#mo has been wondering when will he make an honest man out of him for YEARS

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Random QL Superlatives: 2024 Edition

Well I see @lurkingshan started the trend, so I better hop on

Most Heartbreaking Use of Weather: Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo

gif by @my-rose-tinted-glasses

I am going to be honest. Korea really fucking came for my throat with multiple shows that wielded weather as a weapon against my emotional state. But Hwang Da Seul absolutely wins the award for destruction of my very soul via snow. I swear to god every time it snowed in this fucking show I was losing my mind over the scene that played out before me. First it was doorways that crushed me (shout out to To My Star 2), and now it’s three snowflakes on Do Hoe’s cheek. 

Most Emotionally Charged Inanimate Object: Ossan no Pantsu ga Nandatte Ii Janai ka (aka No One Cares for an Old Man’s Underwear)

gif by @avorbl

Not a BL but one of the most important stories involving queerness of the year imo. When Makoto went back to that store to buy that wallet for Kakeru I kid you not I spontaneously erupted into tears. This was not the first nor the last time that this show made me bawl like a hungry newborn, but it for sure was one of the best indicators that Makoto was not only beginning to accept, but internalize and reshape his worldview to be more loving and accepting of difference. 

Most Realistic Fight Between a Lawyer and Henchmen: Doku Koi: Doku Mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (aka Love is Like a Poison)

gif by @conscbgb

Step aside Matthew Murdock! There’s a new lawyer in town and he absolutely cannot fight for shit! Honestly an iconic moment in this show to see Shiba Ryo take an offensive stance and then immediately get his ass beat in to the ground because he’s a fucking lawyer, not a goddamn superhero. Also it gives Haruta a wonderful little opportunity to show off his skills and to save his loser boyfriend who loves him. 

Most Important Hand Flex Since Pride and Prejudice (2005): The Trainee 

gif by @namtanlovesfilm

HELLO! I THINK WE MOVED PAST JANE’S DESK GRAB A LITTLE TOO QUICKLY! Seriously, not only was it a great hand scene in general (which you know I live for) but it was also a quick and easy way to demonstrate 1) Jane has feelings for Ryan and is trying to hold back and 2) Jane understands the inherent power imbalance between him as an AD and Ryan’s boss and Ryan as an intern. Zero points for Judy.  

Best Creepy Smile: Dead Friend Forever

gif by @lilitblaukatz

HI HELLO I’M ALREADY YELLING AGAIN! BARCODE! BARCODE TINNASIT! As disappointed as I was with the way DFF ended, I was blown out of the fucking water by Barcode’s performance as Non. From KinnPorsche to here that boy has grown astronomically as both an actor and singer, and I’m really proud of him. He had to navigate a lot of different emotional centers with some incredibly terrible things happening to his character. He was able to make Non extremely sympathetic and also creepy as hell! Be On Cloud lost out big time with Barcode leaving the company. 

Best Use of a Dildo: Knock Knock Boys

gif by @pharawee

Honestly for all the BLs that include sex, we rarely get the acknowledgement that sex toys exist, much less the actual usage of said sex toys. I loved that Almond visited a sex shop, purchased a dildo, and that we got to watch a scene of him attempting to use it. This show was honestly the biggest surprise of the year for me in terms of enjoyment. I wasn’t even really interested in this show but love Seng and wanted to support his work and then this was absolutely delightful and honestly Almond and Latte stole the show for me. Good job boys!

Best Distinction Between Reality and Fiction: BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashta: Crank Up Hen! (aka I Became the Main Role of a BL Drama)

gif by @itagakimizuki

Full offense to a particular corner of fan culture, the way that the boundaries between real life and fiction have been known to blend when it comes to emotional bonds between fans and famous people can be very toxic and genuinely dangerous to the health and safety of everyone involved. It is difficult for me to think of a show that made me laugh as hard, as loudly, or as often as I Became the Main Role of a BL Drama did, and yet it included one of the most innocuous but brilliant lines of the year when Akafuji realized that his feelings for Aoyanagi were Real and that he could not have those feelings and continue to think of himself as Aoyanagi’s fan. Iconic. 

Best Use of Subtle Foreshadowing: Love for Love’s Sake 

gif by @my-rose-tinted-glasses

Shout out to the sound of water, shout out to some of the opening visuals, shout out to red rimmed eyes, and video game malfunctions that increased as time went on, and shout out to Tae Myung Ha being absolutely drenched after running through the school. Not only were the performances commendable throughout but the story itself was phenomenally supported by hair and makeup, sound, and special effects. I beg you all never to forget the importance of those that work behind the scenes, because goddamn did so much of this show suddenly get darker with context.  

Best Backing Track to Hear Over My Tears: Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna (aka She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat)

Kasuga sitting alone in the darkness of her own car, calling her father and officially, permanently severing ties with her father because she has found her strength thanks to the people she currently has in her life was such a highlight of this year. And of course they really drive the stake through my heart by lifting that entire scene up by having Kasuga walk out of the lonely dark and into warm companionship with fucking ‘Chosen Family’ by Rina Sawayama and Elton John playing in the background. WHAT A PERFECT SONG CHOICE! I am about to cry just thinking about it. Also, I definitely totally did not pause in the middle of typing up this post just to rewatch that scene…I don’t know what you’re talking about….

Best Use of Catholicism: Marahuyo Project 

God. This show struck an incredible number of layers when it gave us Archie. The way his grief and his fear and his internalized homophobia caused him to say and do some truly vile, harmful shit to the queer kids on the island was so heartbreaking and real. I have not really gotten the image of Archie’s neck where he’s been scratching at the rosary out of my fucking head since I watched it. This show was beautiful, and brilliant, and full of light and life, and pain, and it included an intersex character which is only the second of the 180+ shows I’ve watched out of Thailand, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and the Phillipines to have done so. 

Best Use of Internal Screaming: Cherry Magic Thailand

gif by @zhouxiangs

(AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH)

Best 'Mark Me Down as Scared and Horny' Face: Unknown

Wei Qian was not prepared for the fact that sending Zhi Yuan to the United States only made Zhi Yuan stronger. I want to acknowledge that this show had a chokehold on me almost all the way through the end for being rather heavy, but that I was especially impressed with Modi's performance as Wei Qian. And it must be said that the look of panic in his eyes when Zhi Yuan feeds him the congee is comedy gold.

