#i also have to finish reading all the manga i got for my birthday which was... a lot

[mushroomjar]

I need to read more yuriiiii I have so many recommendations written down but if anyone has any they'd like to share please do so

[eleni-cherie]

a thief's origin✨ || bts • kth - chapter 0.7

"you're afraid I won't wait." "I'm afraid you will."

a criminal and a doctor should be as different as the sun and the moon - but unexpected things happened every day. like him finding his safe haven in her.

© 2024 | eleni_cherie

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masterlist: here

— genre: thief au, gangster comedy, adventure, romcom, humour, angst, fluff, sexual tensiON, slowburn, mutual pining, strangers to friends to lovers s2f2l

ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE. CHARACTERS NOT NECESSARILY LIKE THE REAL PERSONS. ALSO VERY UNREALISTIC PLOT LOL - JUST PRETEND READING A MANGA/COMIC OR WATCHING A FILM, REALLY.

SUGGESTIVE THEMES. MENTIONS OF VIOLENCE & BLOOD (BUT NOTHING TOO GRAPHIC, IT'S STILL A COMEDY!)

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30th December Barcelona, Spain

There was no trace of snow in the foreseeable time and Cassandra's already gloomy mood only dropped more as she averted her eyes from the grey buildings outside.

If it was cold, it should at least snow, she believed. But she knew something like this was impossible for a city right at the mediterranean sea. The only thing they got there was humidity and gusty winds.

It was the day before New Year's eve. The second-last day of the year. One day and eleven hours more and it'd be the next year already.

It was a strange feeling considering to her it didn't feel like a year had passed already. The only evidence it did being the coldness outside that had suddenly picked up in the last two weeks. 

She returned to study a patient's file. Today would be another double-shift. Could be worse, at least she wasn't working the next two days.

After asking one of the nurses to give the patient 150mg codeine, she finished her round right on time for her lunch break. Already spotting Stella and one of the assistent surgeons and Stella's on-off-crush, Julio, sitting at a table in the far back of the cafeteria and bickering over something as usual. And Cassandra gave them a quick wave, signalising she'd seen and would join them, before going to pick her lunch. Her stomach was already rumbling when a different kind of buzzing caught her attention then. It was the phone in her pocket.

doc (6:30am): happy birthday, wherever you are :)

cool guy (1:12pm): you remembered! cool guy (1:12pm): thanks :P

Her lips instinctively curled up. It was Taehyung. 

It had been a week since they'd last spoken, which wasn't surprising considering he had a different kind of busy life.

At least he took time to ressurface at all. Kind of like a penpal, where she had to wait for his letter to arrive and respond before having to wait yet again. Especially since they were indeed one-sided penpals with him sending her postcards from all the places he visited.

She was used to it, but that didn't mean she wasn't worrying a little whenever a longer period of time passed with no trace of him. Unpredictable things could always occur, despite him and his friends being unmatched in what they did.

doc (1:14pm): ofc i did :O

After typing in her quick reply, she shoved it back into her pocket when it started buzzing again. Perplexed by the unexpected incoming call, she hesitated for a moment before eventually accepting it.

"Hey." 

She inhaled with a smile. Something about his smooth voice greeting her so cheerfully always making her a little weak.

"Hey, your timing's as great as ever," she giggled when the line moved and she took a step forward. Hearing his surprised 'Oh?'.

"To what do I owe the honour of this call?"

Taehyung could hear the smirk all the way through the line. Laughing under his breath.

"What do you mean? It's my birthday after all. So I deserve actually hearing your birthday wishes."

She bit back a laugh, having missed his silliness. "Happy birthday, cool guy. Was that all you called for?"

"Almost," he said, his tone turning gentle then,"I also wanted to hear how you were doing."

"Well, I.." she began but paused. 'Fine' was her first instinct, however, she concluded he'd most likely see through her blatant lie, because in all honestly she wasn't doing fine at all. So she settled for a more vague response. "..I'm a little tired. But otherwise everything's fine. How's it there?" She knew he'd never tell her where exactly in the world he was currently at, so she didn't even attempted to find out.

"It's.. yeah, it's great. We're working on something.." His voice faded then and Cassandra was about to carry the conversation to the turn of the year, when he spoke up again. His concerned tone taking her aback."You sure everything's fine?"

She swallowed. No matter how hard she tried, she'd always be an open book to him it seemed. Even when he was miles away. 

No, she thought, nothing's fine. I almost lost a patient because of bureaucracy, almost messed up a chest tube on another one, haven't properly slept in days, I'm gonna spend the turn of the year all alone and I'm an idiot because I miss you. 

She couldn't bring herself to let any of these words slip from her lips though. She didn't feel like making him feel bad and pity her when he was who-knew-where in the world right now and couldn't do anything for her misery anyway. Besides, she also didn't want to embarrass herself.

"Yeah, it's just, you know, work. It's not always that easy." This wasn't even a lie. But she felt he still wasn't completely sold on it. 

"Hm, you sure that's all?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because work's always tough for you but you sound more distressed than usual."

She froze. Did she? She didn't even notice anymore, but others obviously did. Or at least, Taehyung did. So with a sigh she gave in, elaborating more after all. "It does take a toll on me. And tomorrow's New Year's eve, which I can't celebrate with my family and I have no plans, which could be regarded as sad and pitiful by some, but hey! At least I'm not working like some colleagues, so can't complain." Her casual laugh to gloss over her gloominess probably sounded forced. And she licked over her dry lips. "I just didn't want to dump everything on you.. I know you're busy with your own work." Another small giggle getting automatically added at the last words, another poor attempt to save her pride. "Anyway, it's also a shame you can't see your birthday gift, you know? It's pretty mad after all."

"A mad gift, huh?" He played along with her sudden change of topics. Although he could sense there was more to her previous words. "And what gift?"

The line moved and it was almost her turn at the registry, "Never heard of a surprise? You've got to wait until coming here again."

Taehyung scoffed playfully on the other line. "Oh, that's how it is?"

"Of course."

"Alright. I'll hurry up then, I guess."

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31st December

Cassandra usually celebrated this day by playing cards and drinking with her family. Since it wasn't possible this year, she settled for eating a whole pizza by herself and watching one of her comfort shows. The perfect plan really.

It was past 10pm on New Year's Eve now and she was in the middle of her little rewatch party, when the sound of the door bell startled her and she paused the episode. 

Cassandra didn't expect seeing anyone that night. Especially since there were barely any hours left till the turn of the year.

A knock at the front door followed then, causing her to tense up even more. She wasn't a particularly fearful or easily scared person. However, due to the late hour and randomness her first instinct was to switch off all lights and remain quiet. Only when an annoyed and whiny: "Cas, open up already! It's cold!" was heard from behind the entrance door, her tense muscles finally relaxed.

The last person she had expected seeing standing in front of her door was Taehyung and yet, there he was. Doing just that with furrowed brows and an amused laugh.

"Were you hiding from me?"

"Wh.. no. No. Well, yeah, but I didn't know it was you," she defended herself with a small pout.

His cheeks were slightly flushed and raven hair tousled due to the harsh wind outside, hands shoved deeply into the pockets of his dark brown coat. He looked quite cuddly and inviting.

She instantly shook that thought away, though. Eyeing him suspiciously when also spotting the bare neck and open collar.

"And since when do you feel cold?" she sarcastically snorted then. A knowing smirk on her lips as she let him enter. Meeting his wide boyish grin.

"Maybe I fibbed a little there."

She laughed under her breath, shaking her head. "What are you even doing here? Thought you were working on a job."

"Well.." He let out an awkward laugh when a shiver crept up his skin. He might not freeze, but that didn't mean he wouldn't feel the coldness at all. Especially with the temperature difference inside there. "I don't know actually."

She took a step back to narrow her eyes at the taller man. A puzzled smile tucking on her lips as she tilted her head. "So did you just randomly come here all the way from wherevever you were?"

"It's just.." It sounded too silly, thinking about it now, but frankly, he simply had a feeling of her needing him. And he realised how completely irrational and odd it must sound if he said that out loud. So he stick with another excuse. "We were done with the job earlier than expected and wanted to take a little break, so.. might as well come to collect my birthday gift."

Cassandra blinked. Somehow she wasn't quite buying it. He never struck her as a guy who'd travel countries just for a simple gift. Especially since he should know it wasn't anything of value compared to the actual treasures they were hunting.

"Hope you don't have too high expectations of that gift, though," she mumbled with a coy smile as he followed her further inside, "Might get disappointed otherwise."

Taehyung shrugged with a cheerful, almost childlike grin. "A gift is a gift. I take what I get."

He observed her crunching down at other side of the living room to pick up a rather big square, wrapped in fancy paper, from her desk. She felt her fingers trembling all of a sudden, not having expected to see him this time around after all, so she hadn't had any time to mentally prepare to get embarrassed yet. And the few steps she walked back to him clearly weren't enough.

"It's nothing special, really. I mean, what do you get someone who can literally get anything he wants? But I hope it's not too terrible."

Cautiously, he accepted the object from her with a scowl. Her intention was to lower his expectations but all it did was hightening his curiosity, especially since he didn't have any clue what it could be. He'd appreciate it either way though, whatever it was.

"Happy belated birthday, Tae."

He tried not to rip the paper when opening it, but as it accidentally did, he gave up midway and just tore it off making Cassandra laugh amused at his childish eagerness. Only for her to bite down on her bottom lip and avoid his glance when he finally unwrapped it.

His expression softened, brown eyes grew round in astonishment.

"A painting." He looked up at her in awe. "You drew this?"

She shrugged nonchalantly, still not daring meeting his eyes. "You said you liked my drawings and.. you also said you'd like having one of yourself like, and I quote, 'one of these sleazy rich guys'," she added air-quotations for the dramatic effect. Her hands dropping to the side then. "I know considering you travel around from hideout to hideout, it's not practical, but.. I don't know, maybe if one day you do get that house of your own, you'll find some space for it." 

He hummed, his eyes preoccupied with the painting in his hands.

The detailed strokes, the soft-coloured paint. He wondered when she'd even found time to create it in between of sleeping and working. What amazed him the most, however, was the expression on his painted face. The look in his eyes. It tucked on something in his heart, the way she captured this brief moment of tranquility in them. He wondered if anyone else had ever noticed this kind of expression on him when not even he himself had.

That painting was how her eyes saw him. The way she saw him. And it was beautiful. It touched him how someone could see him like this. So.. human. Not a thief. Not a gunman. Just him.

He swallowed. His silent gaze wandered back to her then, catching her impatiently peeking at him as he was taking quite some time to silently gape at the present, increasing her insecurity about it.

He didn't understand why she was belittling herself so much when she didn't have to make him a gift in the first place.

"Thank you, Cassandra," he breathed eventually. His voice unintentionally cracked at the end as it came out hoarser than expected. She had almost missed it, so quiet that it was. But when she realised, her eyes slowly met his already smiling ones and all the nervousness she had felt before was suddenly swept away when seeing the sincerity in his face. He meant it.

She gave him a small nod in acknowledgment.

"Say.." he said then, taking another glance of the painting in his hands, "You said no plans tonight, right?"

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"Should you not avoid such crowded spaces?" Cassandra yelled over the loud background chatter of half-drunks. One of them bumping into her shoulder, his red glittery party hat slipping from his head and almost poking her cheek.

Spending the final hour of the year at platja del Somorrostro, one of Barcelona's busiest beaches, surrounded by a New Year's crowd of strangers brimming the entire area wasn't where she had expected to find herself at. 

And all because of Taehyung.

His dark waves peeked out from between a couple of people in front of her, him clearly not hearing her nor noticing her absence beside him and she squeezed herself through to reach for his sleeve not to lose sight of him again. He paused when feeling the tug and looked over his shoulder, catching Cassandra puffing out her cheeks. "Hey, wait for me!" she pouted and he laughed.

"Sorry, did you say anything?"

"Yeah, I asked if you shouldn't be avoiding such crowds."

They pushed through the mess and Taehyung made space for her to follow behind him as he navigated them to a low pavement wall, seperating the sand from the street.

They reached the uplifted sea promenade soon and he climbed onto it when spotting a gap between some chatty teenagers. Holding his hand out for her which she accepted, letting him pull her up.

"More the opposite," he clarified then as he let his eyes wander over the sea of funny party hats, chaplets and woolen beanies. He could bearly spot where the actual sea began and where the crowd ended. His eyes then returned to her with a cheeky grin. "The more people, the easier it is to get lost in the shuffle."

Cassandra could only smirk at this. "I assume that's your go-to tactic at heists as well?"

"Hm, maybe. Who knows," he reciprocated her smirk. Knowing exactly how riled up it'd get her whenever he stayed vague and not providing more info. He simply enjoyed teasing her too much to ever let go of it, besides the obvious benefits of her not knowing any details for her own safety.

To be fair, this New Year's Eve was also quite different from what he'd originally planned for it to look like. The original plan foresaw him and the guys to sneak into a yacht party at the coast of Alexandria - something he wouldn't tell her though.

Partially because he didn't want her to ask why he was missing it out, partially because he couldn't let her know any details.

