#from like two years ago orz

[avetato]

the guys!!!!! the fellows!!!!!

[skrunksthatwunk]

actually i'm still thinking about the moral orel finale.

he has a cross on his wall. do you know how much i think about that bc it's a lot.

a lot of stories ((auto)biographical or fictional) centering escape from abusive/fundamentalist christianity result in the lead characters leaving behind christianity entirely. and that makes complete sense! people often grow disillusioned with the associated systems and beliefs, and when it was something used to hurt them or something so inseparable from their abuse that they can't engage with it without hurting, it makes total sense that they would disengage entirely. and sometimes they just figure out that they don't really believe in god/a christian god/etc. a healthy deconstruction process can sometimes look like becoming an atheist or converting to another religion. it's all case by case. (note: i'm sure this happens with other religions as well, i'm just most familiar with christian versions of this phenomenon).

but in orel's case, his faith was one of the few things that actually brought him comfort and joy. he loved god, y'know? genuinely. and he felt loved by god and supported by him when he had no one else. and the abuses he faced were in how the people in his life twisted religion to control others, to run away from themselves, to shield them from others, etc. and often, orel's conflicts with how they acted out christianity come as a direct result of his purer understanding of god/jesus/whatever ("aren't we supposed to be like this/do that?" met with an adult's excuse for their own behavior or the fastest way they could think of to get orel to leave them alone (i.e. orel saying i thought we weren't supposed to lie? and clay saying uhhh it doesn't count if you're lying to yourself)). the little guy played catch with god instead of his dad, like.. his faith was real, and his love was real. and i think it's a good choice to have orel maintain something that was so important to him and such a grounding, comforting force in the midst of. All That Stuff Moralton Was Up To/Put Him Through. being all about jesus was not the problem, in orel's case.

and i know i'm mostly assuming that orel ended up in a healthier, less rigid version of christianity, but i feel like that's something that was hinted at a lot through the series, that that's the direction he'd go. when he meditates during the prayer bee and accepts stephanie's different way to communicate, incorporating elements of buddhism into his faith; when he has his I AM A CHURCH breakdown (removing himself from the institution and realizing he can be like,, the center of his own faith? taking a more individualistic approach? but Truly Going Through It at the same time), his acceptance (...sometimes) of those who are different from him and condemned by the adults of moralton (stephanie (lesbian icon stephanie my beloved), christina (who's like. just a slightly different form of fundie protestant from him), dr chosenberg (the jewish doctor from otherton in holy visage)). his track record on this isn't perfect, but it gets better as orel starts maturing and picking up on what an absolute shitfest moralton is. it's all ways of questioning the things he's been taught, and it makes sense that it would lead to a bigger questioning as he puts those pieces together more. anyway i think part of his growth is weeding out all the lost commandments of his upbringing and focusing on what faith means to him, and what he thinks it should mean. how he wants to see the world and how he wants to treat people and what he thinks is okay and right, and looking to religion for guidance in that, not as like. a way to justify hurting those he's afraid or resentful of, as his role models did.

he's coming to his own conclusions rather than obediently, unquestioningly taking in what others say. but he's still listening to pick out the parts that make sense to him. (edit/note: and it's his compassion and his faith that are the primary motivations for this questioning and revisal process, both of individual cases and, eventually, the final boss that is christianity.) it makes perfect sense as the conclusion to his character arc and it fits the overall approach of the show far better. it's good is what i'm saying.

and i think it's important to show that kind of ending, because that's a pretty common and equally valid result of deconstruction. and i think it cements the show's treatment of christianity as something that's often (and maybe even easily) exploited, but not something inherently bad. something that can be very positive, even. guys he even has a dog he's not afraid of loving anymore. he's not afraid of loving anyone more than jesus and i don't think it's because he loves this dog less than bartholomew (though he was probably far more desperate for healthy affection and companionship when he was younger). i think it's because he figures god would want him to love that dog. he's choosing to believe that god would want him to love and to be happy and to be kind. he's not afraid of loving in the wrong way do you know how cool that is he's taking back control he's taking back something he loves from his abusers im so normal

[angered-box]

you just know something happened when my oc's design changed dramatically....

[project-sekai-facts]

PREDICTIONS AHEAD! I noticed how the second arc enders were all closer to each other and after analyzing a bit, I then came to the conclusion that the odd enders are more spaced apart than the even enders. 1st arc enders Resonating with you - E21 Magical Showtime - E 25 What Lies Behind - E 38 MORE MORE CHRISTMAS - E 42 Power of Unity - E 54 [Amplitude of 33] 2nd arc enders STEP BY STEP - E 98 Farewell My Mask - E 100 Our Constelatoin of Song - E 101 On Your Feet - E 103 Our Happy Ending - E 104 [Amplitude of 6] 3rd arc enders Over Rad Squad - E 135 Our Hands, Covered in wounds - E 150 [Amplitude of 15 so far]

I would then risk to say that the next arc ender could be Wonderlands Showtime, with a Rui event. We can see from the 1st arc ender that the space between events varies between little jumps and big jumps. We had a big jump now [150-135 = 15] similar to the leap between the WxS and N25; and MMJ and Vbs arc enders. Considering we just got Nene5, 5/6 events from now we should get Rui5, like how we got mizuki5/ena5 with 5 events of interval. It cannot be mmj since Shizuku5 is right at the door. And meanwhile, Rui4 gets closer to EN Server.

For future predictions, I would risk either Haruka 5 or Shiho 5, both as arc enders of their respective units. But considering how Shiho had an event just now, along with being a 2* on both Ichika's and Saki's events, I'm leaning toward her side. (but I would like to mention how Hona5 as ard ender is also a possibility) Shizuku was also featured at said event, although 2 events later she's ready to go.

As for closer events I would like to recall that Honami is dangerously close to focus jail so having her somewhat soon could help fill events.

I would also like to mention our boy Toya who is also getting close to jail. He has gotten many events and cards, his ocean orchestra and 4th anni limited leave me somewhat confused but, considering An5, Kohane5 were limited. Along with Toya getting featured on the 4th anni makes me think he is a permanent event. As for the New Year's. We have 13 Contestants: Ichika; Saki; Minori; Airi; Shizuku; Akito; Toya; Emu; Nene; Rui; Kanade; Mafuyu; KAITO We take out Ichika and Saki immediately for they have gotten hairstyles just a month ago. Followed by Shizuku who is getting her event just now. That leaves us with Mafuyu, Emu, and KAITO as the ones with the least hairstyles, whose dynamics match. Throw in Ichika, whose last 2* was the Sanrio collab, and who knows Mafuyu, their last event dates back to February with Relax Tea Time. Finally, Nene had her last 3* in the 2.5 anniversary. Not to mention that with Ichika and Emu, the dynamic is assured. For Bloom, we can start by looking at Len, the VS with less hairstyles. If we assume that clpl will follow any pattern, we cannot link him with An or Toya since he is a starter VS of VBS. Looking back, neither Shiho, Airi, nor Toya can be, since they got hairstyles from the 4th Anni leaving us with Haruka, who got her Colorfes a long time ago. Similar to Kanade and Rui. If we instead go from the OC with fewer hairstyles, we get Toya. He cannot be linked with Len, and Miku has gotten her hairstyle sooner than Luka. Miku got in ORS while Luka in Wedding Live

