#man i love gk so much i miss it...

[ave09]

Hello! I just wanted to let you know that I really love your Harvey Dent fanfics (gk). They are really good, and basically, I've read the all! I was wondering if you could write a little something. Maybe the reader is in a relationship with Harvey and is the only one that can snap him out of being Harv? If not, that's totally okay, just wanted to shoot my shot! Thank you!

for sure

gk!harvey sent x wife!reader

note: i have been such a busy bee, and this has been sitting here forever, and i’m so sorry for the delay!

this is a bit rushed-but i kinda like it-also, peep the newsie reference in the end for any fansies reading this, i’m back in my newsie phase lol but enjoy some harvey!

— —

chaos had fallen upon gotham. 

wayne tower had fallen. 

the gotham knights had saved the day.

turner hayes was dead.

harvey dent was unaccounted for. 

you were sick with worry. you’d gone everywhere, and yet there had been no sign of him. did he even survive? you could only hope.

it had been two days since the incident. you continued your search. you were in the city from dawn til dusk in search for your missing husband. 

and yet found nothing.

it was a thursday night. you returned home late, dropping your bags at the door after entering your apartment. 

god how you hated it here. without harvey, everything felt empty, like there was no meaning to it anymore. harvey, despite his own flaws, was the light to your darkness, and you were drowning without him.

you entered the kitchen, ready for a tall glass of wine, but froze at the sight of a shadow lurking in the corner.

“hi doll.”

“harvey?”

the figure chuckled lightly, “not your harvey, but a version of him. it’s nice to meet you in person, it’s been a long time.”

you could only see half of his face, the right side hidden from view. 

but immediately knew something was wrong. mainly by the way he was speaking. sure, this harvey’s voice was already gravelly. but there was something different in how specific words were being pronounced. 

“step into the light.” 

he clicked his tongue. “tsk, tsk, tsk. i don’t think that’s the best idea right now.”

something was most definitely wrong.

“step into the light.” you reiterated, your voice firm. “i thought we could have a little conversation first, sweetheart.” 

sweetheart. that was harvey’s name for you. he used many, but, that was the one. and hearing this version of him say it irked you so much to the point that you exploded.

“godammit, let me see my husband’s face!” 

he seemed surprised by the sudden outburst. you half-expected him to taunt you more. but instead, he hesitatingly took a step forward. 

then another.

a scream tore through your throat at the sight. 

the flesh covering the right side of his face was melted, it could be compared to the wax of a candle. the side of his lip was gone, revealing his pearly whites and burnt gums. the mangled skin continued down to his neck, disappearing beneath his ruined suit. 

and then there was his eyes. those beautiful cerulean eyes used to match. and now, one was a milky white, disguising the beauty underneath.

it was horrific. 

tears sprung to your eyes immediately as your hands flew to cover your mouth, choking back sobs. 

“i told you it wasn’t the best idea..”

you let out shakey breathes, taking a step towards him. you stood before him now. glancing up, as though asking permission, slowly, he nodded, his eye never leaving you.

carefully, you lifted a trembling hand, your fingertips grazing over the mangled skin. the man flinched slightly.

“i-“

“it’s fine-“ 

but it wasn’t fine. nothing was fine.

you let out a shaky breath, letting your hand fall. 

“let me talk to him.”

the imposter harvey smirked a monstrous smirk, which was hardly even a smirk at all.

“no can do dearest,” 

“why not?”

“because,” he took a step closer, “i’m in control now. ya see, harv was in some serious shit, and now here i am. i saved his life—your welcome—“

“i want to talk to him-“

“nope-“

“goddammit—you’re going to ruin his life-“

“ruin? sweetheart, i’ve been saving him for years! jane tried to kill him—and our daughter—she’s been handled already-“

the blood on his coat—jane’s blood.

your head was spinning. all you wanted was to talk to your husband. “let me talk to him.” you repeated.

“yeah—how ‘bout no? ya see, that husband of yours kept me locked up for years. i ain’t doin’ that again.” 

you let out a shaky sigh. there has to be some way to get to him, the real him. 

“2007. a beach.” 

“what?”

“you wore a tux. and a stupid pink tie that i ended up loving so much.”

“what are you doing?”

“it was small, but cute,” 

“stop that.” 

he knew what you were doing now. you were trying to coax your harvey back into the light. he couldn’t allow it. 

“we danced, we laughed, it was the best day of my life.” 

harvey took a step back, engulfing himself in the darkness again, “goddammit woman, shut up-!”

“i have never been happier! then when i am with you!”

“i said shut up-“

“i promised that day that i’d be by your side and that i’d-“

“never leave.”

his voice was soft. fragile. broken.

tears stung your eyes. “harvey?” you murmured, unsure now of who she was truly speaking too. 

“it’s me.”

“oh my god-“ you took a step forward, engulfing him in a hug. but he pushed away, “no-no-stop-“

“harvey-“

“look at me-at this monster i’ve become-this-this thing in my head-its killin’ me-“

“listen to me-“

“i can’t stay here. i can’t.”

“then we leave.” 

he was taken aback. “what?” 

“we leave,” you repeated, “we leave gotham-we run-i don’t know where-but we just go-“

“i can’t ask that of you. you have a whole life here.”

“you are my life, harvey. and anywhere you go, i’ll be there by your side.”

he was silent for a moment—before smiling—as much as he could.

“for sure?”

“for sure.”

[dangermousie]

Happy Ending for these two, after the drama drank gallons of my blood.

I am so relieved, I don't even care about the fact that he's got amnesia TWICE (I wonder if initial bout was due to extension) or the fact that surely the survivors of the army sent to take him down would have given away to someone in authority that Yeon Jun basically let him get away (or that Gil Chae seems to have forgotten about her mad father and little brother utterly.)

This writer does have a (welcome to me) tendency to go for happy endings that may not be realistic but feel welcome in fictional contexts. Rebel was a marvel of a drama but its very happy ending felt incredibly unrealistic - the horrifying ending of Hong Sisters' Hong Gil Dong felt a lot more likely for that type of story. And the same is true here - a tragic ending would have been a lot more likely. But being spared this feels wonderful. (And now we know what those voiceovers are about - it's her telling him about their past, so at to help fill memory gaps.)

Ultimately, this drama had its flaws unlike e.g., Chuno, which for me was flawless, but most of it was amazing, amazing, amazing.

A couple of non-ship things I loved: the resolution of Yeon Jun's story. I know most people didn't like his character and I can't say I'd want him as a friend or a family member, but it was a fascinating arc for someone who was a lot more in line with a "proper" aristocrat of his time, and honestly his story would have made a fascinating 19th century psychological novel. He has finally learned to see grey and go against the norms and it almost drove him to kill himself and - it was a very interesting character and story to me. But oh boy, did Gil Chae dodge a bullet in switching her affections back way when!

The story with Jang Hyun's father was exactly as expected and yet I was still taken aback by the petty horror of it all. The old man killed his whole family (or so he thought) for illusory fame and when given a chance to redo, chose to do the same thing again. Realistic. And none of it even made him happy - hence the suicide - but illusions of what he is to the rest must be maintained. JH's face as he said he now knows the most precious thing to the old man wasn't him.

You know what made me cackle in demented glee? Injo's end. Calling for the son he ruined, whose death he caused, whose loved ones he exterminated (his wife, his sons, the people the prince cared for.) Interesting parallel with the Crown Princess' death btw - when she calls for So Hyun, she sees him come for her and there is light and peace. Injo's calls are unanswered and there is no light just darkness. The tragedy is that he actually loved his son as much as a monster like him could. It just wasn't any salvation to anyone.

Just as Jang Hyun's father, he chose terror and "reputation" over his own child and their punishment is to die in despair, alone.

In conclusion, this was an amazing drama, with amazing performances, and only narrowly misses being my favorite kdrama of 2023 (and if either GK War or Moon in the Day implode, might still win.)

ETA: loved that they didn't end back in her hometown, because they didn't need to. They are each other's hometown, are they not?

[amypihcs]

HELLO!! The problem of Thor Bridge! Let's start right away!

Watson is in a romantic mood (and today all in orange! for double spooktober!)

Nu, poor Holmes tend to have seasonal depression! Also, let's go in order. Holmes and Watson are living together in a house with a yard! Uhm... have they already moved to Sussex? UUUHM! Watson is in any case dressing in their bedroom feeling very romantic and when he hops down the stairs, he finds... A CREEPILY CHEERY HOLMES! It's also with joy that i hereby headcanon that Holmes loves Halloween

I love how this story begins! With Watson making a deduction!

Watson gets to Holmes, gives him a kissy and asks him to share the case he's working on, Holmes is SO happy that Watson starts making deductions on him now and Holmes gets to tell Watson to have breakfast before reasoning on the case! AAAA this is beautiful! I can feel how married they are!

Breakfast gets eaten and we talk of business now

As Watson said on his husband, politics:nil!

and sensational literature: he knows EVERYTHING of it!

And a VERY BIG SIGH, It seems a THANKLESS case

aww, they're so cute! Falling each in the other's habits! They've been married for 20 years. The way Jeremy acted this scene is GREAT! The letter anyway is from this gold king asking Holmes to clear Miss Dumbar, governess of the children, from the charge of having murdered GK's wife.

You introduce the client this way? I already want to chew on his femur

While Holmes explains the case and as usual uses his Watson like a rubber duck. While sitting on his lap, probably. This is great, to see Holmes' actual reasoning process! How he pauses, chews on his words, all of this!

Perfect! Guy's here! And we start bad already!

Mister Gold King, see the handsome doctor near Mr Holmes? He's the man who contributed to Holmes' fame as a household name! You're not tempting him at all, you're ANNOYING him (Oh i LOVE how Jeremy acted this scene!)

Ah, he just jumped and broke the ceiling at the name? the relationship is much deeper that it seems!

Started bad and going on WORSE! GK is stalling!

AND LYING! At least Holmes thinks so, he's pretty irked by it and dismissed that stuff!

Holmes is NOT going to take lies, he needs solid facts! Yes, you are lying and THIS is what makes Holmes dismiss YOU. (Brett's deliver of THIS)

Hey guy, calm down!

PROTECTIVE WATSON! See that guy, GK? Yes, him. He'll throw you out of the window. Without thinking to it a SINGLE bit. Meanwhile Holmes is languid and relaxed. He can't stand conflict after breakfast, just go the fuck out!

AAAAAH unsafe! Unsafe idea, to threaten Holmes. See those fists? They can make you swallow your teeth (i love to imagine a bit of steel in Holmes' voice now, even in his languid position!), if Watson hasn't thrown you out from the window!

Guy exits, Watson relaxes and asks Holmes what we all were thinking

Watson: How the hell did you know? Holmes: Didn't! I bluffed him, my dear! Watson: ... care to come at my club once in a while for a little poker? Holmes: *grins and leans on watson*

And now what?

AND HE ACTUALLY COME BACK! Not like in Granada! OOOOH love it! (feels a bit out of character of GK, toh, i'll be honest. I liked the Granada version better... also because it gave us a GREAT victorian husbands moment)

Ohia, stop sulking and JUST TELL THE THING. It's for HOLMES to decide what's relevant and what is not. So kindly shut up and TELL THE TRUTH!

In the next letter, ofc!

[hetakiba]

Kim Disco Elysium: 2, 9

Askeladd Vinland Saga: 2, 24

Thank you!!

