#he is VERY hardworking

[ventique18]

Malleus Draconia: Masquerade (Chapter 2)

Link to Part 1 here

Diasomnia Dorm - Lounge

Malleus: A song... That sort of thing as thanks?

Azul: To merely dismiss it as "that sort of thing"... You don't seem to realize your own worth.

Azul: If the famous Malleus would exhibit a heart-rending performance at the exchange program...

Azul: It would be the highest honor for the host school Noble Bell College to witness.

Azul: It would also be a once-in-a-lifetime memory for all the participants of the exchange.

Azul: Compared to any half-hearted souvenir, this would definitely be a much more beautiful gift.

Sebek: Human... No, AZUL-SENPAI..!

Sebek: You really do understand the splendor of Lord Malleus! I've changed my opinion of you! You have a wonderful perspective!

Malleus: Hm. Is that so?

Sebek: Yes! If I, too, were to receive a song from Lord Malleus... I WOULD FEEL LIKE I HAVE ASCENDED TO HEAVEN!

Silver: I also like singing. If you sing with all your heart, you can easily convey your feelings to anyone.

Azul: Indeed. A song costs nothing, yet it leaves a moving impression. It's especially perfect for students to prepare...

Azul: It's the most cost-effective present there is!!

Lilia: And suddenly we're back to the harsh reality of the world... Well anyway, I also think a song is a good idea.

Lilia: If you can show how friendly you are by singing, even Malleus will find it easier to get along well with others.

Lilia: As for what song to perform at the City of Flowers' Noble Bell College... I can think of one.

Lilia: It's an old song passed down from generation to generation in the City of Flowers. They would enjoy a performance of a piece that locals love and know well.

Malleus: I see. Lilia, I would love to learn more about this piece of music.

Malleus: Silver, Sebek. I'd like you to gather the other participants of the exchange program.

Malleus: I've little experience working on music with a large group, therefore it'll surely be much more difficult to prepare than when I'm alone.

Malleus: Once the program has been decided and the parts allocated, we shall begin with practice... I'll be busy from now on until the departure date.

Azul: Indeed. Let's do our best!

-- Next Scene --

Azul: For this inexpensive gift of a song, I will be chosen as the main vocalist too. Everything's going according to plan, but...

Malleus: Ashengrotto. For this part, you were off by half a beat.

Malleus: I listened to the recording of our chorus earlier, and I don't think we blend well at the part where you sing with me.

Malleus: That's not good. Lilia said that harmony is important in the chorus.

Malleus: Perhaps I am the cause. We have to pinpoint any areas for improvement, so for that reason, let us start over from the top.

Azul: Wha-what amazing proactivity... This eagerness!

Azul: Even though I've also put together a practice program before, to start a lesson with strictness that exceeds even that... is beyond my expectations.

Malleus: Shroud, follow Lilia's example once more. Listen closely.

Lilia: The pitch here is like this: "Lalala~~~". Like that!

Idia: ............... a........... a......................

Malleus: What's wrong? Your voice won't come out.

Idia: N, no... Please rethink this..!

Idia: I-It took me so much effort just to get here, you know! Can't you at least praise me?!

Azul: You sure were able to drag yourself our of your room. I wonder if pigs would fall from the sky today too?

Idia: I wish a meteorite would just fall and cancel everything, you know.

Idia: I don't wanna be chosen as a main vocalist, so I was just talking to Ortho about how to avoid it...

Idia: But then Silver and Sebek just forced the door open! How dare you!

Idia: I didn't think top-notch security would lose to brute force! I'll have to upgrade that tonight.

Lilia: Kehehe... If you tighten your room's defense, then we'll just increase our offense.

Lilia: If Ignihyde has robust security, then Diasomnia has no shortage of firepower.

Malleus: Yes, Silver and Sebek, as well as the entirety of Diasomnia students...

Malleus: Until the exchange program ends, we must prioritize the success of this song. This is why I'm being strict.