Furthermore, he'd never been a man of big parties and celebrations anyway, everything always seeming shallow and blown-out-of-proportion to him. And that sense only intensified when sneaking into some fancy party to steal idiots' jewelery and money. So in a way, he also did it for himself and not only for her. Besides, if he acknowledged the influence she had on him to just ditch anything at the mere feeling of her needing him, he'd need to apologise to Jimin for all the times Taehyung had scolded him for doing the same exact thing for Arabella.

"I hope we can see the fireworks from here."

Her words interrupted his train of thoughts and he watched her tiptoeing beside him before setting her heels back down and taking a sip from the mojito bottle she'd bought at a convenience store earlier. Cheeks already rosy from the alcohol in her system due to being a light-weight.

He took a swing from his own bottle of red wine. "Don't worry, we got a clear sight up here."

Cassandra hummed, getting tired of standing she decided to sit down on the cold stone next to a woman with a blue wig. Wrapping her arms tightly around her angled legs and bringing them close to her body. The midnight air making her shiver under her coat.

"Oh!" she exclaimed then, holding her phone up.

He narrowed his eyes at the dim display. The clock said six more minutes to midnight. He glanced at his wrist then, making sure his watch said the same. It was precise after all, something necessary when doing a coup. And indeed, six more minutes.

Explained why people around them became more jittery.

"Do you have any New Year's resolution?"

He mused for a moment over her question. Flashing her a grin then. "Not getting caught. You?"

The red-head lightly laughed at this before shaking her head. "No, don't think I got any."

"Huh, didn't expect that," he blurted out and felt her inquiring eyes on him.

"Yeah? Why not?"

He shrugged. For a moment he contemplated how to phrase his disbelief, licking his lips shortly which had become dry in the low temperature. "You striked me like the kind of person who'd have a whole list of resolutions to be honest. That's all."

Cassandra blinked, taken aback as she indeed used to always have some kind of resolutions while growing up and this might've been the first time she didn't. Perhaps she was more obvious than she liked to admit after all. A dry laugh left her lips then.

"Well, I used to -"

"Knew it," he grinned triumphatically and took another sip from his drink, "What happened?"

"Nothing. I just realised none of my wishes or resolutions ever came true. So I stopped."

Four more minutes.

"But if you would have to do any, what would it be?"

She took a moment to genuinely think about it and hummed while doing so. Only obvious ones popping up in her mind. "I guess.. to successfully complete this training year, not lose my mind in the hospital and.." Her eyes lowered and she paused, smiling to herself in a sheepish manner. "The last one is a secret."

His brows arched, but he didn't press considering it must be private.

He looked down at his watch again. 

Two minutes.

Somewhere in the distance behind them someone had already started blaring firecrackers. The loud cracking roaring over the drunk slurring, yells and chatter of the people scattered around them on the sea promenade. As far as the eye could see, streets were completely filled with people choosing spending the turn of the year outside among strangers in the cold. Most didn't seem to mind, Cassandra being the only one shivering.

And Taehyung noticed, scooting closer to her in a poor attempt to shield her body from the wind which had pushed its way through after all.

It was quite unfair, she pouted to herself when leaning into Taehyung's shoulder, how she, with her onion-layers of clothes, thick coat, scarf and beanie, was still freezing while he was out there with nothing but a sweater and a thin coat doing just fine.

"Thirty seconds," he announced when looking at his watch again.

Cassandra tilted her head to take a glance as well. "Twenty."

He sensed her warm breath brushing over his exposed skin. The pink-tinted tip of her nose and cheeks contrasting her pale skin which was faintly glowing under the yellowish streetlamp's light further away.

Everyone around them began counting down at the top of their lungs then.

"Ten!"

"Nine!"

"Eight!"

Taehyung searched her eyes, seeing she was already smiling at him. And they held each other's gaze while continuing counting down with the crowd.

"Seven!"

"Six!"

Their smiles widened.

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

Fireworks errupted from the main square in the distance, splashes of colorful lights painting the black sky and illuminating the crowd with loud popping sound of explosives. The hooting party horns and cheers from the crowd jarred into a deafening wave and everyone fell into each other's arms.

And yet, despite the commotion by the boisterous mass of people, all Cassandra could see was the curve of Taehyung's bright smile. Losing herself in the glittering sparkles in his irises. Just for that moment, it felt as if it was only the two of them there.

"Happy New Year, Cassandra"

"Happy New Year, Taehyung."

They laughed lightly, breaking eye-contact and instead decided to watch the rest of the elaborate fireworks show and its golden rain when some odd - to him at least - customs caught his attention then. "Why're so many people kissing or eating grapes?"

Cassandra tore her eyes from the colourful shapes to briefly glance at him, redirecting them to the night sky again. "New year's traditions. People eat twelve grapes for each month for good luck. Or kiss to save themselves from a year of loneliness."

He seemed intrigued by this. "Are there more?"

"Not sure, I don't believe in this superstitions."

He huffed a laugh at her bolt claim. "Says the girl who bought a lucky charm to a heist with her."

Gasping, she averted her eyes from the fireworks again only to face his shit-eating grin. "T-that's something different. It was my emotional support!"

Taehyung only arched a brow, continuing giving her a doubtful look. Much to her annoyance. "No, I mean it. I don't believe in these New Year's traditions. Or at least I try not to but, who knows.." A rueful smile ghosting over her lips. ".. maybe that's why none of my New Year's wishes ever comes true."

Taehyung looked at her indeciphable expression before looking back at the firework.

"What about you?" She assumed to already know his answer but she was still prying to know.

"I'm superstitious. A little bit at least."

She smiled softly, somehow not being surprised at all. "Oh yeah?"

"I need to, sometimes it's a matter of luck. Especially in what we do." He threw his head back in gleeful joy as another set of fireworks was fired. A cheeky smirk gracing his lips then. "And don't they say luck and timing is everything you need?"

She agreed. Even in medicine where everything was scientific and empirist, they still often had to rely on luck and hope. When it came to a therapy or medication to work or when the surgeons needed to wear their own lucky charms to boost their confidence and succeed in a difficult surgery. But it also depended heavily on the patients themselves, if they believed in it or not.

She laughed under her breath. It was a laugh of self-pity as she felt she neither had luck nor timing. At least not in the way she wanted to. And she emptied her bottle in a swing. A feeling of fizziness and light-headness overtaking her mind.

"You know what?" she blurted out after a short while and giggled highly bemused, "We should kiss for good luck!"

Usually she'd know despite the bubbling feelings for her criminal friend, which she still tried convincing herself didn't exist, that kissing him while being tipsy probably wasn't a good start for anything. But any rationality was clearly last seen 0.5l of mojito mix prior, the very few enzymes she apparently had to break down alcohol, already saturated awhile ago. So her intoxicated mind simply found that sudden idea marvelous and entertaining. She'd never get a proper kiss from him anyway - or any guy in the forseeable future with her work schedules - might as well make him her platonic and amicable New Year's kiss in a desperate attempt for any kind of good luck for that upcoming year.

Taehyung, however, only chuckled when seeing her flushed red cheeks and the empty bottle. Not taking her random request seriously until he saw her face turning into an offended sulk. Bottom lip sticking out. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah, it's the tradition!" she pouted, "I don't want a year of loneliness. So you gotta kiss me!" She had an adorable, almost naive giggle decorating her puffy lips. And for a second his eyes lingered on them before eventually shaking his head.

"I don't think -"

"Then don't think," she grinned. "Let's just do this. Just a quick peck."

"Okay, fine," he dragged a sigh, surprised at himself for giving in so quickly when he and Yoongi always accused Jimin of getting easily wrapped around pretty women's fingers. "O-only 'cause I really don't want you to end up a lonely cat-lady though."

Rolling her eyes, she puffed out a snort. "Thank you. That'd be very kind of you!"

She turned her body fully towards him then, head getting dizzy at her abrupt movement.

Why was he even considering this? Oh yeah, to do her a favour. 

Emptying his own small bottle of wine, he also shifted in his seat before taking a brief look around them.

Kissing in public usually wasn't his style, but this could hardly be considered public as they were practically unnoticable in the amount of people around them. And besides, there'd been several others, whether friends or couples, who had exchanged pecks at the stroke of midnight.

So he exhaled and placed his hands on her arms, holding her in place so she wouldn't accidentally lose her balance as she was already swaying with a silly smile. 

"Alright."

"Mhh, do it."

"I-I'm doing it."

"Fine, then do it."

His skin felt on fire. He shouldn't have drunk that much. He might not be a light-weight like her, but he wasn't a big drinker either.

"Just kiss me already," she began whining impatiently, wiggling under his grip. A couple of loose curls falling from the side and framing her face while doing so. "Or I'll be a bigger loner than I already am."

He frowned with a snort. "That's emotional blackmail," he deadpanned then in an attempt to distract from his irrational nervousness.

But Cassandra immediately paused staring at him wide-eyed as if someone had slapped her and she only now realised where she was and what she was doing.

With an awkward laugh, her eyes fell to the space between them. Perhaps the buzz was beginning to wear off or it was a moment of clarity, but she realised it was pointless if she had to force him. Perhaps that would even give her bad luck in the end. And she already had enough of that.

She shook her head, embarrassed of her tipsy self. "Y-you're right. Forget it. It's a stupid tradition anyway. Can't remember the last time I kissed anyone on New Year's."

His brows furrowed at her sudden change of mind. "No, it's fine. I'm gonna do it."

"No, seriously. We don't have to," she ensured him, her words muffled from her woolen scarf as she tried burying her face in it. Cursing herself from minutes ago for even speaking out that rash nonsense.

However, Taehyung's grip around her upper arms only tightened. Making her grow stiff under his stare.

"I said I would and I keep my word." His voice was calm yet determined, which surprised him considering his hesitation and she dragged a breath, straightening herself under his hands. 

Was it weird that she didn't feel nervous despite it all? Probably. She blamed her low cogitation and the knowledge it wouldn't have any romantic significance anyway. Just friends following a tradition like many others around them.

"Fine, let's go."

He swallowed as he met her warm orbs. And he began fidgeting all over again. "Alright, okay, great. That's what I'm gonna do."

"All right."

His hands left her arms, instead placing themselves around her delicate neck and caging her velvety curls in his palms. A light shiver ran down her spine and she wasn't sure if it was the coldness of his fingers or the warmth of his touch. It was firm yet tender and she sensed her pulse picking up in rate with each passing second.

"Okay, ready?"

Cassandra only nodded, unable to speak all of a sudden. Maybe she wasn't drunk enough to stop her feelings and thoughts taking over her senses after all. 

Her eyes flicked to his heart-shaped lips before making the stupid mistake of glancing back at him and meeting his eyes. His face was open and vulnerable in the streetlamps and fireworks above them and she caught a hint of wonder on it as they stared at each other. Slowly, he began leaning closer. And she swallowed down the tiny gasp that dared escaping her lips.

"One, two.." He paused then, scowling at himself. "No, wait. I'm not actually gonna count down."

"O-okay."

"That's not my style when I kiss."

"Okay."

"I don't count d-"

"Tae, it's fine," Cassandra giggled, interrupting his ramble. She'd never seen him ramble before. Was he.. flustered? She'd always imagined him kissing lots of women in disguise. Even if he always claimed not even Jimin, the actual flirtatious among them, did that.

The thumbs on her cheek gently brushed the stray strands aside then. His eyes shifting to hers again. The last fireworks sparkled in them and for a moment his heart forgot how to beat.

"R-ready?"

"Yeah," she breathed.

He closed his eyes, his face coming close. A deep crease set between his brows then, making his face look rather angry for a kiss. And her tipsy mind ultimately lost focus upon that hilarious realisation.

"What's this face!" she bursted out laughing, unable to contain herself and he backed off, irritated about her laughing fit.

"W-what face?"

"You can't make that face when you try kissing someone," she choked out in between of laughs while pointing at him.

"Oh, so you say something's wrong with my face now?" Taehyung only scoffed, somehow glad about the interruption though. He wondered if his fingers were actually shaking or if it was from the vibrations of her laughter.

"No, idiot! You're handsome and you know it!"

Startled at the unexpected compliment, a timid smirk tucked on his lips at her drunm words. His chest warming despite him downplaying the muddled feeling that was raising. "Oh, so you think I'm handsome now?"

She groaned in annoyance, lightly hitting his chest over the coat. "Don't pretend."

"So, do you want me to kiss you or not?" His teasing smirk returning.

"Maybe if you didn't make that face."

"That's very nice of you considering I'm doing you a favor here," he laughed under his breath. Not remembering any woman having ever made him laugh so much despite complimenting and confusing him at the same time. 

Cassandra inhaled and exhaled deeply, calming himself again somehow. "Alright, let's do this already. No big deal," she nodded to herself, sternly, "Just kiss me."

"Nope."

She gasped at his evil grin. "You were about to, though!"

Taehyung only shrugged unimpressed and abruptly let go of her. "Yeah, before you bruised my ego," he retorted simply, causing her to huff.

"C'mon," she nudged his arm, "I'm sorry. I promise I won't laugh again."

"Apology accepted. But I'm not gonna kiss you." His lopsided smirk torturous, making her frustration grow.

"You're making such a big deal out of it, just kiss me already!"

"I'm not gonna kiss you!"

"Kiss me!"

"No! Not like this!"