Kim:

2. Favorite canon thing about this character

Silly, funny, messy in a very different much less obvious way that compliments and contrasts from Harry. Plus also, I love his fit, iconic look. Also seemed kinda mysterious to me at first, which always makes getting to a know a character more fun :)

9. Could you be roommates with this character

I imagine so, he seems mostly pretty responsible, tidy, rent on the first kinda guy. Also, quiet, which would be good for keeping it not awkward 😭 honestly I feel like he'd be the perfect roommate 😭

Askeladd:

2. Favorite canon thing about this character

Like everything honestly, I love the way he's written (I was just thinking the other day how much I miss him 😭). It's such an interesting evolution from start to finish. I guess I'd say the little hidden internal complexities/moralities like his respect for Thors code even if he definitely doesn't feel the same way, of course the way he doesn't make any attempt to keep thorfinn alive over the years but dies saving his life. YO! And again, just the mystery, in his backstory and goals and everything, you kinda never know exactly how he feels about anyone or anything. Also, again, kinda a funny guy 👍

24. What other character from another fandom of yours reminds you of them?

OH MAN HARD!!! He's such a fun unique character 🤔🤔

Ok off the top of my head 🤔 I would say maybe Tsurumi from golden kamuy: kinda always has a plan, long term thinker, mysterious to the audience for a while, memorable antagonist. Also from GK maybe Ogata, has small moments of humanity and empathy that don't really affect his ability to be an effective villain/obviously bad person. And also this is only based on literally one episode but I also thought maybe Flint from Black sails? He also just strikes me as a little always thinking plan making adjust to situations quickly kinda person. Also very much characters that have a lot of awareness of the world they operate in 🤔 Also liars lol

[jellypractices]

QZGS Rec Bingo

I did a blackout bingo for the qzgs october-ish fanwork rec event!

More info on the event here: https://shadaras.dreamwidth.org/181475.html

Full list of recs below!

From before 2020

Title: The Dos and Don'ts

Author: Summer Snow

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14748434 

Jelly’s notes: YeLan alt format fic!! Team happy writes up a guide for yx to flirt with blue river, accidentally sending him the draft version where you can see all the edits on the google doc XD. Summer’s fic is so fun and funny, and the workskin is very cool, though it works better on desktop than on mobile.

Stabbed you with a knife

Title: Even gods can fall

Author: eringeosphere

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16039565 

Jelly’s notes: Magic AU, MCD. erin’s fic is one I’ll never be able to forget because it just makes my heart ache. yx is killed by the people he loves most.

Favorite Tropes

Title: Foundations

Author: BlueberryAsh

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28358907 

Jelly’s notes: which favorite trope does this cover? Soulmates, unconventional soulmates, platonic relationships, angst and feelings… I love everything about this fic so much.

Longer than 10k

Title: Means of Transportation

Author: lynne_monstr

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32626198/chapters/80932876 

Jelly’s notes: Lynne’s de-aged ywz fic! I uh actually haven’t finished reading this yet bc I didn’t want to be too influenced when I was writing my own time-travel fic, but I’m looking forward to reading til the end! The plot, the feelings, the character interactions, and the attention to detail is #writinggoals. I just love Lynne’s writing a lot.

Missing Scene

Title: but man am i bad at math

Author: syncogon

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27480358

Jelly’s notes: qyf’s rookie challenge from the other side. All of synco’s alternate perspectives are really great and thoughtful, but I like this one especially. Wyc and lx’s reactions at the end made me laugh.

Rare Ship

Title: think of me and burn (and let me hold your hand)

Author: Synoshian

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22763488

Jelly’s notes: NSFW, yuhuangye poly relationship with gray-ace yx! I haven’t read a lot of nsfw tka fics lately, but this one was memorable because of Lies’s portrayal of gray-asexuality. Sometimes yx is into it and sometimes he’s not and that’s okay. I really love the way yuhuangye interact with each other and respect boundaries. This fic is both sexy and soft.

Non-English/Translated

Title: that delivery bro who comes and goes in the wind and snow ( 那个风里来雪里去的外卖小哥 )

Author: 缩水仙人球, translated by Dayadhvam

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36500344

Jelly’s notes: wonderfully crack-y allye, a lot of fun. Yx gains the skill of teleportation and becomes… a fast food delivery worker XD. ty dtriad for the translation <3. Plus, love lauchis’s contribution of yx’s sizzling whopper

Prequel Era

Title: paved with good intentions

Author: PotterheadAvengerDemigod & theAbandoned_Grimoire

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40674066

Jelly’s notes: superpower au, tx-centric precanon, a hint of angst. I really liked the characterization of tx in this, and I’m super curious about how tx’s power works. Maybe the writers will go into it futher in another fic since this seems to be part of a series in the same au.

Female focused

Title: Pretty Magical Girl Gao Yingjie

Author: GeniusCactus

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40506660/chapters/101481006

Jelly’s notes: GK’s bbfic ft art from wack!! Trans girl gyj finds confidence and solidarity as part of a team of magical girls! First chapter hit me in the feels– gyj’s feelings of being scared and alone are too real. But seeing gyj find herself just fills me with so much joy. I have so many hopes and dreams for her. Also the image of wjx with earrings is something I didn’t know I needed.

Made you laugh

Title: how the tables have turned

Author: alkat

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25266829/chapters/61254943

Jelly’s notes: social media & crack! kat has such good one-liners, and this one has so many of them! I really love kat’s brand of crackfic

AU

Title: storm chaser

Author: swanfrost

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20099092

Jelly’s notes: hanye gods au. the way swan writes conflict is so delicious and distinctive. There’s an economy of words that adds to the tension. I really love swan’s writing, definitely #writinggoals.

A work you love

Title: We don't need lights as your smile is as bright as the stars

Author: Missing_Ninja_History

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35874712

Jelly’s notes: the wangye dance au that gma wrote me for ss. I have no words for how much I love this. The tension, the way they love dance so much, the way wjx thinks and feels about yx… it just makes me smile. This fic deserves so much more love.

Shorter than 1k

Title: Workplace reviews

Author: the_real_lord_grim

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30041430

Jelly’s notes: grim's alt format in the style of reviews, which is really cool!! Samsara’s made me laugh, EE’s made me sad. It’s a fun and creative fic

Pre-canon

Title: ‘til midnight comes

Author: Shadaras

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29921295

Jelly’s notes: shade’s wangye <3 i love how soft and full of feels this fic is. The parallels between yx and wjx really come through, and i love how they can just support each other.

Meta

Title: A magician does not know regret

Author: weilongfu

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21732871

Jelly’s notes: I’ve saved this one since long ago because I liked it so much, a perspective from wjx about qyf’s growth.

Glory focused

Title: Strategem

Author: DancingBloomTKA

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31039853/chapters/76677230

Jelly’s notes: anyone who is interested in writing battles should study tib's fic. It is not only technically superb but there’s great storytelling too!

A comfort work

Title: A Glorious Butt

Author: Anonymous

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15691755

Jelly’s notes: hehe. Allye crack

Crossover/Fusion

Title: Light From Dust (来自尘埃的光)

Author: MTKiseki

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24616501/chapters/59469184

Jelly’s notes: Kise’s hp crossover! hp is chosen as the tka characters’ representative in the triwizard tournament. Unfinished and idk when kise will get back to updating, but she has some really cool and thoughtful worldbuilding ideas about the clash of eastern vs western and how that plays out in the wizarding world.

Fanart

Title: One Last Dance

Author: skysongxd

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22862440

Jelly’s notes: no I will NOT shut up about Sora’s ballroom dancer smc. Sora’s art is chef’s kiss, smc is gorgeous, and the dress design is asldkfjsdk; This art is so wonderful that I wrote a little oneshot based on it (https://archiveofourown.org/works/28231686). I would love to see more fic based on Sora’s wonderful art!!!

Minor character focused

Title: pocketful of pebbles (swallow, sink to the bottom, swim)

Author: madmaenad

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32952565/chapters/81783973

Jelly’s notes: one of mae’s staff fics. mae is so good at making you feel for minor characters. I loved this one about wind howl’s healer.

Alternate media

Title: a cosplay show video where the title is clearly mtl’d

Author: Tencent Video

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcSKARsFWks&list=PL8u-QnV8v_57L7HX62o6L0uORwkLm-tSs&index=15

Jelly’s notes: uhhh I’m not good enough at Chinese to be able to tell what show this from, but it’s a clip from a cosplay performance game show I think. The cosplayers put on such a great production with singing! and dancing!! Also the one-liner: “yx, do you have to sing everytime we battle?”

Canon divergence

Title: any way the wind blows

Author: anaiata

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33111721

Jelly’s notes: a yx goes to br set-up! I really love the friendship between hst and yx. You can tell they really care about each other!

Got you into a ship

Title: (I’m Not Throwing Away) My Shot

Author: ryukoishida

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15192653

Jelly’s notes: WangYe!!! An early wangye fic that helped solidify wangye as my favorite ship. I also love the worldbuilding!

[beyondtsh]

Why Going to Church is Important

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Why Going to Church is Important

When I was growing up, going to church on Sundays with my mom was mandatory unless you were deathly ill. No getting out of it. Sunday was church day. Now I understand why the church is important, but I didn’t know it as a child.

There are countless benefits to attending church regularly, especially if you’re in the right place with the right people. God and His flock will help you get through tragedies, mourning, grief, hard times, loneliness, and heartbreaks; the list is endless.

Get the Christian t-shirt shown above – right here!

Just make sure you’re going to a solid, Bible-believing church! I came across this video and just had to share it! “20 Essential Questions To Help You Find A Solid Church”

It even says in the Bible that we should come together as a church body to worship. Hebrews 10:24-25

24 “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,

25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Sometimes you walk in and you just need a hug or someone to pray with you or for you. There’s always someone there who can feel you’re in need of something, even if you don’t know yourself that you need it.

I found that peace and comfort by getting myself back to church after a tragedy, and I can honestly say I don’t know where I’d be right now if I hadn’t started back.

Going to Church as a Kid

I grew up in a Baptist church so there was Sunday school on Sunday mornings, worship on Sunday evenings, Tuesday was “visitation day,” Wednesday evening Prayer Meeting and Friday night AWANA. So I was at church almost every day of the week when I was young.

When I turned 15, I started giving my mom a hard time about going, especially since my dad only went on special occasions like Easter and Mother’s Day. If he wasn’t going every Sunday, why did I have to? That was an issue mom couldn’t really argue with, so she let me have my way.

I also went to a private Christian school until I was 15, so right about the time I stopped going to church regularly, I also convinced my parents to save their money and transfer me to the local public school so I could go to school with my neighborhood friends.

It wasn’t long after that, less than a year in fact, that I became a very young wife and mother. When that didn’t work out and I moved back home, I started going with my mother again – to a new church this time. And at 21 years old, I was saved and baptized at this local church.

Looking back, about the only type of outreach this church did was summer vacation Bible school and I helped with that one summer. I was remarried at the time, but like my dad, my husband only went to church with me on special occasions too. Eventually, I stopped going completely and ventured out on my own after marriage number two ended.

Strayed and Walked Away

Over the next couple of decades or so, I visited different churches here and there but never found one that “fit.” They had nothing to keep me coming back. Eventually it seemed more like a chore than something I enjoyed doing.

Like Crowder’s song says, I “strayed and walked away,” unspeakable things I’ve done for years and years – a son out of wedlock, a third marriage and divorce, countless relationships that turned bad quickly and the list goes on; all because I’d stopped attending church regularly, I’d stopped growing in my Christian faith and trusting God.

Fast-forward many, many years, married again to the most wonderful Christian man who agreed that we should find a church and start going again. But where? We agreed not to go any religion-based church but find a non-denominational Christian church.

We could actually see one from our house so we tried that one. That only lasted for about six months and we stopped going there. Again, it wasn’t the right fit. There was something missing, like all the other churches I’d been to in my life.

Tragedy Strikes

We hadn’t been to church for about three years when on January 1, 2017 we got the call that my little brother was in a motorcycle accident and on life support. He was not going to make it. I was nothing less than completely and utterly devastated!

