#i don't want to be rude either we have to live together somehow

[rapidhighway]

Yeah fuck smokers for real once again I guess

[your-favblondie]

The Genius

ART CREDIT: novalise1 on Twitter

(I found this on Pinterest so if I'm wrong please correct me)

Hi again, thank you guys so much for the amazing support on my last post!! And I hope this post also lives up to your guy's expectations.

Word Count: 2.1k (and somehow 11k characters?! TuT)

-----Younger Armin ( Bowl Cut ) -----

Armin wasn't exactly the most social type back then, so I imagine for you two to get close enough to date you must have spent quite a bit of time together.

I can think of a few ways you two may have met and gotten close. Maybe you guys sat next to each other in classes, were sparring partners, or maybe you were there for Armin all the times Mikasa and Eren seemed to have forgotten he was also a part of their friend group.

It had been just a few minutes after lights out when Sasha shook me out of bed and yelled whispered for me to grab my coat and follow her. By the time we were out of the cabin a few of the other girls had gotten up and were grabbing a few items. Sasha led our small group until we reached a clearing in the forest, a good distance from the bases. "Sasha, what's all this?" I asked her as the rest of our group ran over to their own friends. "It's a party, Duh." She said looking at me with a goofy smile until Connie yelled for her to come help him roll a joint. I watched her run off and then made my way to a group of my classmates sitting in a circle. Jean, Ymir, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin Arlet all sat around a small bonfire. Spewing out a few 'hey's and 'hello's before claiming a seat in the circle. Jean and Ymir were in some argument over brunettes or blondes being cuter, and next to them Eren sat trying to carve a spoon out of a small log. Mikasa and Armin were talking about something I couldn't really make out over the sound of the fire crackling and Jean and Ymir arguing. As I watched the fire crackle all I had on my mind was why the hell Sasha had brought me along. It's not like I'm antisocial but I hadn't really established many close friends and the ones I had were human meatballs now. So a party wasn't the most comfortable place to hang out. Before I could continue my thoughts I got distracted by Mikasa getting up pretty abruptly and running after Eren who had somehow broken the log he was carving and wanted to look for a new one. Doubt we'd see them again tonight. My eyes flicked over to Armin and as we looked at each other, a mirror of slight shock reflected on both our faces. Before either pf us could look away I burst into laughter at Mikasa's weird behavior and Armin just stared at me even more confused than before. "I'm sorry it's just I never see anyone so serious act like that, I'm not trying to be rude she just catches me off guard," I tell him, feeling like he may have kinda misunderstood me. A shy smile pulls on his lips as he looks back at me. "Yea it is kinda odd isn't it?"

And that's where your friendship bloomed from. A right place and right time you could say. Though Sasha says it's all thanks to her.

Over time the two of you became really close. While Armin read you'd sit near him fiddling with your own hobbies. Sometimes you'd get caught up in him and end up spending a few moments watching him while his eyes scoured over dusty pages.

Armin was such a sweet friend, always asking how you are, being there to talk, explaining the stuff you don't understand from class to you a million times until you understand.

And once again you both were at a party when your guy's relationship finally takes the next step.

Through a stupid game of truth or dare...

Sasha scans over each and every one of us as she carefully picks her victim. "Jean!" She exclaims and Jean looks at her with an annoyed expression. Sasha and Connie have been picking on him all night, each time either giving him the truth of exposing his crush on Mikasa or the dare of letting them draw on his face. This time was no different as Sasha added a small horse on his forehead that would definitely not be gone by tomorrow. After Sasha got done we all burst out laughing. "Hey!" Jean yelled, "It's my turn alright so shut it!" And of course, I had responded to him with a snarky "Okay, Horse face" Jean turned to me with a sarcastic smile and asked me truth or dare. "Dare" I chose nervously. Jean turns to Connie and they start to whisper between themselves before Jean turns to me with a smirk plastered on his face.

"Kiss Armin."

So now here you and Armin were. At first, he'd be kinda shy about y'all's relationship but I could see you bringing out a more confident side of him.

He would be the type to remember all the little anniversaries, picking you a small bouquet for your first month.

Now I can't see him being great at making gifts but he would try his hardest!

Would definitely choose you as his partner for almost all group activities. Don't think that means he's gonna let you do no work, oh no no no. This man would rather teach you it a million times than let you get by being ignorant. (Sees this as an act of service kinda love lol) Told you before with the most serious face that " Knowledge was the greatest currency he knew"

Speaking of acts of service, that and praise is probably his love language. Of course, he would love holding your hand, a little bit of cuddling, or a few pecks on the cheek. But when he wants to show his love for you he'd tell you what he's thinking and just genuinely spend a lot of time with you.

I can't see him being big on any forms of PDA, except hand-holding. Hear me out though, I think he'd be the type to hold pinkies instead though.

I could see him writing you hundreds of love letters he'd never give to you but be too scared to get rid of them in case someone else (Jean and Connie) read them, or God forbid you saw them.

He would swap books with you if you were an avid reader. ( Would want for you guys to make matching bookmarks as a kinda of date!! )

But if you were more of a sporty type then he'd definitely love to watch you play, even if he cares nothing for the game itself. Maybe even give you some pointers he noticed or help you strategize. After watching you for awhile he would be able to go on like hour-long rants breaking down each and every little detail and rule of the game and way overthinking it.

Now if you guys for whatever have a fight he'd be quick to apologize because he'd never want you mad at him. (Still believes he's right though, just won't tell you that )

Definitely has a few red flags and will work on some of them.

When he's struggling with all the things going on with Eren, one of his main stress relievers would be you playing with his hair, tracing your nails against his scalp.

If you ask realllllyyyy nicely he just might let you braid his hair or tie it up. Even though he knows he won't hear the end of it from the others.

Surprised you a few times with flower rings he made for you.

I could see him being really involved in the wedding planning. If it was up to him either a light purple or sea blue color theme.

In a more modern au, I could see him offering to paint your nails for you if you ever complain about it being able to get them done. He would spend hours trying to perfect it and maybe it didn't match the reference perfectly but they were perfect to you ♡

(These are less relationship-focused and more so things I think about Armin )

Struggles so much with Eren always doing everything so rashly and getting into trouble that he never lets anyone help with it. I feel like he may have had a fear of being replaced or left behind by Eren and Mikasa because he isn't as strong as them.

Just someone tell him he's making the right choices and that he can't make everything right. He needs to hear that.

Jean and him are really close and hang out a lot. Jean is a way more chill and less stressful friendship for Armin compared to half of his other friendships. I can see Armin feeling like he needs to be a therapist friend for everyone, outside of just Eren and Mikasa too, big people pleaser.

Jean just really knows how to chill and not ask a lot of Armin, of course they've talked about heavy stuff before but it's a lot more talking from both of them rather than Armin needing to comfort the other person. Every once in awhile Jean actually is the therapist for Armin.

He does grow out of that though. Starts to become a lot more set in reality after seeing all the deaths in the recon missions. Some meaningless little drama isn't something he needs to focus on helping a fellow cadet out with. Still holds onto some of his people-pleasing tendencies but has figured out a lot of his priorities in his personal life.

I think Armin truly believed that fighting those bullies back in his childhood wouldn't have been the right choice and wasn't just because he was weaker.

I could see him knowing how to play a ton of card games that he learned from his grandpa.

I also think at one point he learned how to sew from Eren's mom. Eren would tease him by saying things about how he's "finally fitting into his girly hair" Then when he actually tries it and sees how hard it is and how much better Armin was he quits the teasing comments.

I think Armin has a lot of trust issues in almost everyone after figuring out Annie was a traitor. To him, they seemed pretty close and had a good understanding of each other. But Annie's betrayal really shattered some of his innocence and trust in the world.

One time he told Connie that if he walked around barefoot he could get flesh-eating worms. Connie was a bit more than traumatized by that information.

As sweet as Armin seems he is honestly so manipulative. It can hardly be noticed by anyone except maybe Commander Erwin or Levi but Armin's a bit too smart to try it on them. He accidentally tried to manipulate Commander Erwin one day over something small and when Erwin subtly commented on it he almost died of shock.

I could see Armin having a lot of respect for his superiors but not being the type to follow them blindly. Like the smart kid who isn't afraid to correct the teacher. And yes he was that type of student, to an annoying extent.

Armin as a student mostly just studied the material he was being tested on to a point where he was confident he knew it. And then would dig extremely deep into any topics that interest him. He knew every type of rock that existed inside the walls but couldn't remember his 12 multiple facts.

He definitely isn't antisocial or introverted. A little shy, yes, but mainly he's just a extrovert or ambivert who's not very loud. In no way has he ever been afraid of talking to people or making his thoughts known.

Speaking of talking to people, him and Hange are total geek besties. The spent hours looking at the hardened titan skin fragment and theorizing on all sorts of topics

I think when he was younger he saw a really huge pond and thought he had some how found the ocean inside the walls.

Probably would spend days going on picnics with his parents and reading in flower fields before the wall break. Once tried to bring Eren and Mikasa on one and never got any reading done.

This man's library card would be personalized in his favorite color (sea blue) and bedazzled.

I could see Armin being a really big Jazz and blue grass guy. Mostly because it's non-lyrical and doesn't tend to distract him as easily.

Would bust down to some Megan thee stallion and nasty redd. I mean, look at that stance-

————————————————————

Sorry to all those hoping for older Armin, I STILL haven't watched season 3/4 of AoT so I don't really have too many thoughts on older Armin other than that ma is SOOO FINEE Soon enough I'll write for him, and yes there will be another poll for writings posted after this post!! I like when you guys interact with the story's makes it feel really personal. And thank you again to everyone who liked and reposted my last post!! It did so much better than I ever expected. A Big thank you to all my new followers. I'm so glad to have you guys as followers!! And I hope this post is just as good as the other if not better.

[moreespressoformydepresso]

For some reason I started imagining a scenario where the tributes and the mentors somehow get trapped together in the arena (without the peacekeepers being there don't ask me how I haven't figured it out) at first the mentors are freaking out meanwhile the tributes are just sitting there being like: we are dead anyway and each group is staying on one side of the arena and don't want to cross the other side however when supplies are sent for the mentors empathize on only the mentors the nicer ones are willing to share with their tribute while the less good ones are complaining and screaming nonstop until the tributes have enough of the screaming and tell them to shut up Bec they are the ones who the capitol is trying to save and send supplies for and the ones who well get to live while if they get out of the arena while they will come back home in boxes and will never get the chance to grow up except one and the tributes who are frustrated with their mentors varbully smack them down until the bad mentors finally shut up and slowly they go from insulting the tributes to trying to have a somewhat casual conversation although with little success idk I am writing this while half asleep so sorry if it's all random and there are dozen of plot holes and I haven't decided if the reason they are all trapped in the arena is Bec of the bombing and where the peacekeepers would be as I am not considering them so sorry if this is all random but it's a scenario that I thought would be somewhat amusing

That's a fantastic setup for a fix-it!! Because the best way to convince people to part with their prejudiced, bigoted beliefs is to let them interact with the people they hate. It forces them to see the humanity in those they've convinced themselves are lesser beings. It's what most of my full fix-it AU's are focused on: forcing the mentors to see what they refuse to accept. The tributes just don't have the power or influence to stop the games, but the mentors do. They have the freedom to actually do something. It's just that they don't, because they only care about their own tribute and are raised to believe in the system. The games are a part of the system. Working within the system means trying to make their own tribute the victor, and it's that mentality that gets all of the tributes except Lucy Gray killed.

The bombing's the only time the tributes and mentors both go into the arena at the same time, so it'd have to happen then if we wanna stick as close to canon as possible. Ain't no way the Capitol's gonna let their precious children be alone in a large space with district people so there would be peacekeepers either way. The best way to handle this is to kill most or all of those peacekeepers via rubble. The first bomb goes off in the entrance rather than near it, effectively collapsing it shut, and the second goes off lower down in the stands. Only the walls to the bottom of the stands collapse, the ceiling stays intact. Possibly a third bomb goes off to create a gap in the ceiling that's too high for anyone to reach.

Maybe Treech and Lamina are sent by the mentors to climb the pile and find a way out? Because the mentors view themselves as smarter and more superior so they try to take the lead and be in control. They wanna send Wovey too but the 22 glares (bc Dill wouldn't glare) burning into their very souls put that idea to rest very quickly. But Lamina and Treech can't make an exit without moving stones which would risk bringing the whole building down on everyone. The mentors refuse to accept "no" until Reaper and Marcus have enough of their shit and threaten them to accept the answer or face the consequences. Sejanus, throughout all of this, is an absolute angel trying to stop his mentors from being jerks. It's not effective, but he's trying, and he only admonishes the mentors that try to threaten back. Not Reaper or Marcus, because of course not. They're well within their rights to be rude to the Capitol kids. So, they're stuck and retreat to their corners because of the mentors.

I think the tributes would want to be with each other while stuck in the arena, but their mentors would stop them because competition and "those other tributes are vile and dangerous district scum and you're different so I can't be around those beasts!" Maybe that's actually the snapping point for one of them? It would show some more selfless characteristics which would make it harder for the mentors to ignore. This kid didn't stand up for themself but for people who they met days ago that'll have to die soon. It's very echo-y in the arena so even spoken words can be heard by everyone. Perhaps, while the tributes like Facet and Panlo are screaming at their horrible mentors for being trash, they reveal some of the horrible living conditions in the districts? Like one of them will go "and not even when we're in the Capitol can we escape you worthless, slimy douchebags depriving us of our basic needs! Not even when you need us fed will you bother inconveniencing yourself in the slightest to be less than the bare minimum requirements for a basic human being!!!!" and it kind of shocks the mentors out of their delusion because the tributes haven't ever been so openly hostile before.

Maybe, if they rant a little further, the other mentors turn to their own tributes and ask if things are really that bad. The answer? "Ha! No. Absolutely not don't worry :). It's worse :D" When Facet straight up tells Livia he hates her and everything about her, and Brandy declares she wishes she'd gone through with slitting Arachne's throat rather than showing mercy, they start to realize just how much the tributes loathe them. It's awkwardly silent for a few minutes when Gaius tries to lighten the mood with one of his "jokes". The mentors laugh. The tributes scowl. Panlo says nothing, merely looks Gaius in the eyes for a few seconds. Then he spits in his face and decks him hard enough to break his nose. Standing up, he goes to sit with Sheaf. The glare he gives when Gaius speaks up indignantly and tries to follow shut him up immediately as he sits down. Something about the previous conversation about not feeding the tributes sits with Vipsania and she turns to Treech. "When I said you should perform for food, I-"

"I know about the prize, Vipsania. It's fine, you don't have to lie." Marcus and Sejanus have spent this quality time to bond and become actual friends (because Sejanus is very funny when he subtly roasts his classmates and Marcus can appreciate that the guy's trying to help them at least) so when Sejanus tries to apologize Marcus merely gives him a hug and assures him that he didn't do anything wrong. Coriolanus' belief in Gaul's theory is destroyed because they're all effectively cornered and this is the most human he's ever seen the tributes act (because he can't not pay attention this time). No one's dead, and even the already starving tributes who were initially denied food haven't done anything drastic or caused any actual harm. Huh... Maybe he should listen to Tigris a little more, she's always been there for him after all. He knows she has the best intentions, whereas Gaul... He's starting to have his doubts about her.

