#i for sure want to have several side stories going on that i can expand in separate fics

[monty-glasses-roxy]

I keep forgetting that Meteors shrinks the animatronics when they change. I believe the generally accepted canon heights are close to and sometimes beyond seven foot so uh... Yeah Roxy was on the shorter end I believe? I think she was the only one estimated at an average tall human height so she gets to be extra salty about being shrunk lmao

[backwardswalks]

the passenger - screening and q&a with carter smith | horrorigins fest 9/28/24

so there was a screening of the passenger at horrorigins fest in tucson, az over this weekend that had a theater screening of the passenger and then a live q&a with carter smith afterward!

there were some really good questions and there's some video on horrorigins instagram (here and here, they haven't posted a full but i know there were several people recording and the festival is ongoing through today so they may post full video later) but some highlights:

he reiterated a lot of things that he's said in interviews about the script (so i won't go into detail about that)

he talked about his background at FIT and how benson's wardrobe was extremely intentionally chosen, and that the costume designer wanted to kill him bc the exact shade of his cardigan took three times to dye to get it right, it's also acrylic and very itchy (he has one too lmao)

he said that he gave johnny and kyle freedom to improvise on the script as much as they needed/wanted but that for the most part they stuck to it

burgers burgers burgers was a convenience store that they cleaned out and the stuffed animal place was in an actual empty mall that was "abandoned" (he mentioned there were like 7 empty malls they could have used, this one was completely empty so they didn't have to shut it down but idk if it was abandoned in the traditional sense)

he talked about the close ups and how much he loved kyle and johnny's faces and how he could shoot the whole thing in close up

the script was originally called "Randolph Bradley" which he did like but marketing didn't think would grab people and he also likes The Passenger for the movie they ended up making

i wish they had given the audience members mics when they asked their questions bc i'm watching the recording back to make sure i don't misquote something so i can't really hear some of the questions :( they also didn't upload the whole thing as of yet so the rest of this isn't verbatim but:

he agrees that at its core its a love story! when i asked my question i said "i wanted to touch on the love story comment from earlier" (bc someone else briefly mentioned it before asking a diff question) and he was like "i ALSO want to talk about the love story more!!" and was very excited that i brought up that "there's obviously a queer undertone to the film" and he just talked about what he saw in the script and how that came about, again said that jack stanley was like there's no romance but carter was like ummm anyway

he said that "this was the best thing to happen to either of them" (randy and benson) and agreed with someone who had described them as two sides of the same coin

he said that blumhouse also wanted them to lean into the weird romance aspect of it (or were okay with it), kyle was incredibly down to lean into the weird romance and was like "can we make it MORE gay"

afterward the fest went to a bar and mostly everyone went! so we actually got to hang out with carter just me and my friend and we talked a little bit more about the film and just other movies that he's enjoyed, we talked about his weekly newsletter, just random stuff like that. some highlights of that:

he said that kyle was all in on the queer undertone and was like can i touch johnny MORE

he said that there is a scene where benson touches randy again in a way that is similar in vibe to the scene in the mall parking lot where he touches his neck/wipes his tears but that they ended up cutting it because he (Carter) felt like it would undermine the emotional impact of that particular touch! he didn't expand on what the touch was or where exactly it went (he said it was after the teacher but didn't specify if it was after shepherd or mrs beard but i imagine he meant shepherd)

carter said that he would absolutely do a full up and down queer movie with kyle (if it was ever the right fit rather than writing a role for that reason)

it was really great and so interesting to hear his thoughts on the film and on filmmaking as a whole! he is really friendly and super nice and really knowledgeable. he had so much good stuff to say about the industry and he couldn't get enough of praising johnny and kyle both for their performances (rightly so) and what a good time he had making the movie.

bonus:

carter was kind enough to sign my poster (which he reposted the picture of on instagram). (i go into more detail about this event and stuff here) he also gleefully took photos of the saint randy and saint benson candles i made (because i am insane) and said he was going to send them to johnny and kyle because they would love them. kyle also reposted the picture of me and my friend the festival posted of us with the candles so now i am just dryheaving in my room. <3

anyway! support your local film festivals!! without horrorigns this wouldn't have been possible so support local and indie filmmakers and local and independent film festivals! <33

[quirkwizard]

Other than the ones we already know, what products do you think other pro heroes endorse?

I'm not certain how you want me to tackle this, whether it's listing out what heroes may endorse in their line of work or cover specific products for each hero, so I did a bit of both.

So if we're talking in general, I'm sure that there are any number of generic products that heroes would have a brand deal with. Action figures, lunch boxes, children's soap. What I'm saying is that if you've seen a Marvel character on it in the past ten years, chances are that All Might had his own version of it in this setting. For more personal products, there could be any number of options. They could have specific toys, like a gun and target set for Snipe or a set of concrete-like building blocks or grey goo for Cementoss. I'm sure that products would be clamoring to have heroes endorse products related to their power, like Fat Gum having his own line of instant-ready meals or Enji getting associated with a bunch of grills. Some of them may even be intentional, such as Aizawa getting his face slapped on a box of eye drops because of how often he uses them.

Then there are products that the user has a more personal touch in. Fashion is the first to come to mind. This could be something the hero was involved with, such as Best Jeanist having his own clothing brand of his designs, or inspired by them, such as Hawks having a deal with some fashion brand to make versions of his jacket and glasses. There could be any number of businesses that heroes have built up and attached their names to, such as Thirteen having a spaced-themed play zone for kids to have safe fun in or Mount Lady owning a saloon where she promotes her various beauty products. Speaking of businesses, there are going to be restaurants about heroes. I guarantee that even the non-food-related heroes have some restaurants or brand deals with them, something I have talked about at length before with several heroes.

Then there is the more personal side of things, where the hero had an even bigger hand in them. We know that heroes can have documentaries made about them or run radio shows, so it'd be neat to see that expanded on. Something like Ms. Joke running her own late-night show where she messes with various heroes or works out specials done by Miruko that likely kill anyone who tries to do it. The arts could also be covered by them, such as Present Mic having an entire album that he sang and produced or Ryukyu making and selling off personal pieces of art she made for charity. And surely people who had as storied lives as heroes would have book deals about them, such as a book by Gang Orca talking about his struggles with his appearance throughout his life or Sir Nighteye writing a biography about All Might's history.

[sparklecarehospital]

I know you’re not working on any askblog things but will the sparklecare askblog ever return?

i've thought about this a lot, semi-recently. sorry for long post, i had a lot to say

see, the issue with asksparklecare is the fact it's supposed to "go along with canon events" and a lot of the time, the arcs will just abruptly end or change with no real connection between them. haunted was sort of my first attempt at putting a "story" on there, then again with the kissmas comic from 2021.

when i started cometcare for example, i wanted to take the generic "ask blog" format and turn it into a coherent, cohesive connecting story that just had interactive elements to make it engaging with readers as opposed to just making people ask the characters questions aimlessly. the main ask blog never really had that entirely, it was just sort of the classic 2010s-style ask blog, this is apparent in basically every arc on there.

it's stumped me quite a bit because now that i have this very different style of ask blog storytelling, the original ask blog feels weird to go back to and i don't feel the same passion or connection with it that i once did. it's a little bit frustrating. i tried to do an arc about the side patients but as you guys saw, i never even did it because i felt so out of touch with that old format of ask blog posts and i couldn't bring myself to work on it at all.

cometcare and darkermatters both have Stories to them, and each arc has a plot that is moved on by readers- even if i already have it written out, there are little things people can influence through the asks and it's a good way for introducing new characters or expanding on characters who we've already met. several times cometcare will return to specific characters to relay information or new details or exposition or something that their initial introduction didn't have.

it's a much more fun process for me to write actual stories in my AU blogs, instead of just....making the characters talk. and another thing- going alongside the main comic has problems, because sometimes there's information i can only reveal in the comic itself, and it's hard to keep up with it in general.

i enjoyed doing the kissmas comic because i got to do a "story" even if it wasn't interactive. i had fun repeating the concept on cometcare last december with help of the crew.

i'm sort of at a loss of what to do with the main ask blog at this point. as much as i miss doing stuff like that for main comic, i just don't find it FUN to do it that way anymore, i've become too attached to the storytelling aspects of my other ask blogs and it just doesn't feel the same exciting experience of watching people react to events and such.

if anyone has suggestions about what i should do with the main ask blog to solve this problem i'm open to hearing them, it would be nice to have some ideas because i'm really not sure what i want to do with it.

there was a time i had the idea of doing a backstory ask blog as an alternate main canon interactive story that followed similar mechanics as cometcare and darkermatters, but idk if everyone would be interested in that. that would probably be a separate thing if i ever did it.

thoughts, opinions, suggestions and ideas are all welcome in the replies or my inbox, i would love to have your guys' input since im making content you all would be engaging with after all

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I've been dreaming of the Deep Sea Tactician.

The Sea Witch has to be as shrewd as he is kind, collecting all manner of wealth.

All the treasures in the world, his--but what is truly invaluable to him is...

How does a moment last forever? How can a story never die?

"Please sign right here on the dotted line.”

Azul taps on the line in question and offers the client his pen. It's a marvel, gifted to him by his stepfather upon graduation. The pen is carved of bone and made to resemble a fish's insides, the nib flaring out into ribs and then ending in a skeletal tail.

The writing implement is claimed.

He watches with eager eyes as the client scrawls on the golden parchment. The signature flows as smoothly as the ink writing it, and as easily as the conversation exchanged with the signer.

One leg of the letter K drags out, underlining the entirety of his first name.

Kalim Al-Asim.

"There you go!" he declares, sliding the contract and the pen back to Azul.

“Thank you very much!" he gushes, snatching up the paper like an octopus might ensnare its target--it is worth its weight in gold, and more. "It’s a pleasure doing business with you, Kalim-san.” “My people will be in contact with your people.”

"Looking forward to it." Kalim reclines in his cushy armchair--one of many that decorate Azul's office. "It's crazy how things work out, huh? I didn't think this is how we'd reunite all these years later."

"Fufufu, it must be fate. I'm honored that you would come and seek me out like this."

Azul rolls up the contract and ties it with a string. It will soon be filed away with the others in an ever-expanding vault.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that the heir to the Asim trading company would approach me for a franchising opportunity."

"Everyone wants a piece of the hottest new restaurant chain. You see Mostro Lounges everywhere now. Having locations in the Scalding Sands can offer tourists a little bit of home away from home if they want the option of something familiar."

"Of course, I completely understand," Azul drawls. "On our end, we will do our utmost to craft unique menu items which will showcase the best of what your home country has to offer. It's sure to be a success!"

Calm, he may display outwardly--but inside, Azul is cheering, fist pumping, and bouncing off the walls with glee. Securing this deal is massive for him, for his business.

"We should celebrate," Kalim suggests, gesturing for his attendant. He wears many bejeweled rings which sparkle with the flicker of his fingers. "A drink? I can call for a bottle of the finest wine."

