#idk exactly what I wasn't paying too much attention because I was looking at the object

[theultimatepumpkinpie]

*sigh* another star days I can't buy stuff for because my switch is a bitch. on the plus side I can see all the cool dialogue on pc and hang out with my girl and isn't that what love is all about?

[kanmom51]

Okay so I had to put my thoughts down in words

I just don’t know how to feel about what Jimin said in the bts of Muse, other than sad.

I guess I should start by saying I’d been dreading him saying something along the lines of that since I heard Who, as to why he made it. The MV bts came and went and then bam, we get a mini production diary, with saying he’s looking for love and is alone. Exactly how I thought he would explain it.

I hoped I’d be wrong but alas, he more than confirmed he is single. I suppose it’s not surprising, but all of our collective hope or support seems in vein now.

I’m still going to watch the travel show but I feel sad about it tbh. They make such a cute pair.

I'm really sorry that you feel that way love.

Especially knowing that you are just not taking what JM said the right way.

In any case babe, whatever you might believe about their relationship, that shouldn't take from you supporting them for being the most adorable human beings possible.

I won't go too much into the BTB. I do think you need to watch it multiple times, try to pay attention to JM's body language too. But I will say that I do think that your reaction here is unwarranted, in the sense that JM IS NOT saying he's single or that he is looking for love or that he is alone.

Let's start with the fact that JM was going for the gender neutral lyrics to start with, but that changed, probably because it sounded better with the "she" instead of the "you".

So, yeah, JM originally wasn't looking for a she, but a you. Funny how if this was an autobiographical song that would have mattered, right? Oh, wait a second. It isn't.

The song is not about JM, not about his real life, not about his actual experiences down to the T.

Not this song, nor Muse the album, even though the other songs were written by him.

Not an autobiography. Unlike Face.

JM says it here and he said it in his album exchange with RM!!

See, it looks like you are doing exactly what JM wanted fans to do. And that is get the wrong idea!!

Did you miss this perhaps?

Yeah, you probably missed JM saying this.

Btw, when JM talks about his diary, I really don't believe he means a personal diary where he writes his wants and needs and experiences, lol. He's talking about that diary where he writes his ideas for the album, his ideas for the songs, where he wrote his lyrics to the songs for Face (we got that diary with Face) and for Muse. And JM, he's a shy boy, Idk if you are aware of that. This young man who oozes confidence on stage is so very shy and the experience of having to explain to John Billion the idea he wants for the song and it coming to life left him a little self conscious, shy.

This isn't about the song telling the story of his life. This is about having to explain an idea for a song, his vision, it actually being something that he isn't going through.

Ok, moving on.

Again, JM explaining the vibe he is going for with the song.

And again his shyness.

He continues to say that he poured all his emotions into this so he's embarrassed.

Not because these emotions are his as in this is what he feels right now longing for love, but because he feels embarrassed to explain his emotions about the song, the emotions he's looking for in the song.

I suggest that if you are having an issue with understanding how this song is not JM, not his life, maybe go rewatch the album exchange with RM.

And read my post on it as well.

These feeling JM is trying to encompass in Muse (and Who) are part of the universal language of love, a language he is using in Muse to convey his message, which is not literal.

And specifically when he talks about Who, it's about that feeling of excitement in his work that he's looking for. Those are the feelings he's talking about. Not the lyrics about the "she" (who was supposed to be a "you"). Not the lyrics that are written in the universal language of love. No. It's about the feelings about his work. The feelings about the message he is trying to convey. Which has NOTHING to do with his love life!!!

But again, he's telling us about those feelings through a language we all understand. So that longing he has for that feeling with his work is brought to life as a longing for a someone to love.

This!!

It's a story he wants to tell!!!

And the whole "everyone's living alone" sentence that you are probably clinging to, cause obviously...

a. He could be talking about the fact that at some point of every person's life, they are living alone, as without a partner, a loved one, and as such it's a relatable feeling.

b. It's not like people that are in relationships don't feel alone at times. Even JM, who was in a committed relationship with JK when going through the struggles and feelings he had and poured into Face, into Alone felt that way. I bet you JK was feeling alone or lonely during the time JM was working on Face and Muse. During those lives in Feb 2023. And yet, he was in a committed relationship with the person he loved.

c. He's trying to tell a story, and he's trying to convey his longing for that feeling with regards to his work, and being lonely is how he's explaining it, the way he's conveying it to us. Hence the "everyone's living alone"... meaning - that is something everyone will understand, meaning, hoping he picked the right idea, the right way to convey his message as the 6th song for Muse!!!

THAT IS ART!!!

And JM created art. Not "this is a song based on my own experience" art, which he did with Face, but "this is a story I want to tell that will help you understand my feelings about my work" art.

And he knew.

He knew people will make the wrong assumptions.

Just like you are right now.

Side note, and before I go, Idk if you have noticed this, but Muse, promoting the album, talking about the album, is so much easier for JM to do than Face. With Face all we got was that it's personal, that he was struggling, but not much more than that. JM was pretty much staying quiet, and even when he did talk he was saying much of nothingness. While with Muse he's talking, he's opening up, he's explaining. You know why? Because it's not about his life!!

Just saying.

[jaywalking-rogue]

Listen, I know that The Best Film Wrap was ultimately just a little silly mixed event that primarily focused on Nene's character development and Kamiyama chaos, but I've been rotating one particular moment in my head and I need to talk about it.

Event spoilers under the cut!

So I've been wondering, (while I'm very proud of her, look at her go), how and why exactly An jumped from being insecure and not confident in her acting ability literally a couple episodes prior to ad-libbing an entire scene? I know both Akito and An have been getting some lessons from Nene but that's not nearly enough to have that much of a confidence jump, right?

And maybe I'm looking too much into it, especially since we don't even get An's POV in this, but in my opinion it's because her acting partner was Akito.

I mean, they've been singing together for probably something over a year now and during this time An has definitely learned Akito's telling signs, when he stumbles or loses the rhythm or whatever, so you course she's gonna jump in to cover for him! It's almost an instinct at this point, it's what VBS do!

Akito losing his timing was supposed to be a minor enough thing that Nene, the director who's paying the closest attention to the scene, only notices something is "off" a moment before An cuts in. Neither Nene nor the other actors have a clear sign that something's gone wrong, but An's somehow paying enough attention to notice Akito acting off at the same time as Nene does, and at the moment's notice makes a correct decision to jump in and save the day. And Akito catches on immediately, too.

Neither Akito nor An have any prior acting experience but what they do have experience with is being on stage together. I don't think this episode would have gone in the direction it did if An wasn't absolutely confident she interpreted the situation correctly.

VBS bounce off each other so nicely and the way they're almost always ready to cover for each other (remember Akito dragging An into a wedding and her just rolling with it? Basically same thing), and I think in-universe this dynamic between An and Akito is exactly what made the movie work and why they've been able to act their best. These two are physically incapable of letting their teammates down in any possible way.

Idk, I just think they're neat.

[izzyspussy]

Hi Jack! Some totally random questions to take your mind off things -

1. Ian and Mickey have saved up enough to take a short vacation. Where are they going?

2. What weird/fun/silly ways do they decorate their West Side apartment?

3. Who controls the radio when they drive around for work?

4. What kind of takeout do they get so regularly that the restaurant knows them by name?

5. Are they still wearing the camo outfits for work? And how many times has Ian gotten distracted by Mickey wearing camo?

1. They bicker about going to various tourist spots around the country for weeks, interspersed with both of them at some point doing the pengu pout and saying Well Now I Just Want A Staycation - until finally Ian asks Mickey to take him to Mexico and show him around. Mickey reminds him he wasn't exactly having a fucking gap year abroad or some shit, and that if Mickey really does "show him around" where Mickey went a lot of those places are going to be dangerous and not strictly legal, and Ian says something unbearably sappy about how that makes it Perfect For Them, so much more than any Normal vacation.

2. I don't know basically anything about the west side place, and I really haven't decided what kind of living situation they end up in as Grown Up grown ups in the secret version with nothing I don't like in it that exists in my head yet. However, I think Mickey is a closet dork, and once he can afford it - both fiscally and emotionally - he starts collecting and displaying nerd shit. Specifically I'm thinking he's into X-Men and also pro wrestling, the latter of which is not exactly dorky in the same way BUT we're counting it here because he observes his affinity for it with the same type of nerd shit. He's got mini-figures (NOT lego, I'm talking like D&D model style minifigs) - wait hold up I was looking at the WWE site for ideas on what Mickey would have and discovered the action figures are Mattel branded. So yeah uh. Mickey gets X-Men and WWE Mattel branded action figures, and then gets force-Barbiepilled by The Algorithm qohugakaogks. ANYWAY. Re: decor, there are LED-lit glass shelves in the living spaces with Mickey's action figures on. Ian got him a "matching" set of Van Damme and Seagal for an anniversary, and they have a place of honor above the TV. Every now and then they will ~mysteriously~ end up posed as if they are fucking; both Ian and Mickey always blame this on the other.

ETA: At some point they're looking after one/some of the various children, and the action figures and Barbies get played with (while Mickey pretends very, very badly to be okay with it until he sends himself out of the room so he doesn't yell). Ian is also not paying attention; kid is being quiet but not too quiet, that's all he cares about. Then, after the kid is gone and things are picked up, they realize the Seagal action figure has been put into a Barbie wedding dress (dON'T ask Mickey why he has that!!). Mickey is quite disgruntled by this, and Ian laughs so hard - at the combo of the actual doll situation and the look on Mickey's face about it - that he almost makes himself sick.

3. I REALLY know nothing about their work, but uhhhh. Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his pie hole.

4. There's this south side taqueria, maybe a hole in the wall or maybe a food truck. Even if/when they do move away to a better area, nothing beats it. Hell, even if they moved out of town entirely, they'd travel for it. I think I want there to be some kind of loyalty there that isn't just for the quality of the food (which is impeccable regardless). Maybe the owner would give one or both of them free food back in the day, or maybe had an opportunity to snitch on them but didn't, or idk their wedding is completely different To Me but there could still be some mishaps and such so maybe this place was the only one that agreed to cater day-of, or Terry like "blacklisted" Mickey from a bunch of locally owned places under Threat Of Terry and this place was one of few that would still serve him, or whatever. Like, the food itself is phenomenal and they'd have already been eating there previous, but then there was some personal element too that made it Their taqueria. They know everyone there by name too.

5. Mickey has never worn a single stitch of camo ever in his life :)

[custardcrazy]

Hi there! Idk if you're taking requests but here's one for now:

Ted Logan x reader

Reader works at a music shop (they bond over a love for music or a specific band). Reader doesnt play the guitar. They ask Ted for some pointers and hes all flustered trying to teach her.

you're so wild (and wonderful)

summary: It's not every day that a cute near-stranger offers to teach you guitar. (gn!reader)

wordcount: 5.2k

A/N: uhhh little to no beta so again. correct me if i terrifically fucked up some grammar thing or spelling and i'll be SO SO grateful

tagged: @kurt-nightcrawler

You'd worked at the mom-and-pop record store long enough to get a good feel for the place. 