This is probs all wrong, it's 5:30am now, have a good day!

aaaa i'm so sorry i'm so late to answering this, i've been meaning to for like two weeks i just kept forgetting orz

okay so for arc enders i definitely think the remaining three will be the next 1 or 2 events for each unit. if we assume 6th anniversary to be arc ender 4/graduation we don't want some units to be speedrunning their conclusion again, which would likely happen if we don't finish up very soon. (how wxs managed to be rushing arc 2 in the first place is a mystery but what's done is done. this is mainly about vbs taking 1yr 8 months to finish arc 1).

my guess is that the next mmj and ln events are arc enders. it'd make sense given the way their recent stories have played out. wxs i'm less sure about. i'm fairly certain next event will be emu and not rui, due to some stuff that happened in emu's card story. given that every troupe we've visited so far has had two dedicated events, we can assume next event will still be the opera company, so it depends on if they want that to be the arc ender or have a conclusion event/rui5 afterwards.

i don't think emu/mafuyu/kaito + nene/ichika NY is very likely at all. emu and mafuyu had a mixed event focused on them only a few months ago, and kaito would have to be an MMJ lim (we literally just got N25 Meiko last month) meaning we need an MMJ girl on the banner, who is most likely to be Airi, though Minori is not impossible. Mafuyu and Nene both already have trained NY cards as well, so they're off the table entirely. Ichika being 2* wouldn't actually be surprising to me though. I think Kanade or Akito is likely to fill the last 4* slot.

bfes has to be Len or he will end up really far behind everyone else bc the mmj girl will break lim cap. also he's really due one anyway so i agree w you there. the pairing character has to be from ln, mmj, or vbs. from those units, the character with the current oldest lim is An, who also doesn't have 7 lims yet either. she's my pick since then you don't have to give her another lim until her 5th anni banner card either. however, she's also possible for vday or wday if we go by the theory that the vsinger cant match with a starter unit member.

i don't think haruka is a likely pick, since that would make 3 out of the 5 rateup characters total be mmj unit (kaito/haruka/either minori or airi), something that only 1 fes gacha has done before (rise as one + fes, but that was an exception anyway due to the need to include saki on wxs fes). if i had to go with anyone other than An, I'd pick ichika or akito or toya.

[echonidae]

✦ COMMISSIONS REOPENING on monday, December 2nd!! ✦

hello there!! i'm a good deal late again (i miscalculated how much time it'd take to get everything ready for this new batch orz), but, i bring news of a new commission batch, scheduled for monday, December 2nd!!

i have a bunch of things to report, which you can read under the read-more (or over on [deviantArt!]) but yes, the important bits:

all commission types available!! regular orders: 12 slots total (3 active, 9 in queue) doodle orders: no limit so long as it's open!! (6 active slots!) pagedoll orders: also no limit!! (2 active slots!) the queue(s) will remain open indefinitely the waitlist for the next batch is unavailable until further notice ✦ digital medium only! the commissioned pieces are all .png files; no physical items will be shipped. ✦ for regular orders, max of 2 SLOTS per person; i'll be working on multiple orders one at a time (the second order will be moved into the queue) ✦ waiting period is 2 months at most! i tend to work fairly fast, and i'll keep you updated throughout the whole process!

here's a link to the commission info website!!

more info on the upcoming commissions + new stuff under the read-more!!

so!! >:3c

a new commission option!! we'ge got pagedolls now!! :"D

they're lil' stylized full-body portraits with transparent backgrounds, clean lineart and flatcolors :'3c i just posted the examples separately, you can check them out [here]!! they have their own queue, like doodles, but function the same as regular orders in terms of feedback and client updates– the different queue is just because pagedolls are faster to complete, and therefore it'd be nice if they didn't take regular-order-slots instead :')c no limit of orders per person, but i will be working on those 2 at a time c':

speaking of full-body, from here on all commission options offer full-body portraits, replacing knee-up!! i feel more confident with my art now to tackle full-body stuff :') with this, i went and changed the nomenclature of shoulder/waist/knee-up to just bust/half-body/full-body, which i reckon better suits how i tend to go about where to cut off portraits (uh... ribcage/mid-thigh/mid-calf-up x"Dc)

portraits can now have up to two characters!! slooowly climbing towards just having multiple extra characters x'Dc but for now, just the two!! prices vary depending on how much of the second character is visible (plus an extra fee if the 2nd character is Very Very Intricate design-wise). more on this below, and on the [website] too :')c

that said, familiars / pets / companions don't count as extra characters!! they have their own stipulations, also described below!!

this time i'll be (once again) working on a reduced amount of slots for regular orders (doodles and pagedolls exempt!), in an effort to finish things up in a more timely manner by focusing on a smaller amount of orders, and to then open new batches more often (since the last one was over a year ago). this time around, there will be a total of 12 slots for regular orders: 3 active slots that i'll be getting started on right away on monday, and then another 9 waiting in queue c: again, no deadline for those!!

since it's a small number of slots, regular orders slots are limited to two per person!! so that folks have a good chance of getting a slot :')c and given how it's just 3 active slots, i'll be working on multiple orders one at a time c':

doodles and pagedolls do not have those limits, and i'll just go about finishing them up as i can c: six doodles at a time, and two pagedolls at a time as well, but their respective queues have no slot limit, and folks can order as many as they want at once :3c

in a different note, over the course of the year, i've gone from using Paint Tool SAI to drawing and painting on Rebelle 7 instead, and have since acclimated well enough to continue commission work with no issue– i can now send the finalized files at better resolution too :"Dc yey nanopixel :3c

which reminds me, icons are now sized 1000px square insted of 800px!! minor change but still noteworthy x')c

lastly, cases in which no sketch presented is suitable, and no amount of editing said sketch can help its approval and the client would rather a new sketch be made, i can do so for a flat fee of 35% of the original order's price– this does not impact choosing between sketches and such, or my tendency towards working on more than one sketch for orders, or if the client has presented multiple sketch ideas for the same order :')c the modifications, big and small, of the sketch phase remain entirely part of the process and free of charge!! this is just in case an entirely new sketch is necessary, since the sketch portion of the process is usually the more complicated and time-consuming bit of the commission c': so, edge case, but it's a new thing added in and i want to make mention of it!!

other than that, prices have been updated, and there's been minor edits in wording for the sake of clarity in the terms on the [website], on the forms, and the descriptions of the options and extras c': i've also, as you may have noticed, updated all the examples on the info sheet and on the website to be past commissions!! some of which i have yet to post (orz on my way!!! ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ), but that you can see as well over on the commission-info-place :')c

and that's it for all the new stuff!! :'D

thank you so much again to everyone who ordered last batch (i'm so happy folks like the doodles so much, for one!! they've been a heckin' blast to work on, thank you all again!!), and everyone who reached out and sent messages and stopped by the commission-info-website for orders or to just say hi, i appreciate it tons :')c i'm looking forward to this new batch!! (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

thank you again, and i wish everyone a dang nice day!! :"D i'll be posting until then, but cya monday!!

