#i finished s2 last night and i have too many thoughts

[lazylittledragon]

sometimes i find myself thinking 'glenn wasn't a bad dad, he was a guy doing his best to make his kid happy with absolutely NO example and a lot of his bad decisions were out of love for nick' and then i actually go back and listen to the podcast

[violetganache42]

Be sure to watch the season 2 premiere of Moon girl and Devil Dinosaur because the show is in danger of being cancelled

Yeah, everyone at the Disney Beat server and I saw a couple of nights ago, and we've all been so fucking ANGRY at Disney. 14 episodes getting dropped all at once on Disney+?! What the fuck were they thinking?!

(Rant under the cut.)

It's bad enough they release batches of episodes at once like what Netflix did with Sonic Prime, but they plan to drop around half a season there to where they're making the main channel do two episodes per week?! You seriously couldn't do weekly premieres on TV and have the new episodes get released the next day on streaming, like what HBO Max did with Unicorn: Warriors Eternal and My Adventures with Superman?! The fact they reveal this on the MGDD Crew TikTok and paint it as a good thing does not help either. "How could you not celebrate" HOW COULD YOU NOT REALIZE YOU'RE BEING SO FUCKING DENSE RIGHT NOW?! LOOK AT THIS SHIT!

You cannot make this up! Streaming as a whole has seriously fucked over entertainment. Netflix made the binge format the new norm, and it's not working anymore. If you thought shows getting shorter-lived hype through binging compared to a weekly release was an issue, the quantity is a-whole-nother problem. If it was 5 or 6 episodes getting added at a time, that would be less infuriating, but this is 14 half-hour episodes we're talking about! That's 308 minutes of straight-up binging Disney expects us to do! No one is gonna binge this many episodes in a timeframe like that! And keep in mind, this isn't an earlier season from a finished or ongoing show; this is a whole new season we're talking about. People who haven't watched MGADD yet or don't have Disney+ and/or cable are gonna get exposed to a fuck ton of spoilers. Not to mention Disney Channel is gonna have to spend 7 weeks catching up to Disney+ with the episodes they air on TV. That will do a serious number on the TV views! And don't get me started on the international releases because I was told MGADD has been delayed so much to where S2 of dubbing is done (hence the promos in Japan), but considering the company's crapass handling of international releases, people won't be able to watch it until a much later date. Oh, and there are also countries that don't have the show despite it being dubbed in their language. Right off the bat, that's international views down the drain and the strong possibility of people in the other countries being exposed to spoilers depending on what they come across and who they're following.

You know what the absolute kicker is? They had the fucking audacity to reveal this shortly after they treated The Ghost and Molly McGee like garbage. No joke! The very minimal reruns they gave it throughout its run, its cancellation as season 3 was being drafted, the shitty promotions, them releasing "Jinx vs. the Human World" on iTunes and "The End" on YouTube ahead of their TV and Disney+ releases. I am not kidding about the last part; because Disney didn't temporarily remove them, SpoilerTV reported both episodes received only 63K and 56K TV views! Now compare that to the 375K views "Watching and Dreaming" got; all three TOH specials weren't released on YouTube or Disney+ until after the DC/XD simulcast premiere! And this is the same show that got shortened by the now retired Gary Marsh! The upsetting part is Bill Motz is blaming himself for putting too much pressure on the fans for watching TGAMM and appointing ambassadors to help promote it. No, it's not your fault, Bill. It's the Disney executives and their shitty marketing strategy's fault your show got cancelled. You care about the show you and Bob Roth created, and you wanted it to do well. The higher ups didn't bother to continue promoting the show after it premiered, and that alone just forced you, the ambassadors, and the audience to do their job for them. They're the reason why it underperformed on D+ and DC. Now, it may potentially happen again with MGADD thanks to them!

Why did they pulling any of this shit was a good idea?! The show got ample marketing, from an advertisement outside the Days of Christmas store in Disney Springs and Moon Girl herself appearing in Disney California Adventure to merchandise such as a Moon Girl Funko, a couple of books, and even a graphic novel! It has received nominations and won awards, and the current lead executive Ayo Davis said season 1 performed well in ratings! Yet they turn around and pull all of this bullshit as season 2 approaches! Seriously, what is preventing you from doing next-day weekly releases and continuing your marketing, Disney?! All your other Marvel shows have gotten weekly releases and so much promoting, and regardless of the reception of each show, they all get high ratings! That even includes What If…?, the MCU's first animated show! Just because MGADD is adjacent/not entirely connected to the MCU and is a Disney TVA show doesn't give you the excuse to treat it like crap post-season 1!

I'm sorry for the ranting, but this multi-whammy has been so fucking frustrating. I have been a big fan of MGADD since the beginning, and like I previously said, it helped fill the DuckTales-shaped hole in my heart. I'm glad that it has such a strong start, and I want it to continue doing well, but the upcoming 14-episode release was such a fucking gut punch. The more the active Disney Beat server memebrs and I ranted and vented about it, the more furious we grew to where a few of us—myself included—were in tears; it is such a horrendous decision the Disney executives made! I'm at least glad the past week has gotten people to talk about how shows are getting treated nowadays thanks to streaming, and Disney Beat tweeting about the 14-episode bomb release announcement got deleted. Unfortunately, the higher ups most likely deleted it just to save face and won't reverse the decision in the end. Regardless, more people are catching onto the pitfalls with streaming and are noticing how shows no longer have the opportunities to build audiences over time. They are treated as nothing more as a means of gaining views and instant gratification rather than a medium made for one's enjoyment. With the Animation Guild's contract having been expired for around a few months, I hope one of their demands is to stop the shows' mistreatments and lack of sufficient marketing because streaming left a devastating and worsening impact on the entertainment and animation industries.

[claire8216]

Fic Tag Game

Thanks @fandomscraziness22 for the tag!! 🩵

How many works do you have on AO3? 10! My page says 7 but I have some I've published anonymously.

What's your AO3 word count? 122,718

What fandoms do you write for? It's been a while since I've posted anything but when I do find the motivation to write it's usually Julie and the Phantoms, Outer Banks, or The Summer I Turned Pretty! I've written some for other fandoms too but that was a looong time ago haha.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? (Not including the ones I'd like to remain anonymous 😉) - Fire Red and Ocean Blue (TSITP) - I Hate the Way I Don't Hate You (JatP) - Been Counting My Blessings Thinking This Through (OBX) - Something Like That (JatP) - I'm Standing in Your Line (I Do Hope You Have the Time) (JatP)

Do you respond to comments? I really try to respond to every comment, even if it takes me a while to respond! I genuinely appreciate people who take the time to not only read my writing but also share with me their thoughts, so the least I can do is respond back 😊

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Oof in general I usually stick to happy endings so there hasn't been a ton of angsty endings! But I once wrote a fic exploring a character navigating the aftermath of the sudden death of his wife. It ends with him bonding with a woman in a bar who had also lost her husband, and they dance together and while it's nice to have some sort of companionship again, there's an unspoken agreement that nothing and no one would ever compare to their late spouses. (Based off the song Ghost of You by 5SOS, specifically the last line!) I don't usually write major character deaths, and I actually ended up taking that one down because it was too sad for me haha.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? The rest of my fics pretty much all have HEAs because at my core that's what I enjoy most haha. But my favorite and probably fluffiest ending is Fire Red and Ocean Blue.

Do you get hate on fics? I don't remember ever getting any hate! *knock on wood*

Do you write smut? What kind? I do not, but I always enjoy reading a good smut fic!

Do you write crossovers? No, but I love AUs or fics based off of other books/shows/movies!

Have you ever had a fic translated? Also no haha.

Have you ever cowritten a fic before? I've attempted to, a loooong time ago when I was first getting into fanfic. Nothing ever came of it though, we were both, like, 12 so it fizzled haha. I have no idea where that person is today but I hope they're doing well!!

What WIP would you like to finish, but doubt you ever will? Back when s1 of Outer Banks came out I started working on a Jiara one night stand fic and got about halfway done. I still think about it often, but too much has happened in s2 and 3 it just wouldn't make sense anymore and I'd basically have to start from scratch.

What's your all-time favorite ship? This is a tough one! My oldest and most beloved ships will always be Romione and Percabeth. But no ship has ever, and may never again, have me in a chokehold quite like Juke did during the height of my JatP hyperfixation. So one of those three! 😂

What are your writing strengths? Ooo I love a good theme or motif or analogy and bringing everything back around full circle. It makes my little perfectionist virgo brain very happy haha.

What are your writing weaknesses? Sometimes I'll rush through the little details just to get to the main plot points. I constantly have to remind myself to slow down, a sort of "stop and smell the roses" if you will, and set the scene or create unique little character details to make my fics more descriptive.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in a another language for a fic? If it's needed it's needed! I usually will copy/paste and look up the translation if I need to.

First fandom you wrote for? Glee haha. I used to be OBSESSED.

Favorite fic you've ever written? I feel like this answer changes depending on my mood haha. Right now I think it'd have to be Been Counting My Blessings Thinking This Through, but that could totally be recency bias haha. I am very proud of it though!

What fic would you want to rewrite someday? I wrote this PJO (Tratie) fic called Rivers about 10 years ago and to this day the idea behind it is probably one of my favorite ideas I've ever had for a fic. When I reread it now, I can't help but see the writing of a 15 year old girl who had no idea what she was talking about and was unable to execute it in the way I wanted to in my mind haha. I always tell myself I'm going to rewrite it, and maybe with the show coming out soon, it'll inspire me to!

This was so fun!! Tagging @story-courty @bex2313 and @writerownstory and anyone else who wants to participate!

[aenslem]

aslkjdlasjf THIS GD SHOW, argh. i just finished season one, which i thought was a good idea, you know, finish the season before taking a break. *facepalms* i have those annoying things to do again (stupid household chores, every gd day you gotta do things), so it'll be a few hours before i can watch more, but i should be able to watch at least one or two more episodes today, so HOPEFULLY things will be a bit more resolved by tonight x'D

you were so right, there is so much happening, and i think EVERYONE on that gd ship needs a few years vacation after all this x'D

"married divorced remarried and divorced again and still having feelings for each other" asljdalksjda that is so correct, they are just that x'D

it's so fun, they're like "i don't trust him" pretty much all the time, and then Rush is like "so i had a dream" and Young is like "ok, i'll call General O'Neill" and they keep relying on each other so much right now, it's great, and Young risking the whole gd ship to save Rush, after having tried to kill him, what, twice already? amazing ❤

ah, yes, fanfiction ❤ it's so good at casting light on things from different angles, i love that, seeing characters and their motivations from all kinds of different point of views. though, you gif makers do that too and i love it, it's so great to look at different gif makers in the same fandoms and see how you focus different things.

right now i'm pretty exclusively reading McShep fics, but we'll see how that looks once i'm done with sgu x'D if you have any recs, please feel free to share!

btw, i've been trying to remember why i followed you from the start, and i'm pretty sure it's Star Trek, and specifically Spones, which, ALL MY LOVE! but i also want to mention how much i love following someone who gifs a lot of women, i love having more women on my dash! i never finished OUaT back in the days, but all your Regina and Swan Queen gifs are making me want to, and your Michelle Gomez gifs, waah, i do not want to watch CAoS! 😭 but you are kicking me in the butt about finishing Doctor Who too with your gifs of her (i sadly miss most of them though since i have it blacklisted for spoilers), i had no idea she was in it but man did that make me want to watch it when i found out!

okay, sorry that this got so long, even when i'm trying to keep things brief i end up being very wordy. so many things to say!

anyway, i'm gonna go do the things now, the sooner i get them done the sooner i can watch more sgu =D oh, wait, no, you posted something from 1x18 last night! i didn't look at it since i hadn't watched it yet, so i'm gonna go do that first! =D ❤

/Rodney anon

Oh don't be sorry , you can get wordy in my inbox whenever you like :3

You're fast! but why am I surprised, I finished 7 seasons of OUaT in a month lmao.

Well, imagine how it was for those who were watching sgu when it was actually airing, they did not have a chance to go and watch s2 right after s1, and you can :D so other things are not as bad as break between seasons of the show, but yeah, there's always things to do, sucks

askjhdaksjhd 'i just had a very interesting dream' scene is so good, and it so much better when you take it out of context lmao

well, they have to work together, they don't have a choice. you know how things were when he left rush on that planet, eli is smart, and eli was also right

but eli is still not good enough to do all the work, so no matter how much they don't trust each other, they have to work things out and work together and then finally going towards trust and comradery

well, at least they will try lmao

SPONES!!!!!!! SPOOOONEES! they are everything to me!!!!!

well, if you finish ouat and start caos... I am so sorry in advance lmao

I am not sure I can even explain what mess of the shows are those two, I have similar feelings towards both shows, I love the cast, I love some characters, I love women there, I hate the writers :D

Michelle is stunning in caos, there's also Miranda Otto, and they are like my moms, I love them, this show is worth watching just to look at them, but there's also... the rest of the show and plot asjkhdakjdh

same goes for ouat tbh, some characters are great and actors are doing such a good job and then there's whatever was happening in the show, but it;s still fun if you don't take it all seriously.

you will facepalm a lot and you will have an urge to rip your hair out sometimes, but if you try caos, I will give you two good reasons for it

that's it, think about it

okay, but you definitely need to watch doctor who, WATCH DOCTOR WHO!

[caroform]

Carmen, Claire, and champagne

My biggest mission in life is to connect virtually everything to Taylor Swift so here: Carmen and Claire’s relationship (mostly the end) and champagne problems by Taylor Swift.

*SPOILERS FOR THE BEAR*

I will begin by saying that I don’t like Claire. I said to my mom many times while watching s2 “once we finish this I’m going to look up if other people hate Claire or if it’s just us”. General consensus is not positive around her. Felt that needed to be established.

I had an “ah ha!” moment during the walk in scene. My mind immediately went to this Taylor Swift song and the more I thought about it the more similarities I found.

champagne problems is about a couple who have very different intentions for the same night. One has a ring and the other plans to end it.

Now of course Claire didn’t want to propose, but she was the first to say ‘I love you’. She seeks Carmy out after dinner because she loves him (also cause he’s freezing to death but not the point). I really like her voicemail. I think a lot of people (including myself) can relate to suddenly getting the urge/need to call someone, especially someone you love. She lays everything out for him, her crush, her feelings, her advice, and most importantly her love.