Cassandra paused. Her parted lips, ready to counter something back in their bickering, abruptly pressed together into a thin line when processing his last words. She stared at his now bewildered face when he also realised what he had just unintentionally confessed.

"What?" she blinked confused, "What does that mean?"

Taehyung's eyes were wide, panic clouding his mind. "No. No-nothing. I just, I didn't mean it like that," he began with a terrible stutter the longer he looked at her inquiring eyes.

It didn't make sense. He was always capable of staying cool-headed even in stressful situation. It was inevitable in heists and when being in diguise. Then why did he totally blank out with the way her warm bambi eyes were digging daggers into his as the seconds passed. "I just, I mean we can't like that because that's not - it's very - like, you don't.. That's not what -" 

But Cassandra didn't even seem to be listening anymore, staring absendmindedly up at the sky instead, being clearly still tipsy and all over the place - he could tell.

Taehyung stilled then. The beanie was pulled to her brows, scarf hiding half her face. Only her round eyes peeked out, holding a lovely innocent wonder in them.

It was irrational. It was scary. How it was more thrilling celebrating with her and cheap wine from a 24/7 store at the beach, than being in an expensive smoking on a yacht surrounded by millionairs while drinking the most expensive champagne.

Cassandra abruptly shook herself out of her short abstraction then and flashed him a smile. 

"Come, let's leave or you wanna get hypothermia?" She was joking, but he noticed her anew shivering and he realised she must still be cold. 

"Y-yeah, let's go."

»»»

The new year was only a couple of hours old. Quite early to go home for most, but Cassandra felt exhausted despite having completely sobered up by now. Much to her own dismay, she wasn't the night owl she'd used to be anymore.

The air felt colder when she turned into her street. The way home taking longer than expected due to what it seemed half of the city being out on the streets and traffic jams everywhere. Lines of cars, impatiently honking and only moving for a few centimetres before having to stop again.

Taehyung followed behind her, wanting to fetch his gift before leaving the city again. It wasn't unusual for him to only stay for a day there before having to move again, but somehow she'd hoped he'd stay longer. 

The night breeze hit his warm cheeks as they reached the front door and she fumbled with the keys in the dark. Eventually finding the right one and unlocking the door, allowing them both to enter.

The painting was on the coffee table where he'd left it. He picked it up, examining it one more time in silence before tucking it under his arm and heading back to where she was in the hallway. Still busy taking off her shoes and jacket.

"Thanks again for this," he smiled gently and watched her lowering the beanie, ruffling through her curls to give them some of their lost volume back. "I'll make sure to store it in a save place." His voice was almost a whisper when he attempted to open the door, only to sense her tugging at his coat.

"Wait, I-" She pursed her lips, gaze falling as she saw his questioning glance. "I wanted to say thank you for spending the turn of the year with me.. I appreciate you coming all the way here so I wouldn't be lonely tonight."

His lips parted, taken aback. Had it been so obvious after all? However, he chose to pretend being confused and not knowing what she meant instead. "Who says that was my reason?"

Cassandra shrugged, lips curling into a rueful smile. "Maybe I just wished it was.. Whatever it was, still thank you. And I'm sorry."

Taehyung frowned. Gaze falling as well. "No need to apologise," he muttered, instinctively knowing what she was referring to. He swallowed then, shoving his free hand into his pocket. 

In retrospective, it hadn't been such a big deal and yet, he was glad he hadn't proceeded to kiss her like that. He knew he'd have regretted in the long run.

"I feel like it, though," Cassandra continued then with a sigh, "I feel so stupid. I shouldn't have insisted on keeping a tradition. Especially since I don't even believe in supersticious stuff."

He eyed her with a doubtful look, making her roll her eyes and sigh in defeat.

"Fine, I do. Sometimes. Some stuff. Not all."

He chuckled lightly making her smile.

Truth was, Cassandra was disappointed in herself for getting so weak and desperate, putting him in such a position and creating this awkward tension between them.

"Tae, you didn't have to kiss me." She felt like she needed to underline this. Her voice small and filled with guilt and shame. "Please, don't feel bad."

"I know, don't worry," he reassured before they grew quiet. 

In times like this she really disliked his withdrawn and secretive personality. Usually his aloof and coy aura intrigued her, but right now she needed him to speak to her. And the fact he didn't, made her fidgety.

They stood there for a second longer. 

Faint music was echoing from somewhere in the building while the piercing sound of lonely firecrackers was heard from the streets.

"Well, okay good then.. goodnight. And Happy New Year again." She tried sounding cheerful, masking her regret of screwing things over in her irrational state.

She wouldn't see him again for an indefinite period and that was how they'd be parting ways now. She hated herself from two hours ago.

Dragging out a breath, she reached for the door handle to let him out when a grip on her elbow prevented her from doing so. 

Taehyung grabbed her arm and in a swift move, pulled Cassandra into his chest. Strong arms catching her, wrapping around her smaller figure and before she could even properly react, his lips had already engulfed hers.

That was it. All the self-control she'd exerted over the past months went straight out the window in that moment. Her neurological system completely shutting down by the overload of neurotransmitters, hormones and endorphines, simply swiping her mind blank with the only remaining thought being how incredible his warm lips felt against hers.

Her arms instinctively found their way around his neck to pull him even closer. Feeling the cold metal of his necklace against her fingertips. And she kissed him back fiercely, Taehyung wounding his hands more into her long hair at this. It curled around his fingers, silky and fluffy and for a moment he lost any sense of time or his surroundings when all he could feel was the vibration of her skin against his and the bewitching rum-lime taste of her lips full of unspoken feelings and endless promises. 

Their lips moved, molding, melting into one another. Whatever logic and reason there had been, had long gone away. There was nothing left but their intertwined lips and breaths.

Eventually, they slipped from each other after what felt like an eternity but could have only been a minute. Panting against each other.

Their eyes remained closed, not daring opening and letting that moment ending in smoke so soon. Taehyung rested his dazed forehead against hers and leaned in. Planting one last kiss on her lips, this time less heated but rather tender and mellow. Savioring the last bit of the sour-tasting liquor mixed with his sweet wine. And Cassandra leaned into him more before they let go of each other at last.

Her eyes fluttered open immediately, dark lashes lining against her pale skin in a state of surreal haze. He wasn't sure if she'd ever looked more beautiful as in that moment, right after he'd kissed her and he felt the urge to do it again at this sight. 

"I meant something like that."

With that, he stepped back and picked up the painting from where he'd set it on the ground. Brushing past her. And he left without saying anything else.

Cassandra stood there in the empty hallway, stunned. Everything around her was spinning and she feared she was intoxicated all over again.

Her fingers slowly rose then to touch her numb lips. Ensuring they were still there. Along with the lasting sense of Taehyung's touch.

Her New Year's wish had finally come true.

»»»

next chapter: 0.8 here

Don't forget to like, comment & leave feedback!♡ It motivates me to keep writing :)

taglist: @lilanyxta @naoolammao345 @memna234 @tetehion @myblacklilame

[kimbapisnotsushi]

it's akaashi's birthday!!! you guys know what that means!!!!!!!!!! have some timeskip special headcanons about akaashi and co. let's go!!!!

i think akaashi deserves a spin-off about his misadventures in the manga department honestly

gekkan shoujo nozaki kun. sekaiichi hatsukoi. bakuman. there is a lesson to be learned here people!!!!!

tenma gifts him a planner for his birthday and the first thing he does after opening it is mark all of tenma's deadlines. which he also has recorded in his phone calendar. AND he has them memorized. AND on sticky notes scattered throughout the office

tenma: you know i got you this planner so that you wouldn't have to put sticky notes everywhere, right? akaashi, sleep-deprived and running on five cups of coffee: time waits for no one, udai-san

the office has a special "akaashi keiji emergency rest kit" for when he falls asleep at his desk

it's got a blanket if it's cold, a pillow they tuck under his head, a bottle of water and snacks they leave next to him if he gets hungry/thirsty when he wakes up, and an eye mask that they put on him after they take off his glasses

idk i think the whole office really loves akaashi

and he really loves them back!!!! they're a team!!! they work together!!!! deadlines might be hell but at least it's a hell they're united in!!!

akaashi finding love and contentment and happiness in a place he initially wasn't sure about is everything to me okay

also i think he wingmans tenma and akiteru. i think it'd be very funny.

akaashi knows it's bad when he catches tenma drafting a whole new romance plot and he's like "udai-san. please. you have something due in five days you canNOT be doing this right now"

honestly akaashi just wants them to get together so that tenma will stop being dreamy and distracted and ACTUALLY focus on getting his manuscript done on time

and then they DO get together and akaashi is subjected to even more dreamy sighs and staring off into the distance and whatnot

tenma is such a disaster you guys i love him

ALSO YOU KNOW HOW MANGAKAS HAVE A LIL MASCOT TO REPRESENT THEMSELVES IN THE AUTHOR'S NOTE. TENMA'S IS DEFINITELY SOME KIND OF CROW

someone asks tenma if he has a favorite pro vball player and tenma says "hinata shouyou" with the BIGGEST smile on his face and hinata almost cries

LMAO HOW FUNNY WOULD IT BE IF KENMA OFFERED TO BANKROLL AND DEVELOP A ZOMBIE KNIGHTS VIDEO GAME

i mean i barely even know what zkz is about but based on the title i feel like it'd make a good video game

yachi can help design . . . lev and komi can voice act . . . yes . . . it's all coming together . . .

NEVER MIND I KNOW WHAT IT IS I READ A TRANSLATION OF THE LIGHT NOVEL IN THE MIDDLE OF WRITING THIS

he wrote zkz in a restaurant are you SHITTING me udai tenma i love you

so apparently it got discontinued?? instead of allowing tenma to finish it the way he wanted?? so when tenma hears that kenma wants to make a video game out of it he ends up in tears

kenma's like "well it might have failed as a manga. but i think it'd make a pretty good video game, if you want to help out with that"

god everything about it makes me want to cry actually. tenma who is still chasing after his dreams. and akaashi right there, learning how to be better. learning how to be passionate. learning how to give tenma his all. because he's TENMA'S editor and he'll be damned if he doesn't do it well.

udai tenma in an interview about meteo attack: "yes, i am sad i didn't get a chance to end zkz in a way that would have made me happy. it was my first series, and that's always going to be precious to me. but meteo attack is one i'm looking forward to. it's a story about learning how to fly, when everybody else has long since been trampling on your wings and telling you that you can't."

sorry i did NOT mean to get this emotional over them. but now i am. and i am going to be thinking about it forever

meteo attack def gets raving reviews from players in the pro volleyball league, especially from hinata shouyou

[mossmittens]

3, 5, 12, 13 14 for the Ask Game

This one is LONG, sorry all

3. Favorite musical artist / group you started listening to this year?

I'd heard RAYE and Escapism before this year, but I finally started digging into her music for real and was so pleased. Her live performances are magical. Highly recommend her medley at the Brits — the bridge from Ice Cream Man is an earworm that puts me on the floor and the CHOIR for Prada and Escapism. I want to live in it. Maybe I relate to this album too much to be healthy sjkhgfkjgd

Other songs I loved: Josephine Oniyama - House of Mirrors, Labi Siffre - Bless the Telephone, Kacey Musgraves - camera roll, Bob Dylan - Knocking on Heaven's Door, Troye Sivan - Rager teenager!, Sufjan Stevens - Will Anybody Ever Love Me?

5. TV show of the year?

I mean, the Delicious in Dungeon anime coming out this year defined the year for me, so it must be that. I wouldn't have read the manga if the show hadn't swept me away. Genuinely, it is impossible to guess the person I would be today if I hadn't seen it, which feels crazy.

12. Talk about a new friend you made this year

This is like a part 2 to the previous question djghfhjd. I absolutely refuse to choose just one, though. I found a core group of fandom friends that I really adore. Pompoms, making stupid emojis and edits just to make them laugh, forcing them to stream video games for my amusement while I very loudly eat sandwiches into the mic, stupid in-jokes we can't possibly explain without sounding insane. It's a complete pleasure to know them 💞 mwah mwah mwah to you all

But that's not all! I started talking to mutuals I've had for years and made some new ones. I've never really talked to people here before and I always felt like I was shouting into the void. It's been a nice change of pace and I love my little circle to bits.

Sorry for the long-winded answer, but I have so many warm feelings rn!

FYI: My backup accounts are @moss-mittens or @mossmittens2 (for dunmeshi stuff), if you would like to follow them. Won't be posting there unless I get nuked again, so don't worry about double posting. Also happy to share my Discord with moots :)

13. How was your birthday this year?

It was actually a shit day in the moment, but it turned out to be a really special memory. My whole family visited my grandpa, who I share a birthday with. He had a big health scare last December, so we were worried about him not making it to his birthday but he did!!

What makes it special is that he winded up passing two weeks ago. He was my favorite out of an army of grandparents, step-grandparents, ex-step-grandparents. I'm so lucky that I got to spend one last birthday with him, so I'm gonna treasure that stupid, awful day forever.

14. Favorite book you read this year?

A Curious History of Sex by Kate Lister is a complete joy, though I admit I haven't finished it. It's more of a collection of essays on selected parts of sex history than a wide-ranging deep dive, but the writing is easy to get through. It's very sex positive and sex work positive.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, I reread The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. It's a mystery written for children and you can probably get through it in an afternoon. It's just a wonderful and well-constructed story. Highly recommend to people who like to read a mystery and don't try to solve it haha

[epickiya722]

Hi Kiya, hope you are doing well.