Gayest Little Run: Love in the Big City

(could not find any gifs of Go Yeong running in the park so please enjoy this lovely gif by @taeminie )

Again this is not a BL but the way my tumblr community has engaged with this book and this show is one of my favorite parts of the entire year and this is still a really important piece of queer media. I really hope Nam Yoon Su wins all the fucking awards for his performance as Go Yeong. He breathed so much life and texture into that character and it was a joy to watch him take this wonderfully difficult and complicated character on such a beautiful emotional journey. Also he fully committed to the gay little run and that alone is award worthy. 

__ Shout out to all the thoughtful, intentional, and beautiful queer shows that got made this year. Please tag me in other superlatives if they get made, I want to see what people loved or connected to in the show offerings this year. Love you, family <3

@bengiyo asked to be tagged in superlatives.

[hazbinhotel-bitch]

He Knows: Alastor x (Name)

(Name) had a few more times after being confronted by Alastor. She was a little surprised he knew who she was, but she knew he had many connections and probably sent out his shadows to keep an eye on every Overlord and probably noticed a reoccurring face. (Name) was glad that Alastor let her continue with her research to see if it was worth writing about. But with the few visits she made she started to like their company, there was a certain pull about the sinners that resided in the Hotel.

(Name) was by the bar talking with Husk and Angel-Dust. They were all chatting and laughing as (Name) was telling them of her times as a human. Granted she did have to look back at her journal that she kept a page entry of memorable memories of her life. She kept a few of her happily memories as a human where she would bring up in conversations from time to time.

"So picture this; it's late at night. I was a young woman dressing like a young man but if I'm being honest I looked like little boy, but I was trying to get into a pub that lead to an underground fight club. So when they kicked me out from the front door I decided to get in through the back, luckily for me knew the building layout so I was able to break into a home that had a connecting basement." she explained "But because of the two Basements were connected I though it'd be easy but, it turned out this place was connected through several other building and I ended up getting lost."

Angel just laughed at the misfortune she had and called her a stupid bitch which she took no offence. She was pretty young at the time she was only in her early 20s at the time so she thought she knew everything. But in the end she published her experience in the underground tunnels and that many building basements that connected intricately with one another. She went on to talk about how if she stayed longer she was afraid she would find the underground people who live in the swerves. In the end of anecdote she compared the idea of meeting the underground cavillation is no different to hell itself and the people inhabiting the place. Through out this Alastor was listening from a distance with an arched brow, he kept his smile up as he let his intellectual mind wonder.

She certainly has a way with her story telling... and she does seem to captivate people with her charms.

Alastor thought as he watched her with a slight curious gaze. In no means did he think he was lacking in his work with the broadcast she's had for years, but in the seven year hiatus he took notice that no many sinners cared he had left or when he came back, aside from Vox the demon with the TV head who was pissed that Alastor decided to come back to the limelight. But Alastor had been keeping tabs a fairly known writer under the name of Siege, a couple of decade after he arrived he noticed paper article titled "Siege's Scandal Sheets" where it would be highly detailed of very sensitive subjects on many Overlords and even those from Ars Goetia and the Seven Deadly Sins. The Radio demon was rather impressed but wary but soon caught on that the scandal sheets has started to slow down since (Name) made an appearance near the Hazbin hotel. It wasn't long until he realized (Name) was the cunning writer, Siege from the scandal sheets of hell.

Alastor was debating whether to use (Name) to his advantages and have her work for him to get him more stories of hell to get his listenership up again, and who better than the infamous Siege of the scandal sheets.

"Ah My dear (Name)" Alastor finally said making his way to the trio of sinners "What a lovey anecdote"

(Name) sighed with a smile still recalling her time as a young human journalist doing whatever she could to get the biggest story with freedom.

"I was curious my dear. If you were journalist in your human life, what are you doing here in hell of an occupation?" Alastor asked with a smile.

(Name) didn't trust his interest. When she started showing up more and more Alastor either avoided her like she was a fly on a wall or if she started to try and get some kind of information he would belittle her simply offer her a deal of an exchange of secrets which she refused. But this was new. He was asking her of her occupation in hell.

Does he know? Surly he know... he's one a very intelligent and cunning man. There's no way he doesn't know who I am... or maybe I'm looking too much into it. Maybe he is wondering why I am here all the time... that has to be the reason he is asking me.

(Name) thought to herself in her inner monologue moment in her mind as she simply stared at Alastor. From the outside it looked like she was simply taking in his features, as if she were to paint his face on a canvas and she was simply as admiring. But she smirked when she noticed his smile twitch in annoyance along with his eye as he waited for her answer.

"I've had a few odd jobs here and there, but Journalism doesn't really work well here in hell. Velvette is the main dominator when it come to news here in Hell" (Name) mentioned with a shrug.

"Perhaps... but Velvette never facts checks her news, which makes her unreliable. Feeble gossip and nothing more" Alastor mused out "But~"

His voice was like a sing song tone. (Name) could feel her heart race as he drew closer to her as his smile seemed far more sinister now.

"There is one person the people of hell wait for" he was close to her face before he straightened up with pride as he looked down at her "Aside from myself that is"

"And who is that Mr. Radio demon" she scoffed trying to keep her tone aloof like her expression.

"Siege of the Scandal Sheets"

------------ ------------

Previous Chapter: Here Next Chapter: Here

[xn3city]

And finally: the one I've been waiting for, the young man whose face leapt into my mind's eye when I read @romanceyourdemons's wonderful idea about SVSSS as an American nineties TV series and led me to draw all this, your blorbo and mine: Winter Mississippi, and the useless fake silver crucifix his adoptive mother gave him.

And yes, his cutie mark is an inverted cross. He's a demon!

Notes on the supporting cast:

Pablo Escobar was still kicking around in the early nineties, and I knew I wanted the Heavenly Demons to be narcos, in conflict with the USA armed force cultivators. Huan Hua Palace's shady vibe works especially well with the CIA.

"Old Palace Master" is actually a great spy handler codename, but I was not about to give a black character a boss called "Master." I mean, you could do it in a fic. I can think of three authors just off the top of my head who I would trust to sensitively explore the hideous resonance that would give to the way Su Xiyan was abused and exploited by the OPM. But I'm not a good writer with a lot of prose to work with, I'm just a mid artist with one panel and most of it is taken up by a horny joke. I just said no.