Azul holds up both hands. "Oh no, I couldn't possibly. I'm afraid I have a lunch engagement right after this. I wouldn't want to ruin my appetite."

His client laughs from his belly, deep and resonant. "I won't keep you any longer then. You have my contact information if you need to discuss the project."

Kalim rises, and at once, his attendant is magically at his side, helping him into his coat.

Azul waits several minutes after they've filed out to enter the code into his safe and deposit the agreement safely inside. The vault door swings shut with a heavy CLANG--and upon its shiny metallic face, he glimpses himself. He's grinning like a cat that has gotten the cream.

His digital watch blinks on, buzzing slightly. Right on cue, his alarm is going off.

Lunch.

Azul heads for the door, tidying himself up on the way. Adjusting the brim of his hat, the lapels of his suit. He mustn't be embarrassed, mustn't be teased.

He opens the door and--

POP, POP, POP!!

Confetti rains down, catching in his headwear and the jacket that hangs off of his shoulders. His assailants wear the same sharp-toothed smiles and mischievous glint to their eyes.

"Jade, Floyd. You two never cease to surprise, do you?" Azul sighs, brushing off the confetti and letting it flutter to the ground. "I thought the plan was to meet at the restaurant, not at my office."

"That was the original intent, yes."

"We changed our minds and came to see you instead, since it's such a big day!" Floyd elbows him. "Finally cinched that big deal with Sea Otter-chan, eh? Now you can make truckloads more money!"

"It's not about the money," Azul corrects him. "The money is nice, yes--but it's the new connections which will prove to be a long-term benefit.

"A clause in the contract stipulates access to the highest quality ingredients procured by the Asims. If all goes well, I can make other requests! Fine china, lavish furniture, a working relationship with Kalim-san, a hefty name with which to brag to other potential clients...!"

The world, his oyster.

The idea makes his smirk grow into a smile.

"Fufufu, things are looking up for the Mostro Lounge's empire! Then even more dough will roll in, far more than the upfront costs of the initial investment!!"

"Aaaah, Jade. Looks like he's lost it again."

"You're right, Floyd. I can practically see the thaumark signs in his eyes," Jade chuckles. "It's good to see that you haven't changed in all these years, Azul. You're still every bit as amusing as you were back then."

"Hmph!" He folds his arms. "What did you expect, that I'd collapse into a wobbling mess without you two at my beck and call? I'll have you know that I'm perfectly competent and capable of running a business without you."

The twins share a skeptical look with one another.

"That's his way of saying he misses having us around. He wants to hang out with us sooo bad."

"It most certainly is. He misses our companionship so much that he personally reached out to invite us to a meal to reconnect."

"And brag about his accomplishments."

"Yes, that as well."

"I-I did NOT!!"

"Tsk, tsk, Azul. You should be more honest with yourself," Jade tuts. "All this success, and you're still unable to afford an ounce of humility? I'm appalled."

"That's rich, coming from you," Azul shoots back. "I could have lunch with any number of wealthy and powerful clientele, but I've chosen to have it with you two! Is that alone not enough humility for you?!"

"Awww, so you did miss us!"

Azul's cheeks color. "I-I never said that!"

So much for not being embarrassed, not being teased. Some way or another, he always falls prey to the Leech brothers' antics.

"He's still being shy, Jade."

"He is, Floyd."

"Know what? This calls for a group hug. I bet that'll help him open up to us."

"You're absolutely right. A group hug will fix this matter in a matter of moments."

"Excuse me?! I-I do not consent to this in any way whatsoever! We must be on our way, our reservation will not hold forev..."

GLOMP!

Azul is embraced from both sides, Jade and Floyd's arms wrapping around him and squeezing him tight. He gasps for air, wriggling between them.

"... Fine, you win," Azul groans, melting into the hug. He tells himself that he has simply given up, not that he enjoys the closeness, the intimacy of friendship. "Are you satisfied?"

"Very~" Jade and Floyd chorus.

"If that's the case, then we'd better get going. That reservation really will expire if we overshoot the 15-minute grace period." Azul pauses, then frowns. "I certainly hope you weren't thinking of walking all the way to the restaurant clinging to me like this. I have a public image to maintain."

Neither brother budges.

"... Jade? Floyd? You did hear me just now, didn't you?"

"Hm, did you hear that, Floyd? It sounded like a mosquito buzzing in my ear."

"I didn't hear anything at all, Jade. Maybe it was just the wind!"

"You two...!!"

Their bickering floats down the hallway and meets a pair of pointed ears.

Ah, squabbling—the true sign of a happy reunion. The listener grins.

“Many blessings upon you, Ashengrotto and company.”

[yoongihan]

Diversion - SCB - 1/?

pairing: officer changbin x femreader (korean native)

genre: angst, crime, s2l, eventual smut

word count: 4k

trigger warnings for this chapter only: alcohol (mostly takes place at a bar)

rating: 18+/M

summary: Set a year after the events of Catalyst, officer seo visits Jeju to see old friends and get away from the city. He meets a local and finds out that someone can see everything he's hiding.

a/n: this is changbin from my hyunjin mafia story catalyst, you don't have to have read that to understand this story. anyway changbin was so lovely whenever he was on the page that i wanted to write him in his own story. this is also a longer piece than most of what i write. i'm challenging myself to expand and detail and tell a slower story. so, slow burn warning here. notes at the end as well.

series masterlist

Chapter One

It’s an unearthly quiet. You can hear the waves, your steps upon the sand, even the snuffling sound Amadeus makes when he’s sure he’s found an errant crab. But other than that, even the cars seem to be quiet today. 

November in Jeju is oddly one of your favorites. Maybe it’s a bit elitist of you, but not having your home overrun with tourists seeking sun, beach, and tangerines is a welcome reprieve. Your very livelihood depends on those tourists to be sure, but when the weather grows colder, the masses go back to their regular lives and you are content to have the space and the quiet again. The air smells of salt and cold, and you tug your scarf around your face again as the wind likes to play with it. 

Amadeus prefers the winter months as well. His coat is well-suited for the chill. You once gave him a shave to survive the summer, but he’d looked undignified and you knew that he was disappointed in you for even making that decision. His fur grew back, and you make sure he has plenty of water during those hot months and your walks together are before the sun comes up and late into the night so you both can beat the heat. 

He rubs against your leg as though he knows you’re thinking of him (he probably does) and it surprises you so much that you stumble, almost dropping your bag.

You tsk at him but his querlous look tells you that it’s hardly his fault that you can’t be trusted to walk firmly. 

He really can be such a judgmental soul. 

“Don’t give me that look. You didn’t have to come.”

He snorts derisively and continues leading the way. You readjust your bag to your other shoulder, wincing at the knot at your shoulder blade that is definitely in need of some focus and pampering. 

Maybe you spent a bit too much time at your stove again. 

But you hurry to keep up with the sure-footed canine in front of you. He leaves the sand and the rocks to the road, ever mindful of the few cars that zoom by. You catch up with him, bending down to brush some of the sand from his ears and head as you both wait to cross toward town. He lets you before shaking you off and continuing on. 

Muddy Water is situated at an ideal spot for a local bar: outskirts of the picturesque village, only meters from the ocean. It’s set in a curve of the island that protects from the most severe weather. 

You glance at the sky, though the overcast day means it’s hard to pinpoint the exact location of the sun. 

It’s early for a drink, but Muddy Water opens for late lunch until one in the morning, though often winter influences all small business owners to close early. The locals aren’t usually going to be up partying past ten. 

Amadeus pads up the stoop to the front doors and then settles to the left side. He rests his head on his front paws, only raising his head once you’re at the doors. 

“I’ll let him know you’re here too.”

You swear he smiles at the knowledge he’ll probably get fed something all too good for a dog. 

You enter and blink a few times as the brightness of the winter day fades to the ambient lighting of the bar. 

You hear your name before you see Yena behind the long bar, waving at you. You smile at the ever-bright and cheerful bartender. Woodz (which he prefers to be called as his music career slowly grows) is on the other end, serving the local solicitor and realtor. You nod your head at the two men, but don’t go anywhere near them. 

The way they run their businesses is very different than how you run yours. 

“What’s in your bag of goodies?” Yena asks with delight. You laugh as you take a seat on the stool right across from where she stands. She sets down a glass of water, before leaning against the smooth, worn wood of the bar. “We’re almost out of–”

You set two sealed jars on the bar, the thunking sound a little more aggressive than the pints of beer being consumed on the other end.

“You knew?”

You could let her think that you had some kind of sixth sense about your wares and the needs of clients, but…

“Your boss let me know.”

Yena looks a little disappointed that you didn’t just suss that out of the air. She takes the two jars and places them on the shelf next to a few bottles of red wine that Muddy Water likes to carry. 

“Speaking of, is your boss around?”

Yena turns back to you with a small knowing grin. You raise your eyebrows in question as she pulls two empty jars and sets them before you. You appreciate that the bar remembers to save them once they’re empty. 

“She’s in the office.”

“Working?” 

Yena usually isn’t this cryptic. It’s not like you have major plans later, but you don’t like to leave your assistant that long in the shop alone. 

“With her other bartender.”

Now you understand the knowing smile. You sigh and rest your chin in your hand. 

“I would hate to interrupt anything between the two of them. But they might just be working?”

Yena snorts, a bit more high-pitched and cute than Amadeus’s. 

“You don’t have to see his heart eyes all the time, every time he looks at her.”

“Jealous?”

“Yes.” Yena purses her lips. “Not really of him, well, I mean, look at him.” 

Yes, you’ve looked.

“But more just having someone that gone over you, you know?”

Yena didn’t grow up here, but she has been around for almost a decade. It’s only since she’s been at the bar that you’ve gotten to know her better. You know more about her relationships than you want, but that was kinda what people did…they shared a lot with you. 

“I think Lee Chan very much was ‘that gone’ over you.” 

She pouts. “You’re probably right. I think I screwed that one up a little too well.” She brushes it off with a shake of her head. “What can I get you to drink? While you’re waiting for our bosslady?”

You eye the shelves like you always do, looking for something that sparks. Muddy Water has an array of liquors, though it’s not posh by any means. You don’t mind that as a good spirit doesn’t require a huge price tag most of the time. 

“Whatever well bourbon you have. Maybe cognac too?”

Yena shakes her head. “You always want the cheapest stuff.”

“If it tastes good with the cheapest stuff, it’ll taste good with the most expensive.” You aren’t a mixologist by any means, and Muddy Water is more for the beer and soju crowd; but it’s a fun thing that you and the owner have come up with in the short time she’s been on the island. 

Yena sets an empty glass, a tumbler with about two fingers of cognac and another similar amount of bourbon. You pull out two small jars from your own bag, setting them next to the glasses. Yena reaches for one.

“Can I?”

You nod, taking the other and pulling out the cork. You smell it, picking up on the peppercorns and vanilla. You take the cognac and sniff it as well. Your nose wrinkles and you set it down. You take the bourbon and do the same.

Better.

“Is it chai?” Yena asks of the other jar. “You can just make chai?”