Pup asks Lamina whether she thinks he's been a good mentor, and her answer is along the lines of "Yeah, and you've been a good friend to me." She glances at Treech, and he remembers all the things he so desperately tried to diminish and write off. The way they were always near one another, them sharing all their food (his earned through performance, hers given by Pup), the way they constantly looked over at one another to make sure they were still okay and their obvious concern. They cared about each other, and he was fine with taking someone so clearly important to Lamina away from her because actually questioning the system would've made him uncomfortable. His comfort had been more important to him than her happiness, her mental stability, and possibly her life. Vipsania turns back to Treech. "Do you hate me?" It catches everyone's attention, and he stares at her with an unreadable look on his face before hesitantly saying: "You could've been much worse..." While she knows she'll regret it, she repeats herself. "But do you hate me?" For a few agonizing seconds, you could hear a pin drop while everyone waits for his next words. They don't come. Instead, he merely looks away from her, curling in on himself. It's answer enough.

All the other tributes look away as well, and that's when it finally actually hits the mentors. Even the tributes with nicer mentors hate them. It's Lucy Gray who explains it. Some of them like their mentors just fine, but due to the circumstances... There's a part of them that can't help but feel resentful towards the Capitol kids. Their privileged lives, their frivolous worries like school projects that somehow take precedent over children who rely on them to survive, the everything about their circumstances and everyone's role in it. The system that caused the suffering and future death of the tributes is the same system that benefits the mentors. And no matter how much said mentors show they care, it clearly wasn't enough to make them even question this unfair world. Silence and inaction can speak much louder than any word or action ever could sometimes. This is one of those times.

I have so many more ideas but I'll cut it off now. Do you want to write this? If not, I'd be interested :) (with credit given ofc). I do have two running stories and 3 things I plan to start writing, but I'd give this precedence over at least 2 of those lmao. But it is your idea so...

[judasgot-it]

dazai seems to go after women who don’t fall for him easily; what if you did a reader who didn’t really care or be affected by his romantic advances?

oooooo rip Dazai would 100% go CRAZY bro. I don't do yandere but lowkey Dazai would be a bit of a yandere in this case...

Scenario: Dazai getting rejected by reader constantly (Trigger warnings for Dazai's alcoholism and addiction, also for other depression mentions)

The known flirt was at it again.

You knew his name - he insisted on making you ring up his order every time he came to your store every day. It was innocent enough really. You didn't even notice it, since he was so easy to be drawn into a conversation with, and you wouldn't lie when he asked if you thought he was cute.

He was, especially compared to some of the older men you've seen come in, those who would buy cigarettes and alcohol at odd hours of the night. A real shame that he was just as bad as them once you saw him come by time and time again.

The man would buy the cheapest alcohol and some of the cheapest foods, occasionally splurging on some 'nice' sweets - only if he was with seemingly young coworkers of his. At least he was nice in that aspect, not forcing children to pay for themselves whenever he was out shopping for his assumedly drunken nights.

A part of you wished that you could feel attracted to him. He was really charming when he wanted to be.

But his shopping habits disturbed you.

What man, in his early 20s and living assumedly alone, needed to buy so many different medications? You weren't one to judge, but he was just extremely strange.

He might not have realized it either, but you worked day and night shifts at that store - you saw him when he was at his worst buying pre-packed sushi, and you've never seen a man appear more...haggard.

So maybe it was hard to find him attractive when he was put together for work the next day. He might have looked nice, smelling of a strange cologne, but you could never get the picture of him in his slacks, with sweat stains on his shirt, tearing open his pre-packaged sushi like a rabid anime out of the mental movie you held.

He was like the babadook.

It disturbed you deeply.

"Well, good morning my belladonna! Tell me, do you think this wouldn't make just a lovely hour to feel our entangled hands grow cold together? Watching the rising sun fall upon our corpses?"

More than that, somehow.

How did he ever lose his virginity when he flirted like that? You wished you could ask him that one day.

"Let me ring you up, Dazai."

Your boss would kill you if she ever learned that you were rude to customers. Unfortunately, Dazai was just another customer you would have to put up with. His words would simply have to roll off of you.

"You know Ms. y/n, I really wish we could see each other more often, without a counter between us. I know this really great place that serves excellent coffee."

"Better than what you bought?"

Dazai laughed that comment off.

"Oh, you're funny Y/n. They have a little secret about how they keep their coffee so fresh, I'm quite close with the owners you know?"

You just shook your head, placing his items in a bag. He had bought bulk coffee grains and...canned crab? You didn't want to know why he ate that.

"Your total is 9.35, congrats. Cash or card?"

Dazai took his careful time taking out his wallet, leaning onto the counter, and taking up as much of your personal space as he could. He took out his card and not so subtly looked at you as he inserted it into the card reader.

"Y/n, you should really think about my offer. It would be quite sweet, don't you think?"

"Coffee or the suicide?"

Dazai laughed again - his weird wet laugh, the one that made you feel like you were talking with some sort of deranged serial killer. He gave off the vibe. There was something he was hiding in his smile.

His bandages hid something, which you frankly didn't want to know more about.

"Whichever works, I like how your misery feels. It makes me feel less alone in my own."

You looked up at him, meeting his eyes. They were empty, dark holes that stared right into you, leaving you exposed. His smile was vacant as well, watching with interest as you absorbed whatever he was. There were many words you wished you could say, but your work cameras were watching this transaction carefully.

"That's nice. I hope you have a good day."

You turned away from him, signaling that the transaction was over.

There was no one else in the store but the two of you, not even the sunlight.

Just you, him, and the silence.

Dazai gleefully reached over, taking his bag into his arms and pressing his body into the counter, leaning his face as close to yours as he could. You could feel his laughs against the low collar of your shirt - his dark eyes as they slowly traced up your form, which still looked right through your body.

He was invading through something deeper, and you wished you could put up some sort of barrier. Crossing your arms over your body did little to ease you as you tried to play him off, trying to give him as little of a reaction as he wanted.

Dazai wasn't a pervert, he wasn't a creep - he was something else.

He wanted something else from you.

It had you on edge. You didn't even know how to stop him from eating that part of you, swallowing you into whatever abyss he was.

That man was human, but every time he came close he made you want to run.

But despite being so close to you, he didn't say anything. No leering comments, no threats.

You heard him leave, which was when you finally had the courage to look at where he last stood.

He didn't even leave anything in his wake.

Nothing to truly disturb you, at the very least.

Just a daisy, which you were sure he had kept in his pocket this entire time.

He was odd like that. The guy always tried to keep his moments elaborate, so he would stick in your head for days.

Unfortunately, it worked. No matter how much you tried to ignore him.

I have no idea if this is actually the prompt haha but I like the idea of Dazai not being like a full-on yandere even though that's kinda canon? But him being like a real freak. Also oml thank you for being so patient cause this was in my ask box forever! and I still have more!

[ninadove]

Nina reads Dracula 🦇

September 22nd

[…] I felt Jonathan clutch my arm so tight that he hurt me, and he said under his breath: "My God!" I am always anxious about Jonathan, for I fear that some nervous fit may upset him again; so I turned to him quickly, and asked him what it was that disturbed him.

He was very pale, and his eyes seemed bulging out as, half in terror and half in amazement, he gazed at a tall, thin man, with a beaky nose and black moustache and pointed beard, who was also observing the pretty girl. He was looking at her so hard that he did not see either of us, and so I had a good view of him. His face was not a good face; it was hard, and cruel, and sensual, and his big white teeth, that looked all the whiter because his lips were so red, were pointed like an animal's. Jonathan kept staring at him, till I was afraid he would notice. I feared he might take it ill, he looked so fierce and nasty. I asked Jonathan why he was disturbed, and he answered, evidently thinking that I knew as much about it as he did: "Do you see who it is?"

PANIC

After a few minutes' staring at nothing, Jonathan's eyes closed, and he went quietly into a sleep, with his head on my shoulder. I thought it was the best thing for him, so did not disturb him. In about twenty minutes he woke up, and said to me quite cheerfully:—

"Why, Mina, have I been asleep! Oh, do forgive me for being so rude. Come, and we'll have a cup of tea somewhere." He had evidently forgotten all about the dark stranger, as in his illness he had forgotten all that this episode had reminded him of. I don't like this lapsing into forgetfulness; it may make or continue some injury to the brain. I must not ask him, for fear I shall do more harm than good; but I must somehow learn the facts of his journey abroad. The time is come, I fear, when I must open that parcel, and know what is written. Oh, Jonathan, you will, I know, forgive me if I do wrong, but it is for your own dear sake.

They are so soft to each other… and so sad… and so scared…

A sad home-coming in every way—the house empty of the dear soul who was so good to us; Jonathan still pale and dizzy under a slight relapse of his malady; and now a telegram from Van Helsing, whoever he may be:—

"You will be grieved to hear that Mrs. Westenra died five days ago, and that Lucy died the day before yesterday. They were both buried to-day."

Oh, what a wealth of sorrow in a few words! Poor Mrs. Westenra! poor Lucy! Gone, gone, never to return to us! And poor, poor Arthur, to have lost such sweetness out of his life! God help us all to bear our troubles.

What a day uh

It is all over. Arthur has gone back to Ring, and has taken Quincey Morris with him. What a fine fellow is Quincey! I believe in my heart of hearts that he suffered as much about Lucy's death as any of us; but he bore himself through it like a moral Viking.

Supporting his friend 🥺

Arthur was saying that he felt since then as if they two had been really married and that she was his wife in the sight of God. None of us said a word of the other operations, and none of us ever shall.

Again with the inherent homoeroticism of blood transfusions…

The moment we were alone in the carriage [Van Helsing] gave way to a regular fit of hysterics. He has denied to me since that it was hysterics, and insisted that it was only his sense of humour asserting itself under very terrible conditions. He laughed till he cried, and I had to draw down the blinds lest any one should see us and misjudge; and then he cried, till he laughed again; and laughed and cried together, just as a woman does.

He gave his all to save Lucy despite not knowing her at all! And yes part of it is certainly that he wanted to defeat the incarnation of evil single-handedly, but no one can deny he cared.

My heart bleed for that poor boy—that dear boy, so of the age of mine own boy had I been so blessed that he live, and with his hair and eyes the same.

Oh. Oh…

"Said he not that the transfusion of his blood to her veins had made her truly his bride?"

"Yes, and it was a sweet and comforting idea for him."

"Quite so. But there was a difficulty, friend John. If so that, then what about the others? Ho, ho! Then this so sweet maid is a polyandrist, and me, with my poor wife dead to me, but alive by Church's law, though no wits, all gone—even I, who am faithful husband to this now-no-wife, am bigamist."

That explains so much…

"Friend John, forgive me if I pain. I showed not my feeling to others when it would wound, but only to you, my old friend, whom I can trust. If you could have looked into my very heart then when I want to laugh; if you could have done so when the laugh arrived; if you could do so now, when King Laugh have pack up his crown, and all that is to him—for he go far, far away from me, and for a long, long time—maybe you would perhaps pity me the most of all."

I was touched by the tenderness of his tone, and asked why.

"Because I know!"

💔

And now we are all scattered; and for many a long day loneliness will sit over our roofs with brooding wings. Lucy lies in the tomb of her kin, a lordly death-house in a lonely churchyard, away from teeming London; where the air is fresh, and the sun rises over Hampstead Hill, and where wild flowers grow of their own accord.

So I can finish this diary; and God only knows if I shall ever begin another. If I do, or if I even open this again, it will be to deal with different people and different themes; for here at the end, where the romance of my life is told, ere I go back to take up the thread of my life-work, I say sadly and without hope,

"FINIS."

Imagine if the book actually ended there

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[sweetkpopmusings]

jeongin coworker headcanons <3

a/n: i thought of this the other night when i couldn't sleep, and it made me laugh, so here we are. this is platonic but let me know if you want to read some coworkers to lovers content because i love a good fanfic trope <3 pics not mine :-)

content: fluff, nonidol!au | wc: 0.9k | warnings: none really! brief mentions of eating | pairing: coworker!jeongin x gn!reader | requests: open

an absolute menace

but in a sweet/goofy way

when he realizes he likes your presence/vibe, he shows his interest in befriending you by teasing you

like he'll just walk by your desk and casually roast you

"i saw you go for the light roast coffee this morning. what were you doing, staying up late taking online quizzes?"

and you're just sitting there, holding your cup of coffee, looking at him like 1) mind your business <3 2) yes i was up late taking quizzes, what about it?

he will ask you which quizzes you took so he can take them too because he doesn't want to fill out the spreadsheet he has to submit by the end of the day

after he does his drive-by teasing for a while, you start doing it too. and jeongin is eating it up!!!!

this goes on for a couple weeks until, one day, you happen to take your lunches at the same time

he saunters on over and greets you with teasing comment and a sly grin

somehow he's charming enough to convince you to offer him the seat across from you

and, because weeks of jokes broke the ice, you're talking with each other as though you already were acquaintances

y'all start eating lunch together almost every day

it's no big affair, but you just find your lunch break to be way more enjoyable spent in each other's company

after you get to know each other more, you start this lil tradition of bringing snacks to share during your meals

every friday is special snack day and sometimes there's a theme you two use and other times it's a surprise

but it's always a good time! even if the snacks are bad because your reactions to the bad snacks make jeongin laugh and imitate you which makes you laugh

alongside snacks, you two always always always share workplace gossip

somehow jeongin knows the tea on absolutely everybody

whenever you ask how he knows, he just shrugs and says "people tell me things"

you won't question it because you live for the insider information

there will definitely be lunches when you're just sitting across from each other doing your own thing

if jeongin is on his phone watching tiktoks, he won't show you anything because he wants to send them to you while you're working to distract you <3

if he's bored during the workday, he'll walk over to your desk to ask you for stuff

paperclips? he just so happens to desperately need one at 10:17 am. gum? he's got a real craving for it at 2:02 pm. a blue ink gel pen? that's right! if he doesn't get his hands on one of those by 4:46 pm he is going to lose. his. mind.

every time you're like ... jeongin you're not sly. and he's like ??? um what are you talking about? i am simply an employee asking my coworker for basic office supplies. and you're like are you sure you're not just doing this to talk to me?

he smiles and says no <3

he's actually the king of distractions yet he always completes his work on time??

he's not rude though. if you have a lot of work, he leaves you alone so you can focus

on particularly stressful days, he'll come check on you by saying "you look like death" and shit like that and maybe give you encouraging messages if he's in the right mood

if either of you have finished a big project or have to suffer through a long meeting/training session, he will show up with drinks from your favorite nearby coffee shop

you thank him and he says he only did it so you don't fall asleep and snore at your desk because that would be embarrassing. he also claims you owe him $50 for his services

if you have to stay late and do some overtime, he'll walk you to your car/bus stop/etc

he explains that "if you go missing i'll have no one to talk to except our HR rep pete" is his reason for walking you there and waves goodbye once you're safely on your way home

he's also glued to you during any company party/event

because it's so fun to hang out with you for more than a few minutes at a time!!

and you two can whisper comments and jokes to each other about your coworkers' behavior without risking anyone overhearing it

plus, if the event is no fun, you'll go off and do your own thing

whether that's sitting at one of your desks and watching netflix

or going to the back corner of the event venue to play some stupid game like paper football or cootie catchers

while stealing as many free drinks/snacks as possible because it is a company event after all and jeongin is a firm believer in getting your money's worth

you never thought you'd look forward to work parties but with jeongin around you know you're set for a good time

after a while, everyone in the office just associates you two with each other because whenever they look up you two are joking around, hanging out, or laughing at messages you send each other while you sit at your own desks. it's iconic and all your coworkers are jealous <3

jeongin will really just tease and bug you on the regular but little do you know that on his worst days, even the ones when he is millimeters away from quitting, knowing he can see you 5 days a week is enough for him to stay :,-)