[dxy-drxxm]

SYNOPSIS: Kaeya has a lot of things he enjoyed about you. Or, well, admired, to be frank.

CW/s: tooth rotting fluff, short drabble, kaeya is a hopeless SIMP (/silly), tbh he's just a silly guy who can't confess if his life depended on it (and... It did lol), can be interpreted as platonic or romantic (it's both, but it's a slow transition from platonic to romantic hehe)

NOTE: hi, this drabble is for @ryuryuryuyurboat for @ecrin-de-litterature's "kiss (don't tell)" event! I hope you enjoy a drabble of Kaeya being a hopeless simp because as much as I'd like to write a full blown date with him, I've been busy since college and I want to curl up and pass away. orz.

Kaeya never says a lot about the person he admires.

For him, the Cavalry Captain had more than enough to take care of. Maybe it was due to the job that kept him busy, or even because of how life gave him a batch of lemons that he needed to deal with.

But when it comes to certain people like who he's seen now, it made him feel as though he became but the same child when Cyrus adopted him all those years ago.

He still remembered the first time you two met—you were one of Lisa's attendants. An assistant, one could say. You're always available whenever Lisa isn't feeling the urge to check in the library, which is often, and Kaeya had decided to try and see what you're like.

Sure, you may have panicked and treated him like a stranger, but it wasn't long for you two to get close. Soon, you're treating him like you two have been friends for years, joking and laughing over certain things.

Kaeya couldn't help but smile. He always liked seeing others express joy when he couldn't.

Though, little by little, the dynamic seem to change. Others pointed out to him that you and Kaeya had been together for quite a while now, always speaking and chatting over the most mundane things.

Petty drama from the knights, Lisa's recent books and those who borrowed arriving late, the many foreigners that came about when the traveler would be busy in another region... You two had a lot to talk about, and sometimes, he didn't notice how much you two could never stop speaking of such things.

It was stupid, he's aware, but he wouldn't lie and say he didn't like it. On the contrary, he enjoyed that time being spent on something he considering to be enjoyable.

You made his days less unbearable. Like he can wake up one day and think that things will be fine.

He admired that charm from you. You make it seem so... natural.

There were even moments that the two of you shared. He remembered your first Windblume festival with him, the first time you've spent working for a year with Lisa (it was your work anniversary, he joked to you once), and even down to when you two travelled to different nations together.

He's seen it all— your highs, lows, and even the turnarounds. He's heard you rant and ramble of the nations, and yet he felt his pride raise when you'd return to Mondstadt, still calling it your home.

It was clear that you have seen that place, out of every nation, as the best. In return, he did his best keeping it safe. Although, there had been moments he would mess up.

He may act confident, but when alone, he'd feel like he's a lost child again. He loathed that feeling.

The first time you've seen him act like it was when you two spoke of each other's pasts. Kaeya has told you what happened between him and Diluc, and he could never forget the way you hugged him for hearing his voice crack.

He cares for Diluc, like how he cares for you. However, how could he say the same for his adopted brother? Would he ever do the same thing you did to him?

... Perhaps. Perhaps not, even.

Still, he couldn't help but think how much he can even handle this feeling. It's a secret he's kept that your actions made him feel like he can be free, yet he kept himself trapped by will.

He was trapped in the feeling of admiration and envy, clashing and fighting against each other. It made his heart soar and ache when things happen, both because of you and because of himself.

He felt envious of you. He wanted to say that to you, but seeing you smile got rid of that envy.

...

It was a strange conundrum. One that left him sleepless for nights on end... And that's when it clicked.

He realized that it was a form of self-sabotage.

Kaeya didn't want to ruin the relationship you two had as friends, so he kept it under lock and key. He threw the key away, denying that he felt something to you. Denying that he felt as though he loved you that way. He couldn't. He didn't even know the answer.

...

It was stupid to worry. It truly is.

But now? How could he not worry?

He's done this to himself. Even if others told him to say it, to utter those words he forbade himself from speaking, he kept his mouth shut. You two are friends, and he's far too used to admiring you and your acts from afar.

He's craved to admire someone that would make him feel this way, and he got what he asked. Although, he couldn't bring himself to hate you for charming him like that.

After all, that is what makes you you. And he doesn't want you to lose the only thing that fits you perfectly.

@.dxy-drxxm | do not republish, repost, or copy my works anywhere | 2024

[bigpuppyroegadyn]

Day 9 - Fave Gear: Weapons

*deeeep breath* ok I could go on forever about swords. My friends know I love paladin weapons and they know how many goddamn swords I have in my armory chest. THIS IS A HARD CHOICE.

BUT. I feel in love with Clarent and the Galahad shields. They really benefit from the graphic updates, and I'm in love with the two dye channels allowing me to do really nice contrasting blues. They're also so very detailed AND match Hound's armor really well. Sometimes the light catches on the shield so nicely I have to just sit there and admire it for a few minutes.

Now I do also have some honorable mentions:

The Ala Mhigan tower shield dyed ink blue is a shield I have used and reused with many different glamours, it's just a really appealing shield and dyes nicely. And as far as shields go, I really like the huge tower shields more than the tiny shields. I also really liked the glow on this manderville relic sword.

I also really like this eden shield, but i've never used it because Hound hasn't done silver armor since heavensward orz

And finally Tenacity, the shield that Hound brought to Ultima Thule, which broke in battle and was then lost at the edge of the universe.

Now for Hound, I rarely reuse swords, because I decided years ago that he regularly breaks them. When he's fighting his aether gets channeled through his swords (they're usually designed for this) but his aether is so strong that he wears them out very quickly. Most of his swords end up snapping in half eventually, especially after an intense battle. He tries to retire them before it happens but they still break often. I'm more lenient with shields, they tend to survive longer, but he did lose Tenacity forever.

I also took a shot with Solklahz! I felt bad for leaving him out so far, but stuff hadn't really worked out lmao. I haven't done a super deep dive into summoner books I'll admit, but I really like this one. It's cute and the butterflies work great for Solk.

[nyxrev]

Blast & Void 🤔🧐🤨

Blast: *sigh* “Look at him yap…”

“Hold my glasses, I need to lecture my partner…” What do his shades do? X-ray vision? Look into space-time?

You know space uncle means business when he takes off his shades.

MURATA SENSEI!! ONE?! EXPLAIN!!

WHAT IS THEIR RELATIONSHIP??!??

nawhhh the way he looks at void 6.6

Murata's art is *chef's kiss* alrdy but he portrays Blast almost like a real person. The way he illustrates characters who got some age on them gives them *life*, yk what I mean? Such skill. (art analysis noises) it is easy to skip details on ppl & draw youngsters as perfect immortal youths, but to make elder ones look so full of soul & story? You'd have to be patient enough to rly observe real ppl, and *practise*. I respect his dedication & great attention to detail. So meticulous. orz

But I am also extremely unsettled by whatever the hell sort of move Void conjured.