You don’t answer her verbally, but lift up one eyebrow. She shrugs. 

“What you do is like magic.”

“Hardly,” you answer, before tipping a little of the jar you hold into the bourbon. Precise measurements will come later. Right now, you just need to see if it complements each other. You swirl the dark liquid in the glass and smell it again. You offer it to Yena.

“It smells spicy.”

You nod, before taking back the glass and taking a tiny sip. The face you make pulls a laugh from your observer. 

“Not good?”

“No, just not right.” You sip it again, ready for the harsh bite and let it linger on your tongue. “It needs muting.”

“Water?”

“Milk, or your alternate non-dairy option.” 

Yena doesn’t look convinced but she goes to grab your request from the prep fridge opposite the realtor and solicitor. You watch as the two men, of a certain age, eyeball the younger bartender with lascivious intent. The music playing in Muddy Water at this early hour is softer than the nightly tunes, often live from local musicians, so the men hear your throat clearing very well. 

They both look over, realize that it’s you and the mix of disgust and disdain pleases you almost as much as the scent of the mixed bourbon in front of you. They look away, back toward each other and continue their oh so important business conversation. 

Yena returns with the milk carton and sets it amongst your glasses. You pour in about a finger, swirl yet again. 

“Any way of heating up with milk prior to pouring?” you ask as you take another sip. Closer. The mellow combination of flavors works nicely. 

“This isn’t a coffee shop. We have a microwave.”

That hurts your very soul.

“Yena, what are you–” The voice interrupts itself as you make out Muddy Water’s owner coming from the back of the building. Her hair is in mild disarray, evidence to Yena earlier supposition about the owner and still absent bartender. “Eonnie!”

You greet her with a grin. “Busy doing paperwork, then?”

The absent bartender, Hyunjin, also enters from the back, his hair slightly more in place, but it’s close. He also smiles when he sees you.

“Is he here?” he asks and you can’t be bothered that he doesn’t actual greet you. 

“He’s outside. Waiting for you.”

Hyunjin is all glee as he grabs the designated bowl behind the bar, and a small canister that you know houses dog treats. He’s already calling through the front doors to your companion. You can almost hear the thumping of Amadeus’s tail against the wooden porch. 

Yena brings the conversation back to what you two were up to. “She wants us to heat the milk. I don’t think we can. Unless we do it in the kitchen?”

You offer the mixed glass to her. You know her palate is far more advanced than Yena’s so as much as you like the young bartender, it’s the owner’s thoughts you really want to hear.

She sips it much like you did, very little and just lets it sit on her tongue for a few seconds. 

“Yes, warmed,” she says before taking another sip. “And a little sweet, I think. Just a little simple…” She looks around and grabs the bottle of clear liquid. She tilts it in for one count. You know from your time with her that it’s equal to about a fourth of an ounce. She sips it again. Adds more. 

Then offers it back to you. 

The sweet does round it out nicely.

“What is the tea?” she asks you as you nod your approval. 

“Rooibos. It’s dark like a black tea, but no caffeine. This would be a good, before sleep kind of drink. I added peppercorns and vanilla.” You touch the small jar, and cork it before pushing it over. “I was thinking of more wintery type flavors and came up with this and the other.” 

Yena has gotten bored, you think, and walked down to another patron, who seems far less concerning than the ‘upstanding’ citizens of earlier. 

“What’s the other?” 

You uncork it and offer it to her. 

“Smells like chai.”

“It is. Or my version of it.” You take it back before administering a tiny amount to cognac. You’ve probably already been here longer than you thought, but it’s nice at this hour, before the after supper and after work people drift in like Muddy Water is a homing beacon. You taste the new mix and wrinkle your nose. 

She takes it from you. Her expression is more thoughtful than yours at first drink.

“Needs…” She moves to the back of the bar. “What’s in it exactly?”

“Cardamom, fennel, black tea.”

She spins around with a ‘eureka’ type grin and brings over a bottle of bitters. 

“I have cardamom bitters.” She dispenses three drops of the bitter and takes another taste. “That helps.” She pushes it to you as she goes back to the bar, looking among the many additions and cordials, and spirits. “What about almond?”

“Maybe. But not amoretto. I think that might overpower.”

She nods without looking back at you. You smell it again. 

“Citrus too.”

She brings over a bottle of orgeat and bottles of lemon and lime juice. She puts in one count of the orgeat and then holds the two bottles of juices, looking at you for direction.

“Lemon I think.”

“I think the same,” she concurs and adds two counts. She stirs it with a bar spoon and tries it yet again.

You go to try it but she stops you.

“Hold on.”

It’s fun to watch someone who enjoys their work. You wonder if anyone stopping by your shop would think the same of you, though they don’t get to see the experimentation as much, just the results on shelves for sale. 

“What are you adding?”

“Egg white.”

You know that’s common in cocktails, but the idea still throws you. She shakes it together without ice, then adds ice, shakes and strains it back into the same glass. She hands it to you for first taste.

You sniff it before trying. 

“It has such a nice froth.”

“That’s the egg whites.” She grins widely. “So yeah?”

“I think so. Maybe something interesting for a garnish, but I’ll leave that to you and your experts.”

She chuckles before trying the cocktail herself. “Mmmm. Yeah. I like it.” She points to the bottles. “How much?”

“Oh…you can price the drinks. I need to figure out cost and supply. I was just daydreaming in my kitchen.”

The door opens and Hyunjin returns.

“I think he’s ready to go home,” he tells you as he passes by to go behind the bar where his partner is. He pauses at the drinks. “New?”

She eagerly offers them both to him, explaining each. He sips both, enjoying both sets of flavors, but you notice how he watches her as she continues to suggest maybe a food pairing with the chai cognac. His eyes are incredibly fond and warm.

People in love are both beautiful and annoying. 

“He’s right,” you interrupt. “Amadeus and I should probably head back. Let me know final thoughts, okay?” You start to stand up from the bar stool when the door opens again.

“You know there’s a wolf outside, right?”

The voice is unfamiliar and highly concerned, and the brightness of the outside light let in means you can’t see the newcomer for several seconds. It’s a voice with a raspy quality, like the beginnings of winter have already dried out his throat. 

“Seo?” is the first response. From Hyunjin who with Muddy Water’s owner are staring at the person like he’s a ghost.

He doesn’t seem ghost-like. He seems incredibly solid. Broad in the shoulders, you get the sense that he carries more than just his own physical weight. It’s an immediate thought, one you have knowing you know nothing about this person, but it’s there nonetheless.

“Changbin,” she says before moving out from behind the bar to walk up to him. The man’s face softens as she gets close, a relaxing of his entire posture. 

“Hey little Park.” 

She hugs him, tight and without any sort of hesitation. You relax as well, not even realizing that his intrusion made you watchful, tense. 

“What are you doing here?” she asks as she lets go of him. You watch as Hyunjin also rounds the bar to greet the stranger. 

You take their distraction as a blessing, and slip by the three as they chat quietly. You feel his eyes swept over you, an awareness that you are there and leaving. 

Amadeus is up on all fours when you get outside. 

“Did you scare him?” you ask before starting down the steps, back the way you came. Amadeus gives no clear answer, but you think your companion trots a little too giddily. 

—

It’s a relief to see her like this. Still in her element, but beyond bright, healthy and happy. Changbin glances up to see Hyunjin eyeing him in a very familiar way: amiable, but certainly skeptical. 

It’s been awhile, but Hwang hasn’t lost his syndicate instincts. Changbin wouldn’t expect him to. 

“I’m on vacation,” he replies to her question, focusing back on the girl he’s known since middle school. When he found himself running alongside the rest of them: Lee, Bang, and Han. The rest had been around the syndicate for awhile, families intertwined, but Changbin just stumbled into their world. “I’ve accrued a bit too much time off, so they’re kinda forcing me to get lost.” He hopes his smile covers anything that might make either of them suspicious. “And well, Jeju is where my favorite Park lives. Wanted to make sure he,” he nods at Hyunjin, “was treating you right.”

Even being on the outskirts of the organization, it was obvious to him how Hwang felt about the former president’s daughter. It was after the fact that Hwang stepped down that Changbin found out about it, but it hadn’t taken much of his investigative skills to find where the two ended up. 

Which concerned him. 

“Knew you weren’t here to see me,” Hwang retorts, tugging her close to his side. 

“Sure? You’ve always been pretty,” Changbin responds with a wink at the taller man. “Kinda missed that face.”

He gets an exasperated sigh and eye-roll, which tells him that Hwang has definitely eased a little. Which is what Changbin needs right now. 

She grabs him by the wrist, leading him to the bar. He follows, looking around, taking in the patrons, the set-up. It’s very different than Circus in Busan, but the vibe still feels like the two of them, just planted elsewhere. 

He sits on a stool as she sits next to him, Hwang stealing around the bar. 

“Beer?”

“Is no one really concerned about the wolf outside?” Jeju has natural wildlife, of course, but a wolf was not something Changbin, nor any Korean he guessed, expected to run into.

“Oh!” She laughs and looks about. “I guess she left. It’s her dog.”

When he’d entered there had been only one other woman that wasn’t his old friend, or the young bartender at the far end of the bar. She’d swept by him in the midst of his reunion and he’d noticed. Mostly due to the fact that she wore a modernized, simple hanbok - traditional wear in a place that felt all but traditional. 

“Her dog?” Changbin repeated. “It was a wolf.”

She looks at Hwang. “Is it a wolf?”

“I’ve never asked,” he replies, setting out a glass of water for Changbin. “He could be.”

“His name is Amadeus and Hyunjin is half in love with him.”

There’s a scoff, but Hwang nods in agreement. “Beer?” he asks Changbin. “Or are you on–”

Changbin shakes his head immediately. He doesn’t want people to know what he does for a living. People treat you one way when they believe you’re just a regular person. They treat you another way when they know you’re a cop. 

“Just whatever you have on tap,” Changbin says before looking back at the woman next to him. “Amadeus…Like Mozart? Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?”

Her eyes widen. “Oh my god, I never even thought of that.” She glances at Hyunjin who places two pints on the bar. “Did you know that?”

“I mean, kinda, but I wasn’t thinking Wolfgang…like wolf.” He grins. “Sounds like her, though.”

Changbin shakes his head at their agreement, intrigued by this detour of conversation, but knowing he needs to stay on track. He takes a sip of the pint, the bitter flavor doing wonders for his exhaustion. It’s not a long trip from Busan to Jeju, but his fatigue has more to do with what came before he left. 

“How….” she begins but falters for a second, glancing around at the space as though someone is paying attention, like someone could hear. “How is everyone?”

Changbin takes another swallow of beer. He knew she’d ask, or one of them would. Her trepidation on talking about it is a stark reminder that there is freedom for her and Hwang, but it doesn’t erase the past. 

He nods. “Good.” He smiles at her as warmly as possible. “Pretty much the same. But we should have dinner or something if you want details.” Private. Safe. 

Surely Jeju has safe places to discuss dodgy histories. 