What inspired you to come up with the concept and ideas for the Star's Rebirth AU?

I'm doing fine, thank you! I low-key having been neglecting my sleep but I'm now back on track!ദ്ദി ( ᵔ ᗜ ᵔ )

Oooh, I was asked a similar question before! But I'd like to talk about it again.

The first story, His Role, was just a story I wrote on a whim. I was going though an emotional period and needed to get my feelings together and distract myself. I started writing that story and somehow it became a 17K+ fic that begun a series of the idea of "what if Yuji was Tengen's vessel".

I also wanted to write more interactions between Kenjaku and Yuji and also try out the "Sukuna and Yuji are twins" concept.

Which before I really got into writing the AU was already a post I was working on, you can read that here.

After His Role, I actually didn't think I would turn it into a series. But I was a lot more invested than I thought!

While that fic was Yuji becoming Tengen's vessel, the following stories were exploring him and the others adjusting to the new changes.

His Mercy and Her Tears are both birthday fics! His Mercy is for Yuji's birthday. In that fic, I touch on some ideas I had in mind. The fic is like a story made up of smaller ones. The characters celebrate Yuji's 16th birthday and then other things happen, most of which are discussions between characters.

I knew I wanted to write a fic for Yuji's birthday, but I didn't have a clue as to what should happen in the fic.

Unlike the former, Her Tears is of an idea I had in mind for a long time and it wasn't until Nobara's birthday came around that I wrote it. It also doesn't take place on Nobara's birthday. Instead, it's more of Nobara reconnecting with some important people in her life while out one day.

His Mother, that takes place after His Mercy, and Her Weightlessness are both fics where I explore Kaori's character, the latter being a fic that explores Kaori's made-up backstory before the narrative of JJK took place.

In canon, the most we know very little of her and I decided to take a stab at conjuring an image of what she could have been like. I headcanon that Yuji would have gotten his personality from her.

If you asked me, I can see Yuji being a mama's boy. Like, he and Kaori have a good relationship and are like two peas in a pod. So similar in behavior that even though he looks like the men in his family, Yuji is like Kaori's mini-me.

Then there's His Following! That fic actually was going to a long one shot with His Mercy, however, I had a feeling I wasn't going to finish that version in time for Yuji's birthday. So I scrapped the idea and used it for what is His Following, a fic that should be multi-chaptered.

I had a thought one day about the possibility of Sukuna having a "fan club", like the Star Religious Group, in modern time and used that to develop the plot.

I also wanted to have my own JJK OC to write for. Asahi, I didn't have a last name for her until I thought "it would be funny if she was a Gojo". I had everything else in mind for her but that until then. (Feel free to ask more about her if you want, folks.)

While I love her, I'm not actually sure how everyone else feels about her. I don't think anyone has really said anything, but it's whatever.

Once I decided to make her a Gojo, I immediately opted to make her a sibling to Gojo. I often see sibling OCs for him. Instead, I made her a cousin of sorts to him and older. She's like that cool older cousin/aunt.

There's also The Pink Sky and Cherry Blossoms.

That fic actually wasn't a part of the AU until I decided to add Uro to the AU. The fic explores her, how she feels. I really enjoys Uro in the manga and just felt it was only right to write a fic for her and where she interacts with my other pink haired fave, Yuji.

It was definitely a challenge to write that fic, it was. But sometimes I like to challenge myself.

And that's all I have to say for the AU!!

Overall, the AU was just another one of my "what crazy idea Kiya will cook up this time" moments.

I'm surprised people have read the fics, too. I thought people wouldn't have taken to them, but I had a pleasant surprise there!

Fic Backstory Ask

[koalaforlife]

Happy Birthday, Hange Zoë

This is a story of how Hange became one of my favorite characters now after so long, and how I think they are one of the most underrated characters, always pushed aside (probably due to a lack of an emotional backstory and lack of the relatability factor). 

For starters, I will note that I will most likely end up referring to them as she/her because in my mind (thanks to the anime), I can’t help but see this character as a female and honestly, I’ve been struggling for Idk, all my life? to find a female character in any media that ticks all the boxes for me (I have plenty of ultimate faves in terms of male characters instead) and to my utmost surprise now, I think Hange just might be the one so allow me to fulfil my long-time desire of finding a great female character that I can call my ultimate favorite.

Also, it's important to mention that for the longest time, my favorite AoT characters had been Levi (ultimate bias) with Erwin coming in a veeeery close second. 

Let me start with the beginning. When I first saw her in the first season of SnK, the exaggerated reactions that were meant to be comic relief only made this “mad/obsessed” character more cringe to me. Not to say I hated them, I just…got second-hand embarrassment from watching them. I didn’t quite get a good grasp of the character and probably like 90% of the fandom, I just saw them as just another character fading in and out of the background, that at times helps the plot advance with some new bits of info.

Then, at some point, I probably saw some cool scenes of them that gave me a pleasant surprise (eg. when she threatens to push Pastor Nick off the wall) but as I was getting distracted by other, more impactful and shocking scenes, I wouldn’t really think much of it and I didn’t actually use them to form a full character portrait/depiction in my mind. These scenes, few and far between, were forgotten in the end.

When I became a more active reader and passionate fan, about 4 years ago I would say, somehow I ended up learning about the pair LeviHan, and it really won me over with their dynamics. Whether people choose to ship them romantically or not, there is nothing that can deny the fact that they had a special friendship in canon AoT. 

In any case, to my shame, I have to admit I started paying attention to Hange because of that ship, and though I didn’t realize it at that time, I liked her for the most part because of that ship. So basically, I liked her because of my favorite character, Levi. Of course, I still liked the legendary trio, Erwin, Hange, Levi, but again, I don’t think I was that attached to her as a singular character.

Soon after, I dropped out of fandom when the manga took a really weird turn for me. I started disliking it and it went on for a while. I lost my hope in it getting any better. I don’t know why it affected me THIS much but I can only assume it had something to do with my mental state back then. 

Now, after almost 4 years, I reprised the manga and watched the final season of the anime. I felt differently, way more tolerant and accepting of whatever direction the story was going to take. And I can’t say I am unhappy with it, I just think that certain parts seemed like cliches and overused tropes, which is not very characteristic of Isayama, but oh well. I think the poor man was exhausted and wanted to finish it asap, and I can’t blame him. 

Speaking of mental health, a few months back I had gone through a major shift where I started thinking more positively overall. I think this is important to mention because it’s probably why I also saw Hange with such different eyes this time. 

And, I think this is also why I finally got ready to read the rest of the manga, despite knowing she dies. That was the only spoiler I got, and when I first heard it years ago, I was “disappointed, but not surprised” - at that time like I said, I had lost all hope in the manga. And once again, I had felt more sad about it because of Levi, who’s lost everyone he cared for deeply and who understood him. Once again, I had failed to see Hange as a singular character with massive importance in the story, instead of just a convenient accessory to Levi. 

So why is this character important? There are many reasons why she was integral to the story, and inspirational to us readers, so I will try to summarize all that.

1. Open-mindedness

I don’t think most people remember (I know I didn’t) how she was the only one who first tried to challenge our perspective on titans. 

For decades, we've tried to fight the Titans with hatred in our hearts. I want to try and see them from a different angle than the current norm.

Call it maybe foreshadowing, or just Isayama trying hard to come up with a unique, arguably crazy character (that’s what I thought at the time), but when you think about it, it’s something that was desperately needed. When you don’t understand and know something, try to look at it from a different point of view. When you are afraid of something and the situation is dire, try to dare to hope there might be something good in it.

Armin: They decided we're devils without knowing our intentions? Why won't they consider a path of peace?

Mikasa: I think...because they don't know. They fear us because they don't know what we are.

Hange: That's right. They won't trust people whose faces they haven't seen. So let's meet 'em! If you don't understand something, go figure it out! Isn't that what we Scouts do?

That positivity, openness, and exuberance shines throughout most of the scenes we get with Hange in the first season, and when things get serious in Season 2, we also get a glimpse of their duality: though they were someone that faced titans with excitement, they were not to be messed with when it came to protecting people.

2. Humanity  / Emotional Intelligence

That duality becomes more apparent in Season 3, where we see them shine on their own. And btw, one of my kinks in this season/arc was the fact that the OP, goated trio, EruRiHan, were each on their own having to call the shots and contribute to the team’s success with little to no communication at times. Fills my heart with warm fuzzy feels and pride :D Anyway back to Hange. :D 

Hange displays some nice people skills as she is trying to tie the “reputation” loose end and clear their names and seek answers, truth, and justice, by collaborating with Flegel, Roy, and Beaure.

Some notable quotes here are the following:

[speech to flegel] Well, you have a point. The thing is, that doesn't sound like living to me. Look at it this way, Flegel. Instead of scampering around like a scared little mouse your whole life, wouldn't you rather face up to your enemy, even if it means risking your life--?

and one of my most favorites,

“What are you talking about? Defeat is all the Survey Corps have ever known. (said with a fucking sunshine on their face, because they are literal sunshine)

And when all is cleared up,

Levi: Looks like the gamble paid off.

Hange: Yeah. It wasn't just Erwin though. The lone choices of many managed to change the world.

This sentence  just made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside because it sounds inspirational to me: it's the small things we can all do that help shape the world, and it's not just the more inspirational, brave, and special people that bring change, it's all of us.

If for some reason the previous scenes weren’t enough to see what an empathetic and people-oriented person she was (eg. when she tries to befriend Eren, Levi and his friends, when she gives Sasha a potato as thanks, when she admits she wasn’t going to harm Pastor Nick, and was visibly disturbed by his death)….well this line I think perfectly shows how Hange encompasses teamwork, people’s unity, compassion, friendship. 

3. Mental Strength

However, at the same time, they are not afraid to get their hands dirty. Just like pretty much every relevant character in this story, they have to kill (or torture) to survive or to help humanity. That ability to know what needs to be done and get it done comes with a certain life experience and maturity that a lot of our main characters still have to achieve, which is probably why Hange gets overlooked as she already is a matured, developed character for the most part of the story, who doesn’t really need to make any life-altering decisions that shape their personality in one way or another.

But for me, that was a plus, actually. Don’t get me wrong, I love Armin’s growth, Conny’s development, Reiner and Annie’s inner conflicts, Historia’s whole arc, and some other minor character developments (Sasha and Ymir). But I can’t help but admire Hange now when I look at a more complete picture: a person with love for knowledge and love for life, but with a feral instict and strength to protect that same thing she loves - the lives of innocent people and the access to truth and knowledge.

There are people I want to bring back, too. Hundreds of them. I've had to say farewell since the day I joined the Scouts. But...You know, don't you? No matter who it is, there comes a day to say farewell. I know it's impossible, but you have to accept this. There will be times you can't keep your sanity. It's tough. Very tough. I know. Even so, we have to keep moving forward. 

4. Honesty and Accountability

Hange is blunt ("I agree. I thought it should've been used on Erwin...") and always takes responsibility for her decisions especially when she knows it might affect someone's mental state. ("The decision was mine. You were just a factor."/"I said the decision was mine."). I don't think people appreciate how important this is.

5. Flaws

When she gets overwhelmed with politics, responsabilities, and stress, and overpowered by the Jagerists, it is almost humiliating to see her cuffed and rendered useless, unable to do anything but follow the stronger ones. You can see how she slowly realizes that this surpasses her abilities to tackle the politics and the grim reality that the world most likely wants them dead. Defeated, she says

Erwin, you only made one mistake in your life. Why did you make me a commander?

I am sure some people would agree with her, but honestly, I disagree. First, there was literally no better option. Second, Erwin had an ability to see, understand, and manipulate people. If he nominated her, he must have believed in her enough, just as he believed in Levi and Armin when he entrusted them with crucial tasks. And third, some may argue that Erwin would have handled the situation better. But while Erwin might have probably been less stressed and overwhelmed with the political discussions, the reality would still be the same, and he would have had to work with the same equations and factors: world wants them dead, eren doesn’t want to sacrifice historia, eren wants the rumbling, what’s there to do? what could have Erwin done better in these circumstances? 

This new side of Hange’s character is really sad, but it makes her relatable in my opinion. I know a lot of people find other characters relatable instead, but for me this part right here speaks more to me than others. This sort of impostor syndrome (which Armin also suffers from), and the clear showcase of a character’s flaws and failures for the first time (when did we see Hange fail before?), all these things bring her down from the sort of “great character with no mistakes” pedestal and make her seem more like…us.

How many times did we not get some huge responsibility that we felt we were not good enough for, and doubted ourselves? Be it a project at work, leading a team, parenting, or even simple things like not being good enough at some hobby that you want to pursue, or good enough to be in a relationship with someone. These doubts are human and okay to have, and there's nothing wrong with that, but...

6. Resilience 

But what’s important is to keep moving forward and do your best, do whatever you can to change the outcome for the better, and if you fail, don’t go too hard on yourself. Hange knew that she did all she could, and she kept moving forward, even though she felt so down at times and almost as if she wanted to give up. 

