#i would add more people but I'm lazy and I have to study for my exam now

[anotheroceanid]

Triton “I’m not particularly interested in my half-blood brother’s life, I just think…” ‘s opinions on some of Percy’s relationship outside the seafam:

Chiron: Should’ve been more careful with Percy, but overall okay given Chiron being an obviously underpaid and overworked old man

Grover: He likes him. It’s pity he didn’t marry Polyphemus, it’d be nice to have him in the family and maybe he would convince good old Polyphemus to start a healthier diet

Luke: Bad thing he betrayed Olympus, blah blah blah, but in a positive light he left camp before Percy’s hero worship turned into something more 👍

Annabeth: She… oh… okay… I guess I can’t write that, Triton. I’ll leave it here that you are strongly against her near your brother. What? No, I won’t say that either. What does Athena and Pallas have to do with this… Okay, enough. Next!

Apollo: Again, I can’t write that. I cannot call the god of sun a [redacted]!!! Okay, I’ll leave the message. Directly quoting Triton (not my words, Triton’s) “I know things about you, cradle robber. Don’t make me come for you!”

Hermes: Not bad. He’s happy that at least one god has restraining. Keep distance, either way. In fact, STOP visiting Percy with presents you were NOT allowed to gift him with.

Thalia: Surprisingly alright about their friendship, laments that she is the daughter of who she is, but she’s got points since she doesn’t like her father much, too.

Hazel: Best half-blood around (after Percy, ofc), says he’d like to have her and Frank over to dinner any day at the palace.

Frank: Basically family, he totally approves of Percy’s friendship with him. Pity he’s Roman and child of Mars, “no one is perfect, I guess”

Nico: In the name of Lady Amphritite, Lord Triton is asking you to eat more healthily. Mostly okay and “Don't crush on Percy again, if you know what's good for you.”

Jason: Roman. Jupiter. Multiple hisses… I don’t know what he meant with it, but whatever.

Beckendorf: He’s ranting for three hours about how great Beckendorf was. Terms such as “Honorary Percy’s Big Brother” were used.

Rachel: Very nice mortal. Poor taste in patrons, though.

[writinginatree]

Kisses & Confessions

Relationship(s): Garrick Tavis/fem!Riorson!reader

Summary: Garrick accidentally steals your first kiss, which leads to some long overdue confessions.

Part 2

You wake up to the sound of someone knocking on your door. Though, really, waking up is an exaggeration. You're blinking at the pale sunlight streaming into the room through the half-open curtains, too sleepy to even sit up. Maybe you're lucky and whoever is at the door will go away if you don't answer.

"Y/N? You still in there?"

You groan. Guess they won't go away. And worse, you hear a click as the bothersome person uses lesser magic to unlock the door. It swings open, revealing — Garrick. You let your head drop back into the pillow and turn to face the wall, whining for him to let you sleep.

"If I do that you're going to miss breakfast," he answers.

You hear the sound of your door being closed again, followed by his footsteps coming toward your bed. Your stomach growls at the mention of breakfast, but you're so warm and comfy right now. If Garrick let you, you could fall right back asleep. Unfortunately, he seems to have no intention of that. The mattress dips as he sits down on the edge of the bed, and you clutch your covers tighter around you, sure he'll try to snatch them away any second.

But he doesn't — not yet, at least. For now, he just pokes you in the side. "Come on. I'm tired, too, but we have to act normal, or people will wonder what we were doing last night."

That gets you a little more awake. You'd been out smuggling weapons to the fliers the night before, and had almost gotten caught returning. Afterwards, you'd lain awake for hours, tossing and turning uselessly. You couldn't have been asleep for much more than an hour or so when Garrick woke you up.

"Xaden won't let you come on these trips anymore if you can't get up the next morning," he adds.

Turning on your back to face him, you rub the sleep from your eyes and explain, "It's not the trip. I just couldn't fall asleep afterwards."

"Why not?"

"Dunno. Too many thoughts in my head, I guess. Srian got tired of it and blocked me out so she could go to sleep. I was gonna get up and do some last minute studying, but then I guess I fell asleep for a bit after all."

The last word stretches into a yawn, and Garrick gives you a sympathetic look. You wonder how you look to him right now. Does he think you're cute, all sleepy and soft like this? Or do your messy hair and the dark circles you doubtlessly have under your eyes make you look appalling to him? Not that it should matter. He's seen you in much worse states before — like that time when you were eight and you and Xaden both were down with the flu, or when you got depressed over your mother leaving. But you were kids then. It's different now, and things that never mattered before suddenly do.

"Five more minutes," you grumble. "I'll just skip breakfast."

Garrick laughs. "Alright, sleepyhead. I'll tell Chradh to tell Cuir to tell Bodhi to save you a pastry or something. But if you don't get up in the next ten minutes you'll be late for class."

"Mhh, thank you. Tell him I want something with chocolate, yeah?"

"Right, because he totally doesn't know that. You always want everything with chocolate, Y/N."

"Tell him anyway," you insist. "Just to be sure."

"Okay, okay," he laughs, and after a moment, "I've passed it on."

You close your eyes again for a moment, cautiously reaching out to your own dragon. Lazy thing that she is, Srian is still asleep herself, just like you expected. If only you could afford the same luxury.

"Is this your definition of getting up?" Garrick asks.

"You said I still have ten minutes before I'm late for class."

"Yeah, and I'm guessing you'll need every one of those minutes to get dressed and search that mess on your desk for everything you need for class."

Unfortunately, he's not wrong.

Sitting up, you only now realize just how close he is to you. The fact that you would be sitting on his lap if you moved just a little closer to him shouldn't make your heart race the way it does, but ever since you came to Basgiath a little over a year ago, you've been developing a crush on Garrick — a crush that only seems to get worse with time. You still don't know where it came from. You've known Garrick practically your whole life, and he's always been one of your closest friends, but until last year, your feelings for him were strictly platonic. Maybe it's just that you'd never thought about it before. But on your first day in the quadrant, when you'd seen him again for the first time in what felt like forever, he'd looked so undeniably hot in his new second-year uniform that you saw him in a completely new light. No longer just your brother's best friend, but a very hot and loveable guy. You'd thought it was just a temporary crush you would soon get over, but now that you're a second-year yourself, you're still hopelessly pining after him.

While you're distracted thinking about how close he is, he leans in even closer to kiss your cheek — only you turn your head to look at him better at the same moment, so instead his lips land right on yours. Your breath catches in your throat, and if you weren't awake before, you definitely are now. It's barely a second before he pulls back and apologizes, but that second might honestly have been the best of your life. You can't exactly tell him that, but you do tell him he doesn't have to apologize. You know very well that he only meant to kiss your cheek, like he's done hundreds of times before throughout all the years you've known each other.

And unlike you, he seems to be completely unaffected by your accidental kiss. No trembling, no quickened breathing, not even the hint of a blush. He's as cool as ever, and you kind of hate him for it.

"I don't think I've ever seen you this flustered," he chuckles. "You're almost acting as if you've never been kissed before."

"Well, I haven't!"

"Wait, seriously?"

The shock on his face is almost comical, and it takes all your willpower to bite back your grin so he won't think you're messing with him.

"Yeah, seriously."

"Shit, I'm sorry."

Now you do smile. "It's okay. There's no one I'd have rather given my first kiss to," you admit. It's true — it's certainly not for a lack of opportunities that you've never kissed anyone. You simply refuse to get involved with people who only want you for your last name, and ever since you joined the quadrant, you've only had eyes for Garrick, anyway.

"That wasn't a very good kiss, though. Barely even counts as one." He hesitates for a second, then adds, "I could give you a real one if you'd like."

Oh gods. Did he really just offer to kiss you again? For real this time? If this is a dream, you never want to wake up.

You nod — maybe a little too eagerly.

Garrick cups your cheek with one big hand, turning your head a little to get the perfect angle. "Close your eyes," he softly instructs, and then his lips are on yours again, only this time they stay there longer, moving against yours while you kiss back as best as you can.

You don't think about the consequences this might have for your friendship, of how awkward it might make things. All this time you've tried to ignore your feelings, because this is your brother's best friend, because you didn't want to make things weird, because you thought he doesn't see you like that anyway. And now here you are, chasing his lips when he pulls away after a few seconds.

"You liked that, huh?" Garrick teases.

"Maybe," you say, grinning even as all the blood rushes to your face. "But I think I might need another one to be sure."

Shit. You can't believe you actually said that. You're going too far, you're sure of that the moment the words are out.

"Is that so?" Garrick asks. He's still grinning too, but even so it makes you regret asking. You're making things awkward, gods damn it.

"I mean— you don't have to, obviously. If you don't want to—"

He cuts you off. "Shh, just come here."

Just like that, his mouth is on yours once more, and oh, you're definitely getting addicted. This is bad. But it feels so damn good, so right, even more so when his tongue parts your lips to explore the inside of your mouth. All logical thought leaves your head at that point, and if your mouth wasn't otherwise occupied, you would've blurted out your feelings for him then and there.

"I've wanted to do this for longer than you can imagine," Garrick surprises you by saying when you separate again, both a little out of breath.

"You did?"

Now he's the one looking like he regrets saying anything, and a tiny spark of hope blooms in your chest. Could it be? Could he really feel the same?

"Well— I mean... yeah," he says, unusually reluctant. And is that a blush spreading on his face? You think it is, and gods, if that doesn't make you want to kiss him some more.

"Well, I've thought about kissing you for quite some time, too, to be honest," you say.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

For a moment you sit in silence, both processing what the other just revealed. You want to say more, take the chance to tell him you like him, but at the same time you're scared you're reading too much into this. Just because he's been wanting to kiss you doesn't have to mean he has feelings for you too, does it? If he did, surely he would have said something. Though of course you haven't said anything, either. And you're still not sure you should. This could ruin your friendship.

But damn it, you're a rider, not a coward, so you take a deep breath and admit, "Actually, I've kind of had a crush on you for a while now."

You closely watch his reaction, whole body tense with anticipation. Please don't laugh, you pray. Whatever you do, don't laugh at me. On some level, you know that fear is completely unnecessary. Garrick isn't mean like that; if he doesn't feel the same, he'll let you down gently. But part of you still worries he'll find the thought of you crushing on him so ridiculous he won't be able to help laughing. After all, you're his best friend's little sister. Only a year younger, sure, but when you've grown up together, a year can mean a lot. But if that were all he sees you as, he wouldn't be wanting to kiss you, right?

Slowly, a smile spreads over his face, and no, it's not a mean or disbelieving one. It's soft and genuine and takes your breath away.

"I like you too. I just didn't say anything because... you know..."

"Xaden."

He nods. "Xaden. I was going to ask him for permission before asking you out, but I kept putting it off because I wasn't sure how he'd react."

"Well, I don't care what Xaden thinks." That's not entirely true. In fact, you care a lot what your brother thinks, which is one of the reasons you tried to ignore your crush on Garrick. But even if Xaden does have a problem with you being into his best friend — now that you know Garrick feels the same, you're not going to let that get in the way. "He'll just have to deal with it. Now stop worrying about my brother and kiss me again."

Garrick happily complies, and in the end, you're both late for class.

[deqdlyowl]

I actually have some old doodles TPtR au related... This one portrays an event from the second chapter.

I have a few more things, but they're kinda spoilers and I'm not really into spoiling... Though one of them is just a spoiler of one interesting detail I want to add (the event my sketch shows most likely won't appear in the fic), while the other one is a WHOLE AHH SPOILER of the shit happening in, maybe like 10+ chapter, I'm still not sure how big I want to make the fic, ahaha.

Also rambling and venting out my feelings under the cut because I forgot to take my meds yesterday. You don't have to read but I would be happy if you do.

.

Every time I start something I like, it begins to feel like a small obligation after some time, no matter how I feel about the thing I create. I love my fic and I really want to finish it, because it's also a huge emotional boost for me when I understand that I passed my word count goal in the chapter and I finally can write down my 24/7 daydreaming about CotL (even if not all of them, I often think about selfship, sorry, ahaha),AND I have a nice feedback. BUT. My ability is to abandon things. I have many unfinished drawings, unfinished crafts, like, a crocheted Spycrab or a full-sized HHH tf2 weapon, even though I really want to finish it all, but since I took a really long break, I just abandoned it all. That's usually the reason why I don't make comics. (The only comic I've ever made is that one silly meme about bees). And a month ago I started writing TPtR.

I'm scared of this happening to my fic, that's why I force myself to write if I'm not doing so for more than two days. Somehow it boosts my motivation, but at the same time, the thought of having to force myself to do something, even if I love it, makes me anxious. Why am I not doing anything if I love it? Perhaps it's just my depression with AuDHD kicking in, and sometimes I forget to take my ADs (I don't have ADHD meds yet) that makes me suddenly apathetic about everything. And then anxiety. And then I get sad when I can't come up with words.

Today I was describing the thing I have no experience in. I made tonnes of research, watched many videos of how people do it, tried to find words, but it looks... Meh. And I'm sad. And when I'm sad about something I do, I abandon it. BUT I WON'T. I will force myself to not, because I still want to write! I try to reassure myself that it looks shitty because it's still a draft and written in my native language. However, if looking at my current word count, the chapter won't be short, and it makes me happy. I'm sad and happy. I'm confused about my feelings about what I do!! I can just abandon doing ANYTHING and be lazy for years as it happened in middle school! But I have to force myself. To do anything at all. I already bed rot when I'm not studying, and if I'm studying at home, I still do it in bed. I'm losing weight (I'm severely underweight), my dogs feel bad (they're almost 12), it's my final year in school so I also study hard for my finals, my dreams say weird things (I believe in dream-telling or whatever, and I kinda can decipher them) and it all devours me from inside. But I can't give myself a rest. Or. I'll. Abandon. The thing. I love!

