#i do just wonder how it'll be at the store like everything is pretty much in fine shape

[autumnrory]

woooo my niece took 5 of my 13 lego sets, one of which was one of the three larger ones, so that's one huge box out of the way and i'm just glad she wanted them because like they ARE twenty years old and they look fine ofc but sometimes kids aren't gonna want stuff that isn't new and shiny ya know, but she did seem to want everything which would've been fine with me but i knew there was no way they would take all that with them, and at least i still have stuff of my own to sell, plus should get at least a cut of my brother's stuff for doing the inventory and putting together that stuff that wasn't already done

[wannaeatramyeon]

Can we get lookism boys seeing their s/o for the first time?

Literally love at first sight and maybe their reactions?

Thanks,

Thanks for the ask! I've written a few slightly more fleshed out 'Meeting for the First Time' listed here (Gun, Goo, Jake, Johan). But let's do some other scenario for my usual suspects.

Umm...I actually really dislike the love at first sight trope. But I do like the double-take at first meeting trope, yknow what I'm saying? Here's a mix of everything!

Love at First Sight Double-Take at First-ish Meeting: Gun, Goo, Jake, Sammy, Vin + Taehoon!

Gun Park - Ultra Instinct

Gun is not ashamed to admit that it was the sashay of your hips that turned his head at first. He is a hot blooded male after all.

And then when you whirled around, asking "See something you like?"with a confident smirk and your own jet-black eyes staring back, moments before landing a throat punch.

Well. Gun is a goner. Head over heels, lying-awake-thinking-of-you obsessed.

Maybe he should have gotten a name. But two UI users meeting each other can't just be a coincidence, he must be destined to see you again.

Who would have thought Gun Park would believe in something as ridiculous as fate.

.

.

Goo Kim - Reflection

Goo detested you on first meeting. How can such a pretty face have so much venom.

All double-edged and saccharine, nothing to be taken at face value. You even had the audacity to ask if the weapon wielding was compensating for something.

And to add insult to injury, Gun had laughed. Goo didn't even realise Gun was capable of such emotion.

Ugh. Goo does not like having a taste of his own medicine.

As the day dragged on, Goo's obsession grew. It really was like looking into a mirror. Sure this reflection isn't as sexy as his usual. But. It's still pretty sexy nonetheless.

Huh, he wanders the corridors with a sly grin, wondering about you, Let's see how well you can keep up with me.

.

.

Jake Kim - Business Unit for Rent

Jake, for some bizarre reason relegated to realtor duties, shows you around the vacant Big Deal Street business unit. A long empty store that, fingers crossed, after today would no longer be a drain on the finances.

"All this can be yours for 2 million won a month," he flashes his most dazzling smile. Charming and toothy that he knows few could resist.

Unfortunately, it is completely missed by you as you continue casting an astute eye over the premises.

"Ah look at the state of this. The ventilation system is awful."

Jake blinks, looking at whatever the hell you're pointing at. "It is?"

"And the walls! It'll need plastering and floors completely redone."

"Um. Maybe it has been a while since-"

"I heard the footfall is terrible here. Constantly declining. 23% down on last year?"

Your sharp eyes peer into his and he freezes. Where the hell did you even get those stats? Not even Lua or Jason would know this.

"Well..." he scratches the back of his head, thinking of what to say.

Half an hour later, after a whirlwind of complaints and pointing out flaws, you've signed a 12 month contract for less than half the initial asking price.

Shit, Jake thinks, Jason is going to kill me. Actually... Fuck. This unit had been recently renovated to attract potential renters. And footfall figures? Must be plucked out of thin air.

You completely twisted his arm with your bullshit.

Jake can't even bring himself to be mad, he's impressed. Who the hell are you? He's looking forward to seeing more of you and your smart mouth.

.

.

Samuel Seo - Tattoos (let's ignore the timelines here)

Not many people pass Samuel's exacting standard on first meeting, but you do. He's frankly impressed with your work.

Someone similar to his age yet already amassing an impressive portfolio with impeccable linework and pristine colouring. No wonder you're booked out for months.

"So," your hands graze over his pecs, all strictly business yet his skin prickles at your touch. "You're thinking of your first tattoo here?"

"Yes."

"Cool, and you want it to eventually be a Sak Yant full body?" He nods. "Ok, it's going to take a while and quite a few sessions."

You give him a smile that leaves his throat dry. "Guess we're going to see a lot of each other."

.

.

Vin Jin - My name

Vin holds out his phone and with his most charming smirk, asks for your number.

"Sure," you fold your arms, showing no intention of reaching for the device, "You can have my number if you tell me my name."

"What?"

"I'm waiting," And now it's your turn to plaster on your smirk.

Fuck, who the hell do you think you are. Vin storms into the corridor, ego bruised and mood soured. Ugh, whatever. He has plenty of chicks interested anyway. He doesn't need to-

The lightbulb goes off over his head. Mary must know. She knows goddamn everything going on in this school.

Vin dashes off in search for her, thoughts from seconds ago already completely erased and giddy at the thought of finally getting your name and your number.

.

.

Seong Taehoon - Taekwondo

The first oddity is having someone your age show up for their first lesson. Then it turns out it's not your first.

The second oddity is when Taehoon tells you to show him what you got, you execute a perfect 1080 kick.

The last oddity, which really shouldn't be an oddity at all for Taehoon's ego, is that you are a fan of his from his UFC days and you think Taekwondo is the best.

Damn. And all that punctuated with a perfect 90 degree bow and 'Master Seong' too.

If that isn't the perfect way to worm yourself under his skin. Taehoon's going to be keeping an eye on you.

[rxmqnova]

My little troublemaker

Y/N: 4 years old Lizzie: 19 years old ——————————————————

LIZZIE'S POV Having a little todler running around the house is not easy. Especially when you're only 19 and you're raising your child alone. The judging looks by other people when Y/N calls me 'mom' in the store or just somewhere in public aren't helping at all, but I wouldn't change a thing in my life.

Y/N wasn't planned at all. Her father left me right after I told him I want to keep her. He was quite rude about it which only made things so much harder, but I'm trying my best to give her as much love as I can. I know for sure she'll ask me the question about her dad in the future, but for now I'm trying my best to make up for both parents and to make sure she has everything she needs.

I do have an amazing family though. My parents and siblings are helping me as much as they can which I'll be forever grateful for. Also my daughter is the most amazing little human in the world. She's pretty smart on her age and thank god she's not one of those children who throw tantrums about everything.

Y/N and I had a movie night yesterday, so I'm not even surprised when I find myself surrounded by a bunch of blankets and Y/N's teddy bears after waking up. My eyes widen when I don't find my daughter underneath the blankets or anywhere in the room though. She's usually the one who wakes me up by laying her small body on mine and squishing my cheeks with her tiny hands.

"Y/N?" I look around the room once again, not seeing her anywhere. I immediately rush down the stairs to find her. "Oh my god, Y/N!" I raise my voice when I see her standing on a chair in the kitchen, a knife in her hand. I quickly lift her up, immediately taking the knife from her hand. "Honey, you could have hurt yourself. You can't use a knife without me knowing" I sigh, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Are you okay?"

"But I wanted to make you breakfast" She pouts, crossing her arms.

"Oh did you?" I raise an eyebrow which makes her giggle. Y/N nods with a smile, pointing at a piece of bread which is placed on the kitchen counter. "That's for me?"

"Yes, mama! You have to try!" She grins, happily kicking her legs.

"Thank you, sweetheart. I will try it out right now" I take the bread and sit down on a chair with Y/N on my lap. I take a bite, trying hard to pretend like it's really good. I don't know what's in this, but it really doesn't taste good.

"Do you like it?" Y/N asks with a huge smile, watching me carefully.

"It's really good, sweetheart. Thank you. It's so good that I'm gonna save it for later" I smile at her, Y/N nodding her head and smiling at me in response. "But what would you say on some pancakes now, hm?" I boop her nose which never fails and always makes her smile.

"Yay!" Y/N cheers, throwing her arms in the air.

———————————

"Mommy? Do I have a dad?" Y/N asks quietly, watching me with her big green eyes. I just tucked her in for bed and I definitely wasn't expecting this question tonight.

"I. Hm… You do have a dad, sweetheart. Why are you asking?" I give her a smile and brush a strand of hair behind her ear. She needs to know she can ask me or speak to me about everything.

"Because the boys from my preschool say it's weird to only have a mommy" She explains, adding a dramatic sigh to the end.

"It's not weird at all, honey. A lot of children have only a mommy or only a daddy. Sometimes it just happens, but it doesn't mean it's weird" I tell her, stroking her cheek with my finger.

"But why, mommy? Why isn't he here with us?" She asks, wrapping her little arms around my neck. I take a deep breath, thinking about what to tell her. But I think it'll be better to just tell her the truth somehow, even though it's not really nice.

"You know, baby… Your dad was very mean to mommy, so she decided she's better without him" I tell her honestly, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I don't like him then. You are the bestest and nicest mommy in the world" Y/N pouts, making me wonder how did I get so lucky to have her as my daughter.

"I love you the most, my little monkey" I smile, pushing back my tears. Y/N's words really got me. "It's getting late now though and you need to get some sleep, so we can play all day tomorrow" I rub the tip of my nose against hers, making her smile.

"I love you, mama" She says, pouting her lips for a kiss. I peck her lips with a kiss before pulling up the covers to her chest. "Mommy, my teddy bear!" She suddenly gasps, looking around the bed to find her favorite teddy.

"I'll bring him. Stay here and don't move" I warn before standing up and walking to find Y/N's favorite teddy.

I make my way to the living room and as I expected, she left him there, so now I'm on my way back to the bedroom.

"I found him, baby. You left him in the-" I start, cutting myself off when I see Y/N sitting on the table in front of the window, her face and hands pressed against the glass. "Y/N, that's really dangerous. How did you get there?" I sigh, immediately lifting her up on which she whines.

"But there was a butterfly, mama" She pouts.

"A butterfly? Now? At night?" I raise an eyebrow on which Y/N nods. "That was probably a moth, sweetheart. But no climbing on the table when mama isn't with you, okay?"

