#but the fact that they're comparable at all speaks volumes

[onesidedradiostatic]

Honestly a part of me thinks that Alastor and Vox WERE really good friends and Alastor is in denial about how important Vox had been to him. Maybe that partially factors into him playing down how much Vox irritates him. And a part of me feels like his love of attention outweighs his annoyance at Vox, even now, since Vox is ALWAYS willing to give Alastor his undivided attention.

(prev post)

ACTUALLY ACTUALLY this connects back to this rb. like about alastor's need to sever emotional attachments, "Ah, an enjoyable collective to be around. I admit one could get accustomed." to ""Great Alastor, altruist, died for his friends"? Sorry to disappoint... That is not where this ends!" pipeline.

the juxtaposition of the vees' verse and alastor's verse being back to back. they're both villain verses, but one is a secure team (maybe a bit messy toxic and unhinged but. they're tight okay) whose members have one another to rely on, the other is a solo mental breakdown about having attachments, yet they both end about the need to eventually be in control and with evil laughter.

like I've seen this mentioned before but also alastor's part in stayed gone where he says "he'd be powerless without the other vees", he's making fun of vox for relying on others but at the same time it does speak volumes about his own view on seeing attachments as "relying on others", because in THIS department, vox has the fact that he's fine and secure having allies he can trust compared to alastor seeing it as a weakness.

we have like sooooo little information right now that anything goes, but I like the idea of alastor having thought of vox as a legitimate friend at least a little. made a post on that once even.

I also kind of like comparing it to like how alastor currently is with charlie/the hotel, like he started out spending time with him for entertainment but then he saw a semblance of sentiment and had to cut that out.

but at the same time I also like alastor stepping away because he started noticing things about vox he disliked (because like I've mentioned before, his insults in stayed gone seem to be legitimate jabs at vox's character/practices).

OR we could have it so that the initial falling out happened because alastor felt the need to cut out any risk of emotional attachments (and I want to STRESS that I see both of them being at fault in this situation, regardless of alastor's motives, vox couldn't take no for an answer and got pissy), but later on after they were split, he started to see parts of vox's attitude that he disliked, how much of a sellout he'd become and he thought in his mind that this only proved him right to cut him off, and so he learnt nothing, after all he was right to cut vox off so surely his idea of attachments being a weakness is completely and utterly correct right?

anyways idk if I got a bit off track here, but about alastor being in denial, I think to some level he would be simply because of him seeing attachments as a weakness. but at the same time he's the one who called vox "old pal" (albeit condescendingly) and vox was the one who got ultra super embarrassed about "he asked me to join his team" (of course this is framed in a mocking way, similarly to "he'd be powerless without the other vees", like "can you BELIEVE he wanted me to join him and start RELYING on him like how he relies on the other vees? HA! as if." but he's also not hiding the fact that they were at least on good enough terms for vox to want to ask him that, but then again he doesn't speak of sentiment on his own side, so it could easily just not count as a point against him downplaying it). but yeah um. I do think him downplaying shit is related to him hiding weaknesses, similarly to how he's always smiling. he downplays how much vox bothers him because showing so would be a weakness. which could also go into how he let that mask slip with lucifer but this post is getting LONG and others have pointed that out before.

and the other part, about alastor's love for attention outweighing his annoyance at vox? I mean I think both can be true, I do think he enjoys the attention he gets from vox's obsession but I do also think he does legitimately hate vox.

anyways this post got LONG sorry I ended up rambling about shit. tried to address contradictions with my past posts (which can happen a bit, cause sometimes my opinions change or there's multiple possibilities of something and I can see multiple of those possibilities even if they contradict one another). this is a long post so my brain is too lazy to read it over and proofread so sorry if it ends up being a mess ✌️

[pricegouge]

Fatted Rabbit Part Six on AO3

Contents

Bearshifter!Price x reader | explicit

Simon stands behind the bar like some sort of massive, brooding Aeacus. As if they were always bound to meet here, and John was always bound to spill his secrets, and wasn't John such a stupid little twat for not having ever realized that before? It speaks volumes that not even Simon's shit eating grin puts a damper on John's mood.

A/N: texts are displayed as screen caps, but alt text is available. Warnings for John being a weirdo about Bunny menstruating, and for disparaging comments about Bunny's weight (not from John, obv)

Simon stands behind the bar like some sort of massive, brooding Aeacus. As if they were always bound to meet here, and John was always bound to spill his secrets, and wasn't John such a stupid little twat for not having ever realized that before?

It speaks volumes that not even Simon's shit eating grin puts a damper on John's mood.

"You're relieved, Riley."

"I'll say. Didn't even need to have a talk with 'er about curfews."

"Well, I know how you worry. It went well, by the way."

"Didn't ask. How'd you manage not to muck it up?"

"I got this excellent relationship coach that gave me some great ideas."

"You keep adding to my workload and I'm unionizing."

"Yeah?" John laughs, "You and who?"

"That new barkeep seems easily impressionable."

"Mm. That what got your stamp of approval?"

Oh, it's always a good day when John can pry a real reaction from his head brewer. Simon doesn't squint, but there's a tightening around his eyes that suggest he would do, if he suffered such banal things as 'automatic response disinhibition.'

"Am I gonna need to sit you down with the harassment video again, Riley?"

"Don't technically work at the bar, cap. One Four One pays my bills." He's aiming for a sarcastic 'so what if I am,' lands slightly off center.

"Good point. You been putting a lot of thought into it?"

The pause is a half a beat too long. "Too busy thinkin' about having to cover my boss's shifts while 'e flits about with some young bird like 'e's in uni again."

"Aye. Gonna need you to do it again on Sunday, too."

"Sunday?" Simon barks. "You're training on Sunday."

"No, you're training on Sunday. By the time I get here he'll probably be good to go."

Now he does squint. "And if I got plans?"

"You'd've mentioned them first. Thanks, Si. I owe you one."

"You owe me the business at this point."

"Already in my will and testament."

"Mm. Keep trying your luck and I'll take what's owed sooner'n later."

***

Simon stays on to cook, a blessing considering it ends up being a decent Friday turnout. The early spring seems to be pulling in more than just the locals. John resolutely does not put on the hockey match he knows his rabbit's interested in because he doesn't want to listen to Simon's opinion on that, but he does watch the ticker tape at the bottom of the basketball commentary to monitor the score when he can. He's not sure why; he can't exactly participate in any informed conversation on the subject, but it seems like it'll be a good anecdote to know when they're skating.

Fuck, skating. He'd been a few times in his life and it had all been perfectly fine, but he usually sleeps right through the season so it's not something he's practiced in a while. He doesn't want to make an ass of himself, even if the rabbit had the same concerns. It's embarrassing enough being as twiggy as he is currently, he couldn't stand to be uncoordinated or in any way less physical in her eyes. He remembers how raptly she'd watched that match, the ways her eyes had tracked the men on screen. He hadn't found it in any way threatening at the time, but he doesn't want to be compared negatively to them. The fact that they're professional doesn't matter, of course, at least not to the beast in his chest.

John shoots her a sympathetic text when the team she'd been following loses (again. He's going to have to figure out how playoffs work here, the basketball announcers are even talking about multiple games) but he doesn't get a response until quite late, when he's on the roof enjoying a cigar after closing.

Christ, another game?

John damn near preens

He'd rather buy her those panels but he doesn't think she'd let him. More than that he'd rather drive her car into Whitefish Lake, but he supposes she'd be a little cross about that, too.

John nearly bites through his cigar. It's an honest struggle to force his bear back under his skin, the animal not fully understanding that such a challenge could be issued through miles of suburban landscape and a thirty foot drop off a roof. Much as he wants her here (on her knees between his thighs, mouth hot and wet through the fabric of his trousers as he shoves a boot under her cunt, preferably), it's probably a good thing she isn't because he doesn't want her on all fours their first time, his jaws clamped on the nape of her neck as he leans his full weight on her, trapping her big soft body between the mass of himself and the cold hard ground, uncaring if the whole city heard her whining, or screaming, or begging, or moaning. He wants to see her face as he fucks her, learn what she likes or doesn't. He wants to eat her out as if she's the only food he'll need for winter - until she's crying about how she has nothing left to give and then he wants to lick her tears up, too.

But right now the only thing he wants from her is her round arse presented in apology, the feel of her flesh between his teeth.

It's a struggle to be witty when your body is trying to prime you for both a fight and a fuck at the same time and your circulatory system feels like the Magic Roundabout, so John doesn't bother.

And that's -. Fuckin' -.

Just like that, she's got him back to heel. More pup than predator, eager to beg for treats from her hands. A brat he can handle; even his bear seems greedy at the prospect. If her challenges aren't in earnest - if she's simply trying to get a rise out of him because she wants him to fuck her hard, he's more than happy to allow it. Happy to let his bear take over and give her what she wants.

Fuck, he's hard. A green cub, can't even distinguish rational thought and animalistic impulses. No, she's not asking for an actual bear in human skin to take her to task, Christ. He needs circulation back to his brain STAT. And to think this all started with a Viagra joke.

***

Saturday is a lesson in patience. He feels unmoored, confused. A bit like standing in a cold stream waiting for the salmon run to leap into his mouth, weeks before they're due to arrive. There is so much to do. His rut looms in the distance like a sundog: a beautiful, bad omen. He should be preparing. Securing his mate, improving his den, padding his own body, ensuring she's equipped to carry both herself and his cubs through the winter.

Instead he's lying to QuickBooks about where his head brewer worked this week and hosing off beer mats, listening to some old coot veer dangerously close to homophobic remarks about the lesbian couple who own the boot shop across the way. It sets John's teeth on edge, makes him snappy. He spills the man's third beer across his lap as he hands it off and gets even more irritated when it only garners benevolent absolution. He wants a fight. Wants a fuck even more. Is turning in circles knowing he won't get either any time soon. Simon doesn't stop by, doesn't offer himself as a verbal, pricker-covered punching bag. The rabbit never texts. John would give his left eye to eat a porcupine right now, feel the satisfaction of the kill and the anger of his prey, both.

