#is so busy destroying his opponents in the games

[betasuppe]

It's hilarious to me that Rinz's coolness & intimidation levels both start decreasing drastically the exact moment his helmet is off lol

[educatedsimps]

Aww I can't get over how amazing this blog is. Your fics are incredible, you're all so talented 🫶🏻 May I please request a Kenma x fem reader fic where we're married and have a little boy together who's like Kenma's double? I'm a sucker for cute domestic fluff and I just think you'd write husband and dad!Kenma perfectly. I hope that request is alright. Thank you so much! I hope you all have a lovely day ❤️

≪ back to fics masterlist

kozume kenma x f!reader

a/n: hi anonn thank you for sending in a request and we're so glad you like our works! i'm a sucker for cute domestic fluff too so i was pretty excited writing this request hehe, HOPE YOU LIKE IT :)

cw: domestic freaking fluff, reader's called mom, a lil surprise at the end

"Kaito! Time's up!" Your voice echoed down the hallway of your penthouse.

Sighing, you padded over to the game room with half a mind to throw the PS5 away for good. Giving the door two solid knocks, you opened the door to reveal your husband and son in the middle of a video game.

Kenma and Kaito were seated next to each other in their gaming chairs with their house slippers on the floor. With sock-clad feet, both of them had one leg tucked under them while the other leg was propped up on the armrest. They even wore matching Kodzuken hoodies and had the same hunch in their backs.

Kaito's cat-like eyes were laser focused on the screens in front of him (he got it from his dad), darting from point to point every second while his thumbs flew across the console in his hands. His concentration was unmatched and his avatar seemed to be holding up pretty well. Kenma, on the other hand, didn't have the same level of focus as his eight year old son - this level of the game was nothing to him.

Noticing your presence, your husband's gaze met yours and a small smile appeared on his face. The clacking of the console in his hands continued as he spoke, "Hey, babe, we're just finishing up the game."

"I'll be right there, Ma," came your son's monotone reply. You raised an eyebrow.

The clacking of the consoles continued and sound effects from the on-screen battle intensified.

"Kaito."

"Just ten more minutes, please? We're in the middle of a game- SHIT, DAD, HELP ME-"

"Kozume Kaito."

Kenma's eyes flitted over to you once again. Seeing your figure by the doorway with your arms crossed and eyes narrowed at the two of them, he chuckled knowingly before discreetly winking at you. You hummed in response.

So cute, Kenma thought.

Within seconds, he had absolutely destroyed their opponents and a congratulatory message popped up onscreen with confetti in the background. Kaito's eyes widened and he looked at his dad in awe. With matching smirks on their faces, Kenma and his little clone exchanged a swift handshake before your son hopped out of his chair and made his way towards you.

Raising your eyebrows, you looked at him expectantly. With a sheepish look on his face, he mumbled, "I know. School night. Sorry, Ma, I got carried away."

"I know you wanna be as amazing as your old man one day, but you still gotta get through school first, got it? After that, you can do whatever you wanna do. Now, listen to your mom, go brush your teeth and then it's straight to bed, okay?" came Kenma's voice. You nodded in agreement.

"Okay. Goodnight, dad," Kaito replied, sighing heavily. Approaching the door, he tiptoed to plant a kiss on your cheek and greeted you goodnight. You ruffled his hair in response.

Bending down, he placed a kiss on your baby bump and whispered, "G'night, lil sis. Once you're born, I'll play games with you till midnight everyday. I promise."

You watched as he shuffled off to the bathroom to do his business and you felt Kenma's warm hands wrap gently around your torso. The digital clock on the wall read 10:32pm. Rubbing your belly, your husband buried his face in the side of your neck.

The penthouse was now quiet except for the running of the faucet and the muffled sounds of Kaito brushing his teeth. Placing a hand over Kenma's, you stood there in silence for a while, soaking in the peacefulness.

The aggressive honk of a car on the streets below jolted you out of your thoughts.

"Babe, what time's your zoom meeting with the Russian investors?"

"Uh... 11pm," Kenma mumbled.

"Then you need to go get ready for it," You urged, lightly nudging his lean body off of you.

Kenma's phone buzzed in his pocket. Checking his notifications, he sighed, "Yeah, you're right. Yaku's already pestering me about it. He's not even the one presenting, he's just helping me translate stuff, but he seems more nervous than me."

Giggling, you gave him a peck on the lips before waddling over to the kitchen. "I'll have some instant ramen ready for you once you're done with it, okay?"

Kenma hummed, "Thanks, sunshine. I'll let you know once I'm done with the meeting. I love you."

"I love you too!" You called from down the hallway.

© educatedsimps 2024. do not repost, copy, translate or plagiarize any work from this blog on tumblr or any other platforms. if you do, the simps will hunt you down (likes and reblogs are appreciated)

[coolsketchablestuff]

Welcome to my atrocious shipping chart, I apologize in advance

Their opinions on eachother:

Headcanons below:

I've been having a story going on in my mind and it's just progressively evolved over time and this is the culmination of that specifically, so I'll try to explain the context of it here:

MAIN THING HERE IS THAT THE BEASTS (for the most part) "GET ALONG" WITH THEIR OTHER HALF

In my au thingy once they get along both half's get stronger, as if the soul jam becomes more whole (yes the ancients still ascended and reclaimed their soul jams as the rightful owners)

Burning Spice:

Got defeated by golden Cheese Cookie, after she left and he awoke from under the rubble of his castle he went to seek her out, to continue the battle, he wanted to be defeated, to be bested by the only worthy opponent, it was his DESTINY to crumble to her hands, he desired it so much. When he found and re-challenged her, she originally did fight him, but upon seeing how badly he wanted to be destroyed she decided to make him one of her treasures. At first he HATED it and would remind her how he could destroy all of it if he wanted to, but after months of slowly wearing him down he's now her right hand cookie and personal guard, very quick to fight anyone who gets to close to her radiance, he is referred to by the kingdom as "his anarchist".

Shadow milk cookie:

(because his actual story will be coming out soon I'm so paranoid about having to retcon this in the future) he has defeated pure vanilla cookie, finally! After so long!!! But wait, why didn't this victory feel right..? Why was the soul jam not reacting properly? Upon vanilla cookie crumbling should it not go back to him? Spoiler alert, no, no it did not as he was not worthy of it and the light was actively fading, as he began to slowly feel weaker with the progressive fading, having to think fast and make a decision he was not sure if he'd regret, he put all of knowledge to use and revive pure vanilla, centuries of being the representative of knowledge sure does come in handy! Ever since that day and discovering if the light fades so would he, he's tried to stay close to pure vanilla out of convenience, over time it becoming an actual friendship, though he is still overly protective/possessive of him to make sure no one hurts him.

Explanation of the relationships:

Golden cheese

- appreciates how Pure Vanilla's kindness is not conditional and relishes in the praise, though she's worried over him slowly spending less time with White Lily

- loves how loyal Burning Spice is, she is aware he's obsessed with her but she interprets it as him being greedy for her attention (it kinda is ngl)

- has fun doing stuff with shadow milk cookie, they like going to events together like parties and just messing around, they can joke with each other comfortably

Burning Spice

- kinda obsessed with Golden Cheese, seeing her as the only cookie allowed to be stronger than him, he doesn't let other cookies fight her as they're "not worthy"

- mostly sees pure vanilla as one of Golden Cheese's treasures and feels an obligation to her radiance to protect him. Is too uncomfortable to get closer to PV because he reminds him so much of pre-corruption Shadow Milk

- the new shadow milk cookie is definitely more lively, and ever since SM got along with PV his pranks have become more harmless which is enjoyable, one of his oldest buddies

Pure Vanilla

- Golden Cheese is one of his oldest friends, after everything that has happened he doesn't want to lose his friends again, he's slowly spending more time with her as White Lily is busy with other stuff and after everything he just wants to spend time with his friends

- after learning to get along with eachother, shadow milk is actually enjoyable to be around! They can talk about intellectual magic stuff, enjoy food and drinks, play games like chess, or just spend time together in comfortable silence

- does not have any strong opinions on burning spice as they do not talk much, though he isn't sure why considering how often they hang out, PV is confident he's seen BS looking at him sometimes when he thinks he isn't looking

Shadow milk

- pure vanilla is calming, when they feel worked up over something he's always there, PV is helping him get along better with cookies

- Golden Cheese Cookie is (currently) his best friend, they jokingly got along under the pretense on not being huge on WL but their friendship kept improving

- it's too much fun to prank burning spice, like SURE he could just find something they both find fun but as long as BS doesn't how actual disdain towards them he's not gonna stop! He loves to tease him too :)c

If I think of anything else I might add It? Idk, genuinely I just like having good guys in media make the bad guys nice, I enjoy "I can fix him" so much, THE ANCIENTS FIX THE BEASTS I SWEAR

[tanoraqui]

Dungeon Meshi Liveblog: I think we all know I basically spent these 3 chapters cackling maniacally

In the demon business, we call that BAIT!

.

I'm all but wiggling happily. I love a good game of chess. I'm not entirely sure it actually is a game of chess beyond in Kabru's mind.

.

OH GOOD HE'S A LITTLE BIT STUPID. This comic really does take care to portray people as badass, hyper-competent, and kinda stupid, all in different ways.

.

oh, ALWAYS love a Santa-coded crime boss.

.