My little brother was my rock, my support, my best friend. Both of our parents were deceased so aside from our children and spouses, we only had each other in our immediate family. We did so much together and we could always rely on each other in emergencies.

One thing we’d made a promise to each other to do when our mother died was never to spend Thanksgiving apart. We spent Thanksgiving together every year for 20 years, no matter what else was going on. So as the year progressed and it got closer to both my little brother’s November birthday and then Thanksgiving, I grew more and more despondent.

Life As I Knew It Just Stopped

Most of 2017 is a complete blur. I stopped blogging, stopped writing; I didn’t want to go anywhere or do anything and I cried All. The. Time. I finally decided to go to grief counseling and made my first appointment. I didn’t walk out feeling any better so I made one more appointment, and didn’t feel any better after that one either.

Then one evening I was on the phone with my daughter and I mentioned that I felt the only thing that was going to help was to get back to church again. There was only one other church that seemed interesting, but we’d been advised against it by a minister associate we met at the memorial service of my grandson’s future mother-in-law when she passed. So that church was out.

My daughter told me about MCC, the church that her boss went to and how much they loved it because it wasn’t like any other church. So we decided to try it.

We were warmly welcomed by many people that we’d never met before. The church is almost an hour from our home, but that didn’t matter. It just felt right from the first minute we walked in.

This is Why Going to Church is Important

The service that morning was about dealing with grief and loss! God had His hand in that, I’m sure, because that was just what I needed! I cried throughout the entire service but at the same time I literally felt an overwhelming peace fall all around me, like the Lord was putting His arms around me and calling me back to Him.

The next day, Monday, I canceled my next appointment with the grief counselor. God led me back to where I needed to be and we’ve been attending regularly now for almost five years. We even jumped in with both feet to become partners at the church and regularly volunteer at various events.

Knowing You’re in the Right Church

We had many “God Winks” in the months following that first Sunday that further solidified our belief that we had found a church home. In the last few years since going back to church, I’ve built a new family in Christ. I have church brothers, sisters, daughters and even a church granddaughter!

Get this Christian t-shirt here! Is going to church important and something you should be doing? Is it for everyone? I believe it is – when you find the right church; the one that the Lord leads you to.

If you get “God Winks” when you visit or within the following months after you start going or when you actually look forward to Sunday Worship and not feel it’s a chore or something that you “have to do,” but rather something you WANT to do, then you know you’ve found your home church too.

[piduai]

What's the appeal of golden kamuy? Like is it edgy? The wiki entry makes it sounds like a generic quest and I keep wandering away in the first ep but a lot of ppl I share similar taste with like it. Is there another anime you'd say it's similar to?

depends on what you think is edgy. for me edgy is stuff that tries really hard to impress by taking itself super seriously (a la ergo proxy, lain or even berserk) and ends up coming off as soulless and boring. golden kamuy is the opposite of that. it's dynamic, it's humorous, it's pushing boundaries, it's original, it's bizarre, it's quirky, and it doesn't take itself seriously. it just feels organic and a passion project, it's vibrant with love and care.

for me personally the strongest points in gk are:

- incredible writing, both for characters and for story. it's something that has high reread value because of the sheer attention to detail, the fact that the story and the characters are something that actually took effort to create, and that it's something genuinely satisfying to consume. it forces me to use my brain and actually engage with the story. it's also very daring and unpredictable, punches you in the gut when you least expect it. keeps you on your toes.

- peculiar humor. it's FUNNY. gk has a lot of black humor that somehow manages to NOT be edgy, it's something you can't find anywhere else. a lot of it can go into gross territory but i love it, gk's humor fits my personal taste to a t. when i said "boundary-pushing" i meant this aspect, the mangaka is gutsy enough to put out stuff that most of his peers wouldn't even think of. it's great.

- good cast. besides being generally likeable as a vibe, the cast in the manga is just so good. usually when i get into something i end up liking 2-3 characters maximum, in gk i am fond of most of the cast, even very episodic characters have something new to bring to the table.

- being fast paced and dynamic. it's a personal preference, but i hate stuff that drags on forever and keeps focusing on one thing for years, i don't have the patience for that. the mangaka shares this trait because he hates beating around the bush. it's a blunt and straightforward story that doesn't use cheap tricks for drama, which feels very refreshing.

things that are secondary for me but nevertheless a nice detail:

- dabbing into obscure cultural practices that you don't see much anywhere else. one of the main characters is a young ainu girl, and there's a lot and i mean a lot of trivia about ainu culture in the series. it touches upon the subject of ethnic minorities in japan and the russian east, and while in no way should it be read as a political, cultural or historical manifesto, it is quite educational.

- tied to the point above, it's classified as a historical manga and it lives up to the title

- in the first half of the manga there's quite a lot of focus on the food the characters eat, seeing that they hunt their food themselves. for some reason a lot of people go crazy about this.

- there's a lot of research that went into this series. the author routinely takes breaks in order to research this and that because he wants to bring the audience an accurate experience. he spent a lot of time with ainu people, he went hunting just to be able to draw about it, he spent a few months interviewing ethnic minorities in russia. as mentioned above, the attention to detail and the sheer effort poured into this series is incredible.

- gorgeous art. gk is visually stunning, the artwork is rich an complex, the character designs are not my cup of tea but nevertheless they're genuinely different from things you see everywhere else. it's a weekly manga, but it looks like a monthly one.

- lots of gore, murder, skinning people, and other gratuitous violence, especially in the beginning.

golden kamuy is hands down the best manga i've ever read, objectively speaking, though my favorite still remains fullmetal alchemist. i don't think it's a stretch to call it unique, there's nothing else like it on the market, which is why it ruined manga as a medium to me. it's incredibly creative, engaging, fun, genuinely enjoyable, interesting, and funny. if i were to compare it to something, i'd say it's a mix of fma and dorohedoro? it has a slight jojoesque touch to it too (mangaka is a jojo fan).

please read golden kamuy

[killuaisaprincess]

stickybug

IT IS THEM! I miss 🥺 I had fun writing ‘em again; I missed them 🥺 screw work taking all my time away 😤

I don’t celebrate the other char's b-days cept Ki’s (usually in edits and posts, but I hope a fic this year 🥺 my babey), but I needed some GK fluff/hurt-comfort-angst 🥺, and I really wanted Gon carrying Ki the other day, but work was in the way. THIS IS A MESS AND PROBS BAD. And maybe rewrite later, but it was just nice to write them; I miss it, it’s fun, and now I have cute GK. And Ki in dresses/skirts 🥺 and Ki being treated like a princess 🥺 just all my comfort foods. And Ki is tiny and cute 🥺 it them 😭 AND KI IS JUST TINY AND SHY AND MY HEART HNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN I LOVE HIM (GON DOES TOO 😤😤😤) ALSO KI HAS TRAMUA I WONT LET THAT BE IGNORED 😤

“What?!”

Killua doesn’t mean the snappy tone. Not really. His skin prickles in shame, and his ears feel like they are burning as he points his chin down, digging his hands into the green skirt tail he’s wearing.

Gon probably thinks he’s stupid. He didn’t know what he was thinking. He doesn’t know anything about birthdays… they were always painful and harsh, and…

He doesn’t mean it. To yell at Gon.

He waits. Patiently. For Gon to get mad. For Gon to hurt him. For being a brat.

His cheeks are flushed from the shame and embarrassment, and from fear, a shallow, huffed breath leaving his lips.

His hair falls into his eyes, brushing against his cheek and sticking to his clammy skin.

Gon’s an idiot. Why hasn’t he said anything yet…?

Killua dares not to peek; he doesn’t want to see… Gon looked at him with such hatred. Not ever again. Not like back then… when Gon fell into despair, and he could do nothing-

His eyes flicker up for just a moment, and Gon is just staring at him, blinking owlishly. His eyes fall to the ground before that expression can morph. Gon takes a step forward, and Killua flinches, against his own will, unbeknownst to him.

It feels too hard to breathe, and then Gon’s fingers just brush against his cheek and tucks his hair behind his ear.

“Ki, are you okay?”

He stumbles back, dragging his arms up and playing with the white puffed sleeve of his shirt.

He keeps waiting, and it isn’t happening. Even though Gon keeps staring at him, he isn’t doing anything. It reminds him of how his brother would stare blankly, coldly… although Gon’s eyes are full of warmth… he’s scared.

It’s too warm in here; he doesn’t feel like he can breathe…

“Killua? Ki-!”

It’s warm.

“Killua? Are you okay?”

Gon’s voice sounds really close…

He doesn’t…

“Killua?!”

But Gon sounds worried.

His eyelids feel heavy, but he forces them open, long dark lashes fluttering open, the light making him want to shut them again.

“Ki?”

There it is again. Gon sounded worried about him… his deep voice rumbling in concern with lightness and honey Killua can’t stand.

He can’t stand it. When Gon does the opposite of what everyone has always done to him.

He’s kind to him.

And it hurts for some reason. Because it feels too nice.

“Ki…?”

Gon seems to breathe a sigh of relief while saying his name, and Killua blinks dumbfounded, realizing his feet are off the ground. His skin prickles again, but he doesn’t hate the feeling as much, his heartbeat picking up.

Gon must have scooped him off the ground before he fell… he doesn’t know where to put his hands, so he keeps them close to his chest, hoping that may stop his heart from beating out of his chest.

“Are you okay…?”

He should feel ashamed, but… it’s warm… and Gon’s arms are strong, but the hand around his shoulder and under his knees aren’t too bruising... and-

“…’m fine… I just…”

Why don’t you hate me? Gon, you moron.

“You kept staring at me… and-“

Killua inhales sharply.

“I- I thought maybe you hated me; I didn’t get you anything for your birthday…”

He didn’t know…

The stupid old man could’ve told him… he didn’t know what birthdays were like… and they never celebrated their whole journey… so now… and Gon looked so bright-eyed and excited, and…

“Killua, that’s not it.”

Gon laughs in the way he does when he gets nervous; it brings Killua right back, even if Gon’s voice is deeper now.

“I just… I was super happy you came! And-and you look really cute, and-!”

Huh…?

W-w-what did Gon just say…?

All the gears in his mind grind to a halt, and Killua glances up from Gon’s chest, staring wide-eyed. Maybe Gon was joking…

But Gon had that big dumb grin on his face, and was he blushing…?

No, no! Don’t be stupid!

“Ahh! I get it; shut up!”

He looks away, his own cheeks ablaze, twiddling and tugging at the bracelet on his wrist.

“I just…”

“Ki? Hey…”

Why do Gon’s words soothe all his worries…?

Gon starts to walk away, heading towards the main room, and Killua’s heart leaps up in his throat, and he throws his arms around Gon’s neck for some reason his heart gets, but his mind can’t comprehend.

“The only gift you ever need to give me is being here, oh! And maybe letting me hold you like this again! You’re so graceful and small, and it sorta feels like you belong right here!”

Gon, you idiot! Why would you say something like that!?

Killua can’t-

He buries his face into Gon’s chest, hoping it will make his face feel less like it’s on fire, and his heart will ease in its rapid beating as Gon laughs and smiles.

“H-h-how can you say something like that, you’re so embarrassing!”

And without a beat, Gon responds.

“Huh? But it’s true!”

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Ramblings and crazy theory time about GK chap 272 “Ipopte”

New chapter and I didn’t think I would feel so bad for what happens here but I do so sorry if I won’t deliver everything well but this chapter... it was really painful.

The sentence is a reference to Giovanni Falcone’s quote “Gli uomini passano, le idee restano. Restano le loro tensioni morali e continueranno a camminare sulle gambe di altri uomini.” (“Men pass, ideas remain. Their moral tensions live on and will continue walking on other men's legs.”).

