmares. That was it. She didn't have a life that was considered enjoyable. She hunted monsters. She saved people. That was her job. She wasn't the girl who would get the happy ending. No, she was the girl who got to experience most people's nightmares every day of her life. Sure, it sucked. But, it had some not so sucky parts.

One of those parts was every second she spent with Sam Winchester.

She had first met the boy whenever she was twelve. Sam had been thirteen at the time. He had been clumsy with legs far too long and lanky for him to control. He has tripped three times on the walk to the cabin. Her father has bought the stupid cabin shortly after she had turned nine. It was a good place to store extra hunting supplies. It didn't get used much. Her father couldn't sit still for long.

The two had been walking through the woods together. Listening to John and her father talk had grown tiring. And Dean was no better. He was pissed off about something, she hadn't bothered asking Sam what. She was content to let the older Winchester brother sulk while she showed Sam her favorite places in the woods.

As they walked back, she remembered how he suddenly stopped. She had been curious and turned around to see why. His words had come as a surprise.

"Do you ever want to be normal?" He had asked her. She would have thought it was a joke if not for the serious expression on his face.

"I don't think we get to choose," She had replied. She knew they didn't. Both of their fathers had forced this life upon them.

The conversation had ended there. Sam had been more quiet than usual once they were back inside the cabin.

She woke up with a surprising smile. It wasn't often she dreamt of something so pleasant. More often than not her dreams were plagued by literal monsters. Or, people she hadn't been able to save. The later option sent a chill down her spine to think about. Those faces would haunt her forevermore.

It was one of the rare nights she had actually slept. She was used to catching a few hours here and there. No time for sleep whenever she had monsters to kill and people to save. It wasn't like her father had ever let her sleep in whenever she had been a child. Old habits die hard.

As she slid out of bed, her smile widened. She was only a few hours away from Stanford.

In a few measly hours, she would get to see him again. It has been months since her last visit. It wasn't often that she had any downtime. Hunting kept her busy. She had began hunting on her own shortly after she had turned nineteen. Working with her father had been too much for her to handle. She still hadn't been able to shake her father's voice from her head anytime she took even a night off though. His words seemed to be ingrained in her brain.

'If you stop working, people die. I didn't raise you to be a goddamn slacker.'

She didn't waste anymore time. She quickly showered before throwing everything else together. She was in her car, driving towards Stanford within half an hour. The anticipation of seeing Sam had her all jittery. She felt absolutely ridiculous. Almost like some school girl with a stupid highschool crush.

The drive seemed to have taken ages (only three and a half hours). As she finally parked her car in front of the address Sam lived at, she practically flew out of her car. She had wanted to leave immediately after she finished her hunt, but she had been too exhausted. Once she had finished it she had practically passed out. Vampires were tiring to deal with.

She took the stairs two at a time before knocking on the door.

Sam opened the door and greeted her with a smile. She threw her arms around him immediately. It had been months since she had had the time to visit him. She had also been thousands of miles away. Her lifestyle made anything inconvenient. It was worth it though. This time it hadn't been hard. Only a few hours out of her way. Not like last time.

"God, I've missed you."

Sam pulled away from the hug, smiling at her words. They were good friends. Both of them harbored small crushes (not very small anymore). Yet, neither would admit it. They both liked things how they were.

Sure, she wished she could kiss him right now. But she didn't. Their friendship was too perfect to ruin. Neither one of them would ever risk it for something more.

"I'm sorry it's been so long, I haven't been anywhere near California in a while," She explained. She had tried though, several times. But, she would always get drawn away. Always. It pissed her off. She wanted to drop by and check on him more than she did. She knew Dean had part of that covered though. Even if he refused to tell Sam about his visits.

Sam couldn't believe she had made it. For weeks, she's told him she would visit soon. He knew how the hunting lifestyle went. It could have been months before she had enough time to visit him. His heart fluttered at the thought. She was willing to go out of her way just to see him.

"Don't apologize. I know how busy you stay," He said. He didn't even want to think about what she had been doing. Hunting was a dangerous business. He hated that it was the business she was still in. He cared for her, even if he knew they were just friends. He couldn't help but wish for something more.

After she had spoken, Sam invited her in. The two made small talk for a while. Catching up on everything. She asked him about his classes and how he was enjoying college. He asked her about the hunts she had been on. The two exchanged information about those topics for a while. Until, a question Sam asked caught her off guard.

"You don't seem happy hunting anymore," He blurted, and it was true. Whenever she was younger it had been easier to pretend. Now, it got difficult. She got to watch other people her age be normal. It stung. "You don't have to keep doing that. . ."

His words were more true than she was willing to admit. She stayed silent for a minute, considering her reply. She hadn't spoken to her father in months. She didn't even have to tell him that she was quitting. She could still hunt on occasion, only cases close to wherever she chose to live though.

"I. . . I don't know what I would do."

"Anything you want," Sam replied. "Go to college, get a job, have a life. You. . . You could even stay with me for a while at first," he offered.

She considered his words. As she was thinking, her gaze fell to his lips for a brief second. She instantly looked away as a light blush stained her cheeks. Could she stay with him? Could she be normal for once?

As she looked back to answer him, she noticed how close they were. If she took a step forward, she'd be close enough to kiss him. Alarm bells were ringing in her head as she took the step. Living with Sam and keeping her feelings a secret would be impossible.

Sam seemed to notice what she was trying to do. Before she could move any closer, he was all over her. His arms around her waist, his lips mere inches from hers. He gazed down at her. And, she realized something. From the look in his eyes, her feelings were definitely reciprocated.

"Is this okay?" He murmured against her lips.

She threaded her fingers through his shaggy hair, "More than okay."

His lips met hers. The kiss was passionate and messy. Neither one of them had the patience to start slow. Already Sam was deepening the kiss. A soft moan left her lips at the sudden action. She pulled on his hair slightly as he continued kissing her.

"Does this mean you'll stay?" He asked, his hands slipping her shirt over her head. He took in the sight of her wearing a bra in front of him. It took every piece of self control in him not to rip off the rest of her clothes this second.

"I'll stay," She replied, kissing him again. Their lips moved in tandem together as Sam unclasped her bra. In a few more seconds Sams shirt had also been discarded. His hands fondled her bare breasts as she tugged on his hair.

She knew that there would be a lot of obstacles. It wasn't easy to quit being a hunter. It had been her life for so long. But, she would figure it out with Sam.

This was just the beginning of their future together.

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A/N: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave a comment and reblog!

[amarylliasky]

Number 2 is a sorta not crack! Au. I’m actually really into this one:)

Au: Attendant of the Prince’s Palace

- Kim Rok Soo wakes up as the first prince’s attendant! Surprise!

- Yeah it’s basically the indignity test but longer.

- For this AU, let’s say that Alberu becomes the Crown Prince when he turns 20. KRS wakes up in the body of an attendant when Alberu is 18. For the sake of not making the attendant too young, he is only three years younger than Alberu, making the attendant 15 at the start, and 20 at the start of the Tcf plot.

- Also, for those who think krs/newbie attendant is still too young, I actually find it’s quite common in fantasy for attendants to basically grow up and become a servant for a royal at a young age. It’s actually also common for servants of royalty to be from lower noble households(I think. At least in this au).

- So let’s just say that this attendant is the son of some poor baron or something, and he needs the money for taking care of his little siblings.

- Unfortunately, shortly before the switch, he loses his little siblings due to a sickness going around the nobility at the time. Crushed at the news, he is in no state to fight back when an administrator working for the Queen, after scamming him out of information on the first prince, gets him fired. A few days pass and he’s got a week left to get his affairs in order before he has to leave the palace and go back to his family’s small, cold estate.

- So our attendant was soon to be kicked out when Kim Rok Soo wakes up in his body.

[“When I opened my eyes, I was inside a novel.

[The Birth of a Hero] was a novel focused on the adventures of the main character, Choi Han, a high school boy who was transported to a different dimension from Earth, along with the birth of the numerous heroes of the continent.

I became a part of that novel as an extra who’s not even mentioned once. An attendant of the soon-to-be Crown Prince’s palace who doesn’t even encounter the protagonist in any of the five volumes.

The problem is that the attendant I became doesn’t know anything about the state of the palace, and will apparently be kicked out in a week after getting scammed by one of the Queen’s henchmen.

