#i don't have as much interest in upcoming events so I'll have time

[starfall-spirit]

@shallyne is giving me ideas

[djevelbl]

Ok so I'm not having a good time trying to do catch-up bc I just do not like what I'm drawing. Idk if I've hit a wall with my art style, if I've caught the infamous Art Block™ or what in the fuck, but I might just not finish IMtober. Wouldn't be surprising, I don't think I've ever finished an inktober challenge in my life before, so

[hwaslayer]

wildfire (cs) | intro.

—spotify playlist | series masterlist

—summary: assistant professor in bioengineering, incredibly attractive, lonely and divorced; that’s how most people describe san. but despite the events that have happened in his life, san has a lot going for himself. he’s a successful, sought out professor due to his brilliant contributions to science at just an early age of 32. he worked hard to get where he was now; head deep into his research, his publications, building his lab and creating a name for himself. everything was good and smooth sailing— until it wasn’t. because when he meets you, a bioengineering grad student interested in rotating in his lab, he finds himself ready to risk all the blood, sweat and tears he put in throughout the years just to keep you close— his need for you spiraling out of control like a wildfire.

—pairing: asst. professor!choi san x grad student!f. reader

—genre: (18+ - minors dni) strangers to lovers, grad school au | fluff, angst, eventual smut

—word count: 2.0k

—warnings: nothing much; cussing, very general description of research topics/neuroscience experiments including mentions of mice research (no details)!, mentions of infidelity (not oc or san)

—a/n: ty for being patient with me <33 here's the lil intro to professor choi 🤪 i think i'll keep the same update schedule i've had (every other weekend) but ofc will let everyone know if i cant update for whatever reason!! enjoyyyy this rideeee 🖤

Clunk.

San throws his glasses onto his desk before leaning back in his chair, hands coming up behind his head for a stretch. He had been working on his progress report for one of his grants since this morning, and he was starting to feel the migraine come on.

"Fuck." He mutters, pinching at the bridge of his nose before he gets up to grab another cup of coffee from his Nespresso machine— popping in a pod with a level 9 intensity into the slot and pressing start. It's around dinner time, but quite frankly, San isn't too hungry. He'll eat something small. He's just tired, especially because of this progress report. But, it's due next week and he needs to finalize his class schedule for the upcoming quarter at the same time. He won't have as much time to get through the technicalities if he waits any longer.

He's pretty immune to the different intensities of coffee at this point; having eaten it for breakfast, lunch and dinner during his postdoc years. It won't do much for long, but it'll at least keep him going for the next couple of hours before he calls it a day and lays in bed. 

When his coffee is done, he pours some creamer into his mug and gives it a good stir before settling back into his office. His house is too big for one person, but he enjoys the stillness. The quiet. He used to hate it. He used to hate when every corner reminded him of his ex-wife. Now, he's gotten used to it. He's learned how to live alone, how to enjoy his peace. He lets out a small sigh, taking a sip of his hot coffee as he resumes to look at the computer screen to his side. Suddenly, his phone goes off and he's quick to shift his attention to it because it's slightly odd for this time of day. People don't normally call him unless he's settled on a phone call meeting ahead of time, and he doesn't remember booking any calls tonight.

"Hey." San picks up when he realizes it's Jongho. Okay, so he maybe he lied. He does take a few calls from close friends, most who are also professors at the same university. "What's up?"

"How's your T15 report going?"

"Long. It's terrible."

"Well." Jongho laughs. "Perks of being you, I guess." San rolls his eyes. 

"Yeah, thanks. Very enlightening."

"Anyways, I wanted to call really quickly. I figured you hadn't seen it yet, but wanted to put it on your radar. I looped you into an email for a possible collaboration. We're trying to meet this week if you're free. Might be good to see what it's worth, could get us more funding. Open more collaboration opportunities in the future." San presses the phone against his ear, holding it with his shoulder as he navigates to his inbox on his computer. He has a bunch of unread emails that he'll eventually respond to, paying a tad more attention to the pressing ones when he has a moment. He's not gonna lie, he does ignore a few if it's not of interest to him, or something he doesn't feel like he can contribute much to. He'll typically respond with a 'so sorry, no can do' if people get pushy and constantly follow up, but for the most part, he does his best to keep up and respond where it's warranted.

San sees the email Jongho is speaking of, but right underneath it, he sees another email from a student inquiring about rotating in his lab for the upcoming quarter. He's always interested when students reach out to rotate in his lab, but he can't accommodate all, especially when he doesn't feel like his research aligns with their goals. He usually takes 1 per quarter if it fits, otherwise, he doesn't have any at all. 

Out of curiosity, he clicks on the email since it has been awhile since anyone rotated in his lab. 

From: yn@atz.edu To: choisan@atz.edu Dear Professor Choi, I hope this email finds you well. My name is Y/N, and I'm currently a bioengineering grad student who is interested in rotating in your lab for the upcoming quarter. I have been thinking about diving deeper into computational analysis, mice behavior, 2-photon excitation and opto-stim work. I've spoken to your postdocs, Sunwoo and Belle, about their current projects and potentially collaborating since they seem to be touching up on all these aspects. I was hoping we can find a time to meet and chat a bit to see if it would be a good fit. The deadline to submit my rotation selections is coming up, so I'd like to make sure we meet beforehand. Let me know, happy to work with your schedule! Best, Y/N Y/L/N

The thing about San is that he's pretty good at picking up on a student's vibe through their emails. It's the tone, the professionalism, the way they write and carry themselves. He can tell when some people are a little more egotistical and ignorant, and he doesn't want people like that in his rather small, but mighty lab. His current grad students and postdocs all get along well, and they're bright people who are very passionate about their work and studies. He doesn't need people thinking they're above the others. In addition to that, he can also tell when students are just trying to get their name on a published paper doing work in his lab, or when they're just trying to wing their way through grad school. It's a shame, but he definitely has come across a few students in his inbox. They do exist.

You, though? He's intrigued. You seem bright. Genuinely passionate about the specific areas you're interested in diving into. Poised. He appreciates that. He quickly scans over your CV and the little blurb at the bottom that highlights the work you've done in your undergrad years and internships. Your work history. He sees that you've already dipped your toes in a few of the different areas you've mentioned. Worked with a few professors he knows. You've volunteered at a couple of places.

An all-rounder.

"Did you see it?" He almost forgets he's on the phone with Jongho.

"Mm, yeah. I'll respond in a bit, I think I can meet on Thursday. Sorry, I just got a little distracted. Saw another email about a potential rotation student."

"Gonna take one on this quarter?"

"Maybe. If it fits. She seems to be interested in a lot of the work we do. She knows Sunwoo and Belle."

"Oh, nice. That'll be cool."

"What about you? Taking on a rotation student?" Jongho is an assistant professor in the electrical engineering department, and he is often bombarded with inquiries himself. He usually always has a rotation student, and they almost always choose his lab to work in after their rotation program is up. San doesn't blame them— Jongho is brilliant, and his work creates a lot of different pathways for students to navigate and try. San's can be a hit or miss; it's quite niched, and students often find that it genuinely is tough to play around in his field.

"Yeah. Think so." 

"Alright. Thanks for giving me a heads up. I'll check my calendar and respond in a bit for sure." San eyes the email. "It does sound like a good collaboration."

"Figured you'd say that. Thanks, my guy! Take it easy and good luck on your progress report."

"Appreciate it." San gives off a toothless smile even though Jongho can't see him. He slides his phone off to the side and checks his calendar, upholding his promise to Jongho about responding to the email ASAP. He keeps his email short, letting the group know he can make the meeting at the desired time on Thursday to talk about the potential collaboration across labs.

Then, he pulls up your email and checks his calendar once more.

From: choisan@atz.edu To: y/n@atz.edu Hi Y/N, Thanks for your email - for sure! I think there's a lot of possibilities we could visit, especially with Belle and/or Sunwoo's projects. Can you pop into my office on Tuesday morning? 10am good? We can chat then. — San

"Oh shit." You slow your chewing when you see the email notification pop up on your screen during dinner.

"What?" Felix asks, turning his attention towards you and causing Jiung and Eunchae to do the same.

"Professor Choi answered my email."

"That was quick." Jiung takes forkful of food into his mouth.

"Professor Choi as in San or Jongho? Cause they're both hotties." Eunchae swoons and twirls her hair, making Felix scrunch his nose.

"San." 

"I'd kill to be a rotation student in their labs." Eunchae giggles. "What'd he say?"

"To meet him at his office on Tuesday to chat more."

"Well, that's good! Which other labs were you looking at?"

"I'm not sure. Song Mingi, Kang Yeosang, Jeong Yunho. Kim Namjoon—"

"Isn't Professor Choi's ex-wife with Professor Jeong now?" Jiung looks up with a squint.

"Yeah, apparently when it all went down, it was a mess." Felix chimes in, and you continue to type away at your phone. "Imagine your wife having an affair with your bestfriend."

"Harsh." Jiung does a head tilt.

"I guess they don't interact much anymore, do they? Seems to be water under the bridge."

"I don't think so, but Professor Lee works in the Chemical Engineering department so they might have to from time to time if students in her lab wanna be co-advised or collaborate with him. Professor Jeong, though."

"Awkward. At least they can keep it civil." Felix shrugs at Eunchae's response.

"They lowkey have no choice." Felix looks up in thought before shrugging. "Still sucks to know your bestfriend was involved."

"Seriously." You add.

"Either way, those are good labs to possibly rotate in. It'd be cool if you could get into Namjoon's lab. Heard he's cool as fuck even though he's the department chair." Felix tosses his napkin into his empty paper bowl.

"Yeah, same. I'll keep you guys updated." You send off your response to Professor Choi with a small sigh. "There. Hopefully my rotation will be settled for the quarter."

From: yn@atz.edu To: choisan@atz.edu Hi Professor Choi, Yes, I can meet you at 10am on Tuesday. Thank you, and see you then! Best, Y/N

"Maybe you'll get more out of the rotation, especially with Professor Choi." Eunchae nudges your side and you let out a small yelp before you playfully pinch her bicep.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jiung snorts.

"I'm just saying, he's successful. A hottie. Young. Single—"

"Here she goes." Felix lets out a breath.

"Bro. Calm down." Jiung laughs. "He's still a professor."

"What if you two get close during rotation and he falls in love with you?" She looks at you ever so seriously. 

"Relax." Felix laughs. "What kinda movie did we fall into?"

"Eunchae, please." You poke her cheek. "You know we rarely ever see the professors in lab. We get like.. five minute meetings with them and that's about as much of a personal interaction we'll get. They're busy people. Sorry to burst your bubble, bae." She shrugs.

"It was fun to think about." She giggles. "But no, that'll be a good experience for you if you get to join his lab for rotation. The others are great, too. Is he your first choice for a dissertation advisor, though?"

"As of now, yeah. But, we'll see how it all goes."

"Keep us updated." Jiung sips some water. "I think I need to reach out to one more professor for this quarter. Needa figure out my shit before classes start."

"Same." 

Meanwhile, San sees the notification from your email pop up in the corner of his screen and he immediately presses on it. He smiles a bit when he realizes how easy scheduling that meeting was— most of the time, people say they'll work with his schedule but end up pushing back. He slots you into his calendar before he can forget and switches his attention back to the progress report he's close to finishing up. 