Looks like my turn has come...even though I thought I did the right thing. Times change and you end up in a cell....What do you say we live out here, forever?

[a few moments later]

Levi: There's no way in hell you can stay out of the action.

Hange: Yeah, I can't. (bittersweet smile)

She does what she does best: she moves forward. She saves Levi and nurses him back to health, risking both of their lives in the process (I guess she was possessed by Erwin’s gambling spirit? :D or she was just THAT determined to ensure their survival). She seeks to form an alliance with the remaining survivors, including the Marleyans. 

In the forest scene, you could say that she is the one presiding over them, and the funny thing is, she does it while cooking dinner. It’s kind of symbolic if you ask me, as food is crucial to our survival, but it’s also something that brings people together. 

7. Integrity

One of the most powerful quotes in my opinion, is this one

I’ll be damned before we justify genocide somehow.

[manga: There is nothing anyone can say to change my mind about that.]

It really showcases her determination to save human lives and a core belief that makes her just more admirable in my opinion: genocide is wrong.

But I'm sure none of them would have been so selfish as to say..."as long as the island has freedom, that's all that matters."

Her demise is so characteristic of her - she’d always been fascinated with titans, but that never stopped her from killing them in order to survive and to save people’s lives. Her goodbye words to Levi and that lovely chuckle of hers once again reminded us of that familiar “all sunshine and rainbows” energy she always had. And then she fell like a burning star. 

The music choice couldn’t have been more perfect. I admit I didn’t even remember this song before, but now it’s one of my all-time favorites, and I can’t help but feel all kinds of bittersweet and nostalgic when I hear it now.

Hange is now my favorite character, up there with Levi, and irrespective of Levi and their relationship. I love her because to me she is relatable, because she encompasses pure things such as willingness to understand and accept things and people she doesn’t know, exuberance, love for life, and curiosity. I love her because of her duality- both flawed and strong, both sweet and menacing, and I love her because she never loses her integrity as a human being. Hange brought more to the story than most of us think, she wasn’t just comic relief or a vessel to share information about the lore, she brought our beloved characters together and nurtured them, and she was the embodiment of what the Survey Corps represented: exploration, understanding, and bravery. If Erwin was the mastermind that pushed them forward, and Levi the one that protected them the most, I like to think Hange was the glue that kept them together, and kept them going with her positivity and passion for life.

[tm-trx]

currents.33[2024]

selections from my week in media [11-17 august 2024]

[celebrating]

My birthday was this week (one of the milestone ones 😬) and both Onew and Taemin are in the midst of album pre-release promotions right now, so it's been a fun week.

[listening]

[loving]

That pool scene in Sunset x Vibes.

Akira's coming out scene in Life: Love on the Line.

[reading]

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater {5 stars} - A very sweet fae fantasy. Dora Ettings is one of my favorite book characters I've read this year.

Idol Lives by KT Salvo {3 stars} - A satisfying conclusion to the trilogy of books about these two. I say that because the author is continuing the series next year but changing protagonists to kpop idols competing in a survival show.

Light of Stars (and the Destroyer) by Sanguis - MDZS AU

My Summer of You, vol 2-3 by Nagisa Furuya {4 stars} - Finished up this manga series and loved it. Slowest of slow burns, but seeing Wataru and Chiharu get more comfortable with each other and their relationship over the summers was wonderfully nostalgic.

[thinking]

There is such an interesting contrast between the intimacy portrayed in two of the shows I'm watching as they air: Sunset x Vibes is suggestive and takes its time, leaving a lot to the imagination. 4 Minutes is filmed closely, sometimes bluntly and it feels like you see practically everything. I think in practicality, you don't, which is even more fascinating and just shows how important filming style is to the mood and feel of a scene.

[watching]

4 Minutes, ep 4 - I was happy to see more back story filled in for Tonkla and Korn's relationship, but it really highlighted how little we know about Tyme. He's the second lead and yet the show is very focused on Tonkla when it's not following Great. Yet another thing to pay attention to on my binge rewatch. The highlight of the episode was that last scene between Tyme and Great. The focus stayed with Great's adrenaline rush longer than expected and it was lovely how Tyme's tenderness in response led to their first sex scene. It was just very well done all around. (Even though I found myself wondering where Great found a glamping yurt at that time of night and on such short notice.)

Life: Love on the Line (Director's Cut) {finished: 5 stars} - Um wow. My heart is full and yet again I've got no way to describe how a jdrama has left me feeling. It lived up to every good thing I've heard about it over the years. And the framing device using their ages was genius.

Monster Next Door, ep 4 - I really liked how deftly the show treated Diew taking steps outside his comfort zone, with God's very sweet support and encouragement. Also, God is a very funny drunk. I do wonder what God's character development will be because if they've hinted at it I missed it completely.

Sunset x Vibes, ep 10 - The past life scenes I've been waiting for yay. Does Sun have a past life too? He's not having dreams so I'm inclined to think no, which is disappointing because I like the shared reincarnation trope. I am still all ::chinhands:: about the way Sun is with Lin. I love him.

previous Currents posts

.

[orcelito]

reread enough of trimax i think ive got the important things down. i only read through volume 1 of trimax, which is So much slower than i was expecting it to be (shoutout to when i first got my bootleg prints of the manga & hyperfocus skimmed the Entire manga in 7 hours), but it mustve been the level of attention i was paying to details

which was the point. the primary thing I wanted to get a feel for was wolfwood's presence & mannerisms, and also the way wolfwood and vash interact together in the early manga. im of course very familiar with their relationship, but existing in fandom spaces for so long can muddy what the actual canon relationship is in my mind. add in the fact that i havent actually read the manga in over a year (so the animes' characterizations were more present in my mind), & it's clear i was due for a reread. ITNL is a trimax fic first and foremost, after all, even if it does draw some elements from the animes.

so ! im going to start reviewing the existing written ITNL chapters. probably not reading everything entirely in depth, bc there's plenty that's not relevant to the current chapter, & my primary focus is preparing myself for writing the chapter. i dont have the time to reread the fic in full, however much i'd enjoy that, so. by the end of tomorrow, im going to review the fic enough to begin writing by thursday at the latest.

will that be enough time for me to actually finish the chapter by monday? considering it's my birthday weekend and i'll be pretty busy, who's to say? but im gonna try. and in the end, it's thankfully just 3 pretty simple scenes. a downtime chapter. Just Talking. so if i can get in the right brainstate for it, it's fully feasible for me to accomplish

that, of course, is the hardest part. writing brain is a fickle mistress, after all. but i will do my best. i really do want to have ITNL chapter 19 out by my birthday.

[think-pieces]

Sunjoy signing on

I got a new job, so activity level will be lower. However, nothing can stop me from yapping to y'all? the void? Before i get started, any of y'all try white rice and spicy tuna. The texture is so, hm, chefs kiss. I have no one else in my life that loves tuna. hence this little blurb before I get into it. Anyhow do let me know if any of y'all try it.

I love anime. It's always so well done. I of course of a wide variety of animes I've watched, and rewatched. Of course I could bore you all with a long list of every anime i've ever seen... but, actually why not. My top three are a controversial take. Mostly due to me never rewatching. with the exception of Vampire Knight. I've mentioned it before. It was quite possibly the most formative anime of my childhood. (yes i'm a Kaname Kuran girl. till the day I die.) I still watch it every time around my birthday.

My second two, and yes this is in order; are as follows. Haikyuu, which i never finished. And Say I Love You, which i bought manga for.

Haikyuu is just, there's something for everyone. Do I care about volleyball? No. But I enjoy more because of this anime. Yes i never finished it, but that's a side step. I also enjoy the fact that there's a timeskip and not all the characters end up in volleyball. Don't even get me started talking about my faves in this.

Say I Love You is such a teen romance anime. It's so good. I did watch toradora and silent voice (i know it's not explicitly romantic but it falls under the same giant veil). Say I Love You is a good stand alone. you can watch and read the series and they both make sense beginning to end. While I like any book to series adapation the series always leaves out parts. This is no exception. They're both pretty good dare i say.

I of course have a pleuthra of Honorable Mentions yet they never make the top three. My Hero Academia for instance; I loved this series. Watched a lot of it, the new season when it came out. then like most long series I fell off the bandwagon. Which is why I was able to finish other animes ie. Attack on Titan, Stars Align, the like.

Most animes I begin yet never pick back up. Usually only able to watch the first episode maybe two, and never another one. It's just what happens. I tried getting into popular animes, lesser known animes. yet I've only ever finished a rare few.

[lorz-ix]

Persona 3 Reload (2024)

Totally a "biggest persona 3 fan plays it for the first time" energy. I've seen the movies, I've read the manga, I've even played the old versions of the game, but I'm terrible with RPGs, so I never actually finished the original, despite really loving it. I had to constantly remind myself to slowly chip away at this remake, especially during the relatively boring parts, but in the end, I did it, and I'm kinda proud of myself. Still need to try the DLC though...

The original versions of P3 get a bunch of criticism ever since P4 and P5 kinda showed us the amount of quality of life stuff the previous game was missing. Plus, because Persona 3 FES and Persona 3 Portable both have different additional content, there's no "definitive" version of Persona 3 you can play, each of them is missing something. And tragically, while a lot of us hoped that would change, that remains the case.

Reload offers tons of quality of life improvements and extra content. If we count the Aigis DLC (it sucks that you have to fork over an extra 35 bucks for it), it's a good replacement for FES, but it's still missing all the content that Portable added. Most of the gameplay saw features added, it's especially noticeable during combat and exploration, where characters get all sorts of new abilities and special moves. Perhaps to the point that the party is a bit too powerful, I definitely felt like the game wasn't re-balanced around their new toolset, as nice as it is. I won't lie, doing massive stat-boost combos by mixing these special moves was a blast, but they also trivialized plenty of fights that should have been more challenging.

Every new story event that was added was a plus in my book. It would have probably been too difficult to keep everything from the original game and also give notable characters the social links they were missing, but the "totally not social links" they gave Junpei, Shinji and the rest of the gang were still nice, a good compromise I think.

In terms of visuals and sound, there are very few things to complain about. The game looks great, it's very much taking after P5 with its stylized menus and updated artstyle, though an argument could be made about the "vibe" of the original art and menus no longer being fully there. The re-recorded soundtrack isn't half bad, but it feels like the new vocalist isn't quite in her element in these old tracks. She does much better in the brand new ones, like the new battle theme and opening, which might be a bit too "poppy" for, again, the original "vibe" of P3, but I still quite liked them. Full Moon Full Life and its animation are no Burn My Dread, sure, but it's a nice track, and it most importantly succeeds at conveying the meaning of the game itself.

In conclusion, I'm glad I pushed through and actually finished one of my favorite RPGs out there. I'm sad this massive opportunity to deliver the perfect Persona 3 so far has been wasted, and I hate that the epilogue from the old ps2 re-release is a paid DLC worth 50% extra, and I especially despise how much of a scam the collector's edition was (it was a birthday gift, shush). But I'm relatively happy with what we got. After all, Persona 3 Portable has also been released for modern platforms, so we're well served in terms of accessibility, as flawed as the actual product is.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

All hail Mira I’m so psyched to read it and see the wc….trust I will be back here screaming my head off with commentary….fr getting spoiled with your inaccurate wcs (MAKING OTOYAS LOOK SHORT??? BRO)

NO BECAUSE THAT IM SAYING??? Kaneshiro were claiming copyright for our ideas please pay us in a Karasu awakening

LMFAOO that panel visual is literally just hollyhock Otoya??? I think your blog may just be magical like the entire BLLK editorial/pr/creation team just stalking you atp but THE KARASU PANELS >>>>>> ugh he looks so GOOD I forgot to mention I noticed how in the headers of your fics you’ll have a (very aesthetically pleasing) mini collage of the character and now you’ve got more karasu materials for that HAHA

And FR really hope that they’ll explore more duos and pairs in the future! I get that the popular matchups are usually there also for marketing purposes but it would fr be nice to see them interacting with others and maybe not just having like, 1 singular bestie LOL

Omg the Rin Sae parallel I see the vision….ugh someone bring Kunigami back I bet he’d have some really funny/interesting dynamics with other characters!! Another gentleman omg….theres just something in the Akita waters….

LMFAO Nagi just being there to hear the tea and listen to the gossip is so real like he’s not moving a MUSCLE to do anything he’s just enjoying the drama….the few words he says plus both y/n and karasu being oblivious idiots is truly THE most chaotic scenario HAHA karasu being in such disbelief that any one of the wingman could give an exact description of him and he’d be like “you mean she knows another dude who plays soccer from Osaka who’s tall has dark hair and is named after a bird???”

Omg talk about a strong pill LOL but YAY omg glad it was fun it sounds so cool!!! Minus the barfing part LOL (ok sorry but I have to ask was it MIDAIR?? I’m just imagining you pulling out a bag while cruising over the scenery LMAO) and ohhhhhhh side effects that makes sense….i wonder if maybe a different brand would have less side effects? But yeah giving your doc a call sounds like a good idea! Hopefully they have a solution for you!!!