She nods, absorbing what he isn’t saying. He misses the openness of her expression just moments before. Hwang watches her before looking at Changbin. He nods too, unspoken understanding. As he goes to tend to another customer, Changbin sees Hwang rub his arm absently. Despite the long shirt as it is drifting into winter, Changbin knows what is there.

Or what was there. 

His own arm itches as though it reflects Hwang’s, but Changbin dismisses any physical action to soothe it. It’s in his head. 

She reaches out to place her hand on his forearm. He meets her eyes. 

“I’ve missed you.”

It’s dark in the bar and he’s grateful because he knows he blushes at her words and sincerity. Doesn’t matter that it was a brief and superficial crush, the daughter of his first boss would always be special to him. 

He raises his eyebrows to deflect. “Yeah? Hwang that unsatisfying?”

She pinches him and he yelps, which just makes her laugh. It’s nice to hear her laugh. Those last weeks and days before she left had dimmed her brightness. She looks and sounds like she used to. Before the loss of her father. Before everything had gone down with Bobby. 

He stiffens at the reminder, even if it’s only in his head and she’s not in there, thank god. 

“He came for me,” she says as softly as someone can in a bar before it gets hit with the after-work crowd. “He left–” she makes a hand gesture that would mean nothing, but he knows. “For me.”

When had he become confidante? 

“He beat me to it.”

She rolls her eyes, their banter back in play. He nurses his beer as she regales him of what he’s missed since she left; mostly about the bar and this village. He’s grinning and chuckling, but some part of him still prods at him about why he’s here.

And why he isn’t telling her. 

It’s dinner time and they make plans to meet up tomorrow for a more personal chat. Hwang comes by to reassure that he’s coming too. He’s no threat, Hwang knows this, but it’s too easy to needle the other, especially about her, so Changbin lets out a long-suffering sigh as he finishes his beer. 

As he gets up to head back to his hotel room, he notices the glasses of some mixed something. He points to them.

“Oh! You should try.” 

“Are you poisoning me?”

“Not yet.”

He’s still cautious when he tries one. It’s sweeter than he tends to, but the spice of it is nice. He tries the other; cognac isn’t something he’s had since he was sixteen and wanted to drink whatever he could get his underage hands on. 

“Not bad.”

She goes on to explain what is in the two drinks, including the other woman’s role in concocting. 

“The woman with the wolf?”

She rolls her eyes. “Yes, her.”

Changbin sips the first drink again. “It’s pretty good.”

“She owns the tea shop about a kilometer from here. I mean, it’s the only tea shop within like fifty kilometers. Unless you buy your tea at the grocer like a peasant.”

He chuckles at her words, gives her a quick ‘see you later’ hug and heads back out. He looks over to where he first saw the wolf-or-dog before he jogs down the steps to the street and sidewalk. He can hear the ocean as he reminds himself how to get back to his hotel. 

The people milling about, both on foot and in car seem like locals. At this point in the year, it’s unlikely many main-landers would venture to the small island.

As Changbin walks along the road, hands deep in his pockets, he hopes his assumption is true. And if anyone does show up, it’ll be obvious. 

Away from their natural habitat, the underbelly of Busan would stick out. And he could neutralize the threat before it ever got near Muddy Water’s owner and her partner, formerly of the Park Syndicate. 

That’s why he was here. 

--

a/n 2: the two drinks in this chapter are not mine. found here and here.

--

(c) yoongihan 2024. please do not steal, translate, repost, or whatever. stray kids belong to themselves and all idols used in this piece are just the inspiration for characters and do not in any way reflect the actual humans. 

[bonefall]

maybe with the ending.. make it be like the link between Breezepelt's leaving to join Kin and his POV in AVOS? of course from Nightcloud's perspective but

like. she would be injured and recovering away from the clan. but they would be unaware that she is alive and like in canon assume she died and hold her a vigil. Breezepelt, who is already at low point, taking it very badly - yes he was pushing her away bc he was hurt and angry and started taking it out on her, but.. it's still his mom. his Mi. and she is dead? or is this stupid clan just going to believe this to make it easier? are they really giving up on looking for her, or her body??

i can see Nightcloud being the one of very few, if not THE Only one, things that kept Breezepelt in WindClan at this point. and without her, what's the point? it's not like anyone else likes him. the link is gone and they buried it in a bodyless vigil. so it's what pushes him to actuall take the step and leave.

not sure how well it would align with the timeline and events. and how soon Darktail was assembling cats from other clans like Breeze. but i think it would be interesting and heartbreaking if at the end of her SE, Nightcloud just arrived back to WindClan and asks where Breezepelt is and someone tells her.. he either was missing since this morning or just left the clan earlier the same day. like, just have them miss each other by a hair.

I'm thinking that the second-to-last chapter is her with Pickle, having a bit of a sabbatical to unpack everything that happens through the story. Mostly because I want to throw her into some kind of pretty garden as a nice setting for this lmaoo

A LOT of BB stuff is being added to Nightcloud's Pannage that wasn't in the main series; Hillrunner's abuse, her mentor Addersong, several expanded little background characters now complete with their own side conflicts. I think what I can bind all these things with is Nightcloud considering what a Clan means.

Because of her new reputation, I'm noticing I'm writing scenes where she's intentionally doing and saying things to try and sway them. While also grappling with her resentment towards them, and things she can't change.

There's a bit of a melancholy air so far, so I'm starting to feel like the best ending is just having a bit of space to herself to think. Ultimately, she decides that it's more than Breezepelt or Crowfeather that binds her to WindClan. It's the life and connections she COULD have.

WindClan cats are also quite religious next to other Clans, so I really do mean "sabbatical." I'm going to have Addersong die of old age shortly after they reconnect, so she's in Pickle's Garden talking to her new friend, choosing cats she's lost to pray to as patron spirits to give her the traits she feels she needs, and just recovering both physically from injury and spiritually from turmoil.

So all that to say; it works well that by the time she gets back, Breezepelt has joined The Kin. He was one of the first to join when he started calling for members anyway, so having Night be gone for about two or three weeks sounds appropriate.

[midnight-in-town]

Never thought I’d see the day cooking would be used as a power up for exorcism and to further character development :D

Can I also say it’s just so sweet that Osceola’s knowledge (who’s been a strong but secondary character until fairly recently, i love him and his design so much tho) resonates with Rin on such a personal level? 

After all, cooking is the one thing Shiro thought hard about and decided that Rin would study at home with him...

because Rin needed an efficient way to learn how to control his strength. 

Now we reached a point in the story when Rin admits to “having defeated his demon side” and controlling his flame, talking to Yukio about his doubts, and Sensei parallels it in the same chapter with...

...Rin actively learning about the field of talismanic cooking.

Also, I love how, little by little, Sensei highlights how Rin’s objectives have changed throughout the story, because of what he learnt about himself and about the dual world (made of Assiah and Gehenna) that they live in. In shonen series, the hero(es) often have one or several immovable goal(s) to achieve but Rin’s have steadily evolved. He initially wanted to kick Satan’s butt for Shiro’s death, but now...

...he realizes there’s just too much he doesn’t understand to be sure of what he can actually do. 

EDIT: To elaborate, this was foreshadowed way back, during the Kyoto arc, that without understanding of both sides Rin would never become a bridge between Assiah and Gehenna...

...and once more in the Aomori arc...

...but it’s good that he started mentioning these doubts to people around him.

After all, in that alternate future that Mephy saw, Rin became the “demon king”, leader of the demon army, meaning that Rin’s hesitation is worth expanding on, or he’ll choose one side and fight against the other before long and I don’t think this is the answer Kato-sensei is going for. Yukio (with whom he discussed in this chapter) has just always been on the more careful side of things (also he’s like 16 years old) compared to, say, Shura...

...who understands that Rin’s situation has no precedent and that, at some point, Rin has to follow his instinct (still vouching that he’ll have to travel to Gehenna to gain more understanding of the situation but hey, I could be wrong). 

Additionally, Rin also once said, early in the story, that he wanted to become Paladin, because that’s the title Shiro held before dying (and maybe also out of animosity towards Arthur), but reading this chapter, I found myself relieved thinking that Rin’s true calling might finally be upon us. :)) To say nothing of the fact that Paladins are previous Section 13′s Baal clones who are chained to the Order, I think the Paladin title (a very specific position at the top of the Order’s hierarchy) would suit Yukio or Bon more than Rin. 

Great chapter!! :D

[lilolilyr]

For "Being Known" (Helena writer, Myka actress): 2 and 3, 6 and/or 7 (whichever you like better, or both), and 9!

Ah, thank you! My longest Bering and Wells fic to date :D

Moodboard & header for the fic, and Here's the ask meme

2. How did you come up with the idea?

It was part of a gift exchange, and my giftee had asked for a pop culture AU, with some fusion prompts for fandoms I didn't know very well - so instead of trying to find out enough about eg Buffy the Vampire Slayer to write a fic in that world, I asked whether a celebrity AU would work, and here we are!

3. Did the idea change at all by the time the fic was complete?

I expanded my initial idea a lot - adding Steve, Leena, Artie, Caturanga, Jane and Amanda, I'm pretty sure initially it was just supposed to be HG and Myka with side characters Claudia and Pete. I don't remember exactly what the plan was and what came later, apart from having the idea of Helena's conflict about wanting to remain anonymous while being passionate about something that could bring her a lot of fame early on...I'll have to see whether I still have my initial draft somewhere and I can add it at the end of the post, I tend to write in messages on telegram and copy paste them to an ao3 draft or word doc once I start editing, so the messages should still be the original first draft.

I think I was unsure whether or not I should add an AU-ified Christina related backstory and work that into part of the reason for Helena's reluctance over fame, I had several ideas about her own childhood, her knowing a child something happened to, or actually writing Christina into her backstory... I went back and forth between Christina being a child star and Helena herself being one, I think in the end I just made Helena one because it worked better for the story though I would have liked to have more Christina backstory, but oh well, kill your darlings.

6. How did you decide what tense and POV(s)to use? / 7. How did you decide what character(s) would narrate the fic?

Honestly, I rarely decide that kind of thing consciously - I guess if you want to write something commercially there are lots of things to consider, but I write for fun and I'll write wherever my ideas bring me. Sometimes I'll notice a scene works better from a different POV and I change it, but usually it just happens one way and then it's fine to leave it as is

In this case I think I immediately knew it would mainly be Helena's POV because it's really her story I wanted to tell.

9. Did you get stuck at any point? How did you get past that?

Claudia! Hah, I mean I didn't get stuck on her, but that I used her to get past difficult scenes, giving Helena a much needed push! Especially near the end, when it comes to Helena accepting the possibility of a relationship between her and Myka.

Thank you so much for the ask! This was fun to talk about :)

.

This is my draft for the fic, the way it was written (in a messenger chat with just myself in it, as I start most fics) in one go, before making any edits at all!