“Left you out there standing / Crestfallen on the landing”

“Your heart was glass, I dropped it / Champagne problems”

Carmen doesn’t know how to and frankly can’t balance his personal and work lives. He can only either devote everything to The Bear or everything to Claire. He breaks her heart. Unknowingly of course but still.

“Bustling crowds or silent sleepers / You’re not sure which is worse”

Carmen is freaking out during all the chaos and once the dust has settled is when he really looses it. All the noise is killing him but also the deafening silence he’s left in is almost worse.

“You had a speech, you’re speechless / Love slipped beyond your reaches”

The “speech” is her voicemail. Carmen had a chance at real love, something I don’t feel he has experienced a lot of. The other shoe dropped. He fucked it up for himself.

“She would’ve made such a lovely bride / What a shame she’s fucked in the head, they said / But you’ll find the real thing instead / She’ll patch up the tapestry that I shred”

Now in the song, the one proposing is the man and the one who intends to break up is the woman. Obviously in this situation the roles are reversed. Change the pronoun from she to he in this lyric and it perfectly describes Carmy in my opinion. Carmen is too fucked up to handle this. He cannot physically deal with the hallmarks of a serious relationship. It ruins him. It gets him locked in a fridge. It puts a strain on his relationship and partnership with Sydney. It jeopardizes his, what I would argue is, magnum opus.

“And soon they’ll have the nerve to deck the halls That we once walked through”

This line. This line right here. Obviously Christmas plays a huge role in this season, especially the later half. That disastrous dinner is at the center of so much of the last 4 episodes. At the dinner, Richie and Fak tell Carmen how they saw “Claire Bear” recently and how she is now much more attractive. This upsets Carmen, etc. (y’all know what happens). My point is this seems to be the only time Carmen evens hears Claire’s name in the period between high school and them meeting at the store. It’s so important to their story. They walked through those halls. Those halls caked in horrible memories. Those halls that on that very night, were decked.

I hope this makes sense. It’s not a one to one comparison of course but I just could not stop thinking about this song and them. The s2 finale was absolutely incredible (all of the show is) and I desperately wanted to talk about it.

[basilfang]

The onion bought info wars, did you hear?

Crazy stuff

Reminds me of a video essay about chemicals turning the frogs gay. I'm so sure it had a bigger message. But that's what I remember

How many hours have I spent watching these particular vibe of video essay? And what makes them different to the others?

Super fish

Would you have done anything differently if you read the comics before you watched the show?

It feels like .....

Edith did not take those photographs, someone else did

Who told them?

I don't know , I don't know.

a style of line,

old friend now a tattooist. And another friend too. In fact, another one also. They all got to the same part of the board, I'm so far behind but I'm out of their bubble.

]()[ )()(

Catch them in a lie.

Hiding clues about who he really is

But it was never about him.

Hiding clues about what he's looking for

But it was never about the Door

Call 888 0 7597 797 1 77

DESTROY DESTROY

shame shame shame shame shame shame shame shame shame shame shame shame shame shame shame shame shame shame

<she likes Fosse, she told me about him. I wish I could send her this video, and then we could talk about it, or rather she could tell me about Fosse and dance and things I don't know about because she never told me about them. I missed my chance. I messed up. - when you hear people get back together again and again, and it is shit most of the time, but I look at that and I feel a sense of ____. No matter what they did -> no matter what they did <- there's something I finished here.

'and no one's ever called me back'

something missing here. Edith hasn't written everything.

//

Utopia S2 E1 now what would you have thought of this if they edited it like this? The past first, the future last. But, for them when they were young, THEY were the now, not the young versions of them, they ARE them.

flash/flash/flash/flash/flash

When I first joined, me and Jasmine learnt about the culture through this particular lens. We thought, this is what it's like, and it's always gonna be like this. Then we went more, got closer to otheer people, went to functions. Like ____. !!dark night, random London house, not the same as other London house, three separate times? Hard to separate the images. The air BnB bedroom. Snacks. Big sleepover. But they're 24-27, and I hadn't met any of ______ yet.

It tears itself apart. But also slathers mortar and brick right on top of the wounds.

Chase away the light eaters. Morning doesn't come just yet, I escape into the other world.

Is this a part of the show? Hello? Anyone there?

Suspend disbelief: you become minute 21-32 in a true crime podcast where the host paints their toenails. Don't suspend disbelief: you end up in a basement and your mom thinks you ran away with a man called Texas.

B ad things can happen to anyone! Whether you leave or not.

so I should just do whatever I want? Don't care at all

If you want. I can't stop you!

-—·_``|^-_2o_:·★·:_o5_-^|"_·—–

`. .?.

Confidence !!! is key!!

you know he thought

He's meant to be Ferris Bueller. A fantasy. That guy's not real.

Who the fuck does he remind me of? I swear I've seen that face of his before.

Its own thing. It's its own thing. American Ghosts isn't bad, it's just not BBC ghosts. It's own things.

Blossom (her dad wrote a famous jingle)

9os sit com

Anyone could be the A story. I don't have to be the A story. Who else is around? When everyone is so, no one is it. Right?

4:14:54 ideo essay on my watch later

What did the author mean to make us think when he put Gatsby and Daisy in that scene together?

Tihnevy easret miygsatteory solvers

09255290

熊刀

So in the eel dimension, things get a little mixed up. You guys will feel a little weird for some shirt while after you get home. But don't worry, it gets better.

----_----------_-+-----

|

E. -7

|. L

_---------- ---------_ g l

Tom and Jerry!

[laxmiree]

[CN] MLQC Lucien’s Rumors & Secrets – Season 2: What the Eyes See (所见之眼)

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT!! ⚠️

This post contains a detailed spoiler for an R&S that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation.

This R&S accompanied S2 Chapter 19-21 Karma

The girl's work is usually very busy, and on weekends there is often no record of her access to apartement at all, it is estimated that she stayed at home all day, and on those days, it is likely that the take-out she ordered will be for two people.

Sometimes the courier will ask the girl's floor number, but the number in the adress is Lucien's apartment, it is guessed that the girl gave Lucien some small gifts again…

-One of Hades’s spy; Black Swan “eyes”

[Translation under the cut~]

For easier differentation, what Lucien said will be in italic.

[Chapter 1]

(T/N: This part happens 4 years before the Main Story start, just after Lucien left B.S. and The New Year Change Incidents.)

A large organization needs many "eyes", and I am one of them. In Black Swan, an organization where everyone wants to make a name for themselves, I may seem rather invisible, but without countless pairs of "eyes" like me, the organization wouldn’t be able to move forward.

I was brought into the organization by Hades, and my job was simple: to spy for Hades on the people he thought he needed to monitor - I just needed to "watch" from a distance, and then report regularly on the target's movements, and didn't need to do anything else superfluous. Simple, but not easy, because in the "blink of an eye" you can miss critical information, causing irreparable damage. 

“When do you plan to leave?”

“When the year is over."

On the third day of the first month, I had a meeting with another colleague who also played the role of "eyes" - he will soon be sent to the field to start a new mission.

My colleague stuffed the last piece of shrimp skewer into his mouth while calling out to the waiter for the bill, "What about you, still on vacation? Didn't Hades give you a new job?"

"It's going to be busy at the top. These Evolvers will be so busy in a few months." I smiled, "The biggest event in the world is the New Year, so let's wait until the year is over." 

After we had finished eating and drinking, I walked out of the store with him. He didn't say goodbye immediately, but lit a cigarette and continued the topic just now: "But I sympathize for the days that will follow you, Loveland City should have been busy in the past few years."

I borrowed a light from him, "Why didn't I know there would be work to do later?"

The other party said: “You'll know if you see it for yourself”

I followed his gaze to the end of the long street. It had only been three days since that night, and the city had not yet recovered from the trauma; even the red lanterns on the street were skewed; snow had fallen on the signboards, and the slogan "Happy New Year" had been turned into "Unlucky New Year"; pedestrians were walking in twos and threes on the road, but the Special Task Force still didn't let down its guard, and there were undercover officers - "eyes" like us - at every gate. -At each gate, the undercover agents approach quietly, and then leave silently after confirming that there is no danger.

The acting was so bad that I commented on it in my mind.

"It's okay," I said, unimpressed by the sight before me, "What happened that night on New Year's Eve was a big deal for Special Task Force side. For us, it's just a little diversion that doesn't affect the organization."

"Is it really true that it can't affect the organization?" My colleague asked rhetorically, "Did you know that Ares, whom you respected most, has left B.S.?"

The short cigarette burned my hand and I hastily dropped it.

"Looks like you've really been on vacation for too long," my colleague smiled with glee and shoved the remaining half pack of cigarettes into my pocket, "Just wait, Hades will probably have a job to assign to you soon."

[Chapter 2]

(T/N: This part happens before Lucien left B.S.)

When I finished my third cigarette on the balcony, there was finally some movement across the street.

The first person to walk out of the gate was Hades, the hideous birthmark on his face was stained with a few blood stains, but his expression was very relaxed, it seems that the task was completed quite successfully, and behind him there was Ares. 

I had just joined the organization and had only heard of him in the casual conversation of the "eyes". From their frightened tone, I had expected Ares to be a cold and arrogant genius with sinister features who looked at people through his nose, but the man appeared to my eyes as a tall, gentle-looking scholar.

"I don't see the point of all your so-called calculations," Hades's smug laugh was heard over my earphones: "Do it like what I’m doing just now, and we would have wiped out all these bugs sooner."

“I don't think you can catch everything in one net.”

This was the first time I heard Ares's voice, like an undercurrent of ice.

"Didn't I just do that?" Hades made a gesture of wiping his neck, while Ares obviously did not want to pay attention to this cheap provocation and turned his head. I followed his gaze, and suddenly I saw a figure flashing around the corner, and with a heartbeat I blurted out, "Nine o'clock! Hades!"

A gunshot was fired faster than my voice, and the figure fell down.

Everyone didn't react and froze in place, save Lucien who gracefully put away his gun as if he had expected someone to appear there, he even showed Hades a smile that was not disrespectful but carried a light sneer: "It seems that your way of ‘doing it´ still leaves a few leeway."

Hades’s face flushed furiously.

Ares turned around and left. When he was about to pass my building, he suddenly glanced upward, I was caught off guard and met his gaze. It was just a glance from so far away, and I was wearing a mask and sunglasses, but it was like another invisible bullet had been fired through my throat.

With just this one glance, I was completely convinced that every rumour about this man in the organization is true.

And what happens if this person betrays the organization?

Soon, the news that Ares had left B.S. to join Special Task Force spread through the organization, with shouts of disbelief, scorn and anger, and, more than anything, a hidden excitement, as if anticipating when the organization would order the elimination of the former God of War - people are always happy to see a gap between the higher-ups, as a proof that these leaders, these "gods" who take the code name of gods, are just a group of people.

On the fourth day of the Chinese New Year, the day after I said goodbye to my colleague, I was unexpectedly called by Hades to the B.S. building. He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the stream of people: "What do you think of Ares?" 

I stood three steps away from him and carefully considered my words, "I haven't come into contact with him, I've just heard from others that this man is very intelligent and powerful."

"Intelligent and powerful…" Hades followed the two words, "Indeed, there are very few people who can be as intelligent and powerful as he is, and if he does choose another camp, he is a threat to me. "

"You're not expecting me to finish Ares off, are you?" I asked.

"Are you even worth of it?" Hades didn't even hear my half-joking tone, and even snorted, "I'm asking you to spy on him."

Sure enough, a command that fit with Hades' style. I clenched my fingers and lowered my head, "I think Ares will be able to spot me."

If he was able to hit even a fleeting shadow with a single shot, there was no way he couldn't spot a pair of hidden eyes.

"Of course, he will find you, and that’s exactly what I want," Hades's tone was confident, "This will be the best time for me to reach a partnership with Ares, you will act as a warning and a signal from me, I hope he will be sensible, otherwise, this will also be the best time to get rid of Ares… no, the best time to get rid of Lucien."

I was silent for a moment, "When will I have to start spying on him?"

"Starting right now."

[Chapter 3]

(T/N: The first half of this part happens 4 years before Main Story start, after Lucien left B.S. while the other half happens Pre-Main Story)

It's easy to spy on a person, but it's hard to spy on Lucien…

I chose many surveillance positions during the mission, from a convenience store clerk near the Special Task Force, to a teacher in training near the school, and I even worked as a delivery man at a courier post near Loveland University - one of the worst jobs, as the desire to shop online was inevitably overwhelming among this group of young people. It would often appear that when I had just struggled out of these students and courier piles, I found Lucien had long since gotten into his car and left.

Lucien's life in the surface hardly changed from how it was before, except for the fact that the STF Secret Research Department was added to the original three-point route. Sometimes I look at the route I monitored and feel a sense of boredom, I even suspect that Lucien actually found me long ago, and everything is a disguise that he made to me.

I needed a more convenient location to observe, and that opportunity arose four years later.

Lucien wanted to move to a place that was more convenient for him to go to work at both ends, so during his house hunting, I took note of every real estate agent he had dealt with and hacked into the backend of each agency's system to check the contracts. When I saw Lucien's signature on a copy of the contract for a particular apartment, I finally breathed a sigh of relief, took out my phone, and sent a message to the owner of the office: I am quitting.

-Why so sudden?

-Because I’m rushing back to my hometown to get married. 

I successfully became a minor security guard in that neighbourhood. This job is simply too good compared to the last one, in addition to regular patrols every day, as long as you deal with the small matters of the apartement tenants, other time are all free, I can even play games and read online articles in between the monitoring, and the days have become easy.

A week later, the removals company also brought Lucien's household items to the neighbourhood. I opened the gate for them with an attentive smile and led the workers downstairs. Just as I was about to introduce the neighbourhood infrastructure to Lucien, his eyes abruptly passed over and landed behind me, the corners of his mouth forming an arc, "What a coincidence." 

I turned around and saw a young lady. She was a little surprised to see Lucien, and then she gave him a bright and beautiful smile. Even though I'm used to seeing all kinds of people as "eyes", I have to admit that this girl's smile is very contagious and makes people want to get close at first sight.

It seems that these two people know each other. I noticed the apartment number on the girl's door card and went back to the security room to find out her name: MC. She lives right next door to Lucien.

I found out more about Miss MC on the Internet, very young, and talented, and just as soon as she graduated, she became a boss, admittedly with the help of her father's name, but was able to turn an originally small film and television company into the leading media in the Loveland City, which is not something that can be done with the ordinary people’s vigour. I looked with interest at the programs she had recently produced and saw Lucien's name at the end of a program that had just aired.