Kiro, Boutarou and Ariko’s deaths weren’t useless, they sacrificed themselves to protect other lives. The shame is on those who killed them, not on them.

Anyway...

We start with a colour chapter that basically sums up Sugimoto and Asirpa’s first meeting as it’s the scene in which Asirpa helped Sugimoto to get up after they killed the bear.

In a way it tells us that things are coming to full circle.

We’ve started this way, now we’re really close to see how we’ll end.

The worst part is maybe to see how cute this image that started the chapter is, now that I know how tragic the chapter itself is. And the story might be going on the same track. Everything started so nice and optimistic… and now…

Anyway we begin with a flashback, the flashback of how, during the battle of Mukden, Kikuta and Ariko’s trench was bombed and they had to spend the whole night there before being found, talking each other to make sure they were alive, only a sliver of moon visible (chap 207).

For Kikuta that moment was a really important moment of bonding with Ariko, but we weren’t explained why. Now we’re about to be told about it.

We start the scene with Kikuta checking if Ariko is still alive, which Ariko confirms. They had bandaged their wounds and, apparently can’t move. Kikuta tells Ariko to talk so they’ll know they’re alive. Everything is fine. Trapped there, seriously wounded and forgotten or assumed death, in almost complete darkness with only a tiny sliver of moon visible… their situation is clearly scary.

Kikuta, the officer, realizes they need to talk. To tell each other they’re alive, to distract themselves, to comfort themselves by reminding each other they aren’t alone.

And, since he’s an officer, he asks Ariko to talk because that’s the best way he has to make sure the latter is alive and properly distracted. He’s willing to listen him whatever Ariko wants to say, even if he points out something upbeat would be nice (superior officers normally didn’t listen to soldiers talking about what they wanted).

Ariko says once back home he would like to practice making a Makiri. Kikuta knows what a Makiri is, an Ainu knife. He probably learnt it when they met Ariko’s father, Siromakur, who told them he was making a Makiri for his son.

Ariko explains for Ainu they’re important because girls will accept them as husband according to the craftsmanship of the one they give to them as a present. Kikuta thinks this is because Ariko is afraid to be turned down by a girl he likes.

Ariko explains that’s not the case, the Makiri will be for himself.

He explains some parents might teach in details how to make Makiri to their sons, but his own father thought Ariko could learn doing one just by watching him doing one. Ariko though admits he wasn’t interested in watching him.

The way this scene is structured is good. There are three panels. In one there’s Ariko, in the other there’s Kikuta, in the middle there’s Siromakur.

Unknown to Ariko both of them are thinking to Siromakur as he carved the Makiri. Noda places them in symmetrical position but Ariko’s eyes are looking away from the central panel, as if unable to look at his father as he admits he wasn’t interested in what he was trying to teach him. Kikuta instead seems to look straight at him, straight at the guilt he feels for that man’s death.

Ariko goes on explaining at that time he basically didn’t see any difference between Wajin and Ainu. He would fight who were to make fun of him even if he were an Ainu and he would help who were to need him even if he were a Wajin.

Ariko believed worrying about the Ainu's future is a burden, something he doesn’t care about. Basically he’s saying to him they’re all humans, there’s no Ainu and Wajin, but also that he believes he has no special ties with his traditions and culture and he’s not interested in carrying them in the future.

He probably would prefer to be just a ‘nihon-jin’ a Japanese, without divisions between Ainu and Wajin.

It would be beautiful if everyone could be just like Ariko, if we could respect each other without having to defend our identity and without seeing it being trampled upon or misrepresented, or appropriated, or condemned.

The world though, is not so nice, and sometimes you’ve to fight just for the right to... exist.

Yeah, the world is actually a terrible place.

Ariko doesn’t wish for a conflict between Wajin and Ainu… but the conflict exists and he can’t sit out or turn his eyes away from it… which doesn’t mean to take an extremist position, but just being aware and take a stance.

Still, maybe because when he talks with Kikuta he is a little older than how he looks in the flashback when he watches at his Ainu clothes and thinks the Ainu business is a pain, he is starting to understand the importance of his own tradition, of his own culture, of how sad it would be if it were to go completely lost.

Each culture is precious, when it gets erased is a loss for the whole humanity. We know this now, we clumsily try to protect them, but GK takes place in the past and few had this awareness.

Ariko still manages to realize how his father’s Makiri had a design passed down for generation. It’s a design that ties him to the past generations, to the history of his family. It’s part of his history but, in more simpler terms, it’s also part of what ties Ariko to his father. A line that travel from Ariko to the past of his ancestors, or from them to Ariko as Ariko believes his father wanted to pass it down to him as well... in the hope Ariko would pass it down too, tying past and future together.

Ariko’s father has probably realized Ariko at the time had little interest in Makiri making… but that the interest might come in the future. Siromakur accepts Ariko is young and wants to fit in the world he’s in, instead than just being concerned with the Ainu problems, but he seems to think by growing up Ariko might also grow to understand the importance of his past, of their past and traditions.

That’s why he was making for him a Makiri when Ariko became a soldier, because even if Ariko at the moment had no wish to learn how to make a Makiri, as long as he had a Makiri with himself, he would be always able to duplicate it should he wish to do so.

And, although I think he handled the whole gold thing very poorly, a side of me loves Siromakur as a father.

He accepts and respects his son’s wishes but, at the same time considers Ariko might grow to change his mind and doesn’t want for it to happen when it’s too late.

Ariko doesn’t want to learn to carve a knife now?

Fine, he’ll give him the means to learn to carve one when he will feel ready to do so. I think he genuinely wanted Ariko to learn. I think although he too didn’t want a conflict with the Wajin, he loved his culture and wanted to pass it down to Ariko… but still, he respected Ariko’s will and gave him space.

However Ariko admits his father didn’t make in time to end the Makiri but died while carving it. Siromakur was hoping Ariko would have time to learn through the Makiri he would make for him… but fate is a cruel master and died before finishing the knife.

His Makiri went missing too, so Ariko can’t replicate it and regrets it, regrets what he now has lost and can’t recover. With tears in his eyes he admits he should have watched his father more closely and it’s clear it’s not just about the Makiri that he won’t be able to duplicate.

That Makiri, the memories of him watching his father making one and teaching him, could have been something to whom he could latch now that his father wasn’t alive anymore. Ariko though wasted that time and now his father is dead and he’s left with nothing in his hands.

And his wish to learn to make a Makiri is an attempt to recover what he has lost, to reconnect with his father now that his father is no more. In chap 247 Ariko reminds him as a gentle man who never spoke much.

He can’t believe he was planning to buy weapons and he’s right. Siromakur wasn’t. He wanted to mediate. Maybe the fact Siromakur was silent made Ariko feel like his father was distant… but the fact he was gentle clearly told Ariko he cared.

And so we see this grown man crying because he lost his father… and his pain is real and easy to empathize.

As Kikuta doesn’t comment, Ariko asks him if he’s alive. Kikuta confirms he is and apologizes. Ariko reminds him to make a response once in a while if he’s alive. In answer Kikuta rests his hands on Ariko’s shoulder and apologizes.

He’s clearly not apologizing for having fallen silent but for having been what caused Ariko’s loss. Kikuta regretted Siromakur’s death and now he regrets it even more as he knows he’s responsible for Ariko’s pain. In a way I think Kikuta subconsciously grew so close to Ariko also due to this, it’s as if he wanted to ‘adopt him’ to make up for the loss he has caused him.

We’re back in the present and we’ve another page with a good panel structure.

On the top we see Kikuta, head down, likely still bothered by the situation. I’m pretty sure he can guess what Tsurumi is doing to Asirpa and he’s not liking it… but he’s not fighting it either. He regrets but doesn’t act because it wouldn’t be advantageous to him. Kikuta plays safe.

On the lower part of the page there’s Ariko, Ariko who instead is going to act, to fight. He’s more aware of his position now and he’s going to take a side, to take a risk. Now he’s letting the whole matter affect it. He has grown up and he’s aware he lives in a terrible world and he’s going to take a position and try to fight for the right cause… even if it might be disadvantageous to him. Ariko is going to take a risk.

In the middle the church where everything is taking place.

Ariko gets in the room as Tsurumi, who has heard the code from Asirpa, grabs the skins, tosses them on the ground and scans them quickly, trying to decode the code with Asirpa’s keyword.

Ariko approaches, his arrival surprising Tsukishima who’s still spying the scene.

Ariko claims he’s there to tell him the location of Hijikata’s hideout so they can attack it. Asirpa is surprised but Ariko is actually using that as an excuse to cut Asirpa’s rope with his Makiri. I wonder if that Makiri is the one who stayed unfinished or his father’s one.

Tsurumi easily sees through him and doesn’t even bother move.

Ariko crumbles, clearly afraid, he’s a honest person and a fail as an actor, points his gun at Tsurumi and demands for him to give them the tattooed skin. As Tsukishima takes his rifle, Asirpa finishes freeing herself.

Tsukishima and Koito comes in, weapons in hands, Tsukishima wounding Ariko. Asirpa frees Sofia even if Ariko hurries her to escape.

Sugimoto and Shiraishi, hearing the shoots, run toward the church with the bottle-mobile, Kikuta also runs there while Sofia grabs a bench and tosses it in Ariko and Tsukishima’s direction, causing the door to close. The bench then falls on Tsurumi but he’s so caught up he doesn’t care.

Sofia, Asirpa and Ariko runs out. Sugimoto doesn’t even stop but the trio tries to jump on the bottle-mobile as it’s running. Ariko raises Asirpa so that Shiraishi can help her to climb up, Sofia gets in Ariko… Ariko is shoot in the leg and falls.

Tsukishima and Koito are out. The bullet was clearly shoot by Tsukishima, I’m not sure if Koito also has shoot. Ariko shoots back but gets no one. Asirpa calls him but Ariko urges them to go without stopping. He knows he’s giving his life to help her, he knows he’s entrusting their future to her.

He has no hesitation as he tells her to go.

The bottle-mobile passes in front of Kikuta. Sugimoto and Kikuta see each other and confirm they’re really the vagrant boy and Kikuta-san.

As Sugimoto realizes so, his eyes seem bigger and they’re really clear and shiny. I wonder if the idea is that seeing Kikuta brings him back to a time in which he was younger and less jaded.

Kikuta then sees Ariko on the ground and moves toward him, asking him what’s going on.

Ariko is still on the ground and says his name as he sees him moving closer. Ariko knows Kikuta cares about him, he knows Kikuta wanted to save him. They had a bond in a way.

He trusts him, he doesn’t try to aim his weapon at him.

I don’t think he hopes Kikuta will save him though, I think he’s just sad... but at least he’s not alone...

... he’s not alone as Tsukishima is next to him and shoots him in the heart, killing him immediately.

I would like to think maybe Tsukishima did so because he thought Ariko would have tried shooting Kikuta... but it’s clear that wasn’t going to be the case. Ariko has made no attempt to aim at Kikuta.

Tsukishima is just mercilessly getting rid of Ariko, a man who dared to oppose to Tsurumi and his ‘oh so wonderful goal of salvation for those who bow his head to him’.

Kikuta is clearly shocked beyond belief. His eyes go all white, with no irises or pupils.

Asirpa calls Ariko’s Ainu name, the only name she has used for him, ‘Ipopte’. She’s shocked too although her pupils are really tiny dots.

We can’t see the face of who’s with her. Will Noda draw them in the volume version? Or is the idea she’s the only one who truly cared and suffers, suffers for the loss of a man, an Ainu like her, who gave his life to save her own?

I don’t know but still what Noda does is interesting because he shows Ariko, who believed Ainu and Wajin were no different, mourned terribly by both a Wajin and an Ainu.