It wasn't small, but it also wasn't big and shiny like other popular outlets; tucked into a street corner in downtown San Dimas, it wasn't exactly noticeable if you didn't know where to look. Because of that, you mostly encountered the same people -- the lady always wearing cable-knit sweaters, the teenage punk with a pretty gnarly mohawk, and last but not least the middle-aged guy who came in every so often to check if you had any new Beatles records.

(You usually didn't, but it was nice to hear him talk about how his various fishing trips went instead.) 

Sometimes, someone new wandered in now and then, drawn in by the faded sign and various music posters plastered around or on the door. Of course, not all stayed; some just found what they were looking for and left, others got overwhelmed and did the same. It didn't really matter, because most of what you did anyway was sit behind the counter and wait. 

But it wasn't unpleasant in the slightest. The hours were excellent, the pay was good, and you got a discount if you wanted to buy a record for yourself. All in all, it was totally worth the occasional music snob who ranted to you about the newer generation "ruining music" or whatever. You didn't get paid to listen to that. 

Today wasn't too different from any other -- you checked all the deliveries, made sure everything was in order, and double-checked the new arrivals. Then, you found your familiar post by the register, pulling up the familiar battered stool. It did nothing for your poor back, but it was better than standing for sure. 

Your coworker, Alice, arrived a couple minutes after you. She was slight in build with more than a few piercings, always sporting an oversized band tee. You were generally friendly to each other, but since she usually killed time by looking through all the various records and other things on sale, or just straight-up vanished into the back; you didn't get many opportunities to speak to her. Which kind of sucked, because she was ridiculously funny. In a sort-of sarcastic, biting way. 

An hour went by with nothing out of the ordinary. A couple of teenagers came in, and you watched somewhat amusedly as they attempted to pool their money to buy a Pixies record. 

Unfortunately, they had to leave empty-handed. 

You were staring at the wall when the tinny chime of the bell announced a new customer. 

Abruptly, your attention snapped up, and you got a good look at the new arrivals. 

One was around average height, with blonde curls in what looked to be a halfway-mullet and downturned eyes that made him look permanently sleepy. He looked around the store with unconcealed reverence, and it was a little funny -- but you respected it all the same. But it wasn't him that really drew your attention. 

It was the other guy he came in with.

Tall, dark-haired, rather easy on the eyes and dare you say handsome, he carried himself with an easy, loping gait that immediately stuck out to you. It wasn't often you found someone attractive quite like this, and even rarer that you had to pause what you were doing to look. (Even though the fact remained that in this case you were doing pretty much nothing, it still counted.) 

It took all of your effort to remain seated and wait for him -- well, them, to approach. 

Thankfully, it didn't take too long. After maybe a minute or two, the newcomers looked at each other. For whatever reason, you waited with extreme anticipation. 

Then they grinned. "Excellent." 

You were a bit taken aback at the way they said it in perfect unison, but didn't get the chance to dwell on it; they were heading towards you, and you had to put on your customer-ready smile. 

Though it didn't escape your notice that it came easier than usual. 

"Hey," you said, hoping you didn't sound strained, "can I help you with anything?" 

"Hi," replied Blond Guy. "Yeah, me and my esteemed colleague here would like to know if that two-for-one sign that is looking most ragged still applies." He gestured to the back, where all the various memorabilia and tee shirts were -- stuff that usually wasn't popular amongst customers, and were mostly things that the owners found in the depths of their attic. His "colleague" nodded in agreement, hair flopping around a little. 

You mirrored the nod, but with less shoulder movement. "Yeah, it goes for basically anything, since everything over there is under ten bucks." Pausing briefly, you added, "unless you try to get a tee shirt for the price of a guitar pick. Then, no." 

That earned another nod from Tall Guy. "OK, that makes sense. Thanks, dude." 

He grinned, and his smile was bright enough to rival the sun; you were momentarily blinded, but were able to smile back. "No problem. Just ask me if you need anything else." 

When the two boys turned away to inspect the goods, you heaved an internal sigh of relief. 

And for once, it wasn't because the customers were being annoying. 

You put in the bare minimum in pretending to not be staring; only glancing for a split second at the pages of your battered magazine that served as time-killing material before looking back up. But, seriously, even if you were doing a poor job, neither of the guys seemed to notice. They were pretty engrossed in examining a couple Garfield mugs. 

After that, they actually moved on to the records -- lingering near Hendrix but not dwelling long on Herb Albert, and then making their way through the racks from there. It was a personal hobby of yours to guess what a customer would buy from their appearance and demeanor alone. But you'd been too …  preoccupied to think of it, and you assumed it'd be considered cheating to take a stab at it now. 

Eventually, they returned to your counter, and you looked up at their approach. As if you hadn't been watching intently out of your peripherals. 

A single record was set in front of you, and you put down your magazine. 

"Just this one?" Peering down at it, you quickly recognized the album cover: More Songs About Buildings and Food, by Talking Heads. "Oh, good choice." 

"You really think so?" Asked the taller boy, and it was a little overwhelming with how much he was focused on you. It didn't seem like he was doing it on purpose, though. "I liked '77 a lot, but I'm not sure if David Byrne's delivery'll go well in this album. His voice is pretty distinctive, dude." 

"Trust me," you grinned, "it's good. You won't regret giving it a listen." 

Flipping the record over to peer briefly at the back, you put it back down. "That'll be $6.95." 

It took a bit of frantic searching on their part, but eventually, you slid a couple crumpled bills into the register and gave them back a nickel in change. 

For a moment, your hand just hovered awkwardly in the air, the coin in your palm. The boys exchanged glances, as if daring the other to take it. But, finally, the shorter of the two grabbed it, shoving it into the pocket of his jeans. 

"What're you gonna use that for? A Tootsie Roll?" Grinning, the dark-haired guy looked proud of his joke. 

You didn't miss how he glanced over at you, to check your reaction; completely unphased by how his friend shot him a near-murderous look. 

"Shut up, Ted, you wanted it too!" 

Unfortunately, you didn't catch the blonde's name, as they were already walking away from you, record in tow. The small bell chimed once more. For a moment, you just looked at the door, the store feeling empty again. 

At least you had a name to attach to his face. 

… But it was kind of embarrassing, how you didn't even think of asking him. Maybe you wouldn't even see him again. 

Sighing, you picked back up your extremely entertaining reading material, attempting to bury your shame with a poorly-written article about a celebrity's affair. 

The rest of the day was pretty boring, to say the least. Only a couple more customers came in, but at least you made a decent amount of sales. Alice emerged from the back a couple times to put a couple ancient-looking movie posters on the walls -- you recognized Barbarella and Yellow Submarine. 

"Don't get run over," was Alice's way of saying goodbye to you, as you grabbed your stuff and headed home just after six. 

You stayed up a bit later than usual, but it didn't matter, since you had to be at the record store at around eleven or so. And it wasn't like you got lunch rushes or anything that you absolutely had to be there to handle. 

To be honest, it was barely annoying when that Ted kept popping into your mind; nobody could blame you, after all. It was rare that anybody you encountered at work was someone who legitimately had the power to capture your attention. So you entertained the feeling, right up until you arrived back at work the next day. 

Sitting down at the counter with a purpose after doing the usual routine, you rummaged around for another crappy magazine.  Now you were going to be professional and level-headed. 

And that was what you did for an hour or so. Professional stuff, like helping out a confused-looking older woman find an Elvis record, or shooing away a group of what looked to be ten-to-eleven-year-olds who tried in vain to barter for the junk that was already considerably cheaper than everything else in the store.

Everything was going well. 

Until, of course, the bell dinged again, and you just had to look up on instinct. 

They were back. 

This time, the shorter guy was wearing a backwards cap (bright red) with his blonde curls poking out the front. You appreciated that for a moment, and then, of course, your gaze slid over to him. Worn-out Megadeth shirt and all. 

To your mild surprise, he met your gaze almost instantaneously. And then he was jogging -- well, practically bounding over. 

"Dude!" He exclaimed, once he was directly in front of you. "You were so right. That album was truly heart-stirring." 

It took you a moment to recall which album he was talking about. When you did, though, you didn't hesitate to return his once-again blinding smile. "Yeah, told you so. You should totally listen to more Talking Heads, if you liked the album that much." Unlike last time, Ted's friend was hanging back, but you were curious anyway, and gestured in the blonde's direction. "Did he listen to it, too?" 

"Oh, Bill?" Nodding vigorously, Ted's grin didn't fade. "Yeah, he thought it was pretty good. But he didn't like it as much as I did." 

"At least he still liked it." You shrugged. "I mean, you were the one who bought it, right?" 

Ted glanced off to the side. "Well, I was the one who decided to buy it." He ducked his head a little. "Uh, we pooled our money, though." 

"Oh, okay." 

There was a bit of an awkward silence, before you spoke up again. "... Is there anything specific you're looking for today?" 

"Oh!" At that, Ted perked up. "Yeah, actually. I was gonna ask if there were any other Talking Heads albums here, besides, y'know, the ones I've already listened to." Quickly, he added, "uh, and by that I mean '77 and More Songs About Buildings and Food." 

"Sure, I remember." You put down your reading material, before getting off the stool and coming out from behind the counter. "Let's take a look." 

He followed behind you as you made your way to the T shelf, and stood next to you as you thumbed through the records. 

(If you concentrated just hard enough, you could feel how he was only inches away.) 

It didn't take long to find what you were looking for, thankfully. Feeling victorious, you pulled out Remain in Light. And right behind that was Fear of Music. It kind of sucked that Speaking in Tongues wasn't nearby, but if you got lucky, maybe you could find it in the countless decaying cardboard boxes in the back. 

"There," you announced, "here. This is good stuff, I think." You showed the album to Ted, and he leaned a little closer in order to get a better look. 

"It might be kind of a weird listen for some people, but it's good in my opinion. Some of the songs are kind of similar to hip-hop, and they even use elements of African music -- it's pretty cool." When you offered it to him, he took it; he handled it as if it was a delicate piece of treasure, flipping it over to read over the song titles. 

"Rad," he said, after a few moments of deep concentration. "Thanks." 

"No problem." 

You found yourself smiling along with him. "Need anything else?" 

"I think I'm okay for now." His shoulders bobbed when he nodded, you noticed. "I'm gonna look at the other albums over here for a sec, I think." 

"Sounds good. I'll be over there if you need me." 

After you turned your back to walk back to the counter, you didn't catch how he looked up -- before glancing back at the records. Once you were seated once again, the only thing you saw was how engrossed Ted was in finding what he was after. Or maybe he was just examining the album art; who knew for certain? 

It was a little while later when Bill traipsed over to Ted, and they quietly conferred. Their very hushed discussion ended pretty fast, and before you knew it, they were in front of you, and the album you'd shown Ted was placed in front of you. 