Dude wtf?! Did you just rotate your head & limbs like an action figure?

?!What is he made of?!

Blast, there's something wrong with your buddy. I think we need to send him back to the deepest trenches of earth, man. Call an exorcist.

Seriously though, why is Void angry at Blast, why did they fallout, why … what happened 15 years ago? Blast still obviously has a soft spot for Void, even if he wanted to drag him back to HQ for question, two kunais to the eyes won't k!ll him.

Mercy cost our top hero an arm… what will happen next?

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

The Cube®︎

Several Qs:

Cube®︎ exploits ppl's vulnerability, what would happen if it met smb who had no tether to humanity — no dear person, no ambition, no ideological or mental crevices to exploit? Or would god(no ID) just avoid them?

If Void got his cosmic power from god(no ID), How did Blast get his power? His is based on black holes, right? He seems human otherwise? If Void refers to Blast's ♾as power of darkness & opposition to god(no ID) what is he then? Eternal light? lol Radiation? An outward projection of power as opposed to bottomless warp of cosmos? Both seem like they can travel through space-time & predict possibilities.

Quantum mechanics is beyond my comprehension… +superpowers which defy all my senses of logic is too far… I simply suspend my disbelief.

Remember kids, when shady strangers approach with promises of paradise almost too good to be true, it is. Never fall for candy Cube®︎, it only hides nefarious schemes.

Terms & Conditions always apply.

god (no ID) is NOT on your side.

[ryuichirou]

Replies

About moray sketches, Idia’s little affair with Sebastian, drawing and art and other things.

Anonymous asked:

Morays are so derpy

They really are… the more I look at them the more obsessed I get lol those silly faces

Anonymous asked:

Those eels are so goofy-looking. Are they your favorite sea creature? If not, then what?

Thank you, Anon!

To be honest, I don’t think I have a favourite sea creature. For now, due to my love for the Octa-trio, I have a big soft spot for moral eels and octopuses. A couple of years ago we had a phase during which we read a lot about sharks. The fact that baby sharks are called pups!! I’m still obsessed with this fact.

In general, sea is fascinating and truly beautiful, but it was never really my thing, so I don’t know much about different kinds of creatures… Should definitely work on that 🤔

Anonymous asked:

🗣🔥BLACK BUTLER MENTIONED🔥🗣

OOoo Sebastián if Ciel finds out you're in troubleee

HEHE YES even though we still aren’t back to our Kuroshitsuji era and I just replied about it the other day… The desire to ship these two was sudden but too strong to resist.

I think Ciel would just roll his eyes to be honest, maybe he would get a bit disgusted… but overall, the whole thing probably happened due to their investigation, so he shouldn’t complain. Or is it jealousy that sours his mood?~

Anonymous asked:

Idia’s hips are so deliciously grabbable. Grabbing them, nibbling them, groping them, hmmm.

And with how thin he is one would think that he would be too sharp around the edges to probably grab. But I guess his bones make him easier to grab… Cute!

Anonymous asked:

The way Idia looks in the last panel…..I don’t think I would be able to resist going back and “interrogating” him more, perhaps all day even. I’m very dedicated, what can I say? 😔

What a hardworking person you are! This is truly inspiring.

I think the more you “interrogate” Idia, the more “interrogatable” he looks… this is magical.

tardigrade-misfit asked:

I’ve come to a realization that I’ve only ever seen one thing drawn of Leona and I need to see more of the lazy lion man 😭

Omg you’re right, we only posted him once (not counting a chibi drawing + fem!Leona in a big genderswap post). It’s so funny, I feel like I draw him every now and then because of commissions (thank you, everyone orz), but at the end of a day we barely have anything Leona-related. The only character less lucky than him is probably poor Cater…

To be completely honest, Leona just isn’t usually on my radar, and even though I sketch him sometimes, those sketches rarely get finished and are mostly posted on ko-fi. Sorry 😔

Anonymous asked:

my god, imagine a more messed up alternate universe where the Asim family had a "last one standing" competition to decide the successor... The head of the family dies and suddenly Kalim is put against his siblings, cousins, uncles, aunts, ecc. He would be so bummed out. As soon as he says "Jamil, I think we'll have to kill my family" Jamil just starts crying from joy. Yes! Let's kill all these rich people! And also make you the new head, that would be cool I guess...

AAAH honestly Anon it would be such an interesting story to read and/or watch. Kalim would probably consider giving up multiple times, but ultimately decide against it because he doesn’t really want to die either lol

To Jamil it would absolutely be a joy though. I think some of Kalim’s relatives would try to bribe him out of helping Kalim though, “kill him in his sleep and we will give you a better life” type of deal. But Jamil would refuse~ Not because he’s loyal to Kalim or anything, of course of course.

Anonymous asked:

Since that other anon asked about Epel might as well join in: Jack and Epel. I can see Epel looking up to Jack because "Oh strong muscle man, wanna be like him" so of course Jack being the goodest boy that he is would help Epel train... in more ways than one ;)

Anon, this ship is so good visually with the size difference and all, and Epel salivating at the thought of Jack’s muscles because he really wants to have muscles himself (in reality he is just attracted to Jack) is such a good idea, and we absolutely see its potential… but unfortunately somehow they don’t click with us just yet. Maybe it’s because it feels too fluffy, with Epel getting in trouble and Jack getting him out of trouble? Maybe we’re missing this spice because we haven’t seen a lot of their interactions. Only time will tell…

Nothing against it of course though! Epel should get railed by a big wolf man.

[greatpawtender]

same anon lol. follow up from my previous ask (I started thinking about oz and the original team more):

augh. Thinking about laurent genuinely trying to connect with makoto and failing. Thinking about him watching abbie and cynthia connect with makoto effortlessly, and feeling left out. Thinking about him talking to oz about it, and realising that oz knows nothing about makoto at all. laurent getting angry, because even he knows makoto better, and suddenly feels responsible for him. imagining laurent blaming oz, blaming shi-won because they "made" him this way, even though by now he's responsible for his own actions. I'm imagining shi-won specifically calling him out on this, because she's been there the longest. how even though he suffered, at some point he has to accept that his decisions were his own. and that arguably, makoto was put through far, far worse things than he was.

laurent empathising with makoto more and more and starting to feel kind of angry on his behalf, but realising that by now there's very little he can do... he can resent the remaining members of the original team confidence all he wants, but they've been so good to him. they're old friends but they're also walking wounds. he can blame shi-won for teaching dorothy, for bringing him to dorothy. he can blame oz for giving him makoto to work with. he can blame them, but it's not going to change anything. shi-won at least stuck by his side, so she's easier to forgive. oz is harder to forgive, even if he gave up everything for dorothy, for laurent. laurent is splitting hairs here, because he still blames them less than he blames himself.