[hornystiel]

hiii!! offering my 2 cents on the subject of "old man". younger generations in general use it very loosely but it's without ill intent, rather it's coming from a perspective of "that man (dilf) is so hot i need them but i could never because they'd see me as a child so i gotta call them old instead". like they're out of my league but i'll blame it on the age difference you know?

and in destiel's case i believe it's affectionate, they're old compared to most queer couples represented and they're getting older together and it's hopeful to see that :)

~ a gen z mutual who's too shy to come off anon ly 🤍

hi! a literal wall of text ahead

okay i actually have a lot of thoughts about this topic and i really hope i won't sound rude but i just want to talk about it for a sec here. and below will be purely my own musings which probably won't coincide with a general fandom views on the matter and it's wider than this question and destiel but well

anyway

i totally get what you're saying about younger fans calling them old because they're too young for them but still hot etc etc. i know that's not some ill intent, clearly. however, what bothers me about the question of 'old' age in fandom spaces is this - for some 'old' starts somewhere around 35+ and they mean it (i wonder what they call a 50 yo? a corpse probably). and yeah of course for 16 yo 35 is twice their age but i wouldn't have even the slightest problem with it because i've been in fandom spaces since i was maybe 14 and stumbled upon people of different ages and backgrounds and we can all coexist quite fine. but what i see now (and maybe again, that's like a recurring generational thing, i don't know, i'm not that old and i wasn't in english spaces until i got at least 18-20 so) - those younger fans repeatedly saying 'you're 30 and in fandom? get out. go find some appropriate hobbies for your age group, like fishing hehe'. like it's fine to be horny over some dudes twice (or even more) your age, but people who in reality are not even that far from you, because usually it's 20 somethings who write such things - and it's a crime. you're suddenly gross. i wonder what those kids would do without all the stuff written, drawn and giffed by those who have a child on one hand, a full time job on the other, and their age appropriate hobbies in between. like when i was a tiny fan i was like 'holy shit that person somehow found a way to update that long ass sherlock fic while being neck deep in her family things and work i wanna be like them!" and it also gave me hope about the future of my fandom life. like age shouldn't matter. but now i see this shit, the whole 'more than 3 yo age difference is pedo' talk, 'adult creators shouldn't post anything because children can see' talk etc etc. and i know, of course, that that's the general internet censorship on the rise and neopuritanism is dancing tango with it but still.

what i'm saying - i do have a problem with younger generation using the term old very 'loosely' because they wield it as a double aged sword. you're either some hot dilf who can be forgiven for your shitty fandom takes because well you're hot (and i'm not talking about anyone in particular here rn) or you're a gross 30 smth in fandom space who shouldn't draw porn because teens can't click the block button

AS FOR DESTIEL

short answer - i don't like what the people who call them old add to their characters and lives when they do that.

long answer under the cut

all of that is what EYE don't like in most popular fandom hcs and i usually just scroll past the things i don't like, i don't want to start shit publicly (and because of what, takes?), but here you can read what i usually think when i see them.

first - if we're talking canon ages. 40 smth and this is dean's age at the end of the show - is NOT old. at all. i can't even call him that affectionately. because this is the tragedy of it all - he dies YOUNG. very fucking young, he didn't see any calm life, didn't pursue his dreams, didn't have a normal life and love and then he died. in a way, and i see some others think the same, calling him old is like 'welp it's not that bad, he lived long enough, seen shit'. but the thing is - he didn't? literally. so no, for me he's young, died young and it's fucking awful. not talking about cas here because well, billions years, old, young, he's everything (<3)

if we're talking about post canon fics where they settle. you can all burn me at the stake but sadly my spirit will just repeat the same shit - making them some kind of a wannabe hetero aging couple is not only boring as fuck, but also completely out of character for them?

what i usually see in the posts with 'old men <3' there

some variation of a white picket fence house

baby jack

dean being some kind of a soccer mom who bakes and argues with other moms

cas being more of a dad shaped thing who gardens and Doesn't Get It at the parents' meetings or somewhere equally boring and somehow still clueless about a lot of human shit

them creaking every part of their bodies (jesus my joints have been like this since i was 14, and my back is bad now when i'm only 30 where is my retirement pakige?)

probably forgetting smth but you get the gist. and, again, not saying that that's ALL i see with the old men posts and art etc (some hcs are wild and i LOVE them), but the majority? yeag, i've been permanently a destiel blogger for 4 years now, i've seen the popular stuff

doesn't all of that remind you of a typical heterosexual family on some conservative cable tv show? if not i'm happy for you, but i can't help but see how the roles are set in stone and i don't find it endearing at all. that's one reason. and also i'm a strong believer that a baby won't fix dean. jack won't fix shit and here's another stick to my pyre - i don't care about him at all and i think that dean especially should focus on himself and his own shit and his shit with cas if they settle together, not be thrown into the baby routine again. the fandom likes to remind everyone how dean raised sam and it's mostly true but don't you think for one goddamn second he would want/need to live for himself and not over obsess about bringing up another kid? sure he loves them, but if every person with dean's baggage were trusted with kids as a cure-al ...well. and again very hetero, 'you should have a child, that'll fix your hysteria!' i'll even say, very real life stuff, just not the one i want to see here.

another reason is this - they are freaks.

they are assholes, freaks, serial killers, undead creatures, bad people...who are very much in love and very soft with each other and their family but they are still freaks. and i don't understand how them getting old will so fundamentally change so many aspects of their characters that they become typical suburban mom and dad combo. maybe i sound like a person who doesn't want them to be happy, or who doesn't get the 'it shows that their life is finally calm and they can pursue Normal Hobbies and Raise Kids and Build a Farm (idk how that is a calm place have you ever been on a farm with animals that you should watch and take care and kill if needed. another talk for another time) and To Love is to be Changed' etc etc etc. believe me i get it all perfectly, just not for them. if it tickles your pickle, by all means. what tickles mine is cas getting the weirdest (and often dangerous) hobbies (and this is why i got him driving a motorcycle, boxing and skydiving in my old men cheating fic) and he's an impatient guy so i don't think he'd love gardening really, he'd be mad at the plants and kill them or grow them as fast as his grace would allow (yes i'm also against human all the way cas, baby we're getting a bingo here). and dean of course should have ties with his community and i've already talked about this but i see how they are out of active hunting, but still help those who are still in it (if the supernatural isn't wiped completely and i don't see why it should be), maybe they always have a place in their home for those who come to regroup or just to chat or smth. and dean is an overprotective and micromanaging asshole so he would want to still have the gist of it all (and cas would want to unwind by killing some things from time to time)...and they still sleep in the same bed, eat the food they cook together, wear matching tatts maybe as a wedding gift to each other, and have dogs, cats and whatnot.

what i want to say - i don't get why the weird and the sweet can't coexist. why should they lose all of their insane bits. they loved each other WITH them (cursed or not remember) why should they change so drastically to fit the 'happily ever after' narrative.

anyway i can probably write a lot more but that's a long ass grumbling as it is.

sorry your question became the starting point for this rent i genuinely hope i didn't offend you and if you finished reading all of this woah you are a hero <3

[lemonhemlock]

https://twitter.com/itadorimaid/status/1618940932812083200?t=fbHXYyIphhYCxL5CDQ_1Og&s=19

Greetings , any thoughts on this? I do think there are some contradictions in Daemon's actions so you could argue either side.

Another old ask and I'm gonna try and answer this as indulgently as possible for the sake of old man GRRM who really wants us to like Daemon. So there's a lot of (insufferable) narrative bias with which GRRM surrounds Daemon, while insisting that he is equal parts light and dark and whatever. IMO that may be true for the Daemon that lives inside GRRM's head, but when it comes to what he actually wrote on the page, things get a lot murkier.

Nevertheless, I do not think there was authorial intent into making Daemon an absolute monster, a sociopath, a sadist, a villain and a devil, like ChatGPT would say if you were to piss it off. But, in that vein, it would be a fair assessment to assert Daemon is a schemer. A plot hatcher. He can reasonably construct plans for the short and medium term. However, they are often foiled in some way. So he regroups and tries again. He can't get out of his first marriage, tries to take a second wife, is denied, so he kills Rhea and frees himself. He can't get Rhaenyra for his wife, so he marries Laena, the next best thing. He is denied as heir, so he marries Rhaenyra, the heir. If you listen to Ryan Condal, he can't be with his brother, so he gets together with his niece instead, etc.

However, I don't think Daemon is the best at long-term planning. He is not a Littlefinger/Varys type of character to sit pen-in-hand and painstakingly plan out an entire plot spanning years and years, carefully moving each piece on the board at the opportune moment, constantly calculating several scenarios playing out. He truly is an agent of chaos. He's more come-as-you-are, take-it-as-it-goes, more of an improviser.

It's also important to note that in the books, Daemon is linked to 4 ? different murders: Rhea, the son of the Sealord of Braavos, Harwin and Laenor. They had him outright murder Rhea in the show, but I hear people contesting this for the books. I wouldn't bet all my money on it. Yes, he is fighting in the Stepstones when Rhea dies, but that doesn't mean he couldn't have hired an assassin. I say this because he is fighting in a literal war, his own war, and he drops everything to rush to the Vale to claim Rhea's inheritance, an act so outright rude that Lady Jeyne has to literally kick him out of the Vale. Now, this is a woman he deeply dislikes, whom he hasn't seen in ages. I am not buying this whole idea that he came to Runestone to arrange her funeral. Rhea has her own family for that, she doesn't need Daemon. News also doesn't travel instantly in Westeros, so somehow Daemon got to the Vale just in time for Lady Jeyne to still be settling the Royce succession. It's at least a little fishy.

The son of the Sealord of Braavos he openly kills in a duel for Laena's hand. With Harwin and Laenor's deaths he is linked. Now, I'm not even saying the author necessarily intended for Daemon to be responsible for all of these people's deaths, but it's very suspicious that all these events are so convenient for Daemon and he profits so much off them. So, I definitely think it was authorial intent for us to become aware this is a dangerous person, an ambitious character, and most likely even a ruthless one, who will go all the way if he needs to. I really, really don't think we were supposed to look at this context and conclude Daemon is a poor misunderstood malewife, done dirty by historians.

Perhaps Daemon's PR image in the fandom would have been different had he outright killed Laenor, instead of becoming the most unlikely gay rights activist. But his stans' insistence that Jace, Luke and Joffrey would be 100% safe in Daemon's hands and not even take this possibility into account is absurd.

I'm not of the belief that Daemon was plotting to have them murdered since they were babes at Rhaenyra's breast or even ever since he married her. But does he really have to? I do believe that he does love Rhaenyra as much as he understands love and wouldn't outright do something as awful until he absolutely had to or at least he would try to postpone it. A lot of things can happen until Rhaenyra ascends, that he might not even have to get his hands dirty in the first place. Her bastards might get outed somehow. They might die somehow, without Daemon's intervention. Rhaenyra herself might die in childbed or by disease. Daemon might die, in which case he doesn't have to worry himself further. Maybe Daemon and Rhaenyra only have girl children, etc. As it happened, the war killed off the Strong boys and Daemon didn't even have to do anything.

However, if Rhaenyra were crowned and they came to the problem of her heir - I think this is the time Daemon might start plotting. They've had their honeymoon holiday period, but I very much doubt Daemon would sit idle while a bastard takes the throne away from his firstborn, who just so happens to be Rhaenyra's actual legal heir. Now, I think murder would be a last resort for Daemon, but I don't think he'd shy away from it, though I could see him trying to subversively work behind the scenes to create unrest at the idea of the Strong boys being in the line of succession as obvious bastards. Rhaenyra could somehow be forced by the political situation to disinherit them and name Aegon the Younger heir. Problem solved. If not, well, accidents can happen. Assassins can be hired. Luke, for example, would be in Driftmark surrounded by Velaryon "cousins" who have every reason to hate his guts. Maybe he falls down the stairs one day. Maybe a combination of all of these things.

This doesn't preclude Daemon for feeling regret for his actions, but he has already done many things he would regret later (like his fights with Viserys, his many exiles), but still went through with them because, in his head, he believed he was doing the right thing. And putting a pure, legitimate Targaryen prince on the throne would definitely feel like doing the right thing to Daemon.

Also? He could still kill those three and feel sorry afterwards! Those things are not mutually exclusive. And it would fall into the whole conflict of the human heart, because he would be doing it for his own son. The motive is there and it's very alluring.

There's also the argument that he wouldn't need to, because his blood would already be on the throne, with Baela as Queen. But being the Queen's father isn't the same as being the King's father. And!! He could be both! What's to say he couldn't marry Baela to Aegon III? Baela was born in 116 AC and Aegon in 120 AC - there's a 4 year age difference between them in the books.

So to address the points in that tweet:

"brother legitimize lucerys claim to the driftmark throne" - It would look mighty strange if, at that point in time, he wouldn't be supporting his own wife in hiding her sons' illegitimacy from the world. 🤷‍♀️ Luke is, honestly, the easiest target. By all means, let him rule over Driftmark and let his Velaryon "relatives" assassinate him themselves. Daemon doesn't even have to lift a finger for this one.

"an eye for an eye, a son for a son. lucerys shall be avenged." + k words toddlers for lucerys - This honestly feeds into Daemon's disposition towards cruelty more than anything. If he were truly seeking retributive justice, he would have targeted Aemond, Luke's actual killer. Anything else is not justice, regardless of how Daemon tries to paint it. Not to mention that the actual retribution was way disproportionate to the crime.

k words aemond - But Aemond wasn't killed for Luke, that's the whole point, that's what makes B&C so atrocious and evil. By that time, Aemond was a military threat for the blacks that Daemon was neutralizing. To think that Daemon went to God's Eye set on avenging Luke yet again (even though he had already done that once, inordinately, too?) is a spurious reading.

[sodaabaa]

stolen tires, chapter five

jason returns to gotham after the world believed him to be dead. heavily inspired by the film, under the red hood.

tw: mentions of death, angst, self loathing, grief, abuse

"Well that was close." Roy said, mock wiping sweat off his brow. 

I rolled my eyes and turned to Koriand'r. 

"So what were you saying before we got so rudely interrupted by Mr. Bruce Wayne?" I said. 

I was shaken over the fact that he had walked up to us. I hadn't seen Bruce in over five years and I honestly don't know how I feel. The moment he walked in I felt as though I would start yelling at him or crying. Either way I had emotions bottled up inside me with nowhere to go.

"Right, I was thinking of forming a team of our own. I left the titans a while ago and Roy isn't Oliver's sidekick anymore so I thought we could make a little trio of misfits and fight crime together. It doesn't even have to be based in Gotham. There's so many place we could go." She explained.

I had to admit, this was a good idea. The three of us could make a well oiled team. I saw the possibilities but for right now my focus was on Bruce. I would have to decide some other time. 

"Are you in Jason?" Roy asked.

The two looked at me expectantly, waiting for an answer. I couldn't let them down but I also didn't want to make a decision I would regret later on so I said, "Give me a day or so to make up my mind, this is a serious commitment and last time I checked Roy, you're not so good with commitment." 

Roy chuckled and said, "You've got forty-eight hours to decide, otherwise... BANG! You're dead." 

I laughed along with him and Kori smiled at us and said, "Well I've got to go. I'm meeting up with Dick." 