You'll notice a lot of 'xx' markers - because there aren't really any words with that, it's easy to search a text for that later on, so whenever I know I still need to fix something - add a sentence, translate a word, edit bullet points into paragraph, add entire scenes - I write XX to mark it for later.

wip bering and wells author actress AU for anandabrat

Working title The Perfect Warrior

HG (former child actor turned?) writer under pseudonym hiding from fame (bc burned out from kid fame?), slowly getting back into acting, does improv for fun

Myka either star there to help 'learning' amateur actors for xxkomparsen? Or she's a newcomer and HG is back on film?

Claudia's HG's friend, Pete Myka's

ohhh what about Helena's book being verfilmt & Myka main role, HG making sure she won't be overwhelmed..

xxx

xxflashback seven months prior

"H.G., I'm coming in!"

Helena covers her head with a pillow when she hears Claudia Donovan's shouting from the backyard before a well-aimed kick against the old garden door has it fling open.

"Breaking and entering, really?" Helena's muffled voice lets Claudia know where she is. "I would have thought that petty crime is belowxx you."

"Come oooon," Claudia pulls the pillow from her face and Helena is left squinting at the sudden light. "We're going out! A friend of mine has a gallery opening, and there's bound to be a crowd of interesting people there!"

"I can't," Helena grouches. "I have to write, I still haven't finished either of those silly sequels my agents want me to work on."

"Riiight," Claudia nods, juggling the pillow between her hands. "Because that's what you were doing right now. Writing."

"Oh, cut the sarcasm." Helena growls. She is in a bad enough mood without Claudia butting in and making it worse.

"Alright then." Instead of backing down, Claudia throws the pillow onto the bed and, hands on her hips, stares Helena down. "I'll speak xxklartext. You're wasting away here, H.G.! You hate the books you're supposed to write, you refuse to write anything else either, you haven't seen any of our friends in months and now you're getting your groceries delivered so you don't even have to leave the house? That's the final straw!"

"Who snitched on me," Helena xx Leena?sbcanonordontmention

"It'll be good for you," Claudia insists. "You can dazzle everyone with your Wikipedia brain, and maybe you'll meet a xxverleger who wants to publish one of your weirder novellas. Come on, get up. get up, if not for yourself then do it for me because there's no way I'll go schmooze with the rich and famous all on my own!"

"I still cannot believe you managed to talk me into this," Helena sighs, looking at the xx and bustle around her.

"I'm up, I'm up," Helena sighs and avoidsxxausweichen Claudia's attempt to pull her from the bed by sitting up. "Alright, what exactly is this opening we're going to?"

...

Laughing, herxxfriend Claudia bumps their elbows together. "You better believe it, there's no getting out of it now! And this will be good for you! xx I'm happy for you, H.G., this is a dream come true!" She twirls around without missing a step, taking it all in.

"The fact that it makes you xxgoodposition takes no part in it, I'm sure." Helena deflects. She doesn't want to admit that Claudia is right and she is thrilled to have her characters coming to life for the big screen - nor does she want it known that, despite all the negotiations and concessions on side of the production studio, she is still afraid that she won't recognise the world she created once the movie is done. Will they do justice to the worlds of trees and cogwheels, to the unseeing creator and the warrior with the unruly hair? Will they listen to Helena when she has suggestions, will the stick to the details from the book, will it even be possible to transfer it to the new medium?

This and more goes through Helena's mind as she lets Claudia drag her along over the big parking lot and storage area, past trucks with equipment and the xxvans for cast and crew towards the xxhall.

first time sees Myka - the perfect xxcharactername warrior.

xx looks after her xx her hair xx in the wind, a sharp edge to her big brown eyes that negates anything childish about their shape, xx stepping out of the camper

xx C hey, we're not here to flirt! Can't believe I need to say that to you, you're like, the least likely person xx xx pretty girl

xx not what - I mean yes beautiful, but not what that wasabout -

xx oh /beauuutiful

xx shut up Donovan

xx later sees Myka in makeup all *sideeye* what did you do to my xxcharactername

argument - need makeup! Looks silly on camera without, different than irl!

HG: well if so, just makeup that makes it look decent with the lights and closeups, NOT that kind of obvious eye makeup, and who had the idea that a warrior in a cyberpunk dystopia would need a bold red lip? Or shaved pits?

xx Myka uncomfortable, thinks she has done something wrong, especially when sent back out in the middle of the scene, doesn't notice the argument

co-star Pete tries to comfort her

xxMyka thinks maybe this was bad idea, should quit

xx HG will Not lose my warrior!

(xx Myka in trouble

xx HG kann wen zusammenscheißen, makes sure Myka's fine)

xx from then on Helena trying to keep an eye on Myka, asks how she's dealing with the pressure, what her plans are for if she'll be famous after this project, whether she has a good agent to protect her interests, etc... (eg where u live? city apartment...

H:security? M:none?? H:myself, nature away from most people M: wish could affort...)

Myka: know you're just doing this because you think I'm a good fit for the character and you don't want it to be ruined by me quitting, but I still really appreciate

HG: what?? No, am doing this - well, would for everyone! Know how it is, when I was a kid... nevermind. But, care about you too

Myka finds out why HG is so wary about fame

go to premiere together - "don't have to hold a speech, don't even have to tell anyone who you are, but at least go as my date?"

As usual, I had a first scene instantly in my head, then started thinking quicker than I could write and had to note down bullet points so I wouldn't forget anything xD

Again, thanks for the ask :)

[a-little-unsteddie]

Give Love a Chance || Original Post

the other day @ladykailitha posted something that just sparked so much joy, i decided i absolutely had to expand upon and write a full story abt it. idk how fast i’ll work on this, as my main focus currently is on the big bang fic, but i wanted to post a prologue/teaser of sorts. (side note: i am definitely stealing piratefishmama’s layout, shhh)

enjoy! -rowan

Steve wasn’t sure how he had gotten here, to be honest. Well, he did, but he didn’t know it would actually get this far. He would like to place the blame on either Dustin or Robin—or both, both was good, too. The point was, Steve was completely faultless in it.

When Steve got home earlier, after a long day at work, he had checked the mail, as he usually does. He saw a letter addressed to him, which, to be fair, makes sense, seeing as it was in his mailbox, but it was the sender that had surprised him. It had been several weeks—at least—since Robin and Dustin had cornered him and forced him to fill out an application to be a bachelor on Give Love a Chance, and he had honestly forgotten about it. He had only agreed to submit an application to the show because he had been so sure that he wasn’t going to make the cut. Who would want to watch a dumb reality love gameshow with Steve as the bachelor? A middle school guidance counselor with a five year old daughter?

Steve had still held that opinion even as he opened the envelope and pulled out the contents. The confidence in his thoughts only waned when he began to read the letter, his eyes had slowly widened and his mouth fell open. He reached for his cell, instinctually calling Robin as he reread the contents of the letter.

“Y’ello?”

“Did you seriously just answer with—nevermind. Robin tell me why the fuck I’m staring at a letter telling me I was chosen to be on Give Love a Chance?” He asked, pacing the length of his kitchen.

“Oh my God!” Robin shouted from his phone, causing Steve to wince and adjust his hearing aid. “Why do you sound upset? This is what you agreed to! This is why we sent in the application in the first place! This is great news!”

“Robin, you and I both know that I only agreed because I thought nothing would come of it.” Steve said flatly, checking the time on the stove. He still had twenty or so minutes before he needed to leave to grab Matilda from preschool. “I’m going to tell them I changed my mind.”

“Absolutely not! I’ll never forgive you. Dustin will never forgive you.”

“What? Am I supposed to just do the show?”

“Yes!” Robin said enthusiastically. Steve let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“What am I going to do with Mattie, huh? I can’t just take her with me, she has school!”

“Dustin already told you that he and Will would take her in!”

“‘Take her in’? Rob, she isn’t a stray cat. She’s a whole tiny human.” Steve said with heavy exasperation. “He may have said that, but that doesn’t mean he will say the same thing now! There’s a difference between us joking about me getting accepted and the reality of taking care of a four year old!” Steve walked to the kitchen sink, filled himself a glass of tap water and set it to the side.

“So, we ask them again! I’m sure they’ll agree! You know they’ve been wanting to adopt! You can think of this as practice for them!”

Steve stared blankly out of the window above his kitchen sink, then groaned loudly and tipped his head back to glare at the ceiling.

“I don’t think I can leave her for the month—or more—it’ll take to film.” Steve admitted with a frown. He could immediately feel Robin’s shift in demeanor with the soft sigh she let out.

“Oh, dingus. You’ll be okay. We can video call her everyday while we're gone.” Robin said softly, trying to soothe him. “I think you should give it a go. You deserve to give love a chance.”

Steve let out a loud groan, which dissolved into a soft laugh. “You did not just say that.”

“I did.”

“That was so bad.”

“I know. But it’s true!”

“You’ll be with me?”

“Every step of the way.”

“..Fine.”

—x—

Dear Steve Harrington,

Congratulations! You have been selected as one of the bachelors to move forward into the next stage—interviewing and filming! We believe you are a perfect fit, and cannot wait to have you at our Los Angeles studio!

If you are still interested, please contact us via email to receive more details about what comes next.

Thank you,

Murray Bauman, Host of ‘Give Love a Chance’

[greatwyrmgold]

So, apparently there's been a standoff between the Texas National Guard and US Border Patrol for the past couple of weeks, a physical manifestation of political conflicts between President Biden and Governor Abbot that has disrupted local life and caused multiple deaths.

Shelby Park is a park in Eagle Pass, the town in question. It's a pretty significant component of civic life, hosting events that the town's residents enjoy (and the town's government uses to fund its activities).

Unfortunately, it's next to the Rio Grande, so Texas had the park surrounded with concertina wire (razor wire coils that can be expanded to quickly set up a "fence"). Needless to say, that's going to disrupt local activities. The Eagle Pass residents are not exactly happy about this state of affairs.

Things got worse when migrants started drowning in the river. Border Patrol wanted to access a boat ramp in Shelby Park so they could rescue migrants before they drowned, but the Texas National Guard wouldn't let Border Patrol in under any circumstances. Four people were alive in the river when the Border Patrol showed up; two were rescued by Mexican authorities, but the others drowned. They didn't have to.

I'm not going to argue that someone who fails to save a kid from getting hit by a bus should be held responsible for that kid's death. But if they instead stop a third party from saving the kid? Yeah, that's their fault. Saying that Texas caused the (preventable) deaths of those migrants seems pretty straightforward to me.

(Complicating matters are three other people who drowned about an hour before US Border Patrol was informed that people were drowning in the river. These three deaths are often reported as being connected to this dispute, possibly because talking about a mom and two kids who drowned is more evocative than talking about...I don't know anything about the other two dead guys, because hardly anyone reported anything except their deaths.)

Anyways, the Biden administration sent a cease-and-desist letter demanding that federal agents should be given free access to the park. Texas claims it's still open to the public, even though they're only allowing access for media personnel, golfers at the golf course within, and "a memorial".