MANIFESTING BABY SO HARD!! I agree like seeing the little interactions between other players and people too he actually seems like such a sweet/pure boy? Like if he actually knew how to show affection or what it was I feel like it’d definitely show in his relationships in a way….idk like the way he bonded with chigiri kinda quickly after the 3v3 in the second selection where they’re like testing what he’s able to trap LOL I’m trying to think of more examples off the top of my head but there were definitely moments that made me say “omg wait??” Seriously makes me wonder where people pull all those red flag headcanons from **their asses** but anyways…

I’m crying imagine it’s wavy but because his parents dgaf they just go with the bowl it regardless so you just see the little waves and then at some point they just abruptly cut off (it’s giving like…..a pre-boiled block of instant noodles LMAO)

This is also kinda unrelated/unprompted but everyday I’m thinking of when the next LN is gonna be announced….im lowk trying to see at what intervals they announced the previous ones (iirc the one with yuki was announced pretty fast which caught me off guard so im hoping the next one comes soon!!!)

-Karasu anon

I LIKE AM ACTUALLY CLOSE TO FINISHING I THINK!! FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY!!! but then i’m going to have to try and squeeze proofreading in around vacation activities so it’ll still be a sec until it’s properly posted…even then though i think the day is approaching 🤩 my hope is to have it done by karasu’s birthday at the very latest 😩

episode nagi manga panels always come through for my little headers!! i’ve started trying to experiment more beyond just having the basic three panel + lines setup…the header for karasu’s version of bfb is the same as otoya’s but with blue lines instead of green!! it’s fun to come up with different little graphics hehe i enjoy it as much as writing tbh

OUR CONVOS HAVE BEEN TAPPED BY THE CIA (bllk manga authors) they are onto us…HOW did they know to draw otoya as an actual ninja??? did they read hollyhock??? 😳😟🤨🫣 the manifestations go crazy around here fr

i agree that it’s def partially a marketing thing but also there’s just sooo many characters that it’s probably hard to play out all possible combos naturally!! i pray for the day that kunigami actually does smth meaningful again and also for the whole wildcard thing to get explained 😔 i feel like it was just an opportunity to create tension but it hasn’t been truly expanded upon so it just feels kinda random almost

HELP karasu is like “6ft tall…speaks with a kansai dialect…gets along well with people…has unusual hair…named after an animal…YO HIORI 🤔😨⁉️” (iirc hiori’s first name means sheep) i think nagi yuki and barou just give up at that point because bro is fr saying anything and missing the obvious answer sooo badly 😭

IT WAS MIDAIR 😭😭😭 we drove to italy today and i took a diff medicine and i got so dizzy it was like the world was straight up cartwheeling 😰 but it’s much flatter and smoother here so it should be good to go from here on out!! and yes i hope the doctors have a solution for it because i’m sure i’m not the first person who’s had a similar problem ☝🏻

i think for me it’s the way he was able to connect w zantetsu so quickly…like he genuinely just listened to him and didn’t judge unlike reo and literally everyone else, which is how team v trio was even able to function in the first place 🥹 plus him w isagi and chigiri in second selection as well as his implied dynamic with karasu during the day off is just so CUTE to me like he’s honestly pretty good with people he’s just also really confused about it at times 😭 idk maybe i’m biased because i like him sm but to me he’ll always just be awkward and standoffish because he doesn’t know any better/different not because he doesn’t care 😪

pov baby nagi had the niko haircut 😭😭💔💔 nooo i’m manifesting a cute little way curly bird’s nest thing going on with like super round cheeks and big eyes 😩🙏🏻 baby nagi w instant ramen hair will haunt my dreams though 😓 sleep paralysis demon fr

I NEED IT TO BE SOON AND I NEED KARASU AND OTOYA TO BE IN IT!! i’ll be sad because i do think a karasu ln will make some of my stories for him not as close to canon as they are rn?? especially bfb…but a) how many people read the ln’s, b) they’re already aus, and c) that just means i can write him even better in the future!! plus given our track record at manifesting things i think i should be pretty safe 🤞🏻

[lucky555]

July Reading Wrap-Up

I recently got a kindle paper white as an early birthday gift from my parents and it has brought back the reader in me. I read a total of 7 books this month and I am thrilled to talk about them.

________

People We Meet on Vacation - Emily Henry (3 stars)

This is the first ever rom-com book I have ever read. At the beginning of July I had an urge to try out a light-hearted rom-com as my usual choice of book always falls in the literary fiction, horror, psychological thriller, mystery, genres. I was pleasantly surprised by this book as I went into it blindly and loved the chemistry between the main characters. It was a fun and easy read and made me want to give Emily's other books a shot as well.

Uzumaki: Spiral into Horror, Vol. 1 - Junji Ito (4 stars)

I love anything Junji Ito creates and this was definitely one of them. I am definitely going to read the other 2 volumes as I really really enjoyed this one. Also recently found out that an anime has been released for this manga and I will also definitely be checking that out.

Mr Salary - Sally Rooney (4 stars)

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH I NEED IT AS A FULL NOVEL NOW. It was a short story and I wish there was more. That's all I have to say.

Y/N - Esther Yi (3 stars)

I really liked the premise of this book and I think it had tremendous potential to be something INCREDIBLE. However, it did fall flat for me as I expected much more of the psychological horror and thriller aspects. It is a very original concept and I did enjoy the read.

Never Lie - Frieda McFadden (5 stars)

This was my first Frieda book and WOW. I genuinely finished this in one sitting, it kept me interested the ENTIRE TIME. There was not a single boring aspect of this book and it is what I needed after reading some slow-placed books.

The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka (4 stars)

As someone who loves philosophy, this book was incredible and that is what I expected going into it.

Beach Read - Emily Henry (1 star)

I absolutely hated this book. I was extremely excited going into it given that I thoroughly enjoyed 'people we meet on vacation', however, this trope, the characters, and the plot was all SO boring and not summery at all. Given that it is quite LITERALLY called beach read I expected it to be very light hearted and fun, which it was not. I am still going to give her other books a chance and I hope that they live up to their expectations.

[lettersfromandie]

2020 Highlights

I guess it'd be an understatement to say that 2020 was a really awful year, given the devastating effects of the global pandemic and the innumerable disasters and issues happening in our country. I think we got jinxed with our "2020, please be good to me" posts 🙍

We all started that year still not knowing about the presence of COVID-19, and from then on, it all went pretty downhill after that. From everything that has happened in my life and others', I can frankly say that 2020 was actually the worst 😠 However, while reflecting on it, I can also count some bright days. I guess it wouldn't hurt to kind of celebrate the good ones during that horrible year, eh?

I fully acknowledge that so many lives were (and still are) at stake and just trying to get through that year wasn't easy for us -- even much more for others. I also know that terrible things can still happen regardless if there's a pandemic or not. But I too still acknowledge that despite the horrible year, there were actually bits in my life, however small or big they seem, that remind me to keep moving forward and get through the day no matter how mentally and emotionally challenging 2020 had been.

So I just want to share some of the good highlights I had that kept me sane during that dreadful year, without seeming tone-deaf or tactless:

HK & Macau Trip

Litrato mula sa sandaling bago mag sakuna??  Wow pre-COVID days na we were still not stuck in our homes? and still be able to travel?? Gosh I miss those days  😞 

Anyway, this was my first time in Macau and second time in Hong Kong! We went back a year after our first HK trip because our fam loves it there. What I most especially like in HK is its easy-peasy convenient public transportation system -- which, I reckon, is a huge factor why we wanted to visit again since it's less hassle to go to many different places. Macau though, has one of the most beautiful and extravagant-looking architecture and interiors (we only visited a whole day because too laysho for my layf LOL). 

With High Honors

I don't have a photo to share for this highlight (well I actually have a few but for privacy reasons I wish not to nalang) but I'm really so happy to know that my hard-earned efforts led to the expected performance and reward! I remember back in JHS I made a deal to myself that if I ever belong in the Top 10, I'll treat myself with a large Sbarro lasagna! HAHAHAH grabe noh kana ra jud haha it's been long since I last ate one (gi dibdib jud ang deal ba) and I actually haven't treated myself one after the recognition program. When everything starts to settle down I hope to get myself one!! hihi (I can only imagine how the food tastes better after not eating it for years!)

Happy Birthday to me!

I turned 19 on May 19th! Ew, I am growing old. Just the thought of me turning 20 this year makes me puke 😖 chz. But this is obviously worth celebrating because I am blessed with the gift of life and the time to celebrate it with my family <3 

Passed UPCAT

MOM, I PASSED UPCAT! AAAAHHHHH Well this is unexpected as someone who just skrrrt-ed my way through the Math part and didn't even finish half of it! Luck doesn't always favor me but I'm happy that I got lucky in this 😊 I feel like I don't deserve it but still, thank you so much, Lord!

The Weeb Life

If there's one thing to describe what I did the whole time while I was just at home, I would say... BINGING ANIME! My fave anime characters are my fave fictional companions during quarantine huhu I'm so glad I started watching anime (and reading manga) this year. Honestly at first it wasn't really my cup of tea after watching some anime recommendations but then I tried watching one episode of Attack on Titan and after that MY LIFE STARTED TO CHANGE (HAHAHA OA kaayo noh).

There were actually days and moments I did not include in my highlights that gave me a sense of strength and purpose while coping everything that had happened that year. But I wish to just keep it to myself for these are my little personal winning moments hihi. 

Albeit this "wasted" year of mostly spending my days within four-cornered walls, 2020 was actually a year of learning and growth for me. I just hope this year everything will eventually get better for all of us and we'll no longer have to get by with those community quarantine classifications 🙏

Love, Andie

[the-silver-peahen-residence]

||Hidden Birthday Present||

Hello everyone, Peahen mom here and It's time for a anon drabble request. I hope you all enjoy it and lets see what we got this time shall we?

||Drabble Summary||

Bakugo's birthday has come once again and it seems everyone was happily celebrating it with him. It seems he was alright with it, even a present from his close friend Van Ink the Dragon. However, she said she had one more present but she said she'll give him a present later or after. She had to finish wrapping it. What could this late present be? Read to find out.

||Warning||

~Strong NSFW is present in this drabble

~First time

~Fingering and over stimulation is present

~Swearing is present

||Guests in the Drabble||

~Van Ink the Dragon belongs to my wonderful Rp partner and friend @demon-blood-youths

~Katsuki Bakugo belongs to and is from the anime/manga My Hero Academia but also me since I rp as him as a muse

((Warning: Drabble will have mistakes and grammar mistakes but this was written for fun. I Hope you understand and enjoy the drabble))

Today was a cool yet wild day after many finds out today is Bakugo Katsuki's birthday! He along with his class was celebrating it while the same for some others here in NYC. He sees some giving gifts to him, some already congratulating him for another year on earth.

He even saw Ink and her friends happily doing the same with Jaron, Melinda, Momo, Midioriya and others helping with cooking while celebrating his birthday.

Bakugo didn't really mind nor cared much about his birthday and yet, it was nice to see that everyone gathered for his. Right now, he was seeing the others setting the cake down for him as they were looking at him.

They were singing 'Happy Birthday' to him while he was seeing the cake themed after him which was cute. After singing the song, Momo looks to him.

"Okay, Bakugo go ahead and blow out the candles."

He only rolls his eyes before taking a deep breath and blowing them out, hearing everyone cheering. Right after, some was eating the food and enjoying themselves while some was passing gifts to him which he didn't mind. As he was eating some food himself, he saw someone walking over to see the familiar navy blue jacket.

He looks to see the leader of the DBT, the wild thrill seeker, Van Ink the Dragon or Ink for short. She smiled while having the hood off her head showing the medium black messy hair.I

"Hi Bakugo! Happy birthday!" happy as she always was, Bakugo didn't mind seeing her here at his birthday party for him to smile.

"Thanks Ink. What it's up?" he asked seeing her sit down in another chair while everyone else was enjoying the party.

"Nothing much. I just came to give you something. So here ya go! Happy birthday!" she smiled showing a wrapped up present as he takes it. The box felt light weight that he was curious as he sets the fork down and begins opening it. He lowers the top to the side to see it was a jacket. Orange and black just like his costume.

"...." He takes it out carefully to see it while Ink smiled.

"I hope you like it! It really fits your costume and its activewear and thermal. It's perfect for outings and exercise since you always train and all that. I do have some other presents like support gear for you but...their still being worked on." she laughed rubbing the back of her head as Bakugo lowers the jacket to smile.

"Heh, thank you. It's pretty cool as me, Ink." he looks seeing Ink smiling that she was glad that Bakugo liked the present. Ink was happy to hear this, knowing he liked the present! Though the party kept going on with everyone having fun and enjoying it. Though Ink blinks remembering something.

"Oh right! One more thing Bakugo!"

"Hmm?"

"Ummmm I have one more present for you but...I am not done with it yet. I'll give it to you after the party or later tonight. Uhhh, is that alright?" Wait another present? He blinks now confused but grew curious to what this could be? Ehhh, he was sure it might be the support gear.

"Sure, why not? You can if you like. You can come visit after the party is done and over with. Is that cool?" he sees her smile to nod.

"Yep! Works for me! I'll see you later after the party!" Standing up, she goes to enjoy the party. However, Bakugo was curious on what the present is but in his mind, it might be the support gear. That was fine. For now, the party continues.