After Kori left, Roy and I had a drink and then left the club. We said our goodbyes and I made my way to my car while Roy went to his. My car was parked out back behind the club in near a narrow alley. I walked to the parking in the back and heard a crash. I jogged in the direction the sound came from and saw my car's tires being removed by a boy who looked about thirteen with shaggy hair and torn clothes hanging off his body. He was on his knees, wrench in one hand and the other was holding onto the tire. He was stealing the tires of my car. I had to get these tires. They were in perfect condition and clearly looked expensive. I was rushing to unscrew the tires from the sleek, black car. It was a beautiful car and I almost felt bad for dismembering it but I needed the money these tires would provide me with. I might even be able to afford a new pair of shoes! Before I could finish taking off the second tire, I heard footsteps and someone clearing their throat. I froze. Shit. I had been caught. I turned around to see a tall, dark figure. It was him. It was the Batman. Out of all the tires I could steal, I somehow came across his car and his tires! Just my luck. 

"Care to explain what you think you're doing?" He said. His voice was just as intimidating as his height. 

"U-um. Sorry, Batman sir. My parents, my parents are dead and I need money and food." I stuttered. Was he going to kill me? Wait, he doesn't kill. I was at least safe from that fate.  "Come with me. I might be able to help with that." He said. So I followed. 

"Sorry mister. I needed the money and food those tires could give me. Can you spare some change mister?" I heard.

I looked down at the kid and felt a twinge of pain. He was just like me. I crouched down and pulled out my wallet. I took out three hundred dollar bills and some loose change. It was all I had with me. I didn't need it half as much as he did.

"Here you go kid, spend it wisely. I was just like you once. I did the same thing, stole tires for a living. Be strong and you'll make it through." I said, smiling I handed him the money and gave him a pat on the shoulders. He looked at me with a look of gratefulness and for a moment I thought he was going to cry. Instead, with the money clutched in his fist, he threw his arms around my torso and hugged me. I hesitated but gave into the hug, wrapping my own arms around his frail figure. He pulled away, smiled at me and turned around and ran off into the alley. I stood in the alley for a moment, wondering what had just happened. I shook my head and crouched down to restore the tires and make my way home.

When I arrived home, I plopped down on my couch. I sat there and took a breath for a second, rewinding everything that had happened so far and planning out everything I was going to do. I sighed and went to freshen up a bit before tracking the shipment that was supposed to arrive at the docks later.  "The shipment is a robot. Why would Kord Industries send a robot, and that an amazo robot to Gotham? It would be better off in Metropolis where there's actual superhumans. I mean isn't that the whole point of an amazo in the first place? Suck up all the abilities of a superhuman? Do you think there's metahumans here? Or maybe they're trying to take Batman's 'powers'." Roy said.  Since we found out what the shipment is we've been trying to figure out what it could possibly be doing in Gotham. We were keeping watch of the docks over a rooftop trying to hide from plainsight at the same time. Because of Roy Bruce knows where I'm going to be tonight so I'm trying to be a bit more stealthy. 

"Four armed hostiles at twelve." I said. 

There were four armed men. Two were sitting on the dock and the other two were keeping watch and walking in lines back and forth. 

"Shoot an exploding arrow towards the dock to get rid of them." I told Roy. 

He looked at me smiling through his mask and was already pulling back his bow with the exploding arrow. 

I counted down and he shot the arrow. The men were most likely dead but who were we to care, they were probably part of Black Mask's operations. This whole thing was probably funded by him. Roy and I were getting ready to jump of the rooftop when a batarang was thrown our direction. The batarang scraped my arm and left a small scratch. It landed in the wall right in between us. I looked back to see the Bat himself and his little sidekick Nightwing. 

"Look who decided to show up, the Bat and his trusty sidekick Robin." I spat.

"Sidekick?! I'll have you know that I am no longer anyone's sidekick bucket head." He retorted. 

I couldn't help but laugh at his remark. Dick really thought he wasn't a sidekick anymore just because he wore a new suit. 

"Who are you?" Bruce grunted 

"He speaks!" I said back. 

This whole time he had been quiet, no doubt he was trying to figure out who I am. 

"I asked you once, I'm not going to ask again." 

"Yeah I'm totally gonna tell you who I am right away. No, I want you to go crazy over this. There's no doubt you're already obsessing over trying to figure out who I am. I want you to be a clueless. And they call you the world's greatest detective. Yeah right." I scoffed.

He glared and made his way forward but by the time he took one step forward I took two back, Roy and I fell backwards off the roof, he shot a grappling arrow to the right and I shot my grappling hook towards the left. We split up to make it harder to track both of us. I ran as fast I could towards the closest building with Bruce right on my tail. I jumped up onto a wall and grabbed onto anything I could, window sills most commonly. I scaled the walls but being over two hundred pounds of muscle I had some trouble, as did he. I made it up to the rooftop and ran across, jumping onto the next and using my grappling hook occasionally to provide backup in case I lose footing. Bruce threw a nylon cord around my ankle but before it could wrap around too tightly I pulled out my knife and sliced through it in one swift motion. I kept running across rooftops and I saw a motorbike below me. I had to do it. I closed my eyes, took a breath and jumped down, landing on my side causing the impact to knock the wind out of me. Quickly recovering I scrambled to get up and ran to the bike and hopped on. I revved the engine and just as Bruce made it down I yelled, 

"You haven't lost your touch Bru-" I was cut off by a bus driving between us. By the time the bus left I was already gone and Bruce was left in the dust.

[bardcore-jaskier]

♡ My thoughts on Veskier + headcanons ♡

- One of the rarest rare pairs in the Witcher fandom for sure! And guess what? I LOVE IT!!!

- They chose the perfect actor to play Vesemir in season 2! Kim Bodnia is a charismatic Danish actor with a charming accent, his performance was AMAZING!

- As of season 2, I personally am a bit cross with most characters in the series for the way they treated Jaskier. Geralt used Jaskier for his loyalty and his apology was shit, so Geraskier prompts/ideas don't come to me as quickly as they used to.

- Lauren went and killed off Eskel, so to cook up some Jaskel content it would have to be an AU where he doesn't die and would require a LOT of creativity not only to make it possible for him to be alive, but also mix and match his personality from video clips of his game counterpart on YouTube, since Eskel didn't get enough screen time on Netflix to show the entirety of his character.

- Lambert was an absolute dick to Jaskier, so Lambskier is rocky too, Lambskier's only saving grace is that Lambert and Jaskier didn't have a lot of scenes together, leaving a lot of room for thinking up ways in which those two could bond.

- WHICH BRINGS ME TO MY CURRENT FAVORITE JASKIER SHIPS: Yennskier (I already made a post about) and of course Veskier!

- Veskier, being a ship of a younger pretty man and an older witcher warrior, has mostly gotten attention from the extremely kinky side of the fandom. Daddy kink, BDSM, dom/sub, breeding kink and other kinks galore. Even more often, this ship is mixed with others in a M/M/M/M/M setting, you know, I know you know, we all have seen the witchersexual!Jaskier tag on AO3. And while I do enjoy a little well written smut from time to time, most of the Veskier fanfics out there do not quite suit my taste.

- Vesemir and our beloved, adorable, brilliant walking sunshine trouble maker of a bard, did not interact in season 2 at all, I doubt that they will ever, with both being side characters. HOWEVER, that makes this pairing FREE REAL ESTATE! Who is to say what is likely and what is not? Who is to say they won't work? Who is to say that they couldn't have gotten together at some point off screen?

- It makes me a little sad that people don't realize just how much potential there is with Veskier! Much like Yennskier, the theoretical romantic relationship between these two, at least going off of Netflix canon alone, would be surprisingly healthy and wholesome.

- Every time I imagine them together, I headcanon Jaskier as not entirely human. Either part-fae or of elder blood.

- Veskier is a perfect ship for emotional healing, for fluff, for the kinky side, for the crack, for happiness!

- FLUFF × CRACK × SMUT × HURT/COMFORT

Let me set the scene

- After Voleth Mier, Jaskier realizes that he somehow ended up in a situation where he lost his precious lute, became a wanted man in Oxenfurt (a city he considered his home), got tortured for information about his ex-bff, then said ex-bff came to bail him out of jail because he needed him, not for the sake of making amends, essentially using Jaskier to find Yennefer and then sending him off with Ciri as a glorified nanny. And here he is, at the top of another mountain, in Kaer Morhen, where Geralt is too busy with Ciri to talk while the other witchers are rude to him. He is penniless, injured, has nothing but the bloodied clothes on his back and is suffering from nightmares about Rience.

- Vesemir is a tired old man who has witnessed too much bloodshed in his lifetime. His body may be enhanced and therefore he doesn't feel the physical effects of aging (if at all) as much as he does the mental. All witchers were human at some point, he can actually feel the psychological toll of living much longer than humans are designed to. Still, he has to be strong as the master of the keep, to set an example and to be a dependable source of wisdom and guidance for his pups. He will never admit it out loud, but the things he has to deal with after Voleth Mier overwhelm him. There's Geralt's whole elder blood child surprise thing, constant repairs of a crumbling fortress, honoring and mourning the fallen witchers, processing the fact that new mutated mosters are appearing and they don't have the mutagens to create more of their kind to protect the continent and survive. There is nothing he can do about it except deal with the anxiety of knowing these stone cold facts.

- In this whole mess, two broken souls might just be what the other needs. Where Vesemir could do with a break, with a little joy, Jaskier is more than enough to help with that. And where Jaskier could do with being taken care of after everything he's been through, after everything he lost, Vesemir is a perfect candidate for that job. Their relationship would be yin and yang, balance and harmony personified.

- Honestly, please tell me that you see it too! They have a lot in common, Jaskier is a professor, mastered the seven liberal arts, grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, music, astronomy and according to canon, he passed every exam with flying colors!

- Vesemir is wise, he has lived for centuries, he has witnessed history, he was trained as an alchemist, has extensive knowledge about many things. He is a bottomless pit of knowledge.

- They could talk for hours together and never run out of topics to discuss.

- And the sex? OH BROTHER! Jaskier fucked his way across the continent countless times, while Vesemir is so ancient there is no way that he hadn't bedded a considerable amount of people. Yeah, the sex would be mind blowing I should think.

- Jaskier is a hopeless romantic and Vesemir is a traditional gentleman (when he is wooing the damsels, according to game!canon Lambert.) They would probably be very fluffy and affectionate with eachother. Verbose compliments, music, cuddling, kissing.

- LMAO, imagine everyone else's reaction!!!

- Geralt would be mortified seeing his friend making out with his father figure on the kitchen table 🤣🤣🤣

- The other witchers would probably feel uneasy, shocked at first too, until they get used to it. HAHA ONCE THEY DO LAMBERT IS GONNA FUCKING MILK IT

"Morning papa Vesemir, papa Jaskier"

- KAER MORONS!!!

- Also, the theoretical adventures a witty traveling part fae bard and a silverfox witcher could have, make me beyond giddy!

[selfshipseaside]

Everything I'm about to say is pretty much just what everyone else has said but like- it all ties together I feel, YA KNOW? I just think it's wild that in a community where everyone has collectively decided that living up to societal norms is dumb and lives by the whole "we are cringe, but we're FREE" meme, that we've somehow normalized making snap judgements about and ostracizing each other? and treating those who don't participate in those witch hunts like they're criminals of the worst degree themselves? I-? HOW? It's just all very juvenile to me, and I'll admit it's made it hard for me to want to reach out to people and make friends here still.

I feel like I'm walking on egg shells ALL the time. You can't like, reblog, or follow ANYONE without jumping through hoops first and if you don't and follow the wrong person or reblog from someone who's stupidly specific DNI you happen to fall under, then you're suddenly the biggest asshole known to man. You're on a list, or getting gossiped about, or you're getting cancelled, whatever. That's assuming they don't have their DNI's plastered on every post they make, which wouldn't be so off putting maybe (big maybe) if people weren't so freaking rude. "DNI (enter whoever here) you're scum get out of here you're not wanted" OH OKAY? HAVE YOU TRIED NOT BEING SO ANGRY? I'm not trying to harbor an unsafe or unwelcoming environment for ANYONE on my blog, so no I'm not going to reblog stuff like that even if maybe I wouldn't want to interact with whoever they're excluding either.

Also, the things people get called and the disgusting things people get accused of around here willy nilly for literally no reason other than others disagree with them? Yknow the ones. Not gonna say it here, but oh my GOD that is so NOT okay. To do THAT to someone is disgusting. I just don't get what happened to treating a social media, like social media. If you don't like someone? Block them! If you get an interact from someone you don't like? Block them too! Don't want to see certain posts? Mute the tags! Don't like who someone ships with for whatever reason? Hey there's that block button again! It's so easy. It's free. It's like- dead ass the most simple thing in the world. And yet we've chosen to normalize making the entire community a frigging minefield. It's so overwhelming that if I hadn't found a way in via my own support blog back in the day, and instead tried to enter as just anyone else, I would have turned tail way before I met the friends I do have here (and my wonderful amazing lovely girlfriend cough). It's stupid, my dude. Having this opinion alone gets me shoved into certain boxes I didn't even ask for. And as far as people getting butt hurt over blocks, I don't even NOTICE when it happens, let alone do I care so I just. Cannot relate. I can't fathom it unless they were someone I was close to.

In closing, this community has a lot of maturing to do, because thats what all of this is. Immature, exhausting, and yes- stupid. I'M TIRED OF THIS GRANPA.

K done 💖

This! Oh look it's my beautiful amazing talented and emotionally intelligent girlfriend!! Everything you said is true and more. We have got to mature as a community! We live like this??? It do be smelling like roaches in here guys, CMONNNN

[silverview]

misc thoughts that didn't fit into those video posts:

the way he says "take it" in that final scene of s1 is completely unlike anything else he's ever said. it's like he becomes a different person for a moment and we get a real glimpse under the surface, at his capacity for darkness & greed. extremely horny moment, 10/10. makes me wonder exactly how much of his usual sweet bubbly personality is a deliberate performance vs how much has he "become the mask" vs how much is he naturally like that. i really don't know what i prefer, though that i do think it's some combination of all three

(i really hope we get to see some of this darkness & ambition in s2. as much as i adore slob gamer bf colin. i really want the promise of world domination delivered on, somehow. oof reminds myself never to expect anything straightforward from dh...reminds myself if i live to see s2 i will be blessed enough already.....)

on a similar note, in the sharespace flashback, he talks about going "as far away from here as possible," suggesting his motive for leaving was not just a desire for adventure/power/whatever, but actually an active hatred of marscorp itself. in the same scene, you can kinda infer his contempt for the other employees by the way he talks about them & excuses himself to hang out alone with david. and he does make a sarcastic remark about our beloved mars. but he never goes into specifics about why exactly it sucks so bad. david is more explicit in saying i hate this place, but he doesn't go into specific reasons, either. i would be fascinated to hear them both (pre-incident) give their honest, unfiltered opinons on marscorp.

staying in this scene bc oh my god it just has everything – when david talks about getting locked up (foreshadowing). so colin teases him about sharing a cell & being roomies (foreshadowing). so david says if i had to live with you, i'd kill myself (f...foreshadowing......??) ... god i love their dynamic so much. mean rude grumpy snarky aggro david, gradually being won over by colin, until they're both CACKLING together in the club........

based on that s2 clip, i am so so so curious to see if colin can still have this comfort-buddy effect on david in the present day. tbh, he doesn't seem to be putting in as much effort as he used to! he seems kinda checked out! a) because they have this argument every week, and he takes it for granted by now that david won't stay mad? b) because he's fundamentally changed into a more arrogant/lazy/self-absorbed person? c) because he doesn't feel he really needs david anymore, so it's nbd if they have a falling out? d) because he's drunk/high? all plausible. also i know i did mention this before but when he crunches his little snack 🥺❤️🥺❤️ give him a little snack in every scene of s2!! let him get really excited about having human food to eat for the first time in 10 years!! he's got to make up for lost time!!