My favorite joke in this whole thing is that the Heavenly Demons are named Jesus and Lover-of-God.

Tried to capture that devoted gege-spitting wet cat dynamic between YQY and the Original Goods.

Shen Yuan pre-novel is such a cipher. I understand that the general consensus is that he died at about around 20, but…that's not the impression I got when I read SVSSS, actually. I get it now, but when he says something about not having gotten laid for twenty years: to be honest, I read that, and assumed he was, you know, 35 minimum, and having the mother of all dry spells.

And I think it makes the story better. A twenty year old wasting his time in his mom's basement reading crap webnovels and yelling on the forums: that's just a kid having a less than maximally productive gap year! He might well have had a stellar career of his own in real life eventually! It's not super surprising that he blossomed on Qing Jing Peak! But a thirty-five year old incel NEET angrily posting in that basement….that's a man who has had something go wrong in his life. I'm not saying you can't turn it around at thirty-five, you absolutely can, but I tell you: it's harder. Something is wrong, mentally or physically or both, and in a way that leaves a mark. Fifteen years are gone. Opportunites have passed that will not return. For that guy to be handed the responsibility of Shen Qingqiu's life, and do such a goddamn virtuoso job of turning it around: that is some bestselling-loveseat-level portrayal of how a different context could pull radically different capabilities out of a person. That makes SVSSS just as much about how the PIDW!world transformed Shen Yuan, and for the better, as it is about how Shen Yuan transformed Luo Binghe and his world. And that's a better story.

It does make the relationship age gap more disturbing - but if you weren't here for disturbing relationships, what are you doing reading SVSSS?

The cell phones are of course terribly anachronistic, but here's the thing - there is no equivalent, and there's no story without it. There is no Peerless Cucumber yelling at the frustrated PIDW author for hacking out the 6000th boring papapa scene, without creators being financially dependent on direct contact and support from their fans in a way that just didn't exist in the nineties. I remember how novel and exciting it was that J. Michael Straczynski hung out on rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5; he absolutely did not have to. Eventually I decided that The Demon Heart of Winter Mississippi was, somehow, a nineties TV show about the 2010s, and everyone could have their phones. You know Minnie Liu is writing RPF on hers.

In case any of these weren't clear:

Demon Heart = Xin Mo Winter Mississippi = Luo Binghe (from @romanceyourdemons) "Don" Teófilo Lanza = Tianlang-Jun Chucho Lanza = Zhuzhi-Lang Sue Sheehan = Su Xiyan Codename: OPM = Old Palace Master Saul Czerniak = Shang Qinghua Wally Shen = Shen Yuan/Shen Qingqiu Julius Shen = Shen Jiu/Shen Qingqiu Adam Montague = Yue Qingyuan Helmut von Nordwüste = Mobei-Jun (from @romanceyourdemons) Shelley Howe = Sha Hualing Minnie Liu = Liu Mingyan Max Liu = Liu Qingge Néné Young = Ning Yingying Michael Ventola = Ming Fan

Fun game: guess whose likenesses I used for reference for all these characters!

[bumblepony]

I am so excited you are taking prompts! I am loving your ficlets on ao3. I was wondering if you could write about Tommy falling back into little brother habits when Joel and ellie come back to Jackson. Being all up in his brother's space, borrowing his clothes, saying he isn't hungry but eating off Joel's plate. (My sister used to do that to me all the time.) Ellie is surprised and Maria is aghast by the rudness. Joel just rolls his eyes and says he's always been like this. Just more Miller brothers!

OMG, @luna-tic-bat, this request got away from me. I hope you like it, though! Story under the cut and Cross-posted at AO3

You Keep Goin' for Family

"Joel, isn't that your shirt?" Ellie asks, pointing to Tommy across the street, working with John to dig a fence post.

"Sure looks like it, don't it?" Joel says. He squints for a moment more, then shakes his head.

"Aren't you going to say something to him?" Ellie huffs her hands on her hips as she stares Tommy down.

Joel waves it off and keeps walking. Ellie eventually lets up her stare and scrambles after him.

---

It's lunchtime, and Joel's got little Mateo on his lap, he's playing a rousing game of peekaboo when Tommy sidles up to the table and grabs the apple off of Joel's plate.

"Tomas Isaac Miller, what's wrong with the apple on your plate?" Joel says from behind his hands Mateo giggles and wiggles with glee.

"Ain't as shiny as yours," Tommy says, taking a giant bite. He makes a sour face and then places it back on Joel's plate.

"Hey, now. What is this all about?" Joel says, waving to the now-wasted apple.

"Didn't taste so good. I'm gonna stick with mine," Tommy says with a shrug and a wave as he wanders off again, chowing down on his own apple. Joel sucks his teeth in exasperation but goes back to playing with Mateo, who desperately grabs at Joel's hands, trying to make him put them up back at his face. Joel chuckles and obliges him getting a quick laugh and squill when he pops out again from behind them.

"Joel, why do you let him do that?" Maria says, staring off disapprovingly at her husband's back.

"Aint nothing, really. I'm used to it, he used to pull this shit with me all the time when we was kids." Joel answers, turning Mateo around to face the table so he can play with the little block set out for him, now that he seems to be bored with peekaboo.

"Well, I get that, but he's a grown man now," Maria moves some of the blocks around, and Mateo angrily moves them back to where they were. Joel and Maria both laugh at his little face as he glares at her.

"I'll be honest with ya, Maria, I'm just happy I still got him around to give me shit. There was a time I never thought I'd have this again." Joel's face darkens for a moment, and Maria reaches out and places her hand on his. Joel looks up to her, his brows furrowed, his mouth pulled down. "I won't make excuses. I was a right idy-jit after... outbreak day. But I did what I thought I needed to do to keep Tommy and myself alive, but it weren't enough, and I know that now. Tommy did the right thing leavin' me. I'm just sorry it took me so damn long to get my act together so we could have this again." 