"..This is going to be a problem."


I feel like something serious has happened to me.


But it was worth trying to make this my new life.]

- With a completely clean slate for appearance, I decided to go with how I imagined him.

- Appearance: He wakes up as a 15 year old newbie attendant with cherry brown hair and innocent reddish brown eyes. His hair is straight, just above shoulder length, and typically tied in a low ponytail. Why is his hair cherry brown, you might ask? Because regular brown is too boring and I liked red, but we’ve already got several redheads and he can’t be too similar to OG!Cale. Why not black? Black is very uncommon in this world and he had black hair as Kim Rok Soo. So I came across the color cherry brown on Pinterest and fell in love. It’s sooo pretty! Seriously, look it up. It doesn’t stand out too much in a world of candy-haired individuals, but it’s also just unique enough to make it pretty.

- Anyway….He is initially irritated by this situation, but finds that it is quite satisfying to use his innocent and clueless face to his advantage. While he doesn’t know much of the situation in the palace from what he read in the novel, he does know that Alberu Crossman is the only competent prince and it would be in his favor to make a good impression on him. Also, palace attendants get paid quite well; PTO and everything, which will be beneficial toward his future slacker life.

- He may not know this Alberu Crossman as he does in canon, but he still carries his skills as the number one Team Leader in the company. He didn’t earn that position by being unable to use his situation to his advantage.

- He figures that if he’s getting fired anyway, he might as well flip everything over. Obviously the whole thing with the Library doesn’t happen as he has no knowledge of it, so he just does his attendant work with while planning to smack that administrator in the back of the head. None of the other attendants know about his termination, so he’s able to move around with relative ease.

- Alberu still doesn’t have any backing and is quite paranoid, especially since he’s so close to becoming the Crown Prince. He is more mature than his 15 year old counterpart, but for the sake of enjoyment, he’s still quite similar to indignity test Alberu. He later has a lot of backing and is much more secure in his position thanks to our Slacker-wannabe by the time the plot commences.

- By the time the plaza terror incident comes around, Krs has done a complete sweep of the staff and replaced everyone who has no use(that administrator was one of the first to go), and has even been promoted to the Crown Prince’s personal secretary(much to his dismay).

- Without the aid of the 4 year old dragon, he doesn’t actually find out that Alberu is a quarter dark elf until after one of his paid vacations, where he returns to the palace with a 2 year old dragon in tow. (He’s 18 at the time. Working his way up the ranks. But only for the pay!)

- He meets On and Hong on another of his paid vacations just shortly before the start of the plot. So Raon is with him longer in this au. He figured he’d get the shield while checking in on Choi Han, who is still in Harris Village.

- He gets there a few days before the Harris Village massacre in order to warn Choi Han, as well as the Count, of a possible attack on the village. How he does that without raising suspicion or being seen as crazy? I haven’t thought of that yet.. but with the help of the Molan duo and the protagonist, he is able to save the village.

- After returning to the Henituse estate with the swordmaster in tow, he states that he has duties he must attend to and must return to the capital for the King’s birthday celebration. Of course, Choi Han wishes to go with him, but relents and agrees to accompany Young Master Cale to the Capital and meet Krs there.

- As for our trashy Young Master? He immediately became attached to the strange man with the same eyes as him. If it’ll let him go with this so-called “attendant” to the Capital, then he can tone down his trashy actions enough to represent the Henituse County at the Birthday celebration.

- Now what about the children averaging seven years old? They’re still there. With Raon being invisible for the majority of his trip to the Henituse County, and On and Hong familiarizing themselves with this strange man and dragon duo who picked them up off the street. On and Hong help out with the Secret Organization at Harris Village. Since Krs has his shield by then, it wouldn’t make sense for him not to have picked up the kittens. Unfortunately, the Arm members teleport away before they can be caught. The rest commit suicide in order to not give out any information.

- Our attendant luckily manages to keep the dragon a secret until he leaves for the Capital. Or plans to.

- Under the insistence of the young master, he is forced to accompany them to the Capital in a carriage instead of teleporting like he had planned to do. Since no one knows about the dragon, they all assumed he would be taking a carriage to Huiss, and Krs doesn’t correct them as he can’t exactly say that he planned to teleport with the aid of a four year old dragon. So, begrudgingly, he agrees to join their entourage on the journey.

- There go his plans of slacking off until the Plaza Terror incident…

Fyi, if anyone has a name for our attendant, let me know! The main reason this post was so late is because I struggled trying to think of a name for him that actually sounded nice and not too fancy..😅

[mickedy]

And now spoiler-y TS!US thoughts

I actually mostly just want to talk about the character writing for Sans and Papyrus because they are my favorite characters and my heart flutters when fancontent does them right. Ok first of all

Sans is scary :scared:

I feel like Sans is a character that has lost a lot of his edge when it comes to fancontent. What makes Sans intimidating is the fact that you don't see it coming when he's being serious with you; it's meant to catch you off guard. But nowadays everyone and their mom knows about Sans' secret super powerful scary side in the Undertale No-Mercy Run... and it doesn't have that same bite when fancontent tries to portray him as threatening.

TS!Underswap Sans is a very, very well done subversion of that. He comes right out of the gate letting you know that he hunts down bad people, and that he's not afraid to mess you up if you decide to do messed-up things. And you think that he's talking about his superhero persona, and he's putting on an act for you, but then you do a No Mercy run and find out that he is being 100% serious. You knew it was coming and yet it still blindsides you when he actually decides to hunt you down for being a weirdo murderer. It doesn't feel out of character and it doesn't feel unearned; Sans is a hero, and he will do what a hero needs to do. In every sense of the word.

Writing him to be a superhero was a really genius choice. You can have him be his normal lazy slacker self when he's out of costume, and therefore he can fill in Papyrus' role a la Underswap without it feeling OOC, because he's acting. But as I just pointed out--... he's not acting. He is, but he's not. He's an enigma of a guy, and you never know when you're supposed to be taking him seriously, and THAT is the mark of a very good Sans characterization.

Papyrus... we don't actually know that much about, I feel. I really wish I had more to say about him, but I think the fact that I don't makes it work all the more. He takes Sans' role, so it's sort of a given that he's mysterious. He's an inventor, too! What a fun little callback to Undertale Papyrus and all of those little gadgets he made.

His No Mercy characterization is really, really interesting. Despite taking Sans' role, he still comes at you with utmost compassion and understanding-- and it just makes me wonder all the more how everything will play out. I feel like NM final boss Papyrus is so, so often mischaracterized-- people write him as way too willing to fight, way too willing to get vengeance. That's not him! Papyrus is the one person who will stick with you to the end, and always believe that you can be better-- and dropping him into Sans' role with that in mind could be so so SO interesting! I have the utmost faith in Team Switched to do something clever here.

Also, Papyrus' reaction to Sans' death was heartbreaking.

Changing the subject, in this universe-- Frisk and Monster Kid take the role of the first fallen human and Asriel, respectively. I really, really doubt that Frisk has any ties to Chara's soul in this universe in the same way that Frisk and Chara were connected in Undertale. In fact, I have a good feeling that Frisk and MK were reincarnated into Flowey and Temmie, respectively.

Flowey specifically talks in a very neutral, unwavering tone. They don't have any strong opinions on any route you choose to take, and they'll follow and help you out regardless. They're outwardly friendly but also unsubtlely sarcastic and detatched. Kind of what we get from Frisk, using the very minuscule characterization given to us.

Also, I feel like Flowey being genderless in this universe is pretty significant. Haha.

I think that's all I have to say for right now. I didn't mean for Sans to take up half of this post-- in fact, I didn't really like his character until I played the NM route... and then everything clicked. Such good character writing

[teriri-sayes]

Reactions to Tsunami Creator's Chapter 179

TL;DR - Cale cautious of using Water AP because he noticed the tattoo changes. More info about the "absolute god." Cale's group secretly enters Hainan.

Cale is Finally Aware Finally, Cale found out about the tattoo changes! He even calls it "rechargeable." 😂 And this discovery made him self-aware too... That if he coughed blood or fainted, his group might do... some crazy things, like Raon seriously destroying Jungwon's statue. 🤣🤣🤣

HOWEVER. While Cale had now become cautious of overusing his Water AP, he still hasn't explained to his group that his blood coughing episodes was just the work of VoH and not something to be seriously worried about... 😑

But him being cautious made some funny moments:

Water AP: The seas are rough! I can calm it! Cale: No. Water AP: Tsk.