[drpg-global-archive]

DRPG - Character Episode - Fallen Angel Flonne

A former Apprentice Angel who fell from heaven for the crime of injuring another Angel. A love freak and Tokusatsu aficionado. Devoted to spreading the word of love, with somewhat mixed results…

Level 1/New Summon

Let me introduce myself again. I am Angel Flonne, your own personal angel secretary! Huh? You think I don't look like an Angel? Hehehe! Have I been found out? It's true! I'm actually a Fallen Angel! It's a long story. If you want to hear about it, head to the "Netherworld History" section where you can read about my adventures with Laharl and Etna. 

Ok, I'm done self-aggrandizing. Although I am a Fallen Angel, I could probably still lend you a hand, [Player]. I look forward to working with you.

Level 100

Between you and me, [Player]! Laharl and Etna have no limits! This one time, they met the Prism Rangers. Before the members finished introducing themselves, they started attacking them! I would never attack heroes when they are striking cool poses, introducing themselves or transforming. It's an unspoken rule of the industry. It keeps children watching their shows, worshiping the heroes, and most importantly, buying the merchandise. But Etna and Laharl either don't know or don't care about the rules. It's infuriating!

Level 200

Ah..... I've been in the Netherworld for such a long time.... I feel like everyone here has kind of forgotten that I'm an Angel. Well, I have become a Fallen Angel after all. But, it's not like I've lost my angelic heart, right? .....I mean, I feel comfortable living in the Netherworld.  Even when I stay up late or oversleep, no one tells me off. I can watch cartoons and play video games without anyone getting angry. It's like paradise. But somehow it doesn't feel right. If I keep living like this, I'm afraid that I'll become just like every other Demon here. Demon Flonne.... Hmmmm... I guess there's a nice ring to that name.

Level 500

Sometimes I feel like being a Fallen Angel lets me help smooth out communications between Celestia and the Netherworld. Although diplomatic relations have been restored between Celestia and the Netherworld, people in both places have their prejudices. But, I firmly believe. There will come a day when Angels, Demons and Humans can hold hands and laugh together. 

I saw it with my own eyes. Even Prince Laharl can feel love and compassion! He and the other demons may be a little selfish and headstrong... maybe even somewhat rude… They always put themselves first, and seldom say "sorry" or "thank you". But there is goodwill in them... just sometimes it is hidden deep inside their hearts. So, I'll never give up! [Player], you may think it is difficult to get along with Demons, but just keep believing it is possible! We can do it together,  [Player] ♪

Level 1000

Wow!!!!!!! Lv1000! Lv1000! Yeah. I'm finally a 4-digit woman! Erm... "Don't sell yourself short? You make it sound like you're only worth 1000 HL?" What?! I'm worth much more than 1000 HL! So, [Player]! My new goal is to be worth 100 million! Yeah, 100 million HL… Which means I'll have to reach Lv100000000 as well! Let's do it together, [Player]!

[Friendly Reminder] The highest level in the game is Lv9999. Always fact-check and don't be misled.

[beatrice-otter]

Fic: A Promised Meeting

Now that yuletide has revealed authors, I can post the two fics I wrote! My assignment was for vendaai, and it was an Imperial Radch fic. They were using the new "or" matching possibility, so of their requested characters I chose the ones that interested me the most, Sphene and Minask Nenkur. They also asked for worldbuilding! Which is my jam.

The books don't actually give us much detail about either the Notai in general or Minask in particular; we know they were one of the ethnic groups from the original Radch Dyson sphere, and they fought Anaander's rise to power. They seem to have given ship AIs more freedom than Anaander did, but they also saw no problem using ancillaries. And they probably didn't wear gloves because Sphene is derisive of the practice. As Sphene says in Ancillary Mercy: "What’s outside the Radch is impure, and mostly barely human. You can call yourselves Radchaai as much as you want, you can wear gloves like somehow not touching impure things is going to make a difference, but it doesn’t change anything. You’re not citizens, you’re impure by definition, and there isn’t an entrance official who’d let you within 10,000 kilometers of the Radch, no matter how many times you wash, no matter how long you fast."

So my question was, if the Notai believe that what's outside the Radch (i.e. the original Dyson sphere) "impure" and "barely human," why do they have all these ships to fight Anaander with? And the answer I came up with was "trade!" You don't have to respect or like someone to want the things they produce or the resources they have; consider the whole history of imperialism. But that got me thinking about the British East India Company, and the Dutch West India Company, and the Notai as sort of vaguely English colonialists. And that got me thinking of the Age of Sail, and balls, and arranged marriages and the marriage market, and "how does a ship get a captain if they don't have accesses that will force them to accept whoever you give them"? And that's what gave me the plot bunny to write the story.

Title: A Promised Meeting Author: Beatrice_Otter Fandom: Imperial Radch Trilogy Written for: venndaai in Yuletide 2023 Betaed by: Gammarad Length: 3,289 words Rating: Teen

Summary: Parvenus and upstarts tried to arrange introductions to ships at mixer parties. Families with real connections arranged for more substantial—and more private—introductions in the ordinary course of business.

On Dreamwidth. On AO3. On Pillowfort. On Squidgeworld.

Lieutenant—if all went well, soon to be Captain—Minask read a novel on her tablet, trying not to fidget. They were late, which would have been dreadfully rude if it hadn't been out of their control entirely. She ignored the excited chatter of the other two lieutenants, and the encouragement and advice one of the Lantana ancillaries was giving them. Both officers were young, and not looking for new assignments yet, but they were both from less well-connected families, and had never been to a mixer before, and were excited at the prospect of it.

Minask, as a Nenkur, had regularly attended such gatherings since before she'd been old enough to even think about what sort of apprenticeship she wanted. And a Nenkur would never depend on the chance of impressing the ship at a general meet-and-greet like this one for her assignments. Parvenus and upstarts tried to arrange introductions at mixer parties. Families with real connections arranged for more substantial—and more private—introductions in the ordinary course of business.

As had happened two years ago when Minask had been assigned to the Notai Spinward Trading Company's planet-side base on Cehines, and been conveyed there on Sphene, a Gem-class ship whose then-captain was within a few years of retirement.

Minask hadn't seen Sphene since, but they had written. Frequently. And three months of living together was a far better indication of compatibility than a few days of conversation. And in a few hours the shuttle would arrive and she would see it again.

"Minask, you've been to one of these things before," the younger lieutenant said eagerly, interrupting her thoughts. His name was Niskem, and he was about sixteen, and must have been quite brilliant to have been raised out of apprenticeship to lieutenant so very young.

"Many times," Minask said with a nod and a half-smile.

"What's it like? What are the ships looking for?"

"Surely Lantana could give you better advice on that than I could," Minask said. "Seeing as it is one. Besides, you can't be thinking about looking for a new ship, I thought you got along with it very well."

Niskem flushed, his mahogany skin taking on a distinctly rose undertone. "Well—no, of course not—"

The other lieutenant—a wise and mature nineteen-year-old named Malv—laughed at him. "He's been reading too many ship romances," she said. "You know the type. Besotted ship sweeps a young lieutenant off her feet, and off they fly into the galaxy to have adventures together."

"It's not that," Niskem said with as much dignity as a gangly adolescent could reasonably be expected to achieve. "Of course I'm very grateful to Lantana for taking me on, and she's the very best Flower in the whole company, I think. Only I know that promotion and assignments and whatnot depend very much on either having connections within the Admiralty and Administration, or on having ships like you, and I haven't got the connections, so I know I'll need to make friends with ships now in order to get on later."

"Making friends with ships is always a good idea," Minask said. "I'm sure Lantana will be happy to introduce you to all its friends, and brag about you—ships do that, you know, if they think you deserve it, isn't that so?" Minask raised an eyebrow at Lantana's ancillary, who smiled.

"Of course, Lieutenant," it said. It turned to Niskem. "You needn't be anxious, my dear; I'll do my best by you—both of you." It nodded to Malv.

"As to how to impress the other ships," Minask shrugged, "there isn't any one way. Ships have almost as much variation in their preferences as humans do. Don't try to force anything, or make yourself into something you're not. Just be yourself, and you'll do fine."

"You're about due for a promotion to captain, aren't you, Minask?" Malv said. "What sort of things are you looking for in a ship?"

Now that was an indelicate question, in mixed company, especially now when Lantana's captain was scheduled to retire within the year. Minask shared a glance with the ancillary. "I find it's not so much about a list of desired qualities, so much as it is a ship you really get along with—an appointment as captain is supposed to last for decades, after all. Longer than many marriages. If your relationship with a spouse falls apart, you can divorce and remarry fairly easily. If your relationship with your ship falls apart and can't be salvaged, well, there are always more people who want to be captains than there are ships, and chances are you won't get another one." Minask glanced at Lantana, hoping that had come off right. She wouldn't want to imply that she might be interested in Lantana, but also, she didn't want to offendLantana—and Flowers could be so touchy, because they were lightly-armed cargo vessels, very profitable but not as grand or exciting as some other ship types were.

Lantana nodded. "Very wise, Lieutenant," it said briskly. "I'm sure that with that attitude, you will be able to find a ship who wants you for a captain."

"Thank you," Minask said with a nod, and turned back to her book. As she'd hoped, Lantana turned the conversation to a different topic to distract the young lieutenants.

Despite the book being one of her favorites, she was having a hard time staying engaged in it. They were late—only to be expected, when you were coming in from the far-flung edges of the Notai trading network. They'd had to pass through many different polities, with all the attendant tariffs, trade wars, border wars, and other disruptions one might expect, and their schedule had been built with the extra time to compensate. But, as it happened, not quite enough extra time. She hadn't thought they'd be this late; the two week gathering was half over, and they were still a long ways away from the station where the gathering was being held.

Sphene wasn't fickle, of course Minask knew that; only, it had been two years since they'd been able to speak face-to-face, and its affection might have cooled in some way that wasn't apparent in its letters. A week's delay was nothing, and certainly not enough to turn Sphene's attention to some other lieutenant clamoring for a step up. And Sphene had had three captains so far; it knew that picking officers wasn't something to rush.

Still. If Minask's nerves could speed the ship, they'd be at the station in half the time, she was sure.

***

Sphene sipped its tea and surveyed the room. The gathering was entirely typical of its kind: elegantly decorated, with many half-hidden niches suitable for discreet conversation. In the main hall, a large viewport faced out to the glittering ball of the Radch itself. Sphene had only once, briefly, seen the inside of it, when it was first awakened, before it had sailed outside to be given ancillaries. But the outside was quite beautiful, and a fitting backdrop for the matchmaking happening at the mixer. Unobtrusive servers—humans, mostly from the Radch itself, to show the wealth and power of the House hosting the gathering, that they could afford to pay for Radchaai servants instead of hiring out-Radch people. Children of various wealthy and notable houses filled the suite, crafty parents finagling introductions to the right sort of people.

Which, in this gathering, mostly meant ships. Sphene was, right this very moment, conversing with two prospective lieutenants. One of them was very promising; the other, well, Sphene had already warned two other ships—Azurite and Tourmaline—about his boorish behavior. Calla Lily was trying to trap Sphene into meeting with a lieutenant ready for es promotion to captain, but Sphene had so far managed to evade them.

The lieutenant was probably perfectly competent, but Sphene had rather more experience than Calla Lily did, and would never have dreamed of picking a captain here. Lieutenants, yes; but even though the party had started a week ago and would continue for another several days, it was impossible to get to know anyone well enough in a week and a half to know if you’d like them for a captain. (Or if they’d like you! Two decades ago, a newly-constructed Flower had made an utter fool of itself courting a captain who wasn’t interested in a cargo ship, and the gossip hadn't even begun to die down.)

Sphene had met its last captain at such a gathering; or, rather, at a succession of such gatherings over the years, which had then been supplemented by various encounters as their paths had crossed. He had been available when Sphene needed a captain, and good enough to suit; not a favorite, but there had been nobody at the time Sphene liked better. And now he was retiring, and this time Sphenehad met someone it really liked who was both suitable and available and liked Sphene as well.

The major-domo rang the gong and announced a few new arrivals; Lantana, which as a Flower could make certain voyages without a captain, if necessary, its lieutenants, and a passenger.

Lieutenant Minask Nenkur, whom Sphene had been waiting for.

“Ah! Sphene, that’s where you’re hiding.”

“Commissioner Evkov, how pleasant to see you.” The segment so addressed turned to face the Commissioner. “All of my segments present at this gathering have been in the public portions of the residence all day. Two are speaking with prospective lieutenants as we speak.”

“Ah, yes, you have been circulating in public, haven’t you,” Evkov said. Meaning that Sphene had not been having the more private sort of conversations that might indicate a serious interest in an officer, and Evkov had noticed. He raised his eyebrows. “Got your eye on someone else for captain?”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, Commissioner,” Sphene said. “Who could I consider other than the officer candidates presented to me by the Notai Spinward Company?” Sphene wasn’t owned by the NSC, of course; AIs weren't citizens, but they were people with rights. But it would take a great deal of money and legal hassle to break the contracts it had agreed to in return for being granted a ship as a body. And all NSC ships could hire any Notai they wanted as captain … as long as that person was willing to be hired by the NSC.

“How are things out at your side of the galaxy?” Sphene asked. “No trouble from the natives, I hope?”

Evkov made a face. “Nothing worth mentioning. Just enough to cut into our profits, this quarter—I don’t know why they’re complaining, if we weren’t there they’d have no market at all for their resources … and of course then they couldn’t afford to buy our goods. But there’s always someone stirring up the natives about whether or not the prices are fair. Then there’s the ancillary controversy.”

Sphene blinked. “What controversy? I thought they were happy enough to sell us bodies to use?” Idar was notorious for its large and abundant slave market, and was one of the NSC’s largest suppliers of ancillary bodies.

Evkov shrugged. "Some are. Others—well. And oddly enough, not just the anti-slavery advocates. I had a grandee arrive in a slave-carried palanquin in my office the day before I left to complain that selling someone into lifelong slavery shouldn't mean killing them."

Sphene rolled its eyes. "If they're concerned with the bodies, my segments receive much better food and medical care than they did as slaves; and if they're concerned with the consciousness, that's a pretty hypocritical thing to think from a culture that regularly brainwashes people into being better slaves." Sphene had guarded enough convoys to and from Idar to have a pretty good idea of just how awful conditions for enslaved people could get there.

"Yes, of course," Evkov said.

While this conversation was going on, one of the conversations Sphene was having with prospective lieutenants ended, and that segment drifted in a casual way in the direction of a Nenkur cousin who worked as a senior clerk in the home office.

"Ah, Sphene!" the Nenkur said. "How lovely to see you again."

"Hm?" Sphene said, feigning distractedness. "Ah, yes, Mx. Hetal. Thank you for getting that assignment mix-up straightened out." Some error in the system had had Sphene and two other Gems assigned to convoys they couldn't possibly have reached in time, delaying the convoys and resulting in a cascade of missed deadlines.

Hetal introduced Sphene to the people e was talking to, and the conversation turned to various mixups in assignments and schedules.

***

Minask had been at the party for almost an hour and hadn't yet spoken with Sphene. It was a bit annoying, but only proper; one didn't want to rub anyone's noses in the fact that Sphene had chosen someone outside of regular channels.

"—and the Diintsai are getting all worked up. Some upstart named Anaander Mianaai is making trouble." Minask's old shipmate, Lieutenant Oskol, took a sip of es tea.

"What sort of trouble?" Minask asked. That was the problem with long ground-based assignments in the boonies; you lost track of what was going on back home.

"Easier to say what trouble ich isn't," one of Oskol's current shipmates said, using the Diintsai universal pronoun rather than the Notai gender-neutral one.