There’s no difference in that moment between Kikuta and Asirpa. Both suffer for Ariko’s death. They’re the better world Ariko believed in where people is just people, not Wajin or Ainu but humans.

Sadly they aren’t the only ones in this world.

Tsukishima walks past Kikuta.

For the first time in the story, with the exclusion of the flashback with him and Igogusa/Harumi Chiyo, we can see there’s light in Tsukishima’s eyes.

His eyes aren’t anymore completely black, they’re shining, there’s light in them.

He has killed Ariko, but he’s no more Tsurumi’s mindless executor. He’s a believer now. He believes Tsurumi’s cause with all his heart and therefore Ariko’s death isn’t something to regret, but something he had to do in order to reach his goal.

He can go back to the church, leaving Ariko’s body under the rain.

In a past meta I wondered if Tsukishima would overcome his vice of Acedia and find salvation or not.

Well, this scene feels like an answer to it.

This new Tsukishima… now cares for his goal, but not for the people who’ll have to die for him to reach it. He won’t feel bad anymore, he’ll march on.

He likely now believes his place is with Tsurumi, not out of obligation but because he wants it.

He decided so and his decision gives him life. And, I think, this is Noda’s way to prepare us to when the Tiger’s curse will strike. Tsukishima is no more a victim of his own Acedia. He’s an active and willing participant. And I’m sad.

Because I knew the Tiger’s curse would befall on him but still I was hoping Tsukishima would… I don’t know, find a way to… get forgiven, that he would grow and manage to pull himself out of this situation and toward a better path and instead… he has grown but he also has decided this is what he wants. And this is maybe the saddest thing, that even if Tsukishima changed, even if he grew… well in the end not only it changed nothing but it made it worse.

Still, it makes sense it’s Tsukishima who kills Ariko, because both, in a way, didn’t want to take a position, Tsukishima blindly following Tsurumi even though he didn’t know if he were trustworthy, Ariko wishing he wouldn’t have to follow anyone.

In the end they both took a stance, Ariko decided he would help who’s in need of help, Asirpa, his people, Tsukishima decided to trample over those who would get in the ‘salvation’ Tsurumi claimed he would offer to those who would submit to him.

Ariko dies, but his sacrifice isn’t pointless. He died to do a good thing, to save someone, and by saving Asirpa he will allow others to live.

Tsukishima lives but I’m willing to bet nothing good will come for him or his cause by taking Ariko’s life, because really, nothing good can come from taking a life, especially if it was the life of a good man. Tsukishima can walk away with light in his eyes but, to me, it feels like with this act he has willingly killed what was good inside him. He’s killing the companions he believes Tsurumi would save who can see there’s no salvation in Tsurumi’s words. He’s self destroying his goal and he’s not even realizing him.

He comes to side with the worst of the world. Same as when he took part to the murder of Kiro but now worse. At this point… I don’t think there’s a chance of salvation for him, and while it’s sad because Tsukishima was a character I like… well, Tsukishima has done his choice. And it was the wrong one.

[cogentranting]

Tier Ranking All the Classics/”Literature” type Books I’ve Read

Or at least all the ones I remembered to include/didn’t arbitrarily decide to leave out. (Within each tier the books are not ranked)

Other books wish they had what these books have

(The best of the best. )

Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoevsky) A Tale of Two CIties (Charles Dickens)  Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) The Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien) The Chronicles of Narnia (CS Lewis)

Love it

Les Misérables (Victor Hugo)  East of Eden (John Steinbeck)- honestly I don’t remember much about it but I remember liking it a lot Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)  Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)  The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)  As I Lay Dying (William Faulkner)  Sense and Sensibility (Jane Austen)- but if I reread this might very well move up a category. Haven’t read it since I was like 11 Emma (Jane Austen) Catch-22 (Joseph Heller) The Hobbit (JRR Tolkien)  The Space Trilogy (CS Lewis) Til we Have Faces (CS Lewis) A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L'Engle)

It makes me think

(It’s not fun in the way you might think but it has really interesting ideas or elements that I enjoy engaging with) 

The Brothers Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoevsky) The Stranger (Albert Camus)  Night (Elie Wiesel)  Grendel (John Gardner)  The Sunflower (Simon Wiesenthal) Confessions (Augustine of Hippo)  The Man Who was Thursday (GK Chesterton)  Orthodoxy (GK Chesterton)

Good Vibes Only

(I don’t really remember it but I remember liking it)

Remains of the Day (Kazuo Ishiguro)  Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)  Hard Times (Charles Dickens)  Oliver Twist (Charles Dickens)  Persuasion (Jane Austen)  My Antonia (Willa Cather)

Really Enjoyable

Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats (T.S. Eliot)- It’s absurd and a delight.  To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) The Martian Chronicles (Ray Bradbury)  Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell)  Life of Pi (Yann Martel) War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy)  The Crucible (Arthur Miller)  Hamlet (William Shakespeare) The Color of Water (James McBride)  Beowulf A Separate Peace (John Knowles)- Also featuring not one but two movie adaptations of the “so bad they’re funny” variety Middlemarch (George Elliot)  White Fang (Jack London)- except the ending. Let White Fang stay wild.  Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)- they’re trash people doing terrible things and it’s a good time And Then There Were None (Agatha Christie) The Silmarillion (JRR Tolkien)

It’s good BUT

(I like it but there’s one glaring exception to that) 

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Victor Hugo) - Most of it is fun but also I’m pretty sure the one major plot point is very racist Gone with the Wind (Margaret Mitchell) 

yeah, it’s good

(I like it but not strongly)

The Jungle Book (Rudyard Kipling)  The Idiot (Fyodor Dostoevsky)  Macbeth (William Shakespeare)  The Possessed (Fyodor Dostoevsky) Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck) Moby Dick (Herman Melville)  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain) Paradise Lost (John Milton)  The Bean Trees (Barbara Kingsolver)- respect the fact that between when I read this as a high school freshman to when I read it as a student teacher, it worked its way up from “bleh) to be here The Three Musketeers (Alexandre Dumas)  The Hound of the Baskervilles (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) 

Sure

(I feel slightly more positive than neutral)

Animal Farm (George Orwell) Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck) The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne)  Medea (Euripides)  Antigone (Sophocles) The Odyssey (Homer) David Copperfield (Charles Dickens)  Player Piano (Kurt Vonnegut) 

That’s  definitely a book that exists and I have read

(I have no emotions regarding this book)

The Portrait of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde)  Tarzan of the Apes (Edgar Rice Burroughs)  The Sun Also Rises (Ernest Hemingway) Death of a Salesman (Arthur Miller)  Julius Caesar (William Shakespeare) Passing (Nella Larsen) Charlotte Temple (Susanna Rowson)  Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)- I’m going to be honest. That category title is an exaggeration. I read a children’s abridged version when I was like 8 and that’s it. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) 

Need to reread

(I feel like I missed something the first time through and would appreciate it more on reread) 

Beatrice and Virgil (Yann Martel)  Song of Solomon (Toni Morrison)- honestly though I think rereading would move it to “respect but don’t like”  A Midsummer Night’s Dream (William Shakespeare)  Canterbury Tales (Geoffrey Chaucer) 

I respect it, but I don’t like it

(I fully think that this is a quality book, but for some reason or another, I don’t like it) 

The Plot Against America (Phillip Roth)  The House on Mango Street (Sandra Cisneros) 100 Years of Solitude (Gabriel García Márquez) 

Bleh

Romeo and Juliet (William Shakespeare) The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)  The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka)

Bad Vibes Only

(I don’t remember this book but I remember I didn’t like it) 

Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad) A Portrait of the Artist as a Yong Man (James Joyce)  Rose in the Heart (Edna O’Brien)

Strong Dislike

1984 (George Orwell)- It could almost go into respect but don’t like, because I think the world he creates and the idea of it all is very well done. And the essay on NewSpeak is brilliant. But the book is boring and the characters are bad and I don’t really care if Winston gets tortured to death. The Man in the Iron Mask (Alexandre Dumas)- There’s a reason why at least one movie adaptation looked at the plot and went “nah we’ll just write our own”. The first one is basically a swashbuckling adventure and then this one was like “hey want to see the musketeers sad and old and what if they went on one final mission which is deeply misguided where they all fail and die. Does that sound fun?” If I’m remembering it correctly. 

“I can shoot the book physically but not conceptually and that makes me sad” 

(I hate this book so much you don’t understand)

The Catcher in the Rye (JD Salinger)- this category was made specifically this book in mind. 

[marnie1964]

tsurumi and sansa

tsurumi

favorite thing about them: he's clever, he's sinister, he's got flair for days, but really it's all about the military industrial child grooming complex. i love to watch him work people over

least favorite thing about them: noda's prettied him up a bit too much for my taste in recent chapters, i miss the vile corpse-man of early/middle gk

favorite line: his entire spiel about the importance of grooming teens to love you so that they're willing to kill for you on the battlefield. rock on rockstar!

brOTP: look, we all know it's not going to happen but the idea of tsurumi trying to transform ogata's rancid ass into a viable political candidate from behind the scenes is laugh out loud funny to me. 10/10 sitcom premise do a spinoff noda

OTP: tsurumi/wilk's tanned face skin (not wilk himself.)

nOTP: any of his men, tsurumi is a flirt but he doesn't put out. gaslight, girlboss, gaybait

random headcanon: i know he doesn't drink booze, so he seems like the sort of person who would drink glasses of milk as an adult

unpopular opinion: i don't really think tsurumi has an ultimate masterplan. maybe he did at some point, but now more than anything else i think he's just addicted to war, weapons, violence, and revenge the same way he's addicted to opium

song i associate with them: magic arrow - timber timbre

favorite picture of them: look how much fun he's having in the ball pit 💖

or, if ya gotta go from the manga proper:

sansa

favorite thing about them: quick wits, grit, and her decision to choose kindness in a place where nobody else does. 

least favorite thing about them: she dyed her naturally red hair, the traitor 

favorite line: nothing specific is coming to mind, i think it’s been too long lmao 

brOTP: sansa and arya are the reunion i’m most looking forward to, assuming grrm ever publishes another book

OTP: sansa/poison hairnet forever. i like both the whole lady-and-knight and beauty-and-the-beast thing so i could be into her with brienne or the hound if she weren’t a middle schooler 

nOTP: everyone. stay away from her. get a job. 

random headcanon: hoping and wishing and praying that she plays a role in offing littlefinger. he has to be the giant in the castle made of snow c’mon 

unpopular opinion: her beef with arya is not that deep. they’re siblings and also, like, 13 at the oldest. people are committing crimes against humanity on a massive scale so please have some perspective  

song i associate with them: champagne year - st. vincent 

favorite picture of them: this is the picture that got me into the series to begin with, so

[popipopipopopipopi]

Headcanons with some of the Golden Kamuy boys with rythm games

I really like rythm games (although I just play for fun, nothing serious lol) and I had this dumb idea a few days ago and I didn't have anywhere to write these headcanons so yea, I decided to post them. This is my first time writing about the gk characters, and also English is not my first language!! So please, forgive me if I do the characters a little bit ooc or commit a mistake with the grammar

Sugimoto Saichi

He's not the best but he's not the worst

Literally average and it's only good in arcade rythm games (except DDR, guitarfreak, beatmania... ) because he is physically uncapable of playing on a phone nor computer. Basically he's really bad in small screens

I'm so sorry sugi you're an average bitch ily regardless

He'd be good in rythm games with the mechanic of like, Hatsune Miku: Project Diva

Shiraishi Yoshitake

He'd be bad as fu- jk he'd be surprisingly good

He'd like arcade rythm games like beatmania bc he feels like a DJ and probs laughs like an idiot while playing it, also would probably like O. N. G. E. K. I bc of the anime girls and the cool stick thing

Apart from arcade games, he does play computer rythm games a lot, mostly OSU, Muse Dash (just for the anime girls lol) and maybe Love Live! Even though I think he wouldn't like playing on phone; he'd play on the subway or his way home just to not get bored???