I think once laurent has this realisation, he doesn't really know what to do with himself. he still does cons and stuff because he probably feels like anything else would be boring, but I think he now kind of wants to shoot oz (not shi-won, because like I said, her sticking directly by his side all those years makes it easier for him to "forgive" her). he gives himself reasons to hurt oz in these cons because he doesn't know when to quit a bad habit when he's spiralling. oz notices, but he doesn’t say anything. he does whatever laurent asks of him, because he's right. I don't think oz feels bad for laurent, however (I think he just feels bad for makoto at this point, because he's already processed most of his grief and self-loathing regarding miki).

I think oz is the type of person to mask his loneliness. he probably cares about laurent the same way two people in a jail cell care about each other. he does whatever laurent asks of him almost like a peace offering, because he's used to just playing whatever role people ask of him without question. he probably doesn't know who he is anymore, and he probably doesn't care. he'll just follow whatever laurent says because the memories he made with team confidence stick to him like old wallpaper, and he can't bring himself to peel them off. he traded one life for another, and he lost both of them.

unlike them, I imagine shi-won already made peace with her demons long ago. there's a reason she told kudo to just let his daughter go. there's a reason why she didn't get an arc to herself. I don't think she feels bad that they're going through this, but she probably tries to distract them once in a while because the one-sided tension between them is annoying to deal with.

sorry I'm a little skdjsjajfj about them

as it is, it feels to me that oz just goes along with what others want most of the time. he isn't too different from makoto in that regard orz

op how does it feel like to be the sexiest person on earth

god god god I LOVEE your thoughts about laurent theyre so incredibly great I've never seen more correct hcs than yours

laurent and oz bonding over fucking up makotos life augohfj its sad but. But. sigh

laurent empathizing with makoto and somehow relating to him now bc he realizes he kinda been through the same shit as him. but like. makoto dealt with way worse so he cant really say anything so he lashes out at the og team instead orz 😭

oz doing everything laurent asks kf him the same way makoto does too now . im going insanw now.

thanks op sorry i dont have anything to say bht please know that i fucking love all ur thoughts about this thank you so much you have opened my eyes

[zan0tix]

Do you have thoughts about Dirk and Jake's relationship in canon? I am not anti dirkjake but I do have a hard time understanding the ship and why it's so massively popular. /gen (I have not yet read the epilogues so I'm just working off of whats in the comic)

Oh boy. DO I. Im currently working on a powerpoint presentation thatll be a little guide/recap/compilation.. thing about them whilst im reading act 6 and ill post it whenever i finish rereading the comic and writing all my notes! It will go into all the little bits of dialogue about eachother or narrative ties to certain things and such and such. (Will probably post this some time in the next two months or three. no guarantees)

But! The portrayal of their relationship and who they are and their struggles felt so real to me and it constantly astounds me that theres a fictional character who accurately displayed my own struggles in such a sincere way i feel like im getting put on blast when people psychoanalyise jake english orz

Homestucks character writing and thematic paralleling are some of its best assets and dirkjake are FULL of some of homestucks greatest moments of both. I would say that this post from @/tomatograter goes more into detail about those said moments and also alot of the other reasons i like them! And what they said in this post was true!-

-Theres just so much you can explore in homestuck through their relationship and aaaguh i love it i love it and theyre so important to the overall narrative and its just so nice to see openly gay rep that is as realistic and honest as them in a story like homestuck.

Being a teenager myself coming of age stories are the stories i relate to and find captivating the most right now and i dont think ive seen another piece of media go about its teen characters the way homestuck did. Its got problems on the handling of said characters but i dont think ive read anything else as raw and honest about personal issues teens face growing up and how they affect relationships (of all kinds!) and dirkjake are a big part of that for me!

I dont really like majority of fanon interpretations of dirkjake i wont lie (alot of.. flanderisation and blatant mischaracterisation) i dont really keep track of fandom stuff or ship popularity i just like enjoying what i enjoy and drawing things and talking about it with friends haha

And i have not read the epilogues either! i know the gist of the events in each timeline and i read a couple chapters but that was like years ago at this point and i dont think i will ever attempt to read them or homestuck^2. Some of the ideas that were present couldve been interesting but i honestly have no interest in going anywhere near it from what ive read about it. It sounds like a total shitshow and its not required to enjoy homestuck proper anyway so ¯_(ツ)_/¯

But!! if youd like to hear more about dirkjake in canon id totally reccomend tomatograter's other posts on them!!! his analysis was the thing that made me Really interested homestuck and hehe im grateful because now im here. This post has alot more of his meta commentary about them and theyre all really interesting reads :D

[joannaliangart]

Earrings I made this summer! I'd been on the lookout for fun earrings to buy whenever I went to anywhere that'd be selling trinkets, but I'm very picky with my earrings... So I was like. Hey I should just make my own!!!

btw the fish ones are based on this incredible fish plushie I got from a thrift store made by a local artist in Steveston, as the tag it came with said. But the artist's name wasn't on it so I don't know who specifically made them... So the fish design isn't my original idea I just loveee this lil plush so much I had to turn him into earrings!!

They all turned out pretty fuckin good I love them so much GOD it took so long but it was so worth it I have SO much fun wearing these... There are polymer clay ones and shrink plastic ones; I used pencil crayons to colour the shrink plastic and put UV resin over them (which was so spooky lol I hate the idea of working with resin and I did my best to be safe working with it orz The resin finish does feel soooo nice tho I'm glad I did it) and then set them out in the hot summer sun for a day or two to cure.

wip photos:

Sketching out earring ideas (+some doodles of Candle Light in the corner lol):

polymer clay wip +linking the fruity one:

I have a bunch of chains and jump rings from old unwanted jewelry I took apart, which was perfect for adding additional details and beads etc. Earring hooks I got a few years ago from when I was making earrings to sell at the student art sale (+bonus you can see the lil fish plushie those earrings are based on haha)

I really love earrings with lil dangly trinkets, I want to feel like a bunch of keychains!! It's grounding and nice (sometimes its sensorily too much for me lol but I usually just vibe check in the morning to see if I'm feeling up to wearing one with a lot of jangly bits and that works fine. plus I can just take em off if needed whatevs)

For the shrink plastic I drew the designs digitally first n printed them out so I could trace them onto the plastic.

+bonus a v shitty video I took of the nasturtium shrink plastic one in the oven (its v fun to watch it curl. too bad the lil toaster oven window is so dirty lol)

[citrus-cactus]

Howdy, all! I can't post my art summary quite yet because it contains part of someone's Secret Santa gift, so I thought I would fill out the fic summary template created by @reliablejoukido (see her original post here!). Even though I didn't publish (or finish!) much, I did start writing again this year, and that feels like a huge accomplishment, so it seemed like it would be fun to look back and talk a little bit about what I have in the works.

First, the finished fic!