"Yes, mama" Y/N says with that cute pout again.

"It's really time for bed now, my little troublemaker"

----------------------

Elizabeth Olsen masterlist

Masterlist

[icycoldninja]

1st Class SOLDIER boys spending Thanksgiving with their S/O

A/N: HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!! This year, the SOLDIER boys decide to spend Thanksgiving with their beloved Y/N; I wonder how it'll go...?

♡Sephiroth♡

-Shows up to your house bearing a large bottle of pumpkin pie flavored wine (Yes, that exists) and a jar of Cool Whip, thinking that's a suitable dessert.

-Due to having grown up in a lab, the man has no idea what you're supposed to eat for Thanksgiving. He thinks it's just a day where your entire family gets together and eats for no reason.

-This man cannot cook a turkey for the life of him. Don't even let him try, he'll find a way to burn the turkey and make the baking dish explode in the oven, regardless of what it was made of.

-Drinks the cranberry sauce, not understanding it's for the turkey, and tries to mash potatoes with the hilt of Masamune.

-Fortunately, this man is not entirely hopless; he's tall enough to hang all the decorations without a stepladder, so there's that.

-When the Thanksgiving dinner is finally ready, he'll find that he actually enjoys eating turkey, especially the crispy turkey skin, and soon becomes addicted to sweet potato casserole. Potatoes with marshmallows!? He had no idea such a combination could exist and taste this good!

-He had a great time at your place; it was a welcome change of pace, being around all your family members at once, experiencing the familial love he never had.

-He ended up eating way too much, just so he could continue hanging around you guys, and had to literally waddle out the door because of how stuffed he was. 🌝

♡Genesis♡

-Unlike Sephi dearest, Genesis actually knows what Thanksgiving is and how to celebrate properly. His cooking skills are pretty basic, so he ends up gifting you an apple pie cobbled together from store-bought dough and canned filling.

-Very talkative; gets along quite well with all your family members and gets on all their good sides by talking about memories with you.

-His favorite foods are mashed potatoes and gravy. He just cannot get over how creamy they are and how delightfully savory the gravy tastes.

-As mentioned earlier, his cooking skills are basic, so he can help out in the kitchen, but only to a certain extent. He can help mash potatoes, mix sauces, keep an eye on the turkey, etc., basically, he does the stuff an eager 10-year-old does.

-Unfortunately, with Genesis, not everything has a happy ending. Just when you think the night is progressing properly with everyone socializing jovially and having fun, Genesis decides to cause some drama over something as small and insignificant as a housefly that had the misfortune of buzzing over his head.

-The minute he caught sight of that fly, his mind snapped into Total Bitch Mode. He rises from the table with fury, knocking his drink over and sending silverware flying everywhere, shocking you and your entire family.

-He will scream like a banshee, then send a massive fireball hurtling past all your heads and crashing into the wall where that poor little fly once rested. Everyone is in shock as they try to comprehend what the actual fuck just happened.

-Despite this inconvenience, and the fact that there's now a smoldering hole in your wall, everything was quite fine. Genesis had a good time and so did everyone else.

♡Angeal♡

-Angeal is a man of dreams an honor. He knows how to cook. In fact, he knows so much, he takes over as head chef and magically turns into a dad overnight.

-According to him, it is now his solemn duty to cook the turkey, heat up the stuffing, and prep the dessert all at once, by himself. He adamantly rejects all assistance, claiming that a man with true honor can do all the cooking alone.

-Surprisingly, he pulls it off. The turkey was only a little bit burnt and the pie was only slightly too sweet.

-Angeal gets along well enough with most of your family and friends, and even ends up swapping recipes with several of them, though he very much preferred talking to you.

-His favorite foods are the deserts, believe it or not. He adores pie, especially pumpkin pie, and eats so much of it, he gets a massive sugar rush and a bloated belly. Poor guy.

-After everyone was done eating, his honor compelled him to tackle the mountain of dishes that everyone left behind, something you told him not to worry about. However, Angeal refused to listen to you, stating that it was his dream to do the dishes.

-Giving up due to his stubbornness, you left him to do his thing, only to come back an hour later to find an overflowing sink, wet dishes piled up literally everywhere, and a passed out angel on your kitchen floor. Turns out he'd eaten too much, and his food coma combined with over exertion from the daytime cooking caused him to fall asleep on the spot.

-All in all, everyone had a great time, and Angeal ended up sleeping in very late the next day.

[puddingyun]

dolly . ݁₊ ⊹ j.yh

country boy turned rockstar!yun x reader

: drabble, petnames (bunny, doll, baby), fluff, suggestive :

wonder if anyone can tell what inspired this one... my first fic, so feedback much appreciated! requests are open ♡

The taste of peppermint lingered on your lips, a reminder of the hard candy that Yunho had bought you while he'd been away. It was a small gift after his being gone for four days to perform his songs, but the little plastic bag had been tied with a pretty pink bow, and he'd placed the first piece of it between your lips himself, fingertip touching your tongue for a moment and leaving behind the taste of sweat and guitar strings.

"Next time you can come with me, bunny," he told you excitedly, one hand holding your chin while the other gently wiped your makeup from your eyes. In between his careful swipes at your liner and mascara, you caught glimpses of his expression. Even in the glow of the bathroom lights his eyes seemed to reflect the crowds he'd seen out in the big city, their cheers and screams audible just from the giddy look on your boyfriend's face. "I saw this dress in a store out in the city, it'd look perfect on you. I want you to be there when I buy it for you."

You smiled, reaching out to stroke Yunho's cheek with your thumb.

"You don't need to do all that, Yun. I'm happy just to be with you," you whispered. You'd been seeing less and less of him nowadays, and even though it was fun to tag along when he'd give you the chance, you missed the days when you could laze around in bed with him, take spontaneous trips to the theatre and drink Pepsi while watching the sun set from his bedroom window. Yunho set aside the towel he'd been using to clean your face and leaned in to press a ghost of a kiss to your lips, just like butterfly wings brushing against your skin.

"You're my best girl, you know that?" he asked, leaning his forehead against yours and nudging the tip of his nose against yours. "I don't know how long this is gonna last, how long it'll take until they're tired of hearing my voice"-

"They won't ever get tired of it!" you interjected, which made Yunho laugh and blush all the way to the tips of his ears.

-"but I want you along with me while I'm out there. There's so much to see outside this town, baby, I want you to see all of it too," he insisted, sincere. He took his hands in yours and squeezed them gently as he kissed you again. "You won't want for nothing ever again, doll. I'm gonna give you everything you could dream of."

You struggled to contain a giggle as your lips met again, the kiss longer and deeper and tasting just as much of peppermint as it did of Yunho's toothpaste. Your hand pressed to the back of his neck, fingers curling into his locks and tugging lightly to bring him closer to you.

"You're everythin' I dream of," you whispered to him, which made him groan softly. His hands travelled up your satin babydoll nightgown, the rings on his fingers (all evidence of his newfound success) catching on your skin and making you gasp. His lips trailed kisses up to your ear, where he paused to whisper to you:

"Let me give you everything then, baby."

[midnightsun-if]

Hiiii!!! :D 👋

Hope that you're having a great week!! ^^ So I just discovered Midnight Sun and played the demo, and I'm absolutely already totally invested haha. Your writing is excellent, I love fantasy/Supernatural academia and the Vibes™️ are everything I'm always looking for!

I'm totally weak for Friends-to-lovers, so Blake already has my whole heart 🥺 But for alt playthroughs there's so many other good ROs that I know it's gonna be fun to be totally different each time! (Looking respectfully at Caedan and Cyra haha)

But looking through the blog I saw the Christian response to ROs ask and it got me wondering (if it's not too spoilery) - What would Cienna's response to the ROs be?? She seems like she'd defo have some...pretty interesting (*cough* strong *cough*) thoughts 🤣

Thanks so much for all you do!! 🤗 Can't wait to see where this goes :D (But please don't feel rushed or anything take all the time you need!!!)

Hello!! ❤️

I've been having an excellent week, I hope that the same can be said for you! It makes me so happy that you're invested in Midnight Sun, I have so many fun adventures in store.

Blake is one of my favorite characters to write for because what you see on the surface isn't necessarily what's deeper, which is something I love to balance and work around. Caden and Cyra are two that I can't wait to explore more and discover the things that truly make them tick.

You're definitely right about Cienna!

Koda: She thinks he's a nice, sturdy man that'll treat you well. Someone that you can count on when times get rough, which is something she wants for you. She wants you to have a dependable person in your corner, and Koda is just that.

Scarlett: Wouldn't really know what to think of Scarlett, to be honest. She's met her many times in the past and has seen how she has flourished in various ways, and Cienna would be surprised to see how much you have shifted Scarlett's usual countenance. In the end? Cienna would be happy for both you and Scarlett, you both deserve to find your one and only.

Cyrus/Cyra: Has general misgivings when it comes to House Aurelia, but she can see that C means well. That they truly care for you, and that's all that matters in the end. Though, she'd probably be a bit colder to them until she's able to get comfortable around them. Which, knowing Cienna, might take a bit.

Quinn: The two have never meshed well in their past meetings, due to various factors, and Quinn's parents meddling, but Cienna has never thought anything truly horrible about them. She'd honestly find it funny that you were the one who ended up getting together with them.

Caden: I think she'd be pleasantly surprised, to be honest. Caden usually keeps to themself, there but not there at the same time, and it'd be a bit intriguing for her to see how they begin to mesh with the family once more-- especially now that they can't simply fade back into the background.

Sloane: Wouldn't be able to be around them for long periods of time. She knows the grief of loss, the hole that it carves into your heart, and Slaone is a walking entity of grief at times. Seeing it? Being consistently around it? It'd drain Cienna completely. She wouldn't dislike Sloane though.

Blake: Honestly she's surprised it didn't happen sooner. She finds Blake amusing, in small increments, and is happy that they've been able to offer you a sense of companionship. She already considers them family, so it's not that big of a stretch for her.