Cale: I'll use this cape together with the DA. DA: Yes. *excited* Water AP: What about me? Cale: No. Water AP: Tsk.

Absolute God Info This part made me laugh because one of the lines perfectly fit Cale. 😂 We learn that the Blood Cult worship the absolute god, but this god has yet to exist. Only a few people know that there was no such god, and the rest believe that such a god exists.

The reason they gave was that a god might be created if they worship and pray to a human. Worship was the best way for god creation. And the person they worship was not the Blood Demon. There was no mention of who they worship, but given the past info, it's probably the King's Successor?

Amusingly, this applies to Cale too. Clopeh pretty much worships him already, Durst is serious about founding Caleism in Xiaolen, and Cale's recent actions in the Central Plains are laying the foundation of Caleism there too... 🤣🤣🤣 Cale is ticking off all the requirements on the How To Be a God checklist. RIP Cale's Slacker Life Dream... 🪦

Hainan Island The group enters a cave in the island where the first jiangshi experiment failures were dumped. The numerous bones there reminded Cale of Mogoru's alchemy bell tower. There was also info about the priestess who resided in Heavenward, a 10-storey blue building on the island.

Oh yeah, Cale was planning to use the Cape of the Sun item he got as a reward from Xiaolen. We learn that it had the effect of raising one's dignity/majesty. So if Cale used it together with his DA, how scary would he become? Enough to be mistaken as a god? Ufufu 🥰

Ending Remarks Chapter was boring again except for the short funny parts and God Cale foreshadowing moments. We'll probably get battle scenes next chapter, or a reveal on which Orsena lady became the priestess. And with all the red flags Cale has planted, I'm really looking forward to the blood coughing moment~! 😍

[diltonsstrangescience]

So there’s this one comic where Dilton is absolutely FLIPPING OUT over how much Jughead annoys him. It’s really crazy. I’ve never seen him that emotional about ANYTHING. He looks like he’s going to murder someone. It’s one of my favorite comics.

I had wondered, before reading this, what a direct interaction between my two favorite characters would be like. This comic reveals the obvious fact that the two are polar opposites. The overachiever and the slacker. Of course they’d be at odds.

I’m going to completely overthink this comic, and write entirely too many paragraphs about my headcanons for it. You have been warned.

The first thing I glean from this comic is that Dilton has a serious control-freak streak. “Some people just aren’t happy unless everyone else is just the way they want ‘em to be.” I will Remember This Detail. I must collect characters’ flaws for future reference. Dilton gets pushy with other people when he thinks they should be different. It’s not enough for him to follow a strict set of rules, everyone else should too, or it irritates him to the point of cartoonish fury. (If anyone thinks they’re above the desire to change others, try being the only person in a group project who does any work, and see if you’re still willing to live and let live. I can definitely relate to Dilt here, to some degree.)

The second takeaway is that I headcanon exactly what led to the ending panel where Dilton’s been converted to Jughead’s way of life, instead of the other way around. I want to make a comic about it. Dilton’s been harassing Jughead for days about how he should change every aspect of his lifestyle. Jug asks why his lifestyle is so bad, and Dilt again lists off the things Jug does that he thinks are wrong. Jug then sort of disproves these claims, not denying them, but denying that they’re problems.

Sure he sleeps in class a lot, but that’s because class can be boring (surely gifted student Dilton understands this?). Jughead still gets mostly good grades, so he must be doing something right. He pays attention when he needs to. And maybe Dilton thinks his clothes are stupid, but who cares what he chooses to wear? How is that Dilton’s problem? And as far as “cluttering the landscape” by sleeping at the park, and eating a ton at the Chocklit Shoppe—seriously? He’s just existing in public places, doing completely legitimate things to do in those places. He’s minding his own business. Gluttony and sloth aren’t crimes unless they actually affect someone else’s life. And these actions shouldn’t be. So why are they affecting Dilton so much?

There are plenty of other reckless teenagers to try to reform, ones with way worse actions and way worse grades. So why Jughead? What makes him specifically the object of Dilton’s fury? Is it because he gets away with it all? Is it because—look, I’m gonna skip to my point. Dilton’s so bothered by Jughead specifically because he’s jealous of him.

He’s jealous that Jughead sleeps through boring classes because he already understands the material—Dilt is also sick of sitting through repetitive or easy lessons, but he wants to keep up appearances as the “responsible smart kid,” so he has to look alert even when he feels his time is being wasted. Dilton is jealous that Jughead finds it so easy to relax, napping in plain view of any passerby—Dilton cares too much about how other people see him, and he’s terribly afraid of appearing lazy or wasting time, and anyway he’s always too anxious to relax properly. Dilton is even sort of jealous of Jughead’s unabashed gluttony, because it displays a lack of shame that Dilton finds unattainable. Jughead doesn’t worry if the things he likes are “good” or “bad”, he just does what he wants. And it almost always works out for him.

To put the situation simply, Jughead is like the kid who speed-writes his essay the class period before it’s due, and still somehow gets an A. To someone who spent a week researching and revising theirs, this is infuriating. It feels so unfair. Sure, Jughead’s metaphorical A doesn’t do anything to remove Dilton’s A. Whether or not Jug succeeds, it doesn’t affect Dilton. Except it does, because it doesn’t feel fair that Dilton spends so much time anxious and planning and monitoring his behavior in an attempt to be perfect, and Jughead can just skate on through life without worry and be doing basically just as well. Because if there aren’t serious consequences for laziness and indulgence and nonchalance, then that means Dilton’s been putting himself through all this stress for nothing. If Dilton’s way of life is equivalent but less efficient, then it’s wrong, and Dilton is not used to being wrong about anything. It’s not something he handles well.

So yes, he’s flipping out. Because he needs Jughead’s actions to be objectively wrong and in need of correction. Or else he’s got to reevaluate pretty much everything about himself.

Probably Dilton’s not even aware that all of this stems from jealousy. He won’t admit it to himself. He feels far too self-righteous to examine his motivations. But at some point while he’s chasing Jughead all over Riverdale, he’s going to slip up and yell something that reveals basically everything I just wrote up there (but more concisely). He’s going to reveal (and realize for the first time) that this whole thing is just a desperate attempt to justify his own anxieties. After two weeks of this “reform Jughead” nonsense, they say something like:

J: [at the end of his rope] “I just don’t get why you hate me so much!”

D: [also at the end of his rope] “Hate you? I WISH I could BE you! It’s not fair!”

Jughead is completely shocked by this, and Dilton starts rambling about how hard he tries to be perfect and how he wishes he didn’t care what people thought of him and how Jughead can relax but he just can’t and how Jug has to be doing something wrong because if he’s not than Dilton’s wrong and he’s failed at life and that’s literally the worst thing that can happen and—

And Jughead immediately responds by saying that’s waaaay too much to worry about. (Because it really is. That doesn’t make it easy to get rid of though.) Jughead says okay, if you’re so jealous of me, then let’s flip the script. You stop trying to turn me into a teacher’s pet, and I’ll start teaching you how to enjoy life a little more. How to care less about what people think of you. How to worry less, and know which things are actually worth worrying about. How to be a little lazy and waste a little time without feeling like you’re committing some sort of crime. I am going to teach you to be like me, for the sake of your sanity. Because if that stressed mess you just said is what the inside of your head looks like all the time, there’s no way you can keep going like that for long without imploding. (Boy, he thinks, I always thought the brainiac students had the least worries out of anyone. If being on top makes you this paranoid, then don’t sign me up.)

So that’s how you get from point A to Dilton wearing a matching sweater and whoopee cap and asking for burgers. He’s learning through imitation. (Probably too strictly exact of an imitation, but those instruction-following instincts get drilled in deep.) The original joke is that he just spent too long around Jug and sort of absorbed his vibes, I guess, instead of the other way around. But my explanation makes more sense to me. It’s not like Dilt’s being brainwashed, he’s making the choice to act like this. And why? Because he really needs to be less hard on himself, and he finally understands that. Look at him at the start of the comic: wound up and melting down over this tiny little issue that’s not even his problem. Look at him at the end: relaxed, hanging out with his friend, going to do something purely recreational. Sure it’s funny that he’s dressed like Jughead’s mirror image, but when you think about it, this is clearly a good change for him (in all ways but the twinning outfit).