San thinks it'll be nice to host a rotation student again, as the experience has always been useful, eventful, productive. He thinks it'll be like any other time; the experience being useful, eventful. Productive. He trusts in his group, the students, to come up with great ideas and be able to execute from start to finish.

So, he doesn't think much of it. He thinks he can hand you off and trust you with Belle and Sunwoo.

Little does he know that's where he gets it all wrong.

—taglist: @asjkdk @interweab @woojirang @svintsandghosts @cheolliehugs @persphonesorchid @mxnsxngie @jycas @cowboydk @vcutparis @chngbnwf @struggling101 @sanhwalvr @lynnsqueendom

[angeliteeyes]

Now, that we've set the groundwork for amazing Oni S/O for Herta~, let's have them being sent to penacony during the events of the Watchmaker incident on behalf of Herta cause I feel she'd definitely receive an invitation and they end up running into the Astral express and more importantly their older sister. For added drama, they thought the other was dead.

A little embarrassed... but I drew this for you (ᵕ ´ ∇ ˋ ˶) based Oni's hair off of Acheron's during Izumo times but made it more androgynous

The Herta x Oni Reader - Penacony Encounters

-> Masterlist with all Herta x Oni works

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

"Stop moving around so much. You're the one that asked me to help you get dolled up, you know?"

You can't help but squirm as Herta straddles your lap, one hand coated with skincare products and the other holding your face still. Although cosmetics like this were baked into your homeland, Izumo's culture, you typically spared the effort. You would've today, too, if it weren't for the upcoming excitement.

After Herta received an invitation to Penacony, she had deemed it unworthy of her time. Instead, she handed it over to you. She claims that her decision's due to her believing you'll have fun there, but... you can tell by the glint in her eyes that she's hiding something from you. Not that it bothers you much. You'll figure it out soon anyway, right?

"How much longer is this going to take? It's almost time for me to go." You look up to pout at her.

"Oh, enough of that. You're the one who was causing so much mischief that I had to personally step in and clean up your mess. You're lucky I like you, or I'd have thrown you out into the cosmos for that stunt." You groan, knowing she has a point, and let her work her magic.

"There, that should do it. Now be good while you're out, alright? Oh, who am I kidding—I'll be amazed if you don't blow up the planet." You two giggle in each other's embrace despite the teasing remarks.

"No promises. I'll see you soon, Herta." She hums mildly in reply as you stretch your limbs in preparation. Right before you leave your shared room, she calls out to you.

"Dearest, remember to keep your eyes peeled. This is a rather large gathering. I'm sure you'll find... someone of interest to you."

*

You'd seen the scenery of Penacony countless times in photos, especially since Sparkle arrived before you, but... wow. Nothing could've prepared you for this dazzling view. Perhaps this was why Herta got so pushy about this trip?

Speaking of, her final words play in your head once again. Someone of interest, huh. Your eyes scan over the ever-growing collection of people surrounding you. Surely, at least a few celebrities had to be sprinkled in. You just have to scout them out.

Orrrrrr maybe not.

"I'm sorry, but your name really isn't in the system."

"But in the information I received from the Astral Express, it states that we already reserved rooms. Please check again for me."

Your keen ears know the sound of trouble like the back of your hand. Before long, you find yourself right behind none other than Himeko. You'd heard of her from Herta's stories, but you never considered that you could run into her. Quickly, you lift the chest area of your hoodie to cover your lips. It would be so embarrassing to be caught fangirling about her, but how could you not? It's Himeko, the leader of the Astral Express.

Unfortunately, your fun has to end as more and more of the crew members show up. That's so lame! Surely it's not a problem if you just snap a couple of photos as compensation, right? Right? You totally deserve it.

After taking an embarrassing number of pictures on your phone, you decide to turn around and get away before someone spots you. You shift your gaze back and forth, feeling a bit nervous. Thankfully, there's nobody... looking...

. . .

Huh ?

That can't . . .

"Why are you here... Mei?"

She turns and looks at you. This is her. It has to be her. You would never forget your sister's eyes, no matter how much time has passed.

"Mei... Mei!" Before she can respond, your body lunges towards her. Finally holding her again, embracing her, feeling her warmth... every memory you'd tried to bury came rushing back to you like a flood. "I can't—I can't believe you're alive."

You feel a palm press into the back of your head gently, cautiously. As you look up to meet her eyes, you notice how wide they are. The way her breath falters. And as you gaze at her expression and body language, you realize that she, too, must have been left in the dark.

"I don't understand... How did you survive?" Her voice trembles slightly as she speaks, but that's alright. You are too.

"Well, Aha sort of saved the day for me back when... you know. That was all happening. What about you? How are you alive?" You two share a biting sense of somberness at the memories of your pasts. The ends of her lips turn downwards.

"I'm afraid I can't say that here. Listen to me." She places her hands on your shoulders. "This place is too dangerous for you. You must leave right now, while you still can."

Your breath hitches. "What? But we finally found each other after all these years, and now you're telling me to just abandon you?" It feels like the world around you is collapsing all over again. A couple of guests begin to turn towards you two, but it's hard to care anymore.

She reaches out to hold the side of your face, wiping the tears now trailing across it. "I don't like this either, but... I need you to be safe. Do you understand?" After many sobs leave your body, you eventually regain most of your composure.

"You have to promise me something first. Promise me that we'll see each other again." She pauses, then slowly nods. The two of you hurriedly exchange your contact information, her rushing you for reasons unknown. With one final embrace, she sends you off on your way.

Before you leave for good, you take one last look behind you and wave one of your hands meagerly in the air at her. This may be goodbye for now, but it's not the end. After all, both of you managed to survive and reunite after everything that had happened so far. A couple of extra days couldn't stop you now. You're sure that, in due time, you'll be by each other's side once again.

Meanwhile, a shadowy woman's figure steps out from the darkness.

"Interesting... I didn't expect you two to know each other, Acheron. Or should I say Mei?"

[ofmdrecaps]

01/15-17/2025 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; David Jenkins; Rhys Darby; Darby Family Cats; Kristian Nairn; Samson Kayo; Madeleine Sami; Lindsey Cantrell; Andrew Deyoung Damien Gerard; Dominic Burgess; Articles; Fan Weeks: Sprizzy (Jan 20-26), and OFMD Aro/Ace Week (March 23-29); Love Notes;

Hey Crew. There's been a lot of heavy stuff happening lately. I spent a bunch of time working on backing up some tiktok vids from the crew, and then they brought it back so it's available again yay! But if you are interested in downloading any of the copies because you don't have a tiktok account you can do so here.

= David Jenkins =

Sad days, the legend David Lynch passed away on Jan 15th. So many of our cast & crew put together lovely dedications for him. I'll try to add more to the repo, but I'm running out of image room here. He made a huge impact in so many lives and will be greatly missed. David shared this photo of him with the words "Goodbye King". RIP sir.

Source: David Jenkins Instagram

Chaos Dad was sharing his friends go fund me again, and it's at 94% fulfilled! If you have the capability and would like to donate to help them reach their goal you can visit Carolyn & Jamie's Gofundme

Source: David's IG

= Rhys Darby =

The real video (not the old one I linked last time, sorry yall!) from Rhys' recent interview with The Project in AONZ is up on youtube!

Source: The Project TV Youtube

Rhys is promoting the movie Love Hurts that he plays in with Ke Huy Quan-- premiering on Feb 7th!

Source: Rhys Darby's Facebook

= Darby Family Cats =

Gizmo is getting some snuggles from the new kitten!

Source: Rosie's IG Stories

= Kristian Nairn =

Kristiant tried to get us a Wee John Wednesday going, but poor Nathan ended up being too sick to join. Kristian shared some cool gifts he's gotten from fans over the years, discussed plans about his upcoming projects (more jewelry and gear that is affordable and people want to wear!).

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A post shared by Kristian Nairn (@kristiannairn)

Source: Kristian Nairn's IG

= Samson Kayo =

Samson was in Queensland starting his work for the new Voltron show!

Source: Samson's Ig Stories

= Madeleine Sami =

Our dear Archie was out partying with friends!

Source: Madeleine's IG Stories

= Andrew DeYoung =

Andrew Deyoung, one of our directors has been doing so much to help the people of LA, and his brother in law is a lawyer who works in Disaster Claims. He shared this very helpful free class incase you need the information!

Source: Andrew Deyoung's IG Stories

= Lindsey Cantrell =

Our dear Lindsey Cantrell, set decorator for OFMD S2, has been pivotal in sharing so much information and support of cast & crew and so many others affected by the LA fires. She put together a beautiful dedication filled with hope I just wanted to share with you. She continues to be a beacon of kindness.

Source: Lindsey's Instagram

= Damien Gerard =

Damien had his 10 year anniversary of moving to the US! Lots of memories there-- on a later date he mentioned he is officially off all other socials, so if you'd like to keep up to date with him, you can follow him on his Bluesky!

Source: Damien's Bsky

= Dominic Burgess =

Dominic is keeping our spirits up with cat pics!

Source: Dominic's Bsky

== Articles ==

Kind of amazing just how many articles continue to feature out beloved show! Thank you to @adoptourcrew for sharing them!

Pride.com Article

Source: Adopt Our Crew's Bsky

Out ranked the 25 best queer TV shows of the century so far

Source: Adopt Our Crew Bsky

The 20 Best Misfit Comedies

Source: Adopt Our Crew Bsky

== Fan Weeks ==

= Sprizzy Week =

It's Sprizzy Week (Jan 20-26) for all you Lucius x Izzy Fans out there! Follow them on Bluesky! They've got their prompts and bingo cards up if you'd like to participate or just check it out!

Source: SprizzyWeek Bsky

= OFMD Aro/Ace Week 2025 =

There's a fabulous week coming up March 23-29, 2025! "OFMD Aro/Ace Week is fan event for creation & sharing of fanfic & art focused on asexual and aromantic identities. This is a week to celebrate the beautiful spectrum of a-spec identities and experiences in the OFMD community!" Socials: Bsky

Source: OFMD Aro / Ace Week

== Love Notes ==

Hey there lovelies. Been a bit of a time huh? So much has happened in just a weeks time... David Lynch passed, The Gaza Ceasefire was announced, the inauguration in the US happened (I'm about a week late on this edition which is why there's a time discrepancy.

It has been a complete shit show everywhere, and I've seen a lot of different emotions bouncing around. First and foremost, grief, sadness, fear, but also hope, and perseverance.

Whatever big feels you're feeling right now, please know that they are so incredibly valid. This shit is hard to live through, so take a break, cope how you need to cope okay? You take care of you, and let us know if we can help somehow. I wanted to share this here because I wrote this the other day as kind of a love note that couldn't wait for a recap, and a way for me to express myself with all the muddled feelings I was experiencing, it's about community and your individual impact. If you'd like to read it, you can do so on my main blog, here.

If not, no worries-- here's some love notes for all our siblings who need them today. So much love to all our LGBTQ+ Family, but huge hugs to our trans and non binary sibs who are going through it real hard at the moment. We love you, you are valid. We are here for you okay?