Reginald/Regina: Is vehemently against it. I can't exactly tell you why, but seeing it? It'll cause various emotions to swarm through Cienna's body-- very few being the ones she wishes to experience.

[sunny6677]

TOMS PHOTO ALBUM: FEBRUARY, 2010.

@catsockpuppet @mayisgoingnuts @goldenlavendered

2/5/10

"FEBRUARY HAS FINALLY ARRIVED!! AND THAT MEANS IT IS TIME TO CELEBRATE LOVE!! THE VERY THING I HAVE BEEN SEEKING MY WHOLE LIFE!! WOWEE!! I DONT HAVE ANY PEOPLE TO COURT AT THE MOMENT, BUT ALAS, I SHALL CELEBRATE THIS TIME FOR ADORATION ANYWAY AND APPRECIATE IT FOR WHAT IT IS!! TODAY, I CREATED THIS LITTLE HEART THINGY—I JUST WROTE 'LOVE ME' ON IT BECAUSE I COULDN'T THINK OF SOMETHING MORE ROMANCY.. PERHAPS I CAN SEE IF SHOPKEEPER WOULD LIKE IT!"

"AFTER THAT THOUGH, I WENT ON OVER TO THE LOCAL CLOTHING STORE AND BOUGHT TONS OF COOL PRINCESSY OUTFITS!! AND I BOUGHT THIS CUTE LITTLE HEART CLIP TOO!! AND EVEN WITH THAT, THERES STILL SO MANY THINGS TO DO!! WAAAAHHHHHH—I CAN'T WAIT!!!"

2/10/10:

"HAVING NOT MUCH ELSE TO DO, I WAS LOOKING ONLINE AND THEN CAME UP WITH AN IDEA: WHY DON'T I HAVE A PICNIC WITH SOME OF MY COMPANIONS??? SO AFTER COOKING A BUNCH OF EPIC FOODS, I CONTACTED SHOPKEEPER!! HE SEEMED KIND OF ANNOYED ABOUT IT, BUT HE DECIDED HE'D GO ANYWAY! WE AGREED TO MEET AT THIS ONE COOL SPOT AT THIS PARK IN TOWN AND HE ENDED UP BRINGING HIS MOVIE THEATER FRIEND AND HIS MONOTONE FRIEND ALONG WITH HIM! I ENDED UP TAKING THIS PHOTO WHEN I NOTICED SHOPKEEPER WAS STARING OFF INTO SPACE! HEEHEE.."

"SHOPKEEPERS FRIENDS APPEAR TO BE HAVING A GOOD TIME THOUGH!!! THE TICKET TAKER REALLY LIKED THE SANDWICHES I MADE... EEHEEHEE.. I'VE NEVER BEEN THIS HAPPY TO BE A FORMER CHEF IN MY LIFE!! PERHAPS IT'LL BE USEFUL WHEN I FINALLY BECOME A PRINCESS.. SHOPKEEPER ALSO TOLD ME THE FOOD WAS GOOD—THAT MADE ME SMILE A LOT!! I THINK I SHALL START COOKING MORE FOR HIM."

2/12/10:

"MADAME LILA WAS OUT AGAIN TODAY—SO I ENDED UP GOING OUTSIDE WITH HER SON AND JUST WENT AROUND TOWN TO VENTURE AROUND THE AREA—WE WENT INTO THE PARK AND HE TOLD ME ALL ABOUT THIS ONE SPOOKY BOOK IN CLASS HE'S READING!! HE'S VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT EVERYTHING SPOOKY.. MARK MY WORDS, I SHALL ONE DAY GET HIM SOMETHING SO SPOOKY HE'LL NEVER HAVE TO CELEBRATE SPOOKY MONTH AGAIN!! (HE WOULDN'T WANT TO STOP THOUGH..)"

"WE FOUND THIS MUD PILE! HE SUGGESTED PLAYING IN IT DESPITE HOW MESSY IT WAS, AND I SAID.. YESSS!! OF COURSE WE SHALL PLAY IN IT, SPOOKY CHILD! SO WE JUMPED IN IT TOGETHER, ROLLING AROUND AND LETTING THE SQUISHY DIRT SPLATTER ALL OVER US!! HE LOOKED LIKE HE WAS HAVING A GOOD TIME—HEEHEE! PERHAPS I SHALL SHOW THIS TO HIS FRIEND THE NEXT TIME HE'S PRESENT..! AND TO MADAME LILA!"

2/14/10:

"I CELEBRATED A LOT FOR THIS DAY IN PARTICULAR, THOUGH I WASN'T ABLE TO GET MANY PICTURES.. SHOPKEEPER APPEARED TO BE KIND OF BITTER WHEN I CALLED HIM THIS MORNING THOUGH, SO I WENT OUT AND BOUGHT HIM.. A GIGANTIC PINK COFFEE MUG, A BLANKET THINGY AND A MINI STUFFED ANIMAL THING!! AND ALSO A PUZZLE! HE WAS KIND OF QUIET ABOUT IT, BUT I THINK HE LIKED IT.. FOR SOME REASON, HE APPEARED KIND OF CONFUSED WHEN I GAVE IT TO HIM. I SAID THAT I GAVE IT TO HIM BECAUSE HES MY FRIEND AND I WOULD NEVER LEAVE HIM HANGING! HE JUST REPEATED '...I'M YOUR FRIEND?' LIKE HE DIDNT UNDERSTAND WHAT I WAS SAYING, AND WHEN I SAID HE WAS, HE JUST WENT QUIET AND THEN THANKED ME. I WONDER WHY.."

"I NOTICED SOME OF THE NEW CANDIES THAT CAME IN TODAY THOUGH! THEY WERE AWFULLY PRETTY—A BUNCH OF PINK WRAPPED CHOCOLATES AND HEART SHAPED SWEETS. HE KIND OF NOTICED I WAS STARING, SO HE ASKED IF I WANTED SOMETHING. I SAID YES, SO HE SHOWED ME THIS SMALL HEART SHAPED LOLLIPOP THING—WHICH I IMMEDIATELY BOUGHT! IT WAS REALLY GOOD!! IT TASTED LIKE STRAWBERRY... EEEHEEHEEE.. CANDY ALWAYS APPEARS TO TASTE BETTER WHENEVER I BUY IT FROM HIS STORE. HOW DOES HE MAKE THINGS TASTE SO GOOD??????... I STILL HAVEN'T ASKED IF HE MAKES IT ALL HIMSELF! I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF HE DID. HOHOHO!"

[trojanteapot]

Cosplay Fixin' Time: Infinity Train

So a while back I made posts about some props I'd created for my Simon Laurent cosplay. There was the harpoon pack, and the boots.

Pictured: An embarrassing idiot cosplaying an embarrassing idiot.

So at the time I was a cheapass, and just used whatever I could find that was left over from a bunch of other stuff, or the cheapest materials from my local craft store, even stuff from the dollar store!

I'm not really going to make any huge modifications, but after wearing it a few times there were some signs of wear and tear. I'm going to show you how I fixed it, and suggestions for substitute materials you can use so that yours will be sturdier and less prone to breaking!

NOTE: These tips are going to involve TOXIC SUBSTANCES. But for safety reasons, I will also give substitutions for non-toxic replacements.

The Boots

The first thing I found out was that after a weekend of walking around in them, the toe caps had large cracks in them!

[I forgot to take pics of the cracks, but you can see from the images below how extensive they were. ]

This is because I had used Model Magic to fill in the gaps initially, instead of a stronger air dry clay. So in order to fix it, I knew what I needed to do.

First I glued down the cracks with superglue so it's nice and solid, and won't crack more. Then, I used... Milliput!

It comes in a variety of colours: white, black, turquoise blue, sad puke-brown, I went with the last one because it was on sale.

This is an epoxy putty, which means that it has two parts you need to mix equal portions of together in order for it to cure. Otherwise it stays malleable.

Now, because it is an EPOXY PUTTY, it is therefore TOXIC, and you must wear gloves while handling it!!!! But once it dries, it takes on a hard, smooth, plastic-like texture! And it isn't brittle and flaky like Model Magic.

For a non-toxic substitute, you could go with traditional air dry clays, but just not Model Magic, or anything as light and fluffy. I would recommend something like Paperclay.

I've used Paperclay before to make stuff like horns, and even details on Pearl's staff! It definitely dries into more of a clay texture than Milliput though. (Yes I have cosplayed Pearl from Steven Universe before. No, I will not be posting pictures. They are embarrassing.)

Here's how the boots looked after the Milliput dried, and I sanded and repainted the boots. Pretty good! Well okay I know that it still looks like blobs of stuff but hey, for me, pretty good is it'll look good in photos, not in extreme closeups.

Another thing I did for the paint was that I noticed glossy Mod Podge is kind of sticky even when dry? So I sprayed everything with Mr. Super Clear Gloss Varnish.

This sealant is HIGHLY TOXIC so I had to spray it in a well-ventilated area with a vapour respirator!!!! No joke, you need to be extremely cautious with spray sealants. But the result was amazing. The glossy parts of the boots are smooth and slick and not weirdly sticky!!!

Non-toxic alternative: Liquitex Gloss Varnish should also work. I used that on the repaint of the harpoon pack's front panel.

Also, you may be wondering, did I add the extra strap that Simon has on his boots? No. Because it looks uggo. And I want my boots to look nice, and not uggo.

But if you want to, just do this:

graphic-design-is-my-passion.jpeg

The Harpoon Pack

The first thing I did was improve the hinges:

Hey guess what nuts and bolts are really sturdy who knew? Yeah the hinge still works and yes my old backpack is still inside.

Next were more drastic changes. What I realized was that my initial design had stressed out the front panel way too much, and it was just two flimsy pieces of 2mm thick craft foam held together with snap buttons!

This is the face of sadness...

So I needed to do 2 things:

Make the front panel sturdier

Redo the backpack straps to better resemble how the harpoon pack straps are worn in the show.

Panels

For the first part it was very simple: buy thicker craft foam, stick the old panels onto the new panels.