He'd like the classics too, like PaRappa the rapper and Guitar Hero and i tell u 100% ASAP he sings along the music in PaRappa the rapper

He'd loooooove Friday Night Funkin' and probs loves to make stupid mods as well

Tanigaki Genjirou

,,,, ily bby boy but you do not have rythm in your body,,,,

Overall, he wouldn't like rythm games??? Like, he'd just play them if he went out with the boys™ to an arcade or sum. He'd also, as well as Sugimoto, cannot play on a phone screen or a pc because his fingers would be too big and will probably miss all the notes,,,,

It'd be so cute seeing him play bc he tries his hardest to concentrate but because of the flashy and fast colors he cannot focus on the actual notes and he'd press so hard the buttons he probably accidentally breaks them.

Constantly blushing like crazy because the other mfs are laughing at him or teasing him

He'd leave the arcade machine with tears in his eyes because he did horrible

Kiroranke

He thinks it's childish, but he'd gladly watch other people play

He'd think it's really satisfying when other people play good, if not, he'll just laugh of the person playing but will still encourage them

If you're in the boys™ group and you like rythm games, he'll tease you a lot by calling you a baby

Tsukishima Hajime

He doesn't like rythm games EXCEPT Taiko no tatsujin

He's bad in tons of rythm games but nobody, and I say, NOBODY, can beat him in Taiko no tatsujin

I don't know why he'd be good, but it brings me vibes that he'd KILL it

He has the Nintendo Switch version with an actual drum fight me

It was a secret of him, but he was forced to play it on the arcade and he wasn't gonna fool around, man. The entire group was perplexed when they saw him play

If you live with him, he'd hide the drum in his room and will only play it when you're out. He wouldn't like to disturb you with the drum and also, he wouldn't want you to see him play cause he'd be embarrassed

Ogata Hyakunosuke

.....I do not want to admit it but he'd be really good,,,,,,,,, in any kind lf rythm games,,,,,,

Like, he doesn't play them often cause he'd be into survival shooter games, but if someone dares him to play a rythm game after a few bucks you bet your ass he'll get the higher score

Bitch doesn't even blink while playing, he'd make it seem so easy and doesn't really even move that much

Brags a lot like the bastard he is

Sugimoto is jealous of him

Sorry if this one was too short,,, but if you want to suggest some more characters, please let me know!! I don't know if I'll do this regularly,,,, maybe if some idea comes into mind I'll probably write them here

Thanks for reading!!!

[yourlocalmoron]

Questions and commments I have for Riverdale:

Are the characters ever going to seek counseling/therapy in their adulthood?

Will we ever get a specific mental diagnosis for Cheryl and Betty, or?? Because I feel like Betty might have DID or something else if not more, but I am no psychologist, so please - for the love of whomever you believe in - don’t take my word as gospel. With Cheryl, I’d best guess histrionic, but again, I am no expert...just speculations based off observations and the way they approach/respond/react to situations.

Are all of the students returning as teachers? I really thought they’d all have unique and different jobs (and I mean no offense by that, I just genuinely assumed) outside of teaching—way separate from teaching, actually, except maybe Jug when it comes to writing

Why did they make the Gargoyle King human? I know Roberto never got the green light to fully cross Riverdale over with Sabrina, but they still seemed to have more mentions and guest appearances from the former within CAOS than the other way around? I’m just sayin’... GK was kind of a weird villain, we all know that, but with all the genres that Riverdale plays around with, I think it would’ve been nice to have a supernatural/paranormal-themed season, no? Just me? Kk.. (s3 is my favorite so far, because it’s weird and wild - and I got high for most of its viewing lmao - so I’m biased)

⬆️ I forgot about the fact that Jonathan played as Kurtz in Riverdale and then later as Robin in Sabrina ... and Bret’s actor in CAOS’ last season (wasn’t Donna’s in there, too?) so I mildly stand corrected

I think it would’ve been cool to see Riverdale cover the Be More Chill musical. Idk, with all the peer pressure and casual bullying/taunting/judgement that goes on amongst them peers (examples: joining or leaving/getting kicked out of gangs, being blackmailed into lying in court with the threat of leaking a tape of your brother getting shot, being outed against your consent, getting guilted for still being in the closet, “manning” up after being abused or getting into a bear fight - typical high school stuff), I think it could’ve been an interesting spin. And the cyanide could’ve been replaced with the pill or sumn. But I am content with the musicals they’ve done so far, don’t get me wrong.

Toni’s parents...? ... We ever gonna meet ‘em, or...?

What happened to Hermosa and Charles? Chic, even, or Evelyn? I really don’t remember if they ever explicitly said where these characters went. But I definitely remembered what happened to Edgar 🚀👱🏻‍♂️🔫

Is Hiram gonna try to kill Archie again? I’m sorry but the thought of that kinda makes me laugh, like this dude has been an ongoing villain for three seasons straight. He gets under my skin, and I’d argue that is what can make for a good villain, beloved or not

Did Archie give up Vegas? ‘Cause I haven’t seen that good boy in a while...

Are we ever going to meet Heather?

I just still find it kinda interesting and unique from season 1 that we never once heard Jason speak a line of dialogue, and that everything we ever got to know about him was told through the Blossoms or other students.

The Midnight Club is still one of the best episodes thus far, IMO, and one of my favorites. Maybe I’m just a sucker for nostalgia I wasn’t even alive at the time it came out, but it’s still fun to rewatch.

Why aren’t LGBTQ+ and POC characters utilized more - rather than tossed aside or left to disappear without a trace of goodbye - when there’s actually been a good handful of them per season? (ex.: Cheryl, Kevin, Joaquin, Josie, Chuck, Valerie, Melody, Sierra, Toni, Reggie, Peaches N Cream [I saw her in the recent episode, just for a second, with her cute done-up braids and all], Fangs, Moose, please forgive me if I forgot anyone; it’s been a while) And why do the POC especially end up being villanized up against the white, cishet characters? Like the entire Lodge family, for example..

Toni said her and Jughead were still good friends (when they all - but the core four - still thought he was dead), but I feel like I haven’t seen them interact ‘til Jug denied her title to being the Serpent Queen?

Is Toni going to be pregnant this season, or did they hide Vanessa’s baby bump 🤰🏽 with any random object or article of baggy clothing found onset?

So Reggie and Jughead just never interact after season 3? Kinda sucks ‘cause that’s a duo I’ve been hoping to see more of, but I won’t hold my breath just yet since it sounded like the show’s ongoing til 2022, last time I saw. It would just be cool to see more guy friendships; heck, even Fangs and Reggie would be a sick duo. I just think Reggie getting along with the Serpents - after half a season or more of just not liking or trusting them at all - could be pretty dang cool.

Where did Mad Dog go? I’m sorry, they might’ve said in the last season, but I don’t remember. I miss him either way :(

I just find it funny how Jughead and Veronica never talk about the one kiss they had lmfao. I would’ve loved to see how that convo would’ve gone down, since it’s safe to assume that at least Jug remembered afterward —who never gave Betty a straight answer on whether or not he enjoyed it (/laughs in jeronica crumbs that I’m sure I’ll never get again/)

Who taught Cheryl to talk the way she does? I love her, but— 💀

S1 Alice was so wildly conservative, like...miss ma’am, you’re talking about witchcraft and demons over there like you’ve had your experiences (outside of G&G).. 👀 No but didn’t the Blossoms have a demon in their family bloodline, according to CAOS? ‘Cause that’d make this make much more sense to me..

How many *more* of the Riverdale girls’ fathers could possibly be serial killers or criminals to varying degrees?

Edit: I guess that’s it! I don’t want to ask too much more, just wanna see what this season will entail ~v~

[dyde21]

Stolen Hearts

Since there was enough interest in this one, I thought I’d post it! I have a few more ideas kicking around about this AU, and if I choose to continue it someday there will definitely be the rest of the 7 introduced. For now, enjoy a brief snippet of it! Shoutout to @nerdee-gk for giving me the last push I needed to get it posted! Also on AO3.

XxXxXxXxX

Tying up his horse at the post outside, and giving it an apple, Percy approached the old wooden door. Even before he opened it, the sound of a band playing echoed out of it and cheers filled the air. It brought a smile to Percy’s face, already being swept away by the atmosphere. Pushing it open, it seemed this particular tavern was pretty popular. All the tables were filled, and only a few stools were left open.

Making his way through the floor, he kept his eyes peeled for anyone he recognized. It seems like he didn’t recognize anyone, which was probably a good thing all things considered.

Sitting down at the bar, he didn’t have to wait long until a lady approached him, a slight sway in her hips from the music echoing through the hall.

She stood bright and confident, her hair cut short on one side as raven bangs covered the other half of her face.

“What can I get ya?” She asked, giving him a welcoming smile like he was an old friend. It instantly set him at ease, and he nodded. “Just a pint of whatever is popular tonight.” She nodded, taking the coins he held out as she quickly began filling one for him. A moment later it was slid in front of him and he thanked her, but she was already off, helping serve someone else. Seemed she had her hands full, then again judging by the amount of gold changing hands, he figured they were doing quite well for themselves here.

Leaning back, he took a swig of the drink before letting out a content sigh. These were the times he lived for. Made all the adventuring seem worth it.

A sudden loud cheer erupted from the crowd, causing Percy to look over his shoulder. On the stage, a woman approached the center. She was wearing a flashy garb, a feather hung from her brown hair and she offered a bow.

Glancing back at the band, they paused, waiting for her lead.

Percy was never particularly fond of bards, but he paused when he heard her voice. It was downright enchanting. As she began to tell a story, Percy found himself lowering his mug as he listened. Her eyes darted around, from person to person, never lasting more than a second but it didn’t take long for her to have the entire tavern under her spell. The weird thing was Percy was pretty sure she wasn’t actually using magic, just a beautiful voice and alluring presence.

Eventually the song ended, and Percy couldn’t help but cheer for her with everyone else. No one could resist. She put most bards to shame.

Eventually another song started up, this one more light-hearted and a region favorite. She sang again, and soon more voices raised up in chorus. As some people began dancing, Percy suddenly saw the raven haired woman who had served him being lead out to the center of the room by another man. Judging by their expressions though, this wasn’t the first time they did this. Soon they were dancing together as the crowd erupted into even more cheers and the band played a little louder. Leaning back, Percy watched the pair with a smile and a hint of jealousy. Some part of him wished he’d find a partner like that to go along with him, but he knew his spirit was a little too free to settle down. He figured the only woman he could ever truly love was his mom.

Eventually the song wound down, and the pair closed it out with a kiss that earned an even bigger cheer as they went back to the bar. Pushing his empty mug a little farther forward, soon the woman returned to him, and he could see the faintest blush still on her face from their little performance.

“Not often you see the barmaids performing too.” He offered, figuring a friendly conversation would help him get information.

She just raised an eyebrow. “As one of the owners, I can do what I like.” She countered, though her tone was playful. She shrugged as she refilled his mug. “What can I say, I always loved bards and since Tyler and I settled down here, I’ve had plenty of time to learn from them.”

Percy nodded. “That bard was something else though, she visit often? She seemed popular.”

The woman shrugged. “Often enough. We’re a pretty popular bar and we worked out a good deal so she tends to pass by frequently.”

“I see you’re even better at dancing, Ashe.” A new voice cut in. Looking over, Percy saw the Aforementioned bard sitting next to him on the stool as she rested her chin on a palm, looking at the owner, Ashe.