My er... grand return to writing (I wouldn't call it that, but I did have a lot of fun writing and drawing for it, even if it took 6+ months from start to finish ^^;). I love these three characters as a trio so much. It was really hard to pull out a quote I liked and have it make sense in context, so I put the summary in there... but since I brought it up in another post, I thought I'd share what one of my editing drafts looks like:

(ok, so maybe not the tiniest font imaginable, but sometimes there are cross-outs to the cross-outs and sometimes I DO run out of room near troublesome paragraphs and in the margins!)

Now, onto WIPs!

Hmm, well! That sure is a title, isn't it? ;) I wanted to write Junzumi and came up with this idea late last year, and finally started trying to figure it out. It's meant to be fun and flirty and a bit awkward, but the ultimate goal is to be kind to JP, because he (and his body) are given so little love overall. And even though JP and Zoe are not actually hooking up in this fic, it is meant to show the relationship between the two of them in college, and how they could start going from friendship to dating. There IS nudity, but it's meant to be tasteful and respectful, I promise!

Oof. I haven't forgotten this fic, I swear (even though I published Chapter 4 three years ago!). I got really excited to work on it earlier this year (flush with success from actually publishing something, rotfl!) and then let it continue to languish (orz). Upon reflection, the reason it's been stalled is I was having a hard time figuring out the flow of action, but after re-outlining it in September I think I know now what Maki needs to be doing in order to experience the emotions I always meant her to be feeling in this chapter. And yes, she and Meiko meet (yay!).

Chapter 6 has been done for YEARS, and Chapter 7's probably pretty close to done as well, so it really is just this chapter being the hold-up.

AKA, Garg Fic #1. Been mulling over ideas for fic for this fandom all summer, and finally decided to write one based on some minor characters from the SLG comics (that I didn't even read, and can't read now because they're out of print). But I AM reading the new Dark Ages comics, and I'm proving to be a really good guesser about certain details, so actually, I feel INCREDIBLY validated about my original vision and characterization, ahaha.

As you may be able to tell from the quote selection, this is not a happy story. But I believe it's a story worth telling. It's about preserving customs in the face of tragedy, and mourning, and extinction, and love.

AKA, the thing that pulled me away from writing Garg Fic #1. I was possessed. I was writing something in my head about Macbeth's relationship with Demona this summer, and suddenly (VERY suddenly) it morphed into this. Dang, but they're fun to think about. This fic is weird, it will contain one MAJOR narrative trope/cliche, and it's definitely going to be NSFW if I end up getting that far. But I reeeeeeally like this paragraph I wrote for it XD

Thanks for the template Zuz, and thanks to everyone else for letting me ramble about writing! See you again for the art roundup!

[cadriona]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @hua-fei-hua! Thanks for the tag lol

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

46 works! ...yall only see 39 because 7 are anon'd aoeighaoieh

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

537,345 so far!

3. what fandoms do you write for?

Predominantly genshin, although I've also poked at trigun, and naruto lol.

4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

*squints*

5 times Ningguang saved Beidou and the 1 time Beidou returned the favour, (Genshin), 1447

A Mora for a Myth in a Land filled with Legends (Genshin), 1146 kudos

[anon'd fic] (Naruto), ~630 kudos

Beidou walks off the gangplank (by accident, really) (Genshin), 454 kudos

Yelan: Spymaster, Gambler, Self-proclaimed matchmaker (Genshin), 384 kudos

5. do you respond to comments? why or why not?

I TRY TO!! haven't been able to recently because brain too tired and it's gotten so long that it uh. might be awkward if i randomly responded now, but i try to!! I love talking with readers and seeing what they think of the fic, and also sometimes it gives me an excuse to infodump worldbuilding or character building lmaooo

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Err, either one of two of the four MCD fics i have?? Two of them have ok, sorta hopeful endings, except two are just me waving a knife and cackling in the background aoieghoaiehga

7. what is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I'm tempted to say *most* have happy endings?? some take a bit to get there, but most should be happy! if they were to duke it out for happiest tho? i have no idea lol

8. do you get hate on fics?

Not really no! Or at least, none that stuck around in my head lmao

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

*points at a few of the anon'd fics* what kind? uhhh, depends??

10. do you write crossovers? what's the craziest one you've written?

Yea! I think I only have two up and one's anon'd because it was from way long ago, only had one chap and i don't want to look at it anymore, so i guess the default prize goes to the genshin x atla one where i yeet four liyue ladies into the elemental nations via reincarnation after teyvat gets murked by celestia and watch things go boom ehehehe... gods i need to actually finish writing that one orz

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

i hope not????

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

Yeah! I think there were two translated into Russian?

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

Lol nope, might be interested tho!

14. what's your all-time favorite ship?

BEIGUANG (they've had me by the throat for like, 3 years at this point)

15. what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

My first fic, aka the anon'd naruto one because i also want to rewrite it and orz (yes it was an si-oc and it recently did a little resurgence in my brain so. Ha. feel free to ask about it because i have so may Thoughts but its uh, its been a while and my writing style has completely changed since)

16. what are your writing strengths?

I'd like to say worldbuilding and fun metaphors/analogies! or maybe action scenes? and if i know the character well enough (*cough*beidou*cough*) then maybe characterization

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

I NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO STOP RAMBLING. brain starts yapping and it doesn't stop, and then i don't know what details to cut because everything starts looking important ahhhhhh (so probably pacing??)

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Depends! full dialogue? probably nah, since it sometimes breaks the flow, but a word here or there because it works better and people presumably know what it means? then yea! Might need to do some translations/linking shenanigans in the AN if i ever end up doing that tho

19. first fandom you wrote for?

Naruto LMFAOOO

20. favorite fic you've written?

I'd like to say mora for a myth, because its been a while since ive had that type of productivity and motivation? but honestly im not that sure lol

tagging: @yuniemaki, @lisascumslut78, @fishareglorious, @mireillexy, @bardigrade if yall feel like it, and anyone else that wants to give it a go :D

[rubychan228]

A decade of kitties, pt 2.

When we last left off, I had just adopted a cat, for the first time in over a decade, four days earlier. Well, 10 years ago today, my dad started blowing up my phone while I was at work. Turns out he had found a kitten!

The kitten was not in a great situation, but was otherwise healthy. And he wanted to know if I, having just gotten cat stuff, could take care of it for a few days while he found a new home for it. I think you can all see where this is going.

So, yeah, I then had two cats. His name is Ash. He is an absolute goofball, even when alseep...

...a huge pain the butt, and a massive, massive cuddlebug (like, I cannot stress enough how much this cat is velcro'ed to my side at almost all times).

He also, unlike, Boo he has caught his fair share of mice.........Caught. Not killed. orz

So, yeah, following an unfortunate incident where I had a second minor mouse problem, I would have Ash bringing me live mice, which he would then drop...at which point they would run...and he'd catch them again....and drop them again. Eventually, I would catch the mice in a towel or something and yeet them outside. And, eventually we got the problem sorted. Though, special mention does have to go to the time I got welcomed home from the hospital after being diagnosed with COVID by Ash putting a live fucking mouse in my purse. He's very, very lucky I love him to pieces.

