#dunno the etiquette of those things

[cillyscribbles]

actually really funny how i only started having strong feelings about tecklenburg!tugger once i started making my tecklenburg!munkustrap cosplay. my friends had been hating for weeks with no problem and then one day the soul within me said bitch that's my BROTHER

[alivegirldetectiveagency]

The show gives us very little information about edwin’s life. i’m pretty sure all we know is (1) he read detective stories (2) is father would call crystal a bobtail (3) he was presumably bullied (i say presumably because the ritual could have been a first incident but i find that unlikely just cause. the severity of it)

i hope we learn a little more if we get a season 2 because i think edwins childhood would give interesting insight into him (this goes for all the characters actually) but i think we can make a lot of assumptions about what his life was like based off the time period

(disclaimer: i am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, so i apologize for any inaccuracies)(and for any typos)

this post got kinda long so the rest is under the cut

edwin lived from 1900-1916 which mostly encompasses the edwardian era (1901-1910). for the purposes of this post i will be talking as if it was all edwardian for simplicity and also because the last few years of the victorian era and the first few years after edward vii would have been very similar. i am also operating under the assumption the paynes were upper class because (1) vibes (2) edwin is very formal which would have been emphasized the most in the upper classes (3) he had the time and money to go to boarding school which still wasn’t very accessible (although education was growing in importance)

the importance of childhood was growing in the era and there was a lot more leisure time and entertainment. still, etiquette and manners were very important so there would have had the “seen and not heard” attitude towards children. in upper class families, child rearing would have been done by a nanny and not the mother. the father as head of the house would have been strict and interacted little with the children. so edwin probably saw very little of his parents while growing up even before boarding school. since edwin was a son his father might have taken him out for things like shooting/hunting but that would have been just him and his father (and brothers if he had any). also edwin does Not seem like he would have enjoyed that so i dunno if much bonding would have occurred during those outings. family time in general would be rather brief. He would have had more time spent with siblings his age since younger children would have spent most of their time in the nursery/with the nanny.

i’m going to brush past the school life part because i do not know much about it other than that he would have started at st Hilarions around 13. and that i’m pretty sure corporal punishment was used in boarding schools like it at the time? (not entirely sure on that front it depends on if the school is state sponsored) we can infer from the show that edwin did not have a Great time at school but i don’t know what the specifics would have been like

etiquette was very very important. i don’t think the edwardian era was quite as strict as the victorian era but there was still a LOT of social expectations. including the perfect posture george rexstrew does as edwin. etiquette would also include addressing everyone properly and limited affection. you also wouldn’t really touch anyone! not to get their attention or shake hands in greeting or clapping someone on the back. Self control was everything even in times of excitement or distress. Social classes were very strict although the industrial revolution created the neavue riche so social mobility was not impossible. new rich families often tried to adapt the traditions of the (aristocratic) upper class but integration was slooow. (Middle class families would adopt trends from the upper classes too). while formality was important, language in general was simplifying partially due to mass newspapers. if you’ve ever read Oliver Twist or another Dickens story, the language is very verbose and hard to follow which is par the course for victorian literature but less so for edwardian literature.

speaking of literature and entertainment we know edwin liked detective stories. he reads a max carrados story (which started in 1914) to charles and in edwin’s death flashback you see him with a detective penny/dime novel (in the scene you can read “The Aldine Tip Top Tales, High Hat Harry” and google tells me the rest of the title is “The Base Ball Detective”). Edwin probably also read Sherlock Holmes which was still popular. Growing up he might have Peter Pan/Peter and Wendy (the title changed after its initial publishing in 1904) and The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902). And more short stories and dime novels (like the Aldine company ones) since they were getting very popular at the time. Entertainments like the Winter Gardens and Pleasure Beach in Blackpool were also growing popularity. but generally outdoor upper class entertainment would have been tennis, hunting, or racing. (fun fact the 1908 summer olympics was in london so edwin might have watched it as a child!) there also would have been a lot of dinner parties but those would have been for the parents to maintain or increase social status and not necessarily include the children.

overall edwin’s childhood probably included a lot of extravagant entertainment. He would not have spent much time with his parent so unless edwin had siblings his early childhood would have probably been lonely. canon does not suggest he really made friends while in school either.

Canon and fanon has touched on how edwin’s social skills took a hit from being in hell for 70 years (which is definitely true). But on top of just escaping hell, edwin is using knowledge/skills from a vastly different social era when he first meets charles. it must have been really jarring the first few years of being friends because charles’s ideas/experiences with friendship were WILDLY different than edwin’s

[desolatecure]

Eddie shows up unannounced at Steve’s house, not expecting to find a little boy stood in his place. Figuratively.

Age regressor Steve, pure fluff ´ˎ˗

—kink regressors dni

(this is a repost off my twitter page so the format is wacky)

For Steve, it was just one of /those/ days. He didn’t know what they were and it seemingly happened at random, like he couldn’t control it.

Sometimes certain things trigger him, though. Like the time he opened a music box and a lullaby sang softly out of it, sending him into a strange headspace where he felt 10x younger than he really is.

Vulnerable in a thrift shop with only Robin to confide in.

Today, however, he had made himself comfortable on the couch after flipping the tv on and finding that the channel selected had been the kids channel, and as it flickered to life he heard the theme of scooby-doo ring out.

He was too comfortable to change it, finding himself immersed in the show, giggling along to it and curling up more on the couch as he chewed on the edge of his blanket.

When the doorbell rang, Steve jumped and the blanket slipped from his mouth as he sat up.

“Stevie! You home? I can see your car, man.” Eddie’s voice made Steve gasp and shoot up off the couch, racing to the foyer.

“Eddie!” Steve swung the door open, blanket wrapped around his shoulders, nearly slipping on the shiny floors with his socked feet.

“Oh- hey, sorry. Didn’t call before I came, I know. Dreadful etiquette.” Eddie chuckles, stepping into the house as Steve shuts the door behind him.

“You up for a smoke? Brought a six-pack too.” Eddie holds up the case of beer and grins.

The grin falters when he looks back at Steve’s face, eyes wide like he has no idea what Eddie’s talking about. “Whuh- huh?” Eddie frowns as he walks into the kitchen, Steve following in tow.

“You alright, sweetheart?”

Steve nods and giggles in response. “Like when you say that.” Eddie’s eyes widen, then he furrows his brows, leaning against the counter.

“How old are you feeling, Stevie?” Steve just sits at the kitchen bench and sways his feet, thinking about it.

“Dunno… maybe..” Steve bites his lip and his face scrunches up as he counts on his fingers, holding up 4 of them, then 3, then back to 4. “Dunno, sorry.”

Eddie nods, face twisted in thought. “It’s alright, that’s good. Thank you for telling me, baby.”

Steve’s face lights up and Eddie smiles, ruffling his hair. Steve squeaks, batting his hands away with a pout. “Don’t touch my hair!”

Eddie snorts, holding his hands up in surrender. “I see you’re still a little Princess about your hair. Alright, have you eaten?”

Steve thinks for a second, glancing behind him towards the loungeroom. “Uhm.. yeah.” Eddie raises an eyebrow, taking one step towards the room before Steve’s giggling and standing up, pushing Eddie back and further away from the loungeroom.

“No, Eddie! Don’t look! Not for you!” Eddie can’t help but grin at the happy, carefree look on Steve’s face and he laughs with him.