Texas plans to ignore that sternly-worded letter. The attorney general defends the state's decision by saying that the feds weren't properly enforcing US immigration law, which apparently gives them the authority to...further impede Border Patrol activities...? He also invoked the state's right to self-defense, which is already absurd when we're talking about the general "threat" of people crossing borders, but becomes even sillier in the specific case of blocking Border Patrol from saving four people from drowning.

Biden told Abbot to remove the razor wire. Abbot ordered more razor wire. The Supreme Court agrees with Biden (despite being primarily composed of Republicans). Twenty-five Republican state governors side with Abbot.

Several sources describe the physical standoff between the Texas and Federal forces unprecedented. I'm not sure that's true, or at least not true in the way that's implied; remember the Little Rock Nine? But it's definitely unusual, and if Republican figureheads keep rallying their bases by insisting that “The feds are staging a civil war," it could grow into something worse.

But hopefully it doesn't. It's an ongoing story, and Abbot has two more days to decide whether he wants to pick a fight with the federal government.

Sources below the cut.

[withgirl-sq]

I was wondering about your opinion about an Azutara au/canon divergence idea. And to see if it might be something your interested in. Either as a writing prospect or just an Azutara idea.

Essentially, at some point during book 2 3 (say at Ba Sing Se or during the chase, or maybe even at the Oasis ) when Azula is chasing avatar Aang she stumbles upon Katara while Mai and Ty Lee are elsewhere.

The two proceed to have a bending duel between them. The fight is hard fought and their are several times where either girl could claim victory. Till finally Azula triumphs over Katara. Impressed by the Waterbender and experiencing an “inexplicable” feeling at the mere sight of her Azula decides to take Katara prisoner in order to interrogate her about the avatar. And certainly not because she’s the most beautiful women she has ever seen.

During this, Azula and Katara bond with each other. Azula begins to consider the validity of the Avatar’s side of the war because of “Katara being Katara”. As well as her budding attraction to the “pretty Water girl”. Katara also considers how pretty yet alone Azula is and if Ozai treated his own children how he treated his son and daughter, how evil must he be?

Ultimately, Azula decides to stay the course (for now) and stay loyal to Ozai. He is after all her father and sovereign. And he must love her as such. Right?

Aang and Sokka find out Katara has been captured and attempt to spring her out. It takes them a fortnight or so to find we’re she is being held by team Azula (because Team Azula is constantly on the move). During the escape attempt Azula and Katara face each other in a bending duel again. Which is as climatic as the first one. The duel ends in Katara’s favor this time and she manages to flee with Aang and Sokka on Appa. She blows a kiss at Azula before she leaves though.

The rest of canon happens as normally until we get to Ba Sing Se. During the crystal catacombs the two engage in battle again. The third fight is as intense as the previous two, but unlike either of them, this battle ends in stalemate. With neither Azula nor Katara able to claim victory.

The fight ends with the two kneeling at the ground and holding ice and blue flame dagger (respectively) at the others neck. The two then have a “heart to heart” discussion. Where Katara complete her suction of Azula to the good side. Book 2 then ends with Aang charging into the crystal catacombs to “save” Katara. At the same time Zuko runs into the catacombs to help his sister in capturing the Avatar “once and for all”. The two arrive at the same time and come upon the sight of Azula and Katara kissing.

How would the story of Avatar go from here? Feel free to add to any of this. It is after all just an outline for your consideration.

Note: this is an expanded idea that I had previously (and partially) submitted to Azutara week 2023 as well.

Ps: love the avatar Azula au!

Hey, I really love the idea of this!

I can imagine that the fight in the catacombs would end in a stalemate because everytime one of them gets an advantage, the other one hesitates

I can 100% imagine that Zuko would 'snitch' on Azula because he wants to become the crown prince again and he knows that Ozai would never accept their relationship. I"m not sure whether Ozai would let him come home without something happening to Aang though. Maybe Zuko could capture Aang in the confusion and Azula would help Team Avatar to save him? We know that they don't want to kill him so he doesn't reincarnate, so they could launch a rescue mission to the Boiling Rock to save Aang?

There would naturally be a lot of scepticism from Sokka (I don't think Toph would care) and he would be super protective of his sister but Katara finds it funny that he thinks that he can threaten Azula lol

Another alternative, if they get together before Ba Sing Se would be that Azula and Katara would plan to fake Aang's death to give them an advantage during the eclipse, but this would depend on Zuko not knowing about them!

If people would be interested in this, I would definitely love to write it!

I'm glad you enjoy the Avatar Azula AU!

[jewishcissiekj]

One of the things that upset me most about Dark Disciple & the Quinlan/Asajj romance is just how much it's the writers smashing their action figures together. In general, the entirety of Asajj's TCW storylines also severely lack thought other than somebody playing a game with their dolls.

Let me explain. Asajj has a lot of potential. Her character and themes from the get-go (concept art for AOTC Sith) are full of intrigue and mystery. You want to know this character and whatever is behind her, why is she doing all this, and how she got there. And TCW answers that question pretty well. She was a Nightsister baby who was given to a slaver and later trained by a Jedi Master who died, she encountered Dooku and trained under him, only to get betrayed by him and return to her Nightsister roots, causing the murder of almost all Nightsisters and her transition to a Bounty Hunter and …redemption? leading to her eventual death at the hands of Count Dooku.

The thing is, this story feels so all over the place for me. There are themes, sure, but other than a clear motivation, something is missing. There's no point to her character. When she's introduced in The Clone Wars movie, she's just a flirty villain for Obi-Wan to quip and play off of. In the end, when she dies, she furthers a male character's character development we never even see afterward. TCW has plenty of pointless characters, don't get me wrong. But her story starts nowhere and goes nowhere, only affecting her and having no real story importance or relevance outside of that. It also means nothing. There are no repercussions to Dooku taking on an apprentice, no, uh, how do I put this. Her story is full of themes but no meaning. No underlying plotline or development that feels natural and beneficial to her character. That wouldn't be a problem if she was just a throwaway villain, coming in once in a while to flirt with Obi-Wan or fight with Ahsoka. But because of the natural interest in her, the intrigue and mystery, they gave her a story. Not even a motivation, a story that came out of nowhere and in watching back might feel like just an elaborate build-up to Maul's return. Instead of looking at the character and, idk, thinking about how you can develop her current character and the yet-unexplored background with Obi-Wan and her relationship to the Dark Side, they threw her into that whole Nightsister bullshit. And then that wasn't enough and they made her a bounty hunter because they wanted a Boba Fett & friends episode. For the love of god, if she knew about the Nightsisters, why wouldn't she go to them earlier? You didn't tell us how she found out and who told her, so why THE FUCK would she go to Dooku after her mentor's death and not to her people? What of all things made her go to Dathomir in Nightsisters? Why would an ex-dark sider with (probably) knowledge of Dooku's most secret plans who just lost the people she just found go and be a Bounty Hunter? And what about that redeems her? What the fuck was she doing on Coruscant? If she hated Dooku so much and knew she couldn't kill him alone, why would a single Jedi help her do it? What is her motive and why was she so loyal to Dooku if she's just going to throw the Dark Side and her hate for the Jedi out of the window like that? Does she have principles? Character motivations? Is there a point to any of that?

Legeneds version aside, what does she mean? Is she the last survivor? Is she a failed apprentice? Does she just want to be loved but gets consumed by the Dark Side? She's all of these things but none of them consistently. If character development happened, I'd have no problem with her character changing. But it DOESN'T. Things just happen to her and we barely see any reaction to it from her. To me, she's kind of like Thrawn if we never got the (canon) books, empty and lacking any character motivation.

In Dark Disciple, instead of expanding on the actual character, they just kept on putting her in situations. Because we don't really see her POV anywhere in the book, and she's not written to express emotion openly, she feels like she was molded to fit the story instead of the story being character-focused and following her and Quinlan's development through a situation. The only time her character feels well-written in the canon era to me (not just in a fun comic story) is in Dooku: Jedi Lost, which actually shows us her perspective for once, and even if she still lacks motivation, it feels like a story of her character and not of her action figure. She has a character and a personality throughout all of Canon, don't get me wrong. I can't accidentally write her like Ahsoka. But a character and what the writers do to put it in a story are two different things.

And I know I said I wouldn't get into the Legends part of it all, but even in a few shorts and a handful of comics, there seems to be a much more consistent line of thought and an arc to her character than there is in the canon version. The best way I can describe it, tbh, is that something just clicks with the way her story and role are in Legends, while in canon it feels like 10 different people trying to put together 15 different jigsaw puzzles. Maybe it's the fewer writers, maybe it's the different approach to story-telling in general, it's just very different to me. Right now (since a May comic issue and excluding the mention in Ahsoka), there isn't any new Asajj content, so it's not really a problem. But if they ever do something new with her I need them to get their fucking shit together and make it make sense.

[felixcloud6288]

Higurashi: Festival Accompanying Recap

And with this, the story is concluded.

As the final arc, Festival Accompanying needed to make sure to answer every remaining necessary question. Going into this arc, we know Takano is responsible for Rika's deaths, but we don't know her reasons. We also need to know how the Irie Institute ties into this and whether or not the series of murders leading up to June 1983 has any connection to Takano.

Back in Atonement chapter 6, Takano said the series of murders were either people, curse, or coincidence. And we could probably say it's actually all three. Every death had something to do with Hinamizawa Syndrome (curse), almost every one of them just happened to fall on the Cotton Drifting (coincidence), and they each had a greater story beyond just the deaths themselves (people).

At the end of this arc, a miracle happened because everyone believed and everyone worked together to make it happen. The first half of this arc showed us how every character came to be involved with this story and the second half is about how they worked together to finally achieve that golden miracle ending where no one dies and no one has to be the loser.

Festival Accompanying doesn't fully answer every question and there are several loose ends, particularly with respect to Nomura and Tokyo in general. But a story doesn't need to answer every question and resolve every thread to be a good story. This is a story about Rika attempting to defeat an organization trying to kill her. The lead-up to that conflict is relevant, but after that is not nearly as important.

Maybe Nomura's involvement will be discovered. Maybe Hinamizawa Syndrome will be eradicated. Maybe Satoshi will recover. These are all things I'd like to know happen, but they're not central to the core story.

And similarly we're not given the full details about certain aspects of the story, particularly the divine and supernatural elements. We know Hanyu's backstory and how she became a god, but we don't know the full extent of what she is. Are there other gods and if so, do they have any involvement in this? Is Frederica Bernkastel a god or a side effect of Hanyu's power? Was there actually a god testing Miyoko or was everything just coincidence?

I know there are series like Umineko and Ciconia which expand on the greater world Higurashi takes place in, and there are a few direct sequels to Higurashi itself so these questions might have answers to them. The point is it's fine for a story to not explain every last detail. If you ask me, the best stories are the ones where people like me can pretend to be really smart and clever by finding parallels and themes that aren't really there and trying to find meaning in meaningless things.

This is the third arc Karin Suzuragi provided the artwork for. I had to make a graph showing the sheer difference in volume between her involvement vs everyone else's. Apologies for how sloppy it is; I didn't properly label it. The first bar is the number of pages by Karin Suzuragi, the second is Hinase Momoyama, the third is Yutori Houjyou, and the fourth is everyone else.