I appreciate that Kabru's pride is solidly among the things he's 100% willing to temporarily ignore in order to be someone's friend/get them to do what he wants. I like that in a man.

.

Interesting - clearly he's being magically influenced, but not so...directly? as to have the hourglass pupils.

.

^ words of a man who is about to get his ass, and his entire criminal organization, absolutely WHUPPED by like 6 elves. I suspect the Canaries are underestimating the tallmen and other denizens of this dungeon, because they're arrogant pricks, but the locals are underestimating this elite team of elvish warriors a LOT more. I can't wait to find out what they're actually doing while "sight-seeing." Spreading out into tactical positions, maybe?

.

ASS! WHUPPED! omg it's like an evil version of the Wink.

.

I want to see this fight animated so fucking bad.

I dunno, Kabru, he clearly uses the combination pretty fucking effectively.

.

WHY DO YOU THINK THAT A VISIBLE DEMONSTRATION OF MONSTERS WILL GET THROUGH WHERE WORDS DIDN'T? These people already know there are monsters down here... And at best, of course, a bunch of people will die... But they're just short-lived races so I suppose it doesn't matter :)

.

While I do appreciate this dedication to making Mithrun look as cool as possible at all times, sending a giant, zombie-making walking mushroom into the middle of the Level 4 lake is going to be SUCH a disruption to that ecosystem!! Somewhere, Senshi just groaned in pain like Obi-Wan when Alderaan was destroyed.

.

Mithrun has recognized that Kabru is going at picking out unusual people in a crowd, and is now using him as a manhandled tool to do so, and I just think that's Neat.

And it works! (So now it's their turn to get their asses handed to them.)

.

This chapter cover is giving me a lot of feelings about...love, and families of choice.

Except for how I'm holding Laios in one arm while brandishing a knife at that lion fountain behind him. Get the HELL away from my boy, you tiny manifestation of the granting of wishes, and all you greater ones as well.

.

oh are they now? They're definitely canaries in a coal mine, then. Badass and valued for their skills, but disposable. Hmm AU where Marcille...

.

oh my god holy shit never mind, it turns out Thistle sucks at this when facing an opponent who isn't caught off-guard.

.

It is possible that Mithrun is honestly, earnestly trying to help Thistle? As best he can?

.

Sharing food as love!!!

MY GIRL!!

.

STILL A TEAM!

.

Oh Mithrun actually only has one eye, it's not just dramatic anime effect + hair flop? Hm. Should have a cool scar to make it clearer. I'm impressed with what depth perception he's shown, though, with the teleporting!

Obviously this does mean he ranks up in the Favorite Characters list.

.

Kabru: Ooh nice strategy, manipulating all those people in order to manipulate that one person!

Kabru: Wait, right, I still don't like you.

.

Yes! Yes! The Kabru's inner desires is OUT! He is impulsively risking this chance to prevent another Utaya - his stated goal, the obvious greater good, definitely very genuinely his primary focus - in favor of demanding the answers he WANTS, and the independence from long-lived elves.

YOU TELL 'EM, BUDDY! TAKE A STAND! BURN YOUR BRIDGES!!

.

I appreciate that Mithrun isn't bad at this personal assessment thing.

.

brb need to go chew a wall or something!

[gummygowon]

forest green | choi san

word count: 1k

request: forest green + angst (pls with happy ending i cant take sadness 😥💔)/opposites attract + san <3 !! thank u !

warnings: a few losers being mean to sannie

a/n: hi love thank you so much for requesting i'm so sorry this im posting this so late but i really had sm fun with this one i hope you enjoy!

"no shot y/n." your best friend soojin whispers to you as you guys walk out onto the court before the game starts.

"what?" you whisper back, trying to keep the cheerful smile on your face as you wave your forest green pom poms in the air at the crowd.

"you like choi san don't you?"

"what?" you pause, whipping your head to look at soojin.

"be so for real y/n, i can see you looking for his nerdy ass in the crowd right now."

"i am not!" you argue, turning your back to the crowd as the basketball team makes their way onto the court.

"y/n, you have the entire school at your finger tips and you choose choi san? nerdy ass choi san who spends his time in the library every friday night."

"and? i don't mind." you sheepishly answer staring down at your poms as san's cute dimple smile infiltrated your mind.

"my god, y/n, you have the kim mingyu wrapped around your finger and you want san?!?"

"at least san has a brain and isn't a jerk."

"so? he's hot that basically covers everything." soojin defends as you guys walk to the sidelines.

"for you it does." you huff, smoothing out your skirt as you get in your spot that was on the corner of the court. it gave you the perfect view of san who was wearing a forest green sweater to represent your school's colors. he was sitting at the very top of the bleachers looking lost as soon as the game started. a small smile appeared on your face as watch san's eyebrows furrow in confusion trying to understand what was happening in front of him. eventually, his eyes trailed down to the cheerleader section where you were. you caught his gaze and gave him a small wave which he returned with a shy smile.

the crowd erupts in cheers as hongjoong scores the first basket of the game meaning your little moment with san was rudely ended. the game however goes on well as your team absolutely destroys your opponent. cheers erupted the gym as the students shouted in celebration. as one of the cheer leaders you follow your team to the court to make a tunnel for the team as they head back to the locker room.

once they leave, your coach gives out her post game speech and then lets you guys go. to your surprise, you see san waiting outside the gym trying to make himself look busy.

"hey," you softly say bumping his shoulder with yours causing him to jump. "do you need help finding the exit or?"

"no," san scoffs bumping his shoulder into you as revenge, "just thought i should say you did great out there."

a shy smile makes its way to your face as your heart beats against your chest. "thank yo-"

"y/n!" mingyu emerges from god knows where, throwing his arm over you forcing you and san to separate. "you comin' to my house later? my parents are gone and i'm throwing a huge party for tonight's win!"

"oh, i-" you peer over mingyu's large frame to see san looking dejectedly at the floor.

"you're going!" yuqi shouts from behind, another one of your teammates.

you didn't even get a chance to say goodbye as mingyu and his teammates along with yours push you to the parking lot.

"why are you even hanging out with san? isn't he a total loser?" someone asks from behind you.

"yeah, plus he's a total sqaure!"

"little man probably hasn't felt the touch of a woman since his mother changed his diaper!"

"excuse me?" you say utterly in shock that your so called friends are just outwardly saying shit about someone.

before anyone even had a chance to say anything san pushes his way through the crowd angrily.

"san, wait!" you say trying to catch up to him only to have mingyu tug at your wrist.

"leave him be y/n. kid's a loser anyways."

"he is not!" you argue, ripping your arm away from him. "just fuck off and go have your stupid party!"

you made a beeline to your car and drove to the one place you knew san would be at a time like this. the park where the playground was a mix of ugly beige and forest green and where the park overlooked your little hometown. san liked it because it made him like he was on top of the world even if he was treated like shit.

thankfully, san's beat up toyota corolla was parked in front of the playground.

"thought i might find you here." you say in a quiet tone, wrapping your hands around self because of course you forgot your lettermen at home.

san didn't even turn to look at you as he swung slowly on the creaky swing set. "aren't you supposed to be at some party?"

"yeah, but i didn't feel like going." you answer sitting next to san on the other swing.

"so you decided to hang out with a loser on a good friday night?" he sarcastically asks.

"san-"

"why do you even wanna be around me? midterms are over so you don't have to be around me for awhile." san spits, still not even daring to look up at you. "you know, i thought that maybe there would be a chance you actually like me."

your heart cracked at every word that was coming out his mouth. "san, i do. a lot. trust me."

"no you don't." his knuckles turning white because of how hard he was gripping the chains on the swing. "not in the way i do."

still san was refusing to look up at you until you take a hand and place it softly on his cheek. san jumps at your sudden touch before slowly raising his eyes to meet yours.

"i like you sannie." you confess, heart racing a hundred miles per hour. "i don't care what people or even you say about yourself. i like the way your dimples pop out when you smile. i like the way you never get frustrated with him when you're teaching me. i like the way you remember the little things about everyone. i like you, choi san."

"i-are you sure?" he asks to stunned to even respond to your confession.

you nod your head, giggling at the way san was staring at you in shock.

"can i kiss you?"

"of course, sannie." you answer before smiling to the warm kiss.

[collectorofsoulss]

Exile! Mammon x F!Reader

Mammon had a secret life. After all, his brothers can’t destroy what they don’t know. But what if they found out? Would they use this moment to be supportive? or destroy his single source of happiness?

Next

A disagreement within the Household of Lamentation left Mammon packing, which wasn’t the first time. He comes back–eventually. Mammon always found a reason to return home, always. And even then in his absence, he wasn’t truly absent. Lucifer was able to keep track of his wildcard of a brother. He was so chaotic, destruction followed. All Lucifer had to do was pick up the newspaper and read. However, this time around not even the local casinos saw him.

Then finally! He returned. To Lucifer’s surprise, there were no traces of damage. Mammon was different. Here the minute, gone the next. Mammon was only present to handle royal affairs or attend mandatory meetings. Of course, there were occasional moments where he needed to cast judgment on those who were assigned to his layer of Hell, however, once the business was handled –Mammon was gone. 

It continued for a few years until Lucifer sought interest in his whereabouts. What changed him? Every demon he sent to trail him wound up missing or dead. The leads were cold, and no information was gained. It was only a matter of time before he did it himself. The Lords of Hell soon found themselves on a trip, scouring the realms of the world to find their dearest brother, Mammon.