"Just this one?" You wondered if they were going to keep buying singular records. "Same as yesterday. $6.95, please." 

Again, it took a bit for the money to be collected from their pockets, but again, there was a nickel left in change. 

You didn't miss how Ted gave Bill a smug look as he reached over to take the coin from you.

Ted's fingertips were callused as your hands brushed, and 

chocolate brown eyes met yours, and 

"Do you play an instrument?" You blurted, and then winced. "Sorry, that was -- " 

" -- Actually, yeah!" 

But before you could apologize, Ted cut you off. If he was thrown off-guard by your oddly-placed question, he didn't show it; if anything, he actually looked happy that you'd asked. 

"I play guitar!" Proudly, he continued, "so does Bill! Which is great, because we can learn all the tough songs together." The previous brief animosity over the nickel completely disappeared as they exchanged glowing looks. "It is most productive." 

"Oh." Briefly, you were still caught between guilt and embarrassment, but you recovered quickly. "Oh! That's neat, actually. Guitar's a cool instrument."  

Bill seemed to take your praise in stride, but Ted -- he suddenly avoided eye contact. You carried on, though. "I've kind of always wanted to learn, but I've never really committed." Giggling semi-awkwardly, you shrugged. "Oh well, I guess. Maybe someday, right? Actually buying a guitar might be kinda hard, though. I've fooled around on a couple, but never owned one." 

"That is totally understandable," nodded Bill solemnly, "it does take a decent amount of cash and time to be able to learn any instrument." 

"Exactly," you agreed. Smiling, you nodded slightly in return. "Have a nice day, guys." 

Suddenly, Ted's attention was back on you with an intensity. You looked at him -- did he have a question about the album? -- but no, he was practically radiating nervous energy, almost looking like a deer caught in headlights. You watched as his Adam's apple bobbed; he seemed to be steeling himself. 

Before you could ask if he was okay, though -- 

"I could -- " he cleared his throat, "I could, uh, teach you a bit of guitar. If you wanna." 

What?

"What?" You and Bill said, at the same time. 

"I mean, I'm not, like, prodigy material, but… " Ted's face was gradually appearing pinker by the second. "I know some stuff, at least." 

Ignoring Bill's extremely concerning look directed at his friend, you genuinely considered his offer. 

This was actually a prime-time opportunity. 

It wasn't every day that cute boys just fell out of the sky (well, walked through the door of the record store) and offered to give you free guitar lessons. Sure, it was true that you barely knew him -- but if you said no, would you even get the chance to get to know him? Probably not. You couldn't tell if he was the type of guy to back off if you said no to something like this; and that was a little scary. 

He was shuffling a little, and looked pretty nervous by the time you came to a conclusion. 

"Yeah," you affirmed. 

"That'd be nice." 

If anything, Bill looked more surprised than Ted; who, after a moment or two, seemingly remembered his ability to speak. 

"Wait, really?" Ted's face displayed open shock, before fading beautifully into joy. 

"Killer, dude." 

-- 

Turns out the bookmark you'd been using also worked pretty well as a means for Ted to scribble down his (and Bill's, apparently) address. His handwriting was a couple steps up from basically illegible, but considering that you'd noticed his hand shaking, you'd take what you could get. You had a sneaking suspicion that, even on a good day, writing wasn't his strong suit. 

The apartment building wasn't too far from your own home, thankfully. 

You were only a bit nervous when standing in front of the door. Waiting for either Bill or Ted to answer it. 

It turned out to be the latter, who looked partially disheveled as he opened the door for you, stepping aside. 

"Sorry. It's a bit of a mess, dude," he said, sounding sheepish, "uh, but trust me, it's usually way worse." 

Stepping inside, you looked around -- it wasn't the worst place you'd seen, to be honest, and it had a sense of familiarity radiating from all the stickers stuck on basically every surface, and posters, pictures, and other memorabilia everywhere. Most of the posters were of bands you recognized. 

"It's fine," you replied, as he shut the door behind you. "Is Bill home?" 

"No, he went out," came Ted's answer. "Dunno where, though. He just gave me a sorta squinty look and left." 

"Oh." 

An awkward beat, before Ted picked up the thread of conversation; thin as it was. 

"C'mon, you can sit down on the couch or wherever. I'll go get the guitars." He smiled at you. "There's probably, like, cereal in the kitchen if you want something." And with that, he practically bolted into the next room. 

Doing as he said, you made a place for yourself on the green couch, trying not to knock off any of the pillow and whatnot piled onto the surface. Not that you thought Ted would mind or anything, judging by the semi-cluttered state of the apartment -- but you didn't want to be a rude houseguest, especially during the first time he'd invited you over. 

Ted returned pretty quickly, though, carrying two guitars. One was beige, the other black and red. 

"You can take Bill's," he said, offering the latter guitar to you. "He won't mind, I think. Unless you break it or something." 

"That's not … really comforting." Taking the guitar, you placed it in your lap. "Now I'm nervous." 

"Oh. Sorry, dude." He sat down next to you, his own instrument placed on his leg in a position that looked much more comfortable. "I mean, if you did break it, it'd be most calamitous." Seeing your expression, he rushed to add, "but I trust you not to! Since you work in a record store and all." 

"That's a good point." Looking at him, you hoped you didn't appear too lost, and you adjusted the way you held your guitar to mimic him. 

"So, uh." Ted didn't seem to notice. "You wanna learn a couple basic chords? It's gonna be a bit weird at first, but you'll get used to it pretty quick." 

"Alright." 

"Stellar." Rolling his shoulders, he grinned. "Here's an A major chord." He demonstrated the finger position, and then strummed his guitar -- it looked easy enough, but still took a couple tries for you to put your hand in the right spot for it to sound right. Eventually, though, you got it, and Ted beamed. 

"That's it. Probably the easiest chord. Wanna move on?" 

"Sure," you said, "how long will it take to get used to the strings? They're a little tough to keep down." 

"Don't press too hard, it'll kill the quality." Ted adjusted himself in his seat, but didn't take his eyes off you. "If you play regularly, you'll get calluses in no time. Don't worry." 

"I hope so." You unconsciously mirrored his movement, but weren't able to hold eye contact for as long as him, and dropped your gaze to the guitar in your hands. There were a couple small scratches here and there, which was comforting; because if it could survive a few dings and scrapes, it could survive your amateurish playing. 

"I know so, dude." Ted was completely relaxed. " 'Kay, moving on -- C major chord, right? Also pretty easy." He repositioned his fingers, and strummed once more. 

Again, after some trial and error, and maybe a little help, you caught on. Ted looked pleased. "See, you got it! You're learning way quicker than I did." 

You weren't sure if it was empty praise or not, but judging from how blunt he'd been so far, you doubted it. And it wasn't like you weren't going to take the compliment -- not with how it brought a supremely light feeling into your chest. 

Ted had you practice going between the chords a couple times, to get used to switching finger positions. It was awkward, to say the least, but not outright difficult or challenging. You supposed that, with enough practice, it'd get way less fiddly. 

"What's next?" You asked, after that. "More chords?" 

"You got it!" He'd been demonstrating how to switch positions efficiently, and you tried not to focus on how his fingers easily reached across the fretboard with little to no effort. "Next, we've got the G major chord. Three fingers again." 

It was the same process as before, you thought. However, this time, you just couldn't get it right; his fingers and hand were positioned in a way that made it difficult to tell which frets he was pressing. A little frustrated, you tried for the fifth time, and yet. No dice. 

Ted didn't seem too bothered, but he sounded empathetic when he spoke up. "Oh. Lemme help, dude." 

If you were expecting anything in particular, it probably wouldn't have been him reaching over to move your ring finger onto the correct fret, and then nudge your index finger over a little. 

Your heart did a traitorous little skip. 

His hands were warm. 

"... There." Even he looked bashful as he pulled back. "Uh. That should be good now." 

It took you a moment to breathe a "thanks." 

Wonderfully, and finally, you got it right. The chord was a little shaky, but you reveled in your triumph. 

There was something thick in the air, 

but it quickly dissipated as Ted cracked another smile. "See? You got it!" 

"Yeah," was all you could muster. 

"Let's go between those three for now," he said, mercifully not picking up on your current state of mind. "I think that's a good spot to kinda review, right?" Flicking back his head to get his bangs out of his face, he continued. "I'm not going too fast, right? I'm not, like, a professional music teacher or anything, so…" 

At last, you recovered your ability to find words. "No, you're fine. The chords aren't too hard to remember, anyway." 

"Right," agreed Ted, "then, can you play the A major one again?" 

That was easy enough. You got C major right rather quickly too, much to Ted's delight. And you even remembered how to shift between the two positions in a way that didn't result in uncomfortable finger-twisting. Your fingertips were steadily growing sorer, indented by the strings, but you tried not to focus on it; you'd get used to that later. 

However, when you got back to the G major chord… You tried once. Nope. Once more? Couldn't get it. 

Third time could be the charm. 

No dice. Your guitar emitted a sound similar to that of a severely out-of-tune violin. 

"That one trip you up again, dude?" Ted frowned, but it wasn't in a disappointed way at all. More like the sympathy from earlier -- and he sounded a bit guilty, but you didn't know why. 

"I swear it's not on purpose," you grumbled, "sorry." 

" 'S fine, really." His frown melted into that same easy smile. "I get it. Imagine how long it took for me to get that one right. I didn't have a teacher at all." 

Your mind abruptly conjured up an image of Ted, just as frustrated as you were, sitting on the same couch. Struggling to learn the chords you'd gotten in mere minutes. Maybe Bill and him struggled together, when they were both unfamiliar with guitars. Like you were now. 

It was kind of a funny image. You were wondering if it was rude to think so; it probably was, right? 

But your train of thought was quickly interrupted. 

As Ted moved over. 

Closer than the last time. 

"I have a trick that helped when I first learned the G chord," he began, "uh, you just gotta remember that your middle and ring finger are on the same row, right? And the pointer is just up there." He made a couple hand gestures that didn't really help with the explanation. You understood what he meant, however… 

"Where's the pointer finger supposed to go, again?" You asked, a little embarrassed that you'd already forgotten the correct hand position. 

Ted opened his mouth to say something. His brow furrowed as he hesitated, before apparently giving up on trying to detail it with words. Gingerly, he placed his own guitar the side. 

"Just -- here. Hang on." 

Your heart swooped as he reached out again, and -- 

he was so gentle in how he guided your hand to the correct spot, before carefully nudging your fingertips onto the frets, pressing them ever so slightly onto them. 

It took him a moment to speak, and when he did, he hadn't removed his hand from on top of yours yet. He was turned entirely to face you, having been so focused on his task of helping you that he hadn't noticed -- until now. 

"Uh," he said, before clearing his throat. "So, see? Middle and ring on the same row, like I said." 

His voice was quieter. "And … pointer to the side. There." 

You risked a glance up at his face. 

It was a brilliant pink. 

But he still hadn't moved away. 