I even did a fancy new paint job because the old one was honestly, not it. I painted the Apex logo on too thick at first. But now, it is sized correctly!!!

The Backpack Straps

This took me a while to figure out, but it's not too hard once you get the hang of it.

What you'll need:

3 backpack snap buckles

2 to 4 ladder locks for strap length adjustment (depending on if your original backpack has ladder locks included on its shoulder straps)

Utility strap/Webbing rope (you can buy them in brown if you want a more show-accurate look. I had some black just lying around at home so i went with that.)

Now let's take a closer look at how it all comes together:

So I undid the utility straps from the bottom of my backpack. This may require a seam ripper if the ends of the straps were sewn in place. This left me with 4 separate pieces connected to my backpack: two shoulder straps, and two waist straps.

I used this tutorial to learn the proper way to thread ladder locks.

I placed one set of plastic buckles on the waist straps so they can clip together. Then, to make sure that the straps are adjustable and well-fitted to my tiny-ass torso, I also threaded the ladder locks into the waist straps.

You need to cut out two new strips of webbing rope in order to both thread in the buckles and the ladder locks.

After that, it gets trickier.

Thread one half of the buckle closure through a piece of webbing that wraps around the waist strap. Do this on both sides.

Then, on your shoulder straps, if you already have a ladder lock, thread a long piece of new webbing through the bottom hole. Attach the other half of the plastic buckle to it, but make sure it's through the BOTTOM HOLE of your buckle.

Then, take the other end of the long webbing, and thread it through the SECOND HOLE on the TOP of your plastic buckle! This is to ensure that the top straps remain adjustable.

The layout should look a bit like this:

It's not perfect, but it's much better than before.

[http-mianhae]

07 ➛ just you and me (1.1k)

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matthew is known to be a procrastinator, the manager lets him know every time. so when you arrived for your second shift out of thin air, it was an understatement to compare matthew to a deer in headlights.

he was far more than that prey,

"oh, didn't mean to scare you," you laugh as he continues wiping the top of the espresso machine, "is it just us today?"

matthew's cheeks grew red.

oh, right, hao isn't making it today. it'll really be the two of you today he's going to be all alone with his crush.

"y-yeah, just us." he replies.

"where's zhang hao?" you ask, putting your things away in the little cubby hole at the back of the store. it's not far enough to be out of earshot, you were able to make conversation.

"he's working on his paper today so he's taking a day off." matthew says.

"a paper? he must be a uni student! does he go to wakeone?" you question.

you found out last time that you were about the same age as hao but because the store was super busy then, hao and you didn't get to talk much about your personal lives.

"yeah, he does. do you go there too?"

"mhm. how about you? still in high school?" you continue, tying your apron.

he liked that you were able to keep the conversation going. he became more comfortable

"i'm in my last year." he responds, putting down the cloth he used as you began walking back to the front.

"so we only have a one-year age gap. that's good to know." you smile.

immediately, sirens started blaring.

why was that good to know?

why? why? why? why? why? why?

the 'why' didn't stop there.

the timing of the statement could not be worse.for the rest of your shift (noon til' eight), matthew continued to question the intention behind your question. was it because you were considering him as a person he could date or did you mean it in a friendly way?

you worked side by side the entire time, manager coming and going to help during the busy hours before finally, seven o'clock arrived and matthew gave you the honours of flipping the sign to close. which you happily obliged, walking past his scrutinising face which was wondering what you meant by, 'that's good to know'.

what could be good to know?

to put it simply, matthew was freaking out.

even though he was, he couldn't leave you to do duties alone. especially, mopping alone within the isolated island of stacked chairs and sequentially placed rounded tables. he exited the register and walked up to you, carefully stepping over in case he slipped.

the last thing he wanted to do was to slip in front of you.

"i can take over. he's always asking the new workers to mop," matthew complains with a smile, referring to his manager.

the said manager currently wasn't in the house, he was gone to buy more takeaway cups.

you look up at matthew and gave him a smile back, "that's alright. i'm almost done. thank you, though."

"alright...there's nothing else to do after this, by the way. we're pretty much free to go when he comes back." matthew tells you.

kind of unnecessary but he wanted to stay by you at any cost.

"sweet. i'll just finish up―"

the door creaks open loudly.

"two minutes to mop and then, i want the two of you out of here!" the manager shouts, walking past with two human-sized stacks of plastic cups in front of him. it's hiding any possibility of vision. just as he's about to enter the register, his foot flies up, "oh my―"

matthew and you both attend to your manager immediately.

he's holding his back against the tiled floors, stacks of cups flown to the other part of the world.

"oh, my back! i think this is it for me, matthew! tell zhang hao he's my worker―"

after an extra (paid) fifteen minutes of attending to your fallen manager, matthew and you finished everything up and left in a hurry, leaving him to do his managerial duties. it was kind of obvious he didn't value the two of you the way he did zhang hao but it was a great eye-opener to the real world.

some people are going to be more favoured than you, you just have to accept it.

but you had a bone to pick. still.

as you walked past the store, hands stuffed in your jacket pockets, you roll your eyes, "we should have left him when he said zhang hao was his favourite worker."

matthew laughs, walking down with you, "that's exactly what i was thinking."

you stop for a second.

"you have a cute laugh. anyone ever told you that?" you ask him, tilting your head, completely forgetting he has a crush on you and that will make him go feral.

matthew did in fact go feral, not on the outside. he tried to maintain a positive attitude.

"i haven't really heard that." he smiles, "thank you."

"oh, really?! because i think―"

a car drives down the lonely street, one you were familiar with. it halts beside matthew and you.

the passenger window rolls down, revealing jiwoong.

"i told you to park down the street." you tell him.

"you were late."

"geez, no patience, huh?"

meanwhile, matthew's gone insane.

who is this stud?

y/n knows him?

why is he picking her up?

are they together?

no, no. they're probably just friends, they're talking like friends.

"matthew?" you snap your fingers in front of his face.

it takes a second for matthew to realise that the most beautiful guy in the world is staring at his blank face.

"oh, yeah?"

"i said, how are you getting home?" you repeat yourself.

"hao's picking me up in a few minutes. you can go, i'll be fine here! if he's late, i'll just go back to the store. maybe drink coffee and chill with the manager, you know?!" he answers with a wide grin.

you furrow your eyebrows, confused at why he was explaining so much.

cute.

"alright," you reply, opening the car door, "thanks for a good shift. good night, matthew."

"good night!"

you get into the car and soon after driving off and leaving matthew behind, you finally let yourself breathe and feel the tiredness sink into jiwoong's car seat.

"tHaNks fOr a GoOd sHiFt, mAtThEw!"

"aW, mATtYBBBB~~~~!"

"gOOd nigHt, slEep tIghT, dOn'T lEt thE beD bUgs BiTe!"

"HOLY SHIT―"

you leapt out of your seat, looking back to see gyuvin, yujin and gunwook in the backseat, the hoods of their hoodie framing their whole face and tucked behind their ears.

they were taunting you.

you laughed.

but as soon as the car stopped at the red light, you swung.

playfully, of course.

please comment or lmk in any way for the taglist!

TAGLIST ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ @tocupid @cyberpunksunwoo @tmrx2gther

[who-is-page]

Hey! (Sorry about the fever, hope it gets better soon) Read something you were mentioning about your own phantom limbs responding to painkillers and PT, and I was wondering, do you have any advice/suggestions on that front for other folks who get some degree of pain/tension apparently stored in phantom parts? S especially has that happen some, even though neither of us have 24/7 phantoms, and we've tried things like "attempting to back-calculate what muscles/spots on our human body feel like they correspond Closely Enough to the phantoms for work on those spots to help the phantom pain", but it's definitely a challenge sometimes. (For me, it's more often stuff where I can just...stretch my phantom wings, if they're aching, and it'll help loosen everything up, but for him it seems to get more 'stuck') Best wishes, L+S

Thanks for well-wishes, I am in misery but am thankfully on the upswing. Sorry it took a little while to respond to this; we got started on mobile, but then mobile Tumblr wouldn't let us continue to edit the draft when we paused to get more medication. :') Functioning app.

For us, treatment depends on the type of phantom limb pain, and the severity. Phantom pains for us tend to come in three types:

Spasms: The phantom is twitching and flailing uncontrollably, and painfully. It might also "hit" people or objects around it, which can cause further brain freak-outs. It's exhausting to deal with.

Cramps: The phantom has retracted against the body tightly and painfully, and cannot be moved or adjusted. It's stiff, it hurts like a spring wound too tight with a muscle, and it hurts double to try and force it to readjust. Like spasms, it's hugely tiring.

Aches: The phantom just aches and hurts, plain and simple.

We also get generalized discomfort, tension, and itchiness. Some people in our system are more prone to different types of pains than others. Noel most often gets severe aches along her phantom scars, for example, while I tend to end up more often dealing with cramps and occasionally spasms.

Here are some of the forms of treatment we use, how much they help us, and what types of pain they usually help with:

Medication: This is in reference to anti-inflammatory and pain reducing medication like ibuprofen. It works best on specifically aches, although it can also help to relieve some of the pain caused by cramps and spasms. This is the easiest and first line of defense-- if we can feel the pain starting up or know that something is beginning to trigger it, taking this early is a good move. Unfortunately, its effectiveness isn't perfect. It will never relieve all of the pain, it just dampens it, and some days it works better than others.

Prosthetics: This is in reference to using prosthetics that line up with and match our phantom body parts to some degree. Having a partner or ourselves gently interact with the prosthetic, especially if we can see it visibly or in a mirror, can relieve a lot of tension we've found, but usually isn't fantastic with handling outright pain just because of the limbs we typically find to be painful. We're still experimenting with this one, because we only discovered it about a year or two ago. We've found that having a prosthetic is great because we can interact with it and our brain will fully believe that we're physically interacting with our phantom limbs and will register it as such. It's like putting ice water on a fire. It's the biggest relief.

Touch: This one usually requires another person to work. It works well with all three kinds of pain depending on the type of touch, and on our lucky days can sometimes resolve the issues entirely. Having a friend or partner put pressure on the effected area, or gently stroke or massage, can sometimes convince your phantom muscles to unwind or hurt less, just like physical aches and pains. We usually use pressure for the aches; massages for the cramps; and gentle strokes for the spasms.