When they did not find him during the first search it made them realize Mammon did not want to be found. While Lucifer hunted high and low he discovered rumors and talks about what’s become of his brother. Mammon did have a track record. He was known for entering bad deals, being easily manipulated, baring a curse he was unable to break. They all grew restless, and aggressive in finding answers. Some necks had to be broken, some lives had to be taken. Each result had Lucifer stepping over pools of blood to get to him.

Lucifer had everyone dispersed to cover more ground. Naturally, it was he who discovered the location. The neighborhood was quite…ordinary, basic, a place Mammon would never be caught dead in. The community was bright, friendly with neighbors who’d say ‘hello’ as he, a dark entity passed through white picket fences. A solid knock from his fist nearly unhinged the door. Even in his humanoid form, Lucifer was still large, still mighty. A single flick was all he need, anything more could decimate cities. Frustrated was what he was. His patience ran thin. It was not often Lucifer loses his composure but when it comes to those he loves, composure be damned.

“Hello, how many I help you?”

Lucifer wasted no time getting to the point. “Mammon. Where is he.”

“And you are?”

“It’s not about who I am but what you are going to be.” The air became thin. “Now. Where. Is. He.” A single wave of his hand had the knob snatched from your reach.

Enough of these games, he demanded to see his brother. A dip of his head, he stepped through the low door frame. Mammon was here, he could smell him.

“Excuse me!” you exclaimed, brutally shoved from the entrance. “You need to leave!”

Lucifer’s shadow consumed your form. Tsk. As if you were a challenge, you were barely an opponent. His aura dispersed through your home, immediately plants began to wilt. His crimson eyes radiated the gates of hell, instilling fear into your soul. Maintaining a distance, you accidentally collided into the furniture; the vase toppled over, shattering. A spell left your lips, attempting to buy some time to run–

“Did you really think such amateur hex could work on me?” he adjusted his gloves, breaking the barrier to pass the entrance hall. “You are more foolish than I thought. A trait that will now cost your life.”

“Does he owe you money too?” you whispered. “Please,” you plead. The racing of your heart left you breathless. “I’ll give you the money, just don’t make a scene–”

Before you knew it, small footsteps approached the confrontation. Tiny hands held a stuffed animal, a small child appeared but was frozen from fear. There’s a stranger in the house.

“Mommy?”

Lucifer’s intense demeanor shifted to observe this miniature human. No one else had those striking blue eyes and soft milky white hair. This human was, different – familiar.

The fear was evident in your eyes which made tears swell up in his ocean blues. “M-Mommy, I’m scared.”

“MJ, go back upstairs, I’ll be up shortly.”

As much as he wanted to move, he couldn’t, his legs refused to listen. Even with blurred vision, MJ saw the dark power. It drained everything of its natural energy. He was feeding from life itself. MJ had never seen anything like this, his eyes glossed towards yours and watched how it was consuming yours too. Soon his socks soaked as he made a puddle on the floor. In seconds you raised your child into your arms.

“If you can wait outside, I’ll give you everything I have, just please, leave my children out of this,” you reasoned.

Rage diffused from Lucifer’s body and was replaced with a new feeling, an unfamiliar emotion he dared not name. He took a moment to observe the walls and furniture of your home. Gradually, he approached a frame causing you to take a few steps back. Lucifer held it. There were you…him…and two additional members who ironically looked just like his brother. His dark eyes creased, unable to handle such vital information. Setting the photo down, Lucifer removed himself from the premises to make one single phone call.

In seconds you bolted up the staircase, MJ cradled against your chest until you reached the nursery. Maximus was peacefully asleep when you snatch him from his bassinet. He stirred a little but you hushed him forcefully. Traveling light, you wrapped him against your back.

“Mommy, my socks,” MJ whined.

“Honey, we don’t have time for that,” you grabbed his hand. “Let’s go.”

He fumbled a little, “B-But I'm wet.”

“We’ll change you later,” you promised. Quickly the two of you moved. That man – no, demon – invaded your home without permission. His presence was heavy, he made you weak. For a moment, your knees buckled as you pushed open the door. You surely would have fainted if you had stood in his presence any further. 

MJ lagged, small legs unable to keep up with your ferocious steps. Eventually, you boosted him into your arms. MJ’s buried himself deep into your shirt as you move, fearful of what’s to come. The exit was near, you could taste the freedom on your lips. Once you were outside, they wouldn't act. Demons wouldn't dare draw attention once in public. Where there were demons, hunters were to follow. If only you could get out in time.

The second you saw the door, the man was already sitting across the room – comfortably, as if he didn’t break a sweat in arriving before you. It felt as if time had stopped the moment you saw him. Expression – unreadable, he stared, not at you but at your children. He rose while your legs failed to continue. The blood rushed in your ears, your heartbeat – loud. 

Everything slowed, you were suffocating in the coldness of his presence. You tried to speak and say something, but there was nothing. Your mouth stayed shut as the demon approached, gradually closing in on the children. Your arms trembled with the lack of control. MJ peeked out from your shoulder and the intruder did not bare the atmosphere of death. Gently, you lifted your babies higher, trying to shield them both from view.

“I am not going to hurt you,” he disclosed.

He was lying, had to be. This demon came with intentions to tear you to shreds. What caused him to change so easily? Your throat constricted painfully. What should you do? Should you run? Stay still? All options seemed useless. Cause no matter what if he wanted you dead, you would be.

“I am Lucifer Morningstar; Mammon’s eldest brother.”

Next

[formulaforza]

ahh happy 20th birthday mackyyyy <3 i hope i’m not too late for the sleepover but i would love a max one that’s along a friends to lovers vibe please 🥹

—jupiter

summ. it all comes to a head at a bar in austin, texas. title from this. 900+ words. rare mack x max crossover.

Daniel always knows the best places in Austin. That’s how you end up with the Red Bull former golden-boys; Daniel and Alex and Carlos—and the reigning champion (both of the world—and of the Red Bull Dance Moms pyramid) Max. Heidi tags along, too, and so does Lily, and while we’re in the business of people bringing their girlfriends, Carlos drags Lando along. It’s quite the sight, the eight of you in a half-full dive bar, sipping beer in a red leather booth and eyeing up the pool table lit by neon lights. 

Max is sat at the booth, a tear in the leather scratching against the back of his leg, watching on with a smile as you, Heidi, Alex, and Lily wrap up your round of pool. Your eyes light with excitement as you line up a shot, and Max can’t help but admire it—your focus and grace, each and every movement you make around the table fluid and confident. 

He feels a sense of pride and admiration—two things he has no place feeling—watching you. You pocket the ball like it was nothing, and then you’re winking at your opponents, dusting off your shoulder with a laugh and a sip of beer. He watches you intently, your smile forcing him to grin. 

“Max?” Carlos asks, voice horribly teasing and waving a hand in front of his face. It was like Max had forgotten he was at a table with his friends. 

“Hmm?” He hums, his attention back to the table. “Sorry, what?”

There’s a spattering of laughs amongst the guys, all of them more than acquainted with the familiar sight of Max’s longing—and the dreadful reality of your obliviousness. 

“Just wondering if you plan on letting your balls drop anytime soon,” Daniel retorts, a toothy smile on his face. Max rolls his eyes, drowns his silence in the neck of his beer bottle. Fuck you, he mutters, and it echoes around the glass bottle. “All of us have seen the way your stupid ass looks at her.”

“You guys read into things too much,” Max laughs, trying to shrug off the attention. “You guys read into things too much. We’ve been friends for so long.”

Across from him, Lando scowls. “Disgusting, mate. Just ask her for dinner and get it over with.”

“I’m sure he will,” Carlos adds, “as soon as Hell freezes over.”

His eyes land back on you, and even though he can’t hear you over the chirping of his friends and the lull of the bar, he can tell you’re talking trash while Heidi lines up the game-winning shot. He can’t help but think Carlos is right, that he never will make a move. 

He just. There is something extraordinary about you—your kindness and your smarts, the way everyone feels at ease around you, the way he feels at ease around you. He thinks that you are entirely too intelligent to not have caught on already, picked up on that fact after all these years that he’s always had this horrible affection for you—been disgustingly and utterly in love with you for as long as love has been in his vocabulary. You’re too smart not to know already, which means you don’t feel the same way, because if you did. If you did, this wouldn’t be a conversation at all and the two of you would be half-wed by now. 

The night continues on, and with every round of pool, every round of beer, his mind keeps wandering back to the conversation—to the teasing. He’s acutely aware of your presence, always, of your laugh in the seat next to him and the way you’re sat closer than you need to be. 

With every shared joke, every exchanged smile, every eye roll from his friends, he finds himself with a growing certainty. Maybe. Maybe, just maybe, this is the time to take his leap of faith. 

There’s never going to be a right time, he thinks. Not now, after all this time for self-doubt and destruction. There’s never going to be a right time to potentially destroy a friendship. Never, but especially not with you. 

It’s a few more rounds before he musters up the courage, now around the pool table as your teammate. You’re both watching Carlos coach Lando while he lines up a shot, and Max leans in closer. Instinctively, you turn your head, bring your ear to his mouth to hear what he has to say to just you. 