Every single nerve in your body felt like they were migrating to where your skin met his. 

"... There?" 

You echoed.

Ted finally seemed to snap back to reality -- pulling his hand back, nearly scrambling backwards on the couch, almost bumping his guitar off it in the process, with how he bounced back on the cushions in his rush to get out of your personal space. 

"Yeah!" He blurted as he did so. Face scarlet. Hand flying up to scratch at the back of his neck.

"That -- that should be good." 

And now he was avoiding eye contact. 

"Okay," you replied eloquently, mentally kicking yourself afterward. 

You had to admit, there was a little bit of suspense before you finally strummed your guitar. 

And as if from the heavens above, the correct notes finally rang out, just as Ted had demonstrated earlier. 

"There!" You declared, and couldn't help your sigh of relief. "I think I'll remember it next time." 

It took Ted a second to respond, but when he did, he'd recovered, and was grinning; even if he was still a little pink. 

"... See!" He dropped his hand back to his lap to join the other. "The same goes for other tough stuff in music. If you're having trouble, just try to find a pattern." Sagely, he nodded. "Even if it takes you a while to find the pattern, it'll be most gratifying in the end. Makes it way easier to remember stuff." 

"Yeah, thanks." You loosened your grip on your guitar. "Actually, that helps a lot. Should we go back to reviewing all the chords again?" 

Ted reached back to grab his own instrument, before flicking back his head to get his bangs out of his face. 

"Let's do it, dude." 

-- 

It was about an hour and a half later when your fingertips really started to get sore; even after said hour and a half was interspersed with several breaks, in which your very helpful teacher showed you a couple records from his own collection. And played a couple songs from said couple records. 

Most of the songs were from the albums you'd chosen for him. 

However, when it came to continuing to practice guitar, half of you wanted to bravely persist, and the other half wanted to stop. Though it was inevitably Ted that made the decision. 

"I said it'd take time for you to get calluses, but you shouldn't push yourself too hard," he said, after you winced for maybe the third time. "It hurts, right? And that sucks, that was exactly what it felt like for me during the first, like, few weeks or so." Idly, he pushed back a lock of his hair which had migrated into his face. "I think we could stop for now." 

"Yeah, okay." You put down your guitar. "You're right. I should head home to eat, anyway." 

"Right," he replied. 

There was an awkward beat, before you finally stood up. Ted followed suit.

"Yeah," you repeated, not being able to stop the smile that tugged at the corner of your mouth. "Thanks. Really, it was really sweet of you to offer to teach me a bit of guitar. I only mentioned it in passing, too." 

His hand was back on the back of his neck as he walked the short distance with you to the entrance. "It's nothing," he deflected, but his expression said it all. "I'm just glad that I didn't turn out to be a horrific teacher, or something." 

"No, you were fine!" Giving him another 'thanks' as he opened the door for you, you stepped out of the apartment. "I'm just glad that I wasn't a horrific student." 

Turning to face him, you inclined your head, speaking before he could object.

"Bye. And thanks -- " 

"-- you wanna do this again?" 

It seemed even he was surprised at the question, taking into account how his face reddened. Once again. "Uh," he added, "I mean, it was fun. To hang out and teach you a couple chords. It'd be nice to hang out again." His tone was wavering. Stilted, almost. "Yeah."

It was cute. 

"Sure," you answered without missing a beat. "Give me your number and I'll call when I get home." 

His answering grin was powerful enough to power a thousand solar panels. 

You probably broke a speed limit heading home, to say the least. 

[fishfingersandjellybabies]

Hello you have written soms timdami in the past but idk if you still ship them.. but hope you enjoy:

Kon is dating damian.

Kon. Is. Dating. Damian.

Tim can't believe his best friend would betray him like this, dating his little brother?? Kon is like.. 6 years older than damian.

HECK DAMIAN IS 16 WHILE KON IS 22 (allegedly)

Theres this pit in his stomach that grows whenever he looks at them, this.. negative feeling.

'Jealousy' his brain supplied. He never thought this would be something he'd be jealous of damian about. He never really thought he felt that way towards his best frien– traitor.

Because well... its not exactly "crush" worthy if you want to actually crush your crush with a gigantic kryptonite hammer. Pun intended.

He feels empathy for jon, seeing as hes just as.. jealous... as.. tim is.

Huh.. that... doesn't seem right.

(He knows that its not damian hes jealous of)

Kon and damian had a fight. Hes gonna actually kill that super asshole for real. Screw morality.

But first hes gotta comfort damian, he has to be a good lover brother after all.. ha.. the term makes him a bit.. sad

But then damian smiled at him, a very rarely thing in the past (not rare anymore). And he looks pretty like this, damian has really grown to be beautiful– his heart beats a bit faster suddenly.. too fast.

No.

no..

He called jon that day.

Jon and damian are in a realtionship now, tho damian is also still dating kon.. apparently what they have isn't really a "romantic" relationship, a QPR or something– tim wasn't really paying attention anymore.

...

..

.

He feels jealous for both jon and kon now.

and god, what if Jon KNOWS what Tim is feeling. He knows Tim is getting to be a bit Too Much about Damian, even when Damian and Kon fight, and it's Jon he calls first.

And Jon's been through a lot, yeah? He deserves nice things. He deserves Damian. So for Damian to choose him for comfort over his own family? Well, he's just downright chuffed.

And he doesn't know why, but that murderous look Tim is sending him makes him even more smug that it's his hand Damian is holding and his physical affection Damian is accepting. No one else's.

No one's.

And so while Kon and Damian are friends and enjoying each other's company, there's a cold war between Jon and Tim. Jon, shoving it in Tim's face that Damian loves him, and Tim, planning Jon's demise under the guise of wanting to protect Damian, and refusing to voice his darker, inner, more lustful thoughts about it.

Any time I think timdami a lot of the time anymore I think of it as incredibly unhealthy and obsessive haha. but I still love it anyway. 😅

[natashasbitxh]

The anon that send you about how they aren't that close as friends and how they always dance around each other's. Wow anon I adore you.

That's exactly, it's there. But I was calling it the wall, like they put a wall on each other's, as if they cannot comprehend what the other is thinking but at the same time they're actually so similar. I have to say, yesterday I watched a lot of the old videos and that helped me to kind of understand this journey they are.

At first Chance wasn't afraid to look at him, he would always take an opportunity to said something to flirt, as a character or with a comment (this is important for the future).

In some videos, Shayne would be surprised how he would relate to whatever Chance has to said, an opinion or liking and then, it started slowly. Them laughing at the other jokes, also the looks came more from Chance, Shayne didn't looked that much like he was afraid of looking idk.

But the more vids later, probably like the challenge pit or the reddit one's, Shayne will be looking at Chance when he talked, I mean he was talking to everyone but he would look to Chance directly. You can see in his eyes to what direction he's was looking at.

The way he feel attacked by Mr. Peanut. The way he actually was the only one that new it was Chance secret about sleeping with a katana, for me it shows, they were actually paying more attention to the other in a silent way, by looks and listening to the other. Oh darling they would listen as if it is the most important thing.

And yet for some reason, if you see a video of them from those times and one from this times, you couldn't see any difference in the fact that they still don't know how to properly idk have like a banter. But I do feel like they understand the other more.

For example Chance doesn't flirt anymore, at least not like in the first vids, it shows he understands maybe or he just has a different mindset. To be honest I can't put into words how it is this way they interact. 'Cause Shayne it's looking a lot, but he doesn't try to be close, they just trying to see what the other is doing, like admiring from far away.

As is they are afraid of the other in a good way. I feel like they would get lost in a conversation about why they feel the same thing about a topic, and yet that would be it.

They laugh at the other's jokes more freely, they aren't super friends or anything, but maybe this will only show how great of a duo they could be, I know that Shayne is an easy person to make him laugh, but let's be honest here, nobody does it like Chance.

Another thing I would totally write is how in the theater video, you just can see how they don't know how to properly act in the scene, like yes they are acting those parts, but I do feel the emotions of just wanting to run away from both of them, they don't know how to properly act that way. It's uncomfortable in an interesting way I would say 🤨 not in a bad or good day, just curious.

I would be watching more videos, if I found where they shift I'll share it with you.

This was the closest I could get to show how I see them.

no truly, I love my anons sm u rlly come up with mind-blowing stuff!

yh, the wall makes sm sense! I rlly see it! And yes their journey is so interesting to me! U can rlly see them getting closer!!

and Chanse is such a bold person and outgoing, so I feel like he found it fun to be like that in and out of character!

everything you just said, I agree! It's been like a visible gradual build up, whether it's platonic or not!

yes, we talk abt Chanse looking all the time but Shayne has rlly started to be heavy with the eye contact too! And ur so right for saying the reddit and challenge pit vids because those r some strong lowkey shaynse vids.

OMG THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME OF THAT!!! I completely forgot Shayne guessed correctly that it was Chanse, like he pointed at him and everything and then when it was revealed he was so mad he was right but wasn't listened too😭

I would definitely say they are visibly closer then earlier videos but yh I guess there's still that same little bit of hesitance

yh I get what you mean, a lot of admiring. And they rlly do give each other their full attention!

Well you saying abt them getting lost in a topic just reminds me of that one vid where they get lost in a convo abt nature documentaries! Like, another case of them unknowingly having something in common!

yes, Shayne rlly does laugh at Chanse! And honestly Chanse rlly laughs at Shayne too! Like before he even gets to the punchline (yes this is abt the Queen Nefertiti joke)

Them in the theater vid is so interesting to see! Just this sorta awkward vibe especially from Shayne, it's like he doesn't know what to do!

tysm for sharing ur thoughts, I always love to read them!!

[broken-clover]

🍓🔪🍬🦴🥤 :D

Wheeeee

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

Tbh you think I'd remember but I really don't. I have vague memories of making Pokemon OC's but wasn't really introduced to the concept of fanfiction until my older sister got me into Hetalia and I found out about it while looking up fanart. I think I've discusses it before, though, that I didn't feel confident writing full-on fanfic for the longest time because I was too terrified about writing characters OOC. Idk what exactly made me get over it, maybe GG just instilled enough brainrot I couldn't help it

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

See I dunno about 'weird' but I've done a lot of random shit I never thought would be relevant until I had to go look for it. Hard to objectively say what was the oddest so I'm just gonna make a list of some off the top of my head

-(I've repurposed a surprising amount of my learnings from mortuary for anatomical and medical reference)

-Giraffe/horse autopsy

-Introductory guides to Jamaican Patois

-"Can bats get polio"

-"Common clothing of Nepal"/"Common clothing of Tibet" (notable in that it ended up being relevant for half a paragraph)

-"Cheeses of Bhutan"

-"What is the highest proof alcohol you are legally allowed to buy"

-Profanities of numerous languages, including sign

-"How old are children before they can pronounce 'x'"

-Brazilian cryptids

-"least flammable bed fabrics"

-Treatment and recovery time of a PCL tear

-Step by step guides for kimono-wearing

-Bone throwing as a form of divination

-Adult clubfoot treatments

-"what type of video is security camera footage"

-"autoimmune diseases caused by stress"

-psychogenic stuttering

-how to replace/modify a clutch disk for a stick shift

-French homicide law

-Pyretic drugs

-LOTS of fish biology

🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

Probably in part due to oversaturation, but Bridget is just...kinda boring. I find her concept and story endearing and sympathetic, of course, but she doesn't have the same kind of complicated themes and bizarre lore that engages me like a lot of the series' other characters to the point where I can delve into it and get on that level of brainrot.