He's the consultant of the program. 

So, is this where the intersection of MC and Lucien comes from? The next time I reported to Hades, I also presented the matter of Miss MC: "...his recent life is still very regular. The time he went to the STF was the same as usual, but because he had to clean up his new home, he stayed at his place for three hours longer, and coincidentally, a woman named MC lived across him, and they had a certain business partnership."

"A business partnership? I would say that they have more than a business partnership."

The moment he heard MC's name, I saw the corners of Hades' eyes twitch twice, and his face went dark, saying coldly, "I was wondering why Ares went through the trouble of moving. So, it was for this 'famous' Miss Nox."

[Chapter 4]

(T/N: This part happens Pre-Main Story)

Nox, the unpredictable and rebellious member of the organization?

I froze for a moment, somewhat unable to connect the rumor with the bright smile I remembered. I asked a cautious question, "Is she the second set of 'eyes' sent by the organization?"

" There's no one in B.S. that can hire her," Hades snorted, "You don't have to worry about her, just keep an eye on Lucien."

"Okay."

"Is there anything else to report, such as whether he has released any signals of communication to you?"

"No."

Hades was disappointed, and I didn't dismiss it. I couldn't help but glance at Hades again as I excused myself - my professional habits lead me to watch carefully every move of anyone I talk to, and my boss spoke three times faster when talking about MC, with his fingers unconsciously tightened. His hostility towards this Nox was too obvious, as if the presence of this girl would make his otherwise self-proclaimed perfect plan become less smooth.

I recalled Lucien's expression when he saw Nox. Although he hid it very well, the subtle fleeting change in the corners of his eyes and the tips of his eyebrows under the afternoon sun is an instinct that no one can control.

It turns out that someone as perfect as Lucien will also have an instinctive reaction, and it turns out that he too has someone he cares about.

I suddenly also became interested in Nox, I’m certain that this girl is like a stone thrown into the calm lake, adding new elements to the fuel of absolute balance, so that everything will develop in a more interesting direction.

Anyway, they both live in the same building, so I can have as much time as I want to observe them.

Lucien will go to work a little earlier than Nox, and Nox will leave work a little later than Lucien, and occasionally the two will go out or go home at the same time.

The girl seemed to have a good relationship with everyone, for example, when she saw me, she would always say "good morning" and "good job" to me.

The girl's work is usually very busy, and on weekends there is often no record of her access to apartement at all, it is estimated that she stayed at home all day, and on those days, it is likely that the take-out she ordered will be for two people.

Sometimes the courier will ask the girl's floor number, but the number in the adress is Lucien's apartment, it is guessed that the girl gave Lucien some small gifts again…

All kinds of details of life hidden beneath the undercurrents, only my eyes hidden in the corner were recording and observing silently, making my otherwise tedious observations finally become less tedious. And I didn’t report these things to Hades, after all, he only let me observe Lucien, didn't he.

A short honking sounded, and I hastily looked up from my mobile game, maintaining a panic of being caught red-handed at work, quickly raised the lever and greeted the person in the car, "Good morning, Professor Lucien, are you going to work overtime at the Research Centre on the weekend?"

"Morning." The man in the driver's seat smiled at me, "There's a Flower Market in the suburbs today, I want go over there and have a look around."

"Well, have fun then!"

As his car slowly drove past me, I saw Nox sitting in the passenger seat. 

[Chapter 5]

(T/N: This part happens in S2 Chapter 13)

I stood not too far away from the alley, with my hat covering half of my face, and used my eyes to look at the alley ahead. My boss, on the other hand, was holding his arms in the alley, and every now and then his impatient stammering voice would come through my earphones.

I subconsciously pulled my hat down a bit more.

This meeting was supposed to be quiet, no extra "eyes" should be watching, even Hades didn't know I was standing here at the moment, I decided to go out of curiosity. I wanted to confirm something I was still hesitating about, so I had to see it with my eyes and hear it with my ears. 

It didn't take long for another guest to finally arrive.

"You're late, Ares."

Hades's tone was somewhat dissatisfied, he paused for a moment and then changed his tone to a sneer, "No, you' re already a traitor to B.S., now I should call you 'Professor Lucien'."

Lucien still didn't respond to his taunts, "Where's the stuff."

In the dim alley, I saw Hades hand a small metal block to Lucien, and if I'm not mistaken, it appeared to be an USB flash drive.

"I can't believe that you are quite attached to the 'little syringe'. Although you left B.S., but in this issue, it's the same as those old men who has the same idea. Why, looking at your expression, you don't suspect that this substance is related to us, right?"

Perhaps Lucien’s attitude, who just wants to take the goods and leave, makes Hades more and more irritated, and he starts to provoke the other side again, my ears are full of his incessant shouting, I inexplicably sighed and couldn't help but take the earphones three centimetres away.

I also feel that this boss of mine is sometimes really childish in his thinking - if he had been observing Lucien for so many years as I have, he certainly would not have used that corny line to scream at the other party.

Can't he see that Professor Lucien already had his own ideas from four years ago?

"You are the only opponent I will acknowledge. Let's work together to create a superior world."

"That's just your idea."

After another invitation from Hades, Lucien finally opened his mouth, his voice was still the same as when I first heard it, like an icy edge in the undercurrent, but I had clearly heard his voice when he talked to Nox, and the cold at this moment was the exact opposite of that time, when it’s like the fresh grass in early spring.

"Also, you are over-estimating what you can do."

Lucien came out of the alley, the thick night colour dyed in his windbreaker, his every steps sounded like a hunter. He came to my direction, I immediately turned my back, pretend to make a phone call. Lucien's voice came from behind: "I have a delivery tomorrow, I may have to trouble you to sign for it."

My back stiffened, understanding that he had recognized me, and I stopped avoiding him, "Sure, what's the delivery?"

"There is no need to be so nervous." Lucien smiled at me, "It's not a significant delivery, the flowers in my neighbour’s house have withered again, so I just bought a pot for her." 

I nodded in agreement: "Then do you want me to directly hand it to Miss Nox when she gets off work?" I deliberately put emphasis on the word "Nox".

"Hmm..." Lucien thought for a moment, "Let me give it to her in person."

In a few words, I think Lucien already understood what I meant. As for me… after this night, I probably want to start considering whether to find a "part-time job" for myself.

[average-travel-companion]

TWN: Witchers

So! I was minding my own business a few nights ago, playing a game on my phone, when I thought to look up the names of the actors who played witchers in TWN season two. My train of thought was as follows: "Oh, TWN didn't give us much personality for many of the witchers, maybe the actors that played them have had other, similar roles I that actually had personality, which I can use as a basis for their witcher’s personality. Alternately, I could stalk their social media so see what kind of a person they are." Lo and behold, IMDb had only officially credited the actors who had been credited by Netflix in the show. Said actors, the witchers they acted as, and their Instagram account handles are as follows:

Basil Eidenbenz - Eskel (basil.eidenbenz)

Paul Bullion - Lambert (paulbullion)

Yasen Atour - Coën (yasenatour)

Nathanial Jacobs - Everard (n.amosjay)

Jota Castellano - Gwain/Gawain (jota.castellano)

Chuey Okoye - Merek (chueyokoye)

Kim Bodina - Vesemir (doesn’t have one)

Henry Cavill - Geralt (henrycavill)

Now, that's all well and good, but in the wide shot in S2E2 where almost all witchers can be seen in one frame (here's a link to a tweet that has said picture, and some close-ups), we can see eleven (11) total witchers, and Eskel, who barges in right after said wide shot, makes a total of twelve (12) Netflix-canonical witchers. Didn’t Geralt say that there were 20 of them, when he last counted? What about the other 8 TWN? Turn on your location, I just wanna talk —

Speaking of Netflix-canonical facts, I figured refreshing my memory of TWN's page on the witchers who died in their sleep (Everard, Gawain (spelling discrepancy), Merek) couldn't hurt. Disappointingly, said page revealed no other information about said witchers.

So I went back to IMDb and saw that on the full list of credits, two more actors are credited:

Joel Adrian - Hemrik (Instagram, S2 wrap post)

Max Kraus - Tolbert (Instagram, Instagram post about 'The Good Part' of working on TWN (the few shots of using google maps to get to what i can only assume is the set is a Mood))

They're both uncredited for four (4) episodes, which is HALF THE SEASON. I am EXTREMELY angry about this. What the fuck.

Up to 10 named witchers, yaaay.

The tweet I linked to of the wide shot with almost all witchers visible in it gave the remaining two witchers the names of Diever and Vartok. However, google is unhelpful, as is instagram. And yet I persisted.

I swear to goodness I waded through IMDb for at least an hour trying to find names of stunt performers who were in both S2E2 (Kaer Morhen) and S2E8 (Family, in which there was a big battle at KM), but my search was unfruitful. Desperate, I went to Instagram.

Now I’d like to rant here a moment about how I Do Not Like Instagram. It’s hosted by facebook — sorry, “Meta” — and on the iOS app, you have to hit the screen Six Different Times to get to posts you’ve liked. That’s at least four times too many, in my opinion. So this was unfamiliar territory for me. I thought I’d be able to use IG’s search function, and it would work, and I’d easily find the actors’ names and wash my hands of the whole thing.

So you can imagine my disappointment when IG’s search function failed me.

Nevertheless, I stomped through the metaphorical swamp of IG, and I have emerged successful.

Just so we're all on the same page, I was trying to find the actors/stunt doubles who played the witchers labeled Diever and Vartok in the wide shot. Any sort of canonical confirmation. Their names would be nice, but not necessary. From the other images in that tweet, I was looking for an Asian man and a white guy with a beard. Can't be too hard, right?

lol NOPE

For those curious, my actions were as follows:

Jota Castellano has a picture on IG of him and five other witchers. (I’d post the pic here, but I’m on mobile, and I need to sleep but I need to finish this post more, let me live)

In the description of said photo, he tags all the TWN-canon witchers. #Vartok gets you literally nine results, so I decided to look under #Diever.

Before perusing said tag, I decided to go in reverse chronological order using the “Recent” tab, as opposed to the “Top” tab.

Y’all. I don’t think I can properly express the feeling of excitement that overtook me when I saw what I can only guess is a character poster for an Asian witcher. I was honestly about to jump out of bed, but I resisted and clicked on it.

Lo and behold, I’d like to introduce y’all to Nicolas Wang, who played Diever in TWN.

Since Nicolas Wang seems to care about giving proper credit, I was pleasantly surprised to see that he tagged a handle I was unfamiliar with.

Meet Lachlan Parkinson (edit: this used to say 'Peterson', I was wrong, his last name is Parkinson), who played Vartok in TWN. As of the time I’m posting this, their most recent IG post is of Peterson’s eyes blacked out with black veins around them, similar to the effect we saw on Cavill’s face when Geralt took whatever potion he took in I think S1.

So far as I can tell, neither of them has been credited on IMDb or in the Netflix credits. I don’t know if that was a stipulation in their contracts, but here we are: all twelve TWN witchers have names and actors.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk, I guess?

[winchesterxxi]

Gentle Pathways (Din Djarin x Reader)

Rating: M (Mature)

Type: Fluff & Smut

Summary: “all these people keep posting how rough a horny Mando can be but I mean, come on, that man probably hasn't been touched as in skin-to-skin contact since he put the helmet on - we all saw his reaction to Grogu touching his face. So how do you think a touch starved Din would react to reader getting close to him?”

Word Count: 2.7k

Warnings: No clear time frame except that it’s between S1 and S2; Blindfolding; Smut (Virgin!Din, loss of virginity, blowjob, vaginal penetration, swearing, unprotected but consensual sex)

A/N: Vanilla!Din and Soft!Din GIVE IT TO ME, WE NEED MORE and yes I know the gif is of Kylo and Ren leave me alone. 

MASTERPOST | REQUEST HERE | KO-FI

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It was late at night inside the Razor Crest, although no one could tell if it were otherwise because, as you could see through the front of the cockpit, the cold gloom of hyperspace engulfed the ship on all sides.

The Child was fast asleep and had been for a while now, and you were just finishing inserting some coordinates on the navigation panel as Mando asked you to, before leaving you alone and walking to his makeshift chamber. After doing as instructed your hand brushes against something that falls to the floor of the cockpit with a clatter.

Looking down, you notice that it’s Mando’s e-comm, easily identifiable by the big silver-colored scratch across one of its buttons. He never leaves it out of his sight, even when sleeping, that thing is always at arm’s length so you assume that he probably forgot it.

Standing up with the device in hand, you turn off any unnecessary light in the cockpit before heading towards the direction Mando went just a few minutes ago.

After you reach the steel door, you let your knuckles hit it about three times, before hearing a muffled Come in coming from the other side.

Sliding the doors open you step inside of his room, as he stands in front of you, back facing you, still fully clothed. His helmet rotates slightly over his shoulder as he directs his voice to you.

“What is it?”

“You left your e-comm on top of the navigation panel.” you tell him, extending your hand as your feet follow and you get close to him “I know you always have it on you no matter what, so I brought it to you.” your hand softly lays the device on the table against which he was leaning. 

Your face comes dangerously close with the beskar on his shoulder blades and you swear that despite everything in you telling otherwise and that beskar is cold, that you could feel warmth irradiating from it.

Mando strangles a little thank you that you acknowledge with a nod of your head before awkwardly walking back and away from him.

What there was no way of you to be aware of was that the device was left back in the cockpit on purpose. Not in the sex bait type of way, but in the Will she notice this and hence confirm that she also bears some feelings for me for noticing such small things and being attentive enough to come and return it.

A fairly explicit and complex thought, he knew, but that’s exactly what you did to him. Or have been doing for the past year to his head. Although he might not be very skilled in articulating more than one single-worded phrase at a time, his mind is constantly racing. Constantly formulating this extremely clear ways of disclosing his true feeling for you that get stuck in his throat making it shake with anxiety and instead making him opt for the safer options of a simple thank you or You didn’t have to.

Like what he just did. He wanted to facepalm himself right there and then, weren’t it for your presence. 

But he’s had enough. This man has fought virtually every deadly creature in this planet and sure enough this little crush as he tried to convince himself so many times was the scariest of them all for him to face. But enough is enough.

“Y/N.” He croaks out, turning to face you.

You hum and turn around almost instantly, surprising yourself at how easily you reacted to him.

“I - ..... I,...” he tries. He really tries.