He wonders if you can hear his heartbeat, how horrendously rapid it is. If you could, you’d never believe it. “You know I love being your friend, right?” He asks, and you pull away to laugh, meet him with a funny look because of course you know that. He rolls his eyes at your contorted face and gestures for you to lean back in, so you do. “But, what do you think about going on a proper date?”

You pause, cue stick in hand. It feels like the entire dive bar holds its breath, even  though you know it’s only you and Max aware of the sudden crossroads put at your feet. That, in a dingy, dimly lit bar in Austin, Texas, with the smell of barbeque and beer and the sound of country music playing in the background, you and Max stand on the precipice of something new. That Max, faced with that reality, was finally ready to dive in head first. 

[nehswritesstuffs]

Sanji, Warrior of the Sea

So, um, my husband very specifically asked for this fic so everybody pls thank Mr. Nehs; this is very silly; things don’t happen in here precisely as in the series canon, but what do I care?; essentially rated T but with a bunch of strong cussing (and that bathhouse scene) so be warned I guess; no shipping unless you put goggles on idc

Sanji, fresh out of Whole Cake Island, decides to make good of a shit situation and have Franky tinker with his raid suit. He just didn't take one thing into account: NERDS. [3696 words]

The weight of the canister was heavy in Sanji’s hand as he removed it from his inner jacket pocket. He and the rest of the crew were headed towards Wano, where the advance party was already in place. Leaning against the railing of the Sunny, he was tempted to chuck the thing as far as he could and forget about it, leaving the device to the briny depths of the ocean. It was only just barely slipped to him by Reiju, her ability for sleight of hand almost nostalgic.

“Use it better than we ever did,” she had whispered, and then had been gone. Now he was leagues upon leagues away, with little instruction on how or why.

He might have been his mother’s son, but as he held the device he thought of his father and what he would say. The geezer would cuss and kick him with the peg, most likely, but would also tell him to figure out a way to use it better than those sacks of skin that called themselves his family. Beat them at their own game and all that shit. He weighed his options: use it, shove it deep in his locker, or fucking yeet the piece of garbage as far as he could, use Moonwalk to catch it, and then throw it again for maximum coverage.

Then again, when he boiled it down, there was one more option that he needed to consider…

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“You want me to what?” Franosuke slurped up soba as he looked at the device in Sangoro’s hand. It didn’t look like much, but from what the cook was implying, it was honestly one of the highest-tech pieces of equipment either of them had ever touched, which was impressive given the present company.

“See what you can do about making this thing… better,” Sangoro said. “I got it from my sister—Father thought he knew best and made one for each of us.”

“…even though you hate him?”

“He was hoping that I’d… come around one day.” Franosuke scoffed at that. “You get what I’m saying?”

“Yeah, yeah; I get you, brother,” Franosuke chuckled. He held out his hand and Sangoro handed over the device. “Usohachi and I are supposed to be hanging out tonight to work on some other projects, so I think we can fit this in.”

“Thanks; I owe you one,” Sangoro said. “Burgers might be a stretch, but I think I can manage some steak if you want.”

“Nah… I’ll take a rain check on that. Too busy this week.” Franosuke pocketed the device and went back to his soba. “This is good eatin’ though. Wouldn’t mind maybe an extra serving of this.”

Eh; he’d think about it.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Sanji kicked the dinosaur in the face, hard. Who the fuck was this guy, thinking he could just destroy people’s lives just because he was searching for him? He hated assholes like this, acting like nothing they ever did came with consequence, and he’d had enough. Taking the canister out of his kimono sleeve, he activated it, knowing that although he could take the asshole without it, he was going to need some seriously big guns to stop him before anyone else got hurt in the middle of the sleeping city.

Out of the canister came a costume, which wrapped around his body with precision accuracy. Sanji could feel that the fabrics were different from what his sperm donor had engineered and he was put more at-ease because of it. The raid suit finished forming and he felt damn good, like he was taking everything those bastards worked for and was pissing and ashing on it simultaneously. His opponent scoffed, however, or at least as much as a spinosaur could.

“Are you mocking me?!” he growled. “Real men don’t use a fight to play dress-up.”

“That’s selling it short,” Sanji smirked. He pressed his fingertips to the side of the helmet, activating the sensors. Varied readouts and stats flashed across the visor—bingo.

Using Moonwalk, Sanji bounced around in the air, confusing the shit-mannered mook until he was able to find an opening. Once he saw it, he acted swiftly, slamming a flaming foot into the back of the dinosaur’s neck. His opponent was knocked out cold without him damaging any other buildings.

“That’ll teach you,” he smirked. He watched as the spinosaur shrank down to a Human shape. Tch; asshole had no right to challenge him. It was then, however, that Sanji heard a surprised gasp. He turned around and saw… Traffy…?

“Holy shit,” Traffy marveled. “It’s Sora!” Sanji cringed at the sound of his mother’s name—what the fuck?!

“I’m no one!” he claimed. “Just… uh… just passing through!” Traffy replaced himself with a pebble and got directly within Sanji’s personal bubble, touching his cape and admiring his clothes.

“The attention to detail is absolutely exquisite,” he said. “Excellent craftsmanship; they spared no expense.”

“Get off me,” Sanji grumbled. Where the fuck was Traffy when the dino-jerk attacked? Way to have shit timing. He pulled the cloak out of Law’s hand and sneered. “Don’t touch the goods.”

“Uh… yes, sir,” Traffy mumbled. Sanji did not like the way his captain’s ally was looking at him, so he took one step back, found where the settings were, and… oh, thank fuck, Franky kept it. He turned on the cloaking device, essentially granting him invisibility, hoping it would allow for a quick getaway.

Trafalgar Law instead squealed like little kid…? Oh, he did not have enough smokes on-hand to unpack that.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Okay, granted, Sanji knew that sliding into the mixed baths was going to be trouble. He was likely to see way too much man peen for his liking, not to mention be in a position to get caught, but it was worth it to spy on wome—ahem—test the limits of his raid suit. Opportunities like this were becoming fewer and farther between as everyone prepared for the upcoming raid on Onigashima, and he needed to know exactly what the thing could do before throwing himself headlong into battle.

It was practical, okay? Field testing. Tactical information gathering.

Oh, there were a lot of women in the bathhouse that afternoon that made his heart race and the front of his pants feel tight. He swallowed hard as he watched them all from his perch in the rafters, above where others might see his invisible form displacing steam. The desire to palm himself was almost unbearable—this was definitely good… erm… data he was collecting.

Usopp was going to shit bricks when he told him what this thing could do.

Then, suddenly, he saw her come out of the changing room: Nami. All others seemed to fade into nothingness as he drank in the beauty of her in a towel. She was gorgeous, as always, with her silky skin and curvaceous body. A paragon amongst goddesses, she was, and it was enough for him to cave. He put his gloved hand on the front of his crotch and felt how hard his cock was underneath it all. Beloved Nami-swan, who graciously allowed the world to merely glimpse a tiny fraction of her beauty, was right here for all to see, and she was only in a towel.

Sanji stayed where he was for a moment while Nami was attempting to lay low, which was near-impossible thanks to all the looks she was getting. The local ladies loved her—fine by him—but… wait a second?! What were those men doing leering at her?! How dare they! He was certain that they couldn’t appreciate Nami like was right and proper! What did they know about a woman’s form? There was no way these men knew what he, a true connoisseur, did after all! He was so incensed by their unrefined palates that he nearly did not notice the new person walk in: Hawkins.

Shit; he was looking for people with the reverse crescent moon tattoo. A bathhouse was the perfect place to look for such a thing, wasn’t it? Oh no, what was he going to do?! He couldn’t give away his position, but Nami might be in danger. Well, she was strong and could take care of herself, but did she have her Climatact tucked away under the towel? What about the other women? He didn’t trust these losers to protect them, not to mention the fact that Nami shouldn’t have to protect herself unless there wasn’t a man like him around! Shit, shit shit… how was he going to explain this…? His infidelity to Nami’s beauty…?

Then it happened.

Like a shimmering light shining forth in the darkness!

A beacon of hope for all those who felt lost!

The pinnacle of the feminine form!

Nami-swan dropped her towel!

Maximum full-frontal!!

Sanji couldn’t take it any longer! Oh, the unfettered beauty! The pristine curves! The raw, natural majesty! He blacked for a moment, for the next thing he knew he was covered in blood down his front and everyone was staring at him.

Oh shit.

“Drake…” Hawkins said, his voice cracking high. He didn’t pull his eyes off Sanji despite the fact he was trying to gesture and grab at the same time with the arm closest to the door. “Drake, it’s him!”

“Did you find a suspect?” asked a voice from the foyer. X Drake… oh, the last thing he needed was another dinosaur idiot to deal with. Drake stepped into the bath area and glared at Hawkins, though once he saw Nami he froze in place, eyes wide and face red in blush. “That’s not a suspect, is it?”

“Not her, you idiot!” Hawkins hissed. “It’s Sora!” There was that name again! It was really beginning to grate on Sanji’s nerves, but he guessed he could handle it if it meant that Hawkins and Drake were distracted enough to let the people who were escaping… well… escape. Hawkins side-shuffled over to Drake and touched the other man’s face, turning it towards Sanji.

When Drake’s eyes finally followed his face, his jaw flopped open.

“It’s Sora, Warrior of the Sea!” Drake gasped. “That’s his vintage uniform from the Jutrich Island Saga!”