🦴 ⇢ is there a piece of media that inspires your writing? 

Can't simply say 'a.' I feel like I take a lot of bits from a lot of different stuff! I find I like to try and find 'weird' media frequently, though, I like seeing the bizarre concepts people can cook up and wonder if I'm not thinking outside the box hard enough. Likewise for horror, to a lesser extent

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

hweeeehhhh why do you always give me the tough ones. There's some really obvious picks, you and Jim and Roy and Crow, but I've probably done you all like three times already! Easy picks

Lemme see, if I wanna try and do something a little different than the obvious, I do have a couple recs! For anyone that's into Psychonauts, I totally recommend BabyCharmander (ESPECIALLY 'Cavity,' do not read anything else before you go into it, reading it for the first time hits you like a truck to the face) and The_Angst_Alchemist (Particularly if you're a Thorney Towers fan, they write the inmates with such panache and easily some of the best interpretations of Fred) It's a little more niche, but if you're an ARMS fan I recommend anything by MeltyMetroid, for a series that has such little lore they've written several incredibly fleshed out and well-constructed longfics (I'd recommend 'DisARMed' and 'Broken Mirror' for the plot-heavy jaunts and 'The Brass that Saved Christmas' if you want a good laugh)

Admittedly in general I don't pay as much attention to specific writers as I should, or the series I look for stuff for is so niche it doesn't really have dedicated writers

[fantasticalleigh]

June 21st 2024 Friday Night Smackdown photos + thoughts

I've been so excited for this show! Too bad it was so hot because by the end I was pretty sweaty but overall it was such a good show omfg

Including some photos but they all came out like ass bc my phone is so old and I was more concerned with being in the moment.

We got there a bit late and were still in the merch line when the show started. When we finally found our seats it was nearly 7pm and Tozawa's Speed title match was already ending. I forgot who he was up against tbh.

Punk opened up the show of course and gave a really good promo about Chicago and his rivalry with Drew. Everyone was eating it up. Personally I have a love/hate relationship with Punk so I still found it entertaining but wasn't cheering for him exactly. he mocked Drew and I've been calling it since Clash and since Punk announced he was gonna attend this Smackdown that I believed Drew was gonna show up and get revenge, just didn't know when. Paul Heyman interrupts Punk's promo to warn him to leave bc even though he's off limits to the Bloodline that they wouldn't be afraid to go after him. And then Paul begs Punk to take him with him :'( Poor man needs a break. They had a long hug. it was really hard to hear what paul was saying most of the time because of how loud the 'we want roman' and 'fuck you solo' chants were. solo interrupted the promo and the boos got so freaking loud i didn't hear a word of what he said. when the bloodline tried advancing on punk we saw cody running out from behind the front row to help punk and everyone went nuts.

(the groups of guys behind and beside me had the funniest commentary running all through the show to the point that sometimes i either couldn't hear or pay attention to what was going on in the ring. also, the sound at the Allstate Arena is absolute TRASH and sometimes you just couldn't hear a word that was being said when backstage promos were being shot so everyone just sat in annoyed silence until the volume was finally raised.)

i'm not gonna go over every single thing in the 'episode' that happened bc that would make this way too long and it's really late so i'm just writing about highlights

Bianca vs. Michin vs. Chelsea Green for Money in the Bank was super fun. Everyone was cheering for Bianca and Chelsea mostly but the crowd definitely popped when Chelsea stole the pin. I love her and really hoped she would get Queen of the Ring but I'm happy with this win and happy with Nia as Queen. Chelsea imo is amazing to watch bc she's doing amazing character work as the self-centered/egotistic/entitled/hot and bratty "spicy margarita" character she is. She's just so damn funny and I'm glad we get to see more of her.

All the Bloodline stuff--yet another member has joined the chat. Tbh i really don't care that much about the Bloodline and never have but at this point I'm cheering for Roman to come back along with everyone bc I don't think Solo Sikoa is all that impressive yet. Idk. He may grow on me. But every time Solo or Tama Tonga were out everyone started booing or shouting 'we want Roman'. Which says plenty. We also got to see a lot of Randy and KO tonight which was really great bc i love them and they're truly out there being the defenders of Smackdown any time the Bloodline pulls their cheating bs. The guys behind me were calling Solo "Temu Roman" which was hilarious. Jacob debuting today looked rad as hell and already a huge threat (possibly a greater one than Solo imo) and apparently he's a big deal in indie wrestling so I'm interested in seeing what he brings to the table.

Bayley was on screen for like ten seconds :(

Andrade was great but for some reason I don't really connect with him so I end up sort of tuning out whenever he's on. I feel bad about it but idk, I feel like he doesn't have a truly distinctive character yet that would actually make me interested in him but all his looks are nice at least.

Randy vs. Carmelo vs. Tama Tonga:

Great match. Melo also taking that win was unexpected but considering he's had mostly losses since his debut this is a good thing. Plus I got a (BAD) photo of Randy doing The Thing before the match and I think that's neat.

(every time i see the MITB briefcases i quietly sing to myself "I got money in the BAYank" from that T-Pain song)

also got this hilarious pic of Randy who looks like a lion pouncing on Mello who looks like a frightened gazelle running away lol

for possibly my favorite part of the night:

MY MANS GOT HIS VENGEANCE.

when this happened in the middle of Grayson Waller's promo (can we talk about how GOOD that shot was??? with the garage door pulling up to do the reveal??) everyone lost their shit and started booing Drew. I was grinning ear to ear bc i fucking CALLED IT. Though i'd hoped we'd have actually gotten to see it happen and not only the aftermath. this is a very shit pic but drew + the cameraperson walked all the way from backstage to the entry and drew just fucking tossed Punk off his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. it was hot. it was wrong and it was wild. the people of chicago cried out in absolute outrage and the boos rained down. look at your god now, i would have said if i had the courage (and lung capacity) he is a mortal like us, he brought this on himself, and he ain't shit.

i was too busy cheering to notice drew taking punk's bracelet? watch? idk. it looked shiny and silver. and then he left without a word but backstage argued with Nick Aldis and others before storming off. absolute cinema. everyone was still booing and i raised my plastic margarita jar in a toast to my beloved Scotsman.

(i'd really been hoping to hear his music live again tho)

at one point at the end of a match i sprang out of my seat and ran to the bathroom because i believed we were on a commercial break. commercials were playing on the screens, after all. i had literally just started washing my hands when i heard ~~L. A. KNIGHT~~ and then the music and i started swearing because i missed his entrance :( i was so annoyed lmao. (I was wearing black lipstick and the Judgement Day spiked vest and when i walked in a woman exiting at the same time saw me and said "Mami!" and it was great lol) (there were a lot of signs for rhea tonight btw we miss her!!!) anyway i got back to my seat while Knight was still in the ring but Logan Paul had just shown up and knocked him out and that sucked lmao for some reason I was sure they were actually going to fight tonight?? guess i was wrong. the guys next to me were cheering for logan, no shame do what you want but bleghhhhh

Cody did two appearances. first when he came out in his corporate attire and then again for his match with Solo. everyone sang his theme with gusto, and it was a pleasure to actually know the words this time. the pyro was WILD. and imo there was too much fog coming from it to the point the arena got noticeably hotter after the pyro went off. i was wearing a mesh shirt and i was still pretty sweaty. everyone did the WOAH. i think cody was wearing his Mania fit so it was really cool to see it again; his costumes are the best in the WWE rn and no one else comes close. at least not in the men's division. the match itself was kinda disappointing with how quickly it was disqualified bc of the bloodline's bs. not that i expected there to be a title drop or anything then and there but it all happened so quickly and i was so annoyed that when jacob came out i was sort of checked out. obvs i wondered who he was but there was no name card on the screens or anything so i was lost until i checked the subreddit later. cody got his ass beat and even tho randy and KO tried to help the bloodline still won and ended the episode and everyone booed them.

was it good tv though? absolutely. i feel lucky to have been there and seen it all live. this is only my second live WWE show and i'm hooked. i can't wait to watch the episode and hear the commentary.

after the cameras stopped rolling The Awesome Truth came out and everyone fucking lit up when Mix and R Truth came out singing their song and everyone was super into it, screaming 'WHAT'S UP?' back to Truth. tbh after the way the main event match went it was a perfect pick me up to end the night and it got our energy back up immediately. then the Judgement Day came out and the boos came out again for Dominik and JD (but mostly Dom). i was there in my dorky lil spiked vest cheering my babies on. it was a great fucking match, super entertaining and they were absolutely feeling the energy. Miz and Dom were having a contest throughout trying to get the loudest crowd response and Miz was raising his arms getting us to build up to it and then Dom tried getting us on his side but when we didn't or just booed him he more or less flipped us off without actually giving the bird lol. he also took a bottle of Prime and tasted it, only to spit it back out in disgust which actually earned him a few cheers and several shouts of "fuck Prime!!" i may have seen it from the wrong angle but it did also look like he wiped the bottle on his butt before tossing it away. R Truth did the five knuckle shuffle and everyone got hyped and screamed the you can't see me thing and then he did it again with Miz and then they did their tag team finisher. idk the name for it but it's the dancey in sync move they do. it's adorable and i love them so much. but back to the match, all of them were fantastic and of course Awesome Truth won, but at one point when it was quiet enough i yelled out "YOU SHOULD'VE LET R-TRUTH JOIN THE JUDGEMENT DAY" and a few people laughed which felt really good lmao.

and after the match ended and everyone was clapping, Miz asked for a mic and told us (and this is very paraphrased and relying on my memory) that he 'doesn't get to do this often' and he isn't used to being cheered so much so this was really great and he was thankful to chicago for that. we cheered extra loud for that and then they left and it was over.

i'm still newish to the wwe universe but i know Miz was a world champ not that long ago. i haven't seen much of that run and i always thought he was a very likable character for all his faults so hearing that he wasn't used to being cheered broke my heart a little bc i like him a lot.

anyway it was amazing overall and i really hope they come back again soon. when i went to RAW in march they gave us all a promo code for early access tickets for this show, but this time there wasn't one, to my knowledge.

after tonight i now have a cody rhodes shirt, a deeper love for wrestling, and a new friendship bracelet. i have a ton that i made for myself a while back and a couple given by friends/family. i wore them all today and after the show while waiting for my brother near the merch line a woman came up to me and asked if i wanted to swap bracelets. i was like :o i didn't know people did that here!! and she said a few do, that she'd given a couple away already and luckily i'd just made an 'omg it's cody rhodes' and a rhea ripley one the night before so i happily gave her the rhea one and she gave me a 'mami's always on top' bracelet in return and just like the Judgement Day bracelet my dear @rogueimperator got me for my birthday, i will treasure them forever <3 i should have asked for her name tbh but thank you kind stranger! now i need to make more for next time :)

a lot of people were also very sweet about my goth look for the night--i was trying to channel Rhea for sure lol but my black lipstick was rubbing off everywhere and i was so sweaty because of the vest and boots lol--not a good choice for a 90 degree day but we're all doing our part to hasten Rhea's hasty return, right??? a bit of sweat is no problem in the long run.