Joel pats Maria's hand when she gives him a gentle squeeze, and some of the pain drains from his face when Mateo babbles loudly about the tower he built. "That's mighty fine work, little buddy." He says, lowering his head so he can leave a soft kiss on the crown of Mateo's head. "I'll put up with all his stupid shit if it means I got my little brother back again." He gives Maria a stern eye and continues, "But don't you tell him that, don't need that boy getting a bigger head than he already has."

Maria laughs and puts her hands up in agreement. "You'll have no argument from me there, I promise I won't say anything to him." She leans forward and whisper talks to Mateo. "Though your daddy might end up needing to be a little nicer to his big brother when he finds out that you're gonna have a brother or sister to play with, in about 7 months, and he needs someone to help babysit."

Joel looks down at her, his eyes wide, and she smiles a wicked little grin. "Though you might like to have a little something to hold over him in repayment." She says, a twinkle in her eye.

"Damn women, you are downright evil, but thank ya, and congratulations," Joel says, matching her smile.

"Well, you better use that info today; otherwise, I'm telling him myself tonight," Maria says, taking Mateo from Joel as he gathers their trays.

"Don't you worry none Maria, I plan to," Joel laughs.

---

The opportunity presents itself almost as soon as they leave the dining hall when Tommy's suddenly right next to him, throwing his arm around Joel's shoulder.

"So, big brother, when are you gonna ask that nice Miss. Molly out for a date?" Tommy asks, a shit-eating grin on his face "I heard she gave you a pie for the work you did for her on her porch the other day."

"My love life ain't any of your business," Joel grouses, shoving Tommy out of his personal space.

"Hey, now I just wanna know when it is I can expect to welcome a new member to the Miller family. Can't be all on your own forever," Tommy says.

"I ain't alone I got Ellie, and she's more than enough trouble for me, thank you, and I don't need to worry about adding members to the Miller family when you're doing a fine job all on your own," Joel says. 

Tommy stops, his eyes squinting at him in confusion. "What do ya mean by that?"

"I don't know, baby brother, it's you who can't manage to keep his hands to himself and keeps knocking up your wife," Joel smirks as Tommy goes pale and starts to bluster and stammer, Maria and Joel stopping to turn to him.

"What... what... I-I don't... Maria? Am I  gonna be a daddy again?" He looks to her, his eyes large. "And did ya tell my brother before you told me?"

"Yes, you are, and yes, I did, maybe next time you won't be so focused on teasing your brother to forget that I told you I had something I wanted to tell you at lunch," Maria says, one hand on her hip the other one holding Mateo up.

Tommy hangs his head like a whipped dog and scuffs his boot on the ground. "I'm sorry, darlin' I remember you sayin' that now this mornin'."

"It did, but it's okay. Can you come over here and kiss me already?" She holds out her hand to him, palm up.

"Always mi amor." He says. Joel steps in fast to grab Mateo before Tommy takes Maria into his arms and spins her around, laughing and kissing her at the same time.

"What the hell is going on here?" Ellie says, scooting under Joel's free arm to tuck herself right against his side.

"I just found out you're gonna have another little cousin to drive you crazy in some months' time," Tommy says, holding Maria close to him.

Ellie reddens at the use of the word cousin in relation to her but hides it in typical Ellie fashion "Ewww, you guys, can't you stop like procreating or something? Every time you do, I have to think about the fact that you guys did like the horizontal mambo."

Joel guffaws in surprise as both Tommy and Maria chuff out laughs as well. "Damn girl, you don't pull no punches. Well, you're just gonna have to deal with it because I kinda like the idea of havin' a nice big family, and If I can't count on my big brother to add any more members to the family, then it's just gonna have to be me and Maria" Tommy says waggling his eyebrows.

Maria indignantly slaps him on the shoulder and says, "Oh no, you don't, I ain't anyone's broodmare. This is the last Miller you are getting out of me, mister."

Tommy throws up his hands in surrender, and Maria kisses him tenderly. Joel smiles at them and thinks again how happy he is to have his little brother back. He'll deal with his shit any day if he can have this too. 

"You know, it would be nice if you would be a little more careful with my shit, though," Joel says, nodding his head at the rip in the shirt Tommy is wearing that is very much his.

"I don't know what you're talkin' bout, Joel, this rip was here when I stole the shirt from ya." Tommy's eyes twinkle with delight.

"Ripped my ass," Joel says and cuffs Tommy on the back of his head.

[queenmiarys]

The Royal Romance none Royal

Mini series: through hell and back

Face claims: Elyse Dufour as Olivia Nevrakis, Steven Strait as Anton Severus

Synopsis: Olivia falls in love with a successful businessman, everything not  as perfect it seems. 

Pairing: Olivia and Anton for now.

Rated M 

Warning: some chapters will contain domestic violence, Emotional abuse, NSFW (lemon) , 18+ Only

Most characters belong to Pixelberry , Amelia Rys, Juliana Beaumont belong to me.

Song inspiration : hell and back. 

Part 1: First impressions

It  was 5 am. Olivia hit her alarm and jumped out of bed "Ki,  are you going to work out with me today?"

"OMG, Liv really it's 5am." She says barely woke good, she barely opened one eye to check her phone 

"It's the best time." Olivia said. 

Kiara turned back over and covered her head with her blanket. "Get up ki, you've been begging me to start helping you to get in better shape,  so get  your lazy butt up, I'll give you 5 seconds.

"Oh God really Liv?"

I have my ice cold water ready, don't make me use it."

They got to  Piedmont park, and worked out for a good hour.

"Can we please go home?"

"Come on ki, to look this good you gotta put in effort, besides I know you have your eyes on a certain someone." She said with a wink. 

"Hmmm and who is this someone?"

"Really ki, don't think I haven't noticed your eyeing our new neighbor across the hall from us, I saw you checking her out."

Kiara rolled her eyes."I'm not even sure if I'm into girls or just sick of men."

"Ki, you'll figure it out you're only 20 in a few months, how about one more lap around and I'll treat us to a non fat Latte."

"You should start with a latte, but I need food,  that blueberry smoothie gone."

As they came around the last lap,Kiara noticed a man sitting watching them "Liv, I believe one of us has an admirer."

The man noticed they caught him staring, he placed his glasses on and walked over. "Hello beautiful ladies, sorry for just staring at you it's just rare to see someone so natural these days.

"I'm Kiara and this is Olivia." Olivia nudge her side, giving her an annoyed look.