I'm repeating, but my head repeats everything most of the time as well, it's either loud and messy (adhd) or quiet and agonizing (autism), my ADs make my body parts twitch, I don't think that I need my therapist anymore, because it feels like there's no different between me before and me after talking to her.

I love my friends though. Their cheerful reaction to my fic or sketch updates is something that also boosts my motivation of doing something. I love art because of the feeling of creating something, but after finishing, I get the desire to see someone's reaction to what I did.

That's all, I think. I mean, not all, but I don't want to repeat again and again, my memory is getting worse as well, I feel like I kin Shamura ahahahha. I want to take an MRI. What if I have a tumor.

[ne-videl]

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐤𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞

♡

yandere Ayato x fem reader

there's something wrong with your employer.

yandere, mentions of violence & kidnapping, stalker Ayato, non-consensual touching (not sexual, just our man being clingy), reader has a pretty low self-esteem, sfw this time I guess??, poor english

word count: ~2k

a/n: alright I decided to procrastinate and ignore my study, and what's a better way to do it than posting some more of my stuff?

p.s. лисичка солнце как ты меня находишь?? теперь мне стыдно за то что я все никак не могу дописать главу про нёвиллета и ничего не придумала про венти 🤧🤧

enjoy.

bright sun of Inazuma shone on the kimono shop on the corner of the street, filling its visitors with pleasant laziness, and the hostess herself with a desire to end the stuffiness of the day as soon as possible.

you hung your haori on the back of a chair covered with bunch of fabric and exhaled wearily.

it's only noon yet, and you're already listening to insults from a well-to-do girl after announcing that her outfit won't be ready at least until the next evening.

"and besides, with your appearance, I would be ashamed to even look people in the eye!" – the client left, slamming the door irritably. the bell on the door rang plaintively.

"why get personal...?" – you rubbed the bridge of your nose with another sigh, while your gaze slid to the dusty mirror.

impassive glass showed a young woman. always sad eyes, hands covered with calluses and small scars from work. slightly disheveled bangs framing a tired face.

"no matter what, it's still you." – your reflection replied mockingly.

you knew yourself that you weren't that beautiful. there was a little chance to notice you in a crowd, "unremarkable" was the word that suited you the most. the only bright detail on you was, perhaps, a smear of red lipstick on your dry lips. gloomy appearance and an overly calm personality did not add to your attractiveness either. but you were a reliable and practical person, and therefore at least you had a successful career as a tailor.

summer in Inazuma was a nice season for the likes of you: time of festivals and celebrations, banquets and parties of nobles. sometimes you wanted to be in the shoes of your clients yourself: a charming, cheerful young lady choosing among a string of colorful fabrics the one that would suit her new luxurious outfit.

but, unfortunately, you were just a gloomy mistress of a sewing workshop, overwhelmed with work in the hot season.

the long-suffering doorbell, which had to endure a lot of tantrums and dissatisfied cries from visitors today, once again tinkled plaintively, forcing you to come out of your thoughts and turn around.

tall gentleman dressed in expensive white clothes stood in front of the counter. gentle, beautiful face was decorated with a friendly smile and a mole under his lips. at first glance it wasn't difficult to understand that someone very important was in front of you. you were even a little embarrassed, just a little bit: he, bright and cheerful, looks at your modest figure, dressed in a dark, simple kimono.

looks without taking his eyes off.

"lady seamstress? good day. I'm here with a business proposal for you." – the man came closer, still smiling. – "you see, my sister happened to visit your workshop a short time ago."

you tilted your head to the side, scratching your chin. the man in front of you surely looked familiar, for some reason. so it should not be very difficult to remember some pretty young lady with blue hair, from whom the same aura of aristocracy and prosperity would emanate.

"I remember something like that. you must be lady Ayaka's older brother?" – you looked at the supposed head of the Yashiro commission with an impassive look. you're too tired to be surprised by anything, and after all, important people have visited you before. if anything, you certainly had no equal in skill.

"yes, indeed. you are very observant, [name]." – you raised your eyebrow: you couldn't remember telling your name to Ayaka. well, it's not like it really matters, right?

your strange visitor continued to speak with an unnerving gleam in his purple eyes.

"as you have already understood, my name is Kamisato Ayato. I would like to offer you to work at our mansion."

____*:･ﾟ✧

"it's beautiful. I like it." – the younger Kamisato was looking at the sleeves of the kimono with satisfaction while you, now her personal tailor, pinned the hem with pins.

"but, I would like to ask you something, [name]." – you raise your head, looking up at your lady. – "you make such beautiful things. why don't you ever wear them yourself? I always see you in such inconspicuous colors. no bright fabrics, no embroidery."

you get up from your kneeling position, your scarred hands concentrating on straightening the fabric while you mumble without looking up from your work.

"you see, milady, there are people like you and people like me. beautiful things are meant for beautiful people, for important ones: who look good in gold embroidery and silk hemlines." – you look up at Ayaka, narrowing your eyes a little. – "people like me don't wear such clothes. besides, I don't have the looks to wear bright fabrics."

you walked over to the table, adjusting your black haori and assessing the work you've done. kimono suits your lady, who is currently looking down in embarrassment, realizing the huge difference in your statuses.

"ah, I also wanted to know..." – Ayaka swallows, averting her eyes and changing the subject. – "you're going to the festival, aren't you? I'd like to do your hair, if you don't mind."

you answered as calmly as usual, stating the fact.

"I have nothing to wear. and no one to go with." – calloused fingers unconsciously run through your hair, as if you could not imagine someone gathering them into a beautiful hairstyle.

"how is that? what about my older brother?" – the younger Kamisato bats her eyes with confusion.

"master? why would he?" – you tilted your head to the side in genuine surprise.

"wait, I remember exactly, brother said that you will go to the festival with him." – you smiled wearily, as if Ayaka was a child who blurted out some nonsense.

you? with him? you'd rather cut off your own finger than believe it.

you felt your master's hands resting on your shoulders.

"that's right, you're coming, and you're coming with me. I'll take care of the outfit, and I'll do your hair too." – Ayato glanced at his sister and continued talking. it seemed to you that he was standing a little closer than he should have been: at least you heard his voice right next to your ear. – "are you done here? can I borrow you for a while, [name]?"

you just nodded cautiously, wary that your master still had his hands on your shoulders. and the fact that you could clearly feel his hot chest pressed against your back.

"eavesdropping is bad, brother!" – that's right, eavesdropping is bad. and you could only think just how much did he hear.

your walk down the corridor was in silence: you didn't want to speak until you were asked, and apparently he didn't want to ask.

"master," you finally spoke up, tired of the suffocating silence, – "why would you need to accompany me to the festival?"

Ayato gave you a look with his cunning lavender eyes and replied with an unchanging smile.

"because I want to."

"what about clothes? you know, I feel quite good in what I usually wear." – you raised your voice slightly, sincere confusion shone in your eternally tired eyes, – "and my hair? why would you need to-"

Ayato bent down, holding a strand of your hair between his fingers.

you saw him kiss your hair, felt his hot breath on your face.

"because. I. want. to."

that night, as at all nights before in this estate, you felt like you were being watched.

and they didn't take their eyes off for even a second.

____*:･ﾟ✧

summer passed quickly: time for banquets, bright festivals and celebrations ended.

you always finished this usually noisy and busy season with a sense of accomplishment, although, of course, you had less work than usual this summer.

you thought you loved to work. at least your hands were always busy with something: fixing someone's obi, making a sample for the store's assortment or another order. to live you need money, and to have money you need to work. so you've been working as long as you can remember.

that's why it was a surprise to find yourself sitting and doing nothing. Thoma did the mending of clothes and other simple work, and new things, as it turned out, were not needed too often by your masters. so all that remained was to drink tea with them and walk around, feeling guilty for your rather big salary.

archons, it's like you're not a tailor but a friend for them.

on the day when you were ready to climb the wall from idleness – such a seemingly unusual thing for you in the past – you finally decided to visit your employer.

Ayato perked up as soon as you appeared at the door of his office.

"master." – you bowed briefly, looking at him with your eternally tired eyes.

"what can I do for you, dear?" – lord Kamisato, realizing that you were here on a business matter, continued with an impenetrable smile, – "is there something you're not satisfied with? if you don't like the food or the clothes, then I'll immediately-"

you shook your head no, clenching your hands nervously, and spoke. there was a tiny bit of embarrassment in your usually calm voice.

"you see, master," – you swallowed nervously, – "I'm a little worried that I don't really have anything to do."

under Ayato's confused gaze, you continued, explaining what you meant.

"I've been working as long as I can remember myself, and when you offered me to work for you, I expected a higher level of workload." – you exhaled.

"I think I feel guilty for sitting around all day. at least let me fix the servants' clothes."

Ayato scratched his chin while his purple eyes seemed to drill a hole in you. you wanted to leave, to end this conversation as quick as possible. you've never been very comfortable in the presence of your employer. you felt the urge to run away to lady Ayaka and distract yourself with idle conversations, or embroidery – with anything.

"no, no, dear, that won't do. I can't let your pretty hands do that." – your gaze dropped to your rather elegant, but scarred and callused hands. not "pretty" at all.

"then," – you sighed, – "then I'm asking for your dismissal. in that case, it would be better for me to return to my shop in the city. I can't sit around all day, master."

pen crunched in Ayato's hands and fell onto the countertop, breaking in half.

you couldn't see him get up from the table before you felt his hot arms wrapped around your waist in a strangleingly tight grip. gloved finger gently stroked your cheek, outlined the edge of a dark circle under your eye.

seeing in your gaze the absolute misunderstanding of what is happening, commissioner Yashiro only smiled gently.

"[name], sweet, sweet [name]. no matter how beautiful a kimono is, if you lost your legs you won't be able to wear it, don't you think? I would recommend that you don't even think about leaving me. besides, Ayaka will be sad. we all got so attached to you."

Ayato giggled sickly, stroking your hair.

it's time to start preparing for the wedding.

____*:･ﾟ✧

[name]. sweet, adorable [name].

quiet and calm woman living on a street corner. completely unnoticeable in a noisy crowd. smoothly, smoothly her hair flutters in the wind. scarred, thin fingers hold the bundle of fabric tightly.

last name is unknown.

date of birth is unknown.

presumably an orphan.

owns a sewing workshop in the city.

not married.

"is this really all that has been found out?" – Ayato puts down the papers, staring intently at the servant who just nods nervously.

"I see. you may leave."

it's probably a good thing she doesn't have a family. no one would look for her if, say, he decided to kidnap her.

any other person would not have noticed her dark silhouette among the noisy streets. would not have remembered the features of her tired face. would not have made inquiries, looking into her past, find out her schedule, send people to monitor and report to him where and with whom she was. any other wouldn't have memorized what she likes and what she doesn't like, and what time she goes to bed.

anyone else wouldn't, but to commissioner Yashiro, she was the most precious person in the world.

ah, she's so diligent! every time Ayato sees his charming seamstress on the street, she always carries some bundles of fabrics, or in the shop, always busy.

today [name] is also working hard.

hiring her at the manor was the right decision: it meant always having her in sight, by his side. whether it was trying on another suit, when he could feel the light touches of her calloused hands sending euphoric shivers down his back, or just talking over tea – being in the company of a gloomy tailor was great.

humans are greedy, selfish creatures by nature. Ayato was no exception–a man of his status could afford everything and even more. and at the moment, his "everything" was her.

sweet, sweet [name].

slipping into her bedroom in the middle of the night has already become a familiar, routine activity. yukata fell off her shoulder, exposing her skin, while she slept, wrapped in a blanket and quietly snoring.

Ayato carefully, so as not to wake her up, sat down next to her and stroked her hair.

of course, so far they are just a worker and an employer.

"but not for long." – he whispered to himself.

you've always wanted to be in the shoes of your clients, haven't you, my dear? to be a noble lady dressed in luxurious silks?

well, you don't have to worry, your wish will come true soon. you won't mind becoming the wife of the head of the Yashiro commission, right, [name]?

I'm very very sleep deprived I wanna scream cry and throw up

bye!!

[rederiswrites]

Look, I think if you're a US citizen you should go on Youtube and watch the debate, or at least some of the chunks of it where the topic matters most to you. You can't counter the arguments if you don't know what arguments they're making. And no, I don't mean arguing with your aunt that drank the conspiracy koolaid. I mean that there are genuinely a lot of people out there hearing what Trump is saying and thinking, "I don't know. That sounds really scary."

So know what he said, and know not just THAT he lied, but HOW he lied.

Sometimes, it's easy. There are no "abortions" after a baby is born. That would be uhhh let's see MURDER and it's already pretty illegal everywhere and absolutely no one is trying to change that. The comment Trump attributed to former VA governor Ralph Northam is completely misrepresented. Northam (whom I am not defending as a person, by the way) was commenting on the subject of *non-viable* pregnancies that represented a health risk to the mother. Nobody was talking about killing babies. Nobody. Not even Mr. Blackface.

Sometimes it's so addled that I'll leave someone else to unpack, for example, what the FUCK he was on about with the giving illegal aliens in prison forced "trangender surgery". Personally I'm assuming he just used the random word generator in his head to say something that sounded scary to him.