“Specifically his landing in Kester,” Hawkins agreed. By now, Sanji was on his feet and feeling incredibly awkward—what the fuck were they talking about? “He is more dashing in person, isn’t he?”

���That’s… not the word I’d use.”

“That is because you have no taste.”

“What in the hell are you two talking about?” Sanji scoffed. He activated the readouts on his visor again and they showed that the three of them were quickly becoming the only ones in the building—excellent.

“Surely you jest,” Hawkins said, trying to sound casual. “That uniform? The cape? Helmet? You are none other than Sora, Warrior of the Sea, taken straight from the comic pages.”

…comic pages?!

“Neither of you have known the touch of a woman, have you?” Sanji deadpanned.

“Like you’re one to talk!” Nami snapped. Sanji glanced over towards her and saw that a robe was now covering her as she scrambled to leave with, wait, Robin-chan was there too?! Oh, and they were there with Shinobu. He needed to make sure they got out safely, but with the way these two were… seas… ogling him, he wasn’t sure that they’d get out of there if he moved even an inch. “Keep them distracted! We’ll meet you later!”

“Nami-swan, I…!” Sanji reached out with his hand, but he was too late… she was gone. He let his hand clench into a fist and turned towards Hawkins and Drake, who both seemed too star-struck to care that potential captives were fleeing the scene. “You two made me lose my chance with Nami-swan!”

“I didn’t think he’d be based off a real person,” Drake marveled. He looked… deeply confused, but also like he wanted to screech happily like a little kid that just found a frog.

“You need to answer us something,” Hawkins said. He somehow narrowed his eyes further. “Something only the real Sora would know: how did you escape from Germa 66’s clutches in the Gezelligate Arc?”

Sanji was ready to murder something.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Law stood in the prison corridor, Drake not too far away, as he waited impaitently. He didn’t like doing it this way—neither did the dinosaur, it seemed—but at least it was doable. It could fit in his grand plan. Not very well, but it fit.

“Here you are,” Hawkins announced from around the corner. Law’s ears perked up and he watched as the aforementioned Supernova led Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo into view, all three of his crewmates half-in tears.

“We’re sorry, Captain!” Bepo sniffled. “We didn’t mean to get caught!”

“No worries,” he replied coolly. “I know something they don’t realize.

“What’s that?” Penguin wondered. Law simply smirked and opened a Room.

“The famed Warrior of the Sea is on our side.”

Before his crewmates had a chance to react, Law swapped them out with pebbles and dropped the Room. He held up his arms in surrender, unable to not laugh at the look of horror on Hawkins’s face.

“What’s the matter? Didn’t think I knew?” He felt Drake put seastone cuffs on him from behind, jostling him roughly. “Hey, watch the goods—I need those hands to perform surgery.”

“Like you have a medical degree,” Drake grumbled.

“…and for all I know, you’re probably still a cop,” Law scoffed. For that, Drake pushed him towards Hawkins, letting their prisoner stumble into the dirt floor. “Hit a nerve?”

“You know what? I don’t even care anymore.” Drake took a step back before turning to walk away. “Do whatever hoodoo nonsense you want to him. I’m washing my hands of it.”

“Hoodoo is a completely different discipline,” Hawkins droned, “but I’ll try.” He snapped his fingers and two Pleasures guards came by to lift Law from the floor and drag him off to a torture cell. “I’ll make him regret invoking the name of Sora.”

Law chuckled to himself as the mooks dragged him away. These two losers were in for it.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Okay, mooks taken out and transported to varied Flower Capitol alleyways, check. Hawkins—aka: Senior Mook—unconscious and bleeding out on the floor, check. His sword and hat back—check. Information he pried out of Senior Mook before allowing him to pass out. Check and noted. Law was feeling good as he got ready to leave the prison house. Just a few more moment of checking out the outlying areas with his Devil Fruit and he could accurately pinpoint a safe getaway. He stepped out into the corridor and began to walk out—he was a free man, after all.

“Trafalgar.” Oh, yeah, there was one more that he didn’t get rid of, though to be honest, it felt like an afterthought. He turned and saw Drake standing there, staring at him with an… well, the look eas cryptic, that was for certain.

“You’re not stopping me,” Law said casually. “I’m finding a place to go as we speak.”

“Then before you leave, I have a request,” Drake said. Law raised an eyebrow.

“What’s a not-cop want from a humble pirate like myself?”

“Do you think…” Drake blushed, not believing he was saying this. “I mean… could you get me an autograph from Sora?”

“We’re on different sides… you know that, right?”

“All my time I was in the Navy, he was their best-kept secret. To get an autograph from one of the best special ops agent? Whose solo work inspired all of us? It might get you a favor or two.”

“Hmm… I’ll think about it.”

In a flash, the man vanished and an upset tomcat appeared in his place.

Well, it was worth a shot.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“What the fuck did you do to this thing?!” Sanji hissed, shoving his raid suit in Franky’s face. The cyborg simply scoffed and kept on eating.

“I improved it—made it super—just like you asked, brother,” he replied. It was the night before they were to raid Onigashima and all he wanted was some relaxation time before putting his nose to the grindstone. The surrounding area was a mishmash collection of their crew and varied allies, whether reluctant or not, the vast majority not paying attention to them. “I don’t know why you’re so pissed off.”

“I’m pissed off because I keep on running into weirdos and creeps who think I look like a comic book character!” Sanji complained. “Did you design it to look like something else, or did you use an original design?!”

“It’s just a little thing I remember from when I was a kid,” Franky shrugged. “Every so often in Water 7 we’d get these collection books of this super comic where a guy with a robot and pet seagull would fight bad guys. Only ever got a couple of books—flat broke compared with only ever seeing random volumes. Probably wasn’t something that did too well.”

“It did well enough that three different people have called me by the exact same name,” Sanji scowled. “What was the name of the comic?”

“I dunno—Sorne… Sorley… Sohan… Solly…” Franky snapped his fingers between each name as he tried to remember. “…Sorrel… Soslan… Sota… Sora…”

“That’s it!” Sanji shouted, pointing at Franky. Ooohhhhh… he couldn’t believe this was happening! “That’s what those nutjobs keep calling me!”

“Sora…?” A moment, then it clicked. “Oh yeah, that’s right! Sora, Warrior of the Sea! Kind of a weird series if you ask me. Total Naval propaganda. Then again, I was only really there for the robot…”

Sanji screamed in anguish and began to storm away, stomping his feet angrily as he went off to have an entire packet of smokes at once. He slammed his shoulder into Law on his way, which caused the other to stop and glare—what the hell…?

“What’s the matter with him?” he asked Franky. The cyborg simply shrugged.

“No whimsy,” he claimed. “Meanwhile, I’m full of it this week.”

Law simply shrugged and walked off—not his crew, not his problem.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was the Raid on Onigashima. Sanji was attempting to hold his own against the throng of solders that were coming at him. Okay, so he wasn’t attempting so much as succeeding, but it was beginning to wear on his nerves that each time he knocked one of the Beast Pirate freaks down, five more popped up in their place. It was like there was a never-ending sea of them waking up and he smelled like breakfast.

Suddenly, over the din of the battle, Sanji heard a familiar scream. He looked up and saw that Kaidou was up on a balcony, holding Momonosuke over the drop that would have the boy splatter on the Performance Floor. As much as he wanted to trust that Momonosuke could turn into a dragon and fly away once let go, he also didn’t trust that Kaidou or any of his goons had gone and put seastone on—let alone in—the kid.

Shit. No matter what, this wasn’t going to be good. He could let the perverted little shrimp fall to his potential doom, but… Nami would be really pissed at him for letting that happen, wouldn’t she? Not to mention Luffy. Damn it. Sanji decided to break out the big guns and put on his raid suit, immediately cloaking himself in invisibility. The Beast Pirates he had been fighting all stared in confusion—there had been someone there before, wasn’t there?

As Sanji catapulted himself up into the air with Moonwalk, Kaidou did precisely what Sanji thought he would and dropped Momonosuke. Lucky, he was able to snatch the kid after he fell only a few feet, bringing him back up to Kaidou’s level while still invisible.

“What the fuck is this?” Kaidou slurred. He grabbed a large bottle of sake from a nearby Beast Pirate and took a swig—he clearly didn’t know if he was too drunk or not drunk enough. “I didn’t think little piss-brats like you could fly.”

“Who has hold of me?!” Momonosuke whispered in a panic. He grabbed hold of Sanji’s cape and attempted to pull it around himself. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” Sanji grumbled. Someone unseen threw a rock, meaning to hit Momonosuke but hitting Sanji in the side of his helmet instead. His cloaking device sparked before fizzling out—it overloaded and needed some time to reactivate.

“Who the fuck are you?” Kaidou frowned. He did not seem like he was very amused by the whole thing.

“Hey, I know that tech,” Queen realized. “You’re one of Judge’s brats, aren’t you?”

“Wrong: I’m Sora’s boy,” Sanji spat. Without another word, he turned on his heel mid-air and jettisoned himself towards the Performance Floor. There, he was able to spot a trio of Traffy’s men—the Mink and two of the ones with dumb hats—and he tossed Momonosuke at them. “Keep him safe until someone approved comes to get him, alright?”