"Well it's nice to meet you Olivia." He said as he brushed his lips across the back of her hand. "I know you don't know me but I would love it if you had dinner with me sometime, here's my number if you need some time to think about it."

"Ki, come on let's go." 

Once they made it to Olivia's car Kiara looked at her in disbelief. "Really Liv, you haven't been out in almost 3 years, look I know you loved or still love Drake, but just giving up is not the answer, you are only 20, and that guy is totally handsome and into you, at least consider it you deserve one night to be treated like a queen."

. 

Later in the week. 

Liv placed the paper with Anton's number on top of her desk, asking herself should she actually give him a chance. It was now Thursday and it had been 4 days.

She picked up the paper, staring at it for a while before finally deciding to call him. 

"You reached Anton, sorry I've missed your call, please leave a short detailed message at the tone and I'll return your call as soon as possible, And as always have a wonderful day." 

She hung up, and laid across her bed. 

3 Hours later. Olivia was half asleep when she heard her phone go off, Good Afternoon this Anton with tech support. How may I help you today?"

He immediately recognized her voice. "I'm so sorry I have my cell connected  to my work phone, just in case someone runs into problems and they transfer them to me."

"So what do you do?" 

She could hear him  yarning through the phone. "I'm the CEO of world tech, my family owns it."

'Wait you're Anton Severus?' 

"That would be me, wait you heard of me,?" She could hear him smiling against the phone."

"My father owns PC tech, I have an upcoming meeting with you next week to explain our brand.'

" Oh wow, I can't believe I didn't recognize your name, but I gotta be honest I expected Mrs.Nevrakis

She became quiet for a moment, and charged the subject, her mom died of stage 2 lung cancer, five days before her 12th birthday. "I'm so sorry I didn't mean to upset you, are you still there 

"Yes I'm here, it's okay my mom passed away a long time ago and you didn't know." 

"Again I apologize."

He yawned again. "Olivia I'm glad you called me, I would love to take you out sometimes, is that something you would like?" 

\

"Okay I'll love too."

"Perfect, send your address and I'll pick you up Saturday evening around 7, is that okay?"

"How about we meet up, I'm still getting to know you Mr. Severus, just in case you turn out to be some psychopath I will have a way home." Olivia joked.

He didn't say anything for a minute. " Very well then, I'm just glad you accepted my invitation." He yawned again. ..

"Good night, it sounds like someone needs to rest."

"You're right, I do, been up since 5 am."

"Wow, please go get some rest." They hung up and she turned to see Kiara standing in the door." How long have you been there?

"Long enough to know that you finally decided to call him." 

She threw a pillow at her. "I know when I'm not wanted. Kiara said while sticking her tongue out making a silly face. 

"Ki, wait since you're all up in my business, what about you, have you introduced yourself to the girl next door?"

"No, I haven't even seen her again." 

"Come with me Ki?"

"And just where are we going?" 

"To meet her, she's been here nearly 2 weeks now."

They stepped out in the hallway and walked to the women's door and knocked on the woman door. 

"Be there in a second." The woman called out. Once she opened the door wearing a yellow and white sundress. Kiara ran her eyes up and down her body sending chills down her body

She noticed Kiara checking her out and blushed. " Sorry to interrupt your day, we live across the hall and just wanted to meet you." Olivia spoke.

"That was so sweet of you to do, I'm Hana Lee nice to meet you, and you are?" 

"I'm Olivia and this is Kiara."

"Would you like to come in?" 

"Maybe another time, for me at least but perhaps Kiara might want to stay, I have an early day tomorrow. She nudged her side

—----------------------------

Saturday evening.

Olivia had got home and showered and changed into a sexy black and red dress, on que Anton texted the address,at the same time phone rong. 

"Hello?" Hey Liam, how are you?"  you want to meet Sunday?" Okay I'll be there." 

Another call came through. "Max what's up?"

"A little bird told me you have a hot date tonight." 

"Damn ki, she mumbled under her breath."It's just dinner 

"I'm happy for you, that you're getting back out there, for a minute there I thought I was going to sign you up for speed dating on tictoc  or something."  He laughed. 

"Max I'm a big girl, I can manage my own dating life." 

"Okay got it boss."

"Max it's after 7 let me get out of here, before he thinks I abandoned him." 

"Later Liv." 

It took her 20 minutes to arrive at the restaurant, it was a very  upscale Greek restaurant. 

"Good day Ma'am' I'll take your car and this gentleman will show you to your table Ms. Nevrakis

"Wait, how do you know my name?"

"Mr. Severus has brought out the entire restaurant for the evening for just the 2 of you." The man said

"Thank you." 

"Wow, fancy, all this for me?"

"What can I say, I really like you a lot Olivia." 

They sat and ate dinner and talked.

"So why did you buy this place for just the two of us?" She was curious.

"I take it you don't read teck today?" 

"No sorry, but I believe my father does 

"Well I was on the cover 6 months ago, I have strange women wanting to take pictures and to meet me. I have this one who asked me to marry her, even though I know nothing about her, so for your sake I didn't want them heckling you." He said with a smirk. 

"Wow, I'm really enjoying myself here."

.

"Did you believe you wouldn't?"

"Honestly I didn't know, I went on a date a few months back and had a terrible time." I was left fronting a $100.00 dinner bill this guy climbed to have lifted  his wallet at home."

" That, sob I'm sorry, that happened to you."

"Would you like dessert ?"

"Love some."

After leaving the restaurant Anton offered to follow Olivia to make sure she got home okay.

"That's okay, I'm fine we live in a safe neighborhood." 

"Please,  I won't feel comfortable leaving you alone, even though it's only 11:00

She let out a sigh. " Come on, you can follow me.

Once they got to her apartment, they stood at the front entrance. " Would you like to come in?

"Sure I would love it if it would get me more time with you." He said, smiling down at her.

Once they entered, they were greeted by the door man, in order to use the elevator you had to have a pass key or a guest pass key, they reached the 22nd floor, and walked to her apartment 2203. "How about we can watch a movie or we could talk some more." She said nervously.

"We could do that, I won't try anything,  you don't seem ready for right now, but do you mind if I kiss you?"

"I suppose that would be fine, and thank you for understanding." 