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A post shared by Abprallen (@abprallenuk)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Spiritual Asylum (@spiritualasylum)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rochester LGBTQ+ Together (@roclgbtqtogether)

[spaceorphan18]

The Lady Whistledown Papers : 2x02 Off To The Races (Part 2)

Welcome back, Gentle Readers, to The Lady Whistledown Papers, where I’m taking an in-depth look at Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton’s character arcs and romance within the show Bridgerton!

For previous issues, follow tag : The Lady Whistledown Papers

You. Guys. this episode continues to be a delight to meta. The Polin stuff in it is soooo delicious. I love it. Love it so much. Ooff, this season is so truly the real beginning of their story in a lot of ways.

At The Races

We're outside! At an event that isn't a ball or randomly walking up and down a sidewalk. It's kind of nice when the show throws in that there are other things to do in Mayfair.

We see the Featheringtons show up first. Philippa is excited about her upcoming marriage to Albion -- and it's really sweet that they allow her to have this love match. Penelope's on a mission to find the Bridgertons (and I love her for it). Prudence rolls her eyes - and I have to say, I wonder sometimes, if Prudence is not bored and lonely at this point. I think Philippa was her bff - but now that her attention is turned elsewhere - a man of all things - Prudence doesn't know what to do with herself. She also clocks Penelope.

As an aside, even if Eloise was blind to it, if there were two people who did know bout Penelope's crush - it was Prudence and Philippa. I just feel it.

Meanwhile, Anthony is fixated on Kate and Edwina and the Sharma shenanigans. Colin is paying attention, too, and I kind of wonder what he thinks about all of it. He literally just got back into town, and now Anthony is dragging him everywhere because he needs to best a girl. I kind of wonder what his actual thoughts are on it, since he's very removed, really, from all of it.

(Also - I am here for any kind of ABC brother interaction. I kind of love that they're all there in their solid Bridgerton blues, but each are dressed very differently. I wish I knew more about fashion to make a comment about it.)

Will comes along and is excited about his new prospects. It is odd, at first, to see Will without Simon - as he was firmly Simon's friend. But the whole point of this scene is to set up Will having his club.

Colin inquires about him going back into boxing, but Will says that he's opening a bar instead. Anthony brushes it off -- as they've got a club that they're already apart of, but Benedict jumps at the chance to talk to something, I'm sure, that isn't related to courtship. Colin seems somewhat interested as well.

I also need to point out.... When Anthony is chatting about family and togetherness, we get a pan over to said family. You notice two people are missing? That would be Colin and Eloise, both of whom are seeking out he same person. One of them is going to find her first.

Symbolic? Or Coincidence? -- actually narratively Colin needs to for the flow of the episode. But doesn't mean we can't inject a little symbolism into it. ;)

Alright, so Colin is actually hanging around just chatting with people. He's been gone a long time, and I'm sure people are curious. And Colin is going to chat anyone's ear off who will listen.

I was thinking, earlier, about Colin and friendships, and despite a little chatter last season that he does actually have some friends, I don't know that I buy that he has any actual close friends outside of his family and Penelope. He's friendly to everyone, but it's casual and cordial at best. And the minute he starts making olive puns, I get the impression most of them start looking for other people to talk to.

Look, I know we don't get to see this fully on display until he shows up at Marina's, but I'll argue that Colin tendency to be unabashedly himself lends himself to a social awkwardness that isn't fully unlike Penelope's. It's one of the reasons he goes inward at the start of Season 3. If he hides himself, he can fit in more.

Anyway... this girl, I swear... She is the most adorable. In her quest to find some Bridgertons, she sees Colin, and stops right in her tracks. And grins. Just -- the biggest grin ever. She is so happy he's back. But then, she downplays it, and pretends to be so unaware of what's going on until he takes notice of her. Make him come to her - I see what you're doing there, Penelope. It's so hilarious and cute, and I love how she's like, ladeda pretending I don't see my favorite person in the world.

I really should have grabbed a gif for this moment but.. just like with her, the moment he sees her, his entire face lights up. He literally takes a second and does a little gasp and pauses and his whole world is brightened. He's thrilled to see her.

Their body language in this scene is just... so, so, good.

I love that, at first, Penelope tries to act casually surprised that he's interested in seeing her. She's hilariously terrible at playing subtle, but he really doesn't notice, because he wants to see her and wants to talk to her.

And here's the thing that really stands out to me -- Colin comments that they didn't get to talk earlier that morning. And Penelope makes her cute, awkward little remark about shouting his name. And in this moment she is just as weird, just as awkward, just as ridiculous as she is going to be in those Season 3 scenes where she's attempting to flirt (and failing).

But that's the thing -- instead of being offput by it, Colin is visibly charmed by her oddity. Part of it is, yes, he is used to her. He sees her far more frequently than a lot of the other members of the ton. But he is sincerely endeared by her and her mannerisms. It's not off putting at all -- it's adorably just Penelope.

A Penelope he's gotten to know through the intimacy of their shared, written correspondence. They haven't been face to face in months -- but coming back together again, feels like the most natural thing. Because they have been talking. And because there is now something privately shared between the two of them.

That's why the writing together while he was away is soooo important to their relationship. Because they have given small parts of themselves to the other one. And seeing each other in person just reinforces that -- hey, I really enjoy this person. Penelope is outwardly aware of it, as her feelings have always been there. Colin is just starting to figure this out.

Penelope states that she's wants to hear more about his travels. And it's sincere! She does! For some complex reasons, too. She always wants to hear more about him, as she does adore him, and seeing the world through his eyes is a way to bring her closer to him. But also, she's got a limited world view -- being stuck in Mayfair, pulled by the strings of her mother. To have someone whom she loves dearly be able to help expand her world's view, is really quite special to her, I'm sure.

And Colin, again, lights up at her interest. Colin is a bit insecure at times and her interest is validating. (Especially when, we'll see, no one else is going to care about his travels.) He does some self-deprecation again, when he says - I'm sure you would have been bored of my travels, dismissing himself as if it were nothing. But then goes on to let us (the audience) know that she's written to and replied to more of his letters than anyone else (I'm sure combined).

She has a genuine interest in him, and that's really stuck out. And it's meaningful. It's, again, validating (and good for his ego), but also compounds and sheds light on something he was aware of but not focused on -- the fact that Penelope, when stripped away from the baggage society throws on her, is intelligent and witty and warm and fun. And being around her makes him feel good.

His compliments of her make her shine as well. She is so thrilled by this interaction, feeling validated herself that what she imagined in the letters is actually true -- that they did mean something to him. (Remember, this is coming off the previous episode where her mother and sister insist that Colin couldn't possibly be her friend.)

But also she states that there is so much more than one can put on paper. And an amused little grin crosses his face. It's fascinating actually - because he's agreeing with her, yes, but there's something more there as well. He is so giddy that someone shows a genuine interest in him. So thrilled that she wants to hear more.

Colin asks how she's been, and she responds -- well. She's pretty giddy as well. Because she has been doing well. Lady Whistledown has been well respected and getting her (secretly) a lot of attention. She feels more confident in her abilities because of it. And her shininess helps her be more herself.

But also - Colin has a genuine interest in her, too, which also makes her giddy. (Of course, narrative foreshadowing! Our hero is in a good place, only questionable things going forward... but I'm getting way ahead of myself.)

Penelope, in turn, asks how he is though jokes that she does not need to, as she's heard about it. And we get a little snippet of what he did on his travels, which was quite a lot! And we can also gleam from this just how much he has written to her about what he's been up to. And he is just thrilled to hear all of this spouted off to him. It means that she's been actually paying attention to him.

And that's important in their relationship. Both of them have issues with feeling ignored and displaced in their world(s). But they see each other. They pay attention to one another. They listen to each other. And that is so key as a foundation of their relationship.

Colin states that it was all very exhilarating! It was - it was quite the experience, and having someone to share it with makes it even more special.

And here's where I get to my -- THESE TWO ARE JUST THE BIGGEST IDIOTS -- level of analysis.

Because, ultimately, they have been apart a long time, and all they really want to do is go in a corner somewhere and catch up. And talk. And discover more about each other. And if it wasn't 1814 (or whatever year it's supposed to be), they'd probably go do that.

My point is, though, that THIS episode is the real beginning of their romantic storyline. Season 1 was more of a prelude, a set up and introduction. But their story here -- totally romantic comedy.

And I'll reiterate... this is why I love Polin (and multi-season television as a story device). Because there are layers to this relationship that are built upon.

But I also want to add in a big point. One of the key factors here is that they do genuinely like each other. Genuinely want to be around each other. They WANT to be together. And they ARE friends.

Yes, this very much is the beginning of a romantic relationship, and Penelope is very much in love with him. But I don't want to take the friendship element for granted. This relationship doesn't start because two people find each other attractive and act on it. This is a relationship born out of similarities and a foundation of genuine affection. This is the groundwork for the whole friends-to-lovers thing, because we see their friendship on great display here. And that is special.

Penelope then goes on to ask if it was lonely. And she's so kinda bashful about it. It's somewhat hilarious, actually, because what she's really doing is poking around to see if he found someone to... idk, court? marry? find companionship with? She is the gossip hound after all, and she wants to know if all the things.

And this is where I have some headcanons about Colin... I don't think he started sleeping with women until his second tour. I think the first tour was to clear his head and (as he'll say later this episode) he's sworn off women. So her question is truly perplexing -- he doesn't get that what she really wants to know is if he's hooking up with other women.

And here's where I want to know so much more about Colin and his travels! Because how did they work? Did he go with a group of people? Or did he show up to places and get adopted by them? He states that he was never alone -- and for sure, he wasn't. A man of his class probably wouldn't be. But it does make me wonder, was he lonely? Does he think that Penelope may recognize that -- despite all these exhilarating experiences, there was some loneliness in it? That he may not have had a close friend to share it with?

More over, was he not that lonely because he always had her and her correspondence to reply to?

It's interesting, though, that the minute he says he was never alone she immediately jumps to the conclusion that he's met someone. There's something... modern in the way this moment is phrased. Idk, I feel like you don't casually just meet someone and 'court' them or whatever, which is what her question implies. Also - the dude will not shut up about things he loves, so doubtful he'd keep a secret girlfriend secret.

I am really amused that the beat is played up -- as he doesn't really get a chance to answer because...

ELOISE!!!

And I love it. I love the dynamic of these three. I'd watch a whole show just of these three. (Actually, I would miss other characters, but... I really would watch the Polin/Eloise show).

I love that Penelope is grumbly that her other favorite pereson in the world is ruining her special moment. I love that Eloise's line -- you've only been here an hour an you're already in my way. The siblingness of it is just... so perfect. So, perfect. And Colin's cute little -- *sigh* good to see you, too.

It's going to be twenty years later, and this dynamic is still going to play out like this, lol. (also kudos to the comedic acting chops of everyone here. they're so, so good and let Bridgerton be comedic.)

On a final note about Colin, though, he is a little sad that Eloise has swooped in and taken Penelope away. He was enjoying that conversation. But also -- it's deflating his ego a bit that Eloise (and most of his family) have kind of moved on in their lives without him in it. Nor do they seem at all that interested in what he's been up to. (I don't fully get this myself -- as I would be asking all the questions, too.)