There is NO credible evidence that anyone, much less Haitian immigrants, is eating pets in Springfield, Ohio. Both government officials and the police say there's nothing to it. Springfield has had a huge influx of Haitian immigrants, and this is causing infrastructure strain and racial tensions. But again, people who would rather believe that a) legal immigrants are okay with *stealing your pets and eating them* and b) the entire police and gov't infrastructure of a town and the surrounding county want to cover this up, are not worth our energy. It's the people who don't know the truth and are worried that we want to reach.

And my guy, my man, Cheeto Benito, that is not how tariffs work. Tariffs are not magical free money that other countries just HAVE to give you. They're...they're not that at all. Look, I'm lazy so I'm just gonna quote CNN:

Here’s how tariffs work: When the US puts a tariff on an imported good, the cost of the tariff usually comes directly out of the bank account of an American buyer. “It’s fair to call a tariff a tax because that’s exactly what it is,” said Erica York, a senior economist at the right-leaning Tax Foundation. “There’s no way around it. It is a tax on people who buy things from foreign businesses,” she added. Trump has said that if elected, he would impose tariffs of up to 20% on every foreign import coming into the US, as well as another tariff upward of 60% on all Chinese imports. He also said he would impose a “100% tariff” on countries that shift away from using the US dollar. These duties would add to the tariffs he put on foreign steel and aluminum, washing machines, and many Chinese-made goods including baseball hats, luggage, bicycles, TVs and sneakers. President Joe Biden has left many of the Trump-era tariffs in place. It’s possible that a foreign company chooses to pay the tariff or to lower its prices to stay competitive with US-made goods that aren’t impacted by the duty. But study after study, including one from the federal government’s bipartisan US International Trade Commission, have found that Americans have borne almost the entire cost of Trump’s tariffs on Chinese products. To date, Americans have paid more than $242 billion to the US Treasury for tariffs that Trump imposed on imported solar panels, steel and aluminum, and Chinese-made goods, according to US Customs and Border Protection. [link]

Also though you should watch the debate because Harris was an absolute savage and it was genuinely HUGELY entertaining to watch her mercilessly bait Trump in every answer she gave, and watch him take the bait every. fucking. time.

[lucky-clover-gazette]

kings rising highlights & annotations

chapter 9

indented text is from the book. some quotes have commentary, some do not. some comments are serious, and some are definitely not. most of them will only make sense to people who have read the series. and, like, there are spoilers. so please read the books first if you're interested!

also: part of the reason i'm doing such a close reading is to study cs pacat's style, especially in terms of how she does romance and erotica. there are "craft notes" that might seem weird, like i'm being redundant or restating something rather than analyzing, but those are more things that i want to remember/take away from the writing!

i'm going to tag these longer posts with "sam reads capri" in case anyone wants to read them all at once.

this is a google doc i wrote with overall content warnings for the captive prince series. it's not perfect, but i do think it's important to include.

The next morning, they had to sit next to each other.

me when i’m a high school junior and had a huge falling out with my best friend who i’m totally not in love with last night but we still have to coexist in ap english class

The joint thrones today were under a silk awning, raised to protect Laurent’s milkmaid skin from the sun.

BRUTAL

Lady Vannes murmuring into the ear of a new female pet

oooooh what happened to the old one? drama alert!!

A part of Damen acknowledged, a little guiltily, that Laurent probably hadn’t deserved to get thrown around the training arena as a result.

laurent would disagree

Nikandros said, without looking next to him, ‘Your uncle has wiped out half of our army with two hundred men.’ ‘And a belt,’ said Laurent.

nikandros private twitter vent #11. incoherent violent stick figure jpegs

Damen said, ‘At least someone else has a chance to win at javelin.’

i understand that people like sports and it’s a fun thing to add to a pretty serious story but i am the buzzkill here and ugh. sports

In the stands, slaves rhythmically raised and lowered fans and brought shallow cups of wine that everyone drank except Laurent.

me getting ginger beer at the bar yesterday while the dude i was with drank an espresso martini and two whiskeys

He came forward naked, as was the custom in Akielos.

i feel like violent dangerous sports are a really good occasion to wear MORE clothing, but go off i guess

The two men scooped oil from the receptacle brought to them by the stewards, anointed their bodies with it, then they slung their arms around one another’s shoulders, and, on the signal, heaved. The crowd cheered, the men grappled, their bodies straining against each other in slippery hold after slippery hold, until Pallas finally had Elon panting, on the grass, the sounds an eruption from the crowd.

this is like the not-evil twin of the veretian court wrestling

Damen rose from the throne, and put his hand to the gold brooch at his shoulder. His garment dropped and the crowd roared its approval.

you know, damen’s lack of freaking out about some of the indignities of the veretian court make more sense now

‘Good fight,’ he said, taking his place again on the throne beside Laurent. He waved over some wine. ‘What is it?’ ‘Nothing,’ said Laurent, and found somewhere else to put his eyes.

hang in there buddy

‘What can we expect next? I really feel,’ said Vannes, ‘it might be anything.’

i love the slight disdain here

‘Who did this to you?’ ‘I did,’ Laurent said. Damen turned. Laurent stood in the entryway of the tent. He was arranged with elegant grace and his lazy, blue-eyed attention was all on Nikandros. Laurent said, ‘I meant to kill him, but my uncle wouldn’t let me.’ Nikandros took an impotent step forward but Damen already had a restraining hand on his arm. Nikandros’s hand had gone to the hilt of his sword. His eyes were on Laurent furiously. Laurent said, ‘He sucked my cock too.’ Nikandros said, ‘Exalted, I beg permission to challenge the Prince of Vere to a duel of honour for the insult that he has done to you.’ ‘Denied,’ said Damen. ‘You see?’ said Laurent. ‘He has forgiven me for the small matter of the whip. I have forgiven him for the small matter of killing my brother. All praise the alliance.’ ‘You flayed the skin from his back.’ ‘Not personally. I just watched while I had my man do it.’ Laurent said it with a fronded, long-lashed gaze. Nikandros looked physically sick with the effort of repressing his anger. ‘How many lashes was it? Fifty? One hundred? He might have died!’ Laurent said, ‘Yes, that was the idea.’

LAMEN HR COMPLAINT #8

god i FUCKING love this little confrontation. i appreciate how we can start easing into some more comedy with these specific characters, because nobody here is like actively enslaved or abused. they’re all on even footing, so shots can be fired for fun, and can be read as such. the analysis here, in short, is that damen and laurent are both insane about each other and nikandros just has to deal with it. laurent thinks it’s amusing to mess with nikandros, and to a lesser degree damen. and damen tolerates it because he knows laurent behind his performative cruelty, but can’t possibly explain that to nikandros. regardless, laurent has immunity from damen, which means he also has immunity from nikandros.

this is also a good way to show how both damen and laurent have started “settling” the matters of damen killing auguste and laurent punishing him in vere, since the last scene where both subjects were heavily referenced.

Angry as he was, Nikandros wouldn’t disobey a direct order. His training was too deeply ingrained.

i like this subtle moment. damen grew up in the same culture, yet one of his main Things in this series has always been disobeying orders he disagrees with. built different!

‘Why would you do that? He’ll defect.’ ‘He’s not going to defect. He is your most loyal servant.’ ‘So you push him to breaking point?’ ‘Should I have told him I didn’t enjoy it?’ said Laurent. ‘But I did enjoy it. I liked it most near the end, when you broke down.’

laurent calculated and performative cruelty to protect himself from being vulnerable, you know the drill by now

‘You didn’t have to come here. You could have sent a messenger.’ In the pause that followed, Laurent’s gaze shifted involuntarily sideways. A strange prickling passing over his skin, Damen realised that Laurent was looking at the polished mirror behind him at the reflection of his scars. Their eyes met again. Laurent wasn’t often caught out, but a single glance had betrayed him. They both knew it. Damen felt the hard ache of it. ‘Admiring your handiwork?’

damen: i know you came here on purpose to spend time with me alone when you totally didn’t have to laurent: [very obviously checks out damen’s bare back, and not just for the symbolism reasons] damen: you want to look at me so bad (because you have an emotional attachment to the marks and you want to torture us both about it, and also because you think i’m hot. in both cases you’re the desperate one here, i win)

‘I’ll join you after I’ve dressed. Unless you want to step closer. You can help stick in the pin.’ ‘Do it yourself,’ said Laurent.

this sounds like their prince’s gambit-era antagonistic, vaguely horny, reluctantly fond banter. we’re getting somewhere!

The fever pitch of the crowd was bloodthirsty. The okton brought that out in them, the danger, the threat of maiming. The second of two targets was hammered onto its struts, and the attendants gave the all clear. In the heat of the day, anticipation was an insect buzz, rising to a commotion on the south-western side of the field.

this is such a fucking terrible idea you are in a WAR. damen you are going to be KING. why are you risking your life to play a sports right now. it would be like if the person about to cure a disease decided to play a game of bowling with a 80% survival rate right before they finished the vaccine

Damen heard the reaction of those around him. The Veretian Prince was, at a glance, Damen’s athletic inferior. Certainly, he avoided the training fields. No Akielon had ever seen him fight, or take exercise. He had not participated in any of today’s contests. He had done nothing more than sit, elegant and relaxed, as now. ‘Veretians do not train in the okton,’ said Damen. ‘In Akielos, the okton is known as the sport of kings,’ said Makedon. ‘Our own King will take the field. Does the Prince of Vere lack the courage to ride against him?’

makedon wants that twink obliterated

Damen waited for Laurent to sidestep, to evade, to find, somehow, the words to extricate himself from the situation. The flags fluttered loudly. The stands were silent, to a man. ‘Why not?’ said Laurent.

FSIUFHSDIUFHSDF i love laurent so much it’s unreal. this is the same response you’d give if a friend asked if you wanted to get takeout on a thursday night. “yeah, why not?” mr. “probably” laurent strikes again

Mounted, Damen faced the course, holding his horse ready at the starting line. His mount shifted, fractious, eager for the horn that would signal his start. Two horses down from his own, he could see Laurent’s bright head.

their horses who are canonically in love with each other get to do homoerotic sports too!!

But the true challenge of the okton was this: if you missed, your spear might kill your opponent. If your opponent missed, you were dead.

i was going to say “thankfully there are no real-life sports that sacrifice the physical well-being and possibly lives of eager-to-impress youths looking for glory and compensation” but then i remembered american college football exists

Laurent could also throw a spear. Probably.

probably.

But all of that meant nothing in the face of the okton. Men died during the okton. Men fell, men suffered permanent injury—from a spear; from hooves after a fall. Out of the corner of his eye, Damen could see the physicians, including Paschal, who waited on the sidelines, ready to patch and sew. There was a great deal at stake for the lives of the physicians, with royalty from two countries on the field. There was a great deal at stake for everyone.

not beating the american college football allegations

Damen could not aid Laurent in the contest.

he’ll kill one of his own people by throwing a sword across a clearing to save his captor in book 2, but he won’t use his kingly authority to say “hey guys maybe let’s not put both of the army’s leaders, one of whom is the love of my life and also my divorced husband, in the hunger games right now”

There was something intellectual in the way he assessed the field, and it set him apart from the other riders. For Laurent, physical pursuits were not instinctive, and for the first time it occurred to Damen to wonder if Laurent even enjoyed them. Laurent had been bookish as a boy, before he had re-formed himself.

“he should be at the (afterschool dungeons and dragons) club”

Laurent dealt with the danger of the okton by simply behaving as though it did not exist.

that tracks externally, but i also think that inside laurent’s brain he does acknowledge it, he just has a precise threshold of acceptable risk

Instinct reacted before thought. The spear was driving towards his chest; Damen caught it out of the air, his hand closing hard around the shaft, the momentum of it wrenching his shoulder back. He absorbed it, tightening his grip with his thighs to keep himself in the saddle.

this would be even more impressive if it was not the solution to a dangerous situation you ACTIVELY MADE HAPPEN

All his attention was on the other spear, flying towards Laurent. His heart jammed in his throat. On the other side of the course, Pallas was frozen. In that stricken moment of choice, Pallas could only decide whether to dodge and risk his cowardice killing a prince, or stand his ground and receive a spear to the throat. His fate was tied to Laurent’s, and unlike Damen, he had no recourse for what to do. Laurent knew it. Like Damen, Laurent had seen it early—had seen the strut collapse, had judged the outcome. In the handful of extra seconds that this afforded him, Laurent acted without hesitation. He released his reins—and as Damen watched, as the spear flew right for him—he jumped, not out of the way, but into the path of the spear, leaping from his horse to Pallas’s, dragging them both to the left. Pallas swayed, shocked, and Laurent bodily kept him down low in the saddle. The spear sailed past them and landed in the tufted grass like a javelin.

an akielion wouldn’t think to do THAT, would they!!

(also, love the little parallel to prince’s gambit, with damen ripping the grate out of the wall and laurent’s meticulous scheming. here it’s not as much a competition as it is a mutual/cooperative victory, with damen stopping the javelin mid-air and laurent intelligently evading the other one headed towards him)

The crowd went wild. Laurent ignored it. Laurent reached down and neatly filched Pallas’s last spear for himself. And, keeping Pallas’s horse at a gallop—as the sounds of the crowd swelled to a crescendo—he threw it, sending it flying right into the centre of the final target. Completing the okton one spear ahead of Pallas and of Damen, Laurent drew his horse up in a little circle, and met Damen’s gaze, his pale brows rising, as if to say, ‘Well?’ Damen grinned. He hefted the spear he had caught, and from where he was on the far side of the course, threw; let it go sailing over the full, impossible length of the field, to thunk into the target alongside Laurent’s spear, where it rested, quivering. Pandemonium.

they are both That Bitch. perfect for each other, and now everyone knows it (kinda) <3

After, they crowned each other with laurels.

cute

There was a warmth in his chest whenever he looked at Laurent. He didn’t look often for that reason.