~~Hours later/After the party~~

After a while, the party was done with everyone heading back home or some just saying bye. Bakugo was already back home just getting ready for the evening. He was just getting some soda in two cans while heading into the living room where his guest was.

"Here....figured you want something after coming here. Though, you didn't have to run here you know." Bakugo sits down by Ink who came right after his party.

"I know, I know! I just got excited and wanted to come here or I might have forgot." she laughed with him showing a sweatdrop on the side of his head.

"Uh huh.." He looks to her but sets the soda can down since she was happily holding her while drinking it down quickly with a smile. "Hey, don't drink so fast Ink!" he said but she blinks to lower the can.

"Hmm? Did you say something?" she saw she already finished it smiling that he blinks to sigh.

"Nevermind. Anyway, you said you had one more gift for me so what was it? Did your friends finish the support gear?" he said looking to see she didn't have anything with her or maybe it was being delivered to him?

"Uhhh no no, their still working on it. But, I do still have a gift for you from me and only me though. So.....I hope you like it." she said smiling but Bakugo now looked confused.

"Okay...but where is the present?" he didn't see a box nor a birthday bag with her so what did she mean? Ink said nothing but she sets the can down to look at her lap to sigh. "Well....."

She turns to face him while rubbing the back of her head still smiling. "I wanted to give you a gift....and well..I'm going to give you a gift! And that gift....is Me!" she laughed but Bakugo blinks.

"What?"

"Uhhh Yeah. You see, I know I gave you gift and my friends did but..I wanted to give you a more personal gift from me and only me. Soooooo....I'm giving myself to you for your birthday!" she was serious! She was going to...wait, that was Ink's idea for a present? She was going to give herself to him??

".......You..Your serious? Your giving yourself to me as my present." he asked just to be sure as Ink nods. One of her fingers scratching her cheek smiling with eyes closed.

"Yep! I figure since you are still a great guy I figure I can be your present. I don't mind it though since that means I can do what you like for your birthday tonight. I'm..uhh how does it go, 'awaiting orders?' or something." she smiled. "But I wanted this to be a special gift for you from me personally so....happy birthday?"

"..........." He couldn't believe this! She was serious! Even if he always had feelings for her and hearing her say this, that was....that was a lot. Ink opens her eyes to see him not look at her that she tilts her head. Did he like the gift? Or was it too much?

"Uhhhhh, but if you don't like the gift I can take it back! Hehe, I just wanted you to enjoy a good present so I thought I would be your present! but if your not alright with that I understand..I can just-" As she was trying to take or stand up, she felt Bakugo reach to hold her shoulder and gently push her down on the couch.

Ink winces from the push till she slowly opens her grey eyes looking up. "Ummmm Bakugo? You okay?" she asked looking up at him but he didn't say anything. He did see her black hair spread over the couch looking confused with some pink tint in her cheeks.

".........."

"Ummmm.."

'Huh, maybe he didn't like the gift? I could have given him something else. Or maybe he's angry about it? No, he wouldn't be. Darn it Ink, I thought this would be a good gift for-'

"So your telling me....that your 'my gift' and for this night, I can have you as 'my' present?" he asked clearly for her to understand as Ink blinks to look at him.

"We..Well yeah? I think that's how it goes or to say in short, 'you can do whatever you want with me?' I won't disagree with anything you tell me or want. I can do it...if it helps..."

Oh boy that really got Bakugo flushed but also excited hearing this. His hands kept, holding her shoulders. He could ask for something in return but he was quiet.

"...I see...so anything I want?"

"Ummm y...yeah?"

"Really anything?"

"Yes..anything." she said but Bakugo slowly sighed that he only shook his head. This confused the dragon to see him look at her face or right into her grey eyes. She seriously was a silly dragon but it was...cute.

"As I said, I'm your gift right now so as I said before, 'You can do whatever you like, Bakugo." she said it again but he only sighed to slowly look down at her that he held her hand while keeping his own body pressed against her.