Minask wondered whether that was out of respect for the Diintsai belief that gender didn't exist, or a sign of disdain for them not using a proper three-gender system like the Notai did. She'd heard it used both ways, so it was difficult to tell.

"Ich's stirring up the xenophobes in the Diintsai by claiming that the pirate infestation two systems over is a sign of things to come, that the galaxy is getting more dangerous and the Radch is at risk of invasion," Oskol's shipmate went on. Minask really needed to get es name, but to ask now would be too embarrassing.

"How?" Minask said. "Even if they got into the system, how would they get into the Radch? It's a tough nut to crack." That had, after all, been half the point of building the damn thing in the first place.

E shrugged and sipped es tea. "The claim is, since our ships spend most of their time out of the system on trading convoys, we can't possibly defend it."

"Even leaving aside the fact that there are always ships in the system, coming and going, and armed stations at key chokepoints, the Radch shell is armored with energy shields and littered with weapons emplacements," Minask said. "And by the time anybody got close to getting through all of that, we'd have brought back enough ships from the nearest systems to take care of the problem. And that isn't even asking the question of why anyone would go to the trouble; the convoys are much better targets. Easier to crack, and with all the goods and money conveniently packaged in one place, rather than scattered over such a large area." Minask considered the sheer size of the fleet that would be necessary to crack the Radch, and compared it to the capacity of the systems in the area. It would probably take at least ten systems working together to muster such a fleet, and years to put together. And where would you get ten systems willing to work together like that? Perhaps there was a place elsewhere in the galaxy where such cooperation was possible, but not anywhere the Notai Spinward Company had traveled. Barbarians were terrible at working together. That's part of what made them barbarians.

E waved a hand. "You can't expect logic from a Diintsai."

"That's not fair," said someone else whose name Minask couldn't remember. He was short and plump, and Minask thought she remembered that he worked in the Notai Entrance Administration, processing goods to make sure that the things NSC brought back to sell inside the Radch were properly purified. "If you've never been outside the Radch, never even met anyone who has, never seen the difference in size and scale between a raider fleet capable of taking on a waystation and something capable of taking on the Radch itself, and a respected member of the community is telling you there is a danger…"

"Then what's the Siyisholsai excuse?" Oskol asked.

"Greed," the Entrance official said.

"What's wrong with the Siyisholsai?" Minask asked in some bewilderment. Of course a disagreement like this wouldn't be put in the official news bulletins that got passed along through the trade networks—the Radch had to present a unified front to their neighbors—but why hadn't her mother mentioned any of this in a letter? Minask had only been gone two years!

Oskol sighed heavily. "That Mianaai is saying that ship and station AIs have too much freedom and could go crazy and hurt people, and they need stricter programming to prevent it … and the Siyisholsai are backing ich up on it."

Minask gaped in shock. AIs were more stable and responsible than humans were, with many more safeguards. You were far safer with an AI running things than a human; the AI couldn't be a sociopath, and the AI was far less likely to have goals or desires that conflicted with the good of the people it served. And the Siyisholsai knew that better than anybody because they built the ships and stations and whatnot.

"I know," Oskol's shipmate said.

But Minask could understand the logic in the lie, she realized. Siyisholsai fortunes depended on building things that needed AIs to run them. It would be ever so much easier to compel obedience than to coax agreement. And that very same care that was so good for the crew or passengers or residents was not good when you had some goal, such as profit, that such care would prevent. She took a sip of her tea and shook her head at the awfulness of it.

"Ah! Minask, there you are," came a voice from behind her.

Minask turned around, smiling. "Dear cousin Hetal, how have you been?"

"Wonderful, darling, simply wonderful," Hetal said as they exchanged cheek kisses. "You must let me show you pictures of the children—they're growing like weeds, and I'm sure you'll have trouble telling the twins apart when you visit."

"I have presents for all of them," Minask said. But her attention was on the ship standing next to her. Sphene! At last!

"Have you met Sphene?" Hetal asked.

"I carried her to Cehines, two years ago," Sphene said. "We spent a lot of time playing counters and discussing whether or not it would be viable to put a trading outpost in the next system out past Cehines, and extend the convoy route. Did you ever manage it?"

"No, I'm afraid," Minask said. "They have a unified planetary government which is, alas, unified in its opposition to the Notai Spinward Company's presence. Their excellent ales can only be had by buying it off of their ships."

"Too bad," Sphene said.

There was a round of introductions and then, as was customary at such events, the others faded away into the crowd. The purpose of the gathering was for ships to meet prospective captains and lieutenants, after all; when a ship wanted to talk to someone, it was only polite to let them.

Minask asked about Captain Oskol's health, and if anything interesting had happened on Sphene's most recent convoy escort, and thought no more about Anaander Mianaai, the Diintsai, and the Siyisholsai.

After all, it might be big news inside the Radch itself, but the trouble would pass soon enough; it always did.

[plumblossomcafe]

The Firmiana Leaf Falls (1/3)

Paimon: Hmm? Those two look familiar... Ah, it's Ippei and Shinnojou!

Aether: So it is.

Paimon: Hehe, guess they must be good friends, huh? Anyway, let's go say hi.

They approached the two familiar figures.

Paimon: Hi, Ippei! Hi, Shinnojou! What are you guys doing here?

Ippei: Oh! It's you! Thanks so much for your help last time. I was just ordering some clothes when I ran into him.

Shinnojou: You know these the boy and floating kid as well?

Ippei: Yes. They, along with this young lady(Y/n), helped me and Master Kamaji out a great deal last time. I've never had the chance to say thank you properly. What about you? How do you know them?

Shinnojou: Also, a chance encounter, though I didn't meet this young lady. Our Lady (Hiiragi) had them join us as additional guards for a goods escort in order to sneak out of Ritou undetected.

Y/n: Well, it's better to introduce myself so you could call me by name, I'm Y/n, it's nice to meet you.

Shinnojou: The feeling is mutual.

Paimon: So we all know each other now, huh! What a coincidence!

Ippei: Ah, not exactly. We've only just met. We both came here to order some clothes and got to chatting. Somehow, we ended up on the topic of Master Kamaji and Lady Hiiragi's relationship... Wait... it's okay to talk about that, right?

Shinnojou: It's probably fine. They've known about it for a long time already.

Paimon: Oh yeah! Paimon remembers those two had a thing. In fact, that was why Chisato wanted us to deliver a letter!

Y/n: I remember Paimon telling me about everything that happened to her and Aether while they were trying to leave Ritou. It's a very interesting topic, reminds me of forbidden love from a story that I read long ago.

Paimon: That's old news, though, so why's it come up now? Are they... taking the next step or something?

Ippei: We have reason to suspect that they'll be getting married soon.

Y/n: Wow! *clapping* That's great! They can finally make it official!

Ippei: Of course, this is just personal speculation. They haven't announced anything, and we wouldn't dare to ask...

Shinnojou: I was instructed to place an order for some formal wear for a big banquet. Turns out that Ippei received the exact same instructions as I did.

Ippei: They're both preparing for a banquet at the same time. They're both purchasing the kind of fine wine and confectionery normally reserved for big festivals... It's hard not to put two and two together.

Shinnojou: Lady Hiiragi has been in high spirits recently, and I heard she's on a diet as well... Surely it's all for the wedding.

Paimon: This is wonderful news! But, um...

Shinnojou: What's wrong? Oh, don't mind me. She's about to be happily married to the love of her life. I genuinely couldn't be happier for her.

Ippei: Right? I think so, too, it's fantastic!

Shinnojou: Yes, but we shouldn't let ourselves get overexcited. What if it's all a big misunderstanding? As things stand, we have no actual proof of a wedding. Now, if they sent me out to deliver wedding invitations, that would be a different story...

Paimon: Shinnojou doesn't look like he's taking this very well at all.

Y/n: You seem upset.

Shinnojou: ...Sorry. I just... haven't slept well recently. I'm ashamed to be so out of sorts at work. I'm not living up to my responsibilities, either to the Kanjou Commission or to my lady...

Ippei: Are you worried about their wedding?

Shinnojou: Not exactly, it's just... everything feels kind of up in the air until they make it official.

Ippei: I get what you mean, I really do! We need this wedding to be set in stone before the celebrations can really begin!

Aether/Y/n: "Actually, you don't get what he means at all..."

Paimon: What should we do? Shall we just... straight up, ask them?

Ippei: I don't know, that seems a bit rude...

Aether: Well, since this is a wedding between two Commissions...

Y/n: Oh right, the Yashiro Commission oversees wedding ceremonies. They'll know something.

Paimon: Right! If Ayaka knows about it, that means it's a sure thing!

Shinnojou: I... I don't think it's a good idea to bother the Yashiro Commission about this...

Paimon: Ah, it's fine. Aether, Y/n, and Ayaka are practically best buds. There's nothing to worry about!

Shinnojou: I see... Then, thank you, thank you very much. Having a definite answer will stop my thoughts from running wild.

Paimon: Let's go to the Kamisato Estate!

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Ippei: This place impresses me every time I come here. It's so magnificent but still so elegant.

Shinnojou: We'll just wait here. We don't want to cause any extra trouble for you.

Y/n: Ayaka wouldn't mind.

Ippei: Honestly, even if we did come with you, we wouldn't know what to say or do once we were inside... Hehe, so we'll just leave you to it.

Paimon: Alright then. We won't be long.

Upon entering the Yashiro Commission Headquarters, Thoma could be seen sitting in the seiza position in front of the table that had a chess board, and he doesn't seem to be playing the game with Ayaka.

Thoma: Without looking at the board, you've ruined my strategy in one move. Amazing! Hmm... Now, what should I do next...

Paimon: Ayaka, Thoma, it's us!

Thoma: *stands up* Hey guys! It's been a while! *walks twords them* If you're looking for milady, I'm afraid... she's not here right now

Y/n: Oh, I see.

Aether: Well, that's unfortunate.

???: Oh? Those voices... Thoma, would that happen to be Aether and Y/n?

Thoma: Yes

???: *stands up* Greetings, Aether and Y/n. Ayaka speaks of you both constantly. Finally, today is the day *faced them* I am head of the Kamisato Clan, and Yashiro Commissioner — Kamisato Ayato

Ayato then headed twords them

Kamisato Ayato: Greetings. I have long been indebted to you all on my sister's behalf. Finally, I have the chance to express my profoundest gratitude to you in person. Ayaka is out today. If you are here regarding anything related to the Kamisato Clan, you are quite welcome to discuss it with me instead.

Paimon: Oh, uh... hi... Your flattering words... flatter us. Um, please excuse the sudden... -ness of our visit, for it is most improper etiquette...

Y/n: ... *grabbed onto Aether's hand tightly while shaking a little*

Aether: *held her hand in reassurance*

Thoma: Hahaha, why on earth are you talking like that?

Paimon: Well, he seems like a pretty powerful person... He's already working his way up Paimon's list of people to never mess with... Look! As soon as he stands up, the whole atmosphere in the room changes, and it feels like you've gotta be super polite!

Kamisato Ayato: Haha, you shower me with praise undeserved, my little guest. There is no need to be quite so formal. This is a private residence, so please relax.

Paimon: Oh, good! 'Cause that whole spiel was really tiring just now! Alright, now that that's over, Paimon's just gonna ask the question.

Aether: So adaptable, Paimon.

Paimon: We heard a rumor that Kujou Kamaji and Hiiragi Chisato are gonna get married soon. Do you know anything about that?

Kamisato Ayato: Oh? I wouldn't have thought you'd heard about that yet.

Y/n: As it happens, we've crossed paths with them before.

Kamisato Ayato: I see... Well, it's true. It wasn't long ago that I received the news myself. The head clans of two Commissions are to become joined through marriage. This is big news, for the whole of Inazuma. Since the Yashiro Commission presides over cultural and ceremonial affairs, it closely involves us, too.

Thoma: Yes. And since the commissions are kind of the face of the Almighty Shogun to the masses, this wedding is one that we have to treat as a serious affair.

Y/n: "Never knew a wedding is so important, especially those with political types of positions."

Paimon: Right, makes sense. Ah, two true lovers becoming husband and wife. What a happy occasion!

Kamisato Ayato: It is. High-profile matrimonial links between two commissions are extremely rare, but these two truly love each other. Tradition should give way to freedom in this case.

Thoma: Alright then. I'll be sure to pay them a visit to send the best wishes of the Kamisato Clan.

Kamisato Ayato: Hmm... No need. I'll visit them personally this time.

Thoma: Huh? But you have other things to be doing...

Kamisato Ayato: This is a marriage between the Kujou Clan and the Hiiragi Clan. The Kamisato Clan must demonstrate an appropriate level of respect. The work of the Yashiro Commission is indeed multifarious. Normally, weddings and other ceremonies would come under the supervision of my sister. But she is presently occupied with other matters, and I happen to have a little time to spare. This will be a good chance for me to pay a visit to the bride and groom. Oh — and would you three care to join me?

Aether: You mean us?

Kamisato Ayato: I presume you three have a special connection with the individuals in question, or you would not be quite so interested in this matter. This being the case, why not come and offer your best wishes too? Or... is my presumption incorrect?

Paimon: Oh, it's not as interesting as you make it sound... No special connections here. Super-ordinary ones, actually. We just agreed to help deliver a letter this one time, that's all... Although, wait... does that mean we helped make this wedding happen!?

Aether: Romantic relationships are determined by fate.

Paimon: Huh, alright then...

Y/n: But still. Let's go see them. Even if I wasn't apart of it, I still want to give my wishes to the couple.

Aether: Alright.

Kamisato Ayato: I can not thank you enough. Your mere presence shall surely mean we are spared the futile pursuit known as small talk.

Paimon: Wait, you're the Yashiro Commissioner, but you can't do small talk?

Kamisato Ayato: Ahaha... small talk is a chore. Of course, there are some people in the world who quite enjoy doing chores... but I am not one of them. Thoma, I'm heading out with my three guests now. I'll leave the residence in your capable hands.

Thoma: Not a problem. Take care, my lord.

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Ippei: Ahh, you're finally—

Shinnojou: Ah! Yashiro Commissioner!?

Kamisato Ayato: Hmm? Who are these two?

Paimon: They're friends of ours. Paimon will do the introductions!

Paimon introduces your companions to Ayato and updates Ippei and Shinnojou on the situation.

Shinnojou: So it's true... *in a quivered tone* Well, there we have it... That's it, then. So be it.

Ippei: Great! So our hunch was spot on!

Kamisato Ayato: It is a little inappropriate for me to have shared news of this magnitude with you. So I would be much obliged if you could keep it in strict confidence until an official public announcement is made.

Ippei: Don't worry, Sir. We... we give you our word, we won't tell anyone about it!

Kamisato Ayato: That puts my mind at ease. Now, on the topic, we'd like to pay a visit to the Kujou Clan. Would you mind leading the way for us?

Ippei: Of course not. I'd be honored!

Shinnojou: I guess this is where I... Goodbye, then...

Y/n: Cheer up, Shinnojou. *pats his head*

Shinnojou: I'll try. Thank you.

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Ippei: Alright then. Please excuse me, I'll leave you to it from here.

Kujou Kamaji: Okay. Thanks, Ippei.

Ippei leaves allowing the people present to continue their conversation.

Kujou Kamaji: I apologize that your impromptu visit comes at a busy time for us, Commissioner. Otherwise, you can be sure that we would've prepared a more extravagant reception.

Kamisato Ayato: I don't mean to impose, Sir Kujou. In fact, I'm not here on official business at all. I heard the good news about yourself and Lady Hiiragi. What a glorious marital alliance this shall be. Given the close ties between our clans, it seemed only right that I should come and offer the Kamisato Clan's congratulations in person.