“You what, Mando?” you question, brows furrowed while taking slow steps towards him, worried that there is something wrong.

“I ... have...feelings for you.” Your cheeks heat up but you look down avoiding getting overly excited, as this could go one of two directions.

“What type of feelings?” you ask cautiously.

“Feelings.”  The padding inside of his helmet feel like fire right this moment, and the urge to curse himself has never been this strong. 

But you understand. And he sees that you understand by the way your eyes almost pop out of your sockets and your mouth hangs open.

“Oh.” you manage to voice before being struck by utter and absolute confusion “Me? You’re sure about that?.... I’m an absolute trainwreck of a person!”

The tension that he was holding in his body due to the confession suddenly left him in the form of a low chuckle, making you even more embarrassed. “I love you just the way you are.”

“You what?!” your heart stops.

“I...” that’s when it dawns on him what it just said. This man spent months hiding his feelings from you and, just like that, under a minute he goes from saying that he has feelings for you to telling you that he loves you.

“... I love you.” he says, this time more sure of himself.

You pause a moment and look at him, eyes surely meeting something behind his darkened visor and your expression softens.

“I... I think I love you to.” you finally admit, finally letting go of your own months of repressed feelings, that now so easily slipped out to the man in beskar in front of you.

Mando slowly walks up to you, praying that you don’t run away, all the while pulling at a piece of fabric that he had wrapped around his elbow. Your eyes follow his movements before looking up at him and nodding, knowing exactly what he is about to do.

His hands disappear behind your head and then you’re surrounded by darkness.

Being deprived of your vision heightens all of your senses and you can now very clearly hear his breathing. His unfiltered breathing.

“Did you...?” you ask, but he doesn’t let you finish.

“Yes.”

His ungloved hand slowly finds your own, bringing your knuckles to meet his lips. You shiver at the contact. Slowly, he brings up his other hand to cradle your cheek, delicately replacing your knuckles with your lips.

You thoroughly melt against his touch, resting your hands upon his chest plate for some balance as he pulls you in closer, ever so gently. The kiss wasn’t too sloppy, but you could feel his inexpertness, but his lips were so soft that everything else was forgotten. And oh how you loved the tickle of his facial hair against you.

What began as a sweet kiss quickly escalates and the both walking into the nearest wall as his hands explore your clothed body, months of previously undiscovered sexual tension arising to the occasion and you could feel how excited he was getting.

The only pleasure Mando had even known had been at his own hand. And even that, he took care of as a chore,  a release of pressure, just getting himself off for the day so that he wouldn’t get distracted.

“Wait.” he pulls away, out of breath “I know that you want to take this further, but I don’t want you to be disappointed.”

“Disappointed?” you query “Disappointed how?”

“I don’t know how to do this... I’ve never done this.” he says, and by the tone of his voice, you can imagine how he is motioning with his hands between the both of you.

“You’re a virgin?”

“Yeah.” he shyly admits, rubbing the back of his head.

“No, that’s - that’s completely fine. I just... wasn’t expecting it?”

“Why?”

“You’re a bounty hunter and, well, word runs on the streets. Besides, the way Xi’an spoke to you back when we went to that prison or the things she said, I thought-”

“Nothing ever happened. Not with her, not with anyone ever. She did try, several times, but I always pushed her away.” he couldn’t bear to have you think that there was ever anyone before you.

“Oh.”

“But I want to do it with you. Here, now.” he confesses, resting his forehead against yours.

“Are you sure? I mean, having sex means that you’ll have to -” you begin, knowing fully well the implications

“I’m sure. I trust you.” he assures you with a gentle stroke on your cheek.

“Okay, then.”

“Okay.”

With your eyes still closed, you feel the knot in the back of your head loosen, and the pressure around your temples dissipating, slowly bating your eyes open. It was extremely dark in the room, but you could still make out some shapes, the disheveled curls and the prominent nose and his eyes. His eyes. You couldn’t make out what color they were but they were as dark as the sky outside this ship, with a slight glimmer as he looks down at you.

Haltingly, you lift your hand to his right cheek, stopping right next to it.

“Can I?” he nods and your rest your hand where you intended, and he closes his eyes, inhaling deeply and leaning into your touch, a pitiful look washing your face. “How long haven’t you been touched like this?”

“Since I swore to the Creed.” he confides, in a soft voice.

“That’s a long time.”

“I know.” he agrees and you bring your face close to his.

“Is this okay?” you question, not wanting to go to hard and break any boundaries.

“Yeah” Smiling up at him, you lean up and press your lips to the skin on the side of his neck, tugging down at his collar. Shuddering next to your ear, Din lets out a soft moan. 

Your hands roam the front of his body, before tapping against his chest plate.

“Can i take this off?”

“Please” he almost begs.

One by one, you remove the pieces of beskar that adorn his body, letting him discard of your own clothes after, and finally having you take off his last layer of clothing. This alternate game, painfully slow eased the nervousness out of the both of you - even though he was the inexperienced one, you were more nervous to be with him than you had with any other man.

The others were just quick affairs or one night stands, no one ever sticking around long enough to tell you the things he told you a few minutes ago. Always using you as a quick fix for whatever was wrong with their lives. But he was different. He was special, and you wanted to make this special for him, in return.

Once you both stood bare-skinned in front of each other, his hands sneak around your waist, cold skin making you hiss.

“Your hands are cold.” you whisper against his lips, that curiously explore your face.

“Sorry.” he mumbles

“It’s okay.”

You push the both of you in the bed, until the back of his knees hits its edge, and he sits down with you standing in between his legs.

“Y/N, I …um…I-I…I-I d-don’t know how to…”

“Shhh,” you mumble against his lips “It’s okay, I’ll start and when or if you feel comfortable you can take over. Okay?”

“Okay.” 

Returning to kiss his lips, you kneel down, breaking the kiss only when your skin hits the floor beneath you.  You place one of your hands on his toned stomach, gently pushing it so that he gets the hint and lays down on the bed. Running your hands up his legs, you feel his every muscle harden under your palms.

“Try and relax. I’m not going anywhere.”  Din leans his head back and moans softly as your hands work their way up and down his length. You can feel the way his body tenses up when your fingers wrap around his girth.

His fingers unconsciously find their way into your hair, gripping at it as you lick up and down the length of his cock. Every wet trail your tongue leaves pulling another pornographic moan from the man, each louder than the previous one.

You look up at him before opening your mouth and finally sinking onto him fully, earning a grunt of approval. 

“How does that feel?” you ask one time, bringing your lips to the top of his head, before popping away.

“Bloody great...”

When you feel that he is starting to get close, you pull away and quickly step onto the bed to straddle him and he instinctively sits up, face close to yours.

Taking the tip of his cock, you line it up with your entrance eager to work on your own pleasure “Can I?”

Looking down at him, he nods and you slowly sink down onto him, moaning at the way he agonizingly stretches you.

“Maker,” Din moans as you settle on his cock, all of his length buried deep inside of you. “Move, please.” He practically begs you.

“Give me your hands” you instruct and he obeys, you guiding his hands so that they are gripping the soft flesh of your hips.

You start slowly moving your hips up and down, grinding against his pelvis every time you come down on him. At first he doesn’t move, just letting you get used to your own rhythm but as soon as he gets more eager, his own hips start thrusting up to meet yours, joining you in perfect synchrony.

The hands that previously rested on your hips part ways in different directions, one of them coming up to cradle the back of you head and the other slides to rest on your bottom. Instinctively, you throw your arms against his shoulder, one hand finding the back of his head as you both keep thrusting. There was no getting closer than this - him buried balls deep inside of you all the while hugging you against his body.  

Groaning, he lifts his hips causing you to buckle your legs around his waist as he manages to flip you over, so that now he was the one on top.  You refrain from a moan to come out of your mouth.

“Seems like you’re getting the hang of it.”

He only chuckles against the curve of your neck, before resuming the rhythm at which he was working before.

“Y/N...Fuck”

“Mando...”

“It’s Din.” he lets out between breaths.

“What?” you pant.

“The name. It’s Din.”

The knot in your stomach begins to tighten, and your walls squeezing around his cock. Your moans become more frequent as you feel your high growing. You grab one of Din’s hands and guide it down to where your bodies are connected.

“Feel this?” you pant and he hums in response “The hard bud, it’s the clit. Rub it in circles. It feels good.” You guide his fingers a few times circling your clit and once you feel like he has the hang of it, you let him do it on his own. 

“Like this?” he pants, stroking it fast causing you to see stars.

“Exactly like that.”

You can feel your orgasm getting closer and by the way he is tensing, you can tell he is about to cum too, the only sounds in the room being those of your breathings and sloppy kisses, and your skin slapping together. 

Your hips connect one last time before your back arches off the bed, pressing your nipples against his soft chest and Din’s body tenses, groaning in pleasure as his hot cum dashes your insides. 

But he doesn’t stop rubbing your clit until you come down from your own high as he pulls out, rolling to your side, and you let out a soft whimper at the emptiness. 

You’re sprawled out next to him and looking over at you, he chuckles adoringly and wipes a bead of sweat from the side of your forehead before placing a kiss to it. You manage a soft smile, eyes meeting his.

His eyes then trace the shape of your body, glazing over the red handprints your hips and waist.

     You roll over onto your side, draping one hand over his chest as he wraps his arms around you gently, pulling you to him, and burying his face in your hair. You close your eyes and inhale his scent.

     “I love you.” You smile a bit but don’t open your eyes only whispering the same words as he smiles against your forehead, leaning down to kiss it before resting his chin on the top of your head as he holds you against his body for the rest of the night.

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[kingofthewilderwest]

Given what you said don't ignore this from the following sentence as it wont spoil or give any ruin to anything. I finished S3 of Amphibia within the last week and going back over the series and other series I just see a lot of writers not being able to commit to longer or more in depth series. Seems like the best series are the ones that KNOW they wont be longer than 3-4 seasons. I havent been too close to many TV shows but all shows nowadays are either limited or being canceled before they do anything worthwhile

From this.

I think it's fascinating you brought that up. I was talking with a friend this week about the trend of children's animation increasingly making long-term narrative arcs, and how there seems to be less focus on episodic children's animation.

I'm going to get rambly, veer all over the place, but more or less stay prompted by what you brought up.

It makes sense we've seen a renaissance of long-term plot forms. Streaming and binge culture allows people to reliably follow a story and see every episode, right? And so we've gotten Gravity Falls, She-Ra, Amphibia, The Owl House (at least from the few episodes I've seen), you name it. Since it's a recent phenomenon that we can safely tell long-term arcs, creators will dive into the new opportunity. I think that in most animation, we're going to see them veering there because They Can Now.

I celebrate the longer plot arcs. It's made beautiful art. And it's unlike periods that came before! At the same time, I hope the pendulum will eventually swing into the center. Once the newness of long-term structure fades, maybe we'll get more balanced numbers between shows that are one form versus the other, each show picking what is best for it.

And going to what you said about long-arc execution... writers have to know they will be able to finish it, right? And with the way Western media still cancels or renews its shows... Western media can't as safely create long-term media. Which means you're limited to:

Writing plots that have the length of an episode

Writing plots that have the length of a season, max

Writing long-term narratives with a specific several season goal, and hope you'll get renewed

Writing long-term narratives, but do so within a safe contract bet (that "they KNOW / are reasonably confident it won't be longer than 3-4 seasons)

Having an "oh, we'll just write, and figure out making that ending when cancellation starts threatening us" (terrible idea)

I think good writing, structure-wise, usually knows how long it's going, because you can't have good, incremental plot scaffolding without knowing your duration. If you're doing #3, you have your scaffolding prepared, but you could get cancelled before your structuring pays off. I see #5 happen more with live action adult media, and that's often a hit and miss, because you are forced, by the uncertain world of potential cancellation or unrenewed contracts, to adlib.

Getting back to Amphibia, even without me knowing what their contract situation was, I can tell they were operating on #3 or #4. Which means it's going to work better structurally.

I think it's fascinating. While I was writing my thoughts last night about Amphibia's structure, I knew that I could write an incredibly robust post about all the ways their scaffolding works. How they successfully implemented it. Because it's very structurally sound and there's tons there. The fact I was writing, from an emotional perspective, about whether I liked it... was going in the face of everything I logically saw working.

It's hard to pinpoint and/or vocalize, studying the well-implemented structural side, why my emotions weren't 100% sold with what I got S2. I can say things like, "It feels like Hop Pop, Sprig, and Polly aren't as integrally tied to the long-term narrative as they should be, given the centrality of family messages in S1," but I can also point to plot events like Hop Pop burying the box that were intended to be central to the long-term whatnot. I still think I'm right. I still think they're not as central, because long-term it is about King Andreas and Marcy and Sasha and Anne and stuff... and what does a farming frog contribute to toads trying to dominate the land?

But in the end, my post wasn't even intending to be structural. My post wasn't intended to say "this is working well or not." Because it is working well? It's just processing, from a purely emotional perspective, that my emotions were weird. It'll be interesting, as I watch S3, whether or not my emotions will or won't align with the structural implementation.

Obviously, you, as someone who's seen S3, will know how that structure plays out. And you will know whether the structure was good. I appreciate you respecting my request to have no hints, even in the slightest, of how S3 goes down, even in vibe. Maybe I'll poke you again about structure when I have completed S3 (probably pretty soon), and talk about that phenomenon you brought up.

I do want more shows that are episodic again. That's a way to escape non-commitment to longer plot arcs, being limited, or being cancelled before going anywhere.

I don't know if I tackled anything you were thinking about, since I went all over the place. But I enjoyed your thoughts. It's cool to reflect on.