“What are you hiding in there, huh?” Eddie pushes past Steve and jogs over to the loungeroom and gasps dramatically.

“Steven!”

“You’re hoarding chocolate bars, so naughty!” Eddie laughs breathily, as he walks up to the coffee table, taking in Steves little setup.

There are 2 wrappers littering the table, 3 unopened and one opened bar laying lonely on the couch where it looks like Steve was sitting.

“Is this all you’ve eaten, bub?” At Steve’s silence, Eddie turns around and his heart aches at the sight.

Steve standing nervously in the threshold, eyes bubbling with tears as he chews his thumb, seeking out some kind of comfort.

“Woah- hey, Stevie- What happened?”

Steve’s breath shudders and his lip wobbles, everything about the sight makes Eddie’s heart break in two.

“Didn’t mean to- I swear-” Eddie frowns, rushing over to Steve, gently wiping the tears from his cheeks.

“Baby! Sweetie, it’s okay. You’re okay, don’t even worry about it.”

“Jus’ don’ know how to cook very well..” Steve sniffles, rubbing his eyes with his fists and Eddie gently scolds him for it, pulling his hands away. “Please don’ call me that, though. Hate it.”

“Oh, baby,” Eddie sighs, “Which one?”

“ ‘Teven… Only get called that when m’naughty.”

Eddie pets Steve’s hair, leaning to place a kiss on the top of his head. “I’m sorry, honey. Thank you for telling me though, look how good you are!”

Steve giggles a little, pushing Eddie’s hand away from his head.

“Say… Let’s get your tummy full before you go back and watch… scooby-doo?”

“Scooby-doo!” Steve perks up and tries running back into the loungeroom, eager and excited.

Eddie catches him and wraps his arms around Steve’s waist before he can escape, laughing and dragging him back.

“Nuh-uh. Come on, silly boy. If you behave we’ll order pizza.” Steve gasps and squeezes out of Eddie’s hold, rushing into the kitchen.

He rummages through the pamphlets of all the restursnts and waves the pizzeria’s number in Eddie’s face.

“Please! Jus’ cheese?” Steve smiles at Eddie and he can’t even think about saying no to him.

“Of course little man. You wanna sit sit on the counter and listen?”

Steve grins excitedly and turns, trying to hop up on the counter but Eddie reaches and grabs his waist, guiding him up. “There you go, good. Sit still.”

Eddie calls up the pizza place, smiling and silently giggling at Steve who’s making silly faces at him. He cups Steve’s cheek as he’s speaking into the phone and strokes it with his thumb.

When Steve starts babbling randomly, swinging his feet and giggling at random things Eddie has to hold back an amused laugh, instead he covers the speaker, bringing his finger to his lips.

“Shhh, baby. Just for a minute.” He whispers.

“Okay!” Steve whispers back, very loudly, but he’s got the spirit and that’s what counts.

When the phone call ends, Eddie pats Steve’s thigh and helps him off the counter.

“Let’s go cuddle up on the couch and wait until the pizza gets here, yeah baby?” Eddie takes Steve’s hand and Steve brings Eddie’s finger to his mouth, biting lightly. “Gonna have to get you a chew toy, huh?”

“A what-wha?”

Eddie snorts, quickly filling a water bottle and guiding Steve back over to the loungeroom.

“Sit down there. What do you wanna watch, bub?” He sorts through the accumulation of tapes under the tv cabinet, holding them up so Steve can see.

“Hm… yogi bear?” Steve frowns, and looks at Eddie for confirmation.

Eddie just grins and shoved the tape in the player and sits on the couch. “Good choice, you’re so perfect. My perfect boy.”

Steve smiles contentedly and leans into Eddie, wrapping an arm around his middle, head resting on his shoulder. “Like you s’much, Eds.”

“You’re so cute.” Eddie sighs, pushing Steve’s hair back off his forehead, placing a kiss there.

“I like you too.”

[splitster]

answering more POM WRAITH au/Pingo asks!!

featuring: biology questions, creatures, dingo (unfortunately), and more!! check it out ↓↓

she does need sleep! she doesn't need to sleep as often as people, but she's a little wraith and she needs to snooze every like... i dunno. three days? sure, let's go with that.

although in the first few days of her being on PNF404, i could see her getting bored one night and poking around her crewmate's rooms to see what they're doing (spoilers: they're all just sleeping). in the morning after, dingo talks about a very bizarre dream he had with a specter watching him sleep! everyone dismisses it as the ranger having some weird sleep paralysis, but pom's sweating at the table thinking about how she should be way more careful if she does that again.

this ask did inspire me though, i'll probably make more art explaining how she works sometime later hehe...

that'd be scary... although, if there's anyone incentivized to wraithify olimar, it'd probably be the plasm wraith! that golden goo is really fond of him, and they'd love to make olimar just like them

WAHH THANK YOU!!! if they ever dated and got married they'd be able to save on a dress! hehe

she might look kinda scary but she's a sweetheart!! pom would genuinely struggle to make herself hurt humans. if there's a beast threatening her crew though -- that thing is mince meat!!

WAAAHHH THANK YOU!! it's definitely a challenge to make it fit with the other wraiths but still be unique... it was fun to design though!!

IM SORRY i didn't get to your ask before i actually posted the full wraith design... there she is though!! HILAHERHLIAEERH

yes!! he's the first one to discover her secret. it'd probably happen on accident out on the field pretty early on when pom is forced to defend herself with no pikmin, but it's no difference to Oatchi -- pom is pom! he'd bark and give her helmet a lick, and when pom realizes her rescue pup isn't scared of her it's quite the relief...

i have art of oatchi and wraith pom i'll be posting later!!

WAHHH... this is cute i like this hehe!! dingo sees those striking X eyes and still falls in love!! GRRRR i must draw more pingo now...

AUGH.... OK!! more pingo on the way then boss 🫡 (i do appreciate it though lmao)

she doesn't need to eat human food, but she does need to consume living creatures for biomass! human food is definitely delicious and she very much enjoys things like chocolate or hot coco, but to sustain her form and keep up energy she has to go for creatures

i'll probably make art for this later to explain better, but it is kinda like an amoeba -- after killing something, she can cover it and dissolve it with her goo. easy peasy!

Louie: You're a wraith? I thought you were just weird like me Pom: ... Louie: ... Can you go get creatures for me

pom is trying her best to understand human social cues and etiquette but it's a struggle sometimes!

i took psychic damage from this ask thank you for penis ringo💖

YES!!!!!!!!! there are so, so many ways that could happen and each one is hilarious... i've written out a few different scenarios, i should pick one to draw out... it'd be funny if dingo learns her secret but decides to trust her and keep it safe. but he's, you know. dingo. he's not good at lying, especially to his crewmates (and especially to his actual childhood friend of a doctor who was already very suspicious of the new blood!)

of COURSE i'm very abnormal about those two.... actually if y'all have scenarios you wanna see with those two, send more asks and i'll probably end up drawing them lol

that's actually a really good question! i haven't thought too much about how her full wraith would visually change, but if she ate enough and got stronger i imagine she'd finally be as big as the other two. she'd probably gain more wraithy abilities and attacks! trying to take down a powered up full wraith pom would be a very difficult fight, even for those with the best dandori skills and a full squad of pikmin

Pom: I can't let anyone find out my secret... Shepherd: I can't let anyone find out my secret... Collin: I can't let anyone find out my secret... Dingo: I can't let anyone find out my secret... Yonny: this is gonna be fun Bernard: (doesn't care if people find out) Russ: (doesn't care if people find out) Oatchi: bark

[genderlessghoul]

Episode 19482938 of me having Feelings™ and making Phantom pay for it. I do be projecting on that ghoul way to much.