(He did get a birthday dinner too, though I didn't get pictures of it.) Anyway, here's to at least another 10 years with him as well!

[midknightwritings]

Hiii I’m the one who requested the Switch shimeji and the one currently trying to make a Ritsu shimeji

I have come again to deliver a request..(if that’s alright with you. If you don’t like it or I broke some of the rules then please ignore or delete this)

Can I please request a Leo or Mika x Reader?

(I’m not exactly sure who the best character for this is and I just went with Leo/Mika since I love them a lot)

My Christmas party is tomorrow and I was wondering if you could make a oneshot or something of the Reader accidentally loosing the wishlist they got

In my school we decided to do wishlists this year where you write a codename and put 3 things you want that fit in the budget

(Although we have a lot of guys who just forget to put their size/measures for clothes or they list things that are wayyy over the set budget)

After that, you give your paper to the teacher and they scramble it all up and you have to pick one paper. If you get your own paper you have to put it back and choose another one then once you do you will (obviously) have a very short list that you can choose from

Anyways..The Christmas party is just in a few hours and Reader accidentally forgot to buy a gift from the list. When they were trying to look for the paper they realize that they accidentally threw it out a few days ago late at night

And now they have to ask their co-worker/best friend (Leo/Mika) to help them buy a gift in the hopes that they remember what was written in the paper and that it fits the budget

I apologize for making this so long I wanted it to be short but I’m just really bad at summarizing or making things shorter 😭🥲

Santa Mayhem

Synopsis : Secret Santa is always a fun experience especially when you get to give gifts to your fellow friends and co-workers! Yet, due to a grave mistake on your part, you lost your giftee's wishlist! Just as you felt like you were at a dead end, a certain someone decided to help you out.

Era : Music !!

Warning/s : Swearing / Use of “Angel” & “Lifesaver” (For Mika) / Can be interpreted as platonic or romantic

Mentioned Character/s : G/N!Reader / Mika

[ C/N ] = Coworker Name

Word Count : 2k+

A/N : SHIMEJI ANON I AM SO SORRY FOR THE MEGA DELAY ON THIS ONE 😭 I had to deal with a bunch of irl stuff that randomly appeared out of nowhere ue ue ue

But I picked Mika for this one if that’s ok with you 🥺 I hope you still enjoy this even though it’s basically almost the end of January 😭

Again, I’m really really sorry for the delay orz I HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOUR CHRISTMAS PARTY THO 💕

•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

“Fuck…” you breathed out a long, exaggerated whisper as you stared at your computer screen with wide eyes filled with horror. A small notification appeared on the side of your screen with the message “Christmas party this evening!!” and it’s safe to say that you completely forgot to go shopping for your giftee. Frantically digging around your pockets, you quietly cursed to yourself because you knew you had the paper in here somewhere.

‘Where is it?!’ you thought to yourself as you reflected back on the past few days for any possible clue. A small, “Ah…” escaped your lips as you froze on the spot. ‘I did my laundry two days ago…’ you groaned, closing your laptop and shoving it into your bag, before standing up and leaving your office.

‘Think [ Y/N ] think! Try to remember… What did [ C/N ] write in their list?’ you pondered, racking your memory for any sort of lead to help you with this conundrum. Yet, just as you were about to exit the lobby, you accidentally bumped into someone. Earning a quiet yelp from them in the process.

“I am so sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going.” you bowed and immediately apologized before you looked back up to meet a familiar pair of heterochromatic eyes. “It’s ok [ Y/N ] don’t worry ‘bout it.” Mika smiled, which immediately helped calm your nerves.

“Ya seem quite nervous, is somethin’ wrong?’ “Mika I’m doomed! I accidentally threw my giftee’s list when I did my laundry and I can’t remember what was on it… and now the party is in a few hours and I got nothing so I’m just freaking out and-” “Who did ya get?” “[ C/N ]...” “Ahhhh… Didn’t they say that they were gonna go on a vacation to the beach or somethin’? I remember them talkin’ about it-”

“MIKA YOU’RE AN ANGEL!” you exclaimed, making the black-haired idol jump from your sudden outburst before he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t do anythin’ though but I’m glad I was able to help ya.” You gave him a bright smile as you immediately took out your phone to check the time, sighing in defeat you furrowed your eyebrows in an attempt to come up with a plan.

“The closest shop that sells these things is around fifteen minutes away, then it’ll take me an hour or two to pick the right items… After that, the closest store that can wrap gifts is around ten minutes away which takes me to 5:00…” Mumbling to yourself, your shoulders slumped down as you couldn’t help but frown at your current predicament. Mika noticed this and felt a pang in his heart, laying a hand on your shoulder, you perked up and looked at him with a curious gaze.

“If ya need some help, I can go with ya! I know some shops that’re much closer n’ they sell stuff that’re all year ‘round!” Mika offered, making you look at him with worry. “But don’t you have practice? Valkyrie has a live coming up next week if I’m not mistaken?” you asked. You didn’t want to waste Mika’s time considering that you knew just how much time and effort both Mika and Shu put into their performances. Giving you a bright smile, Mika shook his head.

“It’ll be fine, Oshi-san and I finished practicin’ for today, so I got alotta free time now~” he explained, but noticing the worried glint in your eyes, Mika added, “I was actually just ‘boutta head back to my dorm before ya bumped into me. So don’t worry ‘bout it!”

A warm, comforting feeling enveloped you as you gave him a smile and hugged him. “Thank you so much Mika! You’re a lifesaver!” you exclaimed and, just before the black-haired male could react, you took his hand and pulled him towards the direction of the shopping district.

“Let's go!” “Nggah! [ Y/N ], slow down!”

──•~❉᯽❉~•──

After a while of dragging Mika around the sidewalks, you finally calmed down as the two of you were chatting about mundane topics, with your hands still linked to one another in a comfortable atmosphere. Just as you were telling a story, you suddenly got yanked as Mika stopped in his tracks.

Turning to face the idol, he gave you a smile and tilted his head towards the entrance of the store. “This was the store I was talkin’ about. Wanna take a look?” Nodding your head with a “Sure!” the two of you made your way into the store, and Mika was right!

Your view was immediately filled with various articles of clothing and products for every possible season. Spring, fall, winter… Hell, even summer?! This was perfect!

Silently thanking those who decided to not clear out the summer collection, you gently let go of Mika’s hand as you speed-ran towards a section that caught your eye, with Mika casually following you from behind. Looking through the racks of clothes, you hummed to yourself as you thought about the different scenarios your coworker might deal with in order to find the perfect gift.

‘If they’re going to the beach that means having something light-weight would be ideal…' you thought to yourself as your eyes immediately landed on a shawl. A small “Aha!” escaped your lips as you took it out of the rack, examining the cloth in the process.

As your fingers rubbed against the fabric, you furrowed your brows in contemplation. You weren’t necessarily that knowledgeable when it comes to fashion and clothes, so you were struggling to figure out if [ C/N ] would like this sort of texture.