“Yes, sir, Sora, sir!” Penguin said as he picked up Momonosuke. Shachi saluted. Fuck… more of them…

“Uh… guys…” Bepo seemed to be uncomfortable. “That’s just one of the Straw Hats…”

“Bepo, Bepo, Bepo…” Shachi tutted. “Here we thought we raised you right! The Captain said it’s Sora, so it has to be Sora!”

“…but that’s clearly…”

“Sora!” Stupid One and Stupid Two said in unison. Sanji honestly felt ready to kill them both, Traffy and the alliance be damned. At least the Mink was able to use his brain…

“There he is!” Sanji looked over his shoulder and saw Law, Hawkins, and Drake all running towards him. Shit! He turned his attention towards the Mink and nodded gravely.

“All of you are from the same place, aren’t you?”

“The North Blue, yeah,” Bepo said, “but I’m originally from Zou.”

“Then I thank you for your service,” Sanji replied. The Mink seemed puzzled, only to yelp in surprise as Sanji picked him up and tossed him at the three incoming Supernovas before running away.

Goddamned nerds needed to leave him the fuck alone!

[eldritch-spouse]

Me: *reading the headcanon voice ask* My intrusive thoughts mind: We have to recreate Kalymir in the WWE 2K22 game showing off and mocking in the ring. Me: Haha, What? My intrusive thoughts mind: Make Cero the referee, he is good with rules and the booming voice will help. Me: *wheeze* I don't think he will be up to- My intrusive thoughts mind: But don't make Zizz the commentator, everyone will fall asleep... or him, don't know which one will be first.

(I swear I'm not crazy, It's just random scenes popping up in my head without warning)

Wrestlemania AU (I blame you for this)

You know damn right Cero's too busy doing his fantastical heel speech to see a single punch incoming and gets destroyed immediately.

Livius is the most irritating little shit in the ring. He tries to mirror the opponent's style during fights. And when that doesn't work, he just loops around them, snaps his limbs like whips. Cries like a bitch when he's slapped.

Kalymir is living his best fucking life, he's never been so happy. He's probably the pet wrestler of that whole franchise. The John Cena of demons I guess.

Vorticia fights on the men's league because she's so fucking massive it hardly matters what gender she's off against. Has to puke the losers back out because voring is not a permitted finisher move.

Rinx has a fit so big and flashy that it actually becomes advantageous during fighting, as it blinds his opponents. He has attempted to steal the championship title belts several times instead of tackling his opponents.

Vesper is often escorted out of the ring because he keeps trying to suck and fuck competition for funsies. He doesn't even make efforts to win sometimes. Oh nooo, I fell on all fours *wiggles ass*~~

Zizz is the wrestler equivalent of "Luigi wins by doing absolutely nothing".

Rei is the referee, you know he is. The problem is he sometimes gets too enthusiastic and joins the fights.

Ludwig, Obie and Mervin are commenting all the matches. Lud has to be held down sometimes because he gets wrath demon zoomies and starts barking into the microphone, Mervin just insults everyone's techniques for no reason and Obie puts on different metal tracks for each fight, sometimes you can hear him chewing.

Each of the icons' main imps are in the audience probably picking fights with each other, or desperately wishing their Kings slip and die mid-fight. Santi's jerking someone off in the audience, not even paying that much attention unless Vesper's in the ring.

Clergy staff in general gets to come watch this shitshow, participate sometimes. Belo has to be held back or he will throw himself in the ring and die in a blaze of glory.

[kasdan]

housewardens at a halloween party

characters: riddle rosehearts, leona kingscholar, azul ashengrotto, kalim al-asim, vil schoenheit, idia shroud, malleus draconia

warnings: none other than the usual anger, cockiness, and deceiving nature that usually come with the housewardens

masterlist

am writing all twst and any gaming content on my side blog @slight-gaming-addict feel free to check it out<3

is too busy relaying different rules to other dorm mates or to himself so he doesn’t break any that he forgets to actually just have fun

acts more of a bodyguard at the party rather than a regular student attending the party

gets fed up when one too many people accidentally step on his shoes and bump into him

has an outburst at them and people around him move to quickly leave the premises

eventually has someone from his dorm (probably trey) walk up to him to try and get him to calm down and actually have fun

finds a certain drink that he seems to really like and starts to drink them at a rapid pace

refuses to get on the dance floor looking at all the people that are congested on it

settles to stand watching everyone, but eventually gets dragged to play a game that required another person to play

likes the game more than he thought and gets very competitive

shouts when he makes a good move or gets outplayed by his opponent

is so into the game that he doesn’t notice almost all the people who were playing left

won’t stop playing until he’s won at least once

will force everyone from his dorm back early enough so that they’re not out after curfew

you definitely do not want to be caught by him while you’re out after curfew for any dorm you’re apart of

would rather be sleeping in his bed instead of going to a party

is very reluctant to go and have to deal with so many “herbivores” in one room

actually finds himself having a decent time but will never admit that out loud or show it on his face

sits observing the room from against the wall with a drink in his hand

overhears a conversation of finding another person and thinks that could be a fun way to mess with people

volunteers to fill in the spot missing and the people looking think it’s a joke at first before they see that he’s being completely serious

goes against a particularly cocky student and he feigns a scared look at the person gloating about previous rounds won

the look only fuels the cockiness of the other student

the look is soon swiped off of the other students face when leona swiftly beats him in the first round

it’s leonas turn to get a cocky smug look on his face as rounds and rounds pass of him sweeping the competition

the student he was playing against quickly stomps off in annoyance and anger and getting destroyed in the game he was gloating about

happily sleeps through the rest of the night and day after the incident

he doesn’t just go to the party mans is working it

if he’s not the one who originally organized the party, might as well be by the end of it

as soon as he hears there’s a party he is fully preparing how he would make the most profit out of it

will somehow make it so the party is set to be in the mostro lounge instead of the previous location so he can take advantage of having mostly everything set up for him already

puts floyd and jade to work going around with drinks and snacks for people

doesn’t join in the fun activities of the party; he’s just enjoying the profit he’s getting out of all of it

will find ways to cause people to want to buy more drinks or snacks

puts on a song he knows everyone is going to want to get up to dance to and waits patiently for people to get thirsty and order drinks

hosts a “contest” where people pay tickets to guess how many gallons of water a certain water tank had in it for a chance to win an undisclosed prize

azul is so good at convincing people and talking up products that no one really questions it, even if it is azul they’re talking about

very shockingly no one gets it right and azul goes to bed with a smile on his face that night

is the life of the party

will try to chat with anyone and everyone who walks in the door

just about gives jamil a heart attack when he keeps leaving his side to go to different places he wants to explore

is forced to only eat or drink things that are handed to him by jamil

practically gets a cup knocked out of his hand by him when he shows up next to him with a questionable substance in it

mans actually needs a leash

people love having him at the party with his energetic personality that has everyone mirroring his contagious smile that he always has

spends a lot of his time on the dance floor with people

it’s like the man doesn’t get tired at all when he dances for an hour straight with a bright smile still on his face

asks jamil if he wants a drink when he sees him panting and sweating next to him

somehow ends up as the dj of the party

is bummed when the party eventually comes to an end and he has to leave

definitely goes to every party that he hears about

will spend hours getting ready for the party only to show up an hour into the party so he can be considered “fashionably late”

insists on bringing an entourage (that being rook and epel) and spends even more time making sure that they look the part as well

won’t drink or eat anything that’s offered at the party saying that he can’t afford to have anything happen to his skin by not watching what he was consuming

won’t verbally go against rook and epel eating or drinking anything, but will give them a face of disappointment that doesn’t phase rook, but causes epel to slowly put the cup he picked up back down on the table

is wordlessly aiming to be the center of attention as he strolls through the party with his head held high like he owns the room

will pose for any pictures he comes across, if he was asked for it or not

does frequently squeeze himself into frame at the sight of any phone up taking a picture, making note that they were lucky to have him in the photo

don’t forget to tag him so his copious amount of fans are able to find it and repost it everywhere they can

treats the party as something like an event to make an event in, convinced that showing up is all he has to do to make an impression

well he’s not really wrong

makes sure to do extra skin care routines in the morning after the party

you’re kidding right?

there’s absolutely no way this man is going to be in a ten foot radius of this party let alone at it

but if ortho somehow convinces him to go he wants to send his tablet there in his stead, but ortho is not having it, saying that he’ll have so much fun

argues about it for a while before ortho eventually pushes convinces him to go

steps one foot into the doorway before he’s immediately turning in the other direction

ortho is ready for this when he quickly gets in front of him to stop him from walking off the property so easily

pushes himself in the furthest corner he can get from all the action going on

needs ortho to bring him food and drinks because he won’t move from his spot

has enough when one too many people step by him and he shoots himself up from the corner, startling the people by him as he practically runs for the exit

is practically cursing out ortho the entire way back to his dorm room

even if he originally somehow got ortho to let him use his tablet to go, he wouldn’t last even five minutes before he slides out the door unseen when ortho is looking the other way

would start his own kind of halloween “party” in his room which entails him playing scary games for rest of the duration of the party

totally doesn’t get scared when his door is suddenly opened from ortho asking where he went

is so excited to have an invite with him not getting many

when sebek finds out about the party he tries to talk malleus out of going because of the large amounts of people that would be there

he does not succeed so he ends up following him around the party anyway (very very closely might i add)

has never really been to a party like this before, only just going to fancy dinner parties that required his attendance

he however finds this one interesting with the chaotic energy that fills the room and the booming music that fills his ears

will walk around observing everyone and the activities that they’re doing

people scatter and make a pathway for him while he walks around

goes to try some of the activities that are set out for people

the people there originally don’t stick around long when he walks over, but still enjoys it with sebek taking the other people’s place

wants to try every food and drink that’s available that comes along with sebeks complaints along the way

overall enjoyed getting to experience the party himself and is happy he got to be invited to one

buy me a coffee ♡

[buzz-london]

On the matter of tRump…in 3 posts…

Post 3 - 

Democracy is a dangerous game.  Like any game of chance, it can deal you good or bad 'cards'.  Trick is to make the most of what you have been given and take advantage of any mistake your opponent makes. 