Anyways this one is called "Phantom is a dumbass that doesn't want to use proper binder etiquette and Dew had to scold him for it. There's trans angst in it."

~1.2k

“When's the last time you took your binder off?”

Phantom flinches at the question, tries not to look like he's about to be caught in a lie. He doesn't take his eyes off the tv screen, this is a very serious game of Mario Kart. Dew is unimpressed by his attempt at ignoring the question and walks up to him, hits the button on the controller he knows will pause the game.

“Look me in the eyes, Phantom.”

His tone is commanding, there's no escape possible. The quintessence ghoul sets the controller by his side on the couch and looks up at the fire ghoul. 

“When’s the last time you took your binder off?”

He repeats, annoyance evident in his tone.

“Last night. I don't sleep in it, like you told me to.”

Phantom knows that's not entirely what he meant but he'll be damned (well… more than he already is) if he doesn't try to deflect.

“You know full well that's not what I meant. When's the last time you took a day off from it? And don't even think about lying, I'm the one who does your laundry.”

Phantom shifts in his seat, already done with the conversation. He's not fond of Dew babying him like this all the time.

“Why do you ask, if you already know?”

“Becauuuuse” the fire ghoul starts, crossing his arms over his chest “I want you to be the one to tell me what you're doing to your body. You might not like it but it's the only one you got.”

The younger ghoul slumps back against the couch and rolls his eyes. “I dunno, a week maybe?”

“Try two weeks.”

“Can't have been that long…”

“It has.” Dew's tone gets more firm as he steps fully in front of the other ghoul. Satanas, they can be stupid when they're so fresh. “You need to take days off from it, you can't just wear it for weeks like that.”

“Why not? I'm not sleeping in it, like you said. I'm not wearing it for longer than eight hours, like you said. I'm not doing physical labor in it, like you said. Feels like everything should be fine!”

“Are you trying to fuck up your ribs forever? Because it feels like you're trying to fuck up your ribs forever.”

“I'm trying not to want to jump off the abbey's roof. I thought you understood that well enough.”

Dew takes a deep breath and leans forward to rest his hands on Phantom's shoulder. His eyes focus on the quintessence ghoul's, who refuses to meet his gaze. He tries to soften his voice before he speaks again.

“I do understand, baby boy. But I can't let you be reckless with your own health like that. You gotta take it off now.”

Phantom lets out a sigh before bringing his eyes up to Dew. “I don't like the way it feels when I don't have it on. Especially now, it just… it's just been worse recently.”

“I know, baby. I know. Come, let me show you a thing or two that might help.”

He takes Phantom's hand in his own and gently coaxes him up, pulling him to the fire ghoul's room. He orders him to sit on the bed and take off his shirt and binder while Dew rummages through the drawers in his dresser for something. The quintessence ghoul is slow to obey but he eventually does, taking his t-shirt to hide himself once his top half is bare. 

Dewdrop makes a triumphant noise when he finally finds what he's looking for and turns back to the younger ghoul sitting uncomfortably on the edge of his bed. He raises an eyebrow at him.

“You do know I've seen you naked before, right? Like… multiple times.”

“Like I said… it's been worse.”

Dew's eyes soften on him, he remembers all too well what it was like to get those periods where even acknowledging the two mounds (more like knobs, really, in his own case) of flesh on his chest was too much to bear. “It's okay. You know we're working hard to get a date scheduled. In the meantime, you have to make sure you take care of your stupid lungs.”

He walks back to the bed, piece of fabric in hand and presents it to Phantom. “It's a sports bra. It doesn't do the same job as a binder at all but it'll help on days where you can't wear it. Rain wears one almost all the time now, just 'cuz it's more comfortable.”

Phantom takes it from Dewdrop and takes a moment to examine the piece. It's black and stretchy, but a firm stretch. The straps are thinner than he's used to, he thinks it might become a sensory issue but he wills himself to pull it over his head.

Dew's right, it doesn't do the same job as a binder, but it does help make his chest appear smaller. And it's a lot more comfortable. He tries taking a deep breath and finds no resistance or discomfort at all. He thinks he might get used to it. Dewdrop throws a loose shirt his way.

“Try it with this.”

Phantom obeys and walks over to the mirror mounted on the wall. The swell of his breasts is still noticeable but it's barely there. Enough to last a couple days, he thinks. Enough to give himself a break.

“If you really need to” Dew steps closer to him and settles in his back, watching both their reflection “we can try tape again too. I know it didn't exactly go smoothly last time but it'd be better if you let me help, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Phantom almost chokes on the word. 

Binder, sports bra, loose clothes, tape, so many things with so many rules just to make others see him the way he wants to be seen, just to make him feel better about his own body. His own body. He's seen the way his packmates drip with confidence, the love they have for the way they look. He knows some of them worked harder than others for it but they all have it. All he has is disgust and shame, no amount of hiding will change that. Why was he not summoned properly? Why is his body nothing but wrong?

He gets pulled back to reality by a warm hand turning him around and finding itself resting on his cheek. A thumb wipes away a tear he didn't realize had fallen from his eye.

“Hey, I know how it feels right now. More than most, trust me. I can see right through that look in your eyes, I used to wear the same. I still do sometimes. We do what we can with what we have but sometimes it feels like it's never good enough, like we will never be good enough for us. We are. Never let anyone tell you otherwise, even yourself. You deserve to love yourself, Ant.”

Phantom takes a deep shaky breath to steady himself and nods. “I know. Sometimes theory is just harder than practice.”

Dew smiles at him “We'll work on it then. Now… I believe you had a game of Mario Kart to finish?”

[templeofvengeance]

☽ Welcome to the Temple of Vengeance! Greatest of the Great Gods, Khonshu, presiding. ☾

☽ Inbox: Open ☾

[Indie RP/Ask blog for Khonshu from the MCU's Moon Knight. Set after the show ends by default, but also open to other verses. Open for questions or threads! More info on the blog, or under the cut for mobile users.]

Updated: 11/03/24

Laws of the Temple

☽ BASICS ☾

- MUN STUFF: My name's Kew! She/they, well over 21. No triggers. I don't have DID, any attempt to portray it is based on the show/comics. I only speak English fluently and any other language will be google translate. Please forgive any mistakes!

- MINORS BE WARNED: I'm not going to be super strict about weeding out minors since I don't expect things to get NSFW around here, but the show Khonshu is from does explore some darker themes for a TV-14 show. I dunno. You've been warned.

- GENERAL RP ETIQUETTE APPLIES: Don't make actions for my character without asking, don't assume past relationships/deep history without asking, don't read my character's mind (unless your character is a telepath, and even then I don't know if that works on gods), etc. - GENERAL CONTENT WARNING FOR: Descriptions of violence, religious stuff, swearing, emotional manipulation, a.bleism (especially surrounding mental health stuff.) I’ll try to tag other things as they come up. - FEEL FREE TO REBLOG MEMES FROM ME. It actually helps me remember to send stuff out. You can also reblog art/headcanons, pretty much anything except RP threads if you're not the other party!