[mediawhorefics]

Hi just me asking HOW ARE YOU SURVIVING OBI WAN TELL ME ALL UR THOUGHTS WE ONLY HAVE TWO EPISODES LEFT 😭

I WROTE YOU A 1K WORDS ESSAY LAST NIGHT AND TUMBLR CRASHED AND I LOST THE WHOOOOOOLE THING 😭😭😭😭

but YES I AM LIVING AND DYING AT THE SAME TIME!!!! I ASKED FOR PAIN AND THEY ARE GIVING IT TO ME!!!!! ITS AWESOME.

i'm soooo sad there's only two left 😭😭 i've heard rumours of a s2 and damn i hope its true because i'm loving this so much. i want more obi ALWAYS. (i also want more vader/anakin always cos that's my boo, my silly rabbit but that's another discussion lmao)

but yeah i'm really enjoying the show so far, i know there's been some ~discourse online cos star wars fans are the worst but i am having a blast on this bitch rn.

the fact that it focuses so much on anakin & obi-wan's relationship ??? and all the ways they still affect each other ??? all the ways they've loved and hurt each other ??????? the fact that it focuses on obi-wan's grief & guilt & trauma re: what happened with anakin???? soo sexy wow. the fact we're getting such detailed visualisation of the strength and endurance of their force bonds through the years??? it's still strong by the time it hits a new hope ??? they can still sense each other?? HELLO ???? obi-wan's devotion to anakin's children despite everything that anakin has done ?? literally no one touches ME !!!! these two are FAMILY. BONDED FOR LIFE. DRIFT COMPATIBLE. it's no secret i'm not a sequels fan and i've always said if ANYONE in the sw universe deserved to be a fucking force dyad its these two and this show really is saying you are CORRECT to bitch about it. and i love that. i mean obi-wan is HAUNTED the whole show is about love & kindness & grief & trauma and obi-wan being haunted and i absolutely love that. i love that we're taking our time building up to a big fight, that obi is rusty and emotionally wounded and struggling. he has ptsd and its exactly what i wanted to see. its SO satisfying watching him rebuilt his confidence and find himself again. and the fact that it's all motivated by LEIA ??? of all people ??? oh this deepens and enriches a new hope SO much. what a great great great idea. i didn't know i needed uncle obi this badly but FUCK. it hits. every damn time.

speaking of leia she is PERFECT. the writing for her is sooooo good. you can see the ways she's gonna grow into the character we know so well and love so much. and we can see the way the experiences she's having in this show shape the character we know. its all very clever. i'm living for it. @ sw dude bros complaining about the child i'll fucking fight you, you dicks. that little actress is doing SUCH a great job. and god, i know the show's ~leia & padme are similar agenda is strong but as a ANAKIN & LEIA ARE THE SAME believer, i am LIVING for her characterization. she's SUCH a mini anakin in so many ways. ofc anakin & padme are very similar too in that they're stubborn and fierce and passionate etc. but i feel so fucking vindicated. (and sad lbr because in an au where he doesn't fall, anakin would have loved her SO much and she'd have been such a daddy's girl. :((( they'd watch spaceships together and he'd improve her droids for her :((()

i'm also really enjoying tala (an ACTUAL QUEEN) & reva. i think there's work that needs to be done re: reva's backstory & motivation to fully develop her as a character but i'm nowhere near as bothered by it as other people online have been.... like... the only two inquisitors we know that much about are thrilla in jedi fallen order and the grand inquisitors in rebels. and even THEN that fantastic backstory is what ??? he was a jedi temple guard ??? that's...... it ??? we barely know anything about him ??? like... people will bitch and bitch about reva being underdeveloped (even tho the show isn't even FINISHED) but let's be real, a lot of the inquisitors ARE pretty one-dimensional ???? but hey, when it's a woc the character and writing gotta be perfect otherwise........ its so fucking annoying that sw fans are like that -.- . like... i want more from her too, don't get me wrong. mostly because she's badass and super smart and kinda scary and I'm INTRIGUED by her intensity. but I'm not particularly bothered yet.

the weakest part for me was no jokes the guy's grand inquisitor's performance. mostly because jason isaacs is unbeatable in my mind. (its unfair to the new guy i know i can't help it :///) but now with what happened in ep 2 i don't even know if its the same character so *shrug* idk idk. i'm really hoping we get resolution/more info re: that.

another thing is that i 100% want more vader & more hayden specifically. because i'm greedy like that. ALL the vader/anakin stuff we've had so far is PERFECT. no notes. 100000/10. he's SUCH a looming presence on the show and SUCH a strong point in it. but yeah, i want more. i can't wait to see the final showdown. i'm hoping for more heartwrenching dialogue and hopefully an attempt to bring him back from obi ??? might be wishful thinking BUT in rotj vader does say 'obi-wan once thought as you did' and lbr.... we have never seen obi-wan in canon thinking hum! vader can be redeemed! so, yk i am waiting. AND i want to see maybe flashbacks ?!! hayden is RIGHT THERE! it'd be a waste not to, right ??? right ??? so yeah, i really hope that happens. but who knows! i'm just enjoying the ride so far because the ride has been SO good lmao.

like..... they made me scared of VADER ??? i've never in my life found vader scary. he makes me sad very often because anakin is my favourite character and his story is heartbreaking. and he makes me cheer because lbr its very satisfying to see vader being a ruthless bitch and a drama queen and walking in and fucking everyone up while making stupid puns and saying raw as fuck lines (then you will die braver than most ????? i fucking love anakin). but scared ??? shit your pants terrifying???? that was a first and i LOVED it. i think deborah chow is doing SUCH a good job filming him to emphasize how nightmarish he is. it's a combination of the horror film vibes + hayden's (& the stunt doubles) posture/movements + ewan REALLY selling obi-wan's horror and fear and vulnerability that just.... makes him sooooo scary. i fucking LOVE it. it's a highlight of the show for me.

though the star remains ewan givng it his ALL. his fucking eyes........ tell a million things. i'm so glad we got him back in this role <3333

so yeah..... i'm dying and having the best time. i waited 17 years and i honestly still can't believe i get to have this tbh ????????

how about you???? are you enjoying the show ???

[goldenspecter]

Cosmo’s TMNT Masterpost

(Rise, 2003, 2012, and others)

Here’s where you can find pretty much everything I’ve ever made for the TMNT fandom! Fanfics here[haven’t gotten the courage to post fanart here yet], hope you guys enjoy my work. Reblogs are appreciated!

Fanfics

1. Finding my way home(and moving forward)

Out of sheer curiosity, Leonardo and Donatello looked up, and there it was.

A portal.

Had the Universe really taken pity on them? Had it really heard his desperate prayers for one more chance?

It was not like the ones they had seen before, it was an irregular circle made up of several shades of blue, completely different from the perfect and symmetrical pink triangles of the Kraang.

Leonardo and Donatello looked into each other's eyes for a few moments, "Should we go in?" Donatello asked, almost shouting, drawing the attention of the others, who quickly turned to the portal and to see each other, then the two brothers in question.

"It's our best bet, and our only chance," replied Leonardo.

Or rather, with the 2012 kids' home gone, they end up in the Rise verse after a strange portal shows up. Therapy is needed, and start the slow process of healing from their trauma.

(Rise/2012, Work in Progress, written with @keeryd​ )

2. Strawberry Cookies:

"Mikey here was just about to tell me what we could do to cheer Raph up while he's sick," Donnie says. "Mikey continue?"

Now that Mikey had both of his older brothers attention, he grins. "I was thinking we make strawberry cookies!" He does his jazz hands as he says this and is met with looks of something that he can only put as disapproval. "What?"

"You do know that everytime that we have tried to make it-" Donnie starts.

"We mess it up and Raph has to come in and save our butts from burning the cookies?" Leo finishes, "What would be different this time?"

Mikey huffs, "We are doing this so we can cheer him up and to prove that we can do something on our own!" he says, "That's what got Raph sick in the first place!"

Or rather, Raph gets sick after helping his brothers recover from the poisoned pizza puffs. Mikey, Donnie, and Leo take a shot at baking cookies for Raph while trying not to burn their kitchen down.

(One shot, complete)

 3. Chicken Fried Rice:

“I only poured in half a pot of rice,” Donnie complained.

Mikey stared at him, really stared at him before he spoke. “You do realize that rice expands when cooked right?” he said, “You do realize that?”

Donnie was silent, looking away from Mikey.

“Donnie!”

Donnie makes chicken fried rice. Mikey watches over. Shenanigans and brotherly fluff ensue.

one shot in which Donnie is in the kitchen, cooking rice and Mikey, Mikey is positive he should have gotten Donnies braincell. 

(One shot, complete)

 4. Tea Time with Hortense and Patty: 

"Sooo," Raph starts. She's always been weird with awkward silences. "Are these grandma kinning hours?"

"Grandma hours!" Mikey exclaims excitedly. "Grandma time!!!"

"Ah, if it isn't our favorite girl and her little brother!" Hortense tilts her head over in their direction slightly. "Are you going to join us? We were just about done arguing," she says.

---

Today is Tea Time. Two old ladies have a tea party, one of them forgets to bring the food, and they are joined by Mikey and Raph. A good time is still had.

(One Shot, Complete)

5. One of those Days

When Donnie woke up this morning, he woke up with the familiar thrum of anger and irritation running through his body with more intensity than normal. Rubbing the crust out of the corners of his sleep-addled eyes, he jerkily grabbed his phone and turned off the alarm. It's one of Those Days, Donnie noted. Those Days where Donnie isn't capable of handling Mikey's over-enthusiastic optimism or Leon's chaotic trickster nature. His safest bet is to hang out with Raph, his calm and mellow demeanor always helped calm down before Donnie went on a rage fest and say anything he couldn't take back.

Or, Donnie and Raph help each other out, balance each other, and make things a little less difficult.

(One Shot, Complete) 

 6. Gift Hunting: 

“It’s Leo. Tiny Leo,” the voice answers. “I need your help with something.”

“What is it?”

“I can’t say until you say yes first,” Leo says. “It’s really important though.”

Angelo is silent, weighing his options. He could say no, he really could-

“Please, Angelo, you’re the only one who can really help me with this,” Leo pleads.

Rather, Angelo and Leonardo go out in the streets of New York to help the blue banded turtle find gifts for his brothers' sixteenth mutation day. Bonding and fluff ensues.

(One Shot, Complete)

 7. Aftermath:

“Raphie bear?” Mikey called out, gently tapping Raph, with relief washing him when Raph turned his head to face him. “What’s the matter teddy bear?”

“Th-thi-this doesn’t feel real.” Raph stuttered out, his voice cracking as a sob broke through. “I’m not really here. Neither are you and everyone else. I’m still alone with Draxum and his minions. No one’s coming to save me because I was stupid enough to get captured and no one wants such a worthless turtle like me.”

In which Raph was kidnapped and tortured by Baron Draxum and his family has to deal with the aftermath of it.

(One Shot, Complete)

 8. To Be the Eldest

Donnie, the second youngest in his family, wishes he was the eldest for once. Then one night, Donnie gets his wish granted and now he was three small turtles in his care.

Donnie adjusts to being the eldest, comes to some realizations, and makes a promise to his (now) younger brothers.

(Work In Progress)

 9. Wanted: Snaggletooth 

Dr. Noel bent down on his knees in front of Raph, a manic smile that showed too many teeth coming about on his face speaking of pain and suffering that has yet to come. He stretched out his hand towards Raph’s face, placing a thumb under his mouth, pressing into his snaggletooth. “Beautiful. Just as I expected,” he crooned, pulling out a syringe and injecting it into Raph’s neck, pushing the contents of the syringe into his system.

Raph’s eyes fluttered as he started losing consciousness, watching through hooded eyes as Dr. Noel's smile grew even wider, with his last thought right as darkness consumed him being that he hoped his family would find him before it was too late.

Post S2 Finale, Dr. Noel remembers Raphael, his snaggletooth, and manages to find and capture the red masked turtle. It doesn't end well for Raphael.

(Work In Progress)

 10. Dimensional Differences:

They bow. Not like one of those pretentious bows like she would do at Yokai parties and not like the ones she would do with her brothers when they hosted tea parties. They bowed deeply, heads stopping at her stomach, one hand closing around their fists. This spoke of respect and honor.

And that unnerved her a little bit. Why are they bowing so deeply?

“Thank you,” they said in unison. It’s unnerving to April and she felt the uneasiness coming from her brothers too.

“Why are you thanking me?” She said finally, voice sounding foreign to her.

“You saved my life?” Baby Leo said slowly, voice tinged with confusion. “That was an honorable thing to do?”

April blinked, “It shouldn’t be considered honorable for doing what any big sister would do,” she said. “That’s not honor, that’s just being a good older sibling.”

In which April, Sunita, Casey, and the turtles end up in the 2012 verse after a mishap with Leo's ōdachi and stay with the 2012 turtles until they can go home. They find out a lot of things that don't quite jive with them. Some things are the same, some things are different and they're not quite sure how to handle those differences.

(Rise/2012, Work In Progress)

 11. Mind Meld Part Deux:

“Oh thank Galileo that you all are back to normal!”

“What do you mean we’re back to normal?” Raph questioned, pulling back from the hug. Mikey and Leo also pulled back to stare at Donnie. “We’ve-we’ve always been like this?”

Donnie went quiet. He shouldn’t have said that.

“Donnie, what did you do?”

The brothers found out about Donnie’s Mental Intelligence Reprogrammulator. Arguments are had, words are said, words that tear a rift between him and his family, and it’s up to Donnie to earn his brothers’ forgiveness. The only thing is, will he get it?

(Work In Progress)

 12. I'm a little kid and so are you(don't you go and grow up before I do):

The 2003 turtles somehow, someway ended up in the Rise verse, with Rise Splinter and his turtle tots, and stay with them while the boys try to figure out their way home. 2003 Raphael got attached to his tiny counterpart the moment he laid eyes on the tot. (Raph centric)

(Rise/2003, Work In Progress)

 13. Dimensional Self-Isolation

Post S2 Finale, Raph finds himself trapped in the 2012 universe and has a difficult time coping with all of the differences that this world has in store for him. From new villains, unfamiliar familiar faces, and the way the 2012 boys and Splinter treat each other and him, Raph has a heavy plate on his hands during his long term stay.

(Rise/2012, Work In Progress)

14. A Collection of Turtle Thoughts

A collection of drabbles and ficlets about Turtles I've been writing since October 2020. Ranges from humor to hurt/comfort, I have it all.

Requests are open. SFW only though.

(All Iterations, Work in Progress)

If y’all reblog, read, and share my work, I’d really appreciate that! Anything and everything is appreciated, money or not! Thanks folks 🐢💕

[newtonsheffield]

I feel a little bad because I sent so many of these... but also thank youuu for goose, that was incredible, whoever is the love interest of edwina is s2 better live up to that 👏🏼👏🏼 I would loooove to see some Edwina/Matthew fluff, they are so CUTE, if I don’t meet a cute man at next time I am at the museum I will be very disappointed. also Francesca and Michael next week?? cannot wait!! thank you thank you thank you

Whyever would you feel bad? I obviously don’t know exactly which messages are yours butI loveeeee getting messages! And I’m very lucky that I currently have 95 of them sitting here! I know! I’m terrible but I’m getting there!  