Idia: So that's why the Diasomnia students were glaring at me wherever I go! Their housewarden is abusing his authority?!

Azul: So you didn't even skimp out on surveillance. That's true leadership.

Malleus: Now now. Everybody in this exchange program is an important part of this precious gift.

Malleus: And us main vocalists more so. Both of you are the most important part of this gift...

Malleus: Which is why you will not leave Diasomnia until you can sing the first verse perfectly.

Idia: He's serious..!

Idia: Even though I already don't wanna practice anymore, it's even harder to bear this level of tension!

Azul: Yes. And what's even worse is...

Lilia: Well then, let's stop with the chatter and get back to practicing. Since we'll be starting again from the top, let's have Malleus sing first.

Lilia: Music, start!

Malleus: Afraid of the dawn~

Malleus: Wishing again and again~~

Azul: Malleus... He's so good at singing!

Azul: It's not just his technique... He has the power to stir the heart of those who listen.

Idia: Aren't his facial expressions too good? Is vocal singing also a requirement in the education of the next King of Briar Valley?!

Lilia: It's true that in order to hone his creativity, he also received musical education in Briar Valley to some extent...

Lilia: But you seem to be much more exceptional than usual. You must have practiced a lot.

Malleus: Indeed. Everyday, I practice by myself for two hours after waking up, and then another two hours before retiring for the night.

Azul: If we're to sing along with Malleus, we have to be on par with his skills...

Azul: This isn't the time to settle for the usual practice. I have to put in the same effort!

Idia: Practicing with the entire group, practicing with the main vocalists, and then practicing alone for four hours..?!

Idia: Where do you get all that energy from..! When and how do you even sleep!

>> To be continued

Link to part 3

[sapphicyanli]

truly rare netflix w for casting the gayest person in the natla cast as zuko. literally couldnt get any better than this

[canisalbus]

When Machete became a cardinal, did his parents ever recognize him?

Machete's home village was on the other side of Italy (and separated by the sea no less) and it was small, relatively rural and remote. It's very unlikely many news about Holy See's happenings made their way there. I don't think his parents had any reason to expect to ever hear about him again, he seemed to be somewhat of a lost cause when they dropped him off.

[popponn]

there is something about how when anime official art gets yoichi right fashion wise it's always a comfy bf look like look at him

very fluffy. very huggable. i want to poke and pinch his cheeks. also he often has those lil blushies when he eats and for some reason it's cute. the gap moe between on field and off field is still something else to see each time i remember it. i love it ofc 💚 but it's still something else

[so-many-sainz]

just read a lot of silly opinions on the logan-franco-williams' move and let me tell you.....you guys KNOW NOTHING about franco's career

[wxxderbxrr]

don't tell me japan never thought of this at least ONCE in his lifetime.

bonus: germany getting concerned about japan's work ethic.

[enjoyerofstories]

I've been thinking for some time what nick's zodiac sign might be and I'm really curious what others' guesses are.

(this post turned out longer than i expected)

There are two possibilities on how his birthday will be revealed: like sel's (he or another character will say what month he was born in) or like bree's (his birthday will take place during the canon events). Now, I have a feeling (which could be wrong) that his birthday will occur in oathbound. The timeline for the third book will most probably be November-February (maybe March as well but I think that's a bit far-fetched) so this results in the following options for his zodiac sign (i excluded scorpio because tracy wouldn't assign him the same zodiac sign as bree's):

sagittarius

capricorn

aquarius

pisces

I'm too busy and too lazy to actually search about these zodiac signs but i've eliminated the sagittarius and aquarius options from the list (sagittarius because my best friend who knows more about astrology and who is a sagittarius herself said that sagittarius men are fuckboys and aquarius because i know an aquarius guy and he is the most arrogant person i've ever met). This doesn't mean nick can't be one of these two. My knowledge in astrology is limited and I'm basing my assumptions on what I've heard others say and my own experience.