Their men would ride out unified, and if there was a crack down the centre, no one knew about it. He and Laurent were good at pretending.

no they’re not. they’re just becoming more entertaining and endearing than annoying and frustrating, so people are more likely to listen to them

Laurent took his place on one of the lounging couches like he was born to it. Damen sat alongside him.

and all was right with the universe

The whole room went silent. Makedon and Laurent faced one another. The silence stretched out. ‘You have the mind of a snake,’ Makedon said. ‘You have the mind of an old bull,’ said Laurent. They stared at one another. After a long moment, Makedon waved at the slave, who came forward with a fat-bellied bottle of Akielon spirits and two shallow cups. ‘I will drink with you,’ said Makedon.

i love this unlikely friendship. laurent is being socialized like a feral kitten

Laurent glanced at the wine that the slave had poured, and Damen knew with absolute certainty that if it was wine, Laurent wasn’t going to drink. Damen braced himself for the moment when every scrap of goodwill that Laurent had garnered for himself was thrown away—as every tenet of Akielon hospitality was insulted, and Makedon swept forever out of the hall. Laurent picked up the cup in front of him, drained it, then returned it to the table. Makedon gave a slow nod of approval, lifted his own cup, downed it. And said, ‘Again.’

extremely loud airhorn goes off SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS

Later, when a great many overturned cups scattered the low table, Makedon leaned forward and told Laurent he must try griva, the drink from his own region, and Laurent downed it and said it tasted like swill, and Makedon said, ‘Ha, ha, true!’ Later, Makedon told the story of his first games, when Ephagin won the okton, and the bannermen grew misty-eyed, and everyone had another drink. Later, everyone roared when Laurent was able to balance three empty cups on top of each other, while Makedon’s cups fell over.

is this just what frat parties are like?

Laurent maintained a scrupulous posture until they were all gone, his eyes dilated, his cheeks slightly flushed. Damen spread his arm over the back of his own seat and waited. After a long moment, Laurent said, ‘I’m going to need some help standing up.’

i love that damen just Waited. he knew. he wanted laurent to admit it. they’re so funny

He wasn’t expecting to receive Laurent’s full weight, but he did, a warm arm slung around his neck, and he was suddenly breathless with the feeling of Laurent in his arms. His hands came up to steady Laurent’s waist, his heart behaving strangely. It was sweetly, impossibly illicit. He felt the ache in his chest. Damen said, ‘The Prince and I are retiring,’ and waved the lingering slaves out. ‘It’s this way,’ said Laurent. ‘Probably.’

‘Is today the first time you’ve been beaten in an okton?’ ‘Technically, it was a draw,’ said Damen. ‘Technically. I told you I was quite good at riding. I used to beat Auguste all the time when we raced at Chastillon. It took me until I was nine to realise he was letting me win. I just thought I had a very fast pony. You’re smiling.’ He was smiling.

drunk laurent happily telling damen about auguste :’) also the “you’re smiling” is so adorable, i love how we’re getting some dorky soft laurent finally. he contains multitudes. this, like, “suddenly aware that he’s being cute and appreciated for it, slightly indignant but also allowing it because it’s damen who thinks he’s cute” thing is wonderful and tbh i hope i can someday allow myself to be like that too :)

‘Am I talking too much? I can’t hold alcohol at all.’ ‘I can see that.’ ‘It’s my fault. I never drink. I should have realised I’d need to, with men like these, and made an effort to . . . build up some sort of tolerance . . .’ He was serious. ‘Is that how your mind works?’ said Damen. ‘And what do you mean, you never drink?

drunk laurent is so funny. and i love how damen is amused, endeared, and absolutely fascinated by the inner workings of this man. me too.

also, it's insane that laurent would ever ask if he's talking too much. taking too much is like his entire thing

side note: this is 100% how i am when i use any kind of mind-altering substances, like a sedative before a root canal. i remember detailing how i felt in my notes app at the time and then reading it later and being both impressed by the determination to remain incoherent and amused by the inserted notes of “why am i laughing” “why is everything funny”

You were drunk the first night I met you.’ ‘I made an exception,’ said Laurent, ‘that night. Two and a half bottles. I had to force myself to get it down. I thought it would be easier drunk.’ ‘You thought what would be easier?’ said Damen. ‘“What”?’ said Laurent. ‘You.’ Damen felt the hairs rise over his whole body. Laurent said it softly, and as though it was obvious, his blue eyes a little hazy, his arm still around Damen’s neck. They were gazing at one another, halted in the half-light of the passage. ‘My Akielon bed slave,’ said Laurent, ‘named for the man who killed my brother.’

“no shit, i got drunk”

It wasn’t unusual for two young men to wander the halls together, swaying, after a revel—even among princes—and Damen could pretend for a moment that they were what they seemed to be: brothers in arms. Friends.

you guys got publicly married-divorced and laurent told an entire army that you fucked each other multiple times. you wear matching arm cuffs. even your horses are in love. be so serious rn

The guards on either side of the entrance were too well trained to react to the presence of royalty leaning all over each other.

They Pretend They Do Not See It (not an HR complain bc they’re not really bothering anyone or breaking rules)

‘No one is to enter,’ Damen ordered the guards. He was aware of the implication—Damianos entering a bedchamber with a young man in his arms and ordering everyone out—and he ignored it. If Isander suddenly had a startling reason why the frigid Prince of Vere had foregone his services, so be it.

oh nooooo what a shame if isander backed off from your man, what an unintended and unfortunate consequence, oh nooooooo

Laurent, intensely private, would not want his household present while he dealt with the effects of a night’s worth of drinking.

just got a vision of laurent as heather chandler in the hangover/death scene. wearing that cunty little robe and talking shit

Laurent was going to wake with a blinding headache fuelling his corrosive tongue, and pity anyone who ran into him then. As for Damen, he was going to give Laurent a push in the small of his back and send him staggering the four steps to the bed. Damen unlooped Laurent’s arm from his neck, disengaged himself. Laurent took a step under his own power, and lifted a hand to his jacket, blinking. ‘Attend me,’ Laurent said, unthinkingly. ‘For old time’s sake?’ said Damen. It was a mistake to say that. He stepped forward and put his hands on the ties of Laurent’s jacket. He began to draw the ties from their moorings. He felt the curve of Laurent’s ribcage as the tie threaded through its eye. The jacket tangled at Laurent’s wrist. It took some effort to get it off, disordering Laurent’s shirt. Damen stopped, his hands still inside the jacket.

:)

Under the fine fabric of Laurent’s shirt, Paschal had bound Laurent’s shoulder to strengthen it. He saw it with a pang. It was something Laurent would not have let him see sober, a keen breach of privacy. He thought of sixteen spears thrown, with a constant effort of arm and shoulder, after rough exertion the day before.

fuck, that’s right. damn laurent

Damen took a step back, said: ‘Now you can say you were served by the King of Akielos.’ ‘I could say that anyway.’

he may be white girl wasted but he’s still our laurent

Lamp-lit, the room was filled with orange light, revealing its simple furnishings, the low chairs, the wall table with its bowl of fresh-picked fruit.

this time, the fruit basket guy just showed the kitchen staff a bunch of ao3 fics tagged “in vino veritas” and told them to make it work

Laurent was a different presence in his white undershirt.

makes him sound like a cryptid. blonde man jumpscare

They were gazing at each other.

we know.

‘I miss you,’ said Laurent. ‘I miss our conversations.’

he would not have admitted this under torture

(also, i really like how he misses their conversations first and foremost. laurent really does love damen for his mind and heart, more than anything else. damen is the same, but he's a lot more vocally into the other parts of laurent too)

It was too much. He remembered being strapped to the post and half killed; sober, Laurent had made the line very clear, and he was aware that he had crossed it, they both had.

damen is still afraid to potentially take advantage of laurent, especially because of what happened the first time laurent interpreted his advances in such a light (ow)

‘You’re drunk,’ said Damen. ‘You’re not yourself.’ He said, ‘I should take you to bed.’ ‘Then, take me,’ said Laurent.

Laurent lay where Damen put him, on his back in a half-open shirt, his hair tumbled, his expression unguarded. His knee was pushed out to the side, his breathing was slow as one in sleep, the thin fabric of his shirt lay against his skin, rising and falling with it. ‘You don’t like me like this?’

first thing, good for him. second thing, not good for him, because trauma, and the fact that he sees himself as a sexual object (i went a lot more into this during the chapter 7 re-analysis)

‘You’re really . . . not yourself.’ ‘Aren’t I?’

i do think damen means this as a “you could punish me for taking advantage,” but i also think there is the fact that damen doesn’t want a version of laurent who isn’t in his right mind (like slaves, who aren’t given the ability to have minds of their own). this calls back to the whole “you like it simple” thing in chapter 7, and it’s pretty satisfying to see damen prove laurent wrong!

‘I tried to kill you. I can’t seem to go through with it. You keep overturning all my plans.’

said with hearts in his eyes <3

Damen found a water pitcher and poured water into a shallow cup that he brought to the low table by Laurent’s bed. Then he emptied the fruit bowl of fruit and put it on the floor alongside, to be used as a drunk soldier might use an empty helmet.

THEY WORKED HARD ON THAT THEMATICALLY RELEVANT FRUIT BASKET >:( although perhaps this is its true thematic relevance? a means of damen helping laurent care for himself in recovery?

‘Laurent. Sleep it off. In the morning, you can punish us both. Or forget this ever happened. Or pretend to.’ He did all of this quite adeptly,

at least he’s getting more self-aware about his own blind spots, or at least his ability to have them

Laurent, falling through scattered thoughts into sleep, said, ‘Yes, uncle.’

i think this line honestly might have been a step too far. not necessarily because it’s a bad thing for laurent to say, i get that it makes sense for him to associate this kind of vulnerability with [redacted], and it’s even possible that laurent doesn’t drink now because the regent got him drunk before he [redacted].

why i think it miiiiiiight not work, is the fact that damen doesn’t oh fuck wait i JUST made note of a line where damen acknowledges how he can “quite adeptly” ignore things, literally a few sentences ago. i can’t even say he would have noticed, or made note of it, because that is his character. and the irony is like right there on the page. it’s frustrating to read, but it’s an intentional choice. well played as usual!

[zimt-deathnote]

Hello,

I am an art student (art on instagram link in my account, I am too lazy to post on two different platforms), and I love your art style and creativity, you are incredible ✨

I am at that point in my studies where I am getting decent at at least some of the techniques, but struggle using them to give life to my own ideas.

Do you have any advice on character design and environment study? I admire how you manage to give so much personality to your characters just with body language, it’s amazing, I have lots of trouble just managing to make mine look like themselves in two different sketches. Every time I feel like I got it right I lose it the moment after :(.

Where do I start when I want to study for a project, and how do you organise your work?

Thank you for reading, I hope this ask finds you well ❤️

Hi there!! Thanks for reaching out!! <3

Yeah character consistency can be tricky! My go-to strategy for character design is to break them down into their most basic idea. Can be a colour, a shape, a line. Look at this concept art from Inside Out:

The more complex you go, the more tricky, complicated and hard to get right in different drawings will be. That's not a bad thing but you should always keep the very core idea of a character in mind when designing and drawing. If I may add some of my own things in here:

I settled for a very angular Mello and in contrast a rather round Matt. In canon, they're both pretty round, so I thought I'd break that up for a more interesting duo dynamic. For me it's also helpful to think of your character as a map with set distances and points of interest. Take Mellos focal points like the beak-y pointy nose and his blocky hair and the rest doesn't matter that much anymore if you only get those features right. I don't know, I'm super bad at explaining, there's a reason why I'm not a teacher :'D

Maybe you could try to draw your character as tiny or as quickly as you can, that also works well for me. Because you absolutely can't get lost in details and have to break them down to what really matters.

When I see complex characters with tons of tattoos and complex scars or wild hairstyles and details that just absolutely don't matter to the overall design, I always think of the poor poor animators that would have to animate that character if they were part of a TV show haha

As for environment study?? Bruh, I'm as lost as you.

Where to start on a project? Anywhere, as long as you start. Sitting in front of a blank paper is the worst thing. Drawing bad is better than not drawing at all. Look at other art, maybe even copy some, trace some, anything that helps you get into the flow.

Organising things is a supreme dicipline. I would say I give my best to stay organised but fail miserably. But I had people tell me I'm insanely organised, so... No idea. Taking the whole Death Note AU thing as one big project, I try to keep things seperated by characters, eras, themes or places, depending on what makes sense and throw all the files in the respective folders but it's getting more cluttered by the minute... What helps me if making overviews, like lineups of characters or something like this:

Colour chart where I can just pick the colours and not rummage through my files to find a fitting reference for different characters.

Oof that turned longer than I wanted, I hope you can at least find some helpful information out of my rambling :'D

[rigelmejo]

I read this reddit post today, The lazy way of learning a language: passive listening and reading.

Found it interesting. I love reading other's experiences studying: what they did, the progress they made.