So moving on -- we have Eloise freaking out because she's made a discovery -- that she might know Lady Whistledown's publisher. And this has Penelope freaked. The way she dismissively says 'impossible' with such a firm tone, and yet is completely unnerved by Eloise's discovery is just... ooff. She was riding such a high two seconds ago, and now LW stuff is coming to haunt her.

Eloise goes on to discuss the physicality of the pamphlet (and I love their little, comedic exchange about it feeling like paper -- and Pen's comment about how all paper feels the same).

Eloise goes on -- discussing how the pamphlet about dogs is identical to the LW papers, and yes, she is acting a bit unhinged. But... she's also not wrong, and Penelope knows that, even as she downplays it.

Penelope's confidence in her secret is not shaken, however. Eloise calms down a bit, knowing she's a bit off her rocker in that moment. And Penelope states that Eloise is finding mere coincidences. And I love how amused Penelope is at all of it. She's cool and calm and not at all seriously worried yet.

Also, idk, I kind of love the genuine amusement we get from Penelope in this scene. There's something about her this season that feels like growth. She doesn't seem quite so young (even if she isn't as /adult/ as she is in season 3).

From across the way, Portia signals for Penelope to return which....

oh my god, I should mention before I forget -- does anyone really notice Penelope and Colin talking? Alone? Unsupervised? Take a drink, guys, we're now on -- Pen and Colin do things how they want because no one really cares -- Season 2 edition.

Anyway, Penelope has to go back to her family now, play time is over. I love the cute little tap Pen gives Eloise with the fan. (The fan, in general, is a great prop in this scene.)

Colin is clearly into the horse racing. Dude loves some sports.

Omg, is he sitting next to Portia?? I mean, that's Jack in the purple. Like, where is Pen??? She had the opportunity to sit near Colin (and Eloise) and she didn't take it? I can't seem to spot her at all in the crowd stuff (though it's very hard with the wide shots.) Did they give Nicola a day off?

Also, everyone is happily screaming, and Colin looks as pissed as Anthony does. Did he loose a bet? Was there cut content?? I want to knoooow.

I guess I'll leave you with those open ended questions for now, dear readers ;)

[blueesnow]

(10/10) HE★VENS Special Training! - LE Event Story Translation (UR Eiji, SR Shion)

Sypnosis: For their upcoming live concert, the members of HE★VENS have decided to go to a training camp to strengthen their performance and to film behind-the-scenes footage. Eiji is busy preparing for the camp with his friends in mind, while Shion is excited to be able to stay overnight with the members even though it's for work. Whether it be lessons or free time, a fulfilling time is about to begin for all of them…!

Ch 1:

-HE★VENS Dorm Living Room- Eiji: ーA traning camp? For all of us? Eiichi: Yeah, that's right. The objective is to strengthen our performance for the upcoming live concert. Eiichi: We're also thinking of filming the situation of the training camp as required and showing it during the live concert in a form of behind the scenes footage. Eiichi: And here's a pamphlet about the facility. What do you guys think? Nagi: Oh, it sounds interesting☆ We had a training camp before, but we didn't have a close-up camera following us around. Nagi: I'll have to get them to take all sorts of shot of how cute I am♪ Shion: Filming our usual activities… I'm a bit nervous, but this is also for Angel's sake. Shion: As long as I'm there with everyone, I'm sure that I will be able to smile naturally. Amakusa will also do his best. Kira: …It's a nice facility. It's also…well-equipped. The dance lessons…will be going well. Van: Oh, there's also a river nearby. It has lots of greenery too, and taking a walk around sounds refreshing! Kira: We need to make…a lesson plan first. The walk is…after that. Van: What's with you Kira-chan, you seem to be so enthusiastic~! Do you really like this place that much? Yamato: I understand how he feels. I've seen a machine that I've been wanting to try it out, it would make for a great workout. Yamato: Also, food. If there are any delicious local specialties, I want to buy it and take it home with me. Eiji: I think it's great! To be able to go out with everyone and get lots of training there sounds amazing. Eiji: I'll also work hard for Angel's sake. Eiichi: That's the spirit! Well then, now that we've come to an agreement, the location will be on that place, okay. Eiichi: And while we're at it, let's discuss about the footage as well. Where and how it will be used in the live concert. Eiichi: We could keep some of the behind-the-scenes to a few minutes and play it straight through the interlude. Or maybe, we can cut a lot of it… Eiichi: And use it as an opening attack video. These are the two ideas I'm thinking of right now, but do let me know if you have any other ideasー

Ch 2:

-Training Camp's Lobby- Nagi: We've arrived~☆ The lobby looks pretty cute too♪ It suits Nagi perfectly! What should we do about the rooms? Yamato: Now that you mention, we haven't decided on the room assignment yet, huh. Shall we split up to 2, 2, 3? Van: We also have training later, so let's decide on it quickly. 1, 2…Rock, paper, scissors! Kira: It's settled up…nicely. Eiichi, Yamato and I…in a three-person room. The rest is Eiji with Shion…And Nagi with Van. Eiichi: Everyone, please gather in the studio as soon as you put down your luggage. We're going to start our lesson immediately. Eiji: Shion, it looks like we're sharing a room together. I'm in your care! By the way, I just saw the poster that was on the entrance and… Eiji: Apparently there is a place near here where you can see wild birds. How about we go there after our practice is over? Shion: Oh my…what a blessing it is. I'm truly grateful from the bottom of my heart… -Training Camp's Lesson Room- Eiji: (…*sigh* I had no problems with the singing lesson earlier, but I don't seem to be doing well with dancing lesson today…Ah!) Eiji: We didn't align together just now, right. It's probably because I was too late. I'm sorry for failing so many times… Can we start over again from the beginning…? Yamato: Don't worry. We didn't mind it one bit. Right, Eiichi? Eiichi: …That's right, it's okay. Now then, let's play the music again. Eiji: Thank you. I'll definitely do it right this time…! Eiji: (…! My toes get stuck…!) Nagi: You okay? Nothing's hurt? Eiji: Yeah, I just stumbled a little bit…I'm really sorry. Can I ask you to start over again from the beginning…? Shion: …*pant*…*pant*… Kira: …Eiichi. Can we stop…for now? It's going to be more painful…any further. Eiichi: Yeah, you're right. …You know what, let's wrap it up here. We're going to continue tomorrow morning. There will be cameras as well, so I'm going to make some preparations now. Eiji: Okay…I got it. …I'll be refreshing my mind in the meantime!

Ch 3:

-Riverbank- Kira: Do you think Eiji is…fine from earlier? I'm a little bit…worried about him. Yamato: Well, he did work his hardest every time, but also failed repeatedly… But hey, that kind of thing happens once in a while. Yamato: And besides, Eiji is already an outstanding idol. He can handle that much on his own. Eiichi: That's right, we've given him plenty of time. Believing and waiting is also another way of being thoughtful. Kira: You're right. Eiji is…our trustworthy comrade. I guess…I was thinking too much of it. Yamato: Yeah! Well, now that I'm here, I'm going for a run now. See you guys at dinner time later. Kira: …Wait. If Yamato's going…then I will run as well. I can't afford…to fall behind. Eiichi: Count me in as well! But… Since this is a rare opportunity, just running around normally is simply boring. Eiichi: How about we make a bet with it and have a competition instead? Yamato: Okay, I'm in. So, to make it easy to understand, the loser must do one thing that the winner says, how about it? Kira: I'll accept…the challenge. The finish line will be on that big tree over there. 1, 2… Start! - Yamato: That was quite a good start, Kira. However, I'll be going first from here! Kira: No…I won't let you. Likewise… Do you think you can keep up with me? Yamato: *pant*…*pant*…. You're quite tough, aren't ya… But, your legs are probably on its limit now. Kira: That's… It should be my line. Just a little bit more…to the goal….Eiichiー?! Yamato: So fast! I can't believe I got overtaken at the last minute like this… - Eiichi: Hmm… It's really exciting to compete against someone with such great talent! That start dash was especially spectacular. Eiichi: My only regret is that it ended so quickly. …No wait, the one who finish first this time was me. Eiichi: In that case, the only “wish” I can ask for is this. I would like to request a rematch with both of you! Let's have one more heat competition. Kira & Yamato: ……!

Ch 4:

Van: And the next is… Oh, we're back at the lobby. I see, so it connected to this place. Nagi: With this, that means we're done with full tour of the building☆ Well then, let's end this exploration at that stand♪ Nagi: What do they have here~… Oh, ice cream! Not to mention, they also have Nagi's favorite too☆ Nagi: Hey, Van~ Nagi wants an ice cream♪ So that he can work even harder for the lesson☆ Van: Uhh…. If you say it like that, then I really have no choice but buy it for you! I really can't win againts Nagi-chan! Van: Besides… You probably came here with me with the intention of wanting this from the very beginning, didn't ya? Van: I thought it's weird for sure. You didn't even follow Eiji-chan and Shii-chan when they went towards the river. Nagi: That's not it. Besides~ Didn't Van had fun exploring around with cute Nagi? Van: You're right. And that's why I'll be buying you your favorite ice cream, choose one for me too, 'kay. Nagi: Yaay~! Thanks☆ Umm… First is this chocolate♪ Nagi: And then, one with fruits in it… Oh, there's the new one that I've been searching for! It's written here that the ingredients are all premium~☆ Van: Wait wait, isn't that quite a lot? If you eat that much, you're not going to have any room for dinner later. Nagi: This is for dessert after dinner! …Oh, this flower shaped one is cute too but, hmm….which one he'd like more…? Van: Oh…I see. We need to buy seven of it. And the reason why you're having trouble for that one is because it's for Eiji's share, right. Van: You're really kind, aren't ya~ I'm proud of you, Nagi-chan! Nagi: Not really…this kind of thing is normal. Anyway, which one of these do you think is the best one…? Van: That's right… Let's go with the most luxurious one. Eating that will definitely cheer him up! Van: Y'know what, let's just turn this place into a big party where we'll be handing ice creams to everyone! What do you think? Nagi: I don't think Eiji is the same as Van though… Oh well, party is not that bad I guess. It's fun too♪ Nagi: Alright, now that it's settled, let's go and call Eiichi and the others right away! We're going to start a strategy meeting for the ice cream party☆

Ch 5:

Shion: The babbling sound of the river, the swaying green leaves through the sunlight, and the occasional soft chirping of the birds. …As I thought, the waterside is indeed a place where you can feel at ease. Shion: Ohh… This voice sounds like it came from a small bird with soft green feathers… It wasn't very noticeable from here, but… it was definitely there, on that branch… Eiji: Eh…? Oh…you're right. It's so small and cute…Ah. Eiji: It flied away. Maybe it went back to its home… Shion: (…Eiji…I guess he's still worried about what happened earlier… Is there something that I can do to cheer him up…) Shion: That tree with the white branches that can be seen by the riverbank… I wonder what kind of flowers will bloom on it… Eiji: Umm, those are fluffy flowers full of white, elongated petals that can be seen in the spring. Shion: Then what's the name of that tall grass over there…? Eiji: …Umm, that one, judging from its leaves…Oh. Hey, Shion. Are you trying to be considerate of me? Eiji: We've only been talking of my favorite plants instead of birds since a while ago. Shion: That's, um… I'm not… Eiji: I thought so. …I'm sorry. Not only just now, but also during that lesson earlier. Eiji: Now that I think about it, it's because I kept trying to start over that I accidently made Shion pushed himself too hard, and that's why the practice got halted earlier… Shion: The one who's at fault was Amakusa. Because of my lack of strength, I could not continue to do it to the fullest… Eiji: No, it's actually my fault. I was only just thinking about myself, it's my fault that I made everyone repeating themselves over and over again. Shion: But, I also… Ah, if we keep this up it will never end… Eiji: You're right. I was wrong earlier. …What I really needed to say to you was actually a thank you. Eiji: Thanks for worrying about me. I really need to pull myself together, for Shion's sake and everyone who gave me time to cool myself down. Shion: …For that, we need the power of the nature. Trees with roots planted deep in the earth, and small birds perched on the treetops chirping gracefully. Shion: I'm sure it will provide a great comfort and learning…

Ch 6:

Nagi: ーOkaay, now that everyone's here, let's start the strategy meeting right away! The topic is about the ice cream party after dinner☆ Van: Actually, Nagi-chan and I were just talking about how we wanted to give Eiji-chan some ice cream to cheer him up. Van: And then I thought, why don't we just turn it into an enjoyable party and hand them over one-by-one with everyone? It will be a nice change of pace too. Kira: I'm okay…with that. What do you think…Eiichi? Eiichi: Yeah, I agree. Since everyone cares so much about it, I would rather we do something fun for it. Yamato: Shall we turn it into a treasure hunt like we did last time? The one where you get an ice cream if you can solve the puzzle. Nagi: It sounds good, but I don't think we have enough time to prepare… At the very least, I want to decorate the venue in a cute style. Eiichi: If we can somehow lead Eiji outside, even with the strict requirement for the treasure hunt's preparation, we can still have time to do the decorations, can't we? Van: A way to lure them outside at night… Hmm. It's already completely out of season, but maybe we can do a test of courage…? Shion: …Why is everyone gathered here? Did we forgot that we're supposed to have a meeting or… Van: Oh that's not it, you don't have to worry. We were just talking about how it would be fun to do a test of courage after dinner. Nagi: Yep yep☆ It's a fun activity and we planned to split up the team with each room pairs to strengthen our bonds! I know it's not summer right now, but Nagi wants to do it♪ Shion: Test of courage… I don't mind but… Eiji: If we're going by room pairs, that means I'll be the one going with you, right? Then I'll lead the way as a thank you for earlier, so you don't have to worry. Shion: …Amakusa is not that young to receive such consideration. Rather, Eiji should just think of me as your older brother and let me be the one in charge. Kira: Like an older brother…huh. …The way how you two care about each other. Both of you…are admirable. Yamato: I mean, it's fine but, with the way how it's going, don't you think it feels a bit weird…? First of all, Eiji's older brother is literally right there. Eiji: Fufu! …Thanks, Shion. Okay, I'll be counting on you. Eiichi: Now then, let's get started with the preparations! But before that Shion, can you come here for a bit? There's something that I need to tell you. Shion: …? Got it…

Ch 7:

Shion: (Eiichi and the others have entrusted me with the task of keeping Eiji in this test of courage as long as possible. I must do my best…to fulfill this task…) Shion: …Forgive me, Eiji. It's because I drew the first number, we were forced to suddenly do the challenge first… Eiji: Nah, you don't have to worry. Let's give it our best, okay? …Isn't this the area where we both came before dinner? Eiji: The atmosphere changes a lot at night. I wonder if the birds around are also different. Shion: The bird that chirps just now is a different bird. But the little green bird we saw before were said to also flies at night. Though it would be a little difficult to actually see them. Eiji: Oh, I see. It'd be nice if we could find them… Wait sorry, we don't have time to play around. We need to hurry up. Shion: No…we don't…have to hurry. …Right, being hasty will only lead to confusion. If we go down the wrong path, we'll just end up getting lost. Shion: Let's continue to walk as we normally do. It's important to move forward with peace of mind… Eiji: I guess you're right. Umm, let's review the instruction map again… Eiji: Right now we're in this area, and the tree we're looking for is probably nearby. I don't think we're on the wrong path. Shion: …Right. As soon as we found that tree, we just need…to pick up the letter stored in the hole, return back to the camp and we're done. Shion: W-What's that noise just now…!? It sounds so unfamiliar… Eiji: It's okay, I think it's just a wind. It started blowing suddenly… Mm…it's getting stronger now. Eiji: Whoa…! Something fell down. Oh…It's a flower! Does that mean this tree is the one we're looking for…? Eiji: …It really is. Here, I found the hole! I've heard that this tree's flowers are prone to scaling… Oh, I found the letter, too. Shion: Ohh, as expected of Eiji. That's a brilliant deduction using your knowledge of plants… Eiji: Oh no, calling it a brilliant deduction is a bit of an exaggeration. But I'm flattered by your compliment. …Anyway, there's 3 letters here, what should we do? Shion: The one who found it is Eiji. You should choose the one that appeals the most to you. Eiji: Well then, I'm going to pick the one on the top. …Wow, it's written "jackpot" here! But… Is this really how a test of courage supposed to be like? Shion: It’s probably a sign that something good will happen after this. I think it's best to just be grateful and accept it…

Ch 8:

Nagi: Eiichi, can you move that chenille stems a little bit more to the right… Yep, it's perfectly cute☆ Now the decorations are complete♪ Kira: Now…let's hand out…the party poppers. It should be popped…at the moment the ice cream is handed out. Yamato: Oi, Eiji and Shion is already back! They're quite faster than I thought! We need to hurry go outside. Eiichi: Got it. We're just about done with the preparation. Everyone, after you get the party popper from Kira, start heading outside. - Eiji: ーShion, I can see the training camp! …Oh, are you guys waiting here for us? We're back! Van: Welcome back? How's the result? …Though I guess I don't have to ask with that smiling face of yours! Shion: Yeah… Eiji made use of his knowledge of plants and found the tree we're looking for… Yamato: Wow, that's amazing. How's the letter you guys picked up? Eiji: Umm, there are 3 letters around and the one that I picked had a "jackpot" written on it. Here. Kira: …Congratulations. If you pulled off the jackpot…that means you'll get the special treatment. Now…come here. - Eiji: …Wow! It looks just like a party venue… There's even a banner that says "Congratulations"…! Nagi: Okaa~y, congrats on hitting the jackpot☆ As for the prize, we'll be giving you this special ice cream♪ Nagi: Umm, this one is for Eiji, and this one is Shion's☆ Eiji: Wow…! But, is it really okay? To give me this delicious ice cream… Van: It's perfectly okay. Besides, Nagi-chan originally bought this for Eiji in the first place. Eiichi: Yeah, Nagi was very determined to give it to you in a very elaborate way, he even took the initiative to organize it. Take it as you will. Nagi: Hey, what are you guys telling him!? Geez~!! …That's not it, okay! This is just a normal ice cream party! Shion: …As long as Eiji's happy, I'm also happy as well. Everyone thought the same thing too. Eiji: …You guys did all of this for me… I, thank you so much. I feel like I can do anything as long as everyone's with me. Eiji: As I thought, I really love HE★VENS…!

Ch 9:

Eiji: (Ah…the one where I got tripped yesterday…I managed to perfectly did it! Alright, let's keep this up until the end…!) Eiichi: We managed to do it successfuly. Turn off the camera for a bit. …Good for you, Eiji! You look as if a different person than yesterday. Eiji: It's all thanks to everyone. I've received a lot of strength from you guys yesterday. Shion also helped me practice too this morning. Eiji: I can't thank you enough how much I appreciate you all. I know I say this a lot, but again, thank you so much for everything. Shion: The same goes for Amakusa as well. Eiji has always been kind, considerate and helped me a lot. Shion: I want you to always please keep that in mind… Now, let's move on to the next filming. 【Road to Live! -Special Comments-】 Yamato: Yo, Angel. The training camp for the upcoming live has been going really well. Yamato: I feel like I can do my best, knowing that you guys are waiting for us. In return, we will give you the best live ever! Kira: Don't look back…and just keep looking forward. In order to make Angel…happier than anyone else. Kira: I'm sending you…my honest feelings. I hope you will…receive it. Eiichi: This supreme music, which strongly binds us to Angel. The eyes that look back at us are more eloquent than any other words. Eiichi: This song full of love will add more colors to you and make you shine even more brighter. Now, let us take you to an even higher place…! Van: Beautiful scenery and splendid facilty… There are so many things here that I wanted to show you, Angel. But… Van: What I want to show you the most is how we've changed and grown during this training camp. I will give you lots of love, so please look forward to it! Nagi: Hey, Angel. You probably already knew this but, I'm reaa~lly a genius, y'know? Nagi: As soon as you take your eyes off of me for even a second, I'll become a new Nagi right away, y'know! So you have to watch me all the time, okay☆ Shion: We, HE★VENS, always care and support each other… The driving force behind this is always you, Angel. Shion: Amakusa vows to be your strength to the best of his ability. Let this beautiful melody that we play express our many thoughts and feelings toward you… Eiji: Compared to how incompetent I feel in myself, I actually feel much more happier just by seeing your face, Angel. Eiji: And that's why, I'll try to do my best to continue stand on that stage. So that I can meet you, my dearest…!

Ch 10:

-Live Stage's Backstage- Eiji: (…The opening video has started… It seems that everyone's happy to see us during our training camp, I'm glad) Eiji: (Alright… Let's go!) - Eiji: Thank you for coming over here, Angel! Are you ready for the song? Eiji: Fufu, I'm glad to hear that. I hope you enjoy it to the fullest! Shion: I wonder if you enjoyed the opening video… It was taken from our training camp in preparation for this live. Shion: So many things that we've gained there have now come to fruition… Just as the name “Road to Live!” implies, it has led us to this day. Eiji: If I had to pick one thing that I enjoyed about the training camp, I would say the ice cream party. Eiji: Nagi took the lead in organizing an ice cream party for everyone. Van: We borrowed the lobby of the training camp and decorated it. By having a nice change of pace, even eating an ice cream will get you fired up! Eiichi: I have fond memories of having a running competition by the riverbank that was featured in the video earlier. Yamato: We did it multiple times after all. Although I'm frustrated that I lost at the first time. I ended up winning on the next one so I just let it pass. Kira: Whoever wins first…will have their wish granted. We started it with that bet in mind…but in the end, everyone used their wishes to request a rematch. Nagi: That's so troublesome… I'm glad that I never went with them. Nagi went exploring the training camp♪ We took pictures at a cute place we found there☆ Shion: The souvenir that Amakusa bought still remains in my heart… It's a glass container suitable for serving light snow*. Eiji: Let's use it with everyone when summer came, okay. …Anyway, that's it for our memories from the training camp. Eiji: From today onwards, I want to make lots of wonderful memories with you. Shion: Right. Such a wonderful memory that will make you smile spontaneously however many times you recall it. Eiji: Now, let's go! Everyone, make sure to follow us, okay! Shion: Let's fly into the world of music together with us. Eiji: We want you to experience the music that only the seven of us…HE★VENS can create!