He closes shop early, finds his way to the edge of town. He hardly even bothers to hide his clothes in a sparse, budding green thicket before he's on all fours, lumbering off into the woods. Her scent has been growing stronger for him. In his human form, he can usually smell her from across town but like this, snout high in the air as he sifts through the noxious scent of the other humans in town, he can track her clear up to Lake McDonald. It's soothing, usually: the sweetness of the simple foods she eats, the saltiness of her skin. Her cunt. But it's sour tonight, distressed and distressing. He sets off in a blind panic.

He's nearing the Flathead when it hits him properly and he slows, relief and understanding washing over him. Poor rabbit, she's nearing her monthlies. He can smell it now, the stink of her discomfort and the impending blood. No wonder he was so off kilter all day. It speaks to the quality of their bond that he can already sense these things. Means when his rut comes around, she'll likely be impacted too, which sets his mouth watering. Although -.

If their bond was really that strong, she wouldn't be menstruating. Waste of bloody resources. A stupid fucking design flaw he could cure her of.

With a proper bond or a cub, whichever came first.

She's not parked in a proper camp tonight, just tucked away on a four wheel path safe from the main road. He considers not disturbing her for all of thirty seconds before he starts chuffing and sniffing like a hog around her wheel wells. He hears her shuffling about and then her little curtain moves and she beams at him.

"That you, big guy?"

John lowers at her and she pulls her screen down properly to get a better look. He doesn't raise himself half onto her roof this time, just remains on all fours and lifts his head enough to peer back at her.

"You know, we have to stop meeting like this. People will talk." For once, John doesn't think he'd mind. As if to test that theory, she shuffles around a bit and John sees her pull her phone out of the center console to power it up. She was supposed to get battery back ups today. Part of the reason he was so irritable; he'd wanted to speak with her. But if even he was feeling so completely out of it, he can't imagine she cared very much about a trip to the store herself. He waits patiently for her phone to power up. She keeps an eye on him, but he just continues to puff foggy breaths onto her window, unbothered. Eventually she tells him to say cheese and he makes a soft noise at her that makes her grin.

"I never knew bears could moo," she teases and John sneezes at her in annoyance which only makes her giggle. Christ, an honest giggle. She's so fucking cute he could squeeze her til she popped.

"I think that's my favorite noise you make. Though the huffs are pretty cute too." So John does it again, just to show off. "Yeah, that one! Gonna have to do some studying, figure out what those all mean. Just suppose I'm lucky you haven't roared at me yet."

Don't worry bunny, he'd never.

She putz around on her phone and John wonders how many people she's sending the picture to. He's being careless, he knows, but it's worth it to see her - to ensure she's thinking of him, even if she doesn't know it. She holds her stomach absently as she types and after a few moments her face scrunches and she winces, curling in on herself a bit more. When it passes, she eyes him with mock suspicion. "That why you're here, big guy? The bears can smell the menstruation!" That last bit is said in an affected voice, probably a reference to something he's too British to understand. "Thought that was a myth?"

It is, clever rabbit. For all but you.

She hasn't actually started yet, he doesn't think. Poor lamb will likely start right as they're due to meet at the rink. He wonders if she'll cancel. He's already making contingency plans, wondering if she'll let him take care of her or if she'll make excuses and leave him to figure out how to both pretend he doesn't know what's really going on and also make it clear she's allowed to ask him for help with it.

"Well, periods are a curse enough as it is. It's not fair that god sends his cuddliest looking creatures out to kill us, too. You look like an industrial size heating pad and the world's biggest spoon all rolled up in the fuzziest weighted blanket imaginable. You're a frickin' cure all come to kill me. Tease!"

Oh, he's the luckiest man to ever walk the earth. She's so perfect, already warmed up to his bear, no coaxing required. Soon, honey. You can cuddle up to his beast anytime you want. He can't help the constant chuffing noises her spiel has earned; or the way he presses against her car as if he can transfer some of his heat through the metal. He'd been struggling to keep his impulses in check all day, but in this form it's even harder. He's split between the elation of her accepting this form and the frustration that she won't let him help her. He wants to turn back right here, let her see, ferret her out of her den and let her use his body to cure her ails in whatever way she sees fit.

"You're so cute though, I guess I can forgive you," she continues, and it's a struggle to keep his grunting noises in check enough that he can still hear her. "You know, I told my friend about you. He said the bears around here can be pretty well socialized because it's such a high traffic area. You got other girls you're seeing on the side?"

Never, bunny, he snorts, never again.

"I promise I won't be offended. We can keep it casual." She puts on an overly breezy air, being silly. "I mean like, cause they're not like feeding or petting you either, right? Like, you're not… getting that from any girl at all, right?" A beat. John tries to play along by looking as contrite as a bear possibly can. "You whore!" she gasps, "Who is she?"

His response is to stand and lean against her car, ducking his head to nod at her.

"Mmm, nice recover. You know if you really wanted to make it up to me, you'd stop scraping my paint." Admonished, Price lowers himself back to the ground. The rabbit eyes him suspiciously. "I swear, sometimes it feels like you can understand me. Are you a circus escapee? Do you know any tricks?" She pauses, as if waiting. "Can you speak?"

Fuck it, John gives her a halfhearted, rumbling roar.

She laughs, delighted. "How about lay down? You know that one?"

And that sounds like a great idea so he does, makes himself comfortable with his belly on the muddy trail.

"What about roll over?" She asks, voice soft with apprehension; unfortunately, twice is a coincidence but three times is a pattern. John ignores her command in favor of chewing at the pads of his forepaw and after a moment, the rabbit breathes out a heavy, chuckling sigh.

"Might be going a bit batty, spending all my time alone," she mutters. Louder, she tells him, "I think you've got the right idea about getting comfy, though. I'm turning in. You staying there? You'd make some guard dog."

John just rolls his eyes to her and huffs.

"Right. Well, goodnight. Please be gone when I wake up so I can pee without fear." He snorts at her and she chuckles in response, shifting her weight around the car enough to make it rock a bit. She doesn't put her privacy screen back up, he notes with some frustration. He'll have to stay until the early hours just to be sure she's safe, but he doesn't mind. He's been tempted to spend every night exactly like this since he first spotted her rubbing herself raw in the early spring dawn. He's just happy to know she doesn't seem too freaked out by his presence.

***

Sunrise finds him fishing his damp clothes out of the bush he'd hastily tucked them into the night previous. They make for an unpleasant trip back, but he's warmed by a missed text from his bunny: a picture of himself captioned 'Think I made a new friend'.

She'd been asleep when he'd left her but even still, John cannot help replying right then and there.

***

John is leaning against his passenger door when he spots her big Wrangler pulling in and he makes his way to her with enough time to offer a hand as she slides out of the car. He maybe stands a bit too close, appreciating the way her thick, soft thighs rub briefly against his own as he helps guide her gracefully to the ground.

She's got on leggings and tall socks with converse and a thin henley under a worn denim jacket. She's so cute he wants to throw her in the back of her Jeep right then and give the suspension a run for its money. Compounding his dilemma is the strong scent of her monthlies evident through the thin material of her trousers. It's weak enough he doubts anyone else will notice, but the scent of the iron rich blood has his teeth itching.

Plus it's upsetting to be slapped in the face with such strong evidence that their bond isn't fully formed.

Despite his turmoil, John smiles at her warmly and kisses her on the cheek in greeting, making her blush.

"Good to see that bear didn't make off with you. Not sure I could win that particular fight."

She laughs as they make their way inside, "I don't know, he seems more of a lover than a fighter. You could probably win him over with some berries or something."

"So then I'd have to share both you and my food? I gotta run this bloke out of town." John can feel the rabbit eyeing him suspiciously, weighing the quality of his words. He, of course, doesn't flinch; simply holds the door open and guides her through with a palm on her lower back.

He's hoping she'll tell him he doesn't need to worry about sharing her, but it seems that's a bit much to expect from a casual second date. She motions to the door he's held for her instead. "See? And here you were worried about not being a gentleman."

John's laugh is a mean, hot puff of breath. "There's still time," he warns, standing too close.

He helps her into her cute little skates, lets her use his body to keep herself upright as they stand in the carpeted hallway waiting on the zamboni to finish up. He's maybe a little swept up in the domesticity of it, surrounded as they are by other couples and families with small kids. 'Stanley Cup hopefuls,' the rabbit calls them, and John nearly goes weak in the knees imagining her bringing his cubs back here one day, decked out in her team's colors. He stands too close but she doesn't seem to mind; and when he kisses her on the crown of her head and keeps his lips there, she just leans a little more into him and he sighs in contentment. And when the doors finally open, he is treated to the absolute delight of watching his rabbit trying to figure out how to keep her feet under herself, laughing all the while.

The crowd is a mix of old hats just trying to stay limber; pesky children who rocket by, trying hard as they can to get under feet and trip people up; and landlubbin' newbies like them. It's good, sweet. Gives John an excuse to keep his hands on his rabbit, and seems to take her mind off her cramps, if the way her sweat turns from acrid with stress to good clean salt is anything to go by. It would be perfect, John decides, if not for a pair of twenty-something boys that linger, skating big ambling circles around John and his girl. They're casual, keep their eyes mostly to themselves, but John is already on edge and something about their presence makes him want to stand his ground.

Of course, he can't quite do that when the whole point of free skate appears to be 'skate in a circle'.

"Might've had it wrong, bunny," John grins as he gets his hand around her thick waist for the dozenth time, catching her just as her right foot goes slipping out in a direction she didn't authorize. "Think you're more of a Bambi than a thumper."

"With these thighs?" she jokes, slapping her quad for effect.

John doesn't bother to hide the hunger that elicits in him. He's about to give her a tiny little smack of his own when -,

"Nice catch, man. Way to take one for the team."

"Yeah, they'll have to bring the zamboni back out if she goes down."

John is distantly aware of his rabbit going stiff and quiet, her gaze drifting somewhere down by her feet. He keeps hold of her arm but it's more an instinctual comfort than a conscious decision, as all his higher brain function is dedicated to not growing fangs between which to trap these boys.

"They'll have to bring it back out if I use your teeth like an auger, too." John's voice is low. Possibly too low to be strictly human. It gets the point across anyway. The twiggy twats who have been circling like sharks all morning take one look at him and decide they have severely misread the depth of his feelings for the soft girl they've targeted. Finding no easy prey here, they mumble an apology (to John, the gits, not his rabbit) and dart off to pester a gaggle of teenage girls. John draws himself even closer to his girl, waits until he's certain he can control his voice better. "Fucking bellends. Sorry about them. You okay, honey?"