- NOT PRIVATE, BUT SELECTIVE: I sometimes don't follow big multimuses back since I have pretty strict tastes in fandoms, and I don't want to clog my dash with characters I don't know. That doesn't mean I don't want to roleplay with you though! As for selectivity, I reserve the right to say no if things just don't click writing-wise.

- SPOILERS FOR MOON KNIGHT EVERYWHERE. There will be untagged spoilers for both the comics and especially the show. I highly recommend watching the Moon Knight TV show if you haven’t seen it! It got me into comic books and made me interested in the MCU. - That said, I haven’t seen all of the content in the MCU, not even a third of it, so I’m sorry if I get any lore details wrong.

- KHONSHU IS AN ASSHOLE. Nothing he says reflects my real views about anything. If he’s mean to you, it doesn’t mean I don’t like you or you’ve done something wrong.

- FOR OTHER MARC/STEVEN/JAKE MUSES: By default, I'll play Khonshu like he's connected to your Marc/Steven/Jake. If you want it to be dimension-hopping shenanigans (which I'm super down to do, especially for ones more heavily based on the comics) you'll have to let me know! All these interactions will be on different verses, and I don't plan to have Khonshu be 'mains' with any muses.

- FIGHTS: With extremely rare exceptions, I'm just gonna say no to fight threads with Khonshu. Partly because he's incorporeal and really can't be hurt or hurt anyone else directly. Mostly because fighting other muses has always stressed me out. If it's something you really want to do, we can talk about it. (This doesn't mean your character can't attack Khonshu ever, it just means it probably won't work.)

☽ MUSE INFO ☾

NAME: Khonshu OTHER NAMES: Chons, Bloody pigeon, Silly old bird (He accepts none of those) PRONOUNS: He/him HEIGHT: Varies, usually around 8-10 feet tall. WEIGHT: N/A (Incorporeal, like a ghost) AGE: Has existed since the dawn of time, so who knows.

- KHONSHU is the Egyptian god of the moon, vengeance, healing and time, among other smaller things. While he is enormously powerful in theory, he’s mostly unable to affect the physical world without use of a mortal AVATAR, dubbed his MOON KNIGHT. Those who agree to be his Avatar are granted superpowers and near-invulnerability, in exchange for agreeing to carry out his mission: Bringing vengeance against those who harm his travelers of the night.

- Khonshu is also somehow a billions-year-old grumpy baby who flips over trash cans when he doesn’t get his way.

- By default, Khonshu's current Avatar is JAKE LOCKLEY, and only Jake Lockley. But, he can also be played before the events of the show, when he (technically) has the triple threat of Jake Lockley, MARC SPECTOR, and STEVEN GRANT.

- Jake will make occasional cameos on this blog, but I wouldn't call this a dual muse. (You can request him in asks if you want.)

- Normally, only his Avatar (or Avatars of other gods) are capable of seeing/hearing Khonshu, but let’s say this blog is a holy space where he can answer your prayers questions. (In threads, we can always BS a reason your character can see Khonshu.)

- This Khonshu is HEAVILY BASED ON THE TV SHOW, which means he lacks a lot of the harsher history his comic book counterpart has. That said, as a god, he is aware of the multiverse and has at least a rough idea of what his counterparts are up to. You can ask about comic stuff, he just might have a different opinion.

- Some comic lore has been added/built upon, namely his fraught history with his father, AMON-RA. (This probably won’t come up much, but it does inform a lot of how I play the character.)

[diagonal-queen]

Maybe Kouyou teaching gn!reader manners in her unique way? 😌

Sakura Kisses

♡ pairing: Kouyou Ozaki x gn!Reader

♡ synopsis: Your girlfriend Kouyou teaches you Port Mafia etiquette after you become a new member under her supervision.

♡ wc: 1.1k

♡ cw: Mentions of mafia business including murder, basically just one long conversation between you and Kouyou, reader is a bit of a silly (self-insert much?? I am so silly)

note: I took a couple creative liberties with this one, so...hopefully it's alright lol. This is one of my OLDEST reqs and I'm only now finishing it, I'm so sorry nonnie I love you so much babe and I fucking love Kouyou too man, she's not my favourite girl (LUCY DEFENDER TILL I DIE) but she's amazing nonetheless. When she appeared in Stormbringer I think I screamed. Anyways, apologies for errors and I hope you enjoy x

"Are you gonna teach me how to differentiate between all those salad forks that princesses use?" You sighed. "I don't wanna do all that. I wanna use ONE fork when I eat."

You really didn't know what to expect when Kouyou had suggested sitting down and giving you an informal lecture on 'mafia etiquette'. As far as you were concerned, those sorts of words were reserved for high-class individuals, and people from before the 20th century. You'd expected your induction into the mafia to involve a lot more active bloodshed; full of action, and littered with corpses of faceless enemies- something like what Chuuya Nakahara had experienced when he first joined, or so you'd heard.

Apparently not. Not when your girlfriend is an executive, anyway.

"No, nothing like that," Kouyou chuckled. "Mafia and monarchy aren't synonyms."

"Well, they're pretty damn fancy though, right? I can only guess by you, at least..."

"You'd be surprised," she replied. "I'm perhaps one of the most...'fancy' individuals in the organisation."

"Is that right?" You raised your eyebrows, curiously. "I dunno...I just assumed organised crime would be organised, like how it is in those old gangster movies."

"Of course, those films aren't based in reality. The Mafia is much more brutal than any screen could display, though I understand you're already aware of it." Kouyou locked eyes with you, her gaze firm. "Yes?"

"...I mean, sure..." you answered, before adjusting in your seat. "Right then. What's the first thing I should know? Like, gimmie the basics."

Kouyou cleared her throat. "There is a rule of transaction here in the Port Mafia. You don't want to be indebted to anyone else here."

"But I'm indebted to you, Kou!" You said. Kouyou chuckled.

"Not me, dear. Nobody else, though. I'm sure if I talk to him I can grant you some mild immunity with Chuuya." She explained. You inhaled, never having met the executive before but having heard stories. He certainly sounded like someone you would want immunity from.

"You and him are close, right?" You asked her.

"Indeed. I did help oversee him when he first joined the mafia, as I'm doing for you now."

"How long ago was that?"

"Seven years ago," Kouyou answered quietly, seemingly remembering the time fondly. "He was rather plucky at that age. He found his rhythm here rather easily, nonetheless."

"Good for him. Bet he was better at it than I am, eh?" You chuckled. Kouyou tilted her head, before bowing her head.

"Don't fret about it, dear. You'll feel more comfortable here in no time, though...you can't be too comfortable. This is the Mafia, after all." She shifted in her seat to better face you. "Now, I'm going to ask you some questions which you'll need to know the answers to in order to...survive here."

"...'survive'?" You slowly repeat the word, as if foreign to your tongue.

"Many lower ranking members, such as assassins and those who run errands for the higher-ups, are rather disposable. Many in my position would have no problem killing you if you were to upset them at all," She explained, her voice calm as if this were completely normal. You hadn't been a part of Kouyou's world for an extremely long time, but you decided to start expecting a lot more death very soon. You knew she was desensitised to it and you were fine with that, but...

"God, that's frightening. I thought you said you could get me some kind of immunity, though."

"I said I'll see what I can do with Chuuya. In all honesty, I believe you two have the capacity to be good friends, so long as you don't anger him."

"Well then, bring on the questions, I guess..." you muttered in reply, before perking up after what you felt to be a brilliant idea popped into your head. "Will you kiss me when I get a question right?"