The learner:

Did a little duolingo and never made much progress, re-studying basic stuff every so often (we've all been there ToT that's my achilles heel is re-studying the basics too much). They tried to study 1000 common words but gave up (*I can say from my own experiences though that if they only read a word list of 1000 words one or a few times, then listened/watched Spanish content with those words... then that initial study with translated definitions probably got reinforced with the Spanish content's repetition, helping them learn those common words they were primed to pick up from the initial study - I studied common vocab that way in multiple languages, even if you don't memorize, if you cram-read words with translations and then immerse in content with the words you will recognize the words quicker and remember them quicker).

Then they started listening to the audiobook of Harry Potter in Spanish, and watching Supernatural dubbed in Spanish (no word lookups while listening/watching as far as they mentioned - this part sounds very cool, as I've only done this sort of activity in the beginning study months while also looking up words often... and I am guessing that this kind of listening activity with the audiobook helped with listening skills so they didn't lag behind reading as much, while the TV show probably helped with remembering common words in the context of things going on visually).

Then they tried reading a book, by reading a book and copying a paragraph at a time into Google Translate and reading the translation and original and then moving on. (This part is fascinating because 1. it's how a bilingual text would be used to study, cool to see such study working. 2. I did the same thing in my first 8 months of Chinese study, with Silent Reading by Priest... there was no completed translation by real people so I'd read the Chinese and then go line by line with Google Translate and Baidu Translate and some other translators, and compare, and try to figure out what as many words/parts meant as I could, then move on. I read more in depth than this person did... but it also meant I only read like 15 chapters before giving up... so the lesson in retrospect - for me, anyway - is maybe just doing a once over comparison between a translation and original per paragraph is enough, if I'm not trying to be perfect).

Then they discovered ReadLang app, the kinds of apps where you can read in a target language and click translate words for definitions (many eReader apps have this feature like Kindle app, even Edge and Mozilla and Chrome have this feature, and there's language specific apps with better translations like Pleco and Readibu for Chinese). They then continued to read novels, using the ReadLang app and clicking words as they read. (I found this part really cool because: for starters, this is very much how I got to B1/lower intermediate level in French and Chinese in terms of reading skill, then the other interesting fun fact I have is that some people have used Readibu - just clicking new Chinese words while reading - to go from Beginner to able-to-read most things comfortably without word-translations. So if you like reading, a really good option for study is just: read something digitally in the target language, use some tool to conveniently easily click unknown words for the definition, and read until you get better! Keep reading until you are happy with your reading level and the amount of stuff you can read without tools! I would just add to this: if you like SRS flashcards, like Anki, then SRS study of unknown words will speed things along. And if you want to speed up how quickly you become comfortable reading without tools like word-lookup, then you'll want to practice extensively reading on a regular basis too. Extensive reading means trying to read something, regularly, without using tools to help you. It helps you remember words quicker, because you'll NEED them and can't rely on the reading word-lookup tool when you extensively read.)

[caged-kaashi]

Hey, Akaashi

Im a 1st year (high school). after winter break Im gonna be a 2nd year and.... I just don't know what to do.

There is literally nothing im good at. i didnt know that was possible. I'm not good at studying, i can't draw, i can't play an instrument, i can't make friends, i can't play any sports, i can't play games, i can't write essays, i'm not funny, i'm not patient.... i'm lazy. i don't know, literally, there's nothing i'm good at. Not even trivial things. Not even like checkers, or dodgeball, or smiling, or talking quickly, or tricking people.

I didn't know it was possible, but here I am. I'm not even healthy; my own fault, with some help from my genes. I cant stay up the night, i sleep like 8 hours and am still sleepy, i dont like eating so im... not underweight, but close. i have no muscle. but i have no fat so i can't skip meals and be fine, if i skip two meals ill become so weak i can barely stand, it sucks.

I tried to make a list once: all the things im good at. squeezed my brain for any niche thing. heres what i came up with:

I'm decent at english. I don't smoke or do drugs or gamble. I'm not a big money spender. sometimes i do the dishes.

The bare minimum, less even.

anyways, i have 2 months of winter break. in that time i wanna learn to cook, at least. and earn money. How can I earn money? and exercise just enough to go back into the 'normal muscle range'. I don't think i can learn to study well enough to get into college in that time. So something, anything. Anything to stay alive later without being a burden on my parents.

Sorry for ranting.

Hello anon, before I begin, thank you for trusting me enough to hear you out. I'm here for you anytime you may need to rant so don't ever hesitate. And I'm sorry that you're feeling awful with how you are currently.

-pulls you down gently to sit beside him-

However, I seem to have noticed your special quality through your words and that is introspection. You have taken time to be true to yourself and search who you are. This may sound albeit spiritual but finding yourself and accepting the form you are at is one of the most basic and important step to improve yourself.

It also appears as though you've already started working on the next step too. You've made a list of things that you want to achieve by a certain time frame and that's great. I'll be cheering you on, celebrate every little achievement just like how parents would with a mere single step of a young baby.

The thing about being good at something is ultimately acquired skills. You may be good at something by birth and that merely gives you a head start, you still need to refine and polish it, in order for the skill to shine. By bringing this point forward, what I mean to say is, you're still young, you can find a skill that interests you and work on it, that's how you acquire skill sets for yourself.

You also posed a question about how to earn money. The easiest trick is to find a way to make yourself more sell worthy in the market and for that you have to work on acquiring the very skills that both interests you as well as is sought out in the market. If you say you're good in English then maybe look into newsletters, improving your writing and start with something small. I do have to also mention that the bare minimum you speak of is still much better than being the worst and doing bad things intentionally.

Lastly, I do wanna add that whatever you do, do it for yourself. I know it sounds selfish but it is ultimately you who has to live with yourself so treat yourself better. Become someone you would trust your child-self to be impressed by because that is the only person who you need to keep happy and satisfied.

You can do whatever you can put your mind to, take a breath, find ways in which you'll be happy and healthy, prioritize yourself more and remember, keep moving- in every sense of the word. Because even the tiniest step is an improvement from where you last were.

[thoughtsonhurtandcomfort]

I don’t know how to start messages (except like this), but hope you get the writing juice back soon! At your own pace of course.

Hope this isn’t somehow annoying (I overthink a lot and over-explain/apologize as a result, sorry), and that you take care of yourself, stay hydrated, and all that jazz! Also that you have a happy new year when it passes by :)

Also, bit unrelated, but seriously, how the fuck do you write so well? It’s like magic/witchcraft, and I mean that in a very complimentary way (hope it’s not strange, but same anon who left the long compliment message. Just for context, hope that’s not annoying). Feel free to ignore this bottom part but do you have any tips/advice for writing? Always wanted to but never knew how to start.

Again, and I’m not saying this to somehow be guilt-trippy (I SWEAR I’m not, just want to make sure my writing tone is clarified, I’m not good at telling it) feel free to not answer, but your writing is genuinely some of the best I’ve ever read, top 10 for sure!

ANYWAYS, hope you have a great rest of your day/night (even though I just said that at the beginning lol) and that I didn’t somehow accidentally mess my writing up and come off as offensive or strange or weird somehow (my overthinking is strong, I apologize in advance.) :)

-idk

Hi!! Happy new year!

I apologize for not being very quick at answering, I'm very lazy and not always online. But I have seen and read all your asks from the first one and appreciate them so much. <3 If you want, you can give yourself an anon nickname - for example, someone sends me the occasional anonymous ask with a strawberry emoji at the end, so I know it's the same person!

And oh gosh...I'm so flattered that you like my writing?? I don't consider myself particularly good but I enjoy it a lot and am at least happy enough with things to share them. One cool thing about this community is how responsive people are to the work they enjoy, for any writer or artist or creator that is such a gift!

So, it's worth mentioning that I minored in writing in college. I mention that because it contributed to my personal experience with writing but in no way do I think someone needs to formally study to become a good writer, nor does formal study guarantee being one.

Also, I didn't go into any jobs that involve writing, it has remained just a hobby, and I'm fine with that. I strongly believe that creating and enjoying art is for everyone regardless of skill level and without being expected to monetize it or gain popularity. We are so lucky to be able to read, write, draw, paint, etc, when through much of human history, and still in parts of the world, those things were only available to a privileged few. Now I can write and doodle in a cheap shitty Dollar Tree notebook if I want to and no one can stop me.

I don't feel qualified to give too much advice, but I can at least share some things that have worked for me. And I encourage other writers who see this to do the same!

Read. The more you read, and the more variety especially, the more you will pick up. The idea of course isn't to copy other people's work but to get a feel for different styles, learn new words and phrases, be inspired. My love of writing started with reading.

Practice. This is the most boring answer but also unfortunately the most important. Sometimes you just gotta do the thing to get better at the thing.

Daydream. This isn't for everyone, but I have always had an active imagination. As long as I can remember I would imagine little scenarios in my head, sometimes over and over to try out different versions of them or add details. Writing can just be having little stories in your head that you feel compelled to put down, and doing so can be really rewarding whether you share them or not.

Outline. This is pretty basic, I just love to outline. It doesn't have to be a fancy formatted one, just jot down the key points of the thing you want to write, in order. Then fill it out with notes, phrases, any other ideas you have. None of this has to be fleshed out, it's just to organize your thoughts.

Drafts are good, actually. Have a first draft and a second and a third if you need to. Move things around, delete, rewrite, reword, whatever. Nothing has to be perfect the first time through, sometimes it's nice to just let the words flow and figure out the details later.

Learn the rules so you can break them. Even if you don't take writing in school, there are lots of ways to study basic grammar, punctuation, writing tools like metaphors and similes and all that. The point isn't to write like a robot, it is to have a solid foundation on which to build your creativity. Lots of pretty words are pointless if the reader can't understand what you're trying to communicate. And once you know the 'rules', you can intentionally bend and break them to create a desired effect and develop a personal style.

And finally,

WRITE WHAT YOU WANT.

It's a phrase that gets thrown around a lot, and I'm glad because it's true but saying it and getting it are two different things. If you're writing as a hobby, it's meant to be enjoyed. Write things you would want to read. Write the things that feel right to you. Write things that help you express something. Write things that challenge you in a positive way, or write things that are comforting and simple, as long as it's coming from within you.

And if you aren't feeling it, it's ok to just...stop. Or at least pause. I am still learning that I don't have to force myself to write just because I think someone is expecting it, I don't have to fill a prompt that doesn't interest me just because I feel bad if I don't. I have piles of unfinished word docs and google docs and tumblr drafts that will never get finished and that is OK. Give yourself permission for that to be OK. When you let go of the projects that feel like a slog you give more space for the projects that spark joy!

Anyway, I hope any of this is helpful. However you do it, I hope you will create something!

[justsomeoneintoomanyfandoms]

Hello! I apologize in advance for my terrible English 🙈

Could I get a matchup for TokyoDebunker?

(And if possible, if you consider that there is a character from Demon Slayer, Fullmetal Alchemist, My Hero Academia or Mystic Messenger that you think could make a matchup, would you add them too? Although only if you wish! The Tokyo Debunker match in itself is enough ❤️)

Pronouns: she/her

Sexuality: Bi

Zodiac/MBTI: Sagittarius, INTJ

Appearance: Short, curly dark brown hair. Brown skin, freckles on my cheeks, slim body, Latin American features, dark eyes, 53 kg and 5'5" tall.

Personality: Introverted, occasionally moody, although once I gain confidence I can be more relaxed and somewhat playful/childish. My social battery is short-lived, so I like to spend time alone. Would you say I'm like a cat? because I prefer to be the one who gives signs of affection when I have the initiative than to receive them suddenly. Whenever I start a task I commit to finishing it even though I no longer want to continue, I am a little disorganized for some things, but also very organized for others... I don't know, I think it depends on my state of mind how organized I can be. I may be a little lazy too, but I'm not one of those who promise something they can't deliver.

Likes and dislikes: I like tranquility, spending time at home, desserts, reading romantic novels, horror/thriller/suspense/romantic comedies/musicals. I also like to give gifts to my loved ones and spend quality time with them. I also enjoy visual novels and interactive stories. Skin and hair care, videos of people putting on/removing makeup and trying on clothes. I don't like insects, noisy places, disloyal people (I value loyalty a lot!) and liars. Alcohol and other substances are a definite no.

Hobbies: True crime shows, reading, listening to music, watching anime, board games.

Thank you very much in advance and I will cross my fingers hoping and wishing that you accept my request 🤞🏼🙈, kisses and hugs ❤️

Hi Anon! Thank you for your request! Sorry it took a while. I hope you like your matchups!

In Tokyo Debunker, I match you with...

Luca is surprisingly, a really good match for you considering you can be moody. He has mood swings at times as well but he’s usually able to keep a level head and is more than happy to help when you’re in any kind of mood.

Completely understanding when it comes to you preferring to initiate affection. He would never cross your boundaries so whenever you feel like affection, just let him know.

Definitely has a bit of a hidden sweet tooth. He likes desserts but doesn’t have them a whole lot so it’s nice getting to go on café dates with you so he can try all of your favourites.

Tranquillity is a big thing for Luca. He doesn’t get a lot of downtime between his study and his research into demons so when he does get a break, he enjoys relaxing somewhere quiet with you.

In the same vein, he really enjoys reading for leisure instead of for study. Please give him lots of recommendations! He’s always looking to expand his reading horizons.

In Demon Slayer, I match you with...

You and Giyu are a good combination of introverted and playful. It may not seem like it to strangers, but he’s got a light side to him when he’s around people he trusts.

When you’re in a more childish mood, Giyu can feel a bit lost as to how to interact with you. He’s not great with kids in general but he’ll learn to loosen up when you embrace your childish side.