Stretches and Movement: This one is pretty hugely hit-or-miss, and only usually works on aches to help relieve some of the pain. Gently stretching the phantom in tandem with our physical body in slow, steady movements can sometimes help it stop hurting. We've found that it's important not to go too fast or do too much, because that will make the pain increase. We usually do arm and back stretches for wing aches (I might draw it out), leg stretches for tail aches (rare, but they've happened before).

Heat: This can be in reference to a hot compress, a hot shower, an electric blanket, anything that generates a notable amount of heat. It typically only works with our cramps and aches, not spasms, but sometimes it can resolve the issue entirely. The idea is simple: wherever on your body is connected to the painful limb, apply heat and try your best to relax.

Breathing Exercises and Meditation: Probably the most unreliable of the list for us where it rarely, if ever, works, but we personally know quite a few other people who vouch for this. It's exactly what it says on the tin-- you sit, calm yourself, and do breathing exercises. Or you sit and try to meditate. Our ADHD makes this one extremely hard and impractical, but it might be worth a whirl for other folks.

General Exercise: This is referring to light exercises, just enough to get our blood pumping, because we're disabled and our body can't handle too much. It only really helps with cramps, and only cramps of a very low severity, but sometimes it's enough to make them go away entirely. For this, lifting and taking walks are our preferred exercises, based on what we like to do.

System Shenanigans: We're part of a system with a mindscape and can interact with one another within it. Sometimes we can get pain to alleviate or lessen by interacting with the pained limb in the mindscape. We've shoved Noel into a hot spring for her phantom scar pain before, for instance. This one is a pretty big coin flip though, because sometimes it just doesn't work and I really don't understand the rules or why or how.

Obviously YMMV when trying any of these out, but you're more than welcome to mix-and-match or adjust as needed to suit your personal needs. We also always heavily encourage making sure to rule-out or treat physical causes that might be inadvertently causing or increasing what your brain is translating as phantom pain too-- things like back issues, etc. In our experiences, phantoms can and are affected by parallel physical issues. They're not neatly separated in our brains, because our brains recognize the sensations from both and wires can easily get swapped and crossed; our electric meat machines are just doing their best with the input they've got.

We're having that issue right now, as we type! Because we're so sick with the fever, our whole physical body and our entire phantom body are wracked with pain. So sometimes treatment and prevention is multi-layered and a balancing act.

I hope this helped, and I hope it made sense. We're still pretty sick, so if there's anything here that you need clarification on because we went off on a tangent or just weren't clear in what we meant, just reblog and let us know and we'll try to explain it better when we're feeling less like death.

[pointless-soap]

Review #2: Zum Bar Goat's Milk Soap: Sea Salt

So while bored at work and waiting for an eye appointment, I started an AMA and I was asked what my favorite soap was. Well, here it is. This is my current go-to soap. The first time I got it was right before a convention, followed by a first date. I needed something good. I needed something above the normal cheap body wash I used. I needed something new.

Enter: a blue bar. You've probably seen it in a grocery store and thought something like "That looks like soap that's trying too hard. Like it wants to appeal to the kind of New Age and healthy crowd. Like it's way overpriced." And honestly? You're not wrong. It's overpriced. It's trying to impress you. But it's also easy to steal because the Kroger just leaves it out there. (For legal reasons, I'm not endorsing shoplifting. But like whatever, I used to work there so it doesn't count.) Anyway, let's get into the rankings.

Smell: 9/10

No lie, the smell is why I got this soap to begin with. It's significantly more subtle compared to the other Zum Bars they had on option. Not too strong, not too subtle. I have gotten several compliments on this soap's smell. I wouldn't describe it as "Sea Salt" exactly. It has an almost citrus smell to it, that same kinda sharpness. Definitely floral. Lovely.

Lather: 9/10

You don't really have to try to lather this up all that much. Turn on the water and get washing, that's it. But at the same time, it's not overwhelming. Like it'll lather, it'll spread, but it's not gonna drown you in suds. I've had that problem before, mainly with shampoos, but still. That's how you get buildup and soap scum. It sucks. This soap doesn't do that.

Smoothness: 10/10

Oh God it's so smooth. I think that's what the goat milk is for, I don't know. All I know is that it slides like nothing else, right along the skin. No tugging, no tightness, just perfection. No notes.

Scrubability: 7/10

The one downside to this soap in my opinion. It is absolutely not an exfoliating soap. There's little salt inclusions that provide a bit, but that's it. And they dissolve in the water. But that's fine, because I don't get this soap to exfoliate. I get it for the prior score, that smooth finish.

Cleaning power: 9/10

It's nice! I go in, I put in my conditioner (a future review of that miraculous product, I promise), and I grab my soap. I know what I'm in for. It'll clean up, cut through the grime I need it to. I bike a lot to get places, I get dirt on my sometimes. If happens! And this works wonders. A good job.

Total Average Score: 8.8/10

That's right, my preferred soap is only an 8.8/10. Not perfect! It shines in almost everything, except for scrubs. Granted, as I said, I don't get it for the scrubs. But besides that, it's a wonderful soap.

Closing thoughts:

I'm still in the relationship this soap was purchased immediately prior to. That's a pretty solid endorsement if ever I've heard one. It can definitely be a more expensive soap. I think it's around $5 for a bar, rather than the usual bargain pack of like 2 for $3 or whatever. But also if you don't get caught it's not a crime, that's all I'm saying.

Anyway it's a good soap! My current favorite. Note, however, that I said current. I never have anything written in stone.

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #275

Today's letter is kinda early. Not as early as yesterday's for sure, but still. I'm feeling kinda empty today, for reasons I don't understand. Objectively, I had a pretty kickass day so far.

I went to my job at the bakery today. I went today instead of on Saturday because on Saturday, I gotta go to a bridal shower! I'm kinda excited about it, but also kinda nervous. I wonder how it'll play out.

Today at the bakery, I mostly just made cookies. Lots and lots of them. I put fancy paper on the baking trays, and then put all the cookies onto them in neat rows. And then I put them neatly into little boxes, and then put labels on those boxes. I'll show you some pictures of the steps, except for the labels; they obscure the view of the yumminess.

These ones are arranged in 4 rows of 6 cookies. There's candy-coated chocolate, sugar, oatmeal raisin, and chocolate chip. These racks represent 432 cookies:

I like best when I'm able to arrange them neatly enough that none of them touch each other by the time they're done baking; I did a pretty good, if somewhat imperfect job of that this time:

From there, I put them into boxes. They're supposed to be in two vertical stacks. Not knowing at the time when I packed up the candy-coated chocolate ones, I followed the pattern of the 30-count cookie packages, and put them in a single horizontal row; I'll try to do better next time:

I also arranged and baked a number of the 30-count cookies; these are arranged in 5 rows of 6 cookies, and are considerably smaller than the ones above. I made 8 total trays of these - candy-coated chocolate, oatmeal raisin, and chocolate chip, for a total of 240:

Then I put them in neat little boxes, too!

I decided to buy a package of the big chocolate chip cookies and a package of little chocolate chip cookies; J has been asking me to bring home something I made, and I wanted to see which of the kinds of chocolate chip cookies is better, so... yeah! I didn't notice much of a difference between them, but M and J seem to like the bigger ones a bit more than the little ones.

Today, I also put toppings on unbaked bagels and kaiser rolls for the first time:

Hey, Sephiroth? Do you like bagels? In my world, they come with all kinds of toppings, like poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onions roasted until crispy, garlic roasted until crispy, and "everything", which is basically poppy seeds, sesame seeds, crispy roasted garlic, and salt.

...I still want a seeded pumpernickel everything bagel one of these days. I have no idea why I've never seen any such bagel anywhere before. Its absence seems like it should be a crime.

...I embarrassed myself taking that last picture, though. You see, the person whose shoes are in the above picture was the really tall guy who got me my work shirts (I dunno if you remember me mentioning this). Well... apparently, he is the assistant manager of my whole store. And he came in asking which "service theme" of the day is. Today's is apparently "Thankful Thursday"; you're supposed to find reasons to thank the customer, I guess.

...But like... I already do that. Because the regular practice of gratitude is, at this point, part of my nature. When someone comes up to the counter to ask for something, I like to say what I am thinking, and what I'm thinking, in pretty much every interaction, is "Thank you for your patience!" and "Thank you for stopping by!"

...I feel like it's important to be grateful for little things, regardless of the day of the week it is. So I didn't memorize today's label. And so...

...First, I was focused on taking the picture of the bagels to show to you; we had done all the work for today, so there was literally nothing else to do, and I'm proud enough of what I do that I want to show it to you. And also, I know that I am not anybody important, and so I didn't expect to be spoken to. And also... the radio was on pretty loud, and the fans were buzzing in the background; between all these factors, I literally did not register the gentleman's words, or Ma's words because they were having a conversation that I didn't think I was supposed to be part of. Unless my name is spoken, I tend to assume other people's words are, in my mother's words, "none of [my] FUCKING business, nosy-ass!"

...In days past, accidentally overhearing adults speaking when I wasn't the one being spoken to was a punishable offense - yes, even when they're speaking loudly enough to be heard through the whole trailer or apartment or small car. But also, failure to intuitively know when I am the one being spoken to and failure to respond accordingly is also a punishable offense. Figure that one out. Oh wait - you CAN'T, because the only objective, really, was just to have an excuse to use me as a physical, verbal, or emotional punching bag no matter which fucking way I turn.

...I digress...

...In any case, not only did he have to repeat his question (Auditory Processing Delay is quite literally one of the more socially awkward brain glitches one can get born with, and I hate it...), but also... I didn't know the answer to his question, because... again, I don't restrict my gratitude practice to just one day out of the week. I'm gonna find reasons to thank the folks who come up to see us regardless of if it's Thursday or Saturday, or whatever other day of the week it might be.