As you can see by this graph, Suzuragi drew more than twice as many pages as Momoyama or Houjyou, and in fact drew more than both of them combined. Overall, Suzuragi probably drew about 45% of the entire series.

And Suzuragi's artstyle definitely changes over the course of this series. I don't know how best to describe it but I want to say that Abducted by Demons felt more loose in how everything was drawn while Festival Accompanying had a generally tighter feel to it. I also felt like the cast in Atonement looked slightly more cartoony than they did here. I don't have any background in art design or anything like that so I really can't explain this properly. She also added more detail into backgrounds over time. I'm just trying to say that this series is a time capsule to how Suzuragi's drawing methods evolved over a six year period from 2005 to 2011.

I'd say her artstyle even changes drastically over the course of Festival Accompanying. One particular effect I enjoyed during the latter chapters was using a light filter over certain dramatic scenes like when Tomitake refused to talk to Takano in chapter 29 or when Shion was asking Irie if she can visit Satoshi in chapter 31. And somewhere between chapters 19 and 24, they way she draws several characters seems to shift to a degree. The most obvious thing I noticed was that she drew womens' breast in a very ridiculous fashion earlier in the arc but by the end of the series, they were drawn in a more relaxed way. Also, Okonogi's ears seem to grow longer over time.

The one thing that seemed to stay consistent throughout the series was the way she drew hands. Suzuragi tends to draw fat fingers and the characters hands are always a little too big whenever they're clenched into a fist.

For my favorite panel of the arc, I want to give it to this one:

The artwork of the whole arc uses a fair bit of light and shadow. The first half of the story generally uses darker tones than the second half does. This scene is on the cusp of that transition. The sun is shining brightly and Ichiro sees two children playing in the brightly lit field. Before this, the entire scene was just gloomy. Overall, this panel is still on the dimmer side of when it comes to overall shading, but we're starting to see things become brighter.

Also, I really like the work that went into making the background.

With that one out of the way, I want to also give some other panels I really liked because I REALLY liked how lighting was handled through this arc.

Now for the final instance on the summary of mysteries, characters, and history.

Bold text is new info.

Character Info:

Keiichi Maebara: He moved to Hinamizawa three weeks ago. He was a generally average student but excelled when he started cram school. However he became frustrated and his father decided to move to Hinamizawa after some things happened. The stress caused Keiichi to assault little girls with a toy gun, causing one girl to suffer serious eye injury.

Rena Ryugu: Birth name “Reina”. She had moved out of Hinamizawa when she was younger. At some point she assaulted three boys with a bat and smashed every window in her school. In her psych evaluations, she frequently talked about Oyashiro-sama as if she is possessed by it. She moved back to Hinamizawa a year ago. Her mother had an affair and left Rena and her father leading to her behavior and decision to rename herself.

Mion Sonozaki: Leader of the group’s after-school club. She has several misdemeanors due to her actions during the village’s protest against the dam project. She’s the heir to the Sonozaki family and lives with her grandmother. She has a demon tattoo on her body. She was born as Shion Sonozaki but was forced to become Mion when she was given the demon tattoo.

Satoko Hojo: Related to the second and fourth set of victims. She and Rika live together. She had a bad relation with her step-father to the point she falsely accused him of abuse. She relied heavily on her brother when they were living with their aunt and uncle. She believes herself cursed because she had damaged the statue of Oyashiro-sama a few years ago. Satoko once had L5 Hinamizawa Syndrome which may have caused her to kill her parents in 1980.

Rika Furude: Related to the third set of victims. Rika is the head of the Furude family which is one of the main houses of Hinamizawa. She’s in charge of the priesthood. Rika is believed to be the reincarnation of Oyashiro. She has the power to see the future and foresaw the murders as well as her own imminent death in 1983. She’s able to communicate with Oyashiro and has been aware of the repeating cycle of events. She has existed for about 100 years. Rika has been repeating the timeline for 100 years trying to survive past June 1983. She is a descendant of Oyashiro and is the only person who can see Hanyu.

Shion Sonozaki: Mion’s twin sister. Shion lives in Okinomiya with their parents. She’s the manager for the Hinamizawa Fighters baseball team. She loved Satoshi and has been trying to uncover the truth of the series of murders after he vanished. She was born as Mion Sonozaki but was forced to become Shion when her sister got the demon tattoo.

Hanyu: Known as Oyashiro-sama. Hanyu is a spirit who only Rika can see and interact with. Hanyu is responsible for the recurring cycle in 1983 as she lets Rika jump to an alternate timeline whenever she is killed. Long ago, she offered herself as a sacrifice so that her people and the people of Onigafuchi could live in peace. She became the guardian deity of Onigafuchi as a result.

Curaudo Ooishi: A detective with the local prefecture who wants to figure out the cause of all the deaths. He suspects a group within the village is behind the deaths. The villagers call him Oyashiro-sama’s messenger because he’s interacted with every victim prior to their deaths. He has dealt with the Sonozakis in the past and has a scar because of it. He was friends with the dam project manager.

Jirou Tomitake: A photographer who visits Hinamizawa several times through the year. He died by scratching out his throat. Jirou Tomitake is not his real name. He works as a liason between Irie Clinic and “Tokyo” and was killed as part of Takano’s plan.

Miyo Takano: A nurse at the local clinic. She’s interested in studying the doctrines of Hinamizawa. Takano faked her death as part of Operation Apocalypse. She is the mastermind behind Rika’s murder and the Great Hinamizawa Disaster. She was originally born as Miyoko Tanashi but was later adopted by Hifumi Takano. She swore to make his research on Hinamizawa Syndrome be known to the world. She was manipulated by Nomura to enact Operation Apocalypse when her research was going to be discontinued.

Kyosuke Irie: The main doctor of the Irie clinic. He is also the coach to the Hinamizawa Fighters. Irie is secretly studying a localized disease called Hinamizawa Syndrome. Research was originally directed toward use in bio-warfare, but has since transitioned to treatment study. He was framed as the killer as part of Operation Apocalypse and was killed and his death declared a suicide. Irie is driven by a desire to study effects caused by changes in the brain after his father became a violent man after a head injury.

Zouen Okonogi: Leader of a task force called the Wild Dogs. They work under Takano and provide services such as espionage, sabotage, and disposal. Okonogi was behind the kidnapping incident 5 years prior and is working with Takano to complete Operation Apocalypse. He's secretly working for Nomura during Operation Apocalypse

Satoshi Hojo: Satoko’s older brother. He used to be part of the after-school club. He disappeared a year ago. Prior to his disappearance, he started carrying a bat and practiced his swinging. He also became distant from the club. Satoshi may have been the one who killed his aunt. It was believed that he had been saving money to buy Satoko a doll, but then he withdrew the money and vanished on her birthday. However the doll Satoko wanted had been purchased that day. Satoshi bough the doll he'd been saving u for, but Irie was forced to put Satoshi under an indefinite treatment when he entered L5 Hinamizawa Syndrome. He is currently in the Irie Institute.

Mamoru Akasaka: A police officer from Tokyo. He came to Hinamizawa in 1978 to investigate a kidnapping case. Rika warned him to return to Tokyo and later told him about the imminent series of murders and asked Akasaka to save her. Akasaka heeded Rika’s warning and would return to Hinamizawa in 1983, but he did not help Rika. Akasaka works in the Special Investigations Division and discovered funds were being laundered through the Irie Institute. He came back to Hinamizawa to investigate and repay Rika for what she did for him.

Nomura: Someone from Tokyo. Nomura is likely not her real name. She approached Takano with a false offer to help her and convinced Takano to go through with Operation Apocalypse.

Village details:

Hinamizawa was originally known as Onigafuchi. The residents were believed to be descended from demons and the nearby villages offered tribute out of fear.

Oyashiro-sama is believed to be a god who gave the demons human form so they could live amonst humans

After the war, Mion’s grandfather, Souhei Sonozaki, used black market funds to bring great prosperity to the village.

There are three main houses in Hinamizawa: The Sonozakis, the Kimiyoshis, and the Furudes.

The villagers have a strong sense of unity and will work together to cover up any crimes a villager has done. However, this has allowed someone to slip into the village and commit murders unimpeded.

Because of their mistreatment of the Hojos during the Dam War, the village has had a lingering sense of fear that someone is always watching them. However, that has been broken thanks to Keiichi’s actions.

There is a localized parasitic infection that can induce a sickness called Hinamizawa Syndrome. Symptoms tend to be heightened when infectees leave the village or are under extreme stress.

Onigafuchi was originally visited by Hanyu's clan who are notably not human. The existing villagers and Hanyu's clan were constantly hostile to each other. Hanyu ultimately offered herself as a sacrifice to bring peace to the village.

Murder Mystery details:

Since 1979, someone has died each year during the Cotton Drifting Festival.

The first death was the director of the Dam Project. He was murdered and dismembered by several people. The person who took the right arm is still at large. was abducted by the Irie Institute and dissected to find the pathogen responsible for Hinamizawa Syndrome.

The second death was Satoko’s parents. They fell off a cliff. The wife’s body was never found. Satoko may have actually pushed them off the cliff while she was suffering from L5 Hinamizawa Syndrome.

The third death was Rika’s parents. Her father died of an illness and her mother drowned herself in the swamp. Her body was never found. Rika is certain they were killed by “Tokyo” to continue their research. They were actually killed by Takano and Okonogi when Rika's mother wanted Rika to no longer be involved in their research.

The fourth death was Satoko’s aunt. She was beaten to death. Satoko’s brother Satoshi also went missing around that time. While a drug addict had been convicted for the murder, it may be possible that Satoshi was the actual killer. Satoshi killed his aunt and it caused him to enter L5 Hinamizawa Syndrome. Irie took Satoshi into the Institute for treatment and had the Wild Dogs frame someone else as the murderer.

The fifth death was Jirou Tomitake. He clawed out his throat after apparently being attacked by several people. He was killed by Takano as part of Operation Apocalypse.

Every death has a pattern of one discovered death and one missing person. People in the village refer to the disappearances as the person being “demoned away”.

The villagers refer to the series of deaths as Oyashiro-sama’s curse due to the connections to the dam project. However, each new victim is less and less connected to the project. Tomitake had no connection at all, and Ooishi suspects the murderers are just targeting outsiders at this point.

Oyashiro-sama’s Curse and other mysteries

Rika Furude was found disemboweled outside Furude Shrine. She was killed by Takano to as part of a plan to inflict a “curse” upon the village

“Tokyo” killed all the residents under the belief that Rika’s death will drive the villagers insane and to cover up their research into Hinamizawa Syndrome. They covered up the mass murder by pretending it was due to a gas eruption.

Rika has lived through the series of murders multiple times. However, she did not foresee the destruction of the village.

Many relatives to the villagers went mad after the disaster and several died under mysterious circumstances.

The village was closed off for 20 years after the disaster.