Oh Edwina’s love interest has a lot to live up to in my mind because Matthew Goose Bagwell is a very special man who makes his own Jam because Mary said she wanted to make Bakewell tarts. And who tags along to Edwina’s functions and had absolutely no idea who Simon Basset was when he met him because he doesn’t follow football. But who went bright red when he met Francesca Bridgerton because he is an avid Kilmartin fan. For the historical accuracy of course. Edwina privately asked Francesca if she and Michael would sign Matthew’s Kilmartin blurays which of course Frankie did with a bemused little smile. Anyway Matthew Goose Bagwell is a gem whom I love and adore and he and Edwina deserve to be so happy. 

I’m VERY excited to be writing Michael and Francesca’s story this week! Which! I’m very excited to announce will be called Dangerous! Oooooo!

Anyway! Let’s check in with Edwina and Matthew and Umm... Meeting the parents?

Edwina Sheffield was not a person who got nervous very often. She gave interviews and met people, and smiled, and it took a certain amount of confidence to let your picture be printed on a billboard in the busiest section of London, and yet here she sat, in the passenger seat of Matthew’s car nerves clawing at her stomach. Matthew had sat at her kitchen table a week ago nervously adjusting his glasses, clearly considering his words carefully.

“I really like your sister.” He said gently, and Edwina had raised her eyebrows, surprised by the odd turn. “Though her husband is a little... scary.” He’d finished, swallowing nervously. Edwina felt her brow furrow. “I’m glad. Kate’s my favourite person. We were really close growing up. Still are. And don’t worry about Anthony. He honestly didn’t even like Kate at first, or he at least pretended not to, and you’ve seen them now.” She’d said chuckling quietly, and Matthew had smiled, and then taken a deep breath, his question coming out in a hurried breath. “Umm... Eddie I’d really like it if you met my Mum.” And Edwina had stilled, a slice of toast halfway to her mouth, her mind racing. It was a natural progression of their relationship, this was how relationships were supposed to work, she knew, two people slowly intertwining their lives. But she’d never done it, all of her previous boyfriends keeping her at arms length. Even after months and months. And yet here Matthew was, barely a month in, holding out a piece of string, asking her to take it. “i’d like that as well.” 

“There’s no need to be nervous, She’s really excited to meet you.” 

Matt said, smiling his little crooked smile that always made her heart beat a little faster. Edwina forced herself to nod, her hands clutching the flowers she’d brought a little desperately, her knuckles turning white. Because she knew Matthew was wrong. There was plenty to worry about. Would Mrs Bagwell think she was a vapid, self obsessed woman? Plenty of people assumed she was. Would she think she wasn’t good enough for her son? She probably wasn’t. She’d been thinking about it all week, playing the possibilities over and over in her head until they’d come spilling out of her when she’d called Kate last night in a near panic. 

“Eddie, come on, Matthew’s mum is going to love you!” Kate said gently, and in her panic Edwina had scoffed. “That’s easy for you to say, Anthony’s Mum adores you.” Kate had hummed contentedly. “Violet and I do get along well, because I make Anthony happy. And I know you make Matthew happy, I saw it last week. You’re amazing just as you are, Just be yourself.”  “Thank you, Kate. Just be yourself? Are you feeding Edmund this terrible advice?” Edwina had said snappishly. Kate had hung up the phone with a snappish For Fuck’s sake 3 seconds later. 

“Here we are!” Matthew said pulling the car to the curb, kissing her cheek before he slid from the car. Nerves twisted Edwina’s stomach as he opened her door, her hand clutching his desperately as they walked up the drive, his thumb rubbing slow circles into her hand. They’d barely taken three steps before the front door burst open. “Matty! There you are!” A small woman called, leaping forward and wrapping Matthew tightly in a hug, motherly affection shining from her as she pulled back patting his cheek affectionately, smoothing his hair with a warm smile on her face. “Oh you look skinny Little Goose.” She said tutting as Matthew blushed. The sight made Edwina’s heart flutter happily. A surge of affection for her boyfriend who said

“Mum, Please!” A little embarrassedly, his eyes flicking to Edwina who had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Mrs. Bagwell’s eyes followed his, and her smile widened impossibly more and Edwina was temporarily startled by the similarity between Matthew and his Mum, the same kindness radiating from them. “Mum, This is Edwina.” Matthew said Smiling proudly as he continued “Eddie, This is my Mum!” Edwina took a deep breath and held her hand out. “Mrs. Bagwell it’s so lovely to meet you.” She said, smiling as naturally as she could manage. And Before she could react Mrs. Bagwell had leapt forward, wrapping her arms tightly around her. Warmth flooding through her chest. 

“Just Judy is fine, sweetheart.” She said pulling back, Her eyes flicking over Edwina. “My goodness you are even more beautiful in person.” She said, her eyes a little alarmed as she tugged Edwina into the house, leaving Matthew smiling happily on the driveway.  “It’s a little startling actually. Goodness, that smile. No wonder my Matty’s so taken with you.” She said, forcing Edwina down on the sofa in the living room, and Edwina felt her cheeks burning.  “Oh, umm..” She started, unsure what to do as Matthew settled beside her, his arm around her waist still grinning happily. Judy shook her head. “Oh no, I don’t mean anything by it, never mind me. How do you take your tea sweetheart?” She said looking back at Edwina expectantly as she left the room, Edwina’s mind racing to catch up with the startling turn. “Oh umm Black, Please. If it’s not too much trouble, No let me help you!” She said trying to stand but Judy shook her head disappearing down the hall. 

“She likes you.” Matthew said his lips brushing her cheek softly. Edwina stared down at the flowers still in her hands a little stunned.  “I’m not sure how you can tell.” She whispered back a little urgently. Matthew hummed  “She knows how happy you make me, that’s all she wants.” And Edwina felt her heart stutter, a surge of something she was growing more suspicious every day was something a little stronger. Their gazes getting tangled together for a second.  Judy bustled  back into the room, the sound of a kettle whirring in the background.  “Now I made this for you, I thought it would look lovely with your colouring.” She said brightly, thrusting a Small package at Edwina who looked around a little helplessly still holding the flowers. “Oh are those for me? You’re sweet.” She said before Edwina could stutter out that they were, “There’s no need to be nervous dear, I can see how happy you make my little Goose. Now Open your gift.” She said dismissively, taking the flowers and gesturing to the gift. 

Edwina looked down at it nervously, her fingers shaking slightly as she unwrapped an emerald green scarf, a tiny goose embroidered in flight. Edwina felt tears prick at her eyes. Silence engulfing the room. “You don’t have to wear it of course but-” Judy started but Edwina cut her off “Mrs. Bagwell, I love it.” She said wrapping the ends of the scarf around her neck. Judy smile happily, satisfied. Edwina felt Matthew’s arm nudge hers  “Now we match. What a pair hey?” He said, his eyes shining happily behind his glasses. And Edwina felt her breath catch  “Yeah, What a pair.” 

I’m very sorry, this got away from me!      

[cheri-translates]

[CN] Gavin’s S2 R&S - Inevitable

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers from an R&S (不可抗力) which has not been released in English servers!🍒

This R&S features S2 Gavin!

It is incredibly important to read Ch 9 Part One before embarking on this!

[ Chapter One ]

At midnight, a young man makes a turn at a secluded alley, walking into a small hotel that’s still open for business.

He walks around the main hall, and straight into the innermost booth. The sound of shuffling in the night is continuous, and the dealer holds a cigarette in his mouth, drawing a card.

A hand suddenly approaches, and the muzzle of a gun covers his temple.

"How long will it take for you to finish this round?" Gavin’s voice is calm, fingers exerting more pressure on the trigger.

The others are so frightened that they rush out. With no way out, the man suddenly whips out a knife and swings it at Gavin. Gavin grabs his wrist, the other hand reaching for the handcuffs.

All of a sudden, a voice rings in his head: Don’t get hurt, and don't ignore the consequences. If he were to do this, it seems someone would be very sad. He doesn’t seem to want to make that person sad either.

In that second of distraction, the knife glinting with a cold light in the man’s hand slices the area between Gavin’s thumb and index finger. The thoughts in his mind accumulate amidst the pain. Gavin gathers some strength in his palm, a raging gale rolling up the battered tables and chairs. The man’s gaze turns frightened...

-

Three minutes later, the man, who was puffed up with pride earlier, is firmly handcuffed and kneeling on the ground, begging for mercy.

Gavin pushes the person out of the booth, and the colleague responsible for providing assistance steps forward, escorting the person into the police car.

In the main hall, the little girl who was clapping her hands and singing the birthday song earlier has burst into tears, shocked by the sight before her. Her mother comforts her. "Don't be afraid, darling. This is the Special Police Uncle who catches bad men and is here to protect us.

After glancing at him, the little girl cries even more fiercely.

Gavin nods to the girl’s mother apologetically, then walks towards the claw machine at the entrance of the hotel. After a short while, he returns, hugging the largest doll in his arms.

"Happy birthday.”

He hands a huge cartoon doll to the little girl, then turns and walks out the door.

-

An hour of interrogations is enough to leave one exhausted. Tang Chao stretches, holding a tidied statement while heading towards Gavin’s office.

It’s late at night, and the lights are still on. Tang Chao knocks thrice but receives no response. He tries pushing the door open, and is shocked to find that Gavin, who is seated behind the desk, is neither dealing with a case nor official business. Instead, he’s in a daze.

Gavin leans against the chair, his gaze fixed on the computer screen for a long time, brows furrowed deeply. Tang Chao walks over and glances at the screen - it’s a report regarding the arrest of the producer from [MC’s Company Name] not too long ago. He reaches out, waving his hand in front of Gavin. He asks, "How many fingers?”

When Gavin glares back coldly, Tang Chao feels relieved. However, seeing the scab wound on his hand, he’s confused again - what could be so important that he’d forget to tend to his wound?

He places the tidied statement on the table, then drags Gavin to the infirmary. "Even a body forged in iron can’t be compared to you.”

Fortunately, the wound isn’t deep, and can be healed in a few days. But Tang Chao’s intuition tells him that Gavin is a little different from usual. This time, the offender wasn’t considered dangerous, and could be easily subdued by Gavin’s skills. How did he get hurt this easily?

Before Tang Chao can ask a few more questions, Gavin has already vanished without a trace.

-

[ Chapter Two ]

At four o'clock in the morning, the clerk at the 24-hour convenience store yawns, overcome with boredom as he stares at the TV commercial on the wall to pass the time. A cheerful electronic sound rings. The automatic doors slide open, and a young man walks in. 

The clerk perks himself up, and is about to say "Welcome" when he realises that the customer in front of him looks very familiar.

This man lives in an apartment in the vicinity, and visits this convenience store frequently. Sometimes, he drives past in a smart-looking motorcycle. When someone tries to hit on him occasionally, he always rejects them coldly. It’s a pity that whenever he visits, he either buys instant noodles or instant bento... looks like it’s the same this time.

When the clerk sees him heading towards the convenience food shelf, he sighs in his heart: Young people these days don’t take care of their health at all.

Gavin leans down, his gaze flitting across the neatly arranged food on the shelf, absentmindedly differentiating the expiration dates marked on the packets. 

Shiitake mushroom flavoured instant noodles aren’t tasty. The stray cats at the entrance of STF prefer meat, not anchovies. Don’t get hurt, don’t get mired in danger alone, don’t leave without saying a word.

Such thoughts once again surge forth. From a certain point in time, many unfamiliar experiences have been intruding into his life. It’s as though he’s sharing another memory, these disordered fragments of memories twisting into a long, thin thread, holding onto his wrist, tugging at him secretly from time to time. 

Gavin returns to his senses, subconsciously drawing back the hand that was reaching for the convenience food, and picks the brand at the side which contains more vegetables.

When checking out, Gavin notices that there are rows of potted succulents next to the cash register. 

"This is a public welfare activity jointly launched by our store and the Loveland City Environmental Protection Association. For every plant sold, we will donate the same amount of funds to the environmental protection charity.”

Seeing how unresponsive the young customer in front of him is, the clerk is tactful as he continues scanning the remaining products, "Nine dollars in total.”

The receipt is printed, and the clerk hands it to him along with the bento. The young man suddenly points at the small potted plant that had just emerged from the soil. 

"Add this too.”

-

Back home, Gavin throws his jacket into the washing machine, sets the time for washing and drying, then heads into the bathroom to take a shower. 

A strong gush of water flows from the shower, and white mist quickly fills the entire space. The stinging pain from the wound sobers him up quite a lot, and he subconsciously thinks: The wound should be tended to quickly, and “she” can’t know about it.

Realising what he’s thinking, Gavin is once again stunned-

Who’s “she”?

And why is he so concerned about how that person feels?

Stepping out of the bathroom, the washing machine makes a "ding" sound. Gavin wipes his head and walks over to take a look, only to realise that he had put bleach instead of laundry detergent. He stares at the washing machine in silence for a while, then reaches out to unplug the power, retrieving the ruined jacket.

After all of this, Gavin suddenly remembers the small potted plant he just bought. The clerk said that if it is placed in a location with sufficient sunlight, there would be new shoots in a week, and that it’s very easy to grow. 

Gavin places it on the balcony, then picks up the phone and begins to search "How many times must succulents be watered in a day". Whether it’s a mere illusion, that sense of deja vu once again surfaces.

"What in the world am I doing...?" He mutters to himself, tossing his phone aside a little irritatedly. He returns to the bedroom, lying on the bed and closing his eyes, waiting for sleep. 

In the depths of this autumn night that no one knows about, the rain outside the window patters against the leaves gently, and there is a very, very light stirring in his heart.

Gavin opens his eyes, looking at the ceiling which is illuminated by car lights. Suddenly, an unnamed emotion surges in his heart - he feels that the memories he has never been able to grasp weren’t “forgotten”. Rather, they are “losses” which render him powerless.

-

[ Chapter Three ]

On a rare, idle weekend, Tang Chao calls a group of friends from the STF together for hotpot. Right after ordering the hotpot base, Lu Yi’s conscience suddenly bugs him, and he asks if he should call Captain Gavin over. 

Thinking about how rarely Gavin gets to rest and how he definitely wouldn’t be willing to see this group of people, Tang Chao knowingly shakes his head. However, his mouth has a different idea. “I’ll call him then.”