That leaves capricorn and pisces. Well, i know next to nothing about pisces (tho i know like three people who are pisces i just didn't interact with them enough to form an opinion or see similarities) but i've met quite a lot of capricorns. They're hardworking and they usually have this subject they're very passionate about (for example, my cousin can talk about computers for hours and my aunt has hundreds of books about the english language and literature). I'm saying this because we know nick has been searching for ways to bring his mother's memories back which means he has the ability to thoroughly research something and he is disciplined. They're also friendly (tho they leave me with the impression that they're actually judging you internally). I cannot tell if nick would fit in this zodiac sign or not but there was this guy in middle school who was a capricorn that shared some (a lot) of nick's characteristics/traits.

Anyway, sorry for rambling so much. My assumption that his birthday will happen in oathbound might be entirely wrong so that leaves other options as well. I'm really curious what y'all think.

[hapigairu]

Some Cyril appreciation featuring his mom:

[fusionsprunt]

Hunter what the FUCK-

.

[somesecretpie]

Met an older Gen X guy at the car shop today. We talked about many interesting things such as:

-Why billionaires are very cool and good

-The economy

-The Paul McCartney is dead and they replaced him with a döppelganger conspiracy (he believed it was true but that it’s ok because the döppelgänger made some pretty good music.)

-Family trauma

-My ass-burgers (he has a family member who also has ass-burgers)

-Codename: Kids Next Door

[cobaltfluff]

more maid akirens because why not

[distortedmoondisc]

I think we as a fandom don't talk enough about Aira being Hiiro's fan—y'know, as an idol.

It might be because most people don't read the main story, or because it's not blatantly stated in there like other things, but it's something I think is a very unique facet about their relationship.

As we know, Aira separates his professional life and his personal life a lot. He will wait in line to shake hands with Hiyori Tomoe and buy a dozen CDs just to have a couple of extra minutes just talk to him, even though he can do this at any time since they're both idols living in the ES dorms and friends from the same circle.

And while this is admittedly silly from Aira's part, he truly sees this something serious and actually, he's kind of justified in thinking this way? He takes pride in being an idol otaku, and he wants to play as fair as possible with fellow fans, he doesn't want to take advantage of the fact that he's living and working alongside these super stars, and in my eyes that just shows how pure-hearted and honest he is.

With that in mind, it would be obvious to conclude that Aira would be a fan of his unitmates. He's definitely a fan of Tatsumi and Mayoi, but it's explicitly said in the MS that Aira is a fan of Hiiro.

This is from episode 89, "Grace"

(this episode may or may have not changed my brain chemistry forever lol)

Here, Aira makes the statement that he wants to protect Hiiro as an idol.

Hiiro is new to this world; he's a rookie, he's unpolished, far from perfect, but he's brimming with potential and he shines brightly on stage regardless of his imperfections — especially to Aira's eyes, and Aira wants to protect that, he wants to keep Hiiro's shine, and to help him grow and become the great idol Aira sees in him.

And I just can't express how much this means to me??? To their relationship??? This is why I can't understand people who say Aira doesn't care about Hiiro (these are opinions I've read way too often on twitter...), when Aira more than anyone wants to protect him not only as a person (like when he comforts him, cheers him up and motivates him after Rinne disowns him), but also as an idol. Aira trusts in Hiiro the idol. He sees his potential and he admires him deeply — not only as a fellow idol or as a friend, but as a fan.

And what gets me is the wording Aira uses here. He talks about wanting to protect Hiiro, to defend him. This is stated in another chapter and I don't remember exactly where (I believe it's one of the last episodes of the MS, but please correct me if I'm mistaken), but Aira states that he wants to protect Hiiro's purity — and this can be interpreted many ways, be it in that he wants to protect Hiiro's innocence as in his personality trait (his endearing naivety, his trusting and friendly nature, his endless curiosity, his earnestness and sincerity), or his purity as an idol, in the sense that because Hiiro is an idol, he has an appearance to keep, he has to be shining and to be pure and beautiful all the time (because that's the image idols give to the world, to their fans; the image that gives countless of people like Aira hope); this can include protecting Hiiro from the darker sides of the industry, such as toxic fans, unhealthy relationships with fame, corrupted producers or people from the industry, among other things. Aira seems to be aware of these issues (as he mentions in the second chapter of the main story, see below), so it makes sense that he wants to shield Hiiro, who knows absolutely nothing about this industry or the city, from those things.