Kouyou blinked in surprise. "Why, that's..." she partially covered her now-red face with her sleeve. You gave her a smile.

"Please? How else will I motivate myself to do well?" You begged, giving her a slight mock-pout. "Come on, you wanna kiss me, Kouyou. You wanna kiss me sooooo bad, I can tell."

"Fine, fine," she nodded quickly, waving her arm slightly. "I agree to these terms. Are you satisfied?"

"Sure am!" You grinned. "So, go on!"

"Alright..." Kouyou straightened her posture and softly cleared her throat. "If I were to approach you and ask your name, what do you tell me?"

"...my name?" You answered, confused. "You know my name."

"Regardless, you would tell me anyway. When an executive asks a question, they are demanding an answer."

"Right, okay..." You nodded, "Then, my name is Y/F/N."

"If you're asked who you work for, what do you tell them?" She asked. You pursed your lips for a moment.

"...uh, you? Miss Ozaki Kouyou?"

Kouyou shook her head. "You work for the organisation."

"The Port Mafia?"

"Yes. That's your reply. In this line of work you don't answer just to me, you also answer to Ougai."

"Who?"

"The boss of the Port Mafia," she clarified, "the kingpin of the organisation. You must have already seen Mr. Mori with Elise, yes?"

You frowned, confused. "...Elise?"

"The young blonde girl who accompanies him."

"Oh, yeah, her! She's adorable," you said, with a smile. "She's his daughter, right? I mean, I just assumed, but I didn't know if it'd be rude to bring it up at all. They don't look alike, so maybe...adoption? I don't know."

"...no, that's not quite it..." she began, tentatively. "You shouldn't ask about her, though. Don't bring it up in front of them, or anybody for that fact. Perish the thought, now. Simply do not ever think about it."

"...I don't..." you began with a shake of your head, utterly confused. "Okay...sure. Is that another rule?"

"Consider it most crucial," she answered, stone faced. Despite having such a graceful face painted with fine, expensive makeup, her expression was no less unnerving. You could only blink at her.

"...alright. Anything else?"

"'Anything else?'" Kouyou repeated, before releasing an airy giggle. "Certainly- we may be here for some time, my dear."

"Oh, I'll be getting a lot of kisses then," you grinned, and she laughed once more. "Am I right?"

"...you are, yes. In which case..." Kouyou slowly leaned over and brushed her soft red lips against your own. When she drew back, she gave you a small smile. "Well done, my darling."

taglist~ ♡ @gettinshiggywithit, @fyodorhatr, @flower-of-darkness, @bejeweledgirl, @kokoenjiandco, @pinkiipeachiikeen

[fishymom-art]

Fishy, I know you mean well with forwarding those asks that ask about donations for Gaza, but if you can, please check the blogs of the non anonymous ones first and have a conversation with those blogs.

(You also don't have to forward this one here as well btw).

Before I start though: I myself am not expert about this topic, though I did look it up and did a bit of research about this.

And this is what I found out (and ended up explaining to myself with my own reasoning of how and why).

There are etiquettes and practices to a successful donation campaign that if ignored or neglected that really can harm the campaign itself since it does affect how it is in turn perceived by potential donors. At worst unthoughtful organisation and forwarding of donation campaigns can even inadvertedly make the actual cause and need for those seem like trivial or guilt trippy scams.

To these practices and etiquettes, following for example are a part of it:

1st: A campaing plan that focuses on more than just collecting enough aide money or food and water and getting it there. You don't just want people to get the temporary aide and forget about it then, you also want to have the awareness still be there afterwards and also by extension a plan an attempt to bring a more longer lasting solution to an ongoing problem instead of just a temporary one.

2nd: Transparency about what the donation money is gonna get used for and how much of it for what. I'm not sure about you, but I would at the very least be very suspicious, if someone I don't know asked me for money and then refused to tell me for what it is.

3rd: A specific tangible donation amount. Be it a one time or monthly one dollar or euro or just a one time 20 of either of those... this makes the cause or what can be added more tangible to potential donors instead of a vague something that one might not even be able to afford giving for all one knows.

There are some more in following link here that I could include in this ask here now, but I think I can't really rehash or rehearse it well enough in my own words without sounding like I'm giving an unsolicited lecture about this topic here:

https://www.qgiv.com/blog/asking-for-donations/#steps

reason for my ask here: I am way too familiar with good intentions not automatically translating into good actions or consequences there. And also because the last ask I saw on your blog did feel a lot like very common scam tactics and rhetoric has been used in there (also something worth looking up if you want to)

and lastly: yeah, I'm anonymous with this ask here because I am kind of too much of a coward and because way too self aware that these are some half baked thoughts of mine and because I haven't spent hours researching that topic before writing this ask here (I hope you can forgive me on that)

All in all: it is on the person asking for donations to follow the good practices and etiquettes behind one to make it work out and not on you to compensate for that. If anything the only thing (in my opinion at least) that is on you is to be picky enough to make sure that legit and well planed donation campaigns get visibility and promotion over poorly planned out ones or even scams.

the thing about the last one is that i don't want to spread scams. I don't like the "i'd rather share everything even if some of them are scams" thing, because it still harms the people who need real help. I do look up if the messages i get are real or not and I am picky because I don't want to spread scams. Maybe some stuff that I shared was not real, I dunno, but I'm trying to make sure those are one hundred percent real and I follow different guides on how to recognise if it's a scam or not. The only icky thing about the last one was that that person sent me the same ask like 7 times. I still shared it because I didn't find any copies of that message from different accounts and the blog + the campaign looked legitimate enough + i just couldn't bring myself to deleting an ask like that.

I'll try to be more careful with all the messages.

I gotta say. It's so fucking sad that we have to actually check if the person asking for help in a life or death situation is a scammer or not. Especially considering that we're talking about people who are literally dying everyday. Some people are fucking monsters.

[iapetusneume]

a not-fandom-specific post about locking fics on Ao3

I am titling this as I am because

these issues are much larger than any one fandom

I'm hoping to hear from some of my friends who are actively writing fic

this is, in no way, connected to any recent posts by Ao3. These are musings from a random fan.

So, the AI issue of scrapping people's work to teach itself has been ongoing. It's been recommended to lock all of one's fic to be viewable by registered users only, to help with this. There have been interesting posts about different angles, about fandom etiquette and the like. I don't have really any of them easily-accessible at the moment.

In one of the last waves, I decided to lock absolutely everything.

And I... I feel like every other day I am questioning my decision. Because on one hand, I abhor the idea that someone is stealing my work to train an AI. Generative AI is a terrible thing that I don't want any part of.

At the same time... I miss those extra kudos.

I'm feeling very exhausted about the state of things. I wish I didn't feel like I was fighting a fight of wanting/needing acknowledgement, and the possibility of my work being stolen to aid generative AI. I feel like, if I were to go back on this, that it might be admitting defeat.

And it's just such a terrible place to be in. Fandom is supposed to be the fun place.

I don't have a lot of directions I was going to go with this. I'm just really frustrated. I'm not sure if I should unlock my fics or not.

I... yeah. I dunno.

[crookedkryptonitebeliever]

I’m sorry but I’m just a really huge Yves stan. Like listen, Yves would freak me out so bad that I would probably be sweating profusely every time he is within a 6 feet radius, but like as someone who went through parentification and was essentially a glass child with unmet needs when I was younger , the motherly vibes that Yves exudes,,, I’m sorry but I would be hooked, addicted even. Hell I might become the yandere too who knows LMAO.