"Yeah, it's fine. Thanks for that. Sorry I clammed up, I can usually fight my own battles."

John scoffs, unamused. "No need, sweetheart. Unless you'd rather, of course. Actually, sorry if I overstepped. Knee jerk reaction."

"Oh, no, trust me, you're fine. Not mad at all." Her breath is soft, nearly amused, and John can't help but feel a little proud at having turned her mood around so quickly.

"Do you want to go do something else?"

"And let them know they bothered me? Absolutely not."

John grins, hums appreciatively. "That's my girl." His grin only widens when she blushes at the term.

They talk about their hometowns when they're not busy stumbling. John tells her about Hereford and his mom, and she tells him how similar this area is to where she grew up. She deflects a bit when asked about her family and John doesn't pry. He wishes she would tell him everything, of course, but can't help being a tiny bit selfishly pleased at the knowledge there's no tight knit family waiting for her back home. He tries asking about Dallas instead but the answers she provides are stiff and rehearsed, and her body language locks up so much it negates the small progress she's made in her skating abilities. John quickly moves on to film preferences and she's quick to loosen back up (she likes period dramas and high fantasy and isn't immune to a night in with a kid's movie).

Eventually her discomfort seems to catch up with her and John thinks he has the unique experience of realizing she will need to make a sanitary run to the bathroom before she does. He debates how best to handle it for exactly thirty seconds before his mouth is moving.

"Do you want to go get lunch?"

The rabbit stops, turning to face him fully. Well, John stops. She grabs his coat sleeve and tries to convert her momentum into a quick u-turn. It's mostly successful in that John has to swing an arm around her back to keep her upright. It's extremely successful in that the momentum carries her right on through and into his chest, where he keeps her pinned tight just because she seems quite content there. "You don't have to work?"

John shrugs, knowing Simon may well quit. "What's the point in being the boss if I can't bang in late every now and again?"

"I guess, but you don't want to -?"

Whatever she's about to suggest is interrupted by the very loud sound of John's stomach growling.

"Oh so that was more a cry for help than a suggestion?" the rabbit laughs, cute little nose scrunching up.

"I may be bloody famished, yeah."

"Oh, poor pumpkin. What are you feeling, then?" she asks as she heads off toward the exit, confident as she skates out of his arm's reach.

"Burgers. Maybe steak. Or lamb." Really, he wants an entire barrel of fish and perhaps some apples, but he wants to feed his poor little mate a mouthful of iron supplements more.

"It's lunch time," she laughs at him.

"Burgers, then?"

"Yeah, alright." He helps lower her onto the hall carpet and squats to help her with her laces. "You don't have to do that," she tells him but he just shakes his head at her.

"Want to." She's quiet after that, perhaps a little contemplative. She excuses herself while he returns the skates and when she comes back she smells like the fake, perfumed chemical they coat feminine products in which always sticks to his nose.

Honestly, cunt is supposed to smell like cunt. Even when it smells like a bloody cunt. Humans are fucking ridiculous.

"Hope you know I'm driving you there," John informs as he holds the door for her yet again.

"That doesn't even make any sense," his rabbit laughs. "You're gonna drive me all the way back here before going into work?"

"Might do. Or: new bartender starting today. Might let you be his guinea pig all evening."

"Oh yeah? You trying to loosen my morals?" Her tone is light and airy but something has shuttered behind her eyes.

"No," John's voice is confident but quietly reassuring. "I'm trying to get you all lushed and cute tonight and then maybe try my hand tomorrow when you're charmed and impressed by the breakfast I make. How well you handle a hangover depending," he tacks on with a teasing little wink.

She blinks once, twice.

"That okay?"

"No. Well, yes, but uh -. It's not a good... time."

John just cocks his head at her, knowing full well what she means but needing to hear her say it so he has an excuse to spoil her.

The rabbit sighs, "It's just -. Christ this is embarrassing. If that's your end goal you should maybe know I'm on my period. Just so you don't get your hopes up too much."

"Oh, poor lamb." John's smile is wolfish, the cat that got the cream. "And here I've had you on your feet all morning. Do you want to get lunch? Or would you rather just curl up? I can make you something if you'd rather not stay out."

"No, that's - um. Lunch sounds good, thank you, but uh -. You're not… mad?"

A beat. John's smirk slides slowly off his face. "Mad?"

"I mean, if that was your plan and I'm… you're not upset?"

"No, honey…" John's not entirely sure how to handle this turn. Logistically he knows the first step should be reassurance, but there's a desperate, cloying, insightful little creature in his chest that wants to push all these niceties aside and demand why she would think he was mad. "A man can dream, but I had no expectations. There's nothing to be mad about." She gives him a wan smile and he can't help but continue, "In fact, I oughta give you my mum's number. I ever seem mad about that, you go ahead and tell her to sort me out."

It works, the quiet giggle she lets out has a touch too much relief for his taste, but he'd take that over whatever the hell misplaced anxiety she'd just been exhibiting.

"Can chastise you myself, you know. No mum's needed."

"Oh thank God. Would way rather you do it. She can be proper scary."

"And I can't?"

"Rabbits aren't scary. You ever yell at me, it won't be fear makes me change my ways."

"Not scary? They don't make kids sit on the Easter bunny's lap back home? I still gotta steer clear of malls this time of year."

John grins again, can't help the mental image she's conjured of him having to scare off a man in a pink bunny suit for her. "So I'll have to wait at least a month to spoil you with a shopping trip, noted."

She splutters. "You don't have to do that ever!"

He shrugs, "Told you, want to. Now get in, I'm hungry enough I'd eat you if you held still long enough." When she blanches, scandalized, he can't help but grin.

"Okay, yeah, let's go. But -."

John resolutely doesn't let his smile drop lest she thinks he's mad again, but he can't help the punched out feeling her continued protests elicit.

"- if I'm spending the night, I do definitely need to drive the Jeep to a more anonymous parking lot. That thing gets towed, I'm screwed."

Yes, it sure would be a shame if someone hobbled her speedy little den before she realized she belonged with him. Still, "I'll tell you what. You keep letting me treat you to lunches and dinners and whatever other little excursions we can come up with and I'll let you park at the bar whenever you'd like, hm?"

"What, so I can deal with the noisy neighbors?"

"Have it on good authority the second floor's pretty well sound proofed. You can hang your hat up there if it ever bugs you," he winks. "But fine, go get your bloody buggy. I'll send you the address, yeah?"

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[beemovieerotica]

About your tags on that class post, I was just curious to know where you'd say the line between upper middle class and upper class goes?

I guess 500k isn't all that far from upper middle class the way I see it, like.. it's rich, but not like... "rich rich" you know? Like normal person rich if that makes sense. But I realize I might just be super blind to this stuff, so I'm just looking for some perspective I guess (I realize it might also be dependent on what country you live in, most stuff is expensive where I'm from)

i think the issue is that wealth disparity is so fucking massive that, yes there's always going to be someone so obscenely rich in the room that by comparison, everyone else feels like they have nothing. that's why the family making 500k a year truly believes that they're middle class, because if the fucking CEO of Mattel rolls up to the PTA luncheon then yeah you're second-guessing your entire life.

my family was making around 150k in the san francisco bay area which was beans compared to the average income there - kids who were heirs to insane fortunes went to my high school, but you know what? we were still at the same school. we were sitting at the same table. we were all upper class by virtue of being able to afford to live in that area and attend those schools. like we could get into the weeds of "that family can afford a tesla" versus "that family can't" but the fact that it's even a point of consideration or an option speaks volumes!!

and at the end of the day, it does not matter, i still reaped the privileges of going to those schools which let me springboard into better colleges, better programs - i had family friends and school parents offering me jobs at insanely competitive biotech companies just because i was there and they liked my parents. i think what i'm getting at is it's less about some kind of strict income cut-off value, and it has so much more to do with all the privileges that come with inhabiting those spaces since birth.

but real talk 500k is absolutely upper class and nowhere near the border.

[boinin]

Blue Lock Chapter 245/NEL team rambling

foreword: I wrote this over Christmas, when suffering with a headcold. It's not that coherent, but I spent an amount of time on it? So have it as is... whatever it is.

God, they're doing Bachira Barcha so dirty.

If I'm interpreting this right, it sounds like Lavinho entered the game, but not Loki. Oof. Speaks volumes.

It took one of the most renowned footballers in the world to hold off Shidou and company so Bachira and Otoya could score.

It rankles how little development the Barcha boys are getting, compared to Manshine, Ubers or PXG. I know one team had to be the "first boss" of the NEL, but it's Bachira's team.

Bachira. Who's always shown the ability to thrive when the chips are down. Who's one of the most important characters, prior to the NEL.

Ugh. The story is entitled to focus on other characters, and overall I've enjoyed the outcome of this league. But you have to wonder how they can justify Barcha being this weak, even against a team as dominant as PXG.

Now, I did a fact-check to see if I'm just being salty (always a possibility). I looked at the teams by Blue Lock players, and specifically 1) who has a volume cover and 2) who is likely to get a volume cover between now and the manga ending.

My rationale? Volume covers are a proxy for talent/story significance, and appear to be an early bellwether for who might make it into the new U20 team lineup. Sendou fans rejoice

The results kinda support both the "me being salty" angle as well as the "Bachira is being deliberately ratio'd" one. Let me explain.

Germany are stacked next to the others, especially when they have both Kaiser and Ness as well. However: of the seven BL characters that have volume covers, four of these were revealed during the NEL arc. It makes sense, with Germany being the protagonist's team. But something to keep in mind, when we look at the others.

France has four characters that had volume covers before the NEL started. It's extremely likely Zantetsu will get one, and there's outside odds of Nanase also getting a cover. France has a potential NG11 or high-level player in Charles Chevalier. There's also Kento Cho, who had a not-insignificant role in the U20 v BL11 match. Worth noting.

I was surprised by how many high-profile characters Italy have, with five volume covers between them. This said, two characters (Niko and Sendou) only received theirs during the Ubers match arc, although I'd argue Niko would have received one earlier if it wasn't for Kaneshiro's commitment to the bit. Italy also has Don Lorenzo, possibly the most effective NG11 we've seen in action so far. IMO there's a slim chance Fukaku Gen will get a cover in future—the national team needs more than one goalie.