[afurtivecake]

i'd like to hear some positive opinions, something you find impressive about the books or the characters or even exy idk

oh i have so many generally positive opinions on aftg...strap yourselves in.

the thing that blew my mind about the books especially the first time is how it really put me inside neil's head. like i felt like i was learning shit along with neil and figuring andrew out. i've got adhd and sometimes i don't pay attention to stuff i read so well because my brain is too busy spotting the patterns and predicting the direction the author is going to take the story. but aftg? it snapped me right into neil's thinking and made me follow along at his pace. it made me really feel those 'holy shit' moments when characters were doing something significant instead of just thinking, 'ah yes, of course, i thought that might happen'. and that's something special to me.

i love that aftg reads like an ace romance. and i don't mean a romance that features an ace character, i mean a romance that sees romance the way that someone who is ace might see romance. i am ace and i can't really explain it that well. but i guess it's sort of how love is contained in the small moments, the tiny gestures, like andrew opening neil's protein bar for him because he sees him struggling with it, like neil looking to andrew to silently ask him, 'hey, can i run my mouth or should i not?' and andrew understanding him. one of the most memorable moments i've had in my life that i felt was romantic but probably wouldn't be interpreted as such by others was when i watched an ad with someone and thought of a dumb joke. we looked at each other at the same time and we both burst out laughing without saying anything because we could tell that we both had arrived at that same dumb joke at the same time. I think that's very much how nora sakavic writes romance in general because you can also see bits of that kind of feel in tsc, even though jean and jeremy aren't clearly ace like neil.

i also love how relatable the characters are. the whole series is a damn good look at various trauma responses. it feels familiar to me and it reminds me of people i know. i love that the narrative doesn't judge the characters for how they deal with their trauma responses. the narrative doesn't try to push the characters to heal in professionally proscribed ways and i find that really reassuring. cuz i've been there before. i've been at a place where i wasn't letting myself want anything because i just couldn't picture a future where i could have it, i've been down that irrational, borderline paranoid trust issues hole and it would have pissed me right off if i had read a story where the message was, "it's all in your head and getting professional help would fix it". but the narrative in aftg isn't trying to fix its characters. the narrative asks, "what do you need to get through this?" and then gives it to its characters.

and lastly, i actually really like the sports narrative that is present. i think the sports narrative mostly applies to andrew. his character development is one of the only ones that actually has a lot to do with playing exy. he starts off the series as someone who is not just apathetic but disdainful of exy even though he has buckets of talent. being a goalkeeper is easy to him and it's also boring because that's all he does. that's a fairly common trope in sports. usually the arc of those kinds of characters is finding something that challenges them and finding reasons to play and to enjoy the sport. and that's exactly what andrew goes through. neil tells him at one point that he's good at being a goalkeeper because he plays it how he plays life: letting other people run themselves ragged and cleaning up afterwards. and andrew kind of takes it to heart because he starts to apply his batshit crazy methods for fixing people's problems to exy. his solution to one match that was dragging on was to tell nicky to pick a fight. and he finds that he enjoys playing that way. by the end of the series, he's having a blast being the brains behind the operation in that final ravens match where he switches neil to defense. and yes, a lot of that character development happened outside of exy (ie. andrew finally starting to let people in), but it's a progression that you can track through the matches he plays. character development that you can track through how they play a sport is what a sports narrative is, to me at least. (i came at aftg from the world of sports manga, alright? where it is ALWAYS all for the fucking game. you see the characters develop as people by playing their sport and that's what i really wanted out of my sports novels. and seeing andrew get that kind of character development isn't much, but it's pretty cool all the same)

[porcupine-girl]

Hidden Blade thoughts!

IT WAS SO GOOD

YIBO WAS SO GOOD

I would've followed a bit better if I understood more about the political landscape of WWII China, but it wasn't too bad. Definitely one of those movies where I want to go back and rewatch it immediately now that I know what I know from the end.

I will put the rest under a cut because very definitely spoilers.

The entire first half, I was kind of confused and disappointed because Yibo's role was barely a background character? I was like... how did he get second billing? How did he catch the critics' attention?

Then he has the scene in the bathroom with his ex-fiance, and from there suddenly he's the main character of the second half of the movie. It's like Tony Leung got half and he got half LOL And he's so damn good in his half.

I don't particularly like or care about fight scenes, but his were so good?? That first one with the bitchslap, he's just explosive. In the bathroom scene he becomes a ticking time bomb that's just waiting for an excuse to go off, and when he does it's breathtaking. But then he manages to just bottle that energy back up as soon as he's done with one fight, and spends the rest of the movie like that. Like every single scene he was in from there on I was convinced he was about to go off and kill someone or at least maim them - he only winds up doing it a few more times, but anytime he's not being violent you can just feel the violence he's bottling up inside radiating out of him. I can 100% see why the NYT chose the words "simmering" and "mesmerizing."

I will admit I might not have been as transfixed during Yibo & Tony's big fight scene (which, the bts is just a tiny clip of a very long scene) if it weren't for the fact that I'd seen the clip of the truck scene so I knew they both survived, so I spent the entire time holding my breath like how the fuck do they both survive this. Like, it just doesn't seem like the kind of fight where one is gonna let the other walk away. But speaking of that...

Two bits my husband and I did not understand by the end:

If Ye was actually on He’s side the whole time, why did they have the huge fight?? Like that seemed way more than necessary just to continue pretending to be on opposite sides. Sure, Ye couldn't have just let He go or vice-versa, but like they both nearly killed the other multiple times, and tbh the only reason Ye survived that fall is movie magic (it might not be wuxia but it did inherit just a smidge from that genre in terms of this fight scene I think). Why such a knock-down drag-out fight if they're actually on the same side? Surely they could've made less look like more.

Then the much smaller thing: Early on, He buys pastries to pass a note to… his wife? It happens so early when you don’t know who anyone is, by the time they come back to it I couldn’t quite remember what had happened. I think it turned out to be his wife. Anyhow, then later the Japanese guy asks what took him so long and he says he was buying dim sum but then produces the pastries??? Why did he say it was dim sum? Such a weird lie to tell when you've got the pastries to show him (I assume He bought two boxes). And the Japanese guy doesn't comment on it or anything. Were the subtitles just mistranslated or something? IDK my husband thought he heard them say dim sum but obviously he wasn't paying close attention to that detail as they were saying it, that was just in retrospect after he realized it wasn't dim sum, so maybe they said something else and it got mistranslated.

Edit: Mystery solved! @trickybonmot says she heard them say 点心 (dianxin), and according to purpleculture.net (whose dictionary is top-notch and I trust way more than Google), that can mean dessert/pastry OR dim sum! So it’s not exactly mistranslated, they just chose the translation that makes less sense to English-speaking audiences.

Overall, btw, the translation was great. SO much smoother and less awkward than literally any TV show I've watched. They had both Mandarin and English subs up the whole time, even when the characters were speaking Japanese or Shanghainese.

It was very violent and there were a lot of things that were highly disturbing in a "horrors of war" kind of way. Like yes some bits were gory but I think the disturbing outweighed the explicitly gory by far.

The nonlinear narrative has gotten mixed reviews; I think it's the kind of thing where if you like that type of storytelling (which I do!) you'll like it and if you don't you won't. If you're neutral idk what you'll think. There were definitely a few times when I wasn't totally sure when we were, but usually it didn't make things outright not make sense. There are also a few scenes that I'm still not sure why we went back to them, but I bet if I rewatched it those choices would make more sense.

It was definitely communist propaganda, but I don't think that was heavy-handed. They just showed the communists as definitely The Good Guys of the war. Obviously Japan was The Bad Guy, but they kind of just pushed the non-communist Chinese nationalists to one side and ignored them? IDK, again I might not understand the politics or get the references well enough to know how they actually handled it, but it mostly seemed like that side was more ignored than, like, actively portrayed as bad the way the Japanese were. It doesn't actually, like, make any claims about why communism is good or anything, it's more like “communists” just happens to be the name of the good guys in this war. The ideology itself makes like one brief appearance when Ye's ex-fiance talks about laborers, and even then she says maybe I'll marry a laborer or an intellectual and I was like 😬 and how did communism work out for the intellectuals in 20-30 years? Not sure if that was actually a subtle dig on Cheng Er's part or not.

Anyhow I am very excited to talk about the movie with anyone who's seen it, or I can answer questions for anyone who hasn't!

[idyllic-affections]

Not to out myself as a law student but— I've been thinking wayyy too much about law in Teyvat since the start of my contract law course. It may be because I don't know enough lore about this peculiar topic in the game (Please feel free to point it out if what I say doesn't make sense lore-wise) but.... International law must exist in Teyvat in some form, right? At least to regulate international commerce and disputes related to it. I also believe there would be some international meetings. Maybe the archons do not participate in such meetings but they MUST exist, once again if not for discussing the future of Teyvat then for commercial matters. Which also raises the question of the potential existence of ambassadors in Teyvat. Nationality doesn't seem to be such a big deal in Teyvat, but ambassies might be useful for issuing death reports for residents who pass away abroad, navigating foreign police, legal, and medical systems and assisting residents who get arrested or detained abroad! Which reminds me!! There must be some international law concerning criminals in other countries ? Like,,, I haven't played Fontaine's Archon Quest entirely but could Childe ask to do the rest of his sentence in Snezhnaya rather than in Fontaine? Is it even legal for Fontaine's court to try defendants from other nations?? As a Fatui and thus some kind of Snezhnayan diplomat, shouldn't he be tried by his homecountry or in a specific trial formation?

And I've talked about law but maybe the commerce and such is mostly regulated by customs? Which would be so interesting?? It's more flexible than law but it would still be a form of international law. Is there some kind of Warfare international law? Some kind of humanitarian law?? I'll never know.

I'm not even going to mention Liyue's contract law or the way each nation would create juridical or administrative rules, or constitutional matters ('cause you CAN'T tell me that all nations do not have a Constitution— Mondstadt would have to be regulated in some way because of Barbatos' absense and they'd definitely have some human right constitutional document, considering freedom and all). From what I've seen no one have written an essay about any of it. Even on Liyue's contract law. I'm going crazy. Maybe I'll write it myself. I'm thinking way too much about it ughhh. As you can guess, if I were Isekai'd in Genshin I'd be having a field day.  Hopefully you found my word vomit somewhat interesting?