*: Idk exactly what kind of souvenir did Shion bought... like, ガラスの器 is indeed can be a glassware/glass container, and 盛り付け is indeed mean serving but... Idk I'm quite confused on how to translate that:")))

[allwormdiet]

Interlude 2

Ahh, it's time for Brockton Bay's healthiest family to debut

Flight is so cool. Flight without having to get cold or wet or getting pelted by bugs is outright unfair.

Me, utterly charmed: oh my god she's a fucking NERD

And she's a nerd who's scaring the piss out of Nazis, who would hate this girl?

Which, oh yeah, the Nazis run around in Brockton Bay, bet those guys will never sour my mood

Glory Girl's got a whole bunch of powers, huh. Can't wait to get into the exact circumstances of how she got really cool abilities as an inadequate consolation prize for whatever hell she had to endure

I'm gonna be real, the description of this throw made me flinch a little bit. Like he's a Nazi so fuck him, but I hope it doesn't turn out that Victoria is this blase about all her targets

...So if the only spines she ever breaks are Nazi spines, then I'll give Glory Girl every pass she ever asks for, but if she ever wraps a weed dealer's skeleton around a lamppost I'm going to feel a liiiiiittle more concerned.

Everything else aside, this is fucking hilarious

So these two are at the epicenter of, as far as I can tell, one of the most divisive subjects in this fandom? With the others mostly seeming to be variations on "did such-and-such character have full moral justification to do actual for-real crimes against humanity." Let's see where this takes us

I feel a little bad immediately for the contrasts between Vicky and Amy. Five bucks says it's gonna turn out Amy is like the only brunette in the whole family, and while everyone else gets to show off a little she's dressed in a sackcloth. It's very white mage, but I don't know if she even knows what a white mage is.

Also it's a minor detail in the grand scheme of things but I fear for her hair's health if it's actively being described as frizzy

So apparently between ragdolling a Nazi like it's Garrys Mod and this passage, people have chosen to interpret Victoria Dallon as a monster. I can see how they'd be mistaken on this because technically speaking they're close: she's a teenager. For a lot of people the worst version of ourselves is one that exists somewhere between the ages of twelve and twenty, don't ask me how I know that one. The guilt trip here is definitely manipulative, but so is every kid who's trying to play whatever card they have to dodge repercussions for their fuckups. This is a kid, not a master manipulator who twists hearts around in her fingers like rings. This is normal behavior within an abnormal context.

According to Wikipedia, "foreshadowing is a narrative device in which a storyteller gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story. Foreshadowing often appears at the beginning of a story, and it helps develop or subvert the audience's expectations about upcoming events."

Fuck Nazis, and I'm gonna get in a preemptive "fuck Coil" while I'm at it

Hmm. So here we get the Docks from a third perspective (albeit a Nazi's, so let's take it with a grain of salt), and this time it's presented as something of material value. I wonder how much of that is due to the neighborhood being low-priority for the police and Protectorate, if they decided it's not worth policing if it's not going to recover any time soon.

It's also interesting seeing which names are being thrown around with the possibility of fighting over the territory. I know Squealer ends up part of the Merchants and they end up being a decent power in their own right, but I don't know if any of the others would have shown an interest in fighting for territory. I got the impression that Uber and Leet are more like unfunny and violent pranksters than anything, Circus apparently operates on their own which doesn't seem like how you'd make dreams of conquest come true, the Undersiders are sticking with the theft shtick at this point, and I don't know shit about Trainwreck or Stain. Wonder how much of this is legit speculation, how much of it is the E88 leadership blowing smoke for their followers, and how much of it is this specific guy blowing smoke.

Yeah, see, they're good kids. For now.

Current Thoughts

To pull back on the frame a little, I think this interlude was written with two goals: first and most obvious is to get us in the head of another young cape, a for-real hero this time, who will be featuring in future events to some extend, but then beyond that it's reflecting the rippling consequences of Taylor's actions. Taking down Lung was a good deed, it saved lives and weakened a major gang within the city, but now others are rushing in to take advantage of this and it could cause more harm than was prevented in Arc 1. Taylor couldn't have known these repercussions were coming, she's a high school sophomore who'd only engaged with the cape community in any way after she'd already knocked the bastard over, and she probably still would have made the play to take Lung down and save the Undersiders even knowing that there might be increased gang violence. She's big on action and she's big on pushing through to solve the problem, repercussions dealt with later, but I suspect that everything is going to ripple out in this same way until the whole city starts shaking with it.

Anyway, more to the first point, I like Victoria, she took very little time to endear herself to me and I'm not going to feel so awful about her bone-breaking habits as long as she keeps it to the Nazis

I haven't seen enough of Amy to have a full read on her yet, and I haven't gotten into her head to know how she thinks or feels, but for now I'm pretty solidly on sympathy/pity for her. I'd say something like "we'll see where she takes it from here" but I kinda already know that one

Hoo, boy. Arc 2 done with. 18 chapters in four days? That's not bad. I'm gonna stretch my legs and think for a bit and then I'll give my two cents on the whole of Insinuation.

[ima-lay-on-the-floor]

So this is just gonna be a lot of random Twisted Wonderland thoughts that I haven't been able to say and need to get out of my head before exams

This is NOT going to be spoiler free!!!!! It will include JP only cards, the events of Book 7 that haven't been translated yet, and maybe some of the beta designs if I really get into yapping (watch this be my longest post ever)

I'm still new to Tumblr so idk if this is hidden but if it is not, ADVERT YOUR EYES

If you're still here, welcome to my ted talk

Let's start with the upcoming JP Coral Sea event, specifically the cards we got for it.

FIRST, MALLEUS

Glorious king 🫶

I don't know the picture limit to this post, but based on this card and the others (Rook, Riddle, and Jade), there's multiple explanations/reasonings I've seen people discuss.

#1, a wedding event. Not like Ghost Bride, but maybe attending a wedding??? With all of the SRs carrying a flower basket and spreading the petals, it's very much giving flower girl.

#2, hometown event. Jade is our SSR this time and this takes place in the Coral Sea. You could ask, "Hey floor, if this is a hometown event, why is it on land?" And what I say to that, my sweet child, is that they already gave Jade his merman form card and they need to sell more. HOWEVER, I KNOW Yana is going to cook with this story. Maybe Jade is visiting a town that he saw from afar in the sea, but never could actually visit because he didn't have legs. Now he can. Maybe the whole wedding theme is because they just stumbled onto a wedding and decided to help (which doesn't sound like a Jade thing to do unless there were mushrooms involved).

But at the end of the day, who knows? I'm very excited to learn the plot of this event. HOWEVER, I definitely think this is a nod to the Little Mermaid marriage scene at the end of the movie.

I'm going to do a little bit of card analysis, specifically with Malleus's card. Let me throw in a screenshot of all the cards.

So we see all the SRs have a certain motif in their jewelry. Riddle has red coral, Rook has pearls, and Malleus has oysters.

Hmmmmmm interesting. Why oysters?? Maybe because he seems like a cold, rough person on the outside, but his personality is like a shiny pearl (he's precious, be so fr).

Small tangent real quick. Oysters are still a weird choice, because they've been mentioned in another event. Which event? Tapis Rouge (not calling it Vil's Red Carpet Cadets). Now Ace is a HATERR of oysters. This is interesting to me because if you remember when Ace's dream and his UM awakening came out in JP, a LOT of people were freaking out because they felt validated as Aceyuu shippers (its me I'm Aceyuu shippers). If you follow the Aceyuu tag, you can see a couple of people talking about how if twst ever has an endgame couple, it's either going to be Malleyuu (don't know if I got the ship name right😔) or Aceyuu. This design choice could be a reference to the symbolism of an oyster OR it could be a really fun reference to the two ships. Maybe both.

Ok I think I got everything out regarding that event, and now I think I'll focus only on cards just so this won't be a 10K word long ramble no one's gonna wanna read.

Let's talk about the Tangled event, Lantern of Wishes.

(weird space I can't get rid of)

First off, I am the #1 fan of this Kalim card. It looks so good in the card art and in the 2D sprite. All the hair looks good in the art, but personally some of the 2D sprites don't do it justice. Like Deuce, my king I love you, but I can BARELY see the hair. I know why though, because it is a high ponytail but that's the fun of art, you can make it over the top and extra.

Let me start by saying, 2025 is the year for Riddle fans. We get dream Riddle (who will be brought up soon, trust), the then long hair Riddle, and now we have coral Riddle in the new event.

Jack's hair fits his personality so well, it's crazy and big and kind of wild. No other notes, just great.

Before hitting Deuce's card, let's talk about who each character could represent

Riddle -> Rapunzel obvi

Kalim -> the green makes me think Pascal

Jack -> I want to say Maximus because, animals

Deuce -> maybe Flinn, but I saw someone in a YouTube comment saying that he's the frying pan which sent me so it's canon now to me

Ok, now let's talk about Deuce. When I first saw the ponytail, I got flashbacks to his beta design. If you haven't seen it before, I'm adding the image below.

It shows all of Heartslaybul's beta designs.

Trey didn't change much, he looks less spiky though.

Cater is still fruity, but WHAT IS THAT HAIR. Yana thank you for changing it.

Ace with brown hair haunts my nightmares.

We have Deuce, who might be an honor student, with the perfect posture and a subdued attitude compared to the others.

Let's talk about Riddle. He seems like, for lack of a better term, a BRAT. Maybe he's still super smart, but instead of putting in work at a young age, all of his excellence is pure talent. Maybe his OB arc would be him hitting the gifted kid burnout and realizing he needs to put effort in now to keep his spot, he throws a tantrum and OBs, yada yada yada.

But that design also feels familiar now doesn't it?

I present you, dream Riddle.

Is it the exact same vibe? Hell no. Are there definitely elements in this? Hell yes.

I immediately picked out the fuzzy collar of the jackets, but now that I'm actually trying to find other similarities I think they were just in my head. It's official, I'm delulu.

Even if those two cards weren't inspired by the beta designs, I find it interesting that you could draw that conclusion, or maybe it's just me 🤷.

To finish this off, let's mention the OB cards.

We finally got what we wanted guys.

It looks like they'll be going backwards, and they might all include two different home screen outfits like Silver's did. My theory is that the GROOVYS (I had to put it in caps lol) will either show moments at the end of the chapter or will feature their dream forms.

Let's bring Riddle into this because he's my fav OB, sue me.

Riddle's GROOVY could be :

#1 his SLAY dream outfit

#2 the unbirthday party where he gave the NASTYYYY tart to the rest of the Heartslaybul main cast

I kind of want the dream forms because we'll get a Octopus Azul card, Leona's king outfit, and Jamil's dream school outfit (Vil's dream outfit was mid tbh).

I'm super excited to see if we get Idia's OB card announcement at the same time as his Board Game Club card, but the devs can't be that evil to the Idia fans, right?

Also, I NEED Idia's goofy ass coat at the end of Book 7 on my homescreen.

I also have stuff I want to say about Azul's club card, but I'll hold off on that to see how people feel about this ramble, lol. Wow this is a lot of words. Sorry if this felt random or rushed or not explained clearly. I was just writing my thoughts as they came to me.