I really do think Jughead needs to impart his wisdom onto Dilton. Needs to teach him to calm down and do things not for a grade or an award or a reputation, but just for his own well-being. To go out to restaurants. To take naps in the park. To worry less about school. To exist in the world outside of his strict framework of self-imposed rules. He needs to teach Dilton to choose imperfection, and to be proud of it.

Because I need him to teach me that.

As always, this entire thing is 100% completely projecting.

[vaguely-concerned]

so sad that we didn't get a follow up game for andromeda if for no other reason then because I never got to play out the full arc of my ryder looking hauntedly at himself in the mirror realizing he very much is his father's son in more ways than he's strictly comfortable with

(by default sara always seems to me to be the twin who's the most obviously like alec -- with small variances based on how you play her if she's the PC twin, she's always presented as more driven, competetive and academically minded than scott, who's framed in the family dynamic more as the underachiever/slacker fuckup twin. as an example, see: the conversation you have with alec about the sibling who's in coma at the beginning of the game. when you're scott they bond over joking that sara would be so pissed to be out of commission because she's been planning to be the first to scale every mountain, and when you're sara it's that scott never liked to get up in the morning anyway, how typical of him. (even in jest I feel like this indicates a slightly unpleasant dynamic where one of the few reliable tactics that work for sara to get connection with her dad is for both of them to turn on scott to mock him. which like. very real type of interpersonal dynamic that exists, and one of the character aspects I like the most in andromeda for all that it's uncomfortable, it feels quite subtle and well observed.) you can make sara a bit more neurotic/nervous and awkward and/or charmingly dorky when playing as her and you can make scott a bit more serious, but these aspects of the characters hold true no matter what. which for the record I absolutely love! it's the thing the hawke family also provides in da2, being able to see the dynamics that lead to your character being the way they are alllll the way back and building on it.

hOWEVER with my scott. this apparent disconnect between himself and his dad in terms of character traits (and the lack of communication in that relationship that stood in the way of letting him see that his father was a lot of other things behind the fragile hard outer shell of him than he wanted to show) means that as time goes on scott is fucking blindsided by all the common traits that start popping up under pressure. which you can actually start to introduce in the game itself, too -- if you choose mostly the logical and casual options, it's almost freaky how much ryder starts to sound like a younger and more irreverent version of their dad. (the most interesting version of liam's loyalty quest for me is actually the one where you go full professional and chew him out afterwards, and as liam storms off you can practically SEE ryder arrive at the thought 'oh my god I have become my father' in real time fhdsakj. in general some of the most interesting moments in me:a to me happen when you manage to break away from video game people pleaser mode.)

especially the things alec was willing to do to not lose his wife, to not be alone, he'd rather she be alive and pissed with him than gone forever because that's how desperately he needed her to exist... I think one day scott will look up and go '...oh fuck' at realizing the lengths he would go for someone he loves, and that he has the means to do it too and would make his father's (very bad to be clear) choice all over again if push came to shove. keeping horrible secrets is just the family tradition what does it matter if the weight of them grows heavier and heavier to bear over the years these are family heirlooms you know. I mean, my guy romanced reyes, so you already know he's got something deeply deeply wrong with him lol but this horrors of love side of him only adds to it. scott ryder got his fundamental lack of inner peace from his father and his social skills and abysmal taste in men from his mother

[scarefox]

That false diagnosis is triggering and disappointing me so hard. It literally just proves that this therapist already coined me since day 1 and didn't budge and rather saw all my attempts to deny her idea as prove that she's right.

I told her so much of my worries, fears, potential adhd & autism symptoms, why I am cautious with other people out of fear of very realistic dangers, all the shit why I am in burnout, intrusive thoughts, depressive thoughts, selfharm thoughts I had during my lowest times, that I am even afraid to fall back into that spiral, all my physical anxiety symptoms

Just for her to basically diagnose me with: doesn't want to work, judgemental and envious of others, complains about too much work when it's normal workload, passive aggressive, unjustified complains of feeling misunderstood and mistreated, hates authorieties, tries to find excuses to not hold deadlines or manipulates work

How do you even defend yourself against that, when defending and complaining is part of the criteria to not take you serious???

I already lost trust to that therapist halfway through the clinic stay but ... this wow. I don't know how to look at her next Thursday when I have to go to her again to get my meds.... I will try to tell her that I disagree with that diagnosis. But I doubt she will change it. Fellow therapy mate got the diagnosis for borderline in the beginning but at the end the therapist said she's not seeing it anymore but won't change it because her coworkers would think she's a bad therapist for taking that back.

I would understand a diagnosis for avoidance personality disorder for me BUT NOT basically passive aggressive lowkey narcissistic simulant who's not as nice as they pretend to be wtf?? (despite this diagnosis being outdated and can't be diagnosed during depression!)

Why is she so obsessed with making us victims (not just me but others in my therapy group) into perpetrators and slacker??

Like every time one reported about feeling shit and overwhelmed, she came with "but have you thought about how your partner feels when you act like that?"

Or me literally diagnosed with social anxiety and with bullying experience got "actually when you are scared of people you are judging them before knowing them, you make them into perpetrators before they ever harmed you".

I mean I get the point of that mental image, but I feel like she actually believes that anxious people are all resentful haters under a nice mask. Yes I told her that I wear a mask in public but to hide my fears, depression and social confusion not my secret hate and spite I have for everyone!

[ria-writes-stories]

Busy schedule

Ship: Emily x Sam Genre: Cotton ---------------------

(No one's pov)

Copper 9, a planet that holds nothing more than atomic waste, a hell of a weather like you are in the coldest pits of darkness, and drones, who could want more? The worker drones lived safely in a colony far away from their counter part, murder drones, or more accurately disassembly drones, but that's enough of smarty talk, you'll have about enough of that later on.

"And then we have to do the Physics homework, and- are you listening???" Emily asked as she looked down at her boyfriend who was calmly cuddled up against her chest with his arms warped around her waist. They were in the book club, and honestly it had no members other than Emily, who was there because it's her safe little space to read besides the library, and Sam, who was there because he was a lazy magnet addicted boy who was deeply in love with the cute two pig tailed nerdy girl. "Course I am babes." He said sheepishly with a joyful smile as he twirled her hand between his fingers. "Sam this is serious! The finals are coming up! We have to study or we will fail! If you fail you'll have to repeat the year and then we'll be in different classes and then we won't be able to spend as much time together and then-" Emily began to slowly spiral around in absolute panic as Sam simply brought her head closer and softly pressed his forehead against hers. "Deep breaths, deep breaths." He said with a loving smile while looking into her eyes in a reassuring manner to calm her down. Emily took deep breaths and then sighed softly as she pressed her forehead on his. "I'm just worried… if we fall out of the schedule we may not be able to see each other again effectively. Our grades could drop, or our relationship could fall apart and I-" Sam cut her off by cupping both of her cheeks and kissing her cheek softly. "Calmo hermosa~, I'm a magnet addict not a dumb slacker. Remember about that study you did?" "…That lazy people usually find more intelligent methods to get work done as quickly as possible so that they can have more time for whatever?" "And who was your main subject?" "…You." Emily said as a soft brush spread on her cheeks while she looked away embarrassed. Yes these two were that much in love believe it or not. "Come on, if you keep doing this you will work yourself to death. I don't want that to happen. Who will I copy the homework from after that?" Sam said teasingly as he sat up and pulled Emily into his chest, rubbing circles on her back as the girl simply mumbled while gripping on his shirt with a small pout on her face. Sure Sam would copy Emily's homework about all the time, cuz he was lazy to do it, but other times that Emily's anxiety would get the best of her due to her being unable to complete it, he would be the one to fix it up and help her see the mistakes, that's how they started out…

"Yooooooo dudette! You're the new girl-" "Emily." "Yeah! Emily dudette, think you can help me out? This work is a little too boring for me, can ya sent me the homework after you've did yours? 'Preciate it dudette! See you tomorrow!" "Wait wh- hey!" Emily didn't get to say much as Sam simply placed his notebook in her hand and left. Emily was used to people speaking over her, pushing her around, but this felt so strange. He seemed peaceful and friendly, so where was all of this coming from? He didn't even threaten her or have a reason to pick on her he simply went out and…did this…why? Well, why should she even stress about it? She shouldn't, she should not even make it in the first place, but… she did notice that the teacher gave him a different homework, was it a punishment? Was it easier? Was it more difficult? Curiosity got the best of her, so, she decided to take up on this challenge as well, how bad could it be?