LAW STUDENT?!??!?!?!? doudou that is so cool i hope it is going well for you <3

law in teyvat is SOOO fascinating. all i know for sure is that fontaine laws are internationally considered the hardest to understand. i haven't played fontaine's archon quest yet so who knows? but anyways.

international meetings in teyvat are SO real to me. i think about them really often actually! i personally believe, when it comes to commerce, ningguang and pantalone are the ambassadors for their nations. i'm not sure about the other nations! but i know in my heart its ningguang and pantalone for liyue and snezhnaya respectively. 🫶 i feel like when they meet, they shoot one another dirty looks when they think the other isn't paying attention. i'm soooo normal about them. Anyways.

reading the manga makes it clear that there ARE some kind of proceedings for when diplomats die internationally--if you haven't read the manga, this happens when fatui diplomats die in mondstadt in an ✨️ accident ✨️ and it was handled by dottore, so they were probably his agents. idk i haven't read the manga in a while, but yeah! it wasn't very detailed about how exactly if was handled unfortunately.

AND YEAH???? ARE THEY EVEN ALLOWED TO ARREST CHILDE? i feel like they shouldn't be allowed to? shouldn't he just be deported back to snezhnaya, since he broke the law in a nation he is a noncitizen in? just send him back to snezhnaya bro let his coworkers handle it 🙏🙏🙏🙏 it is true that nationality doesn't seem very relevant in teyvat, but it's clear it does matter in some way (based on what we see in inazuma, where it is a whole HASSLE for the traveler just to get into the main island). of course, it is a fantasy setting, but i do know a little bit about law and fontaine does seem SOOOO confusing LMAO

and yeah i suppose childe is a diplomat--i imagine all of the harbingers are regarded as such. actually i think they would all be regarded as ambassadors? at least, when they get sent to a nation SPECIFICALLY to do their duties. like. la signora was an amassador, dottore was an ambassador, scara was an ambassador, and i imagine arlecchino will also be an ambassador. but i don't think childe is, because he seems to have less responsibilities than his coworkers do when he goes abroad.

anyway it feels weird for him to be tried as a citizen. bro does NOT live there!!!! he is NOT a citizen!!!!

YES YES i imagine the godless nations have constitutions, mainly mondstadt & liyue (but i also think liyue's constitution would have existed before rex lapis' "death" since he... you know, only came around once annually). i don't think snezhnaya or inazuma have constitutions, because tbh they kind of seem very... heavily reliant on their gods. fontaine might have one but it's probably insane LMAOOO and idk about natlan yet. sumeru 100% has one too though!

sumeru also has free healthcare canonically????? bro i want that..... i'm american btw /hj /lh

but you're soooo right this is all so fascinating!!!

[descendinginto-madness]

a quiet cry for help.

word count: 1636

content warnings: mentions & descriptions of health issues, medication, mentions of the character struggling to take good care of their health sometimes

summary: N/A

author's notes: i'm going to be so honest when i'm writing this i'm very sleepy idk what to say </3 emile isn't allowed to be happy this month. also once again this wasn't written with a romantic relationship in mind :3 i now see i could've added a lot more of dan heng's feelings but i'm gonna be so honest i didn't have time </3 maybe at some point i'll edit this and do that

The Astral Express Family

Emile: uhh guys

Emile: could someone lkke

Emile: come to the parol car rq lol

Emile: *parlor sorry

Dan Heng frowns slightly, reading the incoming messages. He’s sitting in the archives, working - or rather, was working, up until he saw the texts. Normally, perhaps he wouldn't pay too much attention to these messages - their tone isn't too out of place for Emile, even the typos are something common for them - but right now, he can't help but feel slightly concerned by them. There's something about them that makes him feel like something's wrong - even though he shouldn't…

Or should he?

Then, suddenly, all of the pieces fall into place and he realizes what exactly feels off for him.

He remembers how Emile looked when he saw them this morning; tired and a bit pale, like they weren't doing too well. They still smiled when they saw him, and insisted they're alright when he asked them about it, but both of them know that Emile tends to brush off their issues, whether emotional or physical. It's not a secret; neither that, nor their health issues, caused by the Stellaron remains in their body - and even if Emile did try to keep them that way, it wouldn't be possible. Not with how attentive Himeko and Mr. Yang in particular were, and with how similar some of their symptoms were to what Stelle herself has been and still sometimes is suffering from: nausea, dizziness, fevers and sometimes body pains - and though Emile's flare-ups seem to be less violent than Stelle's most of the time, they're still something not to be taken lightly.

Granted, in the morning they also didn't look like it was something extremely serious either - thankfully. He knows he's probably worrying about Emile much more than they are about themself, but even so, it was still concerning - especially since they decided to go help Himeko with something about the train engine instead of resting. 

And that's… also the part that makes his worry spark again.

If it was the two of them who needed help, Emile would've worded their question differently. If it was something only they needed help with, Himeko should be there to assist them, so they wouldn't ask - unless she isn't there anymore, because the two of them have finished their work already.

Me: What's the matter? Is everything alright?

He can't help but feel like it's a rhetorical question right now, but it's necessary; he's already distracted from his work, somewhat anxiously watching the three dots at the bottom of the screen disappear and reappear a few times, as Emile is typing.  The fact that he's the only one who has read their messages so far doesn't help - not that he's going to get angry at the others now, he'd just feel much better if he knew that if anything bad has happened, there's someone else also ready to help immediately.

Right when he's starting to think that it's taking them a worryingly long time to answer him, a reply appears.

Emile: yes and no 

Emile: i kindaaa

Emile: might've overestimated myslef lol

Emile: *myself

Emile: tried to stand up then almost fell haha 

Me: I'm on my way.

If they aren't strong enough to stand on their own then it's - obviously - a bad sign, yet they're still clearly trying to make their messages sound lighthearted. 

Of course.

He's glad the archives are the first cabin in the hallway leading to the parlor car; it takes him just a moment to get there, open the door and step inside the lounge area maybe a tiny bit too frantically - but he can't help it, he's not even entirely sure what to expect. Thankfully, though, what he sees isn't the worst case scenario that popped up in his head - Emile isn't passed out on the floor somewhere, but instead curled up on one of the couches, half wrapped in a blanket, and - most importantly - conscious.

That's about where the good things end, though; when he steps closer he can't not notice the paleness of their skin, and the sickly look on their face, almost as if they were about to throw up. But even so, they smile when they see him - their lips stretch in a faint, weak-looking smile. 

“Hi,” they say, and their voice is quiet, almost like they were afraid that even speaking too loudly is going to make them feel worse.

“What's the matter?” he asks, sitting down right next to them. “Where's Himeko?” he adds, raising his hand to touch their forehead gently; he can immediately tell it's a little too warm. Of course, they have a fever, and it’s painfully clear that it isn't the only thing bothering them right now.

“She left when we were done,” they reply. “I was almost falling asleep and ended up doing it here, I guess she just wanted to let me rest.” 

Dan Heng nods. 

“And then?"

“And then I woke up and felt awful,” they let out a quiet laugh, but it's short-lived. They hold back, as if even such a simple thing could make their nausea worse. “I… didn't know it'd get so bad so quickly,” they add. They sound almost apologetic, and Dan Heng looks at them for a moment; as much as they tend to overlook their symptoms sometimes, he doesn't doubt they're telling the truth right now. 

He nods again.

“Do you need help getting back to your room? Or would you prefer to stay here? Do you need me to get you anything?” He says, trying to sound calm, so they won't feel like he's flooding them with questions. They shake their head but, once more, it looks like they held themself back from instinctively doing it with more energy at the last minute. 

“No, Ii– well, I'd go to my room, it's just–” they pause, then look away with a quiet sigh, and he’s sure the slight red hue on their cheeks isn't a sign of any illness this time, but rather embarrassment. That's why he doesn't rush them; a few seconds pass before they speak up again, but he waits until they're ready to do so. 

“Well— I feel like I'm gonna throw up if I try to get up again,” they finally admit. He can obviously tell it isn't easy for them - he knows they often have trouble asking for help, and it's also something he understands much better than he admits.

“I can carry you back” he offers. He says that before he can properly think about it, but it's alright. They don't seem all that convinced, so he quickly reassures them. “It's fine. I won't mind.” Only then, they finally give him a small nod. He stands up and carefully slides one arm under their back, and the other - under their knees; he feels the warmth radiating off of their body as he picks them up. Soon enough something else catches his attention, though - Emile's eyes. 

Or rather, the way Emile looks - like they are about to cry. 

The two of them make eye contact and of course, Emile immediately wipes their eyes in a not so gentle manner. His expression softens a little; it's still serious, but it loses most of its usual cold.

“...Are you alright?” he asks, and it's not a rhetorical question this time - he's not inquiring about their physical well-being, both of them know how that is. This is about whatever else is on their mind right now. 

“Yes, sorry,” they reply quietly, looking away, and he shakes his head gently.

“You don't have to apologize,” he reassures them. They can't control it, after all; their health issues aren't their fault. If anything is to blame here, it's the Stellaron.

“But you said you're going to be working–”

“And since when is my work more important than your health?”

They don't reply this time, but they rest their head against his shoulder as he carries them back to their room. He slides the door open and heads straight towards the bed. He's glad to see the medicine on their nightstand; it's not like he wouldn't immediately go get it for them or look around their room if it wasn't there, but he's happy that, as it seems, Emile finally remembered about it. It could mean they don't feel guilty about using the Astral Express's stock anymore; or, well, at the very least, less than they did earlier. 

“Do you need anything?” he asks, looking around the room to check if everything is in place. It's a little messy, as always, but he supposes that's just how Emile’s place is usually going to look. Among other things left on their desk he spots a half-empty bottle of some sweet drink, but he doubts that they will want to even look at sweets in their current state. 

“Water?” they ask; he somewhat expected that. 

“Sure. Will you be alright on your own for a moment?”

When they nod he leaves the room and goes to the kitchen. He texts Himeko and Mr. Yang on his way there to inform them about Emile's state, but he also adds that everything's under control, and that it's… Less serious than it sometimes gets.

Once he comes back to their bedroom, though, with a glass of water in hand, he sees they're already asleep. 

He quietly puts the glass on the nightstand, right next to the medicine, and adjusts Emile's blanket, to make sure they're properly covered. They mumble something in their sleep when he does it, and he freezes momentarily, but they don't wake up. 

He stands there for a few seconds more, thinking - and, ultimately, he makes himself comfortable on the floor, back leaned against their bed.

He will stay there for a while, just in case.

divider by @/cafekitsune

[dru-reblogs-stuff]

Updates from the Balcony

I've been a bit bad at updating this over the winter period, partly because there was not much to see and partly I was away in Denmark over Xmas, then had some health issues which drained me of life 😅️ I'm half-plant myself I think; definitely takes some prolonged sunshine to get me alive again. Anyway. Plants.