Thank you for listening to my Ted Talk. Please try guessing my fav character from this, I don't think it's possible because of all the yap.

[find-krp]

hi! i'm an 18+ roleplayer (she/her) looking for other 18+ roleplayers that are interested in a small group setting on discord! i'm looking for long term writers for this, so if you're prone to ghosting or becoming inactive for long periods of time without any communication at all, then please don't waste my time or your own. this will be a group where we aid each other in developing our characters & explore mature themes/serious subject matter with each other's triggers/limits being respected, of course! the plot basis is this: think dark academia vibes, hierarchy, & students attending a prestigious university in south korea. over the summer, a college in a much poorer section of korea collapsed which left their students displaced & searching for a new school for the upcoming semester. enter the university of hanwha, a private institution where only the richest, most academically gifted, & socially inclined attend. though, now, they're opening their doors to a select few scholarship students from the collapsed school in an effort to make themselves look better on paper. that's not all, though, because these scholarship students soon learn about a missing student & get tangled up in the corrupt hierarchy of hanwha. i want this to be more of a small, tight-knit community for us, where we all have characters with differing personalities that progress the plot continuously forward. we can have events, plot drops, tasks, etc & hopefully foster a place where we can both write together & become friends! if you're interested in this, then just leave a like & i'll get back to you once the server is finished!

please interact if interested.

[fairuzfan]

Hi Med,

tldr; I recently purchased an exhibition book of Palestinian photographs. Would you like to have it after I've finished reading it?

-

I've been following you and learning a lot from you. I'd really like to give you something that would be in better hands with you, if you feel comfortable with it.

I'm not sure if you're aware of Souq Stories, the 2019- collaborative photography project of Palestinian markets across 7 cities (Gaza, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Acre, Nablus, and Khalil). It was displayed in those 7 cities simultaneously in 2021, as an act of Palestinian unity and defiance of colonial borders.

This month, SAFE, the brilliant pro-Palestine student org at the University of Michigan, coordinated with folks who were involved in the original project, and brought it to UMich. The exhibit was in memory of one of the photographers, Fouad Abu Khammash, who was martyred in January. https://www.lib.umich.edu/visit-and-study/events-and-exhibits/today-and-upcoming/souq-stories-gaza-lives

As a part of the exhibition, you could purchase exhibition books (with proceeds going to support Palestinians). I purchased one of these exhibition books. I realized I don't want this beautiful photography book to sit on a shelf after myself and my roommate read it.

Would you like to have it after we've completed it? I'm thinking it will be more cherished and taken care of in the home of a Palestinian archivist. Additionally, this book is bilingual with English and Arabic, so you can share even the text with folks who can read either.

P.S. Feel free to respond privately if you'd like to exchange contact details

P.P.S. I could also share with you photos of the book's pages, if you'd be interested but don't feel comfortable exchanging details with a rando. If you don't respond, then I'll try to send another ask some time with a Google drive link to the photos. No pressure on responding or reading. I just wanted to give you the opportunity.

Best wishes

This is sosososo sweet thank you so much for sending this. I would love a Google link to this if you have the time and energy. Thank you so much for offering, no worries if you can't do it!!

[torihakaraublog]

Little Brother Appreciation Day <3

If I'm being honest this was kind of an 'unnecessary' event as they didn't need a thank you from Lucifer for being nice to him lol. Cute though.

Basically Lucifer after seeing how much thought his brothers put into planning something special for him (takes place after "Lucifer Appreciation Day" btw) he decides to do something for them as well. He gives them each a gift and leaves the house for a few days. We get half a day with each brother to do their gift/activity.

Mammon - Casino (winning + handholding)

Levi - Spooky anime watching (cuddling)

Asmo - Shopping (kissing or musical lipstick)

Satan - Bookstore (reading together + picking out books)

Beel - Burger place (trying limited edition food)

Bel - Bedding Shopping (cuddling)

All the moments were very sweet, but since the event was so short it was over in a blink of an eye xD

Love how Lucifer's excuse for leaving was for "Out for business with Diavolo" for 3 days... sus.

Beel was also super sweet wanting to find a way to thank Lucifer for the gifts *cuteness aggression intensifies*

And they also got to show Lucifer they can manage the house themselves!

Obey Me! NB "The Devildom Cooking Royal" Pop Quiz

A cute and silly event! (with a slight very real economic problem mixed in)

Mammon, Diavolo, Bel, Raphael and Levi join you in searching for the food that ran away from the cafeteria!

Liked how we got to see a bit of how proactive Bel can be when he's interested in the problem being solved - making a list of run away foods without anyone asking because he knows it will help.

Was cracking up when Dia said we should give the veggies a chance to explain why they ran away xD I was like: "Probably cause they don't want to get eaten Dia..." But I was WRONG! It was a protest to protect Devildom food culture!! lmao (as lots of human world foods have become popular)

In the bottom route Mammon comes up with the idea to have a food festival with Devildom only foods. However, he also tries to sneak off with some veggies to sell while we are cooking. I put him on garnish duty after that to keep him busy lol.

I'm concerned with how excited these veggies are to be cooked...

In the sparkle route its Mammon that makes the activity suggestion again; this time a cooking competition!

Poor Raphael is ignored by the veggies :(

Diavolo treating the peppers like his pets was funny!

Got to share cake at the end with Mammon :3

Teams are:

Beel + Raphael

Bel and Dia

Mammon and us

Levi = announcer

Is Levi wearing his chess outfit...? lol

Foods Mentioned

midnight lettuce

snapping grapes

underworld potatoes

shadow carrots

lamentation onions

shadow curry (has potatoes, carrots, and onion in it)

jet-black Devildom curry (I use this as an option to make)

dark banana (like warm climates)

nightmare mango (like warm climates)

underworld fruit punch

pesky peppers

minestrone (devilishly tasty lol)

grilled shadow veggies (chose this to make for competition) /mixed grilled shadow veggie special (made by Beel's team)

shadow veggie and cheese gratin

purgatory ratatouille (chose this to change our dish into cause how could I not??)

I'm very sad to hear about the recent game update T_T but it makes me feel a bit better to see the VAs seem excited about the upcoming projects <3

I never finished the OG game story so I'll probably be posting more content relating to that once NB stops updating.

[blindrapture]

and here it is.

arranged on Website as neatly as I could manage-- and, believe me, I got it looking neat.

this composition is unfinished just like the rest, but this time it's not on purpose. this one will be finished one day. it is an ongoing narrative, a good old-fashioned fictional Blog.

the writing style was selected in order to challenge myself, to push myself to be even clearer and even more lucid than ever before. this is inspired by Samuel Beckett's Molloy, a book that was a headache to read but felt inexplicably rewarding. you don't have to know Molloy to read composition no. 8, though. just, I suppose this is the closest I can really come to writing from a genuine "folksy" place. this is my folk. this is DJay Folk. immensely personal, local. this is the logical conclusion of the trajectory of the composition no. series.

the actual content was also selected in order to challenge myself. I want to mythologize the Weed Years, much as I would use Jordan Eats and Rapture to mythologize my early teenage years. the challenge here isn't necessarily in being honest and open about things, nor in dramatizing real events, but rather in putting words to processes that paralyzed me.

there's a much easier way to look at this, as this complicated set of requirements basically comes right around to describe a far more recognizable process:

this is poetry. old-fashioned, Symbolic-Surrealist, Metaphysical, every damn book I've taken interest in as an adult, poetry. I'm digging into my memories of the Weed Years and breaking it down into fundamental symbols and ideas. then I'm processing the interactions and crystallizing a genuine poetic point out of it.

the story itself openly acknowledges how and why this is so difficult.

I started writing this in 2021. I wrote a whole section of the story in 2023, then I only wrote one chapter of section 2 in 2024. in the past few days I have opened some notebooks and done some more rigorous preparation for what's to come.

hell, in all this time, we haven't even fucking made it to the Dolls yet. they keep getting brought up, it's obvious they will be a focus of the narrative. we kinda are coming close to them, though. I'm a little intimidated by the prospect, as I want the Dolls to capture a very specific undefined emotion. so I've gotta define that emotion first, then use the Dolls to make the reader feel it.

after the Dolls, there are some other upcoming structural elements I'm planning out at the moment. and eventually, the end of the story will involve the plot of my game Empty City, as I'd been meaning to fictionalize that one for a while. (it won't be a retelling of it, as Empty City is not about Jordan. but Jordan is a character in the game! and I want to explain what the fuck he's doing there.)

I do not know exactly how long this story will be. I would like it to be the length of a short novel, but I don't need to force that if the story doesn't call for it.

right, I guess I'll say some of the other kinds of things I say for all the other compositions.

so visually this blog feels more like an actual modern website. that's got to do with my decision to make the original blog using one of Blogger's newer dynamic styles, as Blogger will obviously try to use newer styles to capture a modern aesthetic. with this aesthetic, there is no image in the background, only a pleasant non-white color scheme.

I took the basic aesthetic of the original blog and simplified it further, removing the needless javascript and that confusing table of contents. the text is arranged neatly, as the priority here is the narrative experience, like a book. and even in the story so far, the text has drifted into "experimental" modes which offer a far more visual experience. I have been able to preserve those in the Website release.

there is also, rather front and center, a more obvious visual element. composition no. 8 will feature my art. I am actually drawing things for this story. so far we just have the "splash" image, foreshadowing the Dolls.

even just from this image alone, you can draw some conclusions and expectations for what the Dolls may end up being. the design of this Doll is based on the Rag Doll from composition no. 2. I knew I wanted to bring that dress back, I wanted to explore that Rag Doll idea.

I'll lay a couple more cards on the table here: I want composition no. 8 to be a scary story. I want the experience of reading it to be bizarre, considered, cerebral, and for it to feel like the reader has just kinda stumbled into horrors they haven't got the language for. maybe I just really want the composition no. blogs to have led to something substantial, something self-evidently worthy of being someone's favorite Internet Fiction. the same kinda thing I always want with my projects, but that's how I know this series is one of my projects: I'm getting optimistic about it!

and, like. what this story is so far is very dense prose getting at some very dense concepts through a short list of Symbols I find very aesthetically addictive.

the Dolls are one of those Symbols.

my self-insert is another.

EAT is another, and EAT does have a presence in this narrative, but it's indirect. EAT is the second-person this time. this story is being told to EAT.

and then there's the Eternal Mansions. they are related in some way to the Empty City. they may just be a geographical "feature" in the Empty City, I think that's a reasonable deduction. but if they are, they're the same Empty City that I made a game about, it's the Empty City as I myself see it. it's a land that doesn't really exist, and is just an allegory. but we must treat it as if it does, and feel around until we can identify some features this non-existent place actually has. it's a perfect place. it's not meant for humans.

composition no. 8 will continue. you can be sure of that. this is where it's currently at. I will update it on the Website and not the original blog. I mean, probably.

so this also means all eight installments of the series have been brought to the Website.

next up I need to make a unifying landing page for the series. that'll be much easier and will probably make use of these very rambles I've been putting on tumblr.

I'll see you when I see you. thanks for reading.

[akehoshimystar]

Mao SR

Beautiful Tea Master

Part 1

Mao: Do I look weird?