Like Monty would be cool because I wouldn’t be as intimidated by him, well aside from his sheer size but he’s just a bit sleezy to me I dunno but Yves has this sort of lithe, vampiric, serpent like essence to him that would make me nervous but excited. Hell having someone pour into me in THAT fashion would have me excited.

Also and like correct me if I’m wrong (this is my interpretation) but I feel like Monty is the type of guy that would’ve folded for any person that gave him attention during that time. Like reader was just caught up at the right (wrong) time and now has him following them everywhere, when this literally could’ve been someone else (I think this was already addressed in the story, either this one or the first Monty story I can’t remember) but like YVES, I feel like he has a specific reason why he chose the reader, we would never know but there’s probably something really unique about his darling that makes him so enamored, maybe it a combination of things, who knows. But I feel like his love is more unique and special, to me.

I dunno man I just want someone to check up on me like Yves, I’m down bad.

tw: implication of suicide

YES I BE FUKIN DOWN BAD 4 YVES TOO CAUS HE IS SO MOTHERLY

okay so like the reason why Yves is so into you has been a hot topic on this account, originally i planned to be like some sort of reincarnation shit but that wouldn't hold much water and it would be a little too creepy to imply that he was watching even before ur birth, kinda like preordering a partner and that's already grooming

so i left it vague and up for interpretation and just said he's the allegory of a perfect parent (one link within the link) like i promise i do not condone grooming n incest shit but like, something about having someone knows you deeply and wholly like a fucking parent is really hot, not hot in the "i want to fuck my mom and dad" kinda way, but more like "OH GOD PLEASE I FUCKING WISH YVES IS REAL I WANT TO BE TAKEN CARE OF SO BAD AND I WANT SOMEONE TO SEE IM SUFFERING AND TAKWE IT AWAY FROM MEEEEE PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE PLEAASSSEEEEEEE"

these themes literally show up in almost all my works esp Yandere older brother, Yandere best friend and heavily in my Language Barrier series

Whereas for monty, that was my attempt of like trying something new, stuff that I' don't necessarily fancy but it's a nice change of pace, the exact opposite of Yves; the stereotype of the man of the house: dirty, manchild (cant cook), fixes shit his own, doesn't even own a house to handle its affairs, uses dishsoap to wash himself, sex fiend, financially irresponsible, inattentive but trying his best beer is my best friend

Whereas Yves is a stereotype of the woman, cooks, clean, has a 20 step skincare routine, takes care of his looks, hygiene, dress up well, proper etiquette, makeup, handles the finance, saving himself after marriage, more research than the FBI, loves fashion, fitness, live laugh love

and like i get it im not surprised , there will be those who prefer monty over Yves and Yves over monty. just like there's this anon who said something along the lines of Monty are for those who want to fix him, while Yves is for those who wants to BE fixed.

i did have a lot of anons disliking both sides of the yin n yang which was expected n shit

and yes ur right, Monty would have fallen for anyone who saved him not necessarily you, you just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time- but his saving grace is that once he latched on , he's never letting go there is no one that could replace you. Mans is going to off himself if you're gone

in conclusion, im also downbad for yves

sauryy montyy

[buggyboba]

Hi! I just wanted to tell you that your writing is amazing! Absolutelty no idea why there are so little likes and reposts. But please keep going! I'm a huge fan ❤

Especially I'm looking forward to your kinktober series with 10/14 Doctor and particulary this thing:

✦ October 27th | Honeymoon

● The Fourteenth Doctor x Reader

↳ ○ more domestic bliss, He takes you to a beautiful resort planet, and the night is perfect.

And more 10/14 Doctor in general! I'll be waiting for anything with him, you're just amazing!

Hi! Hello! Oh my god thank you so much <3! I dunno why the engagement isn't as large as I thought it would be. Some of the ones I wrote I was like "This is going to feed the girlies, gonna do those bigboy numbers," and they sure did not. Don’t get me wrong I am ecstatic any time anyone likes or reblogs anything of mine, because to me they liked it so much they wanted to share it with their friends, and that makes me so happy. I know everyone says write for yourself, and I do for the most part, but I also like seeing that other people like it too, I want to yap and scream and yell about what's happening, what people liked, what they want more of.  I do have a few theories on why, the main one is I am just a relatively new writer in the fandom scene (Like I think I released the first chapter of Surrender Your Mind in April or May, and up until very recently (the beginning of October) I have been focused on one main pairing, which was Missy x Reader, and from what I gather that’s not as big as Master x Reader, or Doctor x Reader, or canon pairings, and that’s okay. I actually was joking with my roommate who is a big Doctor Who fan, that I didn’t want to write strictly Missy x Reader for Kinktober, and wouldn’t it be funny if since I’ve been writing for the Master wouldn’t it be a fun little thing to write The Doctor too? He is the one that suggested River x Doctor and my little gremlin brain was like “But also Thoschei”  Turns out The 10/14 ones are the ones who have been doing the numbers, and even got me shouted out on a rec blog which was so thrilling for me. It's so wild to me in the best possible way, I love that everyone likes them so much! The actual thrill I get when I wake up to 10+ notes is so good, it starts my mornings right. It makes me do a little happy dance, I love comments too, at the beginning I wasn’t good at replying because I didn’t know fanfiction etiquette, still not sure about it, but I’ve started to talk back! I forget sometimes because I have a wild sleep schedule, and will wake up for like ten minutes, see I have notifications, and be like “Aw fuck yeah, I’ll reply later.” Spoiler alert I have ADHD so I know I mean well by saying that, but my brain says ‘out of sight out of mind’ and I am very sorry about that in general.  For Kinktober I also branched out to do some other canon characters, the Kate girlies showed up, and The Master (Simm & Dhawan!Master) lovers showed up and I love that so much! I’ve also been getting engagement with requests, which makes me so happy that people like my writing so much that they trust me with their ideas and concepts, to see my take on it.  I think doing kinktober, while it has been stressful because oh boy I was not actually ready to take on such a challenge, it’s been so good because I’ve had a lot of growth, found some new characters I really like, and have garnered a bigger reach, which means more people will get to see what wild things I write, and I can share more with people. Which at the end of the day, it’s just me, my laptop, my stories, and everyone who reads them. I want to continue sharing, and I will. I’m going to end up bleeding over some because trying to sit down and write is so hard for me sometimes. I will finish the majority of the ‘update’ list, the two trick-or-treat ones, and then all the requests I have (Shameless plug, they are still open, but I’m only going to take about 2 more), and then take a short break. I still have a Missy x Master x Reader one that I have been trying to write since last month. Surrender Your Mind is going to be 3 more chapters, so it’s 6 chapters altogether, but I want to go back and now that I’ve found my ground, I want to edit and redo some things.  But yeah, sorry for derailing there, I had a lot to say apparently. In conclusion, Thank you to you, and everyone else who enjoys my stuff, it is encouraging to get messages like this, comments, likes, and reblogs, because it tells me there are many more people out there who like what I do, and makes me want to keep doing it.  <3

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

It’s funny that ‘tiger moms’ are viewed as such a default thing when they’re very much tied to the whole ‘China just came out of the century of humiliation, the civil war, the cultural revolution, life sucks but if you work hard you can get a better life’; it’s why it’s so common in diaspora/immigrant families. If you’re rich, chinese parents tend to be pretty lax as long as you’re not an absolute embarrassment.