She ate her words when she ended up spending hours on end unable to finish this. The first few tasks were a tad harder than the class average but she got past those, however the very last one…

She ended up breaking into tears. Why couldn't she solve it? Whatever the reason she started this homework to begin with was out the window long ago as she was now unable to think clear. Studying was her thing. She was good in so many 'nerdy' things. She found them interesting and intellectually stimulating, yet here she was unable to do the very thing she was good at, it tore her apart. Emily always tried to be a good student despite her limits, but when she'd reach those limits, she'd break under the pressure like a fragile flower at the first sign of bad weather.

That night she went to sleep drowned in bitter tears and the next morning when she thought she pulled herself she fell once again once he saw his face filled with confusion when he saw that the last task was not completed. He didn't really comfort… he just spoke up, he explained how the task works, he placed the paper sheet on the wall, grabbed a pencil and fixed it up for her. She slowly stopped crying, cleaning her tears away as her sobs went silent as she watched in fascination how he solved that so very difficult task with so much ease. "How… did you do this?" "Hm? Oh, it's easy dudette! But, sorry for making ya go through that, I really didn't mean to dudette." He said sheepishly in an apologetic manner with his eyes filled with a bit of guilt. "No- if- if you can solve these on your own why didn't you…?" "They're too easy for me, they bore me!" Those words left her in utter shock. How did the well known 'druggie' of the school solved this problem and even called it beyond easy. That's when the two learned a bit more of the other. Sam had a condition, in short, he was too smart for his own good, his system, his coding, something in it over analysed when it came to anything regarding mathematics, or engineering, physics, anything and everything, it drove his system into over drive, over heating if you may, making him unable to function normally, making him unable to move as information would come rushing at once, so, the mechanic described something that would normally slow down a drone's system so much that they would barely be able to even stand anymore. Magnets. Of course he was given a safe dose, but when he noticed that it was not doing anything to him, he switched to a stronger one, however he was always careful as to not leave his magnets unsupervised for they could hurt someone else badly.

From that day on they worked together on anything, it was a little thing that bit by bit brought them closer. Sam was overly a calm and chill guy, Emily didn't know if it was from the magnets or not but she was glad she had someone to balance her anxiety and overthinking. Before she was even aware of it, he was complimenting her, asking her out, taking her out on dates, and here we are now.

"Hey, how about this, I saw a flaw in the schedule, how about we fix it right now, hm?" Sam asked as he looked down at her with a soft smile, while Emily simply looked up at him puzzled. "Go home, dress nicely, and I'll pick you up, you can dress however, you look good in whatever anyway." He said affectionately as he placed a soft peck on her forehead before getting up. "Wait- Sam no- Sam!" Sam didn't even bat an eye, he just left.

Emily sighed as she now knew she HAD to go after him or well, with him, why? Simple, cuz Sam was a tad slow with one's behavior compared to physics… side effects you know. However the issue was that, well, there was only one time Emily didn't understand what Sam wanted, or she simply didn't follow through with it and Sam ended up acting like a sad guilty watered down puppy for the next three days, apologizing non-stop, asking what he can do to make her forgive him, Emily doesn't even remember what exactly the situation was about, all she remembers is that after the text 'Where are you :(? Did I mix something up?' she was left with an overly sad and overly apologetic boyfriend who didn't know what to do with himself.

Emily sighed and went home, she knew that Sam always got a last minute plan whenever things were serious so she didn't know what this one could be about, she just trusted him and hoped for the best.

Emily dressed up, tried to calm herself down and waited for him. The moment she got his message she walked out of the house and he was there standing with some casual but good looking clothes as he smiled brightly once he saw her as if he saw a beautiful delicate butterfly fly up to his hand. "You look gorgeous amore." Sam said as he kissed her hand softly as Emily blushed softly. She never got used to his compliments, he was a little too much for her, sometimes, but, it was the good kind. "Come on, I'm teaching you a lot tonight!" Sam said happily as he took her hand dragging her along as she nervously followed close by, only Robo-Jesus knew what that mind of his cooked up besides another sort of magnet.

The more they walked the more confused Emily got, but the moment she saw the door to the club she didn't even get to say something as she simply got dragged in by her boyfriend. The music wasn't overly too loud or painful, the atmosphere was pretty nice and peaceful, sure in every crowd there are bad apples, but the place seemed over all good. "Sam! 'Sup man? Watcha doing here?" One of Sam's friends greeted him as he shook his hand. "Aye dude good to see you my man. Listen I can't we talk now, I'm with my girl so I gotta be with her, but I'm always down to catch up later." "For sure, enjoy yourself with your little lady bud, she seems like a mouse in a cat's claws." "Haha, yeah, yeah, talk to ya later dude!" Sam said casually as he turned back to Emily as his friend left somewhere else. "Sam this is nowhere near helping-" "Yes it is cara mia! You are too tensed, you gotta calm down! Come on, tonight, you're learning how to dance." Sam said as he pulled her to the dance ring. "W-wait Sam- Sam no, I have two left legs- SAM!" In vain did Emily try to stop her boyfriend because he still did whatever he wanted.

Emily quivered and whimpered as she looked down at her feet nervously not knowing how to do as Sam gently placed his hands on her sides. "Ma cherry, eyes up! Come on, just relax, move over the beat, you can do it!" Sam said with a confident comforting smile as Emily looked up and tried to move, trying to somewhat copy him only for him to stop and laugh. "Do your own thing bella!" Sam said encouraging her, but Emily always needed some rules to follow, if she was left free she didn't know what to attach to in order to do something at all, that was her fault, it was harder to think out of the box for her, which is why he was doing exactly that, bringing her out, forcing her to discover herself and things she likes or she might like.

Emily began to dance, or at least try to as Sam followed by, trying to compliment her moves with his, it was like looking at an old couple learning how to dance all over again after years of staying down due to bone pains and back aches, yet here they were none the less. When the music changed he pulled her in for a nice calm waltz, not too slow, not too fast, just the right peace for her to be able to enjoy and slowly get to use to it, Sam kept a constant beat regardless of the music playing, pulling her into a 'rule' to help her attach onto something, to help her have a better understanding, to help her adapt easier. "You're doing beautifully preciosa!" Sam encouraged her the best, as she couldn't help but laugh at his little compliments, before he pulled her in and spun her around, she wasn't expecting that, she managed to somehow tangle herseld between her legs and trip, nearly dragging him along when he tried to catch her but thankfully Sam was sturdy on his legs without a problem. Emily looked shocked before bursting into laughter with him.

One big lazy cat, playing with an anxious mouse. Who'd think of that? Yet look how well they went together.

The end

[yume-x-hanabi]

Currently watching: Miss Night and Day

I decided to review a few of the dramas I'm currently (re)watching, starting with a new find: Miss Night and Day

This one is currently airing (new ep every Sat.-Sun. on Netflix) and has just reached its halfway point, so I think it's a good time to write down my thoughts.

The basic plot

(Genres: Romcom, Mystery, Fantasy)

The main character, Lee Mi-Jin, is a 28-year-old who keeps trying and failing to get a job as a public servant, and even falls for a scam out of her desperation to find a proper job. One day, she helps a magical (?) cat, who grants her a blessing/curse (depending on how you see it lol) as a result: during the day, her appearance ages to what she would look like in her 50's, while she comes back to her young self during the night. Cue her scrambling to juggle those two identities while keeping it hidden from everyone.

Ironically, she manages to find a job quite easily as her old self through a senior employment program, and through hijinks ends up as secretary to prosecutor Gye Ji-Ung, whom she met as her young self when she got scammed, then later as a witness to a murder case.

Impressions so far

Story: One thing you need to know about me is that I'm a sucker for crime/mystery/legal dramas, especially when there's an interesting twist in the setting. So right off the bat this one's premise drew me in. I also tend to not really enjoy romance/romcom dramas on their own, but sprinkle in some crime/mystery, plus some supernatural element on top, and I'm innnnn.