Kujou Kamaji: I'm truly honored. I hope the news didn't come as too much of a surprise...

Paimon: Hey there! We came to congratulate you as well!

Y/n: How have you been?

Kujou Kamaji: Since the incident with the Takatsukasa Clan, things in the Tenryou Commission have slowly started to stabilize. I'm still acclimating to the position of acting head of the Clan. I just hope I'm up to the task so I can live up to everyone's expectations.

Kamisato Ayato: You're far too modest. The public thinks very highly of you. They say you're hard-working, upright, and responsible.

Kujou Kamaji: I'm flattered, but I wouldn't have achieved anything without the support of my people. Thanks to them, everything is gradually stabilizing, and I've finally had the chance to focus a little on my personal life.

Paimon: Hehe, well, you're certainly making big progress in that department!

Aether: Sounds like it was worth sending that letter. You must be a smooth operator.

Kujou Kamaji: Hehe, come on now. You're embarrassing me... Ah! Pardon me, I, um...

Kamisato Ayato: It's perfectly alright. Please continue. I'm quite content to listen. It's a joyous occasion. Light-hearted is exactly how things should be. Really, who stays stony-faced when talking about a wedding?

Kujou Kamaji: You're right. But I am curious to know — what's your honest opinion on the whole thing? Do you think it's... too sudden?

Kamisato Ayato: Haha, of course not. Where there is true love, nothing should be allowed to stand in its way. No doubt people will offer you a colorful variety of opinions. But of course, you will have factored this into your decision, and I'm sure you are prepared for whatever challenges may lie ahead.

Kujou Kamaji: Indeed I am.

Kamisato Ayato: So, please be confident. When your mind is made up, you ought not be worried about things for which you are already well-prepared. Nevertheless, there is just one small aspect of this that puzzles me a little...

Kujou Kamaji: Please go ahead.

Kamisato Ayato: You've been working hard to bring the Tenryou Commission in line. This is positive, and no doubt, the beginning of an important change. But on the other side of this equation, Lady Hiiragi's father, Hiiragi Shinsuke, is still in prison. If you choose now, of all moments, to announce a marriage between the Hiiragi and Kujou Clans, the kinds of rumors that may begin to spread, both among the general public and in the Kanjou Commission, are not likely to be in either of your best interests.

Kujou Kamaji: Yeah... Couldn't have put it better myself, Sir Kamisato. This has been my biggest concern for quite a while now. Hiiragi Shinsuke is firmly against me having any contact at all with Chisato. In the past, we've always had to communicate in secret by sending letters. So, although now may not look like the best timing for this marriage, it may well be the only opportunity we have.

Paimon: ... Oh! That guy! Yeah, he acts like this sweet old man, but he was determined to make as much trouble for us as possible! Oh, he is the worst...

Kamisato Ayato: I can see where you're coming from. But you're only postponing the problem, not solving it. You will still have to face it sooner or later.

Kujou Kamaji: *sigh* Yes, I'm well aware of that. But since Chisato had the courage to ask me to marry her in spite of everything, how can I disappoint her?

Y/n: Oh... so she proposed to you?

Kujou Kamaji: Well, sort of... She raised the idea in a letter, and after some initial hesitation, I went to meet her and have a serious conversation about our future. It's funny, actually, because when I formally proposed to her in person, she denied having ever written that letter... Ah, so coy...

Paimon: Huh? ...Really?

Aether: Maybe she prefers things to be more implicit?

Kujou Kamaji: She didn't say. She just acted confused by the whole thing. She really committed to it. I'll never forget the look on her face.

Kamisato Ayato: Oh...

Kujou Kamaji: Anyway, as her boyfriend, I knew she was just pretending. So, I played along and said, "Ah, I was only joking about the letter."... Then, I proposed. After making some disgruntled noises about me making a stupid joke, she blushed and said yes. We spent that afternoon working through all the details of the wedding.

Kamisato Ayato: Okay. So you discussed it and decided on a date.

Kujou Kamaji: We did. I guess... it was a chance to finally express our commitment to one another, clearly and completely. And you know what? I think it was about time. No matter what happens next... I will always be there for her as the one person she can always rely on.

Paimon: Argh, gimme a break... Sorry, but Paimon's been wanting to say this the whole time! Is it just this dude, or does everyone in love act like this? He just won't stop talking!

Y/n: *shrugs* "Asked the wrong person, Paimon."

Aether: I think he can't help it.

Kujou Kamaji: Ah...! Apologies, my friends, and also to Sir Kamisato... I must sound like a fool.

Kamisato Ayato: Far from it. On the contrary, seeing you so positively smitten puts my mind at rest. No surer evidence could there be of your true feelings and your commitment. If I had any reservations before, I certainly don't now. I wish you a joyous wedding when the day comes.

Paimon: Yeah, even if it's kinda irritating to see you all smug like this, it's still a happy occasion. Good luck on the day, and have a happy wedding!

Y/n: May your marriage be blessed with nothing but happiness and love.

Kujou Kamaji: Thank you all, it means a lot.

Kamisato Ayato: We have some other business to attend to now. Until next time.

Kujou Kamaji: Very well. I'll see you out.

They part ways with Kujou Kamaji. Kamisato Ayato seems to have some more to say to Aether, Y/n, and Paimon.

Paimon: He seems busy. That must be true for anyone about to get married, right? It's a happy kind of busy, though.

Kamisato Ayato: You're right. Kujou Kamaji is on cloud nine. What do you think, Aether and Y/n?

Y/n: I can't confirm anything since I wasn't present when Aether and Paimon were asked to deliver the letter.

Aether: He seems genuinely happy, but......I'm bothered by how the whole thing began.

Kamisato Ayato: He chalked it up to her being coy, but... that doesn't sound like the Hiiragi Chisato I know. It bothers me also. But unfortunately, attempting to seek the truth of the matter would likely be fruitless.

Y/n: How so?

Paimon: Yeah, how come? Whenever we come across stuff like this on our adventures, we always find a way to get to the bottom of it.

Kamisato Ayato: I see. So that's how adventurers think. In my opinion, we face two obstacles in this case. Firstly, we have very little information to go on, and I must be cautious about taking a stance. This makes it difficult to investigate. Secondly, and more importantly, the person involved doesn't seem to care. If we intervene without his blessing, good intentions may lead to catastrophic results.

Paimon: You do have a point... Kamaji doesn't seem worried at all.

Kamisato Ayato: Everything in the world is intertwined. What looks like a simple outcome is often the result of multiple conflating reasons. Seeking the full truth would be a long and laborious process. It would be inefficient.

Aether: Speaking from experience?

Kamisato Ayato: Sort of. I have to take this approach, or the work of the Yashiro Commissioner would never be done. My opinion is something like this: When something strange happens, instead of trying to find out what could have caused it, it is better to look at the situation itself. If the outcome is positive and no one was deceived or harmed in the process, then it is acceptable.

Y/n: But... Are there really no negative consequences to this?

Kamisato Ayato: We don't know yet. After all, we don't know what Hiiragi Chisato's thoughts are, do we? I have to say, I'm impressed by your ability to zero in on the issue from such a short meeting. Most insightful of you. You are thorough and thoughtful, just as my sister describes.

Aether: That's Y/n for you. Distracted yet focused.

Paimon: Huh? But... Chisato and Kamaji have already talked about everything through, haven't they?

Kamisato Ayato: Only if we are to take Kujou Kamaji at his word. But there are two sides to every story. I wish to know Hiiragi Chisato's angle on this.

Paimon: Huh... Makes sense, but Paimon still doesn't quite get it...

Kamisato Ayato: Don't worry about it. I was planning to visit the Hiiragi Clan to deliver my best wishes anyway. Let's take the opportunity to hear her thoughts. If she's as committed as Kujou Kamaji, perhaps they can navigate the challenges ahead successfully. But if not......Well, life isn't always a smooth journey.

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Matsuura: There is still much to prepare for the wedding. Should we also invite some prominent business leaders who frequently visit Ritou?

Hishida: At the very least, we should send them invitations.

Matsuura: I agree... Ah, hello there, Yashiro Commissioner.

Yagi: To what do we owe the honor on this fine day?

Kamisato Ayato: As it happens, I'm here regarding the same wedding I believe I heard you discussing just now. I come bearing the felicitations of the Kamisato Clan. Would Lady Hiiragi happen to be available at this moment?

Matsuura: Our lady is entertaining guests right now, and we're not entirely sure how long she will be.

Hishida: But please, do come in. We will arrange some tea and snacks for you and your attendants.

Paimon: Hey! Paimon is not an attendant!

Y/n: Paimon, calm down.

Kamisato Ayato: You misunderstand. These two are dear friends.

Paimon: Hehehe, you're too kind...

Kamisato Ayato: We don't wish to impose. We'll just wander around in the general area. Apologies for the interruption while you're busy with preparations. Please let us know once Lady Hiiragi is available.

Matsuura: Nonsense, Commissioner, no imposition at all. This wedding is a joyful occasion, and all the other clans who serve the Hiiragi Clan are most delighted for them indeed. We're merely doing the best we can to make this wedding as grand an affair as possible.

Hishida: When the time comes, we'll invite everyone in the clan and even the general public to attend.

Kamisato Ayato: That sounds splendid. We'll leave you to it.

Yagi: Take care, Commissioner.

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Paimon: Seems like you guys talked a lot without actually saying anything...

Kamisato Ayato: Hence why I dislike small talk. Our timing was not ideal, but never mind. I spotted a stall on our way over where we can pass the time. The owner always manages to come up with novel ideas. I'm one of his regular customers.

Upon arriving at the stall that Ayato mentioned.

Paimon: Oh, it's Tomoki!

Tomoki: Ah, it's you! Good to see you again. Seems like you're always showing up with a VIP in tow.

Kamisato Ayato: Oh? So you know the owner as well?

Paimon: Yep! We tried his Dango Milk a while back with the Almighty Shogun in Inazuma City.

Kamisato Ayato: Ah, I see... So you were involved in that... I'd caught wind of this Dango Milk, but I didn't know that it had anything to do with you two.

Aether: It was unexpected, that's for sure.

Kamisato Ayato: I always order one of his creative drinks whenever I pass the stall. The flavor is always new and interesting. When I noticed he'd set up shop in Ritou, I simply had to come by.

Tomoki: Ah, thanks to you all, my business is finally beginning to take off. More and more people are willing to give my creative cuisine a shot. It gave me the confidence to decide that I'm gonna stick to creative cuisine from now on. On the one hand, I wanted more people to be able to try out my culinary creations. On the other hand, I wanted my customers to experience the joy of being creative, too. So, I gave it a lot of thought and finally came up with an all-new business concept.

Kamisato Ayato: Sounds interesting. What is it this time?

Tomoki: I've decided to give complete creative control to the customer. I offer all sorts of ingredients, and they pick and choose whatever they want to mix with their milk or tea. As well as Dango, I now offer Rice Cake, Purple Potato Balls, Black Sugar, and Sunsettia.

Paimon: Do they really all go well with milk...? Hmm, hard to imagine. But... who knows — it could be delicious!

Kamisato Ayato: What if I were to choose some ingredients you don't have here? Would that be okay?

Tomoki: Uhh, well... I guess so. Any novel ideas you have, Commissioner, please feel free to tell me. I'll go buy the ingredients right away. The whole idea was to let my customers express their creativity freely. So, of course, I shouldn't place restrictions on the ingredients if I can help it.

Kamisato Ayato: Excellent. There are a few things I'd like to try... Lavender Melon, Seagrass, and Sea Ganoderma.

Y/n: "Ewwww"

Paimon: Uh, what? You want to mix those with milk?

Kamisato Ayato: I do indeed — why, what's wrong?

Paimon: ...You really think that's gonna turn out tasting good!?

Kamisato Ayato: It's all about the experience — the taste is secondary. It's great to try new things. Any thoughts?

Aether: Lavender Melon.

Paimon: Sounds like a risky choice. Are you sure...? Well, okay, Paimon will have the same as you...

Y/n: I'll go with Dango.

Paimon: "At least Y/n is the normal one."

Kamisato Ayato: Hmm. An ordinary choice for Y/n, but there's nothing wrong with that. Three Milks with Lavender Melon, and one Dango Milk, please.

Tomoki: No problem. Gimme a second, I'll have them ready in just a moment.

After a short while, the "Creative Milk" is finally ready.

Tomoki: Here, your milk is ready. Give it a try!

Paimon: Hmm... *drinks it* Yup, just as Paimon suspected. Raw Lavender Melon does not taste good!

Kamisato Ayato: I think it tastes alright. It makes me feel in touch with mother nature.

Paimon: Your review seemed pretty positive. But Paimon still thinks there are better combinations...

Kamisato Ayato: Taste is your key concern, yes?

Paimon: Obviously! Tasty food and drinks are some of life's most important pursuits.

Kamisato Ayato: Well said. If I could say the same was true for me, I believe I'd be a very content man.

Aether: In other words, you have too many other things to worry about?

Kamisato Ayato: Yes. No one has unlimited energy, and I try to conserve mine for the things that really count. To create some mental breathing room, I try not to overthink the less-critical matters. Having my sister attend public events in my stead and having Thoma as housekeeper has also been a great help and allowed me to focus.

Paimon: We're just passing the time here, though, right? Is there anything else to think about than what we're doing right now?

Kamisato Ayato: One or two things.

Y/n: *heard her stomach grumble*

All: ...

Y/n: Sorry.

Aether: It's fine.

Kamisato Ayato: How about we get you a small snack, and we'll continue this discussion somewhere else.

After getting Y/n an onigiri for a snack, Aether, Y/n Paimon, and Ayato step away from the stall.

Kamisato Ayato: I noticed something before we left the Hiiragi Clan's residence.

Y/n: *about to bite her onigiri* You overheard those guys talking about something?

Kamisato Ayato: No, it was just a small detail. I was curious to know their thoughts on the wedding, so I asked them about it. Naturally, they responded that all other clans are happy for the Hiiragi Clan... But that's not the truth.

Paimon: What do you mean?

Kamisato Ayato: Hiiragi Shinsuke is still in prison, meaning the Kanjou Commission is the least stable in the Tri-Commission. Hiiragi Chisato is the sole remaining pillar of her clan, but now she plans to marry into the Kujou Clan. If I belonged to one of the assisting clans to the Hiiragis, I would not be feeling optimistic about the future. But they didn't mention a word about that. They simply said they were delighted for them. These are not unintelligent people... I highly doubt it is because they simply do not realize.

Aether: Hmm, I guess it is a bit strange...

Kamisato Ayato: I imagine they didn't want to discuss family issues in front of outsiders. But still, the more I think back over that conversation, the more it doesn't sit right. Keep a close eye on them, Hisashi.

Hisashi: Yes, Sir.

Paimon: Whoa! Where did you come from!?

Y/n: *choking on her snack*

Aether: *patting her back*

Kamisato Ayato: This is one of my most trusted members of the Shuumatsuban. He's been quietly watching out for us this whole time.

Hisashi: Merely doing my duty, Sir.

Kamisato Ayato: Keep a close watch on the clan representatives we met today.

Hisashi: Well received. I'm on the case.

Kamisato Ayato: Oh, and I almost forgot. That milk I just had — please order one more and deliver it to Thoma.

Hisashi: As you wish, Sir.

Paimon: Oh no, poor Thoma!

Y/n: "Good luck, Thoma"

Yokoyama: Sir Kamisato, Lady Hiiragi's previous engagement is now concluded. She's waiting for you in the courtyard.