He didn't say much, they made out and found a movie on Netflix. Before they knew it they were both sound asleep on the sofa when Kiara returned home at 3am. 

Olivia heard a noise and quickly jumped up on her feet. "Who's there to speak now?

"It's just us Kiara peeped from the kitchen, followed by Hana.

"What the hell are you two doing at 3 am?"

"I was just showing her around, then we went to this new club about 3 blocks from here."

Kiara smiled. "I assumed you had a good time, you usually don't bring a date home."

They didn't hear Anton but he was standing in the doorway." I'm glad to hear that this type of thing isn't normal for you either." They all jumped at the sound of his voice.

",Hello again Kiara right?. And I don't know your name. 

"I'm Hana, the new neighbor across the hall. Nice to meet you, and you are?" 

"I'm Anton." 

"Olivia, I'm so sorry I fell asleep on you, but I must say that's the nicest sofa I ever slept on." 

They all laughed. Well it's 3:30, lucky I'm off the weekends but I would like to get home and get some rest."

Well I'd better too, get home myself, nice meeting you."

Olivia walked him out and Kiara walked Hana to her apartment.

Once Olivia made it back upstairs Kiara was waiting. 

"So how did your date really go?"

"Ki, nothing to tell, he was a gentleman the whole time." 

"How about you and Hana?" 

"That wasn't a date, besides I don't even know if she's that way yet." 

"Good night Ki, I need some sleep if I'm going to meet Liam and Mia later."

"Okay love you, night."

"Love you more."

@choicesficwriterscreations @kingliam2019 @kingliam2019 @kristinamae093 @yaniradolton @luvquit @harleybeaumont @twinkle-320 @twinkleallnight @queenrileyrose @storyofmychoices @dcbbw @bebepac @cordonian-literature @mom2000aggie @tessa-liam @queenjilian @shewillreadyou @honey358luv @yolandawalker @ao719 @alj4890 @angelasreblogs @aussiegurl1234

[yamatossideboob]

ONE PIECE 1124 Spoilers!

This week's toasts:

Egads!! A ne'er-do-well lurks yonder! Save us, tall and beautiful man!

DJ Albatross lighting up Longitude Festival uns uns uns uns

Tell that overgrown drumstick what for Vivi!!

I love these reminders that Morgans is legit dangerous. Like he could turn the whole world against Luffy & co by the time they reach Elbaf unless Vivi can put a spanner in the printing press.

Also I love Wapol handwringing in the bg, he's such a good comic side character lmao

"If the world is going to be destroyed, I don't expect to live though it anyway" HARD. FUCKING. LINE. Very D.

This is probably the greatest week of Morgans' life. At least since the end of the Paramount War, or maybe Roger's execution. Man's gonna be laying eggs when BB makes good on Catarina's Saturn copy.

Safe travels Sentomaru, you did jack and shit, and Jack left ahead of ya.

More seriously, given the next few pages, I wonder will Sentomaru be pivotal in a certain Admiral doing a face turn...

"Have you ever killed a close friend?" Akainu has a reason/s for being the way he is. And while I hate him as a fictional person, I also keenly want to know what that reason/s might be. Might this be foreshadowing...?

Oh fuck what if this is foreshadowing Akainu vs Kizaru down the line????

Seeing Stella's near-lifeless body like that, limp on Kizaru's light sword, is still quite upsetting.

"If you have time to sit there and doubt me... then come over here and see my work for yourself, you ungrateful brat!!!" fucking. felt. any lingering doubt as to how Kiz feels about this, begone. Fuck... He's an antagonist, but I'm really feeling for him right here.

"I'm sorry brother..." I'm fucking feeling this too, what a rare and sincere moment of non-bloodlust from Akainu.

Vegapunk asking for an escape from Egghead doesn't quite gel with the reveals from last week, but it's not hard to chalk this up to him keeping up the pretence to fool York, or else to get the Strawhats off Egghead with or without him.

Jimbei being part of the crew nbd, we love to see it. Two burly uncles assessing the adventure.

"moping over one geezer dying" stfu mosshead no one asked you. worst Strawhat back on his bullshit. I hope Sanji spat in that beer

omg they sit on giant chair

let Lilith briefly grieve her outer headmates Usopp, read the room pls

I'll be honest lads, I read this 'Satellites aren't dead' bit and just fucking laughed. Fuck sake Oda. If this wasn't wholly plausible given the whole Satellite hivemind situation, I would be seriously miffed! Alas, this was speculated heavily by many, and it endures scrutiny. Lilith probably means their personalities were uploaded to Punk Records as digital avatars, or something along those lines? Fuck it maybe we can get an Ace force ghost this way, why not.

Wait maybe Zoro's earlier line was pre-lampshading this turn? My bad Mosshead.

I just love Luffy's about-face. The gods bear fickle moods and Nika is no exception lmao

Aaaaaaaaaaaand finally here's the arc wrap feast. Aaaaah. Satisfying. Robin looking beautiful but of course. She'll reunite with Saul soon!!!!!!!!!

"I don't care if you guys end up as my enemies" I hope I'm reaching with this one but... can anyone tell me what foreshadowing is

Like what a strange and ominous remark. I know Luffy's whole MO is being benignly selfish but are we about to get some serious interrogation of that trait of his? No. No we're not. But it's an intriguing notion heheh.

Okay so this is almost certainly Shanks, right. I'm going from the shape, the glug of what's certainly an alcoholic bevvie, and the air of impatience about them. Shanks has been waiting, what, about a quarter of a century for this? You can't blame him for looking at the clock for clock-out time. Babysitting the dawn of the world is tiring work I imagine.

No word yet on the next chapter on the Viz site, so next week may likely be a break. 2 weeks will be a sore wait, but next time we'll either likely meet this waiting figure, or get some world developments en route to Elbaf!

Cya in September nakama! 💪✖️

[hannibutts]

HANNIBAL SPOILER S02E10

Oh good we get to see what actually happened at Will’s place…

Oh wow ok so while Will was killing ManBearPig guy he was seeing Hannibal and the shadow deer guy that looks like Hannibal but is Will’s…. Killer instincts?

He bare handedly broke ManBearPig’s bone helmet and snapped his neck. Alrighty.

Oh, Hannibal finally not acting coy, this is the first proper conversation they’re having where Hannibal isn’t lying or omitting.