England have three volume cover stars: when you hear Manshine, all you can really picture is Nagi, Reo and Chigiri, right? In addition they have Wanima the elder and Niou, one of whom may sneak into the national team bench and nab a volume cover (my money's on Niou, solely because of that magnificent beard). Other than that, Manshine only has Agi, who's noted to have significant talent.

Lastly Spain, which has two volume covers to its credit and (in my view) low chances of any further ones. Maaaaybe Darai or Hayate, if we work off the current rankings (post round 3). But I can't see them beating Tokimitsu or Zantetsu for a Top 23 placement. They only have one notable Spanish player that has speaking lines (Ignacio Lara) but I wouldn't put him on, say, Agi's level.

To recap, the teams have this many significant characters as of the time of writing:

Germany: 7 + 2 (Kainess) + 2 (Igaguri, Kiyora) = 11.

Interestingly, a number that's give high status in this manga, and one that is often associated with Isagi.

France: 4 + 1 (Chevalier) + 2 (Zantetsu, Nanase) = 7

Italy: 5 + 1 (Lorenzo) + 1 (Fukaku) = 7

England: 3 + 1 (Agi) + 2?? (Niou, Wanima) = 6?? (closer to 5 really)

Spain: 2

If we retrospectively discount any character that didn't have a volume cover before the NEL arc kicked off, and reference only high-profile BL players:

Germany: 3

France: 4

Italy: 3

England: 3

Spain: 2

In conclusion: Spain has been outgunned since day one, and the story has failed to develop any of the Spanish players beside Bachira and Otoya... despite having a over a third of the national team front bench among its ranks.

I think Bachira and in particular, Otoya, have underperformed overall, considering their elevated position prior to the NEL. However, a repeated theme in the NEL is, you're only as good as the support or players around you.

Bachira and Otoya simply don't have the calibre of supporting midfielders, wingers or defensive players in Barcha that the other teams have. They don't have an NG11 player, or a defence capable of holding off a strong offensive opponent.

To get back to my original point: no wonder Lavinho had to sub on to give his two star players a chance to shine against PXG. It's indicative of the level of talent on the French front bench.

[goldsrc-hl1]

And I think the fact that sienna, the white fang civil rights leader who actually cared about the cause but was willing to use violence to achieve it gets killed off and her worldview barely gets acknowledge

Also I think crwby straight up compared the white fang to the black panther movement/organization?

Wether we want it to or not the show did initially frame the white fang subplot as violence vs non-violence

Plus ghira getting mad tgat adam killed a member of a lynch mob because “this is why they think they can” tells me ghira is on sone level focused in what humans think of Faunus,

Not helping that ghira gets put in charge again without having changed whatsoever

I hate to say it but intentionally or not, the idea that an oppressed minority need to “prove themselves” in any way to their oppressors is kinda racist, it’s at least problematic

Heck it’s a double standard “that we see in the real world as well” that Faunus can be branded like Adam or killed in mines like ilia’s parents to by humans like Jacques, yet humans as a whole don’t need to “prove” they aren’t him,

Because, quite frankly, most humans are entirely permissive of what Jacques and the SDC do

Yeah, Sienna's worldview is barely acknowledged. That's part of the failure to discuss racism and if responding to it with violence is justified or not.

Barbara Dunkleman, who is not a writer, said this

Barbara Dunkelman: So if anybody needs, like, a comparison for what the Faunus are in this world, it’s kind of like if you’re in the 1930s, or 1940s, whatever, and it’s like, the way African-American people were viewed.

Someone else (I can’t identify the voice): You mean like 50s and 60s, like Civil Rights Movement and stuff?

Barbara Dunkelman: Yeah.

Faunus are related to the American civil rights movement. They're certainly not viewed as poorly as African American people were viewed in the 50s and 60s, but they are still viewed and treated poorly and it is still based off of the American Civil Rights movement.

It's not 1:1 Black Panthers though. Sienna KINDA reminds me of them but not too much, Adam definitely doesn't.

The only time it was framed as violence vs nonviolence was in Blake's talk with Sun about why she left. As mentioned, that talk is about why she left, not what the White Fang is doing now. Even as early as Volume 1 and 2 it was clear that the White Fang wasn't fighting for equality.

Blake: The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths. They're a collection of misguided Faunus.

Weiss: Misguided? They want to wipe Humanity off the face of the planet!

Blake: So then they're very misguided. Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale!

Roman: I'm glad you asked, "Deery"! Now, I'll be the first to admit, humans... are the worst. Case in point. So, I understand why you would like to see us all locked away, or, better yet, killed!

So yeah, the White Fang was always an organization dedicated to just killing and hurting humans. In the past, it fought for equality, which is shown in Volume 1 through Blake's backstory, but it's never states that the White Fang currently fights for equality. The reason Blake left is that she didn't want to take part in the violence anymore (she never says they were wrong to resort to violence though, she just personally didn't want to be the one pulling the trigger), but the goal of the White Fang is no longer equality, as evidenced by Weiss and Roman.

You may say Weiss isn't well informed, which is true, but if she was wrong, why didn't Blake correct her? Roman is literally speaking at a White Fang rally when he says the line cited above, so he clearly knows what he's talking about.

Onto the next point...

Ghira wasn't upset that Adam fought back, he was upset when it got lethal. Ghira has a point, by killing humans, you're giving the humans an excuse to hate you more, regardless of how justified it was. It's something you wanna avoid at all costs. It's unfortunate, but it's the truth.

Ghira is put in charge of the White Fang again, only after he assembles an entire army to stop a terrorist attack in the making. I think it's pretty clear that he's past all the solely peaceful stuff.

The message is that the Faunus need to dispel racist ideas by proving them incorrect. I don't see how that's racist or problematic. Minorities should play a part in proving racist ideologies wrong.

Bear in mind that the Faunus aren't "proving themselves" as in repenting for past mistakes and whatnot, they're "proving themselves" as in "your racist idea that the Faunus are all murderers and terrorists is wrong." No Faunus apologizes for how the White Fang treats humanity. The whole thing is basically a big "you're blatantly wrong" to racist generalization that is extremely hard to ignore.

I don't see how it's racist to promote minorities proving racist ideologies wrong.

Humans in the show already prove that they aren't like Jacques by literally arresting him. They don't condone his exploitation. Hell, his own daughter doesn't condone it.

Most humans are, but by proving racist ideas wrong, the hope is that they will become less racist and ultimately oppose Jacques.

[itsclydebitches]

Here's a thing though, because CRWBY loves doing things off-screen. Neo and Cinder did have to travel for some time together and Cinder did speak to Neo in the Vault of the Spring Maiden. They could've exchanged information and she found out about certain things, especially with regards to Salem.

But there's also the fact that Cinder and Neo binded their time in Atlas, waiting for the perfect moment to be able to nab the relic and how to locate the Winter Maiden. I know this banks on Cinder being a competent villainess but she was in V3. Neo is perfect for information gathering, she can choose to be any one who was around Ruby in the background, watching and waiting but also seeing if there were weaknesses she could exploit to make her suffer. Neo could've learned about how close Penny and Ruby by pretending to be some nobody in the background with the aid of her semblance. Headmaster Ozpin, Lionheart and Clover didn't need to be there, no, for the beat down little red got. But man, do I wish that it was something close to Ruby that'd throw the facts at her, that they made mistakes, they were hypocrites and made things worse. Atlas and Mantle are GONE. They almost cost Argus everything with their plane stealing stunt. Salem now has 2 relics in her possession instead of neither. Just someone should've been able to deliver that to Ruby without getting shut down or pushed into submitting to WBY getting all defensive. It's aggravating that RWBY keeps getting away with things one way or another, can't have Ruby get told off by an ally, noooooo, has to be a villain so anyone can dismiss their (very) on point accusations of her character. Wow, I didn't mean to rant so much....

Never feel bad about ranting, anon! I do it plenty lol.

But yeah, full-on agree. That remains my biggest problem with this scene (well, besides the suicide aspect) and why I can't really join in so many other fans' satisfaction at someone calling out Ruby. Because she's not being called out, she's being tortured. The story has taken things that Ruby is at least partially responsible for and framed it so that she comes out looking like the unequivocal victim. Instead of someone trustworthy figuratively knocking some sense into her head (like Qrow, May, or Ren), she's literally getting knocked around by a villain whose ultimately goal is to have her die. There is no version of RWBY in which Ruby comes out of this having learned anything other than her guilt and second-guessing being ~evil~ things that must be defeated. Qrow is threatened into submission. May changes her tune off screen. Ren is ignored until he falls in line. Yang dismisses Ruby and compares her to Ironwood the moment she expresses doubt. And Ruby herself has had those feelings now equated with suicide. If the end result of her going, "Let's stop pretending we know what we're doing" at the start of the Volume is for her to kill herself over that failure, then the message is pretty clearly, "That's a bad thing to believe and Ruby need to improve her mental health by remembering that she's a True Hero who has made the good decisions and shouldn't be doubting her own righteous worth."

By taking Ruby to this extreme the MOMENT she started to question their very questionable choices, the show has written in neon lights what they think of these criticisms. I mean, we knew it already - we've known since Volume 5 - but it really is something else to say, "Ruby's horrific actions aren't something for her to grapple with and learn from, they're the catalyst for suicide and the tools of a villain." Someone else made this comparison already, but the way this is written brings to mind people who have exaggerated, undeserved reactions to someone bringing up legitimate criticism, to the point where suddenly the conversation is about comforting them and ensuring they're safe, rather than actually addressing what they've done wrong. The story has finally gone, "Hey, you did things wrong" and even beyond the fact that this has come from a villain, Ruby has such an EXTREME reaction to that accusation that you feel like an ass for insisting that she still address the problem post-meltdown. The conversation is no longer about how Ruby's arrogance has caused great harm to Remnant, it's about how these things need to be denied/buried/ret-conned/whatever because otherwise she will kill herself.