On the other side, a few special police officers are comforting Xiao Zheng from the Publicity Department who was hurt emotionally. Xiao Zheng fell out of love last week, and has been feeling extremely fragile and sensitive these few days. Hearing the bitter love songs in the shop, his eyes immediately redden.

Tang Chao taps open his contacts list, silently recalling the odd behaviour of Gavin recently. He isn’t interested in being a busybody, but his instincts tell him that Gavin has something on his mind, and it’s a change obviously brought about by that girl’s appearance. But whenever Tang Chao wants to inquire about it, the words get halted by Gavin’s killer glare. 

Thinking about this, Tang Chao glances at Xiao Zheng sympathetically, and comes to a definite conclusion - if Captain Gavin were to continually suppress his emotions without releasing them, it’d result in an illness.

Tang Chao asks the waiter to serve two dozen beers, then dials Gavin’s phone.

"Good evening Captain Gavin. Have you eaten?" 

"I don’t mean to annoy you, but Captain Eli invited us to have butter hotpot. You coming? 

"Don't be in such a hurry to refuse. I’ve got something to talk to you about. Yes, it’s happening right now... it’s of utmost urgency.” Tang Chao shoots a grin towards an astonished Eli. Then, he continues fabricating a tale. "I don’t want to run laps. There’s a genuine matter.

Half an hour later, Gavin frowns as he walks into the hotpot restaurant. Seeing this, a few young special police officers immediately set down their chopsticks and stand up straight in a row. The only thing they haven’t done is to salute at Gavin. 

Tang Chao grins, asking the waiter to bring an additional pair of tableware over. “Captain Gavin, you’re here.” 

Gavin glances at Tang Chao and says in a cool voice, "What’s the urgent matter?"

“Xiao Zheng fell out love, so he asked you over to console him with us.”

“...”

Xiao Zheng frantically waves his hands in surprise, stammering a retort. Tang Chao pushes him back onto his seat and signals for him not to speak. 

"Don't be sad, the chances of people ending up together is always unpredictable." Tang Chao pats Xiao Zheng on the shoulder. "Besides, who doesn’t have someone in their heart? Don’t you agree, Captain Gavin?" 

These words are akin to a sudden clap of thunder on a calm sea. Xiao Zheng immediately forgets to cry. Eli immediately straights up, and the others hurriedly set down their chopsticks, whipping their heads over to look at Gavin like meerkats.

Gavin remains expressionless, though the hissing sound emanating from his body is even cooler than the ice cubes in the beer.

Since they’re in public, Tang Chao knows that it wouldn’t be convenient for Gavin to give him a beating. As such, he’s incredibly composed, and continues with his questions without a fear of death. “Captain Gavin, why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Why do you think this has anything to do with her?”

“I already saw the photograph back in the training days. Is she the lady from before when you roared “Tang Chao, put your hands away”?

[Note] These are references to R&S [Tempering] and Ch 2 Part One!

"...Tang Chao!”

“I'm here, I'm here." Tang Chao fills Gavin’s glass with beer. "Captain Gavin, I actually realised that you haven't been in the best state recently, but you don't like speaking your mind. I’m showing my concern." 

“It’s said that you speak the truth after drinking, and today’s beer should be enough. Whatever you want to say, whatever’s suppressed in your heart, just release them all happily. Right, Captain Eli?”

After three rounds of drinking, Tang Chao fails to get Gavin drunk, but ends up drinking too much himself. Once again, he complains about Gavin's "Death Training" back in the days of special training. In the end, Gavin foots the bill. 

Eli steps forward and pats him on the shoulder, saying, "Did something happen recently?" Gavin shakes his head in resignation. "You really believed him? His mouth is like a runaway train.”

Eli looks at Gavin and sighs. "I know you don’t need anyone to worry about you.”

"But that kid Tang Chao said one thing right. If one keeps suppressing their feelings, they’ll be suppressing problems.”

-

[ Chapter Four ]

On the way back, Gavin sees withered leaves on the branches along the street, and only then remembers the small succulent he had bought not long ago. 

Back home, the potted plant on the balcony shrinks alone in the corner. Originally thinking that the plant he had left “free range” for so many days would meet a premature end, it turned out to be alive despite having a few withered leaves. Gavin finds this a little unbelievable, and he becomes more meticulous in watering it.

-

The next morning, Tang Chao opens the door to Gavin’s office and apologises solemnly. "Captain Gavin, I'm sorry. I promise that I’ll never inquire about your personal life in the future, let alone make arbitrary conjectures about your feelings.”

Without looking up at Tang Chao, Gavin only tosses out a sentence. "Before next Monday, re-check all the case data in the Archive Room.”

The Archive Room is on the third basement floor. The dust is very dense and the materials are very thick. Tang Chao wails immediately, leaving dejectedly.

Gavin picks up the document Tang Chao had just placed on his desk. It is a sealed report for the seizure of "small syringe" production plants, which records in detail the batches and output of pharmaceutical companies which participated in the production.

Reaching the final part of the report, Gavin is silent for a moment. At the end of the report, there is a line of small characters - "Ten boxes of drug samples are suspected to have gone missing." 

Without putting much thought into it, a face with a beaming smile locks onto his mind.

“...I won't investigate you this time." He sighs, putting the report back into the drawer. 

After ferreting the mole out of STF, Gray Rhino seems to have erased all traces of the "small syringes". But Gavin knows they wouldn’t withdraw easily from competing for "CORE" - naturally, neither will Black Swan.

Gavin is clear that the current peace will not last for long. Before the girl stands against him on the opposite side, what he has to do is be one step ahead, obtaining more crucial information as soon as possible.

The phone beeps, notifying him of a new e-mail. Gavin is pulled back from his thoughts, and his eyes fall on the unknown email that popped up.

"Congratulations on your successful registration in the Hunter Game" - the sender’s address is encrypted, and there is no doubt that no information can found.

Gavin's thoughts gradually settle. His hands are clasped lightly on the table, his gaze falling on the words "Hunter Game", his gaze turning sharp and determined. 

That place definitely has something they’re looking for.

-

[ Chapter Five ]

In the STF Intensive Care Unit, a dripping sound accompanies the plastic tube. Gavin sleeps very peacefully, and he feels like he had a lot of dreams in his dazed state. They aren’t nightmares which wake him up with a start, but dreams which make him willing to remain asleep.

However, it seems he can only remember the final dream from the long series of dreams. When he’s roused awake by the sound of footsteps in the corridor, what lingers before his eyes is a blurry yet familiar face. Gavin sits up on the hospital bed, the pain from the no-longer-effective anaesthesia making him more awake. 

Despite not telling Tang Chao and Eli about his participation in the Hunter Game, they aren’t suspicious. They’ve grown accustomed to Gavin’s aloof nature, and as such, assumed that he went on a secret mission.

During his absence over the past few days, there was a new development in the Evolver assassination incident - a new victim has appeared. 

Gavin is very clear that if the cases were to be allowed to ferment, the higher-ups from “that side” would intervene in the matter. They have to take immediate action.  

“There’s one more tricky thing." Tang Chao sits at the edge of his desk. "For the latest assassination case, we encountered a witness with a special situation. We might have to ask an Evolver who can read memories for help."

Tang Chao blinks and asks, "But I don't know any Evolvers with this ability. Do you know any, Captain Gavin?”

-

According to theory, aside from work purposes, they should be keeping a distance from each other. But according to the girl, the reason why they’ve come out for an idle stroll is, for one, to relax. Two, to search for inspiration to solve the case.

The lead from the only witness to the Evolver assassination was cut short. Gavin isn’t affected much, since he knows that this matter isn’t simple. In contrast, the girl is especially bothered by it, and feels apologetic for not being able to help. 

On the bustling street in the afternoon, Gavin returns to his senses, taking the oden which the girl hands over with a smile. 

When walking by her side, Gavin realises that he’s barely thinking about the things that are bothering him. He naturally picks up her conversation topics, as if they had wandered aimlessly on the street side by side before. 

Does she feel the same way? In his heart, Gavin shakes his head in self-mockery, wanting to forget these thoughts which confuse him.

Walking out of the food street, rain patters down. The pedestrians on the street crowd together suddenly, rushing towards the station. Gavin holds up an umbrella, planning to send her back. 

The yellow wintersweet flowers exude a subtle fragrance in the rain. The smell, colour, and the scent of the person next to him seem to be magnified, forming a memory of the present moment. 

Perhaps, even before he noticed it himself, while he has been deliberately neglecting the complex emotions in his heart, they have been also been growing in a place where he cannot see. When she calls his name, when she accidentally touches his hand, it’s as though some things from a very long time ago are coming back to life in his mind--

Someone had once called his name using such a tone.

Someone had once held his hand in this way.

Someone... was once his strength.

The emotions which he conceals deeply, whether they are good or bad, were once held gently. 

A scorching wave of heat suddenly rushes into his chest.

The traffic lights change, and the crowd waiting at the side of the street slowly surge towards the middle of the road. The surrounding pedestrians squeeze past each other, bumping into his shoulder from time to time. 

Gavin lifts his head abruptly, watching the side profile of the girl as she’s in the rain. It’s as though there’s an intriguing overlap. It’s as though a very long time ago, his heart had leapt this fiercely for her.

The girl suddenly turns around, looking in his direction and waving at him. Putting away her umbrella, she points to a mother-daughter duo hiding from the rain underneath the bus stop. She asks for his opinion through her gaze. Without much thought, Gavin removes his jacket, brisk walking towards her in the rain.

Raindrops patter down, and the water beneath his feet leave splashes in their wake. Akin to rain, they land on his body. It’s as though he gets slightly more drenched with each step. At this moment, Gavin realises that on days when memories are muddied, he has grasped a thin thread since a long time ago.

The jacket supports a narrow world, and wind and rain occasionally blow in. 

If their reunion was meant to verify their directions, no matter what the future holds, what he has to do now is to run forward with her, together.

[Note] Please don’t ask me about the Hunter Game! I haven’t had the chance to read the earlier chapters in detail so I don’t know the specifics 😅

💙 More S2 content: here

💙 Support the cafe by dropping by the tip jar!

[throughtheinterstices]

AGAIN IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU GETTING THROUGH COLLEGE MY BELOVED SOF IM THROWING YOU A PARTY <3 but also grr i hope youll be able to figure everything out soon <33

oolala stranger things ive never watched it but which ep are you at!! and how are you liking it :o

hdjsjsjs the thought of driving stresses me out it makes me so thankful for the functional public transport system 😭 NOT THE WALKING 2KM JUST TO COOL YOUR HEAD FJSJJS sobs i hope you can maybe find a better instructor and that it gets better soon 🥲

FJDJSJS PLS THE URGE TO BUY NEW BOOKS EVEN WHEN THERE ARE UNREAD ONES ON YOUR SHELF IS TOO REAL but also!! you absolutely deserve a treat (and im an enabler so) and you can never have too many books <3 ANW keep me updated on everything youre watching omg bc im also on break so i currently have lots of free time to watch whatever friends rec to me 😋

and painting!!! omg i hope you have fun painting is so therapeutic i love rewatching my fave movies in the bg while i do it teehee 😋😋

hi ann! first of all, BAD SOF. BAD REPLIER SOF. BOO.

abt stranger things hihihihi, i've finished everything! AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH! i watch it all the time. i got my Dad into watching it too and we just finished s2 last night hihihihihi. 🙆🏻‍♀️

i'm much better in driving nowadays, but my parking needs improvement 😅

and omg, the BOOKS. i bought so many during the break 😂 and i haven't even gotten to reading A LOT of the ones i already have. ughhhhh apparently, overreading does exist, because i seem to have exhausted my reading battery. so now, i just binge watch shows. i've recently finished modern family (so cute and light so yay) and now, i'm starting to watch extraordinary attorney woo, and so far, it's been cute, funny, light, and heartwarming! oh oh! i've been watching the snsd variety show too! hahaha love myself some gg!

with that painting 👀 eep, i still haven't finished it aaaaaa. the details are sooo intricate but it's a good outlet.

eep ilysm ann!!!

[shinydelirium]

Kiro’s 2021 Childhood Bday  R&S Translation [CN]

***THIS POST CONTAINS CONTENT THAT HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED YET ON EN SERVER!!! DO NOT READ IF YOU WANT TO AVOID SPOILERS***

This is a translation from Kiro’s 2021 childhood birthday story released on CN server. I do not know any Chinese so this was done through Google Translate. I apologize for any errors or mistranslations. Without further ado, please continue on reading!!! :) 

***WARNING: ANGST!!! THIS IS SUPPOSE TO BE A HAPPY DAY FOR KIRO!!! FIRST IT WAS S2 CH12 AND NOW THIS!?!?! WTH, PAPERGAMES!?!?!***

[Chapter 1]: Child Star’s Birthday

7:50 am California

After Kiro ran to the classroom and sat down, he laid his head directly on the table. “You can sleep for another ten minutes.” He whispered to himself in his heart.

He is too sleepy.

Ten hours ago, he finished the last set of filming, returned from the studio to the house the company set up for him in California, and then caught up on all the missing courses and homework. It was already 3 o’clock in the morning.

As if on cue, his stomach growled and Kiro lay helplessly on the table.  

Since his debut, he has become more or less accustomed to the professionalism of being a “star” but at this time his stomach seems to be persistently singing against him. Kiro hesitated for a moment and then opened a pack of soda five minutes later.

Sweetness hits the tip of his tongue and brings a sense of satisfaction to his brain. He finally breathed a sigh of relief, put on his headphones and closed his eyes.  

This is the first time in a while he has taken a break in the past few days.  

Kiro took a deep breath quietly and buried his face deeper into his arms.

But he could still feel the gazes around him looking at him and the innocent discussions. Even the moment he walked into the classroom and sat down, the air was still for half a second.

He doesn’t like this kind of “special treatment” nor does he like how he is always affected by it.

Over the years, he thought that he should be used to being watched constantly, and perhaps he had to bear the pressure from other peers. But sure enough, in fact, there are still many times that he will be a little breathless.  

Like now.  

As a child star, there were two to three days a week that he where he would be absent from school. For Kiro, his classmates are indeed some distance away. Because of his repeated absence, the- so-called disparity was expected.  

The reasons are not so complicated in the eyes of the children. At this age, the feeling of distance is often more sensitive than adults.  

He also wants to try his best to build a good relationship with them. After all, having friends is a very happy thing.  

As if he had finally made up his mind, Kiro took a deep breath, smoothed down messy hair, and raised his smiling face along with his shining blue eyes.