Well if it isn’t a good ol fashioned Will Washathon.

Will… isn’t playing around is he? He’s fully in now like I figured because he LITERALLY just killed a guy but… in the process of trying to hook Hannibal, he’s literally losing himself to the killer within.

To be honest, it’s the only way that I can see a “happy” ending here. Because (and Spoiler alert for silence of the lambs book here), in the ending of the book - Hannibal keeps drugging Clarice for her to stay with him, like eventually in her drug stupor the book insinuates that she does love him back but it’s in that “is it really love if she’s being drugged for her to reach a mental state where she even accepts Hannibal in her vicinity” kinda non con love.

So for Hannibal the show to be satisfying as far as Will’s arc - he really does have to go dark for there to be an even ground…. Even though technically the connection would always be tarnished because Hannibal has being manipulating Will himself but also the situations that got Will to this point.

LASER LIGHTS INTRO

Hannibal and Will psychoanalysing the killer of Randall (Will) while they eye fuck and Jack justifiably confused and terrified is HILARIOUS

Boo Freddie Lounds

Chilton mentioned but only to disparage him. At least it shows Freddie has a soul if she’s still sore about the ripper killing Abigail.

Is… is Hannibal telling Margot to go make a baby boy heir??

Oh shit, Michael Pitt as mason verger? Well, he does good psycho. Oh already with the pigs huh?

Boo Alana - oh they’re still together will Hannibal. I wonder if Hannibal actually lusts for Will or if it’s just an obsession then? Because I genuinely thought he would have broken it off with Alana when he “got Will back”. Though, staying with her will undoubtedly cause the most carnage.

Okay Margot, courting the lonesome backwoods man. I see you. And Jesus, Will is all leisurely and deeper voiced than normal. Like damn, I hope they do end up doing SOMETHING if only just to make Hannibal all jealous and shit. Or just to do something outside of both their horrible existences.

The sex scenes on this show are unnerving, like even if you mute the creepy ass music - everything is in a non sexy slow mo and I get that sex scene in fight club vibes where it feels like there are one too many limbs for two people. Oh Will honey no, he’s still in love with Alana (booo) and she’s getting dicked down by Hannibal Murder dick at that moment. Meanwhile no one is fantasising about Margot 😭

Jesus that scene of Alana making out with Hannibal and then turning to make out with Will 👀 I don’t like Alana but dang, get it girl.

Hoo boy, Will seeing the murder stag while having sex with Margot - aw please don’t kill Margot, she’s been through enough. Speaking of Margot, is her plan to get pregs by Will to have a male heir and then kill her brother?

Oh shit, wait, was Will having a mind meldy moment with Hannibal??

Jesus, in a conversation between Freddie and Alana (double boo) Freddie was the one actually making sense and Alana was whiny being all like “stahhhhp the sun shines out of Hannibal’s butt!”

It’s so funny because this show keeps putting awful people against each other and you have to pick the lesser of two evils. Like right now - between Hannibal and Mason, you’re obviously going to side with Hannibal because he’s trying to protect Margot and because he’s being very bold to let Mason know he’s not scared of him even after indirectly telling him he know what the pigs can do.

At a dinner with Will, Hannibal and Alana (boo) I would have thought that Will would have been the jealous sassy one but Alana is being real snippy about Will and Hannibal’s relationship 😂

Hannibal just casually waiting in his sauna suit is so funny - like he’s about to kill someone but genuinely hilarious. Wait is he going to try and kill will?? Oh it’s Freddie (boo). Oh shit Freddie be finding ManBearPig’s suit in Will’s barn. Oh ew and his mandible too. Oop there’s Will sporting his own “I frew up” stance. So what, they’re going to kill her together?

Well shit, Will is genuinely terrifying trying to stop Freddie. Daaang Will. Jack doing top notch work… did you do it will? No? Well I’m outta ideas.

What in the hell is Alana doing there? (Boo) does she just have all access to the fbi at all times???

Of course they’re going to cook together. Hannibal looks so ecstatic.

There’s lovely sweet music playing while they eat and talk about how Freddie Lounds meat tastes! During the sex scenes - the music was discordant and unnerving and right now the music is all flowing and punctuating their smiles. This show I swear 😂

The amalgamated face at the end there was a bit on the nose but ok, so Will has become. Is it still all in the name of catching Hannibal or has he just transitioned? Or is this one of those things where he didn’t actually kill Freddie Lounds and she’s going to show up later and be like haaaa jokes on you?

[marinacourage]

20 years from now he tian will wake up in his bed next to mo and suddenly realize that while he was calling guanshan his husband for nearly as long as they knew each other he somehow forgot to ACTUALLY MARRY HIM

[translations-by-aiimee]

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - Chapter 30

Original Title:  二哈和他的白猫师尊

Genres: Drama, Romance, Tragedy, Xianxia, Yaoi

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 30 - This Venerable One Doesn't Want to Eat Tofu

"Hey, hey, did you hear? Elder Yuheng violated the sect rules. As punishment, he has to kneel in Yanluo Hall for three days."

In the morning class the next day, the disciples gathered on the Platform of Righteousness and Evil to practice and meditate. In the end, they are all teenagers and 20-year-olds, and they couldn't just do as they were told. If a master wasn't paying attention, they'll start whispering and gossiping.

The news that Chu Wanning had been punished quickly spread.

The disciples who witnessed the beating yesterday were not shy about sharing the gossip with others.

"Wow, why are you guys finding out about it so late? Oh . . . So yesterday Elder Lucun took you up the mountain to collect night dew flowers? Well then - you guys really missed out on a lot! Yesterday evening, in the Qingtian Temple, there was flesh and blood flying everywhere. It was horrible. Elder Yuheng was beaten with more than two hundred strikes! More than two hundred strikes! Not a single one missed! There was no mercy!"

The disciple made a particularly exaggerated expression every time he said a new sentence. No need to mention the show he was putting on for all his junior brothers and sisters surrounding him.

"Do you actually count all two hundred strikes? Even a big man could be killed, not to mention Elder Yuheng. He couldn't stand it and passed out. This made our young master mad. He rushed in and fought with Elder Jielu. He said not to lay another finger on Elder Yuheng. Ah, that scene—"

His facial features were wrinkled up like a steamed bun. He squeezed his eyebrows. Finally, he stretched out a finger, swaying from side to side, and summed it up in three words:

"Tsk tsk task."