...All the same... I'm sure I lost social face for this. I was probably perceived as an inattentive, uncaring, disrespectful, and irresponsible employee, despite the fact that nothing could be further from the truth; I might be clumsy, awkward, inexperienced, and a bit spacey, but I'm also diligent, conscientious, precise, and committed to improving.

...But of course, if I go up to him and try to explain, the only thing that'll happen is I'll be perceived as either needlessly anxious or as someone who makes excuses to dodge accountability; I've lived long enough to know how shit fucking works in my world. And I've lived long enough to understand that as an autistic person... there's really no way to win in any social scenario, ever.

...Sometimes I really resent neurotypicals and their bullshit social standards. I despise disingenuousness and insincere social courtesies. I can't fucking stand it. I don't like living my life wrapped up in a cocoon of "polite" white lies and contrived social rites. I don't like how quick neurotypicals are to pass their sanctimonious fucking judgment and to make weird fucking assumptions even when they don't have all the goddamn context or facts. And I don't like how their assumptions don't change, even when you DO give them the context and the facts; instead, they'll usually just assume you're trying to bullshit them, and they'll dig their goddamn heels into their initial assumption even further, and it's just... it's unfair and insufferable, is what it is. There's really no fucking candycoating it.

So today, my reputation as a "good" employee was probably irreparably tarnished in the eyes of someone higher up in the corporate hierarchy, just because I was caught off guard precisely ONE time, and because instead of practicing contrived gratitude specifically on Thursdays, I practice genuine gratitude every day. And it just... it seems kinda fucked up.

...But it is what it is. I'm gonna have to just deal with it.

...Or maybe I'll try writing a letter. Maybe that'll be better. Despite the words you see here, I can't really speak for shit, especially when I'm nervous; that's also part of the autism, I'm afraid.

Maybe I'll do that. Maybe I'll do that, and then I'll do some Dead Cells about it. It'll be here, when I'm all done:

...As always, thanks for listening. Or... reading, as it were.

I love you. And I'll write again to you tomorrow. So please stay safe out there, okay?

Your friend, Lumine

[weebsinstash]

sorry if weird question but as a lil innocent bby I never smoked weed or did any drugs and I was wondering how did you start? where did you even source it in the first place, did you just happen to know a guy who had it or is there a secret store? spill the tea for us innocent bbys pls 🙏

Not a weird question, i can understand being curious and I do mention weed in my prompts every so often

Well first and foremost I wanna be a responsible 26 yo adult and say that, really, anything can be addictive. A lot of people don't realize addiction issues can even be genetically inherited, like it isnt JUST a battle of willpower, you can be biologically wired to get addicted to stuff easier, so weed definitely isn't as harmless as some people make it out to be if you already have a predisposition for bad impulse control. There have been studies, some pretty damning, suggesting smoking raises your risk of dementia, and of course there is COPD and weed can also negatively effect your stomach, as well as making you agitated. Different strains and THC/CBD percentages in weed can really change your high, too. There has been bud that gets me really giggly and happy and other kinds that made me HELLA paranoid and kind of strung out, so, it's not always a pleasant experience. It can also totally be your biology too, I knew a guy once who couldn't smoke at all because it would make him borderline hallucinate and it was extremely stressful for him

Like really to be blatantly honest with you, I'm a daily user to the point where I can have significant amounts and won't feel as "psychedelic" as I used to. Like you definitely build a tolerance after a while, but you can take a break for a while and it'll come back. But you can definitely fall into a trap where you smoke too much "trying to feel as high as you used to", chasing the memory of the fun feeling, and it just makes you tired and then you sleep and it's wasted, whereas for example when I went to watch Spiderverse in theaters, I stayed clean for a few days, just like 4 or 5, and when I smoked again it felt aweeeesome 😩❤️ like definitely, personal restraint can mean EVERYTHING with weed, for your tolerance, for your munchies, for how much you spend, you gotta find your limits and stick with em I guess

It's definitely sort of a time and place thing. I started smoking on my 17th birthday when my sister got me into it, and she was introduced to it by a boyfriend. It really does feel like it can be a matter of where you live or knowing the right person. For example one time after my mom and I had moved, we didn't have a hookup and we smelled weed on one of the mover's jackets and asked him in a really chill way if he knew where to get a hookup (it was him lmao, he was a dealer)

But anyways, it really depends on your state or country, but even if selling outright bud and flower isn't legal, sometimes selling THC products is. Like for example I'm in Minnesota and we have it medically legal (we're actually in the middle of implementing it being legalized recreationally) and I couldn't go to a smoke shop and buy bud yet, but I CAN buy synthetic weed and thc gummies. Also really cannot stress enough that you should really never touch synthetic drugs for anything; fake weed/spice has been proven to be especially bad, like, do not cheap out thinking you'll be safer with synthetic, it is arguably significantly more dangerous than the normal stuff.

Really cannot stress enough that this is a "check your local legislature before doing this" thing, but for example these are a brand of THC gummies that I bought in a smoke shop and can personally vouch for being able to get you high (thc is the high ingredient, CBD is the medical pain relieving ingredient) and they say you can purchase them online. I really am not sure where the law stands sometimes because it's like "oh we won't let you buy weed but we'll let you buy this processed product that contains the literal ingredient in weed that gets you high". Like for example that brand is Torch and when you go to their website they're also selling THC cartridges but they're also based in California so, do they only ship in California, is it safe country wide, you really have to do your own research for where you personally are

I would say maybe avoid ordering online because I just personally think that's a big risk unless you have confirmation it's ok where you're at. If you wanted me to give you my advice, I think a "surefire" way to find a hookup is to just go to a smokeshop and start up a conversation with someone. It can literally go "oh hey what do you buy that for?" "Oh I use it for pain, I don't like smoking weed and these gummies work good" "you know, if you think bud is too harsh on your throat, I got an edible guy--" like not even joking me and my mom went to buy screens the other week and we talked to this really nice girl for like over an hour and got her number cause she had all kinds of hookups and shes the one who recommended those gummies. A lot of dealers are selling weed as a side hustle and every customer they can get is good. It's good to have a plug you're loyal with but having options can be good in case anyone becomes unreliable or falls through or you find someone who sells for cheaper.

There are also multiple ways to, you know, do the deed. There's regular bud, which typically has to be ground up or cut up, and you can roll that into a blunt or use glass, which is my personal preference, I own some glass pipes and a bong, and I should mention I use smoking screens to avoid getting ash in my mouth but deadass, the vapors coming off of lighting that metal are probably Mucho No Bueno for my lungs so I've just been rawdoggin it, and there are also pens, like thc and cbd oil, and my recent method of preference is using an edabber pen and doing wax, which is a concentrate, although you can also do dabs with a glass rig and a butane torch but I got a thing against open flame haha

I think smoking weed is probably definitely less harmful than alcohol but it's probably a case by case thing as well as purely perspective. It can be fun as hell but you definitely have to watch yourself, and also, like, munchies can be fun, but it shouldn't be undersold how powerful munchies can be. I've literally eaten myself sick before. Eating becomes an activity in of itself and you'll have a full stomach and go "well I just ate something salty, now I want a sweet"

Anyways long answer is long but, yeah, my biggest piece of advice is, look at yourself as a person and try and figure out if it's even safe for you to try it, because if you have impulse control issues, someday down the like you may end up like me where you basically want to smoke before every activity to try and make that activity more fun and you wind up smoking so much you just need a nap, and when you wake up you're smoking again 😅 moderation is key!

[cave-monkey]

Monkey King 2009 Episode 14

I feel like someone on the writing team took umbrage to the idea a little bamboo raft would do well in open ocean. The pointed camera angle on the stores falling into the water the second they hit rough seas seemed...targeted lol.

Anyway, another lower-energy episode. I can't really say "calmer" since Old White Deer on screen together with Six Ears makes my skin crawl and feel anything but calm (Six Ears is not acting right at all, what did he do?), but it was definitely transitional, at least.

Speaking of Old White Deer, he has all these 干 relationships and it's so freaking weird. First there was just Demon King, now there's King Flood Dragon, and then Six Ears. Are there others? Does he just make a habit of this? Is this how he acquires minions? Six Ears calls him teacher right now, but is Old White Deer someday going to try to induct him into this creepy, creepy "family"? This weird cult? Were King Flood Dragon or Demon King and whoever else at one point also kids he lured in off the street, or got in good with their parents' trust somehow?

I don't like this???

Augh. Old Monkey King, please cave this guy's skull in with your staff. That might sound excessively violent. It's not. Like, why did Old White Deer go through the trouble of changing Six Ears's clothes with that spell last episode? Aesthetic? He's not a doll? Everything about this is so fucking creepy and I wasn't actually expecting it to be this creepy?

ANYWAY

Six Ears was present when Stone Monkey left! The credits have them talking too, which is great, and actually kind of make Six Ears look more conflicted and sort of...like himself than the actual episode makes him out to be. Which is also good, but also...I'm confused about the extent of that mind-whammy spell? I guess it'll become clearer over time. He was present, though. I sure hope one of the adults picked up on the fact he's not acting right :) And wonder where he's getting off to. Checking up on him after that pretty public outburst at least, maybe. That would sure be nice.

And if my entire lack of any mention of them whatsoever wasn't a clear enough sign, I...do not especially care about the heaven subplot. It gets smiles out of me occasionally, like when Laozi and General Li had their chat, and I try to keep track of things like - apparently they all have Precious Heavenly Birds that are also sometimes inanimate objects that they fight like beyblades or something? (why???) but...*heavy sigh*. I just don't care. Especially not about Fucking Dipper. That guy is...not the worst because Old White Deer exists, but he is up there. He is extremely up there.

And now, because Wudou the Absolute Tool has apparently decided to finally start putting that awful, petty little plot he's been not-so-subtly "slyly insinuating" to everyone in heaven about for the entire damn show into motion, I have to actually pay attention to him. Ugh.