Onigafuchi swamp was sealed with concrete early in the containment, supposedly to seal the poison gas.

As part of a political power grab, Nomura manipulated Takano into forcing Tokyo to use her emergency manual to prevent a mass outbreak of Hinamizawa Syndrome. The plan was to kill Rika to get the approval of Tokyo to kill everyone in the village. The operation would be covered up by claiming the villagers died because of poisonous gas erupting from Onigafuchi swamp.

Thanks to the help of her friends and several others, Rika was able to stop Nomura's plot.

The World as a whole:

Hanyu is Oyashiro. She is able to functionally rewind time by taking Rika to parallel timelines whenever Rika is killed.

Each timeline is governed by the Three Rules. However, Rika’s actions have broken the Rules going forward.

Who knows what happens next?

Operation Apocalypse: Tokyo:

“Tokyo” is an organization of influential figures. They’ve been funding Irie Institute to research Hinamizawa Syndrome.

One aspect of the research states Rika acts as the Queen Carrier to the disease and her death will cause everyone in the village to go insane.

If necessary, “Tokyo” has an emergency protocol to kill all the villagers in order to cover up the research.

Takano led Operation Apocalypse to force “Tokyo” to have to use the emergency protocol. She and the Wild Dogs killed Rika and framed Irie for all the murders than happened.

Takano’s motivation is to become Oyashiro by performing a grand action that people would call the curse of an angry god. The motivations of any of her affiliates in “Tokyo” are unknown.

Takano originally had Tokyo's support in her research on Hinamizawa Syndrome thanks to Koizumi. The research originally was focused on military applications for the disease.

After his death, his faction decided to pivot research into treatment and wanted to cover up their research into bio-warfare.

Other factions within Tokyo saw Hinamizawa Syndrome as an opportunity to destroy the influence of Koizumi's faction. They plotted to force Tokyo to have to destroy Hinamizawa and destroy their influence because of it.

back

[inverted-typo]

I'd love to hear about the story and idea behind your latest beautiful comic! It's so good!

Thank you! I’d be happy to share! I was excited to see so many people want to hear about it as well.

So in this AU, Trigon is defeated by the Titans and of course trapped in Raven’s gem. Several years pass, and Apokolips doesn’t happen. Instead, Raven decides she has to go on a journey to try and rid herself of Trigon and his influence.

She leaves the titans (thinking about age 18-19), promising only to return when she is successful. Damian tried to convince her to stay, that they can help. But she insists this is something she needs to do alone. She promises him that one day she will return. Of course, both of them know this is a promise she may not be able to keep.

Five years pass. Damian takes up the mantle of Batman. (I have no details on this cuz I don’t want Bruce to be dead but maybe he and Damian’s bond and trust strengthen and he trusts him to wear the cowl every now and then). Lots of things change in these 5 years, but every day one thing stays the same: Damian waits for her to return.

Raven, on the other hand, goes to the ends of the Earth and beyond to seek wisdom and knowledge and power to try and defeat Trigon her own way. She meets amazing people, creatures and mentors. She has a lot of side quests too I’m sure, but her goal is still true. However, she realizes that even though her motivation is to defeat her father, she uses the idea of returning home to Damian’s side to fuel her almost more. She made a promise. She refuses to break it.

Eventually, she somehow overcomes Trigon, perhaps by banishing him to a far off dimension that has taken her a long time to open a portal to. She finally reaches a level spiritual enlightenment to give her the power to defeat him. She becomes White Raven. She keeps the gemstone on her head as a trophy of her triumph, and a self reminder of the power she has to overcome anything.

Now, she can finally return home. She’s worried things have changed too much. She has been away with no contact for so long, it makes her anxious to return. But she has to. She made that promise.

-insert my lil comic-

Anyways this is garbled but tried to expand on the general principle 🤷‍♀️

[eventinelysplayground]

New Experiments

This story is the third one from my WIP Poll a while back just two left now! I'm not 100% on this fic but I'm overall happy enough with it. This one is a bit different as it focuses more on Emma with a side character that we haven't seen in English yet but she's been in several fan translated events and I wanted to expand on Emma's relationships with people outside of the princes. The only info needed is that Yuel is an apothecary/pharmacist who becomes Emma's teacher after she moved to Jade. I don't know the fandom overlap here but Yuel gave off major Matsu from Sekirei vibes whenever I would read events she's in so that along with the translations was my guide for her. There will be a sequel to this in the future just I wanted to do them as two seperate fics. Yuel and Emma conduct an experiment which leads to both of them being excited for different reasons. WC approx 1379. CW: mentions of pregnancy. Also thank you to the ancient Egyptians for their knowledge which made this story possible.

“Now this plant is quite interesting! It has strong implications as a replacement for some harder to find ones with minimal effect on efficacy which would open up so many possibilities. Oh, but do be careful when handling it as it's thorns are extremely sharp and.. Emma?”

Emma was having a lesson with Yuel on some of the new plants being cultivated at the palace, or at least she was supposed to be having one. All her mind could seem to focus on was the scents.

“Emma!”

Emma's head reflexively moved back as Yuel snapped her fingers in Emma's face.

“Yuel, I'm so so sorry!”

“What's gotten into you Emma? Normally you're a model student but lately it's been hard to get your attention.”

“I know and I'm sorry it's just…”

“Just what?”

“The plants.”

“The plants?”

Emma watched as Yuel looked around at the various plants she had brought out for today's lesson.

“Is one of the new ones bothering you?”

“It’s not just the new ones, it's all of them.”

“All of them? Are you sure?”

“Yes! All these plants and flowers, and the wet soil ugh.”

Emma dropped her head onto the desk in frustration and let out a long sigh.

“I don't know why but any strong scent lately bothers me, I can't even stand the smell of roses anymore!”

Emma looked up at Yuel to see her staring down at her with her arms crossed over her chest and a sneaky smile on her face.

“Let's forget about these for today, I have something else I want your help with.”

“What?”

Emma was yanked from her chair as Yuel pulled her up and started practically rushing out of the room and down the hallway.”

“Wait Yuel, where are we going?”

“First I need to stop by the palace infirmary and pick up what I need for my experiment then we're going to my quarters.”

“What experiment? Can we even do an experiment in your quarters? Yuel? Yuel!?”

Now it was Emma who found herself being ignored, apparently forgotten in Yuels enthusiasm. Just as they reached the infirmary Yuel came to a sudden stop.

“Actually it's probably better if you wait here for me Emma. I'll be right back, don't go anywhere!”

Emma watched as Yuel hurried off into the infirmary. She hadn't been waiting very long when she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

“Emma?”

“Prince Keith!”

“What are you doing outside the infirmary, did you get hurt? Are you alright?”

Emma waited as Keith walked towards her looking concerned.

“It's sweet of you to worry about me but I'm fine.”

“Are you certain? I know you said as much this morning but you really have seemed unwell lately.”

“I'm certain. I'm just waiting for Yuel she said she wanted to-”

“Talk to the physicians about an order that I completely forgot about! It's all sorted now though so if you'll excuse us your Highness but we need to get back to the lesson, come along Emma.”

“Oh okay, I'll see you later Emma.”

“Yes of course!”

Emma once again found herself being dragged along behind a quickly moving Yuel. Once they were safely away from the infirmary Emma spoke up.

“Just what exactly is this experiment if you aren't telling Prince Keith about it?”

“You'll see soon, my quarters aren't far and I promise to explain everything then.”

Those were the events of five days ago and they kept playing over and over in Emma's mind making it hard for her to concentrate on anything else. She had gotten up early and was now just about sprinting through the palace hallways on her way to her teachers quarters. It wasn't easy keeping a secret from Keith and she hated to make him worry about her still but it was best to wait. She reached Yuels door and had barely knocked when it flung open and Yuels arm shot out grabbing her and pulling her inside.

“I was going to go and get you if you hadn't shown up soon.”

Yuel enveloped Emma in an almost smothering hug.

“Come take a look.”

Yuel gestured towards the workbench set up in a corner of her room. Emma let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding and slowly walked towards it. On top were three dishes containing some seeds, the seeds in the first dish still looked dormant but the seeds in the other two had begun to sprout. It had worked, it had really worked! Emma was hit with waves of emotion and she clasped her trembling hands over her mouth in shock.

“Oh Emma!”

Yuel placed her hands on Emma's shoulders from behind keeping her steady on her feet.

“I…it really worked.”

Emma's voice had been trembling at first but now she was laughing as she looked between Yuel and the seeds.

“We didn't make any mistakes? Everything was how it needed to be for it to be accurate?”

“What kind of questions are those!? We did every step perfectly Emma, our control seeds are responding as they should and our two test seeds are doing just what I told you they would.”

“So then-”

Yuels loud laughter cut off Emma's question.

“Yes Emma I can say with almost eighty percent accuracy that you are with child. You'll still need to wait a month or two for the palace physicians to be able to confirm it physically but that's more just precautionary really.”

Emma was shocked, though not as shocked as she had been when Yuel first explained the experiment to her.

“These are grain seeds but under the right circumstances and environment they have a very special purpose, they can be used to tell if a woman is with child.”

Yuel was staring at Emma with a serious but soft look on her face.

“What, me?”

“Well it's certainly not me!”

“But…what makes you-”

“The aversion to scents. It's not an entirely common symptom but it happens and usually quite early on. These seeds will be able to tell us with an almost eighty percent accuracy.”

Emma sat there blinking at Yuel while still trying to process what she was hearing.

“I've never heard of there being a way to confirm it so early other than well…”

“Most Jadeans are aware of it but the seeds are incredibly finicky so we don't export them. If even one thing is off, the temperature, moisture in the air, exposure to light…any of them can affect the accuracy and render the results invalid so it can only be done by specially trained apothecaries or physicians. Only two of us in the palace have the training required but this is an excellent opportunity to teach you how as well.”

“What if I make a mistake?”

“Don't worry about that. Alongside the one you do we'll have a control as well as one I perform myself, also nothing will be said to anyone outside the royal family or head physician for a while. Although the test is incredibly accurate when done properly there have still been inaccurate or inconclusive results so nothing is announced publicly until the physician's final physical confirmation.”

Emma was pulled out of her reverie by an excited and quickly talking Yuel.

“This is such wonderful news! A new little prince or princess and so many new experiments and formulas to try out, I can hardly wait!”

Emma felt Yuels hands release her shoulders and watched her almost jump up and down with joy.

“New formulas for what?”

“Well first we have to figure out something for your sense of smell. Then if you have trouble keeping down food, something to help with that. A compound to make sure you're getting an adequate amount of nutrients, maybe something to help you sleep later on. You'll definitely need something to help with aching muscles and a new cream to help minimize the stretch marks. That's probably going to be the most difficult one, I mean you're so tiny compared to his Highness…”

Emma sat down in a chair smiling and listening to Yuels obvious enthusiasm then slowly ran a hand over her stomach. She almost couldn't believe the news and was overcome with joy at the thought of the, hopefully small, baby to come.