“Only when given a good beat.”

“You should sing with me next time. I’ve heard you sing when it’s slow, you’re better than you give yourself credit for. You could make it as a bard.”

Ashe smiled, washing out a mug. “Unlike you, I don’t need to steal the hearts of everyone that hears me sing. I’ve found the one I want and I’m perfectly happy with it.” She said, glancing over at her earlier dance partner, who was chatting with some other adventurers, egging them on as two of the patrons were in the middle of a drinking contest.

He looked back over his shoulder, and saw his wife looking at him. He flashed her a smile and a wink.

Percy watched her let out a happy sigh, as she paused her cleaning out just look love struck for a moment.

The bard leaned over to him. “He never gave my music much of a thought, but he hangs off her songs like she’s a siren. One of my most popular ballads is actually about them.” She offered.

Percy laughed, before flinching when he noticed Ashe’s glare at the bard.

“If you like my singing, you should see my archery. I don’t miss.” She said, the threat hanging in the air causing the bard to freeze before looking up at her sheepishly. “It was just praise!”

“I know it’s pointless telling a bard, but keeping my business out of your gossip is a healthy choice for you, Piper.” She countered, making the girl nod. “I understand. Did I mention you’ll be getting a healthy tip tonight, the patrons have been generous to me.” She offered, and Ashe nodded satisfied.

Percy just nodded. “Now. Both of you ladies seem well informed, and I was hoping you could help me. I’ve heard there was a beast with a bounty that this city had been hunting for a while.”

Ashe nodded, pausing before going under the counter for a moment to pull out a piece of parchment. She slid it to him, which held a bunch of information.

“Aye, but I’d be careful. It’s not an easy target. A hydra from what I’ve heard. Not something to foolishly get yourself killed over.” She warned, giving him a pointed glare that made him realize she could probably figure out his type with a look. She wasn’t exactly wrong either.

“Sounds like you need a partner.” The bard said after a moment. “Piper.” She offered a hand.

Percy shook it but shrugged. “That may be, but I’m not sure music will soothe the savage beast this time. It’s a bit dangerous.”

Piper shrugged. “True, but I can do more than sing some pretty words.” She countered, stabbing a dagger into the table.

Percy was about to scoff when her hand began to blow, a faint magical aura dancing around her hand, going down the dagger and into the wood. When she removed the dagger, a small flower was blooming out of the wood. Plucking the flower, she handed it to Ashe was still looking mildly annoyed at her.

“Stop damaging my tavern for you tricks.”

Piper rolled her eyes. “You’re so cold to only me.”

Ashe shrugged. “That’s because I know you, you’re sweet talking doesn’t work on me.”

Piper scoffed. “Don’t I know that.” She muttered.

Ashe raised an eyebrow at her, but turned back to Percy. “Unfortunately I do have to admit that she is quite strong. I’ve seen her in action myself, her magic is nothing to scoff at and she’s pretty dangerous with a dagger too. She learned from one of the best.”

Percy looked at the bard with renewed interest.

“One of the best?”

“Me.”

A new voice chimed in behind him, making him jump.

Looking over he saw a cloaked female, sitting on the stool next to him, and he could have sworn she wasn’t there before.

“You?”

The woman pulled back her cloak, letting a blonde ponytail fall to her side. She gave him a playful smile.

“That’s a pretty big claim.” He countered.

“I’m pretty skilled, what can I say.”

Percy raised an eyebrow, until she dropped a bag on the counter. A coin purse. His coinpurse. He checked his side, and sure enough it was gone.

Normally he might have been more upset, but he was genuinely impressed.

The bard was snickering on the other side of him, and even the tavern owner was suppressing a smile.

“I told you not to steal in my Tavern.” She said, a legitimate warning underneath her mild teasing tone. The woman shrugged. “Not my fault Piper makes it so easy. She starts singing and everyone forgets the world.”

Piper just shrugged. “I’m not responsible for people getting careless. I’m just earning a little gold.”

All three patrons flinched at the sound of the mug hitting the bar hard, looking over Percy saw flames dancing up Ashe’s arm, as her eyes took on a red glow to them.

“I’m serious here. This tavern is a safe place. Fighting, stealing, and smuggling will not be tolerated here.”

Glancing over, Percy noticed Tyler make his way over to his wife, a sheathed sword in his hand which was currently emitting an icy mist. His expression was light, but his voice serious.

“Is there a problem over here, hun?”

Both of the women at his side tensed up.

“No.”

“Not at all.” They offered.

Ashe gave them each one more stern look, before the flames around her arm disappeared and she leaned over, kissing the cheek of her husband. “Not anymore dear, just proving a point. Thank you though.”

The man nodded, giving the group one last look before he stored the sword back under the counter and went back to serving a drink and immediately joking with some patrons.

The rogue next to him sighed. “You guys are no fun.”

Ashe shrugged. “You two are some of my favorite guests. But two guests won’t keep this tavern open, so I need to ensure people actually come back here. You can do whatever you want outside these walls, but here you’ll behave.” She finished.

Percy just sat back, mildly intimidated. It seemed everyone in this tavern was a bit strange, but he honestly loved it even more.

Percy reattached his purse, making it a little harder to steal this time as he glanced over at Piper. “If you think you can fight a Hydra safely, I suppose a companion would probably help.”

“Two companions.” The rogue cut in.

Turning his head, Percy glared at her. “No offense, but you just stole from me, and you expect me to take you into a dangerous battle and trust you won't just kill me or run off with my stuff the second I fall asleep?”

The girl shrugged. “I go where Piper goes, simple as that.”

Piper was fully amused by this point, now that the pressure wasn’t being applied to her by Ashe.

Percy took another sip of his drink, glancing at the blonde as he weighed his options.

“You’re really not that good at selling things. I’d rather just find other help at this rate.”

Surprisingly, the blonde scowled. For someone who seemed confident, he apparently hit a nerve of some sort.

Before he could worry about being attacked by a knife, Piper cut back in. “Hey, okay maybe we didn’t start out on the right foot. I’ll admit it.”

Reluctantly Percy turned his attention back to Piper, though he kept his attention focused on any sort of danger from behind.

“The truth is, we have had our eye on that hydra for a while, but we aren’t exactly front line fighters. We’ve been waiting for a chance to group up to hunt it.”

Percy couldn’t quite get a good read on her, but she seemed genuine at the moment. “And I fit the bill?”

Piper nodded, crossing her legs. “Tall, broad shoulders, sword at your side and a cocky smirk? You seem like the kind of front line we need.”

Resting her chin on her palm again, she smiled at him. “Plus I’m pretty good at reading people, and you seem trustworthy.”

“A trust-worthy merc? That’s a first.”

Piper shrugged. “You’re the first I’ve seen.”

Percy paused, taking another sip. He did like to think of himself as trustworthy, so she wasn’t exactly wrong. But he also didn’t like being figured out so easily.

He glanced back over his shoulder at the rogue who was looking off in the distance, fiddling with her knife distractedly.

“She may be a bit of a klepto, but I promise you she’s not a bad person. She’s just… independent. Doesn’t play well with others.” Piper offered.

The blonde turned back at her being brought to attention. She sheathed her knife and reached out a hand to Percy. “Athena.”

Percy shook her hand, raising an eyebrow. “Percy. Is that your real name?” He asked, already knowing the answer.

A smile crept on her face at that. “Does it need to be?”

Percy shrugged. “At least you admit it.”

The blonde smirked at him. “Make you a deal. We kill the hydra, and I’ll tell you my real name.”

He could tell it was a challenge, but his mom had always told him he was too competitive. “Deal.”

At his other side, Piper had pulled out her lute and was strumming a few chords.

“At once, the deal was struck~

Blonde and Raven shook,

A horrible beast was named,

Their future, a dangerous look.

So the party set off,

With little a coin, drink, or fame,

A challenge before them,

All for the prize, a name.”

Percy raised an eyebrow as Athena groaned. “Not another ballad.”

Piper just grinned at her. “This journey will make a mighty fine song, I feel. I still have a few songs left, so tomorrow we can set out.” Then, she stood up and made her way back to the stage as cheers broke out. She started singing a popular tune.

“Toss a coin to your hunter, oh valley of plenty.”

As the tavern started to pick up into another chorus of the song, Percy noticed the rogue had slipped away from his side at some point, but his purse was still safe this time.

Flagging down Ashe, he managed to purchase a room for the night.

After getting his horse to the stable and making sure it was set for the night, he made his way back up the stairs the row of rooms for rent, unlocking his door and settling his bags in there. He had been traveling a bit, so a nice tavern was a welcome change of pace from the forest floor.

Locking, and blocking his door for good measure, he pulled off his old armor and laid down in the bed to get comfy.

It seemed his instincts had been right, and he had found a good job here. He was still a little unsure of his companions, but for now he figured he could play along and see how things went. He wasn’t much of one for planning anyway.

XxXxXxXxX

Thank you for reading! I’ve had this kicking around my head for ages. Also cause I couldn’t pas up the oppertunity to throw in Ashe and Tyler cause I love my dorks. Feel free to ask any questions about MY OC’s or the AU if you’re interested! I may continue this, even though I want to do at least another diner!AU and more of my other longer running AU series.

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 59

I am so, so sorry for the delay on this week’s chapter. My hours at work have changed, and on top of it I had to make a 16 hour round trip in the car this past weekend.

The good news is, I have the next 4 days off from work, so I should be able to post on schedule going forward.  Shoutout to @charlylimph-blog and @baelpenrose for checking on me when I didn’t post Tuesday. Y’all are awesome.

I woke up to a faint smell, reminiscent of chili, and the whir of atmospheric scrubbers working overtime.  Groggily, I sat up and looked around, trying to find a clock that I slowly realized I didn’t own.  Instead of flicking open my datapad and scorching my eyes with the light of a thousand suns, I rose to stagger after the sound of laughter coming from my kitchen. I rubbed my eyes as I stepped into the light, only to be greeted by a wolf whistle and a simultaneous cry of dismay.

Still fighting off the blessed sleep of medication, I looked around and tried to reconcile the people in my kitchen with the faces I was expecting. A man too short to live there was standing with his back to me…That must be Alistair.  He’s early. Tyche, check.  Antoine, check plus bemused grin?  Woman with rich, dark skin and flashing white teeth, laughing…

“Xio? Where did you come from?” My nose scrunched in confusion.

“I’m going to say the same place you left your pants,” she teased.  “Nice legs.”

I glanced down and realized I was only clothed in one of Conor’s t-shirts. That explained the noise and why Alistair was very pointedly not looking at me.  Shrugging, I looked at my sister. “It covers more than some of the clothes people wear on the ship. Should I put on shorts, just in case?”

“Yes!” my assistant yelped. “That would be much preferred, Miss Reid.”

Tyche smirked as I tossed up my hands in resignation and went to assuage Alistair’s modesty.  When I returned, he was still bright red but at least facing me. Xiomara broke the silence. “Who are we still waiting on?”

“Conor and Maverick,” Antoine supplied. “Then we’ll make Maverick’s dinner while he’s in the shower and we can all eat.”

Comprehension dawned on her face. “That’s right… the food thing.  He doesn’t eat curry, I take it?”

I shook my head. “Not a huge fan, no. Sometimes he can handle vindaloo, but he’s been stressed, so we aren’t pushing it. Falafel and papadums for him.” I braced for some remark, but it never came.

“More for me,” she grinned, leaning on the counter to sneak a piece of meat before having her hand swatted away by Antoine.

“Conor eats enough to make up for it, believe me,” Tyche fake-grumbled, just as the men in question walked in.