See? Plenty of ranting XD. On a more positive note, I LOVE that idea, anon. If RWBY really was "planned from the beginning" and we still had to have this encounter, it would have been cool to see a Volumes-long reveal that Neo has been stalking Ruby ever since she left Beacon. She uses her clones to bring up all her mistakes, her failures, intimate moments she'll never repeat because that friend is dead now, and alongside her grief Ruby is downright shocked at the knowledge. How do you know all this? And Neo uses her op semblance to reveal all the background characters that she - and the viewer - had no idea were really her, listening in, biding her time, gathering intel until she could finally use it all to break her.

[kariachi]

Random: While there are plenty of words in Imperial Erinaen that, as long as you speak some Erinaen language, you're probably going to be able to figure out, just due to how the language was originally developed, there's two that are damn near identical in every Erinaen language.

'Qhoq', a generic term for non-aerial predators, and 'Qgiq', a generic term for aerial predators.

This is because no matter where you're from, these words always come from the same instinctive alarm calls that have kept Erinaens for time immemorial. You might get changes in tone or emphasis, but the sound combination itself doesn't change. Even Erinaens who didn't grow up speaking Erinaen languages, while not knowing exactly what these calls mean, have been shown to experience heightened levels of stress and anxiety upon hearing them at volume when compared to other non-understood words uttered with the same tone and volume.

Alarm calls are common among Erinaens' evolutionary relatives. Among Erinaens themselves different areas vary in whether individuals have the specific job of keeping watch or whether there's a social expectation that upon seeing something you sound the alarm, but however it's done once an alarm call goes out one learns from an early age to sound it yourself, making sure that it makes its way around the colony. This is part of why Erinaens don't historically worry much about keeping other Erinaens out of their homes- alongside some very loose property laws- when an alarm call goes off it's generally expected that people are going to beeline for the nearest safe location. Whether that's a business, a bathroom, a home, doesn't really matter when you're trying not to die. In fact refusing to allow individuals to take shelter in your home when you can safely do so is one of the things most likely to get you chased out of a colony.

Any colony of a decent size has people whose entire profession involves keeping track of local predators and attempting to keep them from entering the colony proper. Common methods are setting and maintaining a border of items, scents, etc that discourage them from approaching (think an equivalent to farmers using bees to keep elephants from their crops, or stringing up prices of metal to spook birds), but may also include mobbing a predator nesting or otherwise keeping territory too close for comfort. Only rarely are predators actually killed, as it tends to be more effective to just keep a predator to the outskirts than to keep having to go out hunting predators each time one tries to fill a void. Especially when as many things hunt you as Erinaens deal with.

Still, alarm calls aren't unusual to hear in colonies- you can never guarantee things will work, or that you'll catch every predator before it finds the colony proper- and play a vital role in maintaining the health and safety of the community. Truthfully the most at risk one is of predation is on the outskirts of and outside the colony itself, and when outside during daylight hours. In all these cases it's a matter of having fewer individuals around to notice a predator before it strikes, meaning your less likely to get an alarm sounded. Adding to this, when out of the main portion of the colony one is less likely to have a safe spot to hide available, and more likely to have to rely on their quills for protection. They're handy, but not all of the Erinaen's predators are affected by them, the more specialized having long since evolved resistances. And in daylight most individuals out and about will be those who woke up to use the bathroom, making them more vulnerable as they may still be groggy.

In the end, even with all attempts at security, predation is one of the major causes of death among Erinaens, with those most commonly taken- to the surprise of nobody with a sense for ecology- being children, the ill, and the disabled, plus individuals who work outside of the colony itself. They have a real rate of predation deaths.

Predation is estimated to be the cause of up to 15% of lasting deaths among Erinaens on their homeworld. This is second only to falling, estimated to cause upwards of 23%, as far as specific causes of death go. The numbers in these cases skew heavily towards children and teens, alongside, as mentioned above, the ill and disabled. The majority of deaths otherwise can be attributed to foul play, chronic illness, and injury.

[burningnonono]

Nono's thoughts on TWST manga #1 in French

Hello everyone!!! I'm pulling out my good ol' Tumblr acc because I will write some long stuff!!

Tomorrow, the first volume of the TWST manga, Episode of Heartslabyul, is releasing in France!

However, I learnt from some friends that it is in fact already available in some libraries, so of COURSE I couldn't wait! And as I already own the American edition, that my sister brought be from her school trip to NYC a few weeks prior the Twst manga announcement in French, I'd like to compare the two editions.

I have to say I am very moved to have in my hands an official piece of Twisted Wonderland content in French. I'm so used to some silly translations between my friends and I that seeing the true stuff... Wow... I'm writing this before actually opening the manga so let's see if I'll want to fight the translators.

I don't speak Japanese at all so I can't compare with the Japanese version, sorry.

This post will of course spoil the whole volume, so don't read it if you don't want any spoilers because I love to go into details!

For 13 euros, I got the limited edition:tm: of the "Disney Twisted Wonderland ~La Maison Heartslabyul~ 1". We can already see the manga is normal sized compared to the American edition, and let's dive into the Artbook

It's 40 pages of fancy illustration, with, for each Heartslabyul member :

their fullbody dorm render

their ceremony render

their 2nd birthday fullbody

their 1st birthday illustration

their 1st birthday groovy (on a double page)

A very appreciated bonus indeed (I never zoomed on those cards that much)

Now, let's look at the manga before opening it!!!

As most manga, there's some part of the cover we can remove. Under it, the design is red, with a fancy checkerboard pattern. Behind the 4th cover, there's the illustration of a key.

The bookmark section has some commentaries of the writer and artist of the book, where they're at the end of the book on the American version. The bookmark also has a "start" sign drawn on it, which I think is very cute.

~ First Chapter and Table of Contents ~

The French version of the manga includes the bonus illustration part in the summary, unlike the US version.

Only the first page with all the housewarden and the title is colored in the FR ver, unlike the US ver which also has colors for the first pages with Crowley talking ominously.

I recall the name of chapters rhyming in the JP version of the game, and while not all the chapter names on the FR manga rhymes, they all sounds very very cool, with some sick alliterations.

No one fucking cares but the US and FR translations don't use the same font lol.

The French version leaves the japanese onomatopoeia and just translates it under it, unlike the US version that directly replaces them with the English equivalent. The work on words placement in the French version is cooler in my opinion. Also the FR version has a translator note to explain what the hell those kendo words are.

The US version calls Yu's move "a menkaeshimen", while the FR version translates it as "counterattacking a "men" with another "men"", which makes it more clear for the audience, as I'm here for the handsome Disney boys and not the kendo part.

Koito calls Yu "Enma." in the US version while he says "Ah, S... Senpaï..." in the FR version. He stutters more in the FR version.

He also "vouvoies" Yu. "Vous" is a second person pronoun used either for a group of person, or someone you respect, like an adult or something. It's unusual between students in France, but it makes sense for the JP student dynamics I assume?

Dark Mirror is translated as Miroir des Ténèbres (Darkness' Mirror).

After coming out of the gate, Yuken's wonder in the EN version what are those "weird guys in capes", while in the FR version, he wonders who are those "weird guys in ceremony robes". My guy why are you so specific.

Also they call the gates "doors".

Night Raven College is translated as Académie Night Raven (Night Raven Academy) in the dialogue (the logo of the school still features Night Raven College written). NRC would roughly be in France the equivalent of an Highschool, but it doesn't sounds nearly as cool as Académie. I wonder how it'll go when RSA will appears.

the Orientation is called Cérémonie d'Ouverture (Opening Ceremony).

A very little detail, since it's just a different formulation of something that has the same idea, but Kalim says this year already will be full of surprises, HAHAHA YOU HAVE NO IDEAAAS.

We all love "l'unique, le seul, et le futur grand magicien... Grimm le magnifique!" wait a sec-

Grim has been translated into Grimm.

I'M STUNNED THEY ADDED AN M TO THE KITTY UWAAAAA.

Grim says he can do a lot when he put his "paw" on the dough. Putting our hand on the dough is a common French saying to say we work on something, I think it's very cute we get some puns like that.

Remember that part about "vous" and the 2nd person pronoun ? Well while in the US version, Riddle gets angry at Yu for calling him "kid", here Riddle gets angry because Yu uses "tu" (unformal 2nd person pronoun. one you would normally use on a fellow teen if the fellow teen wasn't on an ego trip).

I don't have enough Disney knowledges to know if the Disney citations are identical to the movie ones.

Grimm the punmaster is back with another paw version of a common saying.

Off with your head is translated as Qu'on lui coupe la tête. The phrase is just as iconic in French as it's in English, so of course they translated it. I would have done the same tbh.

Grammatical moment to mention that Yu says he's now "à Twisted Wonderland". I expected him to say "au Twisted Wonderland", but I don't know much about grammar and it could be a stylistic décision that don't fit my aesthetic.

Very little detail but Riddle says Yu's enter is ruining "our rules" to Trey and Cater, and not just "the rules", like in the English version. It's an interesting take on his character, I like the dorm spirit.

I just noticed the Dark Mirror rhymes !!! In both EN and FR version.

Housewarden are called Gardien de la maison. It's the literal translation but it sounds sooo bad... Here's some translations I've seen in fanworks : - Prefect / I think that's how Housewardens are called in real life English college anyways? but yeah it ends up being the same as our Yu - Magistrate / pun on magic + you immediately understand it's a high position - "Délégué" (Class Rep) / average word you'd see about a high position student in a real HS.

In the FR version, Yu says to the Ghost Trio that he always wanted to have roommates, where he just says he's happy to meet them as their new roommate in the US ver.

"Your little "fairytale" will never be real". Ace I love your choice of words but you're such a bastard ♥.

Ace dumb nickname for Deuce is "Douce" (feminine version of sweet/soft). Makes sense.

Great Seven is translated into Sept Majestueux (Majestic Seven). Everything is better when you put some magi-sounding word in stuff! I like this translation.

Queens of Heart -> Reine de Coeur King of Beasts -> Roi des Animaux (King of Animals) Sea Witch -> Sorcière des Mers Sorcerer of the Sands -> Sorcier du Désert King of the Underworld -> Maître des Enfers (Master of Hells) Thorn Fairy -> Fée des Ronces

Magestone -> Pierre magique (Magic Stone). Well, it is what it is. I translated it as Magilithe in the translation of the game I started from my sister for some extra fancy points but I understand they can't just change everything lol. The "pierre" is sometimes substitued with any synonym of it, like Roche (rock) or Caillou (Pebble, by Ace).