So far it's delivered on both fronts. The serious underlying investigation plotline is less prominent than the comedy hijinks, but that's good for where we're at, I like the balance between the two. There's a lot of subplots going on, and they keep things moving and interesting; it's worked well in terms of pacing. There's one plotline I would have preferred done a bit differently, but I'm reserving judgment on that until I've seen where it leads. Otherwise I've enjoyed the way it's going.

Characters:

Main girl: She's a very fun lead. She's generally a peppy heroine, but she's also a woman nearing her 30's whose life has not turned out how she wanted, so she's also got that Tired Adult™️ vibe that's quite relatable. She may not be the smartest (she sometimes has a tendency to rush in without thinking at first), but she's also perceptive and resourceful, so while she does need saving from time to time, she also often can find a way to get out of some situations she put herself in (often when it pertains to keeping her identity switch secret lol). Both actresses are doing a great job with the role--you really feel they're playing the same character, so much that you sometimes almost forget they're two different people.

Main guy: I'm really, really loving this take on the "stoic/assholish male lead (who will be softened by the love interest)" archetype. Yes, he is a stoic workaholic and a bit of a jerk... when he's at work. But in his day to day life, he's quite openly sweet and empathetic. And I really like that this is the side that Mi-Jin got to see first. So it's not really that he has a hidden soft side that she needs to discover, but more that she gets confused by the contrast with his work persona. She eventually calls him out on his bad attitude toward her (old self) in the office, and he improves on that front too. (Honestly tho apart from his scheme to get her to quit being his secretary at the beginning, I don't think what earns him his reputation as a jerk in the office is even that bad? he's just mostly blunt and doesn't tolerate slackers; like in a lot of cases it's warranted imo). Anyway I really like his character, and there's a lot of little scenes I absolutely adore (and definitely makes me ship them :p) Only thing I find weird is that he hasn't taken note of the similarities between young Mi-Jin and her old self (for example, her bright pink backpack she takes everywhere should be a giveaway; also the fact she tends to pop up in the same places he last saw her old version at lol). Dude is supposed to be a smart prosecutor, I'm surprised his observation skills are failing him there (especially since there's been a few close calls).

Second male lead: I'm gonna be honest, I don't care much for him. He's obviously gonna be important considering the recent plot development, and I guess I'm glad Mi-jin has someone at work who knows her secret and wants to help her, but I still don't have much of an opinion of him. He's just there lol. I do hope they're not going to drag in an unrequited love subplot or something like that.

Supporting cast: I initially found Mi-Jin's overbearing parents annoying, but it's clear they love her and want the best for her, so they've become quite endearing. I absolutely love her best friend (she's a beauty youtuber lmao), she's so cute and such a sweetheart. Other supporting characters are okay so far; potential suspect is creepy enough, tho he's so obvious I'm wondering whether he's a red herring. We'll see I guess...

Music/Directing/etc: The music's appropriate to the scenes, which is what matters most, but nothing particularly stands out aside from the main theme. The directing is good, again nothing particularly stands out imo (maybe a small negative point is a bit too much repetition at times), but nothing bad either.

All in all, it's a pretty fun show and I'm quite enjoying it so far. Waiting for new episodes is hard lol

[acanth3]

追憶＊マリオネットの糸の先 / Reminiscence＊End of the Marionette's Strings

EPISODE 4

Mika: ~.....♪

Arashi: Mi~ka-chan ♪

Mika: Nnnn!? What is it? What is it!? Naru-chan suddenly huggin’ me from behind! I thought my heart was about t’ stop…?

Arashi: Ufufufu, I’m sorry Mika-chan. It’s rare I’m in a good mood so let’s share our happiness ♪

Mika: Yes, but even if it's Naru-chan, don’t do it all of a sudden. M’ gonna get scared…

Arashi: I’m sorry Mika-chan’s reaction is so cute…☆

Mika: Usually , if anyone is hugged from behind their souls will drop.

It’s like a classic horror movie. If I had a gun, I would have mistaken’ you for a zombie and fired!

Arashi: Zombie?

I mean, Oh my! I’m sorry Mika-chan. Were you sewing?

Your fingers! You stabbed it with the needle, it’s bleeding!?

Mika: Hmm…really?

Arashi: I’m really sorry!

Well, wait! I’ll treat you, place this handkerchief on your finger!

Mika: Naru-chan is exaggeratin’! I don't feel much pain It’s not that sensitive~ even if you stab it with a needle, ya can't really feel it ♪

Like this, if you just spit on it you’ll feel better~ ♪

Arashi: That’s right! Mika-chan I need to treat you properly. I’m taking you to the infirmary! 

Garden Terrace

Mika: Did you understand what I said!? Don’t drag me~ Naru-chan! I don’t want to get attention!

Really? I can’t go without Naru-chan?

That’s right it’s just to take me to the infirmary, you're even skipping class…

Naru-chan you look so serious…

Arashi: Ufufu~ It’s just the belief that ‘anything in moderate’ means ‘appropriate’ in the true sense ♪

I took you to the infirmary, say thank you~ It’ll be harder/bad if bacteria got into the wound, so I had to treat it ♪

Mika: Eh, you treated me, not Mr.Sagami, Naru-chan. We were in the infirmary for a long time, you were just chattin’ with the glasses teacher?

Arashi: That’s good because it’s just what you were looking for, Mr.Sagami is kind of a slacker…

Sometimes the teacher really does the work for you~ the rumours were true ♪

Oh~ It’s been a long time since I talked to my teacher! I am glad, your skin’s getting shiny! After all, when you fall in love, you do become beautiful~♪

Oh, I’m happy! I’ve been avoided by my teacher for a long time, I wonder why? It’s like an unrequited love after all! 

Mika: That teacher... Naru-chan. Is that why you look like that?

Arashi: I'm happy! Do you understand? The colour of my hair, the look-alike glasses…!

I just choose the same thing as the person I like~ That’s just how a woman's heart is ♪

Mika: Oh~ So that’s what ya did. Naru-chan when I first met you, you were more manly. I felt scared, weren't I?

Arashi: Oh no! Forget that, it was youth at the time! 

Mika: Ahahaha…do you like the teacher? Naru-chan rarely says ‘I like you’, ' I'm not really interested or anythin’…

Arashi: Don’t say such sharp things Mika-chan!

Well…I won’t deny it completely. I don't like it or not? I’m not really good at it, my emotions are just too strong.

Putting that aside, Mika-chan…For the price of taking away Arashi Narukami precious time from her life away, buy me some sweets from here~♪

Mika: What~? If Naru-chan didn’t surprise me in the first place, I wouldn't have gotten hurt…

By the way~ I’m short on money, I can smell it from here because it’s expensive~...?

Arashi: Again, I just lied ♪

Your ‘unit’, Valkyrie it’s pretty cool isn’t it?

You’re making enough money, right? Even as a reward, you’re able to be making enough ♪ 

The reward you gain from your live performances are ‘school funds’, money that can only be used during school…in this garden you can use it.

There’s no way you, a young man, a member of the undefeated Valkyrie, can’t even buy some sweets, right?

Hmm, I wonder what I should order~ ♪

Mika: No, really, I’m not lying…

Oshi-san told me “You’re honest enough to be stupid. No, you’re an idiot.” I was praised ♪

Arashi: No, it can’t be true? Are you really short on money? I was in the mood of eating something sweet till I get a full stomach!

What are you spending so much money on anyways? Clothes, cosmetics? But Mika is always dressed dirty aren’t you?

Even though you have a beautiful face.

Mika: Ahaha, I’m embarrassed Naru-chan praised me..?

Well, you’re good at it! Even if you praise me, the sweets will still be cheap… ♪

Arashi: Wow, then I’ll order a half-sized cake or something. Cashier~  come on, come on  ♪

[misc-obeyme]

So uh... this Princess Rose event, huh??

I don't even know where to start! I wasn't gonna write a post about it 'cause I have too many thoughts, but damn it I couldn't resist so here we are.

SPOILERS & SCREENSHOTS under the cut.

SPOILERS & SCREENSHOTS under the cut.

First of all. I love that Mammon's initial motivation for all of the following shenanigans is "business deals." Like... my man, do you even hear yourself?? And then how his whole pitch is that he's holding up the economy? I wouldn't have accepted that nonsense from anyone else, that's for sure.

And let's be real, Asmo's assertion that his beauty makes other people happy was also something I let slide due to my affection.