“Good morning, everyone, long time no see!” No one could possibly refuse such a warm and sincere greeting, let alone Kiro.  

Even though some shy classmates nodded their heads and smiled with furtive gazes, the greeting initiated by Kiro still received many responses. Soon, a small circle formed around him. Everyone scrambled to ask which crew he went to during the period of “his absence”, which big star he saw, and what new information he gathered.

Suddenly, a boy with curly hair, leaned in and patted Kiro on the shoulder with great enthusiasm.

“Kiro! Happy birthday!”

As his high voice rang out, the children who got together cheered in unison.  

“They are all embarrassed to come and tell you, so I said it! Happy birthday, future star.”

Kiro was taken aback.

“Thank you.”

Almost a subconscious reply.

But in that small world that only belonged to Kiro, another voice sounded different from what he was doing at this time.

“So, today is my birthday.”

[Chapter 2]: A Heart to Live Up To

“Kiro, great, you haven’t left yet!”  

The lingering sound of the bell was still echoing. Kiro had just cleaned up and wanted to seize the rare free time to make up for a good night’s sleep, when he was suddenly stopped by the instructor who had rushed over. He excitedly grabbed Kiro’s hands, looking very surprised.

“Teacher, are you looking for me?”

“Yeah....” The teacher didn’t seem to know how to begin. Kiro responded sensibly, leading the question back at the end of the dialogue.

“If there is anything I need to do, you can just say it directly.”

After hearing this, the teacher nodded in relief, as if he had waited for a long time and quickly told the whole story.  

Kiro understood what was going on.  

It turned out that there was a very important violin competition for high school students today and the classmate of the classical music department who represented the school had a temporary accident and was unable to participate. He wanted Kiro to help fill in.

“...Okay, I will try my best. Thank you, teacher, for believing in me.”

Even though he was tired, he did not refuse this sudden request.

It’s not that he isn’t interested in the competition, nor is he absolutely confident in his skills, it’s just...

He hopes that he is perfect enough in the eyes of the teacher.

After all, at this critical time, the teacher thought of him and believed in him, and he must not fail this trust.

Thinking about this, Kiro clenched his teeth, swallowed a yawn that was ready to come out, and forced himself to wake up. After the teacher went back to the residence to fetch his violin, he hurried to the scene of the competition.

The site was set up in the observation deck of a building and under the transparent glass plank pathway, it is a panoramic view of the entire city.  

At the time of arrival, many contestants were already busy making preparations. Kiro’s appearance undoubtedly caused quite a stir. The teacher proudly met the gazes and protected Kiro through the crowd to their waiting area.

Kiro quickly entered the waiting area. He opened the violin bag, skillfully tightened the bow, wiped the rosin, set the violin on his shoulder, and tuned the pegs carefully and intently.  

Now that he is here, he must do his best. He cheered himself up and walked in the direction where he was ready to take the stage.

“Don’t worry, he is a little star. Even if he doesn’t do well, he has publicity and won’t make the school lose too badly.”

The voice in the corner made Kiro stop.

He didn’t listen. It seemed that there was another voice arguing with him, but that was not important. Kiro just returned to the waiting area quietly, waiting for the announcement from the competition organizer. He just lowered his head and stood there quietly.

At this time a man came over. He patted Kiro’s shoulder lightly and said mysteriously.

“Kiro, this is the first time we’ve met. I am a teacher in the classical music department.” He lowered his voice, “Actually, I don’t really like the format of music competitions. Music should be something to enjoy and convey emotions, not some sort of boring game. So don’t think of it as a competition, but as a special show. I’m looking forward to hearing the music you play. I heard that you play the violin very well. This is the first time I will hear your music.

After that, he mischievously gave Kiro a big pat on the back. *Took some liberties here with the translation*  

Kiro stared at this somewhat holistic man and did not speak for a long time. A similar and familiar feeling came out of him.  

The broadcast system called Kiro’s name.

“Don’t think about anything, just let the world hear your voice.”

[Chapter 3]: Happy Birthday Song

The competition ended smoothly.

Kiro didn’t remember the process of his performance. He only remembered the way the classical music department teacher exaggeratedly raised his hands to applaud him when he left the competition. His eyes were full of real and undisguised recognition and praise.

At the end of the competition, he politely declined the kindness of the teachers and left alone.  

The California coast is like spring all year round and the fresh air is filled with a faint smell of saltwater. Kiro walked, suddenly a little at a loss.  

For a moment he didn’t know where he should go or where he could go. He just carried his violin bag and walked alone on the streets of California aimlessly.  

Until he passed by a family restaurant.

Such restaurants are very common in California. People choose outdoor dining areas to enjoy their food with nature.

As far as Kiro’s line of sight could see, a family sat around the table warmly. There are grandparents, parents, and even uncles and aunts. And the main star of this family banquet is obviously the little girl sitting in the middle wearing a birthday hat.

She sat happily in the center, closing her eyes in front of a huge cake.  

Everyone’s face was filled with the look of joy as they watched her patiently and earnestly. No one interrupted the most solemn “ceremony” at this time.  

The little girl closed her eyes for a long, long time. Maybe she had a lot of wishes that she wants to come true or maybe she is carefully telling some wish that she wants to come true the most.  

After all, in the eyes of a child, the more important the wish, the more carefully it will be heard and realized.  

Kiro stood there and looked at the little girl’s face quietly. He didn’t know what he was feeling right now. It seemed that something he wanted to show was turning upwards along his heart, as if he would shed tears in the next second.  

He just stood there silently, watching her finally make her wish, blowing out the candles while her family sang “happy birthday.” Grabbing the balloons in her hand, the girl ran around in the open space, spinning her little skirt.  

Then she saw Kiro and ran towards him happily without knowing what she was thinking.

“Prince!” She waved her little hand at Kiro and said loudly. Kiro was stunned. The little girl ran up to him and raised her head, “His Royal Highness, are you here to wish me a happy birthday, too?”

Kiro thought for a while, crouched down and touched the little girl’s head, “Although I am not a prince, I wish you a happy birthday!”

The little girl didn’t seem to understand what he meant. She carefully picked out a yellow one from her balloon stash and gave it to Kiro.  

“Thank you for wishing me happiness, and I wish you happiness too. This is for you.”

The little girl happily ran back to her seat after speaking with him and the whole family nodded politely to him, seeming to express gratitude.  

Kiro looked at the yellow balloon in his hand and walked away slowly.

He was walking on the road, the sun a little dazzling, the balloon floating gently while he hummed quietly.

“Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me~”

At this time, his phone chimed, alerting him to an email.

[Chapter 4]: Special Birthday Gift

It is an email from KEY.

Since he came to the United States, KEY has always liked to use this “fun” way to keep in touch with him in addition to the phone.

Kiro sat on the roadside steps, “If my agent sees me like this, he will definitely be angry.”

Kiro thought about it leisurely but didn’t have any plans to get up.

“Today is my birthday, so I call the shots!” *Took some liberties here*

First, he simply replied to the fan messages wishing him a happy birthday on social media and then concentrated on deciphering KEY’s information. It is a very interesting little program. The code attached to the email can be directly written to change the content of the email.  

Kiro has always been happy with this special design. Under his operation, the information was quickly decoded.

“The place where you stay most often.”

Kiro read it out gently, and there was a pair of combined numbers at the same time.  

He raised his head, as if thinking of something.

The dance studio was deserted at this time.

This was the exclusive training room given to him by the company. Kiro took out the key and walked in gently in the same way as he had been in class.  

This is a special place for him.

The sun in the afternoon was particularly brilliant, flowing into the entire classroom through the floor-to-ceiling windows, which looked clean and sparkling. Kiro stood in front of a small cabinet in the dance studio.

He felt like an ordinary child at this moment, being guided to find the answer in the way he was most interested in. He was a little happy when he thought of this.  

Kiro cautiously opened the cabinet and found a box inside. He took it out, and after opening it, it turned out to be an exquisite violin.

The little violin along with the sunlight filtering down onto the light brown amber, reflected in his eyes, as if it was shining.

At this time, the second email came. It was simple and there was no need for decoding.

“Happy birthday.” He seemed to hear KEY saying this to him.

Kiro couldn’t help thinking, when did KEY hide it here?

As if responding to his question, footsteps came from outside the door. Kiro’s heart beat a little fast, and he suddenly wondered if there would be another gift.

He opened the door in surprise, and an unceremonious man greeted him.

The man didn’t even take off his shoes. The exquisite black leather shoes stepped on the smooth floor, looking particularly dazzling.

Kiro felt his fingertips instantly chill, and he clenched his hands hard to keep his body from shaking.

“I really don’t know why I’m responsible for this kid.” The man gave him a look of disgust, “I won’t talk too much nonsense with you.”

“The higher ups are very dissatisfied with you.” Each word struck Kiro’s heart, “Don’t forget why you want to become a star.”

“In one month’s time,” he threw a document on the ground, “Finish it.”

“I don’t know what you have to look forward to.” The man walked in front of him to the center of the floor. Kiro lowered his head, and there were only footprints left in his field of vision that seemed to have been dyed black with thick ink, step by step, on a clean floor.

It seems that no matter how hard he tried, he can’t wipe off that trace.

“3684.” The man impatiently left his last words, “Don’t be too self-righteous. You really think you are worth something?”

[Chapter 5]: Things You Want To Protect

In the empty dance studio, the operating sound of the air humidifier hummed quietly.

Kiro didn’t know how long he had been standing there until the tingling sensation rushed to his legs and he instinctively moved forward slightly.

The towel and hairband hanging on the side of the cabinet came into view and he strode forward suddenly and threw them to the ground fiercely. ***The towel and hairband mentioned here are what Kiro uses during dance practice to wipe off/absorb sweat***

The world swallowed his outburst silently but indifferently, making him at this moment seem small and lonely.

In the end, he dragged his numb body and walked tiredly to the towel and hairband, as if all his strength had been drained and slowly knelt on the floor.

Just like the day when he first picked them.

Kiro stretched out his hand, slowly picked up the towel and hair band, and carefully hugged them in his arms. They were his only close friends, walking side by side. They were proof of his hard work. But if these proofs can be trampled so easily, then what was all his effort for?”

The edges of the cotton towel and hairbands were slightly deformed due to their repeated use. He swiped hard, remembering that he had almost thrown them away because of being used so many times.

And whenever he was about to throw them in the trash can, the soft texture in his hands was always quietly hot at that moment.

It seemed to be telling him, “Wait a minute. Hold on.”

It’s as if they were reminding him they were made in order to continued to be used.

He once heard others say that life will find a way out.

“Is this the way you worked hard to find?”

He stood foolishly in front of the trash can, looking at the towel and hairbands in his hands, muttering to himself.

Then he would stand there, talking endlessly for a while.  

He thought that music was the way out for his life that was once empty.

It seemed that in the darkness where he still was, a gleaming light suddenly broke in. In that world, he can always shine with golden light and light up his life forever.

He can see himself.

But if he can’t maintain this purity, is he still worthy to live in this world that once taught him to redeem?

No.

Kiro raised his head and looked at himself in the mirror.

That world may be impure, but his dream is real, and his love is real. This was what he wanted to do as Kiro, and it was the only way out.

He is Kiro. Not 3684.

He rubbed the hair band firmly, then raised his hand to tie it on his head and smiled at himself in the mirror with encouragement and humbleness as he did before each practice.

“Today’s 2-hour dance training has not been completed yet.”

A dynamic rhythm sounded in the studio and the sound of footsteps rubbing on the floor resounded one after another. Kiro was practicing hard while telling himself in his heart.  

“This is just another ordinary day, tomorrow will only be better.”

Two hours later, he turned off the music, bent over gasping, and abnormally did not stand up for a long, long time.

Finally, for what seemed like ages, he slowly straightened up, took out the violin from the bag on the floor, and sat by the window. The dark brown violin was lined with soft light under the sun and he held it as if being embraced.

“I will definitely protect you.”

Kiro’s eyes were soft, and his tone was gentle and firm.

The birds outside the window chirped and landed freely on the edge of the window.

“It’s great that you are free.”

Kiro smiled and gently extended his fingertips.  

“I will be free too.”

[Chapter 6]: Free Sailing

A telephone ring broke the silence of the studio.

Kiro looked down at the phone. It was an unfamiliar number. Maybe it was from a fan somewhere, but he picked it up in a ghostly manner.

“Hello, this is PLANET Yacht Club, what can I do for you?”

Kiro was stunned. The person at the other end waited patiently for his silence. After a long time, he remembered that when he was resting on the sidewalk a while ago, he accidentally saw a magazine ad about yachts. He made a phone consultation.

However, because he needed to go to pratice immediately he asked the other party to contact him afterwards.  

Unexpectedly, it happened to be today.

“I have read your information. I have some interest in your yachts. How can I learn more about it?”

“If this is the case, you can visit our terminal directly. On which day would you like to make an appointment?”

“Is today okay?”

When Kiro said it, he was also stunned. He felt his heart beating, but he didn’t know what this feeling represented.

“Of course, we will send the address to your phone later, looking forward to your visit.”

When Kiro saw that yacht, he decided to buy it.

It was lying quietly in the corner of the entire pier, unremarkable, but in the light of the surging tide, it instantly attracted Kiro’s eyes.

Of course, the salesman saw the young boy coming to the club, obviously looking a little bit awkward and seemed to be thinking about how to politely ask him to leave.

“I want that yacht.”

Kiro didn’t leave the yacht’s sight and took out his bank card in the salesman’s dumbfounded gaze.

The boat was moored by a small harbor where there was a little old port. This was the place he saw on the way to the club.

He asked the people of the club to help him get the boat here and said that in a few days, he would come again to ask about how to operate the yacht.

It was dusk now and there were no people, only him and his boat, listening to the ebb and flow together.

The half-round sunset has fallen below the sea level. The sun is golden and far away, warmly embracing the whole world.

The yacht hasn’t been decorated yet and looks a bit simple, but Kiro doesn’t care. He feels that he has seen the future of the ship.

This is his boat, he repeats this in his heart over and over, and in the future, there will be someone who is most special to him in this world who will share it with him.

Think of it as a birthday present for yourself even though there is no cake and no birthday song today.

But this is also good.

Kiro was lying on the small deck, seagulls flying non-stop. The sky was divided into half blue and half-yellow. The boat rose and fell with the tide. He opened his arms as if he could touch the sky.

Kiro suddenly felt that he could go anywhere.

Nothing can stop him.

[End]