Also the stuff people are complaining about in mxtx writing is funny because like most of that is just normal cn writing stuff. Truly people need to watch more cdramas than cql

It's so tiring to see this as some major default when it's very much a generational thing. And why die on this hill of normalizing fictional abusive adults with this take when the novel is reiterating the exact opposite

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

And as you said this is all very common material in cdramas or any other cmedia. There are entire warnings about CP materials and only featuring said canon CP's for such things because the fans do not pay to see side pairs they want the canon ones and what is expected. Just look at the mess of romance gatchas and the uproar if devs even hint of a side character with a main from a CP. As well as the reason as to why the Untamed got what it got and had been an out of the norm production the fans fought to get.

For all the complaints of tags, web novels have those in order for readers to find what they want and don't want for original publications. You get what you get upfront and if you want love triangles, side ships it will be upfront with that, if you bother to look yourself and I dunno... bother to navigate a novel site yourself for once?

But ahhhh so many rants with some of this and the supposed fandom etiquette that just is not the same as the western sphere and shouldn't have to be because it's not from that base to begin with and authors shouldn't have to cater to American fanbase expectations.

[theultimatekamehamehavoc]

intro™

Hello, populous! You can call me Havoc! I am 18 and I do art, sometimes other things too. Those said other things being random rambles and character analyses, music (currently on hiatus cus I yearn to improve my craft), and on vary rare occasions, silly videos! heir_in_a_froggy_chair on AO3 Very new to the site so I don't have much there I'm working on it though ;-; No NSFW going on here! Just the occasional drawing with some blood, slight gore, and maybe just the occasional swimsuit or boob window! The bloody stuff will be tagged with content warnings as well so no worries :] Try my best to put image descriptions on all my art posts or posts with images! Older posts don't have these, though, one day, I will get the willpower to go and fix those! Also, just a friendly reminder to not get parasocial or anything. Good to keep the good, social media etiquette! Just here to post my silly little stuff and gush about Danganronpa characters. Nothing serious :)

Schedule (or lack there of)

It's pending. I dunno know anymore T-T Try to post everyday at least so I suppose the thought counts!

Time zone

UTC Eastern Time (U.S.) That's what my computer says so I will trust that cus I wasn't taught time zone word stuff in America and have no clue what those letters mean at the time of me updating this so I know have this on my intro page ^v^

Main thing I will post about

Danganronpa Specifically just fully into Trigger Happy Havoc and mostly just content of Byakuya with a good dose of Makoto and Kyoko in there Happy to draw other Danganropa characters from the other games if asked or whenever I randomly get inspired :D

Other Content I'll post randomly/ other things I enjoy

The Stanley Parable Ace Attorney Sonic the Hedgehog Five Nights at Freddy's Dragon Ball Z Sam & Max Undertale Deltarune

Pseudo Mini-Series of Varying Quality

- Togami Headcanons series - Text Sector - The Petition Series - Naegami Talk - Vid's I've made - Heir Energy: A music series (ON HIATUS) - The Naegamigiri Rambles

Danganronpa AU's that I have but still haven't updated in a while at the time of this new, intro edit

Danganronpa Overgrowth Kiddieronpa The Survivor's Guide

Havoc's Gamer Rambles

posts where I ramble about playing games (specifically just the danganronpa games cus I mean, this is moslty a danganronpa blog so... yeah!!) current game: Danganronpa Trigger Happy Havoc

[scarletwritesshit]

🧋 Kotone Shiomi x Theodore 🧋 Bubbled Tea

Kotone recalled a comment previously made by Theo regarding his interest in a sign outside of the cafe with a special drink advertised as "bubble tea." It was something she hadn’t quite tried herself, but was at least aware of the basic concept. Theo, however, was unsure of how a liquid comprised solely of bubbles was physically possible.

At the time, she told him to not worry about the specifics of this rather unique beverage. Rather than wind up walking in circles to explain the technicality of a sweet treat to him, Kotone advised him to focus more on that day’s date at the mall. For the time being, she dodged a bullet, not having to spend the rest of their time explaining the mere concept of edible pearls at the bottom of a glass of tea.

Her freedom was short lived, as the next time she and Theo met up, he presented her with one simple request:

I want to try the mysterious bubble tea.

"Is this what you were talking about?" Kotone asked, pointing to the sign outside of the cafe.

Theo bent down to get a much closer look at the chalkboard sign. One might assume at first glance that he was hard of sight, but that was not the case. Theo was just...like that, and Kotone couldn’t even begin to fathom why, considering how they had explored her world together plenty times prior. While others may shoot curious glances at them on an occasion, Kotone was unbothered, as she had grown quite used to it by now.

"The matcha bubbled tea, yes," Theo said, reading the words on the sign as if he were studying every grain of chalk.

"It’s just bubble tea," Kotone clarified, "and you don’t have to limit yourself to simply having the matcha flavor."

"Ah, so beverages beyond this matcha tea are capable of this drinkable bubbly sensation?"

"No, Theo. That’s not exactly how it works."

"Not…how it works?" Theo asked, confused. "Is it not called bubble tea?"

"It is, but you’ve got the wrong idea. There’s little pearls of flavor at the bottom of the drink."

"Pearls? Are you sure that we should be consuming something that valuable?" he asked, bewildered.

"Not those kinds of, actually, never mind," Kotone said, sighing deeply. "I suppose would be easier if I took you in and show you."

"Please do. I must learn the appeal of these drinkable bubbles and edible pearls for myself."

Kotone went to open the door, but Theo gently grabbed her shoulder and stopped her in her tracks. She backed up, curious about his sudden hesitation, but Theo walked in front of her and grabbed the door handle. He twisted the handle and pushed the door open, bowing slightly and invited her in.

"Allow me, dearest guest," he said.

For someone who was still rather unfamiliar with the world, Theo at least had his manners down. Kotone theorized that perhaps, during one of Elizabeth's relentless bouts of teasing, she used it as a prime opportunity to teach Theo a thing or two about the etiquette of Kotone’s world. It would explain quite a lot of things, such as his prominent gentlemanly attitude and strangely formal tone. She never doubted for a second that Theo was indeed a good man, but the unspoken rules within the Velvet Room were far different than those of her world.

The line was not very long, but Theo was a bit too enthusiastic and began walking to an empty counter, cutting those in front of them. Kotone yanked him back by his arm, almost sending him sliding onto the floor.

"That’s not how you do it," Kotone said.

Theo looked confused, glancing back and forth between her and the unattended register.

"Is that not where you go to submit your request?" he asked. “The others seem to be doing precisely that.”

Kotone shook her head. "There’s no one to take our order there. Besides, you’re supposed to wait in line anyways.

"Why don’t they have enough people to cover both of them? What is the point of two counters, if never enough servants to occupy both?"

"I dunno. Wages, probably," Kotone said with a shrug.

"Your kind is a strange one."

"And you’re just as weird to us."

Kotone guided Theo to the proper place in line, then she pointed up to the menu. There was an abundance of different drinks and snacks available for ordering, but for now, she was focused on satisfying Theo’s curiosity regarding this “mystifying” bubble tea.

"Theres so many different types, yet I cannot make sense of what half of them mean," Theo said.

"Just pick something that sounds good."

"Sounds good? But aren’t you supposed...to taste the flavors, not listen to them?"