Democracy gave us Obama.  Democracy also gave us tRump. Both chosen by the same generation. Both Presidents chosen by the same electorate!

The same citizens who cried, praised and pitied the fate of Sita as she followed Rama in to exile, gossiped behind her back and didn't even raise a finger to help her when she was exiled with her twins. No one even went to see how she was doing. 

Once the beloved princess of Videha, queen of Ayodhya and wife of the virtuous Rama, she lived a life of neglected celebrity in an ashram in the forest. No one from Videha, Ayodhya, Kishkindha or Lanka came to see her. No paparazzi, no busy-body journalist. 

In the quiet of the Ashram, she wrote her biography and called it 'Ramayan'. It was a mirror to Rama and asked him - how 'just' is your Rama-Rajya if it failed your own queen and sons. 

Let us see how this chapter in history turns out when our descendants ask the American voters, HOW did you choose tRump as your President - not once, but twice! Just like the citizens of Ayodhya, they are waiting for the 'war horse' to return so they can perform their own AshwaMedha Yagna to prove global dominance by America! 

I have yet to see an AshwaMedha Yagna go well for anyone! Even at the time of Prachin Baharshi, when the universe was still young, Indra intervened and his yagna failed. Even the yagna of Daksha, to celebrate his title as PrajaPati, went awry and was badly destroyed. Pride and haughty proclamations always seem to attract jealousy, ego, discord and a downfall. 

At a time when all the thrones of Europe were occupied by the descendents of MahaRani Victoria, grandmother of Emperors, kings, princes and petty aristocrates, the British Empire could make a boast that would make an assembly of previous emperors blush with envy - The Sun does not set in the British Empire! Within two generations, two wars smashed 10 empires to smithereens, including the British.    

Every era has had its heros and villians. Even in Sat Yug, much applauded by people, there were several villains of magnificent proportion! Let us see who the villains of this new chapter in Kali Yuga will be. I have every faith that the author and director of this magnificent play (Lila) will entertain, surprise,awe, thrill and scare us before revealing a final twist in the play. 

We have read the Ramayan and the Mahabharat. Let us see what the next epic contains!  

[cielphantxmhive]

✧. ┊  𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬 𝗩𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗢 𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗦 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗬𝗢𝗨 !!

𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺𝘤: 𝖩𝗎𝗇𝗀𝖧𝗂, 𝖫𝖾𝗈, 𝖲𝗈𝗅, 𝖶𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝖺𝗆, 𝖤𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋, 𝖲𝗁𝖺𝗅𝗈𝗍𝗍𝖾 × 𝗀𝗇!𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋

𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗣𝗔𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧 !!

☆ 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐇𝐢

• would get competitive

• if you lose a lot, he'll let you win a couple of times

• he'll pretend he didn't actually let you win

• he wants cuddles, if he wins, it's a reward, if he loses, it's to make him feel better

☆ 𝐋𝐞𝐨

•this man loves video games

•if you're into cosplay, you'll do some cute matches <3

•not very competitive, and will let you win many times on purpose

•sometimes he might hug you from behind but not really to distract you, he just wants attention

☆ 𝐒𝐨𝐥

•he's not a big fan of video games

•still, would play if you really wanted to

•he's a grandpa with technology :')

•he won't understand the game concept at all

•you'll win all rounds

•he's good at stuff like Among Us because he's smart, but he'd absolutely lose it at people saying "sus"

☆ 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦

•yeah no

•he didn't want to play cause he's very busy, but you, as his master, asking him so dearly... he had no choice

•for someone who didn't have interest, he gets pretty competitive

•don't expect to win

•he'll make bets such as "if I win, master will have to clean her own room for a week"

•didn't end so well to you

☆ 𝐄𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫

•of course, he would agree, he would do anything to please you

•he'll gently let you win, but if he sees that you're unhappy with that, he'll make it even

•play multi-player and he will destroy all opponents and then lose in the end for you to win

•no one should dare to interrupt you two playing or Eater can get a little... agressive

☆ 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞

•she'll gladly play games with you

•you're an awesome player, so she expects you to give her tips, as she is a childhood friend

•everytime she loses she'll pout (she's so cute I love her)

•always chooses the prettiest skins without caring about skills

[touchreceptors]

opm 179/224(jp) TL commentary

so, about the Saitama vs Tatsumaki battle in the latest chapter.

Normally, I’m tired enough at the end of the work day that when the JP OPM chapter updates drop, I'm happy to just skim the chapter and wait for the usual fan TL team to do their good work and drop the English translation the next day. Usually, I find them very decent and competent.

This time around, however, Saitama’s lines on this particular page had me sitting up a little straighter.

I thought his word choice was oddly far too chummy given his usual personality and his attitude towards people like Tatsumaki, so I decided to check the original Japanese pages again and sure enough, found that I gleaned a very different idea from the JP lines. I would definitely have translated these differently.

Let’s take a look at the 2 phrases in question.

1. “She’s not in the mood to chat at all” (JP: 全然会話になんねえーな )

The plain form of this (i.e. after you distill it from Saitama’s typical style of speech) is 全然会話にならない which is far more often representative of the sentiment “It’s impossible trying to get through to you/this person”. It literally translates to “This is not becoming a 2-way conversation at all” or "you can't have a 2-way conversation with this person"; Google “会話にならない 英語” and you will see multiple suggestions along the lines of “It’s no use talking to you.”

This phrase is used to indicate that the other party is not willing to listen, usually to something important the speaker has to say. Saitama isn’t looking to have a friendly “chat”, he’s trying to make a point to Tatsumaki about not attacking other heroes and laying off his new home before that gets destroyed too. So, while the use of “chat” may help to preserve the lazy informality of his speaking style, it downplays the severity of the situation and his annoyance at her not getting his point. 

I personally would’ve used “Ugh, she’s not gonna listen at all, is she” or “Ugh, talking isn’t gonna work at all, is it” or a similar variation.

2. “Guess I’ll keep her company for now” (JP: 相手しとくか)

Context is everything. Just because “keep company” is the first option in a whole list of different definitions that pops up when you do a dictionary search doesn’t mean that it’s the right definition to use for a translation/localization. Nor does it mean it’s how the phrase is most commonly used in practice.

I'd wager you don’t even need to have much RL experience in Japan or with Japanese people to know which definition should've been picked. Watch enough shonen and sports anime with the original Japanese audio and you’ll soon learn that any time there is a pair activity, game and most importantly, a fight, 相手 i.e. “aite” refers to “opponent”. In a classroom setting, being asked to “相手して” doesn’t mean to keep a student “company”, it means to take up the opposite role in pair work. I’d add that in the close to 15 years I’ve spent studying and/or speaking Japanese, and the 3.5 years spent living and working in Japan, I’ve never heard this phrase being used to mean “keep somebody company” - but since experience can also be subjective, let’s just look at what we can be certain about: context, and our own knowledge of the target language and all its nuances.

a. Context - What’s happening, and who is saying it: Are they fighting? Yes. As opponents? Yes. Is Saitama referring to their fight and a strategy he's going to take (i.e. letting her tire herself out)? Most certainly, yes. Is this line being said by the same guy who thinks of Fubuki only as an acquaintance who's always dragging him into her business against his will, the same guy who in the last frame of this very chapter is thinking to himself "Man I reeeeeaallly wanna go home"? Yes. Should you have picked a definition more related to fighting and opponents from the dictionary's MANY different options like, idk, "take on a rival" to base your translation on? Yyeeess??? Why wouldn't you have?

b. Decision-making when localizing a text: What does “keep somebody company” imply in English? Is there a better way to phrase this and make the localized script more representative of the situation and the character's intent, and less loaded with English meaning that isn't present anywhere else in the text? I mean, Saitama certainly isn't suddenly thinking about loneliness and company when he mentions the lack of buildings and people - a safer distance away from civilization he deliberately went to the trouble of bringing Tatsumaki to.

I'd take some creative/artistic license here myself to make the language less stiff, but would definitely have gone for something less distorted, like "Guess I'll keep her occupied for now". If unsure, then even a more literal "Guess I'll take her on for now" would do a very decent job of conveying Saitama's intent, staying faithful to the original language without sounding too stiff when inserted into the sentence they came up with.

But well, who'm I to talk, eh? Translators are humans, there's no way to be completely objective in any interpretation, and they still do far more work than I am willing/able to do for this manga every update. I just wonder if they were letting certain biases guide their interpretations rather more than usual this time. Suffice to say, I'll be very curious to see how the guys at Viz choose to frame this bit for the official English TLs.

[berkeleyebeat]

Why is League of Legends still so popular even after 15 years?