What can I say, I love both Mammon and Asmo so very much.

I mean, to be fair, financial security is definitely nice and certainly reduces stress. So he's not wrong.

Oh no! Not a recession! Once again... are you hearing yourself!?!?

I will say that the non key route was once again a complete disappointment. You don't even find out what happens at the end?? It's just them being like, oh yeah? We'll see who wins! And then it ends. So you don't actually see who wins at all unless you play the keyed route. Sometimes the non key route is okay, but for other events it's pretty pointless. This was one of those.

Aside from that, though, I quite enjoyed this event. It was sufficiently hilarious, courtesy of the other brothers being their usual selves.

MAMMON IN THIS EVENT THOUGH.

We already knew that when Mammon wants something, he will work hard for it. This is further evidence of that because he chooses Lucifer to teach him ON PURPOSE knowing full well that Lucifer will not go easy on him. And then he steps up to the challenge!

However, I quite liked how Asmo wasn't a slacker, either. He wasn't like oh I'm pretty so I've got this in the bag. No, he chooses Barbatos and also works hard to get himself ready.

And like despite EVERYBODY expressing how they don't think these guys are gonna get anywhere, they both bust their asses anyway.

Asmo is not having it, guys.

Have some faith, Lucifer.

I'm pretty sure this was the only thing Luke said in this event, but he didn't hold back, huh?

BUT THEN.

That ending.

Sir. I'm going to need you to stop being so cute. My life depends upon it.

I think you could say that while they ended up being twin princesses, neither one of them would have won without the other. I think it was the fact that both of them sacrificed their own chances in order to help the other that caused them to win. Because doing something like that really demonstrated the nobility that they were looking for in the first round.

It's just more proof of how the brothers truly care about each other. Even if they argue all the time, when things get serious they can count on each other.

Can I tell you how excited I was when Asmo was ready to go run down that demon with MC? I liked that he was so badass about it and just kind of kept brushing off MC when they were like aren't you late for the show?! Can't you let me handle this?! And he was just like nope, I won't stand for any demon smearing my brother's reputation like that.

I really think they need to let Asmo be a little more evil. Like yes, he's beautiful and he has perfect skin, but he will absolutely kick your ass and he won't even break a nail doing it.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this event. I really need to go back and play the other Dame event on Lonely Devil I just haven't gotten to it yet.

Now for some random screenshots that made me lol.

Yes, okay, please go ahead.

I loved that Lucifer said this to MC. He's so done with everything, he's just like please stop trying to make jokes.

At least he's honest.

Beel demonstrating his unusual type of synesthesia - the ability to taste numbers.

New tongue twister just dropped!

Okay and Levi in this event had so many excellent one liners, he gets his own section. I can't deny that I'm on a bit of a Levi-loving kick lately, so maybe that's why, but I just thought he was so funny.

He's so precious.

Okay, I'm done. I always take too many screenshots and then I want to post them all. Because I just think all these guys are so funny. I can't help it.

I realize that I didn't mention anything about the gender aspects of this event, what with the whole Dame situation, but do I really need to? I've seen some excellent posts about that already. And honestly, anyone who thinks that the Devildom doesn't already have completely different ideas on gender hasn't been paying attention.

And also I don't have time to write anymore, this post is already too long. I apologize for the length lol. But thank you for reading!

--

[lethal-amigos]

Summer Heat- Conversation

Story by @my-gunpowder Art by me

On this day, the sun was especially cruel, attacking people with its burning rays and burning their bodies. By lunchtime, all the villagers were hiding in their homes: eating, playing with children, doing household chores or just sleeping. Only two men were sitting on the farm and quietly discussing something. "This seed should be buried like this and to a depth of 5 centimeters" "Okay, I get it!" "It's not necessary to do this now, you can start in the evening or tomorrow" "It's okay, I can start right now" "Jose, it's dangerous to be under the sun now" "I'm not scared, I have a hat!", the guy smiled and patted the hat behind his back. Senor Velasco grinned, looking at the guy with great tenderness. He loved the hard work in this boy, he got it from his late father. When Julio invited Jose to work at their farm, he did not expect that the boy would come here so often. He and Chepe became friends again, it could not but rejoice. But the farmer was surprised by their friendship and warm relations. Two completely different people, with a different outlook on life, different interests. And, nevertheless, they are friends and constantly go somewhere together. Even too often, which is why Jose often postpones his work for later. The senor hoped that Jose would have a good influence on his son, and not submit to his devilish nature. "Yes, you and Chepe are completely different," the man laughed, looking down at the ground. "If only I had a son like you, Jose.." "Don't say that" Guzman's serious tone was too unexpected, and the farmer looked up in surprise. The guy looked at him sternly, slightly furrowing his eyebrows."Chepe is no worse than me"

"Oh, no, there's not even anything to talk about. It is impossible to compare you," the senor continued to smile. He ran his hand over the ground and buried the seed. "Chepe is a slacker, and always has been. He treats work irresponsibly, often throws it or does it crookedly. Just to get away for another walk as soon as possible"

"Again, you're wrong," Jose continued. "He's a very smart guy. Every day I learn something new from him. It's true! He helps me in many ways and knows much more about the farming than I do. And the fact that he often runs away..." Jose felt his head light up. It is not clear whether it was because he was angry at the Senor, or because the sun mercilessly beat his rays. Anyway, he decided to pull his straw hat over his head to avoid unnecessary headache problems. The guy felt like he was starting to boil. There was no toothpick in his mouth to squeeze it and calm down, so he had to distract himself in other ways. He did not want to quarrel with his friend's father, such a respected man. But he knew how senor was unjustifiably cruel to Chepe and he was hurt for him. Yes, his friend is not the kindest and nicest guy, but he has many other good traits for which Jose fell in love with him. "Yes, we are really different. He knows what he wants from life. He wants to feel all sides of it, wants to explore the world. You can't even imagine how much his soul is asking for freedom. And the fact that I work all day is just an inability to live. I'm just trying to distract myself, forget some things, that's why I'm working. It's not good or bad, it's just... different. You can't scold a person just because he wants to live differently." Digging a small hole with his finger, the guy threw a seed there and began to bury it with both hands.

"Be more lenient to Chepe. He doesn't need Senor Velasco, he needs his father." On the last sentence, the guy squeezed some earth in his fists. He felt his voice tremble and he began to lose control. He was afraid to look up and meet Julio's eyes. So he could only hope that the man understood what he was talking about. Suddenly, the guy felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. "You are a good friend, Jose," the senor replied. "Chepe is very lucky with you"

[kohakhearts]

shigegou for the ship game! convert me!

CRACKS KNUCKLES. MY TIME HAS COME

shigegou: ship it!

(side note: i still think i've gotta get serious about using splitdecisionshipping for them until it sticks, lmao)

what made you ship it?

actually this is one of those cases of i shipped them by proxy for ot3 purposes. i liked their dynamic but when i watched jn initially i hadn't yet done my os rewatch and i was actually pretty normal about gary oak (as a kid he wasn't really a big fave or anything and i hadn't actively watched anything but the pokemon movies since middle school so). they definitely gave that same vibe as os pallet though like the "i have a crush on you i can't deal with" so i think i liked that dynamic :p

what are your favourite things about the ship?

ok so now fast forward to the great anipoke rewatch/watch (since i'd never seen the later gens before) of 2023. i got really unwell about gary. DJFGHJFKDDFHJDK but i'd been unwell about goh from when i watched jn the year before so it was...not difficult to begin drawing parallels. i think a lot of people point out how similar the shigegou dynamic is to the early shigesato dynamic and like. that's true and valid! but as individual characters, gary and goh have so much in common. gary's whole schtick is that he travels alone. he doesn't wait around for ash to catch up to him, necessarily. he has his own ideas of what he should be doing and how he should be doing it and mr "i've already got ten badges" here sure as hell isn't a slacker when it comes to proving how Awesome and Capable he is. we never, not once, see gary working as a team with anyone until pokemon chronicles (power play is something else to me. to be clear). by his own admission in jn, he wasn't much of a team player and that's a big part of why he pushed goh so hard about teamwork and collaboration (ok. he doesn't say this so much as goh kinda figures it out and gary doesn't actively deny it. but we the viewers who have known gary oak since 1997 know enough to say yeah he kinda sucked and put people down for his own sake, this tracks). they're both very goal-oriented but in a different way than ash is. i think where ash sees other people are like, a source of insight and inspiration, gary and goh both tend to see them as obstacles (ironically, ash is the first person they each didn't see this way)

also, they both have an interest in like. catching and researching pokemon. gary obviously likes battling too, but in i think showdown at the poke-corral, oak says that gary has caught over 200 pokemon. but he also cares deeply about them all (in jp he often calls his mons some variation of "partner," "honey," "sweetie" and we see him rotate his pokemon a lot - he doesn't have just one team, he switches them out a lot!). goh has a bit of a different approach, yes, but fundamentally i think the interest comes from the same place. and there is no doubt that they both care about their pokemon.