Headmage -> Doyen (Dean). It do gives "fancy British school" vibes.

I'm really sorry but Crowley going "you're their guardian so here what they did" sounds so silly bc it kinda makes it sounds like Riddle is the legal guardian of his dormmates... Daddy Riddle...

I don't have much to say about the final chapter, so I'll conclude with how happy I am to have this manga! Trying to get the manga as early as possible and checking every difference in translations reminds me of my Yo-kai Watch era.

In one of the final pages of the FR version, there's a little preview of the next volume. No dates are announced for it sadly, but I'll wait patiently.

I emptied my bedroom to repaint my walls so I had to empty all my bookshelves. Now, only true quality writing is available in my room.

Riddle and Deuce are tied-in for the place of my fav Twst character, and Ace is the happy 3rd guy of my podium, so this is an amazing day for me.

Thank you so much if you read up to there!!

[pico-digital-studios]

Into, Across and Beyond!: Shared Universe Mentions

So just yesterday, I got praise from @robovoidfrog for the inclusion of their character in IAB!, and I'm honestly chuffed to get this feedback! So through this post, I just wanted to talk about the prospect of the shared universe idea between this project, Funkinverse and the original Spider-Verse trilogy.

NOTE: None of the mentioned points are canon to either of the projects outside of IAB! unless stated otherwise.

So first off, as you saw through the aforementioned post, The X not only had a run-in with this project's Quill Society, but he also seems to be the most remotely aware of the nature of film fics based around Spider-Verse. A lot of these indeed kick off with that world's iconic hero dying and someone else having to take their mantle for them, which leads them into quite the whacky crossover situation.

In this continuity, some things are different for the Funkinverse storyline due to what goes on with the base FNF universe here. For instance:

Boyfriend died long before through the events of Mario's Madness, and a universal reboot is what gave way to Benjamin.

Though, like in canon, BF's WI and Twinsomnia incarnations are generation counterparts in the base FNF universe, they're also separate counterparts in Funkinverse (Twinsomnia's BF being Brooke's little son).

Softie/Benjamin Fairest's counterpart in Funkinverse is separate to the one who's linked to IAB!'s FNF universe.

As Benjamin had befriended several of the other BFs and GFs (those from B-Sides, D-Sides, Neo, Minus, B3 and Arrow Funk specifically), any of those that are linked to the Funkin' Society are quick to understand after Cam's hostilities that Salty's in the right for aiming to save his legal guardians from The X and quickly switch sides against Agent Blueballs' ideals for canon events.

The Sky counterpart encountered by the Funkin' Gang is a more hostile variant compared to ErrorSky, who changed her ways after enough time.

As mentioned above, The X was successfully detained and neutralised by the Quill Society post-Funkinverse, but the fact that it took FOUR of its members to detain him, compared to just two (Pana and SS!Amy) detaining Speedy in his Chaos Emerl guise, speaks volumes of how he is indeed a threat on par with The Spot and Crimtake.

As Beyond the Spider-Verse isn't out yet, we still don't know whether or not The Spot was successfully beaten.

Sunday ending up with protanopia after their encounter with The X didn't sail well with Carol, Benjamin OR Grace, hence why Benjamin calls him out on it. To think it was all because of a little disagreement about breakfast foods.

The Childhood Memories universe canonically NEVER encountered the Corruption (which is apparently a canon thing, according to Agent Blueballs), and even if it did show up, it'd never effect any of the children's shows. Yeah, get lost, Pibby kids.

In the IAB! continuity, Lexi Robin ended up defecting from the Funkin' Society after seeing just how wrong everything is, and she was rooting for the Funkin' Gang and Benjamin's crew from the sidelines.

After Cam's clash with Benjamin, Soft Pico and Neo GF (their original counterparts) sided with Benjamin in a bid to get their boyfriends back out of the Funkin' Society and back to doing the right thing in general.

Identically to Funkinverse, there's a lone repeat customer that the therapist of the bunch dislikes. For Funkinverse, it's the Boyfriend/Keith from Earth-666 (I Can't Sleep) who Softie dislikes, whereas in IAB!, CD Alt Ending Sonic's disliked repeat customer is Charlie (the Sonic from the god-awful "Sonic 2 Lost Prototype" fangame). That said, he does try to bear with the guy's emotional turmoil, though the other major therapist of the Quill Society, Sara, seems to have caught on as well.

In terms of the Gangs' members having possible canon interactions:

Miles, Salty and OMT!Tails would definitely help learn from each other on how to better protect their respective worlds, and also find solace in the fact that they were all treated as anomalies at different points.

Peter B., Brooke and CR!Sonic would be the doting dads after their first outings and talk quite a bit about their sons/daughters.

Gwen, SNS GF and OMT!Mina would be a sort of comfort group to each other, considering their rough pasts and how broken each one is deep down. Gwen, having been most successful thus far, would definitely be the beacon of light girl the other two clearly need.

Noir, Toon BF and Mini Sonic would interact quite a bit about the Rubik's Cubes that they were given as souvenirs, and their different reasons for admiring the cubes.

Spider-Ham, Mobian BF and Mr. Needlemouse are definitely the kind to goof around with their cartoon antics. That said, with the lattermost being the biggest prick, he is prone to being called out for it by the other two, though barely giving a care about it.

Peni, Aloe and EX!Alice are the tech geeks of their respective dimensions and would love sharing their robot-building (maintaining, in Aloe's case) knowledge with each other.

Hobie and the D-Sides versions of BF and Mighty would find common ground in their ideals of screwing over intended consistencies and going their own way in life.

Pavitr, Golden BF and Black Knight Amy would have a way with each other being the naïve newcomers of their respective teams, and BK!Amy, harbouring the most experience, can share some tips for her companions.

The Sonias and CR!Manik would be happy to look after Mayday and Twinsomnia BF, due to them both being toddlers. Them being children sporting superpowers makes it click more.

Margo, Boom, Nicole and Nine could bond from their computer-based knowledge, and the majority could also aim to lift Nine's spirits if he's feeling a bit down.

So that's pretty much the basic gist of things. Another few tidbits:

Of those instigating the canon events, between four candidates: - Melanie / MP (the kid pictured below), despite having tried this himself, didn't do it willingly, and was forced into it by so-called "superiors" who got the short end of the stick big time from Nitro, even after their passing made it look like they could get away with it. - Miguel and Agent Blueballs, despite their cruel methods, at least have good intentions in mind for their approach, but go about it the wrong ways that alienate those around them. - Lost Memory Sonic is the only one of these four to stoop lower than the others would've done, and actually tries DESTROYING universes to maintain the status quo.

(Art will be updated when @mcgamejolter finishes it)

Of the major protagonists between the three universes, OMT!Tails is the only one that's rarely had to use his nanomachine gear to disguise his identity with. That said, he has used it when he visited the dimension of the Hues of Metal (Dimension HoM-2023), and the suit's robotic sheen actually FOOLED the robots. At least, until LM!Sonic was driven away from their base (apparently for, as Rocket Metal put it, being a stereotypical Australian tourist).

In the above point's case, Metallix is the one to catch out OMT!Tails when they're alone, though is ultimately overpowered... from OMT!Tails mentioning that a certain web series isn't officially canon, causing Metallix to go poof from existence. Again.

Despite being a supposed "canon event", Sonic.EXEs are surprisingly quite rare to see in universes that aren't meant to have them, like with the Corruption, Darkness and Venom Symbiotes. That said, the first documented case of one showing up in a Sonic universe in the Quill Society logs is in the Sonic Robo Blast 2 dimension (Dimension SRB-1998), a universe that doesn't even have a canon appearance of the demonic entity.

After "Rivals' Madness" (my unofficial expansion/sequel to Mario's Madness/Vs. Sonic.exe (RERUN)), several of the worlds encountered are their own universes, so the characters within are not solely bound as digital slaves to Ultra M, Xenophanes OR 2011!X.

Related to the above, pretty much all the major cast of FNF ended up dealing with the mess of Ultra M and Xeno in that one adventure, most of which put up with one enemy each; Sophie from Left Behind for Tankman, Mr. L, X.nes and Requital for Pico (the lattermost he fights again later), Stranger for Skid and Pump, OMT for Mommy/Martha Mearest, Awe's Chromophobiac for Senpai, and NMI (No More Innocence) for Daddy/Daniel Dearest.

There are alternate versions of Heaven AND Hell in the IAB! multiverse that aren't solely bound by the Christian bible's depictions. For instance, there's a genuinely friendly community in my version of Hell, which an alternate version of Benjamin dubbed "Keith" discovers after his passing.

Akin to @thestrongestjewel's Eepytale, the Frisk, Chara and Asriel of the IAB! continuity have been living together for some time, albeit independently from adoptive parents like Toriel. Kris also spends some time with them as the biggest sibling of the group, akin to their role in @akanemnon's Twin Runes series.

The full list of those lives lost to the "canon event" theory are as follows:

OMT!Sonic, OMT!Vanilla and OMT!Sally (OMT!Tails)

Uncle Chuck (Crossover Realm Sonic and Extraterrestrial Encounter Sonic)

Sonic and Tails (OMT!Mina)

Caffrin (EX!Alice)

Marc Smith (Nitro; he couldn't even avert this in the Rewritten universe)

Sonic (Antho and Mobiverse Tails)

Amy (ChaosIIUniverse Sonic and Sonia)

ALL of his friends (Hog)

Silver (Lost Memory Sonic)

Tails and Amy (CD Alt Ending Sonic)

The original Boyfriend and Girlfriend (via the original FNF universe's events that led to its rewrite)

Cassandra (both from a tactic Pico pulled to end his school's terrorism early in the new timeline, and for good following the Corruption's events)

Proto Man/Blues (alongside Wily, Bass and Treble) (Mega Man/Rock; these four lost their lives to a rogue Zero build who remains shut down to this day)

For now, that's all I can really discuss. Took me some time to think about all the stuff I could mention here. Until the next post, have a great day/night!