"Theo, sometimes I feel you’re hopeless," Kotone said, sighing and shaking her head, "so I’ll just get you what I usually get to make things easier for now."

"Ah, if you prefer it, then I have no choice but to trust your judgement."

"Plus, I don’t have to worry about you picking out some weird combination that you’d end up hating.”

When the customers in front of them finally left, Kotone stepped forward, and Theo followed.

"Now, let me show you how to do it," she said, before turning to face the cashier.

"Can I get your order?" the cashier said, attempting to not stare at Theo’s unusual appearance.

"Two sweet teas with rose pearls," Kotone said.

"Roses?" Theo said, bending down to whisper in Kotone’s ear. "Aren’t those used as a decorative flower in your world?"

"Just shush for now," she said, gently nudging him away. "That’ll be it."

Kotone handed the cashier enough yen coins to cover the cost of both of their drinks without exchanging further words. She wanted to save Theo from the distinct possibility of the cashier inquiring about his rather odd behavior or comments, as that would only lead Theo into increasingly awkward situations. Kotone was quite used to his antics, but unfortunately the people around them weren’t, and she was afraid of the possibility of someone taking his ignorance personally and ruining their current date, at the very least. It was far easier to speed things up and keep both parties quiet, at least until Theo got a little more adjusted to hanging outside of the Velvet Room.

After she had completely finished ordering, Theo walked over to the counter that was clearly labeled for pickup, but was confused to see it barren.

"Someone has to make them first, Theo," Kotone said, knowing what he was about to ask.

"…So we have to wait even longer?"

"Most likely only a few minutes, tops."

Theo crossed his arms and pouted at her, as if that would speed the crafting of their drinks at all. It was only a few short moments to wait, but apparently to Theo, that was more like an eternity. After said eternity (which totaled to nowhere near five whole minutes), two identical tea and rose drinks were slid forward on the counter, instantly lighting up Theo’s face with excitement.

"If I am not mistaken, this is our order?”

"Yep, go ahead and grab one for yourself."

Theo, instead, grabbed both and handed one to Kotone. As they were walking out of the shop, she had to make sure that he did not accidentally smack himself with the door, as he was far too bewildered by the concept of the drink that he was holding in his hand.

"Well? What do you think?" Kotone asked.

"It is truly most perplexing," he said, holding up the drink to the sun so that he may get a clearer view of it. "Bubble tea...yet no bubbles are present."

"The bubbles are these things," Kotone said, pointing to the rose flavored pearls at the bottom, "the non-precious, non-mineral flavor filled pearls."

"Oh. And you just...eat them?"

"Pretty much," Kotone said, taking a drink of her own.

Theo curiously looked at his drink once again before taking a sip. He initially seemed rather underwhelmed with it, glaring at the pearls after being unsuccessful acquiring some. He took a stronger sip, only this time, perhaps a little too hard as he sucked a few of the pearls up and started coughing. Once he cleared his throat, he stared at Kotone in complete bewilderment.

"How do you even drink these things? It feels more like a health hazard than a refreshment," Theo complained.

"Don’t use the entire strength of your lungs to suck the drink out, that’s all,” she said, taking another sip to show him that it was indeed, possible to drink the tea without choking to death.

Theo attempted to take another large sip, not learning from his previous mistake. One of the flavored pearls still hit him in the back of the throat.

"Who knew that sucking a drink out of a straw could prove to be most challenging?" he complained.

"I guess it’s an acquired skill."

"It certainly seems something that you are most adept in."

"It takes practice, I guess. Though sucking a drink out of a straw isn’t something that exactly requires a ton of effort."

"Perhaps you would consider demonstrating your skills for me personally next time."

Kotone turned to stare at Theo as she slowly sipped her drink. She maintained unflinching eye contact with him as she made sure to finish sipping every drop and pearl out of the cup. Theo simply looked at her and smiled as he took a drink himself, though this time, actively avoiding any of the pearls.

There was his "demonstration" from her, though Kotone had a sneaking suspicion that his words harbored a secondary meaning.

"Theo... perhaps you could’ve picked your words a little better?"

"I said precisely what I meant, did I not?"

Now, Kotone was wondering what thoughts Elizabeth was polluting Theo's mind with.

[every-single-day]

I don’t think people understand the way the legal system works. I’m not a lawyer by any means but the whole “I can’t share insider information for legal reasons” excuse is so opaque. Cops won’t care if you ‘have insider info’ because cops and actual authorities will see ‘oh, so and so has information’ and you’ll get in just as much trouble as if you shared the ‘insider info’

It’s like that one kid in elementary school who claims they have a super rare Pokémon card but they ‘don’t wanna show it because Pokémon will sue’. It’s childish and you obviously do not have insider info. I dunno. It’s frustrating and honestly creepy the way some people are obsessed with Brody and his absences. If he needs a break he is entitled to one. Other cast members take breaks and nobody cares. It’s just him. And people need to be more careful. I know he has family in some of those groups and you can hate him all you want, but you don’t have to say stuff where his family and/or friends are present.

The pokemon card analogy is so crazy but works so well.

I truly don't understand why it's always Brody who gets attacked and speculated against whenever he does something. If it's because of the allegations, more than one person was listed. If you're gonna act some type of way and preach a certain etiquette, make it universal. Don't target all your energy towards one party then close your eyes when another does the same thing.

[fandombead]

I hate the word filler. Are we not still getting an interesting stand alone story with characters we enjoy? Not all of a story is progressing the main plot. It can become excessive in some cases, but it still can bring joy in its own right. It’s leagues better than getting nothing. And I don’t like seeing that complained about to small creators just trying to give us fun content to hold us over until they can get back to the main story.

Seeing that in their comments and tagging them in it has to be so discouraging. It definitely won’t make it come out any faster. It’s just not a productive part of fandom. You’re allowed to criticize and critique works, I just hope that isn’t all you’re replying with when they try to provide something fun and lighthearted. Yes even if it’s been awhile. I dunno, I’ve just seen creators stop creating all together from the pressure because they’re human too and fandom spaces just really have a way of ruining good things by posting entitled replies. And then even once the “main” story gets updated, there will still be people going “okay next” and “fuckin’ finally, took you long enough.” And like. Would you really talk like that to someone’s face. Do you have nothing encouraging or positive to add about what is here?

I know what it’s like to be so invested in something and it being disappointing to not get it in some time, but posts like these are sometimes the very reason creators struggle and it’s painful to watch happen and everyone just goes with it.

This is NOT a post saying you cannot have con-crit. You can say whatever you want about a work. Just realize you may be having the opposite effect that you are hoping throwing that at the actual creator you’re a fan of. As someone who got utterly creatively crippled for years from a few bad experiences, it sucks to see that happening to people who actually got their idea off the ground and still intend to keep going. Like the creative rut guilt has to me ten times worse already with a massive audience having a very vocal part being disappointed no matter what you do. But I guess the positivity gets easily buried and negativity is spread more?

I dunno it’s like. They don’t owe you anything. They shared something for free with you, their animation or skit or show or story. I see people leave fandoms they loved because of it taking amazing world of love with them and I don’t want that pressure to run down yet another great story. You’re allowed to feel disappointed. People have different levels of patience and that’s not the problem. It’s projecting those feelings at others that don’t deserve that. We need to learn some etiquette and boundaries, or at least think “what if that was me/a friend of mine?” before posting.

Can’t believe I took all that just to reiterate “Golden Rule” please~ aaaaaa