Though him ending up in the middle of the monkey troop was a treat. Especially with them still so wired and territorial after almost all dying to the Demon King's army. Like, to be fair, they found a random stranger essentially taking photos of the entrance to their home, and that's a bit worrying for most people even when not regularly engaged in life-threatening warfare with their neighbors. Did they still jump to conclusions? Yes, absolutely. Would Wudou have deserved this if some nice paintings were really all he wanted? Of course not. But he's him, I've been stuck watching him weasel his way around being slimy and proprietary about Flower Fruit Mountain for pretty much the entire time I've known him, and so these guys giving him absolutely no quarter felt great, actually. No one deserves the four generals being the four generals at them more, honestly. I only wish they'd kept talking to him longer. They may have actually been able to make him cry with frustration. Especially Marshal Liu.

Also I called it, I called it, I even noticed this last episode but forgot all about it after the emotional bomb of those last five minutes, but General Ba really will not let General Beng say a single word anymore without immediately screaming GRANDPARENT TALK at him. It's so funny. Just let the man speak!

Especially when it gives us gems like General Beng, Mr. "I got praised once as a child for reading a book of poetry and I made it my whole identity" of all people busting out a sudden: "What the fuck just happened???" into the dead silence after Wudou's sudden vanishing.

Look, I'm harsh on them, but I really don't hate the four generals. I just think they should never in any way have any direct authority over children. They are better people when interacting with other adults and especially each other, honestly.

My heart, despite itself, did soften a little at General Beng and Marshal Ma yelling at Stone Monkey to just come back home if it was too hard, and all the commanders and maybe the whole troop picking it up. Though I also noticed how much better their attitudes became when Stone Monkey was given an actual title, especially one as prestigious as heir to their king. Definitely noticed that. Especially when them yelling at him to come home soon and safe contrasted their dead silence when they let him leave into the wilds of Flower Fruit Mountain entirely on his own just a few episodes ago :) Some things in life really are so much easier when you have status, I guess!

BUT. Stone Monkey. His calming breath as he looks out over the open ocean in front of him before buckling down was a really good moment? I liked that a lot. He was taking the adventure pretty okay, too! Cheerfully settling in, brightly looking for solutions to some minor inconveniences, and then...Ginseng Fruit is broken out of their gourd hiding place and you see Stone Monkey go through a mini-crisis when he realizes Ginseng Fruit is now in danger right along with him and Stone Monkey is going to have to keep them safe. The stress just slams back down. He makes the best of it, of course, and doesn't let Ginseng Fruit see much when he gets rattled, and he does genuinely like having friends with him, but I mean. Guy was definitely struggling for a few seconds there. What was he going to do, throw Ginseng Fruit into the ocean if he didn't like them being there? Try and row back to Flower Fruit Mountain against a headwind and the current to drop Ginseng Fruit back off? Like it or not, Ginseng Fruit is there to stay.

And then later when King Flood Dragon reveals himself (and he's a super creepy guy too, genuinely just messing with them and heightening their terror and struggle for fun, and it was actually disturbing), Stone Monkey snatching Ginseng Fruit up and tucking them up against his chest where they're safe and out of the way, immediately taking as much control of the situation as he can? His "Let me handle it!" making a comeback, like when he forcibly removed Six Ears from the canyon when their shelter went down. I think you can tell when Stone Monkey's genuinely scared or stressed because he immediately turns into a control freak about it. Just grabbing his friends and bodily shoving them out of the way as he tries to take over everything. I love this version of Sun Wukong so much. The writers really love examining his protectiveness, and how it's both a virtue and a flaw.

And then him trying so hard to throw Ginseng Fruit to safety when he realized he couldn't get them both out. Ay.

AND his "You can't die. You'll definitely find a big brother better than me someday (read: I'm about to die and I have to imagine you making it out and having a future and being happy and safe even without me because otherwise I'm going to lose it)." Putting all that effort into getting Ginseng Fruit clear, as safe as he can, followed by that long shot of him just having to sit there helplessly as he's pulled down to his death, unable to do anything to save himself.

Shhhush up, I don't have a lump in my throat.

It's okay though because Guanyin's coming in clutch. I couldn't see clearly enough to tell if it was another one of her hairs (if so, he's already gone through two and we're only about a quarter-ish of the way through the show oh no) or if she just called foul on King Flood Dragon and decided to intervene directly.

[gigai-translations]

Shinonome Ena - Birthday Story 2025

Belated but everyone better be greeting my daughter a happy birthday or else I'm blowing this place up.

Translation under the cut.

Story 1

[Empty SEKAI]

Ena: Hmm, where’s Miku and the rest?

Ena: Ah, there they are. You guys, got a minute?

Miku: What is it?

Kanade: We just finished our new MV so we thought of showing it to you guys.

Mizuki: We finished it just this morning so it's pretty fresh!

Rin: This… this the one Ena was working hard on drawing a while ago?

Ena: That's right. I finally felt satisfied with the way it turned out.

Mizuki: Yep, please do take notice of how hard I worked making last minute changes late at night~

Luka: Well I look forward to it. Show it to us right away.

Ena: Well without further ado, let's play it.

*Time passes*

Ena: So, how was it?

Miku: …it was beautiful.

Len: It suits Kanade’s song.

Rin: And your art also looked good, Ena.

Ena: Thanks. It took a lot of my time but I think it turned out nice.

Ena: Though, I spent soooo much time cooped up inside to draw, I wasn't able to do much spring activities.

Mafuyu: Here she goes again…

Mizuki: You've kept grumbling about “wanting to do something for spring” while we worked.

Ena: That's cuz before I knew it, stuff I wanted to go to like the Spring event or the Sweets Fair were all over.

Luka: Oh? If you're thinking of seasonal events, isn’t there one that's still upcoming?

Ena: Eh? Luka: It's going to be your birthday soon, right?

Ena: Ah… yeah. Guess so.Miku: We'd love to celebrate your birthday.

Len: Uhm… If we celebrate in the SEKAI, will you come?

Ena: Of course! Ain't that a no-brainer?Luka: Well then, let's celebrate at the SEKAI on the day itself. Wonder if that's good for Kaito and Meiko?

Kaito: If you're doing it then whatever.

Mizuki: Here we go again~ no matter what you say, you're gonna be there anyways.

Meiko: …I'm done here.

Mizuki: Wha– hold on a second! At least give me some reaction!

Mafuyu: There they go.

Kanade: Yeah… like the usual.

Rin: But, will it be alright? Won't you have other plans on the day of your birthday?

Ena: It'll be fine. Our party's on the day before.

Ena: Ain't that right, Mizuki?

Mizuki: Yup! We got Saturday all free!

Miku: You're doing the planning, Mizuki?

Mizuki: Got that right! I'm working on a plan of my production~

Ena: Don't tell me anything you're planning.

Mizuki: ‘course not. I want you to be on the edge of your seat!

Mizuki: I know just about everything about you, so sit back and enjoy the ride!

Ena: When you say it like that, it makes me a little miffed that I'm easy to please.

Ena: But, I'll look forward to it.

[Saturday]

[Scramble Crossing]

Ena: –Sorry, did you guys wait too long?

Kanade: Not really, We also just arrived.

Ena: Alright, thank goodness.

Ena: Huh? Ain't you guys carrying a lotta stuff? What's with the huge bag?

Mizuki: Hold your horses. It's something to look forward to once we get there!

Ena: Hmmm… I guess I don't mind the secrecy…

Ena: Also, where will you guys take me today?

Ena: You guys seem so confident, did you find a cool restaurant or something?

Mizuki: Fufufu! It's a nice place so look forward to it!

Story 2

[Nonogi Park]

Ena: A park…?

Ena: Are there any stores here?

Mizuki: Hehe. Actually, this is the place we wanted to take you to.

Ena: Huh? What's this—

Mafuyu: Ena, over here.

*They're in the part of the park that still has cherry blossoms blooming*

Ena: Ah…

Ena: This place still still has cherry blossoms…! I thought the blossoming period was over and all the petals were just scattered about.

Mizuki: Right!! I'm so glad we got to find there were still cherry blossom trees left~!

Mizuki: So this way, you can do a spring activity like you wanted, right?

*Brief flashback from story 1*

Ena: Though, I spent soooo much time cooped up inside to draw, I wasn't able to do much spring activities.

*End of flashback*

Ena: (They remembered…)

Mizuki: So what do you think? Can we have a birthday party like this?

Ena: Yeah. We can…

Ena: Oh, so the stuff you guys were carrying…

Mafuyu: Paper plates, picnic mat, and… bentos.

Ena: Eh, bentos? You guys took the trouble to make some bentos?

Kanade: Yeah. We got some help from Mochizuki-san though…

Ena: No way! You did all that for me Kanade…!? Thanks so much, both of you!

Kanade: Welcome.

Mafuyu: Mizuki, can you help me with the picnic mat?

Mizuki: OK! Hmmm, around here seems good.

Ena: Huh? This was the big thing you were carrying? Isn't it too big for four people?Mizuki: Hm? Well if it's just us four~

Mizuki: But for today, not everyone would fit if it wasn't this big.

Ena: Everyone…?

??? (It's Ichika’s voice): —Hi there.

Ena: Eh!? Are all of you here for the party…?

Honami: Yup! I hope we get to celebrate to the fullest today.

Emu: Ena-san, Happy birthdaaaaaaay!

Ichika, Honami, Shiho, Nene: Happy birthday!

Ena: Th-thank you…!

Mizuki: Hehe, but we still have more people coming~

Ena: Huh…?

??? (Airi’s voice): Ena!

Ena: Airi, you guys also came!

Airi: It's my besties birthday, of course I'll be here.

Minori: A cherry blossom viewing for a party sounds lovely.

Haruka: Hehe, ain't that a privilege for spring babies.

Shizuku: I bought some dango so let's dig in everyone!

Ena: Thanks so much… I'm so excited.

Mizuki: Niiice! Looks like everyone’s all set! Let the cherry blossom party begin!

Ena: Yeah!!

Ena: —So this is the bento Kanade and Mafuyu made for me, huh.

Mizuki: Ain't it exciting? Everyone really wants to see what you guys made.

Kanade: We've done some taste-testing so the food’s fine… although it might not be pretty to look at.