[paetal]

unprompted @quietlyblooms asked: she’s gentle as she kisses the bruise upon ceri’s cheek bone, then the cut just over his brow. she still holds his face between her palms when she looks at him, her gaze soft yet narrowed; oh, the things she would do if she ever came across the people who hurt him. it doesn’t matter if ceri’s already handled it — chiyo hates seeing him like this. “ i hope you gave ‘em hell, ” she utters. “ they deserve it. ” ( since you’ve been in a ceri mood, i thought he deserved some tlc 💜 )

The gentleness that she gives him is something that he eats up, the soft feeling of lips against tender bruised cheek bone and then again to the cut just over his brow are gentle moments that he is still so that he can take the moment all in. His onyx eyes have some glowing amber speckles that have appeared, the wolf within is radiating the same adoration for her in that gaze of his. Her words do not carry the same gentleness that her actions does, not when they're spoken about others who gave him such injuries just because they wanted to feel big and bad. She's cute.

He grins at her, busted lip does not agree with such an action but he cares not for she has this way of bringing out his smiles and lopsided dimpled grins. His hands rise to cup her hands that hold his face, keeping them there so that he can also take in the warmth that they bring. Her hands are so small compared to his, he always seems to notice that ( he thinks it's cute is all ). ❝ I dished out what they dished out at me . . . and then some for good measure. Got 'em to leave me alone. ❞ But not before they managed to get some damage in. Ceri was a good fighter in a fair fight but he was usually caught off guard or had to fight multiple wolves at once, though the fact that he lived to tell each tale did speak volumes of the fighter he was overall.

❝ I ever told ya that you're really cute when you're all mad at some shitbags ? 'Cause you really are. ❞

[grazer-razor]

i was thinking, and have come to a conclusion.

FNAF isn't as great as you think. i just woke up, so i'll keep things relatively quick and simplified.

if i recall correctly, scott cawthon entered a phase where he was making smaller games(i checked geeks under grace's interview with him, and didn't hear it, so i must've heard this somewhere else). even if i didn't hear that correctly, FNAF falls in this category, because it's literally just "survive all 5 nights at increasing difficulty" with a few spooky easter eggs. compare this to things like TDH and chipper sons and lumber, which were bigger than FNAF. scott only showed part of his gamedev power and that was the only time he went viral.

but wait there's more.

all that this small game has going for it is basically the horror aspect(and maybe the easter eggs like foxy's pirate song and those crying faces on the wall, which are still pretty small considering how small FNAF 1 is as a game). for a while, i thought that the spookiness itself was fine-ish(because it's possible to provide a thrilling "man VS. wild" experience without adding traumatic themes or imagery. think hiding from the SA-X in metroid fusion, which has a similar atmosphere to FNAF), but recently, god showed to me that FNAF was really not a good game. when i asked him to explain in a way that i could identify, he told me this piece of literal art...

"five nights at freddy's is a crappy game. horror and jumpscares are this game's fame. horror and jumpscares are this game's name. five nights at freddy's is a crappy game." - Yeshua Hamashiac himself (i actually asked god to explain in a way that i could identify a second time, and he said he already did. so i think this was him)

the worst part is that this is the perfect trap for becoming assimilated into the world. while looking at geeks under grace's interview, i saw this-

that last part is full of wisdom. not just making bad games, but PLAYING them is a sign you need to get your heart right with god. i have multiple friends in church who play games like call of duty, bayonetta, and metal gear rising, and while i don't know a lot about COD(it could just be action movie shooter with blood splashes in it), i know enough about bayonetta and MGR to know that they're really not great of games(plot of MGR involves a cyborg ninja being led to believe that he's a killer and ends up ripping a senator's heart out, bayonetta is literally a naked witch communing with demons, yadda yadda). i say this because scott saying this SHOWS that he has some grasp of the truth!

yet, scott ended up making stories like into the flesh and breaking wheel. and even if he co-partnered with writers, the fact that he still let these stories into FNAF canon speaks volumes about what's going on RN.

speaking of that poem/rap/whatever from god, i also asked him about the desolate hope. and he said that it was "an awesome game with beautiful graphics", and that i was "being too hard on scott".

this leads us to the most important part. while scott slipped up a bit making FNAF, he is still a talented man with jesus's love in his heart. even if he's made stuff like the 5th paradox(which we will not talk about aside from linking to a post regarding it), he still has a good enough head on his shoulders to know that you can't just make or play bad video games without having a heart issue.

he has a good enough head on his shoulders to stick firm to his beliefs when pressured by the FNAF fandom(AFTER the majority of FNAF's works were published, mind you!), and explain that he was a christian who was pro-life, republican, ETC.

so what if scott isn't perfect? WHO EVEN IS PERFECT, IN THE FIRST PLACE?

grazer, out!

[giuliadrawsstuff]

Hi! I love your art 💖 I was wondering what is your opinion about yesterday’s episode. Did you like it? :)

Awww hi! Thank you 💜💜

I loved it!!

I really don't get all the complains I'm seeing here and on Twitter.

Mappa did an astounding job portraying Hange's last moments, staying true to the manga and at the same time making it better and more cinematographic.

The frames are the same as the manga, it appears quicker because animation is always like that, you can't stay on it as long as you want like with a manga panel.

Plus the pace was already quick, they're running out of time, Hange has to buy them some last precious moments to fix the plane and flee. They can't dwell on the single frames too much. It's all part of the narrative.

"Dedicate your heart" is a Levihan scene ofc but it's first and foremost an Hange scene. It's their moment to shine, the big hero departure, the ultimate sacrifice to let the others leave and live.

That's also why I appreciated Mappa making their fight longer, we get to see Hange at their best, first humour (even in their last moments), then determination, then awe at the beauty of Titans and science, then badass fighting like we've never seen before culminating in the afterlife welcome from the other Vets.

I don't think they could have done it better.

As for Levihan itself, I saw complains about Levi not showing emotions or the "dedicate your heart" scene not being the love scene it should be.

Now, we can compare it with the Aruani moment. That has been changed, the wrist grab has become hand grab, they blush and they're embarrassed, they're teenagers.

Levihan are adults, Veterans trained for a long time to hide their emotions and feelings leaving space for duty and freedom.

You don't need a kiss or a hug to show they're in love (but I'll do it and add it anyway in my drawings 😂)

As much as I would have died to see it myself, we all know it wasn't going to happen. They don't have room for big manifestations of love. AOT is not like that.

And honestly, at least to me, Levihan is in the little things, little everyday gestures and moments that build and strengthen their relationship, the fact that Levi never said those words to anyone else, adding the use of the left hand (the hand of the heart not the hand of duty), speaks volumes about how he feels in my opinion.

Hange's surprise and smile are equally meaningful.

Same goes for Levi's tears. He doesn't need to cry to show his emotions. He's constipated and we know it, but you can see his pain in his posture, in how he's cradling his hands on his lap, in his lack of expressiveness, in the empty stare, in the determination he has to fight once more and not make Hange's sacrifice in vain.

It's not by chance that everyone is screaming and crying when Hange dies, huge tears rolling down their cheeks, faces disfigured while Levi's the only one who stays quiet and silent, almost spacing out. And I think this is very in character (no matter how much I make him cry in my stuff 😂).

It's not easy to adapt from comic to animation and I think Mappa really did their best keeping the line of the manga while improving it and making it better at the same time.

That being said I only have one last thing to say, LEVIHAN CANON 😌

Thank you for the ask and sorry for the pep talk 😂

[bohemian-nights]

People have no guts to talk about this but i do. There's a reason why Ryan chose Emma to play Rhaenyra and it's not the acting cause honestly despite the insane worshipping, they're not that great, Olivia is 1000 times better, more expressive and capable to have chemistry with each member of the cast, even with Matt and Alicent barely interacts with Daemon in the Show. Emma do but lack of chemistry especially with him and this is a downgrade for the Daemyra. The shippers try so hard on claiming them hot couple, but actually they look pretty awkward. Matt had insane chemistry and sexual tension with Milly, with Emma not at all, also Emma is nothing like the Rhaenyra of the book. Milly suited the role much better compared to book and yet there's a purpose behind all this. The reason why they chose Emma is cause they made up that weird dynamic with Alicent and Rhaenyra, and Emma give masculine vibes, especially when they're with Olivia, no matter the wig lol so it suit that dynamic. No wonder Emma spoke about electric sensuality with Olivia in ep 8 lmao, and some people ship them lol they do cause writers wanted to push audience on doing that and Emma is the main reason, cause Emma being non binary carries their queer baiting strategy. Here, i said it. Im not against no gender people or anything, but i wanted to speak the truth.

Anon you’ve broken a cardinal sin per Missy Anne stans everywhere because she’s so ultra feminine(even though shes murdering people left and right) and Emma and Matt have explosive chemistry, but you aren’t exactly wrong.

The only thing I have to add is that Emma was cast first(before Milly who I think people overhype but that’s irrelevant) and I also heard that Olivia auditioned for the part of Miss Maegor. The fact that they chose Emma speaks volumes when it comes to Dumbnyra(for the slow Dumbnyra stans, your ship was never supposed to be the ship of the show let alone a epic romance😚).

[animehouse-moe]

Crazy Lucky JP Anime Art Book Haul

So, this is what all I got in the haul, not too many books you might think yeah? Well, the issue isn't so much the quantity as it is the quality. But first, let's introduce the gang, top to bottom, left to right.

Starting in the top left is the Line Art Collection for Violet Evergarden, followed by the Setting Book for The Saga of Tanya The Evil's anime, and then there's the Dorohedoro Animation Art Book. Beneath that is the full Neon Genesis Storyboard Collection, the real breadwinner here.

Note: At the end of the post there will be a price breakdown on the crazy deal I got on this haul.

Anyways, the books themselves! We'll start with Violet Evergarden

It's a rather slim art book, but considering the price I got it for I don't really mind. All the drawings they included in it are really quite stunning as well. I'd say that if you can find it for around $30 CAD (or whatever it is in other currency) and under, it's worth it.

The Saga of Tanya The Evil

I really love this one because beneath the dust jacket/cover, they have some environment art that's really quite pretty.

Of course, the contents themselves are super cool as well, a nice helping of character designs and environment art that show the level of detail and care the staff put behind everything, even things as simple as rifles or stationary artillery.

Dorohedoro

So compared to the manga art, the anime in and of itself isn't exactly something outstanding or anything, but I think this art book really speaks to the passion of some of the staff behind it, even if it was 3D. All the character work was done in 2D, and the environment art included in the copy is just stunning. It's certainly an easy way to find new appreciation in the anime if you were perhaps a little too critical of it when it first aired.