Episode 24, "Suspicious"

And personally, I think Aira means both. He wants to protect Hiiro's purity as a person: he wants to protect the cheerful and positive Hiiro he knows and loves and admires (Aira himself states this. Multiple times. So much so that Aira often comments about how uncomfortable he feels when Hiiro is gloomy or troubled, that he is always the first to ask what is wrong or if something is bothering him.... but talking about Aira's high perceptiveness for Hiiro's emotions is a topic for another day) — but he also wants to protect Hiiro as an idol, wants to protect the immaculate image he gives to the world and to his fans, because Aira loves him, the same way he loves an idol from a fan standpoint. And he hopes that by protecting this purity, Hiiro will grow to be the talented and shining idol Aira knows he can be.

And what gets me is that after thinking of Hiiro this way, Aira snaps out of his self-deprecating thoughts and decides to give his best in the Ullambana (episode 89). Aira literally overcame his insecurities because of Hiiro. Thinking of having to do his best and keep working hard in order to keep up with him and with Alkaloid gave him the strength he needed to stop spiraling down his own insecurities and focus his efforts into something that was worth it: in keeping Alkaloid alive, and keeping Hiiro The Idol alive, because Aira believes he will become an idol that will soothe, delight and captivate hearts of many like Aira in the future — and Aira has to become an accomplished idol and a strong person if he is to be next to him on stage to protect him and to help him grow.

-

I say a lot, mostly jokingly between my friends, that Aira is the biggest HiiroP... but after writing this whole post, I realize I'm not so far off from this assumption. Aira loves Hiiro as a friend, we all know and understand that, but what is often overlooked is that Aira—who divides his professional and personal life so strictly—recognizes the rookie, unpolished, but talented Hiiro as an idol, and he wants to see him grow and succeed not only as his friend and unitmate, but also as a fan. Hiiro is so shining and wonderful on stage that it awakens the idol-ota instinct on Aira, it brings him back to his roots where he watched and admired idols from afar and inspired and soothed his lonely heart. And honestly? I think this is terribly wholesome, if not incredibly beautiful, and I'm getting emotional over hiiai once again, so I'm going to finish the essay here. Thanks for reading ahdjfk

[edwards-exploit]

After The Avalanche...

I think James deserves a win, so he manages to save Nia (and her crew. and in the human au, her engine) all by himself but I don't think he can get it back on the rails by himself. So when Yong Bao comes along and offers help I think he takes it. Far cry from the guy complaining about pulling goods trains yet getting huffy when Nia tries to help.

She notices, I think.

[noecoded]

Thoughts on your (our) wife in nightbringer so far? Im having normal thoughts about him :)

Asmo literally not giving a fuck that u and levi are abt to be excecuted is too much im going to get this guy. but ermm overall i think its interesting how they chose to expand on asmos character! i think people kindof forego seeing him as like an adult demon (from a non sex appeal standpoint, just in terms of maturity lvl) that can be like startlingly mature and emotionally differentiated at times, & really passionate and patient...i focus on a lot of his perceived "negative" qualities but i think he has a lot of very positive ones that nb highlights nicely between the horribly written dialogue and cringe characterization and ridiculous retconning

[lloydfrontera]

one of my favorite bits is javier spitting the worst insults he can come up with and lloyd just being >:3 because despite everything he says his approval rating with him didn't drop a single point <3 so like <33 sure <333 if it makes him feel better <3333

[whenthegoldrays]

💡