"........You really shouldn't....I...." Looking silent he only sighed to sit up but takes Ink's hand to help her sit up. "Just come on.." he said going somewhere with her as Ink blinks following him. He goes in a room before closing the door. Yeah, he was going to enjoy the present....but also try not to go too wild.

~~~Minutes later~~~

The room was silent but pretty low dimmed light but the shower was on due to the steam coming from it. Ink was in the shower feeling the water running down her head and wetting her black hair as it sticks to her skin. She was twitching while leaning against the shower wall as she was sitting on her lap. Bakugo was kissing or biting her shoulder, slowly making her move on his lap, taking him in deeply as she was soft panting and hissing with eyes closed.

"Nugghh nggg mmmmmmm..." It felt really really weird for Ink but she was not in pain after he did this for a while. That and thanks to the fingering he did to help her 'loosen up' as he says. He grey eyes were covered with her lips parted moaning out in the shower seeing and feeling him moving his hips up as his length was opening her up.

"Grrrr, I only started thrusting into you and your this drenched, Ink. You must be that excited to do this with me." Bakugo was quiet while watching her hips moving, feeling his length go in and pulling out that made Ink twitch covering her mouth with her eyes closed again.

"Or maybe it's due to you being sensitive down here. Even when I move, it twitches and tightens around me." he said thrusting his hips up against her as she twitches feeling him opening her up even more. He felt it dripping again but sees her shaking with her face red.

"*Muffled talking*" she said something behind her hand but Bakugo didn't hear to look.

"Huh? What did you say?" he asked reaching to pull her hands down that she was panting softly moaning as his hips kept moving.

"I ahhh s...said I don't kn..know mmmmm I n..never d..did this s..sort of thing before. I'm ahhhh not...It feels w...weird..it feels mmmm so weird...nummm...." she tried to grab his wrist since his hand was making her hips move but Bakugo saw to quickly pin her wrists to the side quickening his movements.

Ink arches her back to lean back against him, panting quickly as he was doing this. Her voice getting louder as she was feeling his hands moving up against her stomach to her chest to mess with the nipples squeezing slowly.

"So you never even touched yourself before?" he asked trying to find something that should help her feel better. His hands still messed with her body that she leans her head to the side shaking while trying not to show her embarrassing expression on her face.

"N..n..n..noooooo ahhhhh n..no I..n..never did this. I never t..touched myself o..or d..down there. It's just a..all new to me mmmm even w..with you inside o..of hhaaa m..me..." she whispered looking at him dazed that Bakugo blushed that he keeps her trapped.

"Well, that just means from how wet your getting your feeling good right now that's all. It's called you feeling pleasure but..If I hit something down there..you'll feel better..." he said as she was shaking.

"F..feel better? What are you t..talking about? What could you d..do to make it feel..."Just as she was asking this, Bakugo felt something and quickly thrusts up as the tip presses up against a lump and bumpy like area inside.

"Ahhhh!?!" Ink's eyes widen throwing her head back crying out, feeling hot when he hits right there. "H..Hey w..wait a second! What did y..yooo..oohhhhhh n..nmmmm......." Her grey eyes were wide but she had her lips parted while her tongue was showing just a little. She quickly grips his wrists but he only went faster as she was twitching.

"Ah ah ahh gahh hhaa ah AH! AH! AHH! Nugghh!!!"

Bakugo held her against his chest but he tightens his hole to get pressed against the shower door that she yelps. He keeps hitting against it while her cheek was pressed against the door. Her chest was pressed against the shower wall as her nipples were touching the surface as she panted.

Ink was twitching in his hold. Her upper face hidden by her wet black hair as she was shaking. She didn't know what was going on but her body felt hotter and she got more slicker, clenching around his length tightly.

"Ahhhh.....ahhhhhhh..n..no...n..not th...there....B..baku...go...n..not t...there......"

'Mmmm mmmmm w..what is this f..feeling? My b..body suddenly f..feels.....really weird but h..hotter in a good way. W...what did Bakugo h...hit? Why d..does it f..feel..g..good?' she thought while closing her hands into fists as he keeps thrusting deeper and deeper watching her.

Geez, she really was sensitive to moan like that but it was pretty cute. He didn't say anything but he sees her panting to look up at the ceiling of the shower.

"W..what did mmmmm y..you hi..hit in..inside of me? What w..was t..that? What's happening..to my b...body? It feels a l..lot more hotter n..now...." she asked dazed.

"That was your 'pleasure spot' Ink. Meaning, you just felt really good just now after I hit it.."

"P..Pleasure?....spot?..." she asked looking up while he keeps her there. He grips her hips legs still moving as Ink looks to him but one of her grey dazed eyes was looking at him, her hair was still wet and covering the other eye.

"Yes, your 'special spot' where you really can feel good so...that means if I keep messing with it... I can make you really feel much more better." he said as Ink was shaking. "That means I can make you scream for me but if it's too much just tell me..."

"Y..You....feel more b..better? What do you-Nugggmmmm!!!!" He started going harder now hearing the claps of skin as she closes her hands into fists.

"Ahhhhh B..Bakugo! Bakugo!!! W..wait a m..mmmmmmm ahhhhhh!!" She threw her head back crying out in the shower. Her body was shaking, aching and twitching that he was already getting excited himself. She felt his hands still moving her hips back as she was gasping out.

"You feel really good Ink. So nice and warm inside..I bet you feel good too right? Do you feel good?" he asked as she was drooling now looking forward as he was thrusting rougher now. He only sees her taking every thrust and inch of him, moving to press his hands over her own while resting his forehead on her shoulder. His grunts were heard as she was whimpering feeling more but the weird feeling was disappearing into something...different. She slowly leans her head back more but her cries were now moans of pleasure.

'It don't f..feel weird anymore? Mmmm n..no it f..feels...better now. He keeps rubbing against that one spot now that it's making me feel all tingly d..down there....and yet.......it f..feels...' She whines till he quickens his thrusts making her lean back moaning out even worse.

'G..good! It fe..feels really good when h..he hits right there...'

Bakugo heard more of her moans, wondering if he should stop or was she even alright. She didn't say too much but he did hear a faint voice as she was turning her head to start panting against his neck.

"Ink? What's the matter? Do you want me to-"

"Bakugo p..please...I.....I w..want to f..feel more of t..this...the weird f..feeling is g..gone b..but my body f..feels..r..really good...." she whispered but was feeling him buried deep inside as she twitched tightening around him. He grunts to hold her tighter as she hisses in pleasure.

"i..Ink.." he warns feeling her getting tighter as she was shaking in his arms.

"P..Please..I..I need..m..more. I s..said I'm your b...birthday present s..so please...please...." she slowly tries to even bite his shoulder before he suddenly sits back and pulls her on his lap. He forces her to sit down fully that Ink shook gasping out loudly. However, that's when he begins thrusting up harder into her as she threw her head back resting her shaky hands on either side of the shower floor.

"B..BAKUGO!!! Please m..more! Please k..keep g..going m..more!!"

'Tch, damn it Ink...' he keeps pounding away hearing her crying out, her moans echoing in the bathroom as she was feeling him deep inside. She felt really good tightening around him like that but she was leaning back, bouncing on his lap while twitching.

'Damn it, she's way too out of it. She can't even think straight even after I been doing this. I don't want to hurt her but she's just....too hot. It's tightening around me even if she's..' he sees her bouncing on his lap faster but she was feeling her body shaking even more that he was feeling her leaning back more against him.

"Your seriously nuggnnnnn gotten used to it now..your tightening up again.." he said against her ear as she was crying in pleasure twitching.

"I..I can't h..help it. You f..feel so deep in..inside..m..my body isn't listening t..to me.....each t..time you thrust deeper in..inside I can't hhaaa st..stop it.." she moans out only for him to keep going.

"That just means I'm doing good. That means I'm going to be sure you enjoy this. Your so dazed in pleasure your body is throbbing in need for me. But no worries, I'll be sure you enjoy it." He said still moving as he sees her crying out till something started building as he was thrusting up more into her harder and harder.

"B..ba...bakugo o..oh g..god....s..something i..is......if you keep going that rough with m..me s..something i..is gonna.." she felt a weird pressure in her lower stomach as he keeps thrusting into her. She tries to sit up but he only held her still. Oh no, she's not running. She twitched crying out but she couldn't stop even when it felt so good.

"Ahhhh ahhhhh ahhhhh.."

"Don't worry just let it happen Ink....it's going to be good..just keep moving your hips for me.." He said doing that even if she was curling her toes.

"I can't mmmmm t..take it s..something really is h..happening..my body won't listen t..to me..something i..is..c...cumming..." she gasped out closing her hands into a fist as Bakugo was moving. He panted with growls thrusting away but Ink still kept gasping out.

"Ahhhh ahhhh Bakugo..Bakugo I c..can't..I can't......." she tried to warn him but he turns her head to look at her.

"Then go ahead and cum Ink..it's alright..I'm close too.." He suddenly kiss her deeply as she feels him holding her.

"Mfffmmmm!!!!!!" as she whines feeling him kissing her still moving his hips. She feels him stop thrusting to hit her spot hard that she screams behind the kiss.

"MMMMM!!!!"

'My b..body i..is..c...cumming....my body is c..cumming!' she cries in her head before climaxing hard around him as he held her tight, cumming himself. Both her and him shook as he keeps kissing her till he breaks the kiss hearing her panting out heavily to her body shaking.

Bakugo was still grinding against her but didn't let go as Ink was hissing from him doing that. Something warm was felt but she couldn't move feeling the effects of her body climaxing like that.

"Haa haa ah"

'I..I came..I...it feels hot...b..but my body is..still t..twitching...it's throbbing.....' she shook to feel him panting as he was kissing her neck feeling her still tight around him. However, he panted to even feel more excited that Ink gasped.

"H..Huh? Y..Your st..still..." she looks to him dazed but Bakugo blushed.

"This is your fault for being fucking adorable. Though, we can rest up for a moment so we can move this to my bed instead. I'm still wishing to enjoy my present like you said....that was just one round, I'm still planning on savoring this." he said touching her cheek as she was shaking again to blush.

She didn't say anything for a minute to look at him.

"T..then please g..go ahead. I s..said I was your birthday g..gift..so please.....I hope you e..enjoy it.." she said for him to turn the water off but carefully carries her out to head to the bed. From that night, he did enjoy his birthday gift but he did make sure Ink did too. From the weak moans and heated growls and grunts, seems Bakugo had a really exciting birthday.

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

Finishing the readthrough of the last of the drama tracks, ft. a translation courtesy of shinseimcd on Twitter. Thoughts upon initial read below a cut:

I love the energy Man A's bringing to the block party. He's here to have a good time, follow the rules, and tell cops to fuck off on sight. He's not even causing trouble; he's just a walking ACAB billboard. God bless. We should all aspire to be like him.

I love that Riou is defending Dice's atrocious eating habits.

"Gentaro said he’s got other business to attend to so he’ll come right before the show starts." I have a terrible feeling that Gentarou is up to no good. (Jk, he's probably doing some hooey with the manuscript he memorized.)

I'm charmed that Doppo and Juushi think Sasara is funny. Normie-ass senses of humor.

"I never would’ve thought that there’d be a factory in an abandoned subway." This sentence took me the fuck out. I wasn't ready. Never change, Hypmic, for your bizarre-ass circumstances.

"So, I hired a skilled hacker to track down the one who tampered with the registration records and got their IP address." ...Did he hire Saburou, by any chance?

"Kotosarai just released all the criminals that were held in the Special Prison." #prisonreform

"I’m heading to Chuoku now. I’ll definitely be back before the start of the festival." I love that the festival is still high on Riou's list of priorities. True Hypmic right here... "Oh fuck, there's life-changing plot going down... but I still need to rap, since it's the gimmick of the franchise!"

"Jyuto: Finally awake, huh?"

(Big thank you to my lovely friend Ashe who had no idea what this was being used for but willingly drew it anyway.)

"Zannen: Long time no see, everyone." Oh my god, they're back. I guess it's cheapest to keep reusing their VAs instead of getting new enemies of the day every time.

"Rosho: I’m done. I’m gonna do this." Roshou's inner punk is showing. Good for him! Good for him! Fuck 'em up!

"Guess I’ll join in the fight with my mic stand too!" As ridiculous as it sounds, I think Sasara's mic stand is probably one of the best to use as a weapon. It'd hurt like hell to get bopped with it. This is also very on-brand for Sasara...eagerly joining in the violence if someone he cares about is threatened.

"0123" is literally the least secure password in the world. What in the actual fuck? It couldn't have been, say, Rei's wife's name or something? Her birthday, at the very least?

"I’ll be waiting where a choice was given.” Ohhh they show this in the manga. It's something about joining Rei (to find out what happened to the Yamadas' mom...?) which Ichirou vehemently rejects. The location is always whited out, though.

"Samatoki: You’re [Riou] one crazy son of a bitch!" Couldn't agree more. It's his charm point.

"Rosho: Sasara, you got my back?! Sasara: Yeah! ‘Course I do!" Quit flirting in public.

"These are rubber bullets. They don’t have lethal power. They just lost consciousness. " If a rubber bullet hits you hard enough to knock you unconsciousness, you're probably not going to make it, but I guess this is well within the scope of usual fictional silliness.

Dice moments...

"Samatoki: Even if you and I clash at the end of our ideals, I won’t hold back. Be prepared for that. Nemu: Okay. Samatoki: See you. Don’t catch a cold. Nemu: Thank you, onii-chan." OOF... SAMATOKI AND NEMU MOMENTS......

"Ansho: Busujima! Kubiki! Rio: Commander! You’ve regained your sanity! Ansho: No, I don’t know if I’m sane. My consciousness gets clouded multiple times a day." Can confirm, this is how insanity works. Psychosis resigned!

"Kubiki: Busujima. Let’s take Commander and return to our base. Rio: I’d love to, but… Kubiki: What’s wrong? Rio: There is somewhere I need to go. Please take care of the Commander." The fact that this somewhere is a rap performance is so, so funny to me.

I saw some people talking about the Ramuda and Jakurai scene on Twitter. It doesn't do much for me, personally, but I am very amused because this whole scenario is a hugely popular trope in shoujo romance comics right now. Physically weaker (usually the girl in an M/F pair) character tries to stand up to the villain even though they don't have the strength to be effective just so their strong, handsome, can-do-no-wrong partner (usually the guy) can swoop in and do the ass-kicking for them.

"Relying on weapons is the mark of the weak." This is a jab at Sasara and his mic stand, no doubt.

"From my perspective, everyone else is abnormal." Damn... We really do live in a society.

I don't know how I feel about Hifumi attempting to understand Honobono's perspective. I am...very torn. And this scene is very anime.

"Do you remember when I used to make you miso-stewed mackerel?" OH... HIS FAVORITE FOOD...

The Rei/Ichirou showdown is very NGE.

Hell yes, Roshou and Sasara becoming a duo again on their own terms. You love to see it.

"Ichiro: And mom was killed in the midst of that, right!? Rei: I wanted to crush them right away…But as a fugitive, I couldn’t make any overt moves." I love how he doesn't answer.

"So, if three individuals, who share such a resilient connection in their spirits, were to truly understand each other…  Ichiro:  Don’t tell me, the true purpose of the Division Rap Battle is… Rei:  After experiencing the 2nd Division Rap Battle, I became certain. The six teams that made it to the championship tournament have strong enough bonds to master the True Hypnosis Mic." HAHAHAHAHA. HELP. God bless. I love contrived shit. Well, this explains how Jakurai'll wake up Yotsutsuji, I guess.

As a side note, I'm curious as to if Roshou and Sasara "truly understand" Rei well enough for the three of them to Pacific Rim pilot a True Hypmic.

Get in the True Hypmic, Shinjichirou.

"Rei: I’ll shut down the True Hypnosis Mic factory. So, no more complaints, right?" I do not trust this man to follow through on this for an instant.

"Sasara: And that’s when I woke up." If this was an ARB event, that's how this drama track would end.

"Sasara: It’s him we’re talking about, he’s probably somewhere out there watching us, right?" Man is getting his ass kicked by his eldest son....... I love how they're talking about Rei like he's dead and watching over them from heaven and not just getting fucking bodied in an abandoned lab somewhere.

"Ichijiku: Now, we need to think about how to recover our approval ratings." Ma'am, I think you have bigger issues to take care of first.

"Otome: I will be stepping down from politics." Good! First rational action of hers in this story.

What a goofy hell of a ride this was. I love Hypmic.

Hi Slug! If you've listened to the full songs in the new EP, have your opinions of the trailers changed? Also, the new dramas are HEAVY, so if you've listened to them, I'm curious to know what you thought of them. As always, thanks for the translations!

I like listening to Hypmic music on shuffle during workouts, so I've most of the new songs in full by now. I don't think my opinions have changed majorly. I really enjoy Black and White, and Move Your Body Till You Die is a phenomenal work of art.

As for the drama tracks... truth be told, I haven't even listened to the one that came out in April, so I'll read through some TLs now and record thoughts below the cut:

No One Lives Forever, translation courtesy of shinseimcd on Twitter

"Anti-Party of Words faction" Huh, like a government faction? I'm surprised the PoW allows other political parties or at the very least open dissenters. There was talk in some chapters of the manga of them punishing protesters, not to mention the way they crushed the TDD rebellion in its primacy. Either way, interesting, and I hope we learn more about this as time goes on.

Ichijiku and Nemu baking together is really cute lol

I love the way Ichijiku's whole personality shifts around Otome. Gap moe (????)

It's a cool tidbit that Nemu tends to prefer plainer outfits, as that tracks with how she dresses in TDD. Also, Nemu and Ichijiku shopping together is kind of bittersweet, since Ichijiku is clearly using Nemu as a replacement figure for her deceased sister...

Ichijiku secretly wanting to fall on the cute side of the cute/elegant spectrum is a pretty classic trope but a fun detail that's been hinted at already, since we've seen that she keeps a bow collection.

??? Rei's lab is on Battleship Island? Ohhhhhhhhh this is why Twitter was blowing up with controversy right after this track released... The IRL Battleship Island was home to forced labor of Korean and Chinese citizens during the twentieth-century push of Japanese imperialism which was later, iirc, denied in part or totally by the Japanese government to immense international backlash. Using this as a setpiece for Hypmic is oddly provocative, and I can't think why the writers would want to do that. On a much lighter note, this is also a headscratcher to me because isn't this a UNESCO World Heritage Site? The whole point of that is conservation, and I don't think building a clone lab counts as conservation... Unless they're implying the clone lab was built prior to the 1950s? Hm. Let's not go down this rabbit hole.

"I would like all of the True Hypnosis Mics. As well as all the Amemura clones." Oh? Are there more still alive? I thought Honobono ordered the death of the last remaining three... Well, that scraps a piece of writing I was working on LOL

"Your biometric data is required to access the mic storage facility" So how did the PoW get in?

Her? Heart stop beating? Oh for fuck's sake, is Rei's wife also in a coma? How many fucking characters are in a coma in this series... Whichever mfer invents a device that restores people from comas with no significant brain damage will make a fortune in this universe

"And I won't try anything funny." I do not believe this for one instant

Hmm, the framing of Otome planning this and the way she brushed past talk of countermeasures for the anti-PoW faction implies that Rei is heading this faction.

Oh, so they couldn't get past the biometric locks after all, I see.

I strongly dislike the idea of thirty clones for thirty mics and the nonchalance in which Rei goes, "Yeah, I'll ship them off to Chuuouku" like they're a parcel and not human beings, but that's my personal bone to pick w/ this character and setting.

I was intrigued by the notion of the PoW holding caucuses, implying there's some sort of democratic process in terms of choosing their own party members or positions, but the JPN audio doesn't specify that exactly.

"We no longer require the cooperation of Jakurai Jinguji." I know that this took like four years in real time, but in terms of the Hypmic universe... I mean, Jakurai didn't even do anything for them, did he? He went through all that moral dilemma for nothing, as far as I can tell. (I get that it sets up the reconciliation with Ramuda, but that's it? Seriously?) That's disappointing to roll it back so quickly.

"During the Division Rap Battle, the people of our nation will be focused on the tournament, giving us the opportunity to use the True Hypnosis Mics to mind hack the Anti-Party of Words faction who stand in our way, ultimately pulling them over to our side." Otome always has the most batshit plans. God bless. A consequence of her needing to drive the plot forward is that she'll say some of the truly silliest things I've ever heard. What a complete misappropriation of government funds lol. Also... is this stating there are only 30 dissidents (????), or can the True Hypmics brainwash more than one person at a time?

"Once that is complete, we will move on to other countries. And when we have taken over the world, then, in the true sense of the word, peace through the power of words will be achieved." LMAO? I'm sorry, this isn't very considerate of me, but in my initial impressions of this, I am well and truly gobsmacked. What in the actual fuck. How many clones will die for this? How much money will it cost? How does she think she stands any chance at governing so many people across such an area, even with a downsized population after WWIII? Homie... Never change, Hypmic, you are the wildest.

I can't believe Ichijiku is so whipped she's willing to go along with an absolutely nonsensical plan for world domination. Ma'am, Otome is not going to fuck you, and even if she is, it's not worth it! Ma'am!!! I'm sorry, I'm being petty and not giving this a lot of in-depth thought but LORD this is a trip on first read.

A FUCKING CLONE UPRISING AT THE HANDS OF REI? HAHAHAHAHA.

"World domination, huh, what a joke." Man after my own heart.

I'm actually quite interested in how this "mics are disabled forever" thing works. I guess the mics have a kill switch in them? I vaguely recall someone saying that in the manga years and years ago... Oh yeah, it was Ramuda in TDD 12. Huh, interesting if that was intentional foreshadowing (I'm not sure if I want to be that charitable). At any rate, can't everyone in the room just get new mics? Or does it affect their speakers and such too? I'm curious how that works, like if you build an affinity with a certain mic or some nonsense.

"looks like we won't be having any Division Rap Battles from here on out." Ah, and this is why the other half of Twitter was up in arms like "No more DRB??? End of Hypmic??" I guess.

The Block Party tracks are quite long, and since it's getting rather late for me, I'm going to leave off here for the moment. I'd like to continue this at my next available opportunity... WHAT a ride. Not sure when that will be, but I will add to this with a reblog when I can. And I know it's been months since this track came out, but I would love to hear other people's thoughts. I wasn't around much when it first launched, so I missed most of the commentary on it.

[tsubasaclones]

my life if i never found sailor moon stuff on that one kids craft site in elementary school