Neon Genesis Evangelion Storyboard Collection

This one felt like nothing short of a miracle, really. Dirt cheap, nobody else bidding on it, and what you might venture to call pristine condition when you consider it comes from the end of the 90s. I was up at 3 in the morning to secure the auction and it was 100% worth it. Really incredible set to own that hasn't really set in.

A look at the spines of the protective clear cases, and the actual cover of the first volume. Really great condition and everything is looking super nice. There's a few signs of yellowing on the pages themselves, but hardly anything to even think about considering the age and extent.

And a very brief peek into the storyboards themselves. One of the most fascinating things I find with storyboards is the fact that they are so different between series. They could be super detailed or they could be stick figures nearly, as long as they get the point across anything goes. Regardless, it's such an impressive thing to take a look at, and realize just how many drawings and pages there are with it. For reference, each volume is around 600 pages, and has 5 frames of storyboard per page. The number you get from that is absolutely dizzying.

But yeah, probably one of the best hauls I've had so far considering how much just fell into place. Really rare and super interesting stuff that I don't think many can attest to having in their collection, and I did so while hardly breaking the bank for what you might get them for otherwise. Just so excited to have these in my collection now.

Price Breakdown

So, I got all these items for dirt cheap compared to what you can find them for on eBay. The Line Art book? Typically 60 and all the way up to 100CAD. Tanya The Evil Setting book? If you can find them, especially undamaged, they're in the range of 100CAD as well (plus shipping usually). The same with the Dorohedoro animation art book, anywhere from 100 to even 200CAD. The real icing on the cake is the NGE Storyboards though. The full collection, including their protective clear cases will run you about 270CAD before shipping.

So, this whole order, according to eBay, should have been in the range of 500CAD before shipping, which is eye-poppingly expensive. But, proxy services can be infinitely cheaper. For reference, my breakdown (with receipts) is as follows:

Violet Evergarden Line Art - ¥2,400 Yen / $26.16 CAD Tanya The Evil Setting Book - ¥3,300 Yen / $35.97 CAD Dorohedoro Animation Art Book - ¥4,580 Yen / $49.93 CAD NGE Storyboard Collection - ¥11,000 Yen / $119.90 CAD Domestic Shipping Fee (NGE Auction) - ¥873 Yen / $8.94 CAD Additional Packaging free - ¥1,500 Yen / $15.35 CAD Intl. Shipping fee (50% off from coupon) - ¥3,711 Yen / $37.98 CAD ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Total Cost - ¥27,364 Yen / $280.07 CAD

Effectively, a savings of in the range of 200-250CAD, getting close to half the price that you could get the items for on eBay, and around the average price of the NGE Storyboard set on eBay. It's just sort of crazy to think about.

[grieverled-moved]

;; ‘ floral reminders ’ for Zack

He was always so careful in making sure his hobby stayed a secret. While nothing embarrassing, at least compared to most peoples idea of one, he still preferred to keep it tightly hidden & locked away from prying eyes. It was, in the end, something meant to be private. Something just for himself, as rare a thing as that was.

But of course he'd underestimated Shinra's Puppy. The man's nickname is huffed internally like a curse, though it's more tired over truly angry as he catches the way those eyes linger on the leather casing of his book. They flit across it's surface, the poor thing making a loud smack as Squall moves to slam it shut, instantly hiding it back along the inner pocket of his suit. A frown is already fresh on his features, irritated, embarrassed - if the furrow notching his brows & the way his jaw sets is anything to go by. The only thing that lacks is the normal sharpness of his glare, tempered out by the way his ears burn a bright scarlet as he silently grouses.

He clears his throat, fixing Zack with a pointed look that all but says 'you saw nothing' like it's a set statement over a suggestion. He expects him to make fun of him, of his hobby, chalk it all up to him drawing & slacking off on the job as a means to get a one up on him for all the times he'd been so harsh with him.

But he shouldn't have expected that when time & time again since he'd met the man, Zack had been nothing short of a living, breathing surprise. He wouldn't get too ahead of things, still treat the bubbly First with the same healthy level of distant caution as he did others, but he did keep in mind that even when he was being . . . harsh. Rude - the man had never lashed back out, had always remained peaceful, friendly. Ever genuine despite whatever ice was thrown his way.

Its that thought combined with the way the other stays silent, hands held up in a placating gesture that speaks volumes to the brunet over whatever else he could have spoken in that moment. Zack's eyes are wide, brows drawn skywards as that interest spotted from before seemingly lingers in place. Squall studies him for a few more stray beats, eyes thinning to a glacial glare, before they melt, a scoffed sound given before he shakes his head.

Darkened bangs sway before his shielded gaze as he retrieves his book with gloved fingers, lips pressing together as he hesitantly flicks it open to the page he'd been working on cataloguing before the other'd startled him.

It's an unfinished flower sketch, eyes glancing over the rim of his booklet to the flowers themselves up ahead, before flitting back over to Fair with a lightly arched brow & a jerk of his chin to signal him in closer. He sighs, but it's nothing new. It takes a bit of mental prep, an internal push, but he weathers through it to hold his book over for the other man to see. With a hum, voice quiet, he continues his idle sketching, curving out the rounded 'mouse-ear' shape of the scattered plants leaves.

"Myosotis." The Turk starts, glancing back over with diamond sights to check if the other was listening. Sure enough . . . he was. ( ' Huh . . . ' ) Continuing on, he lets his pencil glide, finishing up the drawing as he lists off a few facts on the plant itself with the barest twitching curl of his lips.

"Or 'forget-me-not's'. These are usually pretty hard to find around the closer you are to Midgar, cities especially . . . so . . . I wanted to sketch out what I could while we were here in the area. Don't know your level of knowledge on stuff like this, but . . . these here? They're a very sweet flower. Packed with hidden sentimental meaning."

He's vaguely aware that this is possibly the most he's spoken to Zack since they'd met, at least all in one go, but once the floodgate's have been opened, it's hard to turn it off, the flickers of genuine fondness slipping free as he explains himself & his reasoning for drawing them out to the dark-haired SOLDIER.

"They can be a symbol of true undying love, respect. Of fidelity & faithfulness on top of strength. If you give them to someone, it means you truly love them, or a symbol of remembrance during partings that they're always kept in your thoughts." With a snort, a duck of his head as he finishes off the sketch, he pockets the items, moving to shift from where he stands, turning to better face the other. Rare, but a bit of cheekiness bleeds through, a show of silent thanks for taking his cherished interest seriously enough to not poke fun, to pay attention when he prattled off his odd facts on the small blue flowers.

"I know there's some different folk-lore tales on them, but . . . have to brush up on those more. Feels like a flower that you'd honestly be fond of. "

Maybe it didn't quite fit him . . . but it was close enough. Especially with their close knit tie to the theme of devotion, the sentimental value behind it mirroring Zack's own honest heart to an extent. Crossing his arms over his chest, he hums.

"I could be wrong though . . ."

Flowers for One Another [ ; ] Send in “Floral Reminders” to hear what kind of flower my muse associates with yours.                       ➤ @myristicisms

[holobethyname]

📝 haechan journal

🌿 Entry No. 1

There's just something about Haechan and his attitude towards his career that makes you want to root for him.

He debuted at 16. He wasn't as famous as the rest of the group then. He was the youngest. He's yet to establish his role in NCT. He even admitted recently that during the early days of NCT, he was just happy to be there.

He's extremely talented. Despite that, he went through comebacks where he has little to no lines in songs, and barely any exposure in their choreographies, especially in 127. He was a vital part of Dream, tho, so it was bearable.

Heachan being reassigned as a main vocalist in 127 and debuting in an NCT U vocal group with a YYJ ballad was just a thing waiting to happen. He's born to be a singer. His parents are both musically-inclined. He grew up with respected musical influences that shaped his identity. He's also a great dancer with technical training pre-debut, and he was the best rapper among his fellow trainees during their training period. It's just natural that with time, he'll get recognized for his talents.

That said, the time came earlier because Haechan, aside from being naturally gifted, is also a hardworker. This shows whenever he's in a recording studio, during dance practices, or when they're shooting their music videos.

According to their producers, Haechan is usually the Neo who finishes recording in the shortest span of time. That makes sense because he enters the studio having figured out what to do with his parts.

Haechan is very goofy and playful most of the time, but the shift in attitude whenever he enters the recording booth is undeniable. You'll really find him the most serious when he is recording.

He records his parts knowing what he already wants to do with them. It's actually rare to see him ask the producers what he's going to do with his parts. He'd rather ask for opinion about a change he wants to do to his part which I think speaks volumes about him as an artist.

This also reflects on his dream as a singer-songwriter. He's a very goal-oriented person who knows what he has to do to succeed. He's very proactive about a future solo career that I just wish SM would give him more oportunities to grow individually. So far, he only has one OST to his name. It's a good thing that he released 2 of the songs he made during The Link concerts, but I hope in the near future, they will be available on music platforms. The songs deserve to be heard by more people.

He's also very diligent about dancing. He's trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary, and sports dance. I bet it was hard to incorporate a more ballet/contemporary training in kpop compared to a more urban hiphop training but he made it work beautifully.

He is also one of the members who easily memorizes choreographies. Although he's in three active units, meaning he has more choreographies to remember, he doesn't slack off. He's one of the Neos that the mebers go to when recalling choreographies.

He's also seen in a lot of their music video shoots practicing the dance steps during his free time. With a schedule as grueling as his, he might not have the time to practice as much as the rest of the group is. His dedication to his craft is immense because you will never catch him slacking off despite this.

I'm aware that for some, recording seriously and practicing choreographies during your free time might be a bare minimum, but to me, it speaks about his work ethics and his whole perspective about his career.

He's relatively one of the most successful members of NCT at this point, just basing on the fact that from an average member, he's carved a place in the group that only he can fill. He's also built and grew a stable fandom even though he only had opportunities for solo promotions in 2022. He's one of the most popular now (and his selling power good lord). All these and he remains humble (that sometimes I just want him to be more vocal about his achievements cos I always get the urge to push him to the mic and give a speech whenever they win on music shows). He works just as hard, if not harder, as when he was a trainee.

He's such a great person to root for and look up to, and he's inspired me to work harder for myself in more ways than one. 🧡