“To make up for – oh! Curry night!” He gave a wide but exhausted smile as he waved Maverick toward the cleaning unit. “Your turn to go first, mate.” Maverick just nodded and dropped a kiss on each of our cheeks before retreating to wash off the dirt and sweat he was covered in. “Is this mine?” Conor murmured in my ear as he tugged the hem of my shirt.

“Shorts are Mav’s,” I pointed out. “I took a nap and woke up to find myself invaded.”

“You weren’t invaded,” Tyche argued. “We all arrived on time, but Grandma Kim said to let you sleep and that she would be checking when you woke up to make sure.  Before you get upset – “ she held up a hand to stop any objection I had, “it’s just a medical alert, and well within her job to set one.  She isn’t here to sic Lyric on any of us, so I’m guessing you got enough sleep for her.”

Antoine cleared his throat pointedly. “Not quite. She asked me to have you take another dose two hours after dinner.”

“Antoine…” I whined with utmost dignity. “You’re her boss. You can override her request, right?”

All vain hope was dashed by the flat look he levelled in my direction. Guess not.

“Another dose? Of what?”

My stomach sank as I remembered the sweaty Irishman currently draped around my shoulders. “Let’s wait until dinner, and I’ll tell you and Maverick first thing. I promise,” I turned my head to look in his eyes. “I just don’t want to repeat it, and it’s not fair for either of you to find out before the other.”

Eventually, everyone was washed and seated at the table. As I started to spoon some curry and lentils on my plate, Tyche cleared her throat and gave a pointed look.  Rolling my eyes and dropping my head back with a sigh, I snagged a papadum before speaking. “I got sent home from work today,” I started. “I fell asleep after several cups of Xiomara’s coffee, had a nightmare that left me screaming and hysterical. A medical scan showed that I have severe vitamin deficiency and exhaustion, so I was sent home to chug a vile concoction from GK and take a nap. Hence the pajamas.” I waved at myself in demonstration. “Noah wanted me to go to a medical bay for IV treatment and monitoring, but this was the compromise.”

“And if you aren’t better tomorrow, you’re going to the medical bay,” Maverick stated in a tone that most people used to explain that water makes things wet.

Conor apparently agreed, judging by the enthusiasm of his nod. “I encourage this and will do so – “

“Physically if necessary,” I finished for him. “Noah said the same thing. I was wondering where he got that from.”

“I got it from Antoine.”

The sound of three utensils being dropped was followed by deafening silence. Tyche, Xiomara, and I gaped at Antoine as he became very focused on the food in front of him. “This tastes of caprine… is that what it is meant to taste of?”

“Yes, it’s supposed to be goat, and don’t change the subject,” my sister grumbled. “Who did you threaten like that?”

“I am a nurse, Tyche!” he defended. “I say that quite often to recalcitrant patients, especially the elderly.  They do not like being treated for ailments – they think it means they are falling apart in their old age.  They often do not realize or understand that they will live longer if they simply get the treatment they need.”

“Speaking of falling apart,” Maverick interjected. “We finished testing on the samples from the failed swimming platforms.”

Xiomara leveled her fork like a weapon, first at Tyche and Antoine. “You? Hush.” She turned to a cringing Maverick. “You, speak. Now.”

“Yes ma’am,” he gulped around an unholy mouthful of falafel and ketchup. “The researchers tested samples from every individual piece of each platform. They were able to determine that the accelerated failure of the pieces was the cause of an iron-eating bacteria, not any flaw in the manufacturing or construction.”

She nodded at this news. “This is good. Keep going… what’s the bacteria and how do we rein it in?”

“Grey’s people don’t know the answer to either of those,” he answered apologetically.

“So, run it through the Ark’s database.”

“We did. Twice. Even then, it isn’t recognized.”

“Wait,” I stopped them both. “If they don’t know what it is, how do we know what it does?”

Maverick scowled at me like I asked a stupid question and should have known better. “They observed it eating the iron molecules in the metal.”

Okay, so I did ask a stupid question and should have known better. The scowl was fair, point to Maverick.

“Is there any danger to the ship as a whole?” Xiomara pressed on.

“They are trying to determine that now,” he admitted. “Only iron molecules are being… eaten? Processed? Whatever it is, only iron is affected.”

Seemingly satisfied, Xiomara nodded. “Sophia, please consider taking tomorrow to find out whatever is going on?”

My thoughts whirling at the conversational whiplash, I only shrugged. “It’s probably related to the gravity change. You know, increased anxiety, nightmares, all that.” I glanced at Antoine, hoping for confirmation.

Once again, my faith was misplaced. He shook his head, “Non. Gravity changes will cause increased anxiety, yes. But not the level of malnutrition you mentioned.  I am aware you eat regularly, if for no other reason than seeing you eat. There is no easily explained reason for you to be in such condition, and as such, I would like you to have tests done if I am not satisfied with your improvement by the end of the day tomorrow.”

“Do I have to?” I groaned. “I hate doctors… no offense, Antoine.”

“I am a nurse, so none taken.”

I felt a tapping on my left shoulder and turned to see Conor leaning across Maverick. “Sophie. Love. I know you hate it. But you wouldn’t let any of us just skive off going to the doctor if we were sick.” He pointed around the table, including Alistair and Xiomara. “If one of us so much as looked a bit droopy, you know you would task yourself with barking at our heels until we were checked out.”

“You did drag me to the medbay when I cut my hand,” Tyche pointed out.

“Annnnd you brought in Antoine when you realized I wasn’t eating,” Maverick chimed in.

Traitors, I thought petulantly.

Silent through all of dinner thus far, my assistant cleared his throat. “Sophia. From what I have seen just working with you, they have a point. If I, for instance, were exhibiting the signs you are showing, would you allow me to continue attending my daily responsibilities and trust that I was addressing the issue outside of my working hours?”

“Blast and BURN it all, why are you all being so logical?”

“Guilt trips don’t work,” Maverick pointed out. “You’ll convince yourself that you are doing the right thing for us all by hiding your symptoms.”

“And working harder just to prove you’re okay,” Conor chimed in.

“Mother henning people….” Xiomara trailed off lazily before flashing a smug grin at me.

“Et tu, Brute?” I begged. “Even you won’t let me work when I’m tired?”

“One,” she ticked off, holding up a finger. “You aren’t just tired, you are somehow malnourished, despite the fact that you are the most social eater I have ever met. Two, I have let you work when you were so-called tired. You literally passed out in my office on multiple occasions – “ She held up a hand when I tried to interrupt and plowed on. “Twice, it was mid-sentence.  Three, I’ll even go with you and have tests done on myself, just in case it’s something impacting everyone.”

“Wait – “ I sputtered. “That’s your negotiation? You’ll have tests done on you, and submit to treatment if needed, just to make me go? I’m not a child.”

“Then stop acting like one,” Tyche muttered, glaring at me and knowing full well I heard her.

As much as I wanted to fire back at her, something inside of me wilted. Tyche would never say I was being childish if it wasn’t true. We had literal screaming matches in the past because I was too adult as a teenager. “Fine,” I spat, ashamed. “I’ll go, the day after tomorrow, if I’m still not up to snuff.”

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[piduai]

that part when sugimoto kills jack the ripper and he says "rather than worrying about who gave birth to you, the important part is what you live for" is a nice allusion to ogata being all like: if i had present and loving parents i wouldnt've turned out so fucked up :/ like naaaah man i dont believe it, you would still be the same insane man you are, ogata had present grandparents who cared enough about him to feed him and take care of him when his mother couldnt, (and he liked his granny enough to not kill huci) but still poisoned them for no reason before going to the army. also killing your mother at cold blood at the age of 8 thinking your doing something good for her is not something a good and sane person would do im sorry. i wish he could find peace one day but as you said, he wouldnt recognize it even with a microscope, that man was broken from the start. sad

hmmm i don't know. sugimoto saying that to jack was immediately picked up as having a connection to ogata (not through sugimoto himself lol he's not aware of ogata's past, narratively speaking), and people being able to overcome natural circumstances and better themselves is certainly a theme in gk, or the opposite. look at usami. i'm fully convinced that usami and ogata are juxtaposed and are supposed to be each other's foils - they might be two peas in a pod, but their backgrounds are pretty much the opposite. usami had most stuff ogata lacked as a child yet he turned out the way he did. look at this, for example:

when i say that noda is a good writer, this is what i mean. it's the way he conveys information subtly and succinctly, his attention to detail and the cohesivity of the story. usami's parents were given exactly one page in the whole manga, but it conveyed quite a lot of information. they loved each other - enough to have four children despite being obviously low income, enough to flirt with each other in front of their children, who are welcoming of their display of affection, therefore it's obvious that they don't lack in affection from their parents either. it's a nice detail, an important one, and noda made sure we know. usami had exactly what ogata is convinced makes him defective - a loving family, a warm home, a happy childhood. yet usami still turned out not alright.

however... people are different and complex. two people can be brought up in identical circumstances, yet turn out nothing alike. human brains are incredibly complicated, any given event in a person's life can have a very long-lasting rippling effect and be a turning point. any given psychology course will dedicate a lot of time to developmental and child psychology and therapy is majorly focused on looking at the core of things and searching for it in early childhood. children are malleable because their brains are developing, but once a neuro connection is strongly established, it's quite hard to change later - not impossible, neuroplasticity is a thing, but hard, and requiring a conscious effort. humans are social animals, community is unimaginably important to us, connecting to others is arguably one of the core needs of a human being. we learn how to connect with others from the moment of our birth, and naturally the first-comers, the people who establish us as human by taking care of us and connecting with us are our primary care-givers - namely, our parents.

the truth is that since the child-parent bond is typically the first one in most humans' lives, the relationship between a child and their parents is tremendously important. the other truth is that if a child is not loved and not desired, it is guaranteed to fuck them up for the rest of their life. we need to be loved early on in our childhood in order to be able to create healthy connections with others later in life, it's a must for natural, lasting, positive relationships. a person rendered unable to form healthy bonds with others will still typically seek connection, except in their case they will do it in negative, (self-)destructive ways. which is exactly ogata's case.

when i think ogata i think tunnel vision. he's incredibly self-aware in some areas while being completely blind in others, his perception of himself and others is so wrapped in itself it gives him an emotional handicap and an utter inability to accurately asses his circumstances. i think he is absolutely correct in blaming the fact that he's defective and lacking something fundamental on his parents being the way they were. i do feel sympathy for both him and his mother. you're saying that his grandparents were good to him because they fed him, but don't forget their circumstances either. they were poor. poor enough to either sell their daughter into prostitution or just accept the fact, though i'm inclined to think that they sold her because it was commonplace to do that in order to cover debt and get rid of a hungry mouth. doesn't strike me as the most affectionate household. people keep pets and feed them, but they don't give their cats or dogs the kind of affection a child needs.

i do agree with you that there was obviously something very off about ogata from the very beginning. thing is, even with extremely mentally unstable parents, even with neglect, even with poverty, children rarely poison their mothers on purpose. sure his logic was simplistic and childish, he didn't do it out of malice or ill will, he even thought that he's doing it for her sake, but he still purposefully murdered her. people who aren't naturally missing a few screws don't do that, ogata was well past the age of not understanding why hurting others is wrong.

he's got plenty of traits that make him unlikeable as a person. he is petty, arrogant, self-absorbed, rude, selfish, treacherous, awkward, has poor social skills, berating, 0 charisma, a liar etc etc... these traits can be found aplenty in people who had happy childhoods too. would he still be an asshole if he had better circumstances? most probably. the difference is that he'd be much less likely to self-sabotage, wouldn't waste so much time on introspection, and wouldn't react to basic, human kindness with murder. at the end of the day he's a fictional character and not a real person, being the way he is is very deliberate and constructed, and if he were different or had a different life then he wouldn't be ogata.