Will get rid of any insects for you. Giyu’s not particularly scared of bugs but he’s happy to have them out of his home, especially if it makes you more comfortable.

Much like Luca, Giyu enjoys tranquillity. Usually that means isolating himself but as long as you don’t mind his quiet presence, he’ll happily spend his downtime in companionable silence with you.

This man is a rom-com lover at heart, he just doesn’t know it yet. Please introduce him to your favourite romantic novels and watch his face light up when he’s talking about the latest scandal he’s reading about.

In Fullmetal Alchemist, I match you with...

For Riza to be in a relationship, both parties have to be completely committed to each other. There’s no room for anything else in her life considering her line of work.

She’s quite an organised person so it might take her a while to grow accustomed to your disorganisation. But once she comes to terms with the fact that that’s what works for you, she’ll happily let you do your thing.

Riza doesn’t get to spend a lot of time as home but when she does, she loves that you’re there for her. She enjoys being in a safe space with the person she cares about most more than anything.

Much like her need for commitment, there’s no room for liars or disloyal people in her life so she’s glad you hold the same values. You have a very honest and open relationship.

Board game nights are a staple! Whether it’s just you and her or the whole Mustang Gang join in, it’s a fun way for Riza to let her hair down to end the week, no matter how stressful it’s been.

In My Hero Academia, I match you with...

If there’s anyone who understand having a short-lived social battery, it’s Jiro. She enjoys being around her friends but needs her alone time as well.

Completely fine with you preferring to initiate affection. She’s not a super touchy-feely person to being with so it’s all good with her that you’d rather be in control of that aspect of your relationship.

Music is what brought the two of you together. Jiro has a super wide music taste so send her song recommendations and prepare to jam out together when you get the chance.

All of UA is a noisy place, especially when her friends are around so Jiro does what she can to take you on dates to quiet cafes and parks. She enjoys the change of pace as well so it’s a win-win.

I feel like Jiro enjoys watching skin, hair, makeup, and fashion videos as well. There’s something about them that intrigues her even thought they’re so different to what she’s usually into.

In Mystic Messenger, I match you with...

Cat-like you say? Oh, Seven’s all over that! You two are cat buddies through and through. He loves your cat-like tendencies and thinks you’re all the more cute for them.

Much like Riza, Seven has no room in his life for disloyal people and knowing that you feel the same alleviates his fears somewhat. He knows he can count on you to stay loyal to him.

You think you likes spending time at home? You clearly haven’t met Seven. If it were up to him, he’d never leave the house again. He’s got everything he needs there, including you.

A rom-com fiend. Please share your favourites with him, he’ll love every second of it, no matter how cheesy it gets. Just be prepared to have to deal with a sappy Seven for the next few days.

On the other end of the spectrum, he also really likes true crime, especially listening to true crime podcasts. He likes being able to talk about his theories with you when you’re watching, listening to, or reading the latest case together.

[justatypicalwizard]

Wants Within | S. Shinazugawa | Chapter 2

✦ Sanemi Shinazugawa x femReader!, college au, reader is adult

✦ Synopsis: You're a college student taking classes with a very strict lecturer- professor Shinazugawa. Because of an unfortunate even you got on his bad side so now you're trying everything to regain in his eyes. Well, you most certainely didn't expect that kind of attention.

✦ Word count: 1,3k

18+, minors do not interact

It was late in the afternoon, the sun setting already, reminding you that the days would be only shorter. You sat in the library, in a personal study room. The desk was full of lengthy books, your laptop plugged in as it was on for the last five hours at least. A cup of cold coffee standing sadly on the other side of the desk.

Your workaholism took the better of you. Just a few hours ago, you were ready to give up on your extra topic to the project, but now, you are back to it. What happened?

Well, after the lecture you were confused. Time was passing by quickly and you had to finish your project. On the other hand, you felt really bad for gaining an awful reputation in Professor SHinazugawa's eyes. It really bothered you. You only wanted to study more and now, the man thought that you were a lazy ass dodger. Because of that you decided to die on that hill.

Skipping dinner, you went straight to the library. In an instant you found yourself deep in your train of thoughts, trying to work as quickly as possible. You will not only finish the project, you will also include the extra topic to it, even if it means sitting in that library forever. Luckily, it was open even at night, for dumb people who leave everything for the last minute.

Night Time came upon you. It was empty at this hour in this part. No science freaks today, apart from you. Sighing, you pushed the chair back, looked at the rest of the cold coffee and decided to get a new one. Opening the door, you made your way to the coffee machine.

Suddenly, your phone rang. Picking it up, you saw that it was Anny, you good friend.

''Hey girl, what's up?'' You heard from the other side.

Looking to the sides, you confirmed to yourself that you were the only person in this place, you could talk in peace.

''Heyyy, ughhh, don't get me started.'' You sighed.

''What happened?''

''Remember that project for Shinazugawa? Well, I fucked up today, didn't get extra time and now I'm sitting in the library, trying to look better in his eyes.'' You laughed a bit at how stupid it sounded.

''Whaaaat?'' She sounded amused.

''I had a shitty talk with him today and now he thinks I'm a lazy loser. Long story short, I try to heal my broken ego by showing him that I really have something interesting to add to that stupic assignment.'' Tapping your foot on the wooden floor, you waited for your coffee. ''I don't even know if I will make it but my ego would rather fail the whole project than give it back basic... giving the turn of events.''

''Man, you kicked yourself into some real shit.'' She gave you a snicker.

''Don't you say.''

Your small chat went on for some time.

''Ann, wait, I will take off my sweater, it's hot in here.'' Doing as you said you started to undress.

It was chilly on the outside, so in the morning, you thres a comfy, baggy sweater over yourself. It hid your form nearly completely. Now, you could finally take it off, the temperature in the library was very welcoming. Under the sweater, you had a tank top that showed off a bit more of your body.

''Yeah, I'm back.'' You started again, giving yourself a few more minutes of the break.

Little did you know that you were not the only person in the library. Out of your sight were two men. One was a tall, energetic blonde from the biology classes, the other one was your very own Professor, Shinazugawa. Both of them listen to your lame rumble.

When you found your way back to the study room, Rengoku started.

''Is that the girl you talked about today?'' He asked his friend.

''Yeah, that's the idiot.'' The white haired grumbled.

''Look, she really didn't lie like you thought.'' The blonde hummed in amusement.

''Whatever.'' Shinazugawa still studied the book he was reading.

After a while of silence Rengoku started to budge his friend more.

''I would feel guilty. I don't remember when was the last time that someone wanted to do something extra for my classes out of their own will.'' He tapped his slender fingers on the desk, like nothing happened.

''What do you want me to do?'' The white haired knew there would be no end to Rengoku rambling about this, he was very passionate about his students and would likely kiss you from top to bottom if you would be his scholar.

''Give her the time.''

''No.''

''Don't be an ass, you kill creativity and passion like that.''

''She is most likely passionate about being the magical top student.'' Shinazugawa pushed his chair back, looking at Regoku. ''I can't stand 'oh Professor this, oh Professor that' shit.''

''Did she throw herself on your desk purring 'oh Professor Shinazugawa!' hm?'' The blonde didnt give up.

''... no.''

''Then?''

''It's too late anyway.'' Shinazugawa tried to defend himself, although Rengiku had a point, you just asked and he treated you poorly just because of a snicker... that was justified.

''Write her an email that you thought it through and you changed your mind. She could at least get some sleep.'' Rengoku shrugged.

''Do you have a solution ready for every student related problem?''

''No, I just have a solution ready for your stubbornness.''

The white haired man gave him a surprised look. The normally conflict-free Rengoku talking back? Whatever.

Taking out his phone, he wrote you a quick email, giving you time until Thursday. He looked at the coveres study room. There was no way to see your form from behind the milky glass that surrounded it. He imagined you sitting there in despair, trying to squeeze the last bits of energy from yourself. You must have been bent over the desk with your head in the notebook, possibly crying.

Just as he was having his devilish thoughts you actually came out. He spotted you from between the bookshelves, you still didn't see him. You were looking for yet another book. Didn't you get his email?

Stretching your hand up high to reach the top shelf you still had your phone on, talking to someone. You were standing with your side facing the Professors. Holding your phone with your shoulder, you started to jump to reach a book that was too high. Shinazugawa still looked at you. The tank top embraced you tightly and you were comfortable in it, confident in being the only person in the room. The white haired man spotted it all, he also looked for quite a time at your bouncing boobs. Suddenly, he became aware that he was thinking about your cleavage and mentally slapped himself.

It's very unprofessional and not nice to view you like that.

''I will pretend that I didn't see it.'' Rengoku whispered, Shinazugawa looked the other way.

''Wait Ann, I got to check that, don't hang up.'' You muted yourself, seeing that you got an important notification.

''Oh shit, he changed his mind.'' You went back to your chat. ''I have time until Thursday with the project.''

''Great!'' You heard Anna cheer.

''Yeah, Mr. Grumpy returns to being Mr. Sexy'' You laughed to the phone, going back into the study room, to pack your things for the night.

Not aware that your very Professor just heard you calling him what you just called him, you happily skipped to the library door, leaving the two of them alone.

Rengoku laughed a bit, looking at his friend.

''Can't control that!'' He stated, aware, that some of his students also think like that about him.

''Yeah.'' Shinazugawa grumbled.

He knew he was handsome. It was just slightly better not to be this aware of that.

SERIES MASTERLIST

[amysgiantbees]

Love in the Air

Spoilers

Just thoughts as I go I'll add to and edit this later...

I got into this show because I was wondering who the people the camera lingered on to long were in Wedding Plan (LOVE Wedding Plan). So since I saw Wedding Plan first every time I look at Rian's hair internally I'm like "just you wait it gets better I promise".

It would annoy me that Rain does the annoying so demure, so inexperienced shyness silence all the time if he didn't consistently not have two brain cells to rub together. So the silence as he tries to put any thoughts together really checks out.

God I relate to a man procrastinating and fucking up uni. I need more failures as my protagonists like this. Love him. Very relatable.

It bothers me more than I'd like that Saifah is meant to be the younger twin to Payu. He looks older and his is actor is two years older. If he was clean shaven I think it would work more. But every time they mention he's meant to be younger I just cannot by that.

I saw a review calling this a a modern queer bodice ripper and yeah 100%. I also am enjoying it a lot more now that I've heard that. Everything feels like it fits into place. Like you know how you do that fear factor/sensory thing where you touch something or eat something blindfolded. It could be totally fine and good and still a bit scary or weird if you don't know what it is. I just feel like I like shows a whole lot better personally when I don't go in blind. And yet the ADHD so often calls for me to do 0 research into what I watch XD

Episode 8 now and damn Prapai you had to open your mouth. You were so hot and beautiful before, probably helped by you not being the most arrogant man in the room (racetrack). But here you are. A nepo baby making your secretary cancel important meetings so you can bother people and change outfits. SIR get your shit together.

Nevermind I love him. Also love his secretary.

God Prapai's outfits are just INCREDIBLE! Like, not enough that he's wearing good, beautiful, colourful suits, but he has interesting ties and gorgeous pins. The stylist went off with Prapai.

I usually love how important family is in Thai media I've seen but I actually need Prapai and his brother to be less close. Or his brother to be SIGNIFICANTLY less open about how horny he is.

Sky you are now ADHD to me because I too need to keep notes on people I like too. Also I know your sleep sucks because of trauma but bad/irregular sleep is also a sign of ADHD. Plus risk taking behavior in HS.

Rain is ADHD too TBH. Inattentiveness, risk taking behavior, getting distracted, not thinking things through, time blindness and procrastination - his assignments. Also they both seem to study a lot better with other people.

Watching the special and love their friend full on villain laughing at the opportunity to bully them. Just love the bullying and banter in this. Sky getting Rain on his hands and knees is *iconic*.

I think the couples are very close to being something I wouldn't like because of the dub-con, alpha male/protector, gender role wife-husband shorter/fem man is automatically submissive stuff. Which is not only regressive but tired and cringe. However, it subverts this or is self aware enough to not be annoying. I mean you'd hope to have properly distinct couples but so much stuff I've read doesn't even do this. Sky loves to bully and tease Prapai. Like how Prapai's aggressive initial flirting was meant to be playful. I think so is Sky's jealousy and verbal combativeness. Which makes Prapai's stalking and Sky's excessive jealousy less uncomfortable or annoying and more fun because it's like they're both in on the joke. Similarly, Rain's dumb jealousy and misunderstandings could be lazy writing to make the plot happen. But Rain seems genuinely barely annoyed and Payu is so morosexual that again, it at the very least feels adjacent to lamp shading these tropes. Like they're in on the joke.

LOVE the special. Especially the table scene but could they not of had Sky playing a game on his phone. I would be much more into the scene if I wasn't low-key laughing at the completely black screen. Even if it immediately said game-over while he was pretending to play it. Also, considering how much egregiously blatant product placement I've had to watch since getting into Thai media you'd think they could find some game company that would jump at the chance to be there even in this small capacity.

So love them overall. Very cute!

[blackholesun321]

@taylortaylormoon I am so sorry I think I accidentally deleted the ask you sent me :(

But luckily I have my reply saved!

So to answer your question.

I think that really depends on you lol, I know you came here asking for a second opinion, but I feel like this really is just asking what type of tone and what type of plot beats you want to hit with that tone. Also im probably not the best person to be asking this to see as I’m biased because—

I am personally not someone who likes modern AUs. I feel like characters can easily get washed out by the setting. A lot of times, I feel like the modern setting is just creating characters that I have to relearn about when I come to fanfiction to play around with characters in a setting that I already know. It's lazy, but so am I. It doesn't mean modern AUs can't be amazing; I just don't usually look for them.