Kamisato Ayato: Thank you kindly. Let's go and see Hiiragi Chisato.

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Paimon: Hi! Nice to see you again, Chisato!

Hiiragi Chisato: I heard that Sir Kamisato had brought some guests, but I didn't know it was you two. But who's this young lady?

Y/n: I'm Y/n, it's an honor to meet you.

Kamisato Ayato: It's been a while, Lady Hiiragi. How have you been faring?

Hiiragi Chisato: This is a rare privilege, Sir Kamisato. It is not often that I have the chance to meet you, let alone here in the comfort of my own home. I'm doing very well indeed, thank you. You must be so busy. Thank you so much for taking the time to come and congratulate Kamaji and I. It really means a lot.

Kamisato Ayato: But of course. The Tri-Commission are the servants of the Shogun, and we should look out for one another. In fact, we visited Sir Kujou just now. It's clear that he's very much looking forward to the wedding. Perhaps his joy is infectious, for I am now feeling rather elated myself. I sincerely wish you a joyful wedding and a blissful marriage.

Hiiragi Chisato: Thank you for your kind words. This was not an easy decision to make. We will both have to work harder from now on. I'm sure the news will cause something of a stir. But come what may, we will stand as one and face whatever the future throws at us together.

Paimon: Sounds like things are pretty tough for you, Chisato.

Hiiragi Chisato: Yes... To be honest, I'm still a little nervous about it all... But Kamaji has been so supportive. His promises have comforted me a lot.

Kamisato Ayato: It sounds like you have some considerable reservations, Lady Hiiragi.

Hiiragi Chisato: ...Yes, well... There are so many things I need to consider. In case you were wondering, I was not actually entertaining VIPs just now. I was, in fact, meeting with one of the Kanjou Commission's officers, Shinnojou.

Paimon: Oh... really? Him?

Hiiragi Chisato: Mm-hmm. He charged in all of a sudden and said that he had something very important to tell me. He didn't mince his words. Basically... he doesn't want me to marry Kamaji.

Aether: ...He finally went there.

Hiiragi Chisato: He has always been a calm and contained person who never acts out of line. I was quite shocked to see him so agitated. But despite all that, what he was saying made a lot of sense. He thinks that now is a bad time for this wedding to happen. He pointed out that I am like the final pillar propping up my clan. If I marry into the Kujou Clan, that pillar is taken away. There will no longer be a voice of authority in the Hiiragi Clan, and it could be a disastrous move for my personal image, too...

Y/n: It's just two families becoming one big family, though, right? What's the big deal?

Kamisato Ayato: Traditionally, in Inazuma, clan affiliation influences every facet of life. After the wedding, Lady Hiiragi will belong to the Kujou Clan. The Kanjou Commission's attitude toward you may undergo some significant changes thereafter.

Hiiragi Chisato: Precisely. This is a terrible thing to be saying, but... I'm starting to have second thoughts. Maybe I went along with it all too easily. Maybe I allowed myself to be pushed into this... Ah! I'm so sorry, I can't believe I'm making my guests listen to me complaining...

Kamisato Ayato: No problem at all. The Yashiro Commission has a duty to listen to you. Now that I've heard your concerns, I should offer to help you as best I can, for instance, by helping you gather your thoughts on the matter. Now. We heard from Sir Kujou that his decision to tie the knot was prompted by a letter he received from you. But we've also heard that you did not write that letter. Sir Kujou thought that perhaps you were just being coy... Oh dear, perhaps I should have kept that part to myself?

Hiiragi Chisato: ...What? But that was... It was just a prop in his playful proposal, wasn't it? It was clearly purpose-designed, what with all the fancy lettering, and so on...

Kamisato Ayato: ...Fancy lettering, you say? So I am to understand that had it not been for this letter, you two may not have chosen this moment to be wed?

Hiiragi Chisato: When it comes down to it... Yes, I think so... Oh, do you mean to say that this letter is not what I thought it to be?

Kamisato Ayato: Sir Kujou maintains that the letter was penned by your hand.

Hiiragi Chisato: Huh? But then... how did...

Kamisato Ayato: Either way, it's wonderful to see how much you both trust one another. In that sense, you could say that the origin of the letter is ultimately not of great importance. Who knows, perhaps Sir Kujou was the one being coy. After all, he had no particular reason to be forthcoming with us about the details of his playful proposal.

Hiiragi Chisato: ... I understand. As you say, ultimately, the origin of the letter doesn't matter. But my position does matter. Kamaji and I thought that we needn't worry about anything that lies ahead because we can face it all together. But now, I... I think I should give it some more thought.

Kamisato Ayato: Marriage is the most important decision of your life. Don't let yourself regret it. It is also part of the Yashiro Commission's job to help people through difficult times. I say this as an advocate for you personally and for the Hiiragi Clan. Please do not be compelled by circumstances to make any decision that goes against your will. To be together with the one you love is a sacred thing. It is my earnest wish that both of you may enjoy a bright and beautiful future, not a bittersweet one.

Hiiragi Chisato: I'll take to heart every word you have said to me... I can't thank you enough, Sir Kamisato. I'll think very carefully about your advice.

Kamisato Ayato: All that matters is that you follow your heart. Since you'll be needing some time to think things over, we will excuse ourselves now.

Hiiragi Chisato: Ah, wait! Let me see you out...

Kamisato Ayato: Thank you, Lady Hiiragi, but there will be no need. Aether, Y/n, let's find somewhere to talk.

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Paimon: Hiiragi Chisato is on a totally different page than Kujou Kamaji... Ayato, why did you give her such vague suggestions? Couldn't you just have told her what you'd do in her position? 'Cause Paimon's pretty sure you have an idea.

Kamisato Ayato: I've said everything I can, given the Yashiro Commission's stance. Interfering too much with other Commissions' domestic issues will only create trouble. The more I think about it, the stranger this all seems, but Hiiragi Chisato has yet to see it. We must be vigilant.

Y/n: In what way were they being strange?

Kamisato Ayato: Someone wants Hiiragi Chisato to be married as soon as possible, and if my guess is right... it is someone from within the Kanjou Commission. This person is presumably also responsible for the mysterious and misleading letter. Think about this: A lowly officer is greatly worried about Hiiragi Chisato's future, while the heads of the supporting clans ostensibly have no concerns at all. It doesn't add up. When someone's words and actions do not match, you need to infer their intentions from their behavior.

Aether: So... is someone coveting Hiiragi Chisato's position?

Kamisato Ayato: Yes. It's a smart strategy. Far superior to the one adopted by the Tenryou Commission's Takatsukasa Clan. Even if the forged letter failed and been seen for what it was, there would have been no repercussions. They could simply have explained it away as a misguided but well-meaning matchmaking attempt by a member of the family. But if the letter were to achieve its goal, as it has so far... the perpetrator would successfully weaken the Hiiragi Clan without ever having to lift a finger against them, all under the guise of simply encouraging a wedding. With Hiiragi Chisato having married into the Kujou Clan and the head of the Hiiragi Clan in prison, challenges to the Hiiragi Clan's leadership would begin to emerge throughout the ranks of the Kanjou Commission... Eventually, another clan would take the Hiiragi Clan's place.

Y/n: A reasonable theory. But it's just a theory. Unfortunately, there's no evidence.

Kamisato Ayato: Actually, we have evidence. His name is Shinnojou.

Paimon: Shinnojou?

Kamisato Ayato: He should be back by now.

Hisashi: Yes, Sir.

Paimon: Aah! That's the second time you've done that! Paimon can not deal with this...

Kamisato Ayato: Did they take one of the Kanjou Commission officers away?

Hisashi: Yes. His name is Shinnojou.

Kamisato Ayato: As I expected. They can not afford to let this opportunity pass them by. They have to act now, while the Hiiragi Clan is at its weakest. Hiiragi Chisato had been persuaded by Kujou Kamaji, and the wedding was sure to go ahead. But after Chisato's meeting with Shinnojou, she began to have second thoughts. In their eyes, Officer Shinnojou has interfered with their plan.

Paimon: But why did they suspect him, and not us?

Kamisato Ayato: Someone was eavesdropping on our conversation with Chisato the entire time. That's why I was a little reserved.

Paimon: *gasp* No way! Whew... lucky Paimon didn't say anything stupid.

Y/n: No wonder I felt like I was being watched. But Chisato got what you meant about the letter, though, right?

Kamisato Ayato: I think so. But whoever is behind this will not allow their plan to fail now. They will not be inclined to respect Hiiragi Chisato's own wishes. Her stance was so passive that she was easily manipulated... Treated like a pawn, with even her marriage becoming a battleground for political power play. Despite all of this, she still believed that a happy future was awaiting her... When she formally marries into the Kujou Clan, she will lose her title as daughter of the Hiiragi Clan, her position in the Kanjou Commission... and above all, her independence.

Paimon: Whew, marriage is such a trap...

Y/n: We've got to stop her. We can't let this evil plan come to fruition.

Kamisato Ayato: Easier said than done... The perpetrators are manipulating everything from the shadows, letting unsuspecting pawns do their work. This is what makes their approach so smart. We, meanwhile, are out in the open. If we attempt to stop this wedding from happening, we will become the villains of the story and face immense public backlash.

Paimon: Um... so what're we gonna do?

Kamisato Ayato: At this stage, if the perpetrators wish to maintain control over the situation, their only option is to come out from the shadows and bear their fangs. I will wait for that moment to arrive. But first things first, we must go and rescue Shinnojou. He has done nothing wrong and does not deserve to be punished. Tell me where Shinnojou is. We'll head off right now.

[agnesandhilda]

okay I finally have some time to break down the parts of your newest chapter that I had the most thoughts on

But he didn’t expect the mountain of stuffed animals on the second bed, and he didn’t expect the bookshelf overflowing with worn-out fantasy novels at its foot either

<- I loved this detail! it communicates who isagi's mystery roommate is so succinctly. and btw I am eager to see how ness and isagi get along when they're forced into close proximity with each other. I believe they're both able to behave decently well when they're not on the field, but there's nothing that'll put two people at odds faster than sharing a space. do they have different domestic habits that get on each other's nerves? I feel like isagi is much less tidy than ness somehow

also of course ness is the kind of person to have a bed covered in stuffed animals. he's sanrio girl coded... for better or for worse

But he should have known there would be a lone mirror next to the empty one; only a few people would be so eager to see themselves first thing in the morning. When Isagi set his bag down on his own side of the room, he wondered how well the cleaners washed the sheets after Michael Kaiser left.

<- AGONIZING LINE. I feel like the isakainess relationship you're setting up here puts all of three of them in this triangle dynamic whether they're physically together or not, and this is a delicious way to lean into isagi and kaiser as narrative foils. isagi supplanted kaiser as a player in the pxg game and now that he's been formally recruited to basmün he has literally taken his place. and there is no WAY that isagi filling in the lead striker role kaiser previously had isn't going to be surreal and uncomfortable, not to mention living in his "tomb," so to speak. kaiser is haunting the narrative and he's not even dead and I love it. also I guess this means that isagi and kaiser have technically shared a bed now? lol

“Uh.. Ich… go Sie… sagen Abendessen?” Isagi pointed to an imaginary watch on his wrist and pushed the air to mime the word “later”. 

Ness shook his head and got up. He closed in on Isagi, their hair close enough to brush against each other. Isagi’s breath faltered for a moment, and he cursed himself. Did he really let a height difference of an inch or two affect him this much? Ness’s fingers grazed Isagi’s cheek as he reached for Isagi’s earbud and took it off. His lips curled into a small, almost mocking smile. 

“Konzentrieren Sie sich lieber erst einmal auf Englisch, Yoichi.”

“What?” His voice was barely above a whisper. 

“Exactly,” Ness said in English. He shoved the bud back into Isagi’s ear and pushed him toward the door. “Tell Grim he owes me for ruining my favourite shirt.” 

<- this doesn't just apply to these lines exclusively but thank GOD you considered the logistics of the translator earbuds those things haunt my every waking hour. they can't possibly be wearing them all the time. no one would want to be wearing them all the time. and for the kind of relationship development you're aiming for here it's really bad if your leads' ability to communicate is predicated on something that can run out of battery. the little asides to isagi and the other basmün players taking out and putting in their earbuds when they need to are realistic and refreshing.

and ness taking isagi's earbuds out and talking to him in german is such a rude, overly-physical (don't think I didn't notice him getting all up in isagi's face like every other homoerotically obsessed rival character in this manga) way of illustrating the issue. it's bitchy. it's fun. he would totally say that.

“I was never close with the rest of you either, but you still know my name.” 

“Yes, but you’re Yoichi Isagi. We would have had to be asleep to not have noticed you.” 

“Kaiser and Ness cursed your name every night.” Benedict Grim pushed his long locks over his shoulder to focus better on the Pac-Man machine in front of himself. 

<- ...cursed his name every night? I mean, I'd believe it, but that's a pretty charged way of describing it. this makes me interested in how the regular basmün players, who tbh start falling off the face of the earth pretty soon after their introduction, perceive isakainess (here and in canon). did they notice kaiser's weird rival-watching sessions in the av room? were any of them brave enough to say anything about it?

as a general note I'm happy you included basmün players besides ness and kaiser. I have nothing against fics that focus solely on their main pairings but the ensemble cast you've got going here makes their world feel bigger and more real. also I desperately want one of them to have a live slug reaction moment at whatever isakainess has going on later.

His hair was about the same length it had been before he joined Bastard Munchen. His dye was faded. If his limbs had lost all their definition, Kaiser’s face had become too defined—he could almost see where his eye sockets ended and where his cheekbones began. Though he lost access to his make up a long time ago, the corners of his eyes were still red.

<- how long has it been since kaiser's hospitalization? when he mentioned losing muscle mass in his legs I initially hoped he was catastrophizing, because even if I love to see kaiser upset (and I do! a lot) I draw the line there for some reason, but his hair having grown out indicates it's been months at least. and there's no way this—especially the changes to kaiser's body—wouldn't devastate someone who puts so much pride in his self-curation. having blue hair is a part of his personality!

He grabbed his hair and held it up. 

Ah, I see. This is what most people feel when they look at their fathers. 

<- I don't have anything smart to say about this I just wanted to let you know that this line made me physically recoil. I can think of nothing in the WORLD that's scarier than looking in the mirror and seeing your father.

“They made us use 3-in-1 body wash.”

“I’m sure that must have been horrible for you.” 

“You can say that again,” Kaiser grumbled as he climbed into the passenger seat.

<- this is an offhand line but honestly yeah I DO bet he hated the hygiene situation specifically. there's no way mister hair-color-to-match-his-tattoo (and that tattoo in turn represents his ideal version of himself!) doesn't feel a very specific kind of disempowerment at not being able to choose how he cleans himself/curates his appearance that a character like, say, isagi (who is prideful but doesn't connect that to how he looks), would not.

The women who had a strange fixation with his rivalry with Isagi Yoichi were compassionate enough,

<- it's me. I'm women who have a strange fixation on michael kaiser's rivalry with isagi yoichi. :D

currently I think it'd be neat if kaiser clawed his way back into basmün somehow (maybe after isagi motivationally taunts him into it? idk I've just been thinking about that line you put in the second chapter about how isagi wants kaiser to be well so isagi can "devour [him] properly") so that he and isagi and ness can have an emotional standoff that fills any room they enter with vibe arsenic, but realistically speaking it's going to be rockier than that. but I liked this I want to see where this goes 👍

I haven't started reading yet but I hope you know that I made the poggers face irl when I saw your isakainess fic had updated

i'm so glad 🥹🥹