You snapped out of your thoughts when a hand reached out and touched the fabric as well. “This fabric is a ‘lil bit too thin so it might rip easily. Is there anythin’ that’s a bit thicker?” Mika suggested, making you turn back to the rack and search.

“I’m not too sure… What about this one? Would this work?” “Nngh… That one’s too thick, they’re gonna get sweaty real quick. Plus black absorbs heat a lot more, so maybe try n’ find somethin’ lighter like white or pastels?”

“Ahhhh I see, I see… How about this?” Picking up another shawl, it was beige decorated with intricate geometric patterns across its edges. The colour of the shapes alternated between navy blue and hints of red and yellows which further compliments the overall design.

Running your fingers through the fabric, the texture was soft, smooth and thin which seemed to be exactly what you were looking for. Mika touched the cloth and hummed with content as he gave you a nod of approvement. “This is perfect!” he exclaimed, as a bright smile graced his features. His smile was contagious and you couldn’t help but smile back as you held the shawl close.

“Great! That’s one down! If my memory serves me right, I think they also wanted a beach towel... Do you remember them saying anything else about their vacation?” “Nnngh… Not so much, I just remember them talkin’ about the beach and… Oh! Actually, they said somethin’ about their dog ruinin’ their sandals!” “Alright, perfect! Let’s go get them a pair then! I was also thinking about getting them some office stationery in the bookstore before going to the gift-wrapping section!”

──•~❉᯽❉~•──

Time flies when you’re having fun, and that’s exactly what happened for the rest of your shopping spree! Having Mika by your side throughout this entire ordeal helped calm your nerves, and you swore you would’ve been much more stressed if you had to deal with this all alone. Not only that, but with Mika’s help, you were able to pick the right clothes and items that would not only match your coworker’s aesthetic, but also suit the destination they were going to visit.

With the bag of items in one hand, and swinging your other hand that held Mika’s, you both made your way towards the gift-wrapping section. “Ooo the wrappings are adorable!” you cooed, scanning through the colourful section of the store.

“Mika, think fast! Red, green, beige?” “Nngah?! Red!”

“Red it is~!” you happily exclaimed, grabbing a roll that was adorned with white and gold tree patterns before making your way towards the counter.

Mika chuckled at your cheerful demeanor as he couldn’t help but smile to himself. He was glad that you were finally feeling better because it pained him to see you stressed, and he was just glad that worked out in the end. Looking at his phone, his heterochromatic eyes widened in surprise.

“[ Y/N ]... We should really head back now…” Mika voiced, looking up towards you with nervousness laced in his tone. You turned your head and gave him a nod, seemingly oblivious to his nervous demeanor. “Yup! Give me two more minutes, they’re almost done~” you answered before turning back to watch the clerk.

You were seemingly entranced by the entire process, as the clerk continued to fold the paper cleanly and accurately and you didn’t notice Mika calling out to you, or that they were done, until the clerk’s voice snapped you out of it. Thanking the clerk with a smile, you carefully put the gift in your bag and glanced back at Mika.

“Ok, I’m all set~ How much time do we have left?” “Fifteen minutes…”

“FIFTEEN?!” you exclaimed, as Mika grabbed your wrist. Frantically nodding, you yelped as Mika pulled you towards the exit of the store before running at top speed back to the agency. You initially tripped over your steps the first few times as you struggled to match Mika’s speed, but the moment you were able to sync up with him, the dash back went a lot more smoothly.

──•~❉᯽❉~•──

Panting heavily, you placed your hands on your knees as you tried to compose yourself while Mika was seemingly not that tired. ‘Idols and their damn stamina…’ you playfully thought to yourself as you wiped the sweat off your forehead with the back of your hand.

The booming music accompanied by loud chatter escaped the open doors of the party room and echoed throughout the hallway. Through the drumming in your ears, you were able to make out the fact that the gift-giving session was just about to start. “At least we made it in time…” you muttered out in stuttered breaths.

As you were trying to recover, Mika carefully removed your gift from your bag and placed it on the gift table, and thankfully no one caught him in this act. Making his way back to you, you thanked him before a familiar coworker noticed your hunched over posture and immediately made their way towards you as well.

“Oh dear, [ Y/N ] are you alright?” they asked worryingly, but upon hearing their voice, you immediately perked up and stood straight. Surprisingly both [ C/N ] and Mika in the process.

“[ C/N ]~ It’s been a while, how are you?” you smiled, trying to sell a nonchalant attitude as if you didn’t just run a marathon two minutes ago. This little facade of yours made Mika quietly chuckle to himself while [ C/N ] didn’t seem to notice as the conversation continued like normal. That was, until it was finally time to open the gifts.

“Come on, the presents aren't gonna open themselves~” [ C/N ] joked, earning a giggle from you before you answered, “I’m fine for now! I wanna eat something before opening my present~ You can go ahead without me.” [ C/N ] nodded and looked at Mika, to which he replied with a similar reason. Nodding at the two of you, [ C/N ] made their way towards the gift table and began searching for their gift.

As you and Mika filled your plates with food, [ C/N ] immediately ran up towards you, their eyes shining with happiness as a wide smile was plastered on their features. “[ Y/N ] look at what my secret santa gave me! This is amazing! These are exactly what I wanted~” [ C/N ] exclaimed, as they carefully held all the items you bought.

A big smile formed on your lips as you breathed out a sigh of relief, “I’m so glad that you love them! I was actually your santa! Now you can go and enjoy your vacation~ Just don’t forget to send me some pictures.” you hummed, elbowing [ C/N ]’s side teasingly. Glancing at Mika, you gave him a soft smile as you mouthed “Thank you.” The smile he gave back told you that he got your message before he excused himself and made his way towards the gift table.

As you continued talking to [ C/N ], they eventually got caught up in another conversation with another co-worker, so you decided to excuse yourself and head towards an empty table to finish up your plate. As you ate, you felt a tap on your shoulder. Turning towards the source, you were greeted with a nervous Mika as he held a delicate, small wrapped box in his hands. Your eyes widened in surprise as you took the box from him.

“So you were my secret santa, hmmm~?” “Hehe yeah~ I hope ya like it!”

Mika watched as you unwrapped the gift and the moment your eyes landed on the items inside, you couldn’t help but let out an excited squeal.

“Thank you so much Mika! These are perfect!” you expressed, Mika chuckled happily as his eyes shone with excitement. “Yer still missin’ one more thing~ It’s inside over there.” Motioning to the box, you looked back down and removed the decorative paper before letting out the most excited cheer all day.

Placing all the other items on the table, you took the small teddy bear in your hands and held it high in the air like a child before hugging it close to your chest. “Mika this is the cutest, most precious lil’ buddy ever!” you gushed, admiring all the intricate details and sewing that you knew Mika worked so hard on.

Hearing him breathe a sigh of relief, you looked up at him as his golden and aqua eyes held a look of happiness and comfort within them.

“Merry Christmas [ Y/N ].”