Kanade: Ah, Mafuyu made this one and she did really well. So I think that part’s good.

Ena: You don't have to worry too much. I'm just happy you guys made it all for me.

Mafuyu: Now then, I'll open the container.

Ena: Waa! Inarizushi and Tamagoyaki! It looks sooo good!

Honami: Those two woke up early today to prepare, you know!

Mafuyu: Thanks for coming to our aid as well, Mochizuki-san. You were a great help.

Honami: It's no problem. It's for her birthday so I was eager to celebrate as well.

Ena: Say, can I try this Tamagoyaki?Kanade: Oh, I made those.

Ena: Oh, really now!

Ena: The shape looks so nice! Imma dig in!!

Ena: Mm… so good! The sauce is also great!

Kanade: R-really? That's good to know.

Emu: Ena-san, Ena-san!Ena: What's up?

Emu: For Ena-san’s birthday we prepared a present for you! ☆

Shiho: If it's to your liking, use it as much as you want.

Ena: Eh, this is… an oil paint set! That's awesome…

Ena: This one was reviewed to be really smooth with coloring, I've thought of wanting to try these out once.

Ichika: I'm glad you seem to be happy with it.

Shiho: We've consulted with each other on what to give you.

Nene: Then we felt it was best to gift you something you can use for your art.

Honami: We all chose the set together while getting advice from the art store clerk.

Ena: I see! I'm so happy!

Emu: Please use this to make loooooots of wondatastic art!

Ena: Thank you so much! If I finish a piece, I'll be sure to show you guys!

Airi: —-looks like it's time?

Haruka: Yup. After the bentos… we should bring it out.

Ena: It?

Shizuku: It's your birthday so we need cake, right?

Minori: It's Airi-chan’s special edition birthday cake: the Ena-chan special!

Ena: Wah…! You made it for me?!

Airi: Of course! I gave it my all, ya know!

Ena: Uwah, that's awesome… There's so much strawberries on this rare cheesecake…!

Minori: We were allowed to help with decorating!

Shizuku: Minori-chan worked hard on decorating with cream.

Haruka: Yeah. Her hands were shaking and she looked really nervous.

Minori: But but!! I really hoped to make Ena-chan happy!

Ena: Hehe, I am really happy. Thank you, truly.Ena: Oh, where's my camera… I need to take a good picture.

Airi: In that case, we shouldn't take a pic of just the cake. I'll take your picture, Ena.

Shizuku: Since we're here, it'd be even better to add some cherry blossoms to the shot.

Haruka: Here, Ena-san. Ena: Alright…!Airi: You good?

Minori: Ena-chan, make a cute pose at 3, 2, 1

*They take her picture*

Ena: (To have everyone gathered to celebrate with me… it's been a great birthday party…)

Ena: (I was also able to do a spring activity. And—)

Mizuki: Oh? Are you perhaps taking in the scene?

Ena: Huh? Not like there's a problem with that.

Mizuki: Ahaha! Well, I'm glad you're having fun.

Mizuki: So… how was my party planning? It'd be preeetty awesome if our judge Enanan gave me a high score~

Ena: Right. I had a lot of fun… so I guess I'll give you a full perfect score for today.

Mizuki: Ahaha, that case, I'm glad!

Mizuki: I'm also pretty happy about celebrating this way. I kinda wanted to see the cherry blossoms again with you and the group.

Ena: …right. I'm glad I get to see them with everyone.

Ena: Thank you, Mizuki.

Mizuki: …

Mizuki: Ehehe, your very welcome!

Birthday Greetings

Ichika: Once again, happy birthday! It was really fun having a party while watching the cherry blossoms. I'm glad you taught me how to sketch some cherry blossoms.

Shiho: I didn't think we'd all get into a sketching session but, you really are great at art.

Honami: I'm glad to listen to all your talks on art. I'll be sure to practice even more!

(TL note: I actually don't have anything to say about translation but OMG HONA-CHAN REALLY LIKING ART AND WANTING TO PRACTICE MORE AAAAA!!!)

An: Ena-san, happy birthday! Mizuki just sent me pictures and man, cherry blossom viewing looks so much fun!

Kohane: Coincidentally, we're staying somewhere that has cherry blossom viewings currently. The trees in America look really pretty so I'll be sure to send you some pictures.

Touya: By the way, has Akito sent you a present?

Akito: I ain't gonna bother doing that, ya know.

Touya: In that case, how about all four of us choose a present together? We've talked about what we could do to celebrate.

An: Ah, that sounds great! Akito, tell us what are things Ena-san would like.

Akito: Seriously…? Ah well, guess it wouldn't hurt.

Airi: Ena, happy birthday!

Minori, Haruka, Shizuku: Happy birthday!

Airi: I'm really happy we got to celebrate together! And you already posted the cake on social media!

Shizuku: It's nice to do relaxing hangouts outside. You looked so pleased, I'd love to do it again sometime.

Haruka: It's getting warmer from here on out. How about we do a picnic with everyone next time?

Minori: Waah! I'm all for it I'll search for a nice place!

Emu: Happy birthday!!

Emu: Looking at Ena-san’s biiiiiiiiig smile made me beaaaaam!!

Nene: I can say the same thing… I'm glad you had fun. I look forward to seeing what you make with the oil paints.

Rui: I as well! Happy birthday, Shinonome-san.

Rui: Mizuki was worrying over finding a place where cherry blossoms were still blooming… though, it all turned out fine. More than anything, you were able to view the cherry blossoms.

Mizuki: Maaaan, that was a great party. Guess I was able to show y'all my planning skills~

Kanade: It really was a nice birthday if Ena looked that happy.

Mafuyu: Right.

Mizuki: If the gathering was great, that's cuz I've thought real hard for it! Let's do more fun stuff with everyone!

Mizuki: And so, happy birthday, Ena!

Kanade and Mafuyu: Happy birthday.

Ena: The birthday party was so much fun. It's probably been a while since I've enjoyed such few hours of my time.

Ena: Everything from the preparations, everyone’s thoughts to make me happy, it was all lovely.

Ena: For all of you that have been watching over me all this time, I'll work hard! 💝

[akehoshimystar]

Chapter 2

Kamiya: Any other stores we should visit next, deputy? Ito: That should be the last one. Thanks to you, I was able to buy everything we needed. Kamiya: Then, shall we head back now? ……Hmm?

Kamiya-kun suddenly stood still, which made me stop in reflex as well.

Kamiya: Isn't that Okiya-san over there?

"Look," he said, pointing to the other side of the road, where Sei-san was on the phone facing towards the park.

Ito: You’re right. Kamiya: Want to greet him? …Although he seems pretty busy right now.

Whether consciously or unconsciously, Sei-san kept looking at the park.

Ito: (What is he looking…? I can’t really see it from here.) Kamiya: Oh, did he notice us?

Kamiya-kun waved, and Sei-san smiled back at us as he put his smartphone back in his pocket.

Ito: Good afternoon. Sei: Hello there. Where are you two going together? …..Well, I could pretty much guess from all the bags you're carrying. Shopping? Kamiya: Haha, spot on. What about you, Okiya-san? Sei: The publishing company I work for is nearby, so I went to meet the new person-in-charge. Kamiya: Is that publisher related to your translation work? Ito: Are you on your way back now? Sei: Yes and yes. Then, the editor I know called me to say hello since he couldn't be there due to some circumstances.

Sei-san directed his attention back to the park.

Sei: When I stopped to talk on the phone, I saw a boy watering a cherry blossom tree… I couldn't take my eyes off the imbalance between the small watering can and the big tree.

I followed his gaze and there was a boy who looked like he might have just started elementary school, filling his watering can with water.

Sei: Watering and replenishing, looping the process. As far as I could see, he already made two round trips. It must be quite hard for him to use that watering can.

Before we knew it, all three of us were completely captivated by the boy's behavior. After watching for a while, the boy's mouth started to move as he looked up at the tree.

Sei: Oh my….. Ito: Is he talking to someone? Sei: Or maybe… just a dialogue. Kamiya: Perhaps he’s talking to the tree? Haha, how adorable.

The child finished saying something with a smile and ran off again to continue filling in water.

Sei: Watch ou-… Kamiya & Ito: !

The boy tripped over something and fell forward.

Kamiya: Are you okay? Can you get up?

Kamiya-kun rushed over and held out his hand. The boy nodded before standing up.

Ito: Ah, your knee…. Sei: You're bleeding. Your palm seems a little scraped as well. Let's wash the wound quickly. Kamiya: Can you walk that way? …..Oh, I forgot you’re hurt.

Saying that, Kamiya-kun carried the boy and headed towards the water place.

Ito: (Is he alone?)

I was a little worried and looked around, but I couldn't find anyone who looked like his guardian at all. Sei-san took off the boy's shoes and socks, and gently washed the dirt off his small knee.

Boy: Ugh…! Sei: It'll sting a bit… Can you endure just a little longer? Boy: Yes, I can. Sei: What a strong boy. Ito: (Something to wipe with. Also…)

I took out a hand towel and a bandage from my bag.

Ito: Will these do? Sei: Of course. Kamiya: As expected from our deputy. You even have a bandage with you. Ito: Well, better safe than sorry. Sei: Wonderful. It's important to be prepared for an unexpected event.

While chatting to avoid making the boy nervous, Sei-san quickly proceeded with the treatment of the wound.

Ito: (He’s very efficient.)

Quick, but not sloppy. I was impressed by his kind and considerate treatment.

Sei: Alright. Kamiya: That’s a relief. Has the pain gone away a little?

Boy: Yes! Thank you. Sei: You really steeled yourself without shedding a single tear, what a good boy. Kamiya: Yup, that was so cool. Boy: Ehehe. Because the cherry blossom tree is working hard too. That's why I'll also do my best. Kamiya: I see. Sei: ……… Ito: (.……"The cherry blossom tree is working hard too"?)

No one asked for the clarification, but the same question was probably on everyone's mind. Just when I thought that…

???: Touma!?

Everyone looked up in response of the sudden voice. A woman with an expression of anxiety and worry came running over to us.

Chapter 3