so like. i think those qualities are probably things gary sees, but even more than that, i think he sees a lot of his own worst qualities in goh: arrogant, self-absorbed, putting himself in a position where he is so afraid of people letting him down (though in gary's case, i think this is actually more being of afraid of letting other people down than the reverse) that he doesn't even try to do things that would make him happy or necessarily improve his capabilities as a trainer/research/person in general. but more to the afraid of letting people down point...i think it seems likely that initially gary sees goh as overcompensating for a fear of failure, like he does. but that's not exacty the case with goh, and through more work together it would become a lot more apparent that his issue is actually that he doesn't trust anyone but himself (and ash, by the time they meet - but even then, there are a lot of moments that suggest that trust is tenuous at the best of times). and i think gary would see that as a challenge, too. so idk i'm rambling here but there are just a lot of directions i think you could take with them that are super interesting. gary's position as being, like, an aleady fully-developed character who had to have his big moments of upset, etc. by the time he meets goh make it interesting. lots of opportunity to delve into their parallels and approach them as two people who actually fundamentally make each other better - goh by encouraging gary's own self-awareness and empathy, and gary by pointing out all the flaws in goh's logic because he used to think the same way.

is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

it's like me and 4 other people brain rotting (actually went into the tag the other day out of curiosity and discovered that even though they have over 50 fics on ao3, only 4 aren't a polyamorous or side ship kind of deal so. Yeah) so i don't think there are even any unpopular opinions to be had except maybe that it's a good dynamic and they deserve more love </3

send me a ship!

[shortpplfedup]

My School President Episode 4: Hopes and dreams

Oh my oh my oh my. That was even better than any clown theory I could have possibly dreamed up. I love so much about how this show is constructed and the things it wants to say about what it takes to make dreams come true and the importance of having people in your corner. I mean, the theme song is literally titled 'You Got Ma Back' and it took me until now to get it, silly rabbit. In this episode, the boys really start getting to know each other (giving the audience a look in as well), and the Bad Buddy DNA continues to be strong with the catalyst character showing up, the energy shifting between our dynamic duo and the face-cleaning trope/PPL making an appearance...lol.

Verse: Slackers gotta shape up

Bring it on, ring the alarm Don't stop now, just be the champion Work it hard, like it's your profession Watch out now, 'cause here it comes

Britney Spears | Work Bitch (2013)

I appreciate that the show made the point that slacking won't get you very far in anything you actually care about. The boys claim to be serious about music, and from the first episode and Gun's speech that he never got to give, you get that Gun understands what it will take to get to and win Hot Wave, but they all lacked the discipline to see their dream through. Sound, coming in as the hardass heavy, is the missing piece of the band's puzzle, and Gun was aware enough to realise it. The part he missed, that he learned by the end, is that Chinzhilla doesn't need Sound instead of him, but needs Sound as well as him. Because what Gun brings is the magic, the sparkle, the je ne sais quoi, the FUN. That's made clear elsewhere in the story this ep as well, as Gun taps into what's missing from the student council's approach to the student body and figures out a way for them to have fun and spread some joy while still achieving their goals. You start to see how Gun and Tinn are really well matched, as Tinn brings the structure and Gun brings the style.

Chorus: Eyelashes are being batted

Every time you look at me My heart is jumping, it's easy to see

Britney Spears | (You Drive Me) Crazy (1999)

The other thing you start to see is how Gun has game. Having realised that he likes Tinn, he is now paying attention and has noticed that Tinn likes him too. And he is going for it, and he's much better at flirting than Tinn is by several orders of magnitude. Tinn came strong with the hand stamp and offer to hang out with him if he was lonely, but Gun made the monster moves with the bow tie adjustment (classic) and the selfie. I mean, after the bow tie thing Tiw had to leave the room, and I FELT that. It felt like a 'let me just give y'all some privacy' moment. I love that Tinn saw how Gun lost his sparkle without music club, and he tried to give him back music via the council because Gun's sparkle is integral to why he likes him in the first place. And then he went beyond, to free Gun from the commitment he felt like he'd made and return him to music club, because that is ultimately where he wants to be. He let Gun go, and he came right back to him, because now Gun wants music and Tinn. Gorgeous.

Ad Libs

I know that high school cliques do seem impenetrable but it's still funny how everybody behaved like Gun couldn't be in music club and play for the student council.

Next week looks like they're actually gonna address some of the implied class differences between Gun and Tinn, interesting.

I loved the conversation Tinn and Gun had in the stairwell, Tinn giving insight into what feels like a fear of failure and Gun feeling like he was born to perform. Them getting to know each other is so sweet and you see them becoming more endeared the more they learn.

Sound making them all dress like they're in a boy band was HILARIOUS. I wanna see the inside of that kid's mind.

The Holy Chinchilla! 🤣 Sadhu

That one snobby kid from the council is gonna make one hell of a civil service bureaucrat someday.

I love a good pinkie touch/link 🥰

[tickle-panile]

Hi, Today's fic is by chainsaw man 🙂

It's my first fanfic, I hope you like it.

Summary: After a workout, Denji and power so exhausted and Aki enjoyed the silence until a concern arose, using a foolproof tactic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fun on all occasions

It was an ordinary day for denji, power and aki. Denji and power went out to train, Aki on the other hand, went to clean up the house that denji and power messed up.

After 2 hours, aki had tidied up the house and gone to prepare dinner, Power arrived home and soon after denji arrived, the two threw themselves on the floor without thinking about how tired they were.

– denji, Power, are you all right?

–No (the two spoke in sync)

–ok, dinner is almost ready

Aki finished dinner.

–I finished dinner. Denji, could you help me set the table?

–I'm tired I asked her.

Denji said looking at Power, her eyes widened in surprise as she was the one who put in the most effort in training today She spoke with indignation:

–I? Why? I don't have any strength now after training, you go, you barely trained today!

–I don't have strength either, power, I'm all sore!

–No one will help? (Aki also asked tired)Serious? You have to cheer up there! Come on, anyone?

–I'm sore, I can't (denji said)

–I'm exhausted (power replied denji)

–Ok ok You won't, so let's see.

Aki had an ace up her sleeve (he had no idea if it would work) but he was going to find out if some demons were delicate.

–oh~ You are tired~

Aki spoke in a smug voice as she walked over to the two slackers lying on the ground. Aki reached the two and crouched down on the right side of power and on the left side of denji.

–ok~ ,You asked for this~!

This speech by aki made denji and power wide-eyed, shudder a little too.Aki went with everything in the belly of the two.

–HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAKKHAHAHAHHAHAHAIIII, AAKIIIHIHIHIHIIH NOOOOOOHAHAHAHAHHAHA(said denji)

–hahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHHA NOOOOO HAHAHAHAHAHAH AAAAKIIIIIHIHIHIHI(Power said too)

–ohh~ what was it guys ~? Why are you squirming so much?~ (he said as if he was innocent)

– HAHAHAHAHA ITHIHIIHHIH TICKLHEHEHEHHEHEESHAHAHAHAHA(said denji)

–NOOOO AHAHAHAHAHHAHA HEHHEHEHEHEHEHHEHLP(said power)

– PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHASE NOOOOOO OK OK OK OKAHAHAHAHAY PLEASEHEHHEHEHEHE STOOOOHAHAHAHOP ITHEHEHEHEHEHT(The two said together already sobbing)

–ok, now you have reason to say that you can't take anything anymore. (aki said with a voice of victory)

He got up and went back to the kitchen. Picking up plates and cutlery, serving food to both of them still recovering from their punishments.

After dinner everyone went to sleep, it was a tiring but fun day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you like the fic