Also, I like magic and the fantastical, so having that taken away isn't interesting to me. Sure, it can be a good character study, but I feel it takes away the sort of tone from the original and adds another tone to it, which again isn't bad. It really depends on you! Do you like modern AUs and feel it will add something to your fic? Well then, go right ahead.

But being biased as I am, I do believe this is going to be more about what type of tone you want to set for this. Do you want it to be a sort of fish out of water situation? What could happen if life was better? Just confusing the heck out of Zoro and having bundles of misunderstandings? This I believe can be achieved with either or.

You could even go the horror route, Zoro dropped into a world he doesn't understand with people who are like his people but slightly to the left. A world slightly to the left, no Haki, a different type of world government, rules, and regulations he doesn't understand, technology he doesn't comprehend, even thinking about public school and mandatory education, as well as a body very different than he's used to, etc.

But I also feel like that could take away from the badassness that is Mihawk and Shanks and just puts Zoro with two guys. Like these aren't the Warlord of the Sea and Yonko of Paradise he knows; sure, they share the same face and some mannerisms, but it's just Greg and Dave from accounting. Or maybe you want that. Maybe you want that dissonance that the man I know who beat me, who played me, who will not hesitate to kill me, is maybe in another life, in another world, sweet and kind and loving. Or maybe you want it closer to home? Instead of a modern AU, maybe you want to confuse baby Zoro's memory, that his memories have him realize that, oh, this man would not treat me this way if I were not his son.

Again, I am biased, so take this with a grain of salt. Sometimes, when I'm stuck on questions like this, I'll go find someone I trust and talk out the story and the beats I want to hit. Hey, you can even come to my messages. Just rant to me about it, and eventually, the answer will present itself.

Anyways, hope my general malaise and unconnected rambles helps in anyway. Also, I really like your fic. The idea is bat shit insanely creative and I adore bad shit it’s such an amazing idea. 10/10 will be listlessly waiting for more updates.

[xsoulxsilencex]

So, arc 6 of Go Rush is over...

Overall, I would say it was better than arc 5 but ofc, there were things I wasn't really happy with besides the things I did enjoy. (everything listed is obviously just my subjective opinion)

Things I didn't like:

the whole Commander Study bs/Manabu's treatment: Honestly, why, Bridge? Why did we need that? Maybe Manabu was less treated like a joke when the finals started but before, it was just annoying to watch how he was portrayed and how characters treated him. Also have him collect all those duel points just to make him unable to be part of the finals because he didn't join with his real name... *smh*

Sogetsu Maguto: I don't hate him but I didn't need him in the show.

not bothering showing more of the tournament/some random finalists: I know, Sevens wasn't much better with its tournament but was it too much to ask for showing more of the prelims? We only saw a shot of London, Manya, George and Rovian and from those people, only Rovian became a finalist. We saw nothing of finalists like Zwijo, Mitsuko, Nyandestar or Tell dueling to earn their place. Heck, Tell was mostly busy with the research squad around Yuamu, Nyandestar was hanging out with Manabu, Mitsuko was shown at her dango booth and Zwijo... well, he wasn't there at all until he had to face Mitsuko for their duel.

how Zaion was handled: So, the writers bring him back, even let him act as some antagonist - just so he's done after his 2-parter duel. Also his whole furniture backstory and how he could turn people into some was just not for me. (Zaion himself was still entertaining ngl)

Zwijo vs Mitsuko: This must be the worst finalists duel which really pains me to say since I was actually looking forward to it. I mean it was about time that Mitsuko and Zwijo could face each other and clear things out between them - and they didn't. :)) We just got Mitsuko mad, in love and back to mad at Zwijo. And Zwijo? Didn't bother to say much. How these two met for the first time and why Mitsuko joined Zwijo was also just facepalm-worthy. Plus, Dinois being annoying there.

Yuamu being possessed twice: Honestly, did we need this?

Tell and Nyandestar being just duel fodder: It was to expect, still not a fan of it.

no "true" Yudias vs Yuhi finals duel: They just had to add Phaser and Zwijo before, didn't they. And Yudias wasn't even there for the whole duel since Kuaidul took over.

Things I liked:

Yudias and Yuhi's friendship being more focused on again: I really needed that after arc 5.

Yudias and Epoch's relationship: It gave Yudias some more purpose to be a duel tutor for a shy child compared to how he just existed to beat the bad guys in arc 5.

Epoch in general: For a "Tiger counterpart", she's really more likable than her potential granddaughter to me. She might be pretty tsundere but at least she isn't scaring anyone and had her cute side as well as her growing liking/trust in Yudias.

Rovian vs Yuna: After the big disappointment that Zwijo vs Mitsuko was to me, I had no high hopes for this duel. Heck, I wasn't even thrilled to see it - but I'm really impressed how they handled it. Yuna makes it clear that she has to go her own way and she had a "good break up" with Rovian. God, I wished we could have the same for Zwijo and Mitsuko instead of whatever they have going on now... Rovian also showed more of her own feelings when it comes to Yuna which I really wanted to see for a long time.

Yuhi wins the tournament: The circumstances are kinda meh tho as mentioned above.

Things I'm neutral about:

the way Yudias earned his place in the finals: The moment they said the prelims are gonna be over the same day Zaion appeared, I just knew the writers would let Zaion magically have all those needed duel points Yudias could take to qualify. I'm not really mad about it - I just find it a very lazy solution.

how Asaka, Yuna and Phaser could be in the finals: Nothing wrong in organizing a tournament and still be part of it since Kaiba did the same with Battle City. But them just automatically being part of the finals feels lame.

who the Creator really is: Him being Otes' Earthdamar does at least explain how he could create the Velgearians because as Yuga said, a normal human being wouldn't be able to do that. Still, not sure if this was really the reveal I wanted to happen.

Yuga: I knew they would make him appear before the arc is over. Still wished they had cared to give us hints where he went/what he was doing since he left at the end of arc 5.

Kuaidul

Ah yes, Kuaidul is surely... something. The moment he appeared, I had the feeling he's gonna be the new Goha Yuga in the sense of "shows up as the main antag (who looks pretty similar to the MC) when the arc is almost over and even after losing the duel, he's not gonna be redeemed yet". And you also have a lot of Lightning vibes with him since he's apparently responsible for so many things that happened in GR so far. The only difference to Lightning is that Kuaidul gets a sob backstory so we should feel bad for him. Don't get me wrong: I do think he was genuinely heartbroken when the Creator was about to leave him behind so his tears were true (in the flashback and when Yuhi talked with him). Still doesn't make me forget the shit he pulled so far and will continue to considering he was smirking at the end of the ep where it's also revealed that Yuhi was using a hidden Darkness card - and will do it again sooner or later. So yeah, it's probably gonna take a Yudias vs Kuaidul arc final duel until Kuaidul is truly redeemed. Man, I hope this is done right...

I guess that's it. I know my negative list is longer than the positive but I'm really feeling better with this arc compared to arc 5 since it had some highs for me and not just some lows. Curious for how arc 7 will be.

[vqlluna]

MY MOON ➤ CHAPTER ONE (Remus Lupin x OC)

NOW PLAYING: For the First Time

prologue here

 Mila; (Meel-ah), originating from the name Milagros, meaning 'miracle'  

THE VERY FEW BANGS THAT SHE HAD bounced on her face as she trudged along to class, sticking to the sides of the halls to avoid bumping into people. Her hands were stuck onto the straps of her satchel, you could hear the faint noise of ink bottles clinking against each other, crumpled up pieces of parchment moving around. Her feet shuffled against the ground, trying to shove past the many students trying to get to their classes.

  Luna; Spanish for 'moon'

  She got held up by what she could assume was either stupid boys laughing, a student getting picked on, or some poor person pulled into a humiliating situation.

  Mila Luna was not one for socializing, apart from her friend group. She liked to keep to herself, spend her days in the far corner of the library studying or immersing herself with a new book she dug out from the depths of the shelves. She liked to think of herself as an extra in a film, a background, an unnamed character, just for show, to fill up space. That's what she liked, she was very happy with not getting attention. It kept things quiet.

  She let out a puff of air, sticking her head a bit to see what was holding everything up, she couldn't see much though. The crowd picked up traction again. It was the first day of the second semester, winter break had just ended and most students seemed lazy and drowsy jumping back into the routine. Mila was more than elated to get back to Hogwarts, she wasn't that close with anyone that she could talk to over break. She much preferred to have too many things to worry about instead of feeling nothing and numb.

  She entered her astronomy class, her favorite class might she add. She quickly walked to her usual seat, the second table to the back. The loud screeching of other stools perfectly drowned out the sound of her extremely loud one as she pulled it out.  She sat down, setting her bag on the floor beside her. Although it was her favorite class, Mila couldn't help but doze off most of the time, she was tired from the absence of sleep from the night before. Multiple times she could feel her eyes shut, then she'd force them to snap open again, trying to focus.

  "Because it is the start of the new term," Professor Sinistra started, "I've decided there will be no tests for the beginning of this new semester," the class erupted into quiet cheers, "Instead, I'm assigning a month-long project," she waved her wand towards the chalkboard, letters very slowly appearing on it, "It will be a group project between pairs of three. Two groups might have four as we don't have enough students," she walked towards her chart of different phases of the moon. "I want you all to find a way to execute the showings of the moon phases, whether this be a report, skit, presentation, or what not, I just want it done in a group of teamwork and collaboration!" Sinistra motioned back towards the chalkboard, "Here are the lists of groups and members, please gather yourselves."

  Mila's head was nestled in her arms on the table, her leg underneath the table was shaking up and down. She hated group projects, well who didn't?

  She would mostly have to do all the work, every time. Luckily, her astronomy class only consisted of them and the Hufflepuff's. Mostly all Hufflepuff's were not insufferable, she couldn't say so for her own house though. Mila's head sparked up as she read her name on the board:

  Group four; Sirius Black  Mila Luna   Remus Lupin  

 Great just what she needed, paired up with relatively popular, annoying, pricks. She stood up from her seat with her satchel, making her way to Professor Sinistra's desk. 

  "Excuse me, Professor?" Mila said, while clearing her throat. 

  "Ah Mila, what can I do for you?" 

  Mila's hands tightened around the strap of her bag. "Could I switch groups? I'm not sure how well I'd do with my group!" she asked.

  The Professor set down her quill and gave Mila a sympathetic smile, "I'm sorry, but the groups chosen, are the groups that are set in stone, Ms.Luna, this is a project to bring students together, as well as to see if you know your subject! I think this will be a nice challenge for you," Her teacher smiled sweetly. Mila pursed her lips, then turned on her heels towards the old rickety table with extra project information and instructions. 

  She waited by the table for a moment, trying to waste as much time as she could. She quickly skimmed over the piece of paper before reluctantly walking towards the loudest desk in the room. She pulled up a stool, from another desk, up to their table on the opposite side of them. The two of the boys were joking about something, not noticing her for a few seconds, at least that's what Mila thought. Remus had noticed the strange girl that sat down on the other side of them, her face was slightly hidden from her bangs, her robes and tie matched his, the red and gold hanging off of her neck. 

  He looked at her from the side, pretending to pay attention to Sirius. She pulled bottles of ink out of her satchel which was lying on her lap, she inspected them, then chose the one with the least amount of ink, to make sure not to put new ones to waste. She pulled out pieces of parchment, digging around her bag for a lost quill which she found alas. Remus had never seen this girl before, sure there were many people in the Gryffindor house, but he'd surely at least seen every face. Yet for some reason, she was a completely new person. 

  Sirius seemed to finally notice that someone had found their way to their desk. Sirius leaned over the table, slyly grinning at Mila as she kept her head down reading the instructions list. "And who might you be fair lady?" He questioned, Mila only gave him a quick glance in response. "Not a talker I see," he continued, "I am the one and only Sirius Black-"

  "I know who you are," Mila cut him off to refrain from continuing his egotistical introduction.

  "So you've heard of me?" Sirius smirked.

  "Yes. Unfortunately"

 Remus stifled back a laugh at the short answers from the girl. "What's that supposed to mean?" Sirius sat back in his seat.

   "It means, we have a project we have to do, so if we could please get started on ideas!" 

  The long-haired boy crossed his arms against his chest, "You never answered my question, now what's your name Ms. Mysterious?" 

  She sighed, setting her paper on the table, staring at Sirius, already tired of the long days ahead, "My name is Mila. Luna. Now if we could please-" 

  "Luna, that doesn't sound like a regular English name, what's it mean?" 

  "It's not. It means moon, now like I said-" Mila's jaw clenched in frustration, annoyed from getting cut off over and over again.

  Sirius had elbowed Remus in the arm, Remus winced into the abrupt slight of pain, "Oi' Moony, Mysterious here stole your name!" Although Mila was annoyed from being cut off by stupid comments from the boy she quirked her eyebrow at the odd, out-of-place nickname. 

  "Pads, how 'bout we just start with the project," Remus finally spoke up, scrunching his nose.

   "Project?" Sirius looked dumbfounded. Mila was definitely annoyed now, he couldn't even pay attention enough to know they had a project. 

  Remus had to explain to Sirius, "We have to find a way to creatively track the phases of the moon." 

  "Wait so how long do we have?" Remus bended over, getting his own supplies from his bag, leaving Mila to answer the question.