Mao-san, dressed for the event and with makeup for the day, turned around to face me.

Ito: Not at all. You look great.

(...Ah, that color… Could it be….)

Mao: Is there something strange about it?

Ito: Oh, that's not it.

My eyes were drawn to the lipstick on Mao-san's lips.

During a day off a while ago I was invited by Mika-san, who wanted to discuss cosmetics for an upcoming event. And later on, the two of us got together with Mao-san.

Takeru: I heard this restaurant's lunch is really good value and delicious! But that’s quite a queue we have here, what should we do?

Mao: Well, that also means we have lots of time to discuss things.

Ito: That's true.

Takeru: Fufu, thanks. Let's do it here then.

Mao: By the way. This might come out of nowhere, but Mika-nee, do you know the blush that's trending on social media right now?

Ito: Oh, this one?

I had bookmarked it on social media, so I opened the post and showed it to both of them.

Takeru: Oh, this one. I have already seen it and it did pique my interest a bit. I heard it has a good coloring.

Mao: I just thought the color would look good on Mika-nee.

Takeru: When you say that, my heart is already at the cashier counter.

Mao: Why not? We’re on the way there anyway.…. Oh, I think they'll be showing us to the table soon.

Ito: That was quicker than I thought.

Takeru: Well, I guess I'll reapply it now.

Mika-san said as he took out a lipstick from his bag.

Ito: (Aren’t we about to eat?)

Takeru: Curious? This is what they call "drinking-party lipstick."

I just want to try if it can handle greasy Chinese food.

Ito: I see.

Mao: You also told me you were curious about that when I called you the other day. Mika-nee likes to try different things after all.

Takeru: Fufu, I'll make sure to share the results of my testing.

Ito: (Come to think of it, Mao-san and Mika-san said that they would talk on the phone while doing their skincare at night.)

(Chatting even after getting home like that….. They must be really close.)

After enjoying lunch in Chinatown, we’re looking around and checking out tons of cosmetics before taking a short break on a bench.  

Takeru: Today was so much fun. Thank you for coming.

I wanted to talk about makeup for the event today, so I invited you two for lunch, but... It's actually the opposite.

Seeing that our break schedule aligned, I wanted us to eat together.

Mao: Figured as much. Meeting in Chinatown to look at cosmetics isn't very logical.

Ito: (I have to agree.)

Mao: You thought that if it wasn't work-related, we wouldn't come even if you invited us?

Takeru: Oh, of course not.

There's no deeper meaning to it. You see, casual conversations between casual meetings are quite fun, don’t you think so?

I thought that sort of mood would be entertaining.

Mao: So you’re building this moment up and label it a work meet-up?

As for me, I feel like I was just having fun all day normally and didn't even realize that we were meeting for a discussion.

What about Mika-nee and Ito?

When I replied that I was the same as Mika-san…. Mao-san's face looked very gentle as if he already knew what I would answer.

Part 2

The drink I bought before sitting down on the bench had already gone down by about half.

Mao: Anyway. Thank you for inviting me today.

Ito: Thank you.

Takeru: You're welcome.

Mao: ……….

Once you become a working adult, you have fewer opportunities to meet people you can casually call on your days off and share your hobbies with.

Takeru: Yeah, you mostly get to know people through work.

Mao: Well…. I didn’t think my relationship with Mika-nee is something like that, though.

Takeru: Oh my, past tense?

Mao: Don't mess with me now. You know that, don’t you?

Takeru: Sorry. Regardless, it's nice to have more friends.

Mao: That’s what I mean. I'm glad the three of us came today.

Ito: …..!

Mao-san and Mika-san smiled at me kindly. It was a slightly different kind of warmth, unlike the one I felt at work… It’s a more sincere atmosphere.

Mao: Could it be this?

Mao-san noticed my gaze and pointed to his lips.

Ito: Yes. It's the lipstick you bought the day the three of us went out, right?

Mao: Yup. The "drinking-party lipstick," I bought a different color, though.

That being said, the staff don't eat or drink during the event, so it doesn't really matter.

Mao-san smiled softly as he said this. The atmosphere from that day was still wrapped in his lips.

Ito: …..Mao-san. That day, I really……

Takeru: Ah. There you are, Ito. Check this out.

The blush I bought that day, isn't it perfect for today's makeup?

Ito: Yes, it looks good on you.

Takeru: Fufu, I know right? Same goes to Mao's lipstick.

Mao: We were just talking about that actually.

Takeru: I see.

Even so, the conversation was fun and the shopping was a great success. Once again, let me say it was another wonderful day off.

Mao: Ito, didn't he just beat you to it?

Ito: (!)

Takeru: Oh? Sorry, did I do something bad?

Ito: No, it's fine.

And yes, it really was a good day off.

Mao: Let's all go again.

Ito: Yes.

Seeing Mao-san and me letting out small laughs, after a slight puzzled expression, he laughed along as well.

[nerdgatehobbit]

13 Books

Right, I was tagged by @old-man-ghost a few days ago and I'm finally getting around to doing this!

1: The last book I read: Disney Princess: Beyond the Tiara, which was an interesting look at the involved films and their impact. It was self-congratulatory at places, but I think that's the trade-off for it being an official book.

2: A Book I recommend: Dinotopia by James Gurney, between the gorgeous art, the inventive world-building, and the great characters. The franchise as a whole is one of my favorites, but this is the book that started it all.

3: A book that I couldn't put down: I read the first nine a while back, but I really enjoyed the first volume of Spy x Family. I need to get around to reading the tenth & eleventh volumes.

5: A book on my TBR: In addition to the aforementioned duo and quite a few other books, I'm waiting until I'm further into The Librarians as a show before I read the 3 tie-in novels.

6: A book I've put down: This isn't probably what's meant, but it's the only recent example. Over a month ago, I checked out The Secret Life of the American Musical from the library specifically to just skim it to get a clearer grasp of the different types of songs in Broadway musicals. Though I did spot its section acknowledging the issues of relying on star power for musicals, which seems relevant to what went on with the Sweeney Todd revival.

7: A book on my wish list: This one is kinda silly, but I am curious about Ash's Atlas, it's just that I've been reluctant to seriously look into getting it because I know it's very likely not be a pseudo-guidebook, and more likely just acts to recap anime events. I'd like a Pokémon book that does more with discussing the geography, history, man-built places, & notable people.

8: A favorite book from childhood: I'm going to go for Midnight for Charlie Bone, the first in the Children of the Red King series. I didn't get to read them all as a kid, but the first few I definitely did. I still have a soft spot for this series, though the older I get the more I wish for a perspective flip novel(s) showing what the adults were getting up to, as it's very clear that they're getting up to stuff off-page in addition to what Charlie and his friends see. I'm definitely anxious about how the potential upcoming TV adaptation will turn out.

9: A book you would give to a friend: Hmm, it would depend on the friend's tastes. Maybe I'd be selfish and give them the Project Gutenberg link to Once on a Time just so I'd have someone to talk about it with. It's one of my favorite books (it definitely can be seen as a precursor to The Princess Bride and Galavant).

10: The most books you own by a single author: It's probably a toss-up between Tamora Pierce and Rick Riordan. Both of them are well into the double digits.

11: A nonfiction book you own: I have Team of Rivals, which is a really interesting look at how Abraham Lincoln got elected and then turned the other candidates into his cabinet during the Civil War.

12: What are you currently reading: I've only read the prologue to the Belle Mirrorverse manga, but I liked it. I'm pretty much just here for the BATB content (as seen by me currently having Funko Belle as my icon), as I didn't play the game for long. This says more about my minimal gaming skills than the game itself (no, seriously, I struggle with LEGO & Pokémon at times). I am curious how this altered story will play out.

13: What are you planning on reading next: I still need to reread Sense and Sensibility, especially as I keep meaning to locate the new movie (I like the gifs I've seen, I just need to find the time/energy to figure out how to temporarily get Hallmark access so I can watch it).

I'm on desktop at the moment and don't have a readily accessible current photo of any of my bookshelves. I'll try to remember to do something later and add it in a reblog when I'm on my phone.

This was fun, thanks for tagging me!

I'll tag @asokatanos @magic-owl @jadelotusflower @mylittleredgirl

@ladytharen @bex-pendragon @fantasysci5 and anyone else who'd like to do it!

[shatcey]

i saw your comment about money and i just wanted to say, please take care of yourself so you dont spend too much, so you dont miss money when you need it! if you want to see all events, id recommend also checking if other users have posted the event on youtube etc, that way you can save yourself some money, so you dont have to buy all of the routes. its always better to put some money into a second bank account for savings in case anything ever happens, in case youre not doing that now - the standard rule is to put 20% of each paycheck every month as a saving to make sure yhou have enough money for emergencies or if something happens. enjoy the game, but make sure to keep some reserves, esp. since if in the future the game shuts down, you wont feel like you "wasted" the money :) it oculd be years from now on, but its still better to put some money aside, in case you're not that well off (and if you are, then it's also still the best). :) enjoy the new event!! (also woof, the scores are so high this time already!! 46k for 100, looks like everyone is aiming for that villain lying down pose, right? :D)

Awww… thank you for worrying! That's very sweet of you.

I'm passionate about this game, but not to the point where I lose my head over it. And it's not like I don't have savings. I'm kind of a mouse… so I have money here and there… Not much, but I'll find them if I have to.

But I understand what you're talking about. And I thought about it after I posted the previous answer. Yes… we do need to make savings. It's important to have them... just in case. You never know what might happen. This life is extremely unpredictable.

But… I've never thought about money as the most important thing in life. For me, it's just a resource that allows you to get something else. And if I have a little money… I will have small requests. I'm quite adaptive. I don't see the point in brands or expensive stuff. If it looks normal, why do I have to buy something new? Silly constantly nagging me for that. "People will think you're cheap if you look cheap." Yeah... you are right, but… I don't care what people think.

About the current event. I… decided not to take an active part.

I'm not thrilled with the objects in this event. No hair, no eyes, no clothes… Do you see? I'm not an obsessive collector. It's all fine. You have nothing to worry about!

Yes, I want to read the stories of Ally and Elbie. That's probably it. I'm not a fan of Roger I… well, if I collect points for his story, I'll read it, but I don't plan on buying anything for this event. And yes, I'm interested in Ellis's story. So… maybe I'll find it later. If not… I can live without it.

So… I'm saving the diamonds for the upcoming 1st anniversary and other events that I'm looking forward to. And I'm pretty calm about everything else.

But I wish GOOD LUCK to everyone who intends to get into the rating. Just a word of assurance. There is a deadly battle on the JP server. Things are not so bad here on the EN one. At least for now…

And about the "wasted" money. I'm a fatalist. I don't believe anything has ever been wasted. Everything we've done or are doing makes sense. Maybe it's not so obvious right now, maybe we'll see the whole picture much later. But everything is important and affects you or your life in one way or another.

I'm currently writing a post about Vivi and realized how much of my previous experience reminds me of him. It's like a steady path… bread crumbs, you might say…

dividers by @.fanguro

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🔝 𝕊𝕋𝔸ℝ𝕋 ℙ𝔸𝔾𝔼 🔝

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