Hi everyone! So I’ve just been thinking about the days when I️ would pull up League in the middle of class and just play because we could use our Macbooks to do work😂. I️ need to praise Riot for that like they really made a MOBA game that can run on a laptop that isn’t meant for gaming at all. Not only that, but it’s totally free to play. The only things you need to buy are the skin cosmetics but those don’t boost the characters’ (or “champions”) skills.

I’ve always been very impressed with how Riot Games handled the business side of their games/platform. A video called “League of Legends Should Be Dead By Now” by GoingIndie does an amazing job explaining why League chose to be free to all users and explains their understanding of the “Loss Leader” business strategy.

What GoingIndie kind of mentioned but didn’t dive too deep into was how Riot didn’t just stick to updating and enhancing their games, but they also branched out to other industries and fanbases. My favorite example is K/DA of course! The K/DA MV connected the Kpop, Gaming, and even the Anime community together. Thanks to this skin line, Riot Games has tapped into an audience bigger than the League fan base. It’s hard to imagine that this virtual group was originally created just to promote Worlds, an annual Esports competition☠️.

They even made their own TV series, Arcane, featuring a story between two popular characters’ lores. This series is coming out with a second season and I even have friends who are so excited about it but they won’t ever touch League itself haha. So my answer to why this game can remain relevant despite being out for 15 years is how they’ve built their brand around the game.

While the main objective of League is to destroy the opponent's base, the developers have created a unique world with rich lore and diverse characters, attracting a large number of fans who don't even play the game. Overall, Riot Games has done a remarkable job in maintaining the interest of its player base by creating an engaging experience that goes beyond just the game itself :) I️ will always be a big fan even though I️ barely play anymore😂

But I️’m curious to hear other fans’ thoughts on this! I’m no pro player (barely scratched Silver) and just enjoy the game casually so I am curious to hear from other players. I️ want to know if you agree with my two examples or if you think there’s a bigger reason for their success. Feel free to comment on anything!

[verishii]

I would very much like to hear about ur hunger games au

Oh Hell Yeah!

I've always been a fan of Hunger Games AUs that focus on people post games, where they have to try and find themselves and live with what they did on top of navigating the snakes nest of the Capitol.

I'll put this under a read more as to not clog up the dash.

General AU Stuff:

Most Hunger Games canon stays the same, however Hermitcraft canon gets mixed and mingled in there. Same way Mumbo was the youngest ever Hermit member to join at 17, in this he was the youngest victor to win at 12/13.

Their ages are the same as they are irl, since years have passed since they competed. No Children Here

Personally i am really fond of the idea of Evil Xisuma taking on the role of president snow - his legal name is Xisuma, but since Xisuma Void won everyone just calls him Evil Xisuma and victor Xisuma got to keep his name LMAO

Why Yes they overthrow the Capitol again. Frankly, with these people i don't think any other ending is possible.

With more character specific stuff though, i only have some that i have real concrete ideas for. I don't watch everyone so if people who do watch the ones i miss/have not much on have ideas i'd love to hear them!!

Bdubs:

From district 10, he was the one who lowkey revolutionized the games by winning using expert camouflage - a technique that was more finesse focused and less strength, something that what was not expected.

That gave a hell of a lot of hope to other tributes though in following games, and made the career districts hate him because it was 'cowardly'.

During his games he would always sleep at night, and due to the aforementioned skill was able to usually get a solid 8 hours. People poked fun at this during the post game interviews, and it became a running joke associated with him to the public.

Reality is though, that Bdubs knew that people fuck up the most when they're sleep deprived. District 10 has 19 thousand people and one million livestock. He Has Seen The Consequences Of Not Good Enough Sleep. Being better rested then everyone else on top of knowing how to go without food, keep hidden and let the others tear each other apart was how he won.

Cubfan:

From district 6 and dreams of using the vast amount of technology at their hands to actually venture out into space instead of like. working on fucking trains

Capitol often has him working in district 3 because he's "wasted" in district 6, which has Cub internally seethe.

Docm77:

From district 3 and frankly, he should not have survived his games. Literally won because his opponent bled to death faster than him.

His eye and arm were destroyed during that final fight, and his stylist thought it would be "fun" to make his prosthetics reminiscent of his district, without actually asking for his input on the matter.

As one of the older victors he had to deal with the Capitol back when there was less victors, and the Capitol was more than willing to subjugate the ones they had to their whims.

Yeah sorry your son got experimented on. yeah sorry they decided his games weren't memorable enough for a gimmick and decided his post games looks worked better. yeah sorry about that.

He and Cub hang out together :)

Ethos:

Realistically he should be from district 3 or 5, but since he's Canadian i want to put him in district 7 so bad.

ICONIC Hunger games. Literally in the top 10 for reviewability according to people from the Capitol :) meanwhile that hunger games has Ethos running around both in a completely delirious freaked out state and also like. completely detached? A hell mess of dissociation and too much being in the moment

He deployed a ton of traps that would kill without him actually having to be there, and contraptions that would get him resources. Dude was constantly on the move, and was like a busy bee. The way he kept spectators on their feet at home, and generated massive amount of hype for what he did next, was the only reason the game makers let him do this shit.

His eye was injured but not wholly ripped out like Doc, so when his got repaired his stylist decided dying his iris red would be a fun reminder of his 'deadly gaze' :)

False:

From district 2, False volunteered for the games as she was the most eligible girl in her years. Career district go brrr

Still the Queen of Hearts and Bodyparts, except she got that title when she accidentally disemboweled someone right on top of her trying to kill her. yeah she had to smile at the post games interview when they played that and try not to remember how warm the blood was, how it got into her mouth, how she could feel organs and see spine.

Unlike the others who try to distance themselves from the game, False usually tries to mentor. False knows she's capable and able - knows her district produces girls who fight exactly like her, so she's the best to tell them how to direct it.

Each one that comes home is a triumph, but for the ones that don't she remembers. Tries to learn from their deaths to provide better, but carries it with her and it's starting to make her bitter.

okay wow this is getting long, i can do a part 2 if you'd like for Scar, Grian, Gem, Etc !!

[lestbian]

aziz abt tierna.pls . or vice versa

😨, 🫂, 👁️

What's their greatest fear?

Aziz about Tierna

"Greatest fear...?" Aziz frowned. "Nothing immediately comes to mind. My little sister has always been the adventurous one. Always the first to investigate strange noises in the palace when we were children. She hasn't changed much, in that sense." Aziz paused, eyebrows furrowed. "She pretends not to care about status. She doesn't, not the way Farah and I do, but she takes her role as a royal guard very seriously. She always wanted to serve in the King's army. She has worked long and hard to get to her rank, regardless of the help her name has given her. To lose that, especially if it were by her own hand... that would destroy her." He shook his head. "She'd always have the family to fall back on if that ever happened, of course. But she wouldn't take it. Being a royal guard is a greater part of her identity than being a Faverro will ever be."

Tierna about Aziz

"Public embarrassment, I'd guess," Tierna answered, not glancing up from cleaning her blade. "He's had a few minor scandals here and there, every politician gets them. But if something major were to happen, something unsalvageable?" She sheathed her sword, satisfied with its condition. "Well. He can salvage just about anything. He has that way about him, able to spin any story into his favor. But if it were beyond him? He'd just fall apart." Tierna stood, checking over her armor. All equipment accounted for. "I don't think he's worried about it. He's too good at the game for that to ever happen." She nodded in acknowledgement before leaving. "I hope that answers your question. If you'll excuse me, I have to report for duty."

How has your relationship changed recently? (I'm going to have this set at the beginning of the story to avoid spoilers bc god their relationship changes so much by the end)

Aziz about Tierna

Aziz raised his eyebrows. "Our relationship? Nothing has changed, of course. Tierna is still my little sister. We are both very busy people, as you know, so we do not see each other often. That is all. It is unfortunate, but we all make sacrifices for our country." He made a slightly sorrowful expression, but finished with a brave smile. Our poor, valiant Delegate.

Tierna about Aziz

"Um," Tierna said, wiping her brow. "He came to my graduation. He has little interest in what I do, but I suppose it was important enough for him to come." Her blade clashed against her opponent's, catching the sunlight. "Even Farah was there, so I assume our parents had to convince them." Tierna maneuvered her wrist so swiftly that only a well-trained eye could realize what happened before the other sword landed on the grass with a soft thud. Her sparring partner raised his hands in surrender, turning away to take a break. She gave him a nod before returning to the question. "They probably told him it'd be an opportunity for making connections with important people, something like that. But it was nice of him to show up." She took a long sip of water. "That's really the only thing that's happened lately. We're usually busy with our own lives." Tierna shrugged.

Do you really know them?

Aziz about Tierna

Aziz scowled for a brief moment before schooling his features into his normal slightly amused expression. "I'm afraid I don't understand your question. Tierna is my sister. I have known her her entire life." The blinding smile returned. "Was there anything else you wanted to ask me?"

Tierna about Aziz

Tierna looked up quizzically. "Well... I suppose not? We're not all that close. I know things about him other people don't, like his favorite bedtime stories when we were kids. Stupid things. And I know the things everyone knows, like that he's a smooth talker and spends too much time brushing his hair. I couldn't tell you what he's thinking now, though. I don't even know what policies he supports, or what platform he's running on. If it's important enough, I'll hear about it. Otherwise, I'm focusing on training and serving the King."