  "We have this week to plan, the month of February, then the first week of March to correct and add whatever, now any ideas?" 

  "We could draw out the phases, Remus here is great at drawing thingies and stuff!" Sirius grinned. Once Sirius had registered what he'd just remarked too Mila saw as the two boys caught each others glaces.

  Remus had just placed his quill on the wood surface before Sirius grasped his shoulder, hearing what he had just said, widening his eyes, "Sirius, first of all that sounded completely wrong, second I don't really draw, I'm not even that good-"

  Sirius rolled his eyes, "Nonsense you draw like all the time- well except for when your face is shoved in some book."

  "Actually, Black," Mila said, "That isn't such a bad idea, it could rack us up a few points, and if Lupin is as good as you say he is, I think we can pull it off quickly!" Sirius grinned, at least someone was fond of his ideas, then he smirked to Remus, letting him know he got his way. She dipped her quill into the ink, then pressed it on the parchment, writing the title of the project with the word 'draft' next to it, then listing the idea Sirius just gave.

  After she finished she packaged everything back into her satchel, pulling out her book. "Why are you packing up so early?" Remus asked.

  "Well the class is almost over, so..." Remus slightly nodded. Truth was Mila wanted to leave right when class was to be dismissed, and she wanted to finish her new book she found in the muggle section of the library, she only had a few chapters left, just yearning to be read.

  Professor Sinistra finally let the class go as the hour rang for the periods of classes to end. Mila slung her satchel around her body, rushing out of the room, nose still nestled in the pages of her book as she headed off to Ancient Runes.

  Mila felt like she could collapse at once, she dragged her feet across the floor to the great hall for lunch. She walked to the end of the Gryffindor table, only to find one of her friends, Ida. Ida Reese, or what Mila like to tease her with, 'Iddy', was the only friend she was close with. The only friend she really told about her past. The only one she could confide in, her best friend.

  "Hey M'!" Ida greeted. Mila took her seat beside her, putting some salad on her plate, and covering it with ranch.

  "Hey Iddy!" Mila hummed.

  "Today's a bust, anything fun happen to you?" Ida questioned.

  Mila put a piece of spinach in her mouth, everyday seemed to be a boring day for Ida, "Not really, sorry to disappoint!"

  Ida tilted her head, putting on a pleading look, "Really? There has to be at least, something!"

  Mila smiled contemptively "I've finished my book if that's something that can fascinate you."

   Iddy put her finger out tapping it on the open page laid in front of Mila, "What's this then?" 

  "J'some notes im writing in the margins," she shrugged.

  Ida furrowed her eyebrows, her view resting on the Hogwarts Library stamp across the tops of the pages. "Isn't that like, not allowed? You know- to write in the books?"

M' had a muggle pen out and wrote a little sentence on the thin page. "Well loads do it, I already recognize two peoples handwriting, they write notes all the time as well!"

  "Litte weird if you ask me M', but c'mon, finishing some muggle book cannot be the highlight of your day so far!" Mila felt pressed from the disbelief on her friends face.

  She pondered, trying to come up with something relatively interesting. "I have a month and a half long group project in astronomy?"

  Ida sighed, "That's better than the book," 

 "Wait I didn't finish! Guess who I'm stuck with for the next six weeks?"

 "Who?"

  She motioned her head towards the near center of the table, where four boys were joking around, flooding the area with noise. "Sirius Black and Remus Lupin," Mila stated. 

  Iddy held back a giggle, "Well, that could be fun! You'll get mounds of attention from that." 

 "Stop!" Mila scowled. "It was quite annoying, Black kept asking the most stupid of questions!"

 "Well I think instead of his body giving him a brain, I think it put more time into that hair of his."

 The two girls snickered as they looked over the group of boys, Sirius' hair just barely resting upon his shoulders. Mila had to admit, "Although I kind of hate them, Black has some seriously great hair, Iddy you should go ask him what conditioner he uses," she teased.

  "I don't think his conditioner will help my hair, or yours!"

Remus; Latin orgins revealing determination of great admiriabilty

  Remus continued to read his book as Peter and Sirius were throwing their food at each other, and James were staring over at Lily Evans, again. "I don't think you staring at her like some git is going to get her to go on a date with you, Prongs," Remus said, not looking away from his book. James's head turned to Remus, taken out of his day dreaming. 

  "She'll say yes, I know it, one day! You wait, and if she does, you owe me a galleon!" James practically pleaded.

  Remus quirked his eyebrow, "A whole galleon? Just if she says yes to go on a date with you? You even have doubts in it yourself, mate," James scowled, going back to eating his food, Remus to his book, he read the little scribbled, but neat, notes left on the sides, he recognized this writing in every few books he was able to get around too. 

Lupin; Meaning - 'Pertaining to Wolf'

  His fate was sealed, engraved even into his last name. The scars that aligned his face, the bite carved into the back of his neck, that carried the burden since he was four. The way people pitied him so much, they were willing to become illegal animagi to assist him on the treacherous nights of the full moon. 

  Even if it seemed like such a small problem, the weight was on his shoulders forever, to numb it, he would read, pull pranks, take midnight strolls, draw, but, it wasn't like he could do it all, all day, he wish he could, but the problem still lingered above him, swaying back and forth. He would do as many things as he could to take his mind off of the 'monster' he was. Take up extra credit school work, harder classes, prefect duties. Anything to rid the creature from his mind.

  He kept wondering how he would complete the last day of tracking the moon for the new project he assigned, Sirius had committed him to it against his will, knowing that Sirius didn't think about the once a month night. Remus had been staring at the same word in his book for a few seconds before snapping out of his thoughts, beginning to talk to Padfoot who was next to him, "Sirius, you're going to have to actually do work for this project!" 

  Sirius turned to him, face full of bread, "I will- fon't worry!" he finished chewing and then swallowed.

  "I'm serious!"

  "No I am!" Remus rolled his eyes, he walked himself into the joke again.  

 "Fine, I will try, but sometimes I just have way more important things to do, Moony, besides you have that girl to help you anyways!"

  Remus sighed, "Her names Mila, treat her with respect, set an example for James please, then maybe he'll learn how to actually treat a girl!" James turned his head asking "What?" after hearing his name, but they ignored him and Remus continued talking, 

  "I say we meet up in the library tomorrow, say about five p.m. to give us enough time to do other work, and plan out things, understand?" 

"got ya- now can I finish eating my rolls?" 

"Fine."

  Lunch had ended, students made their ways to their last 3 classes to end the day. Remus had waited for the Great Hall to clear out, in hopes of finding his another project partner to notify her of the Wednesday study plans. He looked down the tables until his eyes fell upon a girl getting up from the benches carefully as she was still holding onto a book jotting something down.

  He walked over to her, "Hey!" he said, Mila froze, almost jumping back as she looked up to meet Remus's gaze.

  "Oh hello- You startled me," She tensed.

  He ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it back, hopefully making it look more presentable, "I'm sorry, didn't mean to," Mila quirked her eyebrow wondering what the brunette was doing, "I just wanted to let you know me and Padfo- Sirius, decided to meet up tomorrow in the library tomorrow, five p.m. to study for the project," He smiled at her, but she just nodded her head in response.

  "Ok, I'll be there, I just need to get to potions, bye Lupin," He watched her walk off to Professor Slughorn's classroom as he went off to his.

   Mila woke up tiredly, not ready for the usual Monday and Wednesdays of an extra class, hers being Ancient Runes, which she hated, but was needed for her future aspirations.

�� She was able to escape an encounter with the Marauders in astronomy, as there was no time to be left to get groups together. Ancient Runes, was depised by Mila, it went painfully slow that day. Professor Babbling did what her name ensued, babbled on about useless things, her squeaky voice playing rough on Mila's ears. The class was finally dismissed, much to her delight. 

  Mila was starving and dying of hunger, she almost ran to the Great Hall for lunch. She adjusted her Gryffindor tie that sat on her neck, her satchel swinging beside her body. As she entered the Great Hall she scanned the tables, she found that her other 3 friends that made up her friend group, finally decided to sit with her and Ida. She smiled and started walking towards them. Much to her demise on her way she could hear someone calling out to her from down along the table. "Oi! Ms. Mysterious, get over here!" it was none other than Sirius Black. She sped up her pace, completely ignoring him, hoping she could rush past him so she could eat.

  Unfortunately her gripped the sleeve of her robe, pulling her back, she could already feel a few of girls eyes staring at her. She hung her head down, keeping her face hidden with some of her hair. She turned to him, "What?"

  "I just needed to tell you something about todays study thing for astronomy!" 

  She let out a puff up air, "Go on, make it quick, I don't want to be seen around you all!" Instead of getting to the point he went off topic.

 "Why don't you want to be seen with us?" He questioned.

  "Cause I can feel everyone looking at me already," She muttered back.

  "I thought you were a Gryffindor? Things aren't supposed to bother us," he tsked smirking.

  Mila scoffed, "Way to be stereotypical Black, not everyone wants people drooling all over them all day! Or shooting daggers at you with their eyes for just speaking to you!" 

  Sirius was taken aback, "I have you know, I do not have every girl drooling all over me, there's you for starts-"

  "That's because you're not all that!" She sang. Peter across from the table, who was listening in on the conversation, stifled a small giggle. 

  "Are you calling me a terrible person?"

"Yes!" she leaned over, in-between Sirius and Remus, grabbing a warm biscuit from the center of the table that they had hoarded. Remus was surprised at the sudden body right next to him reaching for a snack. 

  "I'll have you know I'm not stupid! I'm way smarter than Prongs! If anything I'm right next to Remus when it comes to my intelligence!" He declared, Mila ignored him again, biting into the baked dough, coming to delight with the warmth in her mouth, letting out a 'Mm!' and reached for another one, storing it in her pocket. 

  "You've talked longer than you've should, I'll be going now." she strode off to her friends, taking another bite out of the biscuit, not caring about the eyes on her, the dough was too good to be eaten behind her hair.

  She went towards the end of the benches, closest to the Professors tables. She sat next to Ida, on the other side of them were 3 girls, The one in the middle was very pretty, her cookie blonde hair was silky, her face was slim, she was the definition of what pretty was. Her name was Serenity Coleman. Mila had been friends with her from a young age, their families were close, not so much them anymore. They were just to different, yet they were still friends. She had just drifted off to find new people, who were much cooler then Mila, Mila was decidely her uncool friend.

  Serenity was too cool for a nickname as well. From when Mila met her to the end of 3rd year, Serenity had always went as Seri, but by fourth year, that was too much of a kid-ish name. Serenity was better at everything, exceeded in areas that M' lacked. Serenity had latched on to new friends, who were obligated to be Mila's friend, and the two sat on either side of Serenity right now.

  On Serenity's right was a girl with dark brown hair, her face always had a mean look on it, this was Ruby Ross. Often had the girl catergorized herself as too cool for school, she often convinced the other two of their trio to skip classes, go off flirting with guys, or playing around in their dorms. She took things with a more careless attitude, she didn't pry for anything, which Mila appreciated. Mila, Ruby, Serenity, and Iddy all shared a dorm together, which is how they found out about Ida in the first place.

  The girl on the other side of Serenity was Maisie Baker, everyone called her Mai, she had the same dark brown eyes and hair as Ruby, but had more rounded features. You instantly felt a safe aura from her, she was always kind and cheery. She was very kind to Mila, always checking up on everyone. 

  "Since when did you, talk to them?" Serenity perked up.

  "I was just talking to him about an astronomy project I have to do with two of them. No need to get jealous they're quite insufferable," Mila defended, scared of playing another game of charades.

  Serenity scoffed, drooping her head down to Mila with a look of disbelief, "Are you kidding? You know how lucky you are? How many people would kill to be grouped with them! Sirius is such a catch!" Mila only looked back to her with a very much concerned face as she continued, "M', could you maybe, introduce me to Black? Since you know him now, could get me a chance this time." 

 "Serenity, you know how many girls he's tried to be with? If he did say yes for a date, pretty sure he would forget you by next week!"

 "I'd say you have a crush on black, M', and that's why you won't introduce Serenity to him!" Ruby said, obviously joking. 

  Mila looked slightly shocked, "Excuse me?" she said.

  "Fine then you have a thing for... Potter!" Ruby grinned. 

  "Well even if she did, she had a 0% chance, he's all over Lily Evans!" Mai pointed her finger to James, "I mean just look at him pining all over her!" All of the girls heads turned to James, then following his gaze to a redheaded girl giggling with her friends, not noticed the brown eyes looking at her with much, much, desire.

  "Poor James" Serenity did a small frown, "She doesn't see anything in him, I hear she has to reject him at least like once a week!" The girls went on to talk about another topic, but Mila kept looking at Lily, wishing she was her. 

  Lily was popular, pretty, had a guy chasing after her for years, she was smart, all her teachers loved her, she was outgoing, many friends, kind, and sweet. Mila had only talked to her a few times, and every encounter, Lily was so nice to her, effortlessly doing everything right. Mila aspired to be like her. To have her beautiful pale skin, instead of her darker one, to have to straight hair, instead of her frizzy hair. Mila always put her standards too high.

  She went back to her friend's conversation, trying to pick up on what they were talking about. She sat there, pretending to laugh with them, she was lost in her own thoughts, as she slowly ate, and nodded at the every few asked questions.

  "So M', are you going to tell us about your new crushes on Potter and Black!" Ruby teased, Mila rolled her eyes in response, finishing to swallow down the bite of her sandwich.

"You guys are unbelievable!"