So the big thing that happen in late Nov, early Dec is that my Bird of Paradise flowered! She's somewhere around 17 years old -- I thought she'd matured around 10, so I had practically given up on her ever flowering, but she did and I was so happy 😊️

And and and! I think there might be another one coming? I noticed this today:

Or it may just be another leaf, we'll see. My main issue is when I bought this beastie, I did not know they were supposed to grow outside and turn into a monster bush. So she really needs a bigger pot, but I have neither the space nor muscles to transfer her. It was hard enough last time, and she was much smaller then. But I figure if she's flowering, she's happy enough?

The other indoors critters:

The dendrobium is slowly growing, it has little roots reaching out of the bark now. The spiky thing has some new leaves and the cactus is a cactus. The amaryllis has once again not flowered and just put out those big-ass leaves, but I think I know what's wrong now - I'm not feeding it enough during it's growing spurt and it's pot is too small. I looked at my Mum's which are flowering beautifully and they're all in ones twice the size. But like, I only have so much desk space 😮‍💨️

I tidied up the Aloe because there was lots of dead underbrush and a couple of leaves that weren't very healthy. I lifted it up and, shit that thing has grown a lot while I wasn't paying attention to it. But it's super leggy so IDK quite what it needs now 😅️

And now the Balcony:

Left is what the spring box was doing back at the start of Feb, and right is what it's doing now. I'm told that eventually the leaves will die back and then I can just plant some summer plugs on top of the bulbs. So that's just a waiting game IG? Also it's funny - I bought a mixed bag of crocuses, they were supposed to be all different colours, but nearly all of them were yellow 😅️ I'm a bit disappointed that only one snowdrop flowered, but Mum said they sometimes need some time to get established, so next year should be better.

The flowers are looking at bit scraggy because the cyclamen has ended and the dianthus and sea thrift haven't flowered yet. But they're getting there! There's two buds on the thrift and I spotted one on the dianthus.

Strawberries! Back in October(?) I was bitching to my Uncle about the £1 strawb plant I bought from Wiko and the fact that it really hadn't done very well or given nice fruit, so he said he'd give me some of his. They went to my Mum over winter, and I had every intention of potting them out myself but the day I meant to do it, I was distracted by my nephew so I left it with Mum and she did garden magic. The two £1 Wilko strawbs are in there, but she said they might not do anything. I'm not too upset - I got joy from them with their flowers and they were only £1. But I am looking forward to having nice strawbs to eat.

And finally the blueberry bush. It is also a bit leggy... I was supposed to prune it this year before it started budding and I. Did not. But I'm sure it'll be fine. Mum gave me some ericaceous food pellets (that look exactly like raspberry Millions so, that was interesting) for Xmas and today I mixed them into the soil (of which I need some more TBH), so hopefully that will help it keep fruiting well this year. And then I must prune the damned thing after the season is over because, again, there is only so much space 😅️

Oh, one final final bit of news -- I might be adopting some Jasmine from my Mum's neighbour (neighbour does not know this - Mum's going to propagate it from where it keeps sneaking over her fence). So we'll see what happens about that 😊️ And I'm sure by the time summer's over I'll have ended up with another tomato plant and other things. Gardeners do like to share the bounty 😅️ 🧡️

[jazzyblusnowflake]

Why not move? I’d never stay in a country that treats its women this way. And you working for the government indirectly supports that. Good luck.

Okay so

i've been mulling over this ever since it came to my inbox and i've been trying to find a way to answer this and NOT be impolite or improper because i am aware that not everyone knows the complications of straight up moving to a different country, as it is not as simple as just moving to a different STATE, like the US, [and to be fair i've heard that even THAT could be stressful] and as someone who has LIVED in 3 countries and has visited another 5+ countries, let me tell you that your question is extremely ignorant and insensitive and straight up hurtful to all the people who both DONT want to leave their communities here and also the people who DO want to leave but are too poor to do so.... because our country, due to the prohibition by good ol' murica has now the lowest money currency value on the PLANET, and we have been suffering in silence for DECADES- with NO way to transfer money into our country- [donation campaigns are usually a scam, pay attention to those please] so in short? we are poor as absolute FUCK-!

and the process of moving somewhere else is already hard enough for people who DONT have as much financial issues, let alone US.

what exactly would anyone propose we do? when we dont have the money to request for any sort of visa, nor to get a house in a different country, nor food, nor for studying, living, getting medical or MENTAL health help- etc etc etc???

and reports of smuggling people out of the country usually come back as human trafficking or the gov blew them up or killed them somehow? idk this has actually happened with a PLANE once-

the only way to leave this country is being filthy rich, fucking LUCKY, or just a very very VERY smart student which again more often than not requires both money AND luck to get accepted in any university... so again.... no money!!!

like im sorry for snapping but here i am being told "why don't you leave" as if i haven't tried to find a way all my life, as if its some sort of sick joke- i cant, i fucking CANT!- i have family members i care about and wouldn't want to leave- other countries treat us like garbage thanks to online media portraying us as monsters- i cant spend another 10 years to study shit all over again just to send a letter to foreign universities with barely enough luck because im NOT that smart at all!! and it reminds me of when i look at my dad and say i wish we lived somewhere else and he looks at me like "then leave" in the cruelest way imaginable because he KNOWS we cant fucking leave due to him being a diplomat-

every country has its own culture and history and communities that they value and want to protect and stand by, so people cant just LEAVE, and even if they do, more often than not, other places would never accept them or appreciate them the same way their own country would. Like did yall tell black people to leave america after the BLM movement when George Floyd got killed? this is our home and we need to stop saying "then leave" and start saying "we need to start fixing this shit"

we are so fucking tired. please stop saying "then leave" if you just "don't want to help"...

as for me working for the gov, my dad is already a diplomat and keeps me away from doing anything against the regime, and also i'm considered one of the LUCKY ones in my country, who has a job that ensures a constant pay since the first semester of UNIVERSITY. im one of the few that could actually have a meal at night without worrying about what i'm going to eat tomorrow, and at the same time i teach kids from the inside to not take shit from the gov. i consider myself VERY lucky.

we aren't playing a videogame to take shallow black and white SIDES- even the protesters have destroyed privet properties and peoples cars and etc etc, and some people straight up want the monarchy system back as if that very system wasn't the entire reason that half of our countries riches and history isn't in the BRITISH museum today instead of their homeland!! this shit started over the freedom to WEAR what we want not to HURT everyone in blind rage!!!

Please never say "just leave" to anyone else ever again, especially to someone who doesn't even know if they'll live another day stepping out of the door, let alone drive all the way to an airport or the country boarders or something.... if they even HAVE the money to go that far.

So thankyou for reading and being concerned in your own way but id rather stay here and die in a country that doesn't accept me as a WOMAN than to live a futureless life in a country that wouldn't even accept me as a PERSON.

[miyacreampie]

Lenny sensei's night class has begun!~♡

“Shut up, Yamaguchi.”

synopsis 💭;; You tell me- idk wtf I was thinking when I wrote this, but it was a request.

note 🖋️;; Yamaguchi is so cute ugh I love him / IGNORE THE MISTAKES I POSTED THIS AT LIKE 3AM AJDBSJBXJSBXJSBDJDNSJ

Requested by @jream-23 ♡

Male pronouns used.

Both men never expected this to happen.

Yamaguchi and (Y/n) had made a bet (you can decide on what it was lmao) during practice, and (Y/n) lost– much to their surprise. Kei wasn't exactly paying much attention, but seeing (Y/n) lose to Tadashi of all people caught him off guard somehow.

It was only a stupid game, but–

‘How the hell did I end up in this situation?!’ Tadashi internally screeched as he held onto the shelf behind him to keep his balance. His legs were too shaky at the moment.

Well, he was being sucked off. Aggressively. (In a good way tho lol)

The way (Y/n) used his tongue while sucking Tadashi's dick had the said man ascending. It was already hard enough to stand, but he really had to worry about trying not to pass out. His vision faded in and out as he tried to keep his eyes open, fearing that if he closed them, he'd black out.

“(L/n)-kun!~” His voice sounded a bit forced, but it was because he was holding back his voice. “What if Tsukki finds out- Hah!~” Yamaguchi bit his lip.

Yeah, Tsukishima was waiting for them in the gym. Tadashi and (Y/n) were supposed to be putting the equipment back into the closet but got sidetracked.

“What if he notices that we're- ngh~..”

“Mmh..mm~...” (this was (y/n) telling him to shut up).

Yamaguchi put his hands on (Y/n)'s shoulders to stay balanced. As he did, his hard nipples could be seen poking out of his shirt. It was hard to resist touching them, especially since (Y/n) knew Tadashi had a sensitive body.

(Y/n) snaked his hand up into Tadashi's shirt, quickly finding his nipple and giving it a little flick. He felt Yamaguchi's grip on his shoulders tighten, and his body shaking a bit.

‘Surely he can't be that sensitive– can he?’ (Y/n) repeated his earlier motion, but followed the action by twisting, pinching, and rubbing the smaller male's nipple with a bit more force. The (h/c) haired man wasn't prepared for the noise Yamaguchi made as he played with the man's swollen nipple.

It was damn near a scream.

“(L/N)KUN~ GYAHH~..”

Neither Tadashi nor (Y/n) had the time to react before the gym storage room door was flung open by Tsukishima. Upon seeing his friends in the position they we're in, everything he was about to say vanished from his mind. He stood there, not knowing what to say or do as (Y/n) abused Tadashi's cock with his mouth. (in a good way ufify9dufig)

‘And he was doing so well keeping quiet–’

“Eek! Tsukki! What are you doing here?! Hah!~”

Kei slowly slid the door, but he wasn't closing it– he was just hiding his boner. “You guys were taking a long time to clean up, and I heard a noise–” His gaze fixated on Yamaguchi. “–so I decided to check on you. Must've felt good if you moaned that loud, hm?”

(Y/n) held up two fingers. (Like this ✌️)

“I– I'm gonna–”

“Mm?~”

“Hyaa~..c-cumming!~”

(Y/n)'s mouth was soon flooded with Tadashi's seed, catching the (h/c) haired man by surprise because he didn't think there'd be so much. He choked a bit as he attempted to swallow, and when he finally managed to do so, he looked up at Tadashi.

Yamaguchi's face was beet red as he stared down at his friend, and upon noticing (Y/n) licking his lips trying to wipe away a little bit of cum made his heart rate pick up speed. “(L/n)-kun..I–”

“Kei-chan, please don't stare.”

Surprised, Yamaguchi turned his head to see Tsukishima just standing there. The blank stare he shot at (Y/n) made him seem like–

“I mean, I'm up for round two. If Kei-chan wants me to, of course.” (Y/n) said, giving Tsukki a desirable look. “It's cool if you don't w–”

“Yes.”

Y'all this is shit I am sorry 😩 but like- ye sensitive Tadashi 😩💖💖

The class session is now over!~♡