Immediately, a younger sister disciple paled: "What! Elder Yuheng fainted?"

"Young Master and Elder Jielu got into a fight?"

"It's no wonder I didn't see Elder Yuheng in this morning class . . . so pitiful . . . what crime did he commit?"

"I heard that he beat a civilian in a fit of rage."

". . ."

Such gossips drifted into Xue Meng's ears from time to time. Life-Death Peak's young master had completely inherited his shizun's temper, so he was very irritable. It was unfortunate that more than one person was gossiping about this. There were groups all over the Platform of Righteousness and Evil, all muttering "Elder Yuheng was punished" and so on. It made him feel so irritated, but there was nothing he could do.

In one corner was Xue Meng, veins bulging on his forehead, and in the other was Mo Ran, unable to stop yawning.

Xue Meng couldn't direct his anger anywhere else, so he viciously spat at Mo Ran: "The plan of the day relies on the morning. You dog, you're so lazy in the morning! What has Shizun been teaching you?"

"Huh?" Mo Ran said with sleepy eyes followed by another big yawn. "Xue Meng, that's enough. I can handle Shizun's lecturing. Who do you think you are? I'm your cousin. Behave yourself when you talk with your cousin. Don't be so rude."

Xue Meng said fiercely: "My cousin is a dog. Be whatever you want to be!"

Mo Ran laughed: "You're so mean. If you don't look out for your elder sect brother, think about how disappointed Shizun will be once he finds out."

"You still have the audacity to mention Shizun! Let me ask you, when he went to the Court of Discipline yesterday, why didn't you stop him?"

"MengMeng, he's a shizun. Yuheng of the Evening Sky, Beidou Immortal. What did you want me to do?"

Xue Meng was furious. He drew his sword, his sharp eyebrows furrowed angrily: "What the hell did you call me?!!!"

Mo Ran's grin stretched from ear to ear: "Be good, MengMeng. Sit down."

Xue Meng bellowed: "Mo Weiyu, I'll kill you!!"

Shi Mei was caught between the two, listening to their daily bickering. He couldn't help sighing. He silently held the edge of his forehead, trying to concentrate on reading his book: "The sun and the moon are poured in the pot* when the spiritual core is first formed. The way of heaven cannot be interpreted, and life and death are involved in the process. . ."

*(T/N: 日月壶中灌 - referring to the Daoist practice of leisurely inactiveness)

Three days passed in the blink of an eye and Chu Wanning's period of reflection came to an end.

According to the rules, the next thing he had to face was a three-month grounding period. During this period of time, he could not leave Life-Death Peak and needed to go to Mengpo Hall to do miscellaneous chores, clean the corridor pillars of Naihe Bridge, sweep the steps in front of the mountain gate, and so on.

Elder Jielu was anxious: "Elder Yuheng, to be honest, I don't think you should do these things. You are the best shizun of your generation. Doing this kind of dishwashing and floor cleaning . . . it feels wrong." He trailed off, leaving half the sentence unsaid --

The main reason is that the old man doubts whether you can even sweep floors, cook and wash clothes!

Chu Wanning didn't doubt himself at all and went to report to Mengpo Hall in an orderly manner.

All of Mengpo Hall, from the chief steward to the servant, was shocked to hear that Chu Waning was coming to do hard labour. They were terrified, as if they were approaching the enemy.

Chu Wanning, dressed in white, arrived in a flutter.

His handsome face was cold and calm, completely expressionless. If you added an auspicious cloud under his feet and a whisk between his arms, he would've looked like the picture-perfect immortal.

Manager Meng Potang felt very ashamed and uneasy. He was actually supposed to make such a beautiful man wash vegetables and cook.

Chu Wanning didn't have the self-image of being a beautiful man. He stepped into the kitchen and coldly swept his gaze over the crowd, who couldn't help but take a step back.

". . ." Chu Wanning was straightforward. "What should I do?"

The chief steward coyly pinched the edge of his hem and thought about what he should say. He cautiously went with: "How does this elder feel about washing vegetables?"

Chu Wanning said: "Okay."

The chief steward was greatly relieved. He originally thought that Chu Wanning led a very pampered life. He might be reluctant to do this kind of labour, however, all the other jobs were either dirty and tiring or required some skill. He was worried that Chu Wanning wouldn't be able to do a good job. Since Chu Wanning easily agreed to wash the vegetables, he didn't need to worry about it.

As it turns out, the chief steward was really naive.

There was a clear stream in front of Mengpo Hall. Chu Wanning went to the stream with a basket of green vegetables. He rolled up his sleeves and began to wash the vegetables.

This area is under the jurisdiction of Elder Xuanji. Occasionally a disciple of the Xuanji sect passed by. He saw Chu Wanning actually washing vegetables and was so scared that he couldn’t even get a word out. He rubbed his eyes three or four times to make sure he wasn't seeing things. He said in astonishment: "Elder Yu-Yuheng -- good-good morning."

Chu Wanning raised his eyes: "Good morning."

Elder Xuanji's disciples shivered and fled.

". . ."

Chu Wanning didn't bother to talk with them and continued with his business. He broke the leaves, washed them, and threw them back into the basket.

He washed them very carefully. He broke each vegetable leaf apart, repeatedly brushing them thoroughly. The consequence of that was -- come noon, the basket of vegetables still hadn't been washed.

The man waiting in the dining room was anxious, pacing around in circles: "What should we do? Why hasn't the elder come back yet? If he doesn't come back with the vegetables, how are we going to make the stir-fried beef and vegetables?"

The chief steward looked at the sun and said: "Forget it. Hurry, let's replace it with braised beef."

So, when Chu Wanning returned, Mengpo Hall had already served the beef. The stew was so crispy and flavourful that there was no need for vegetables at all. Chu Wanning frowned. He held his vegetables, rather unhappily, and coldly asked: "If you didn't want the vegetables, why did you make me wash them?"

The chief steward's hairs stood on end. He wiped the cold sweat on his forehead with his handkerchief and said something that he regretted: "That's not it. I was thinking you could make a pot of stewed tofu with vegetables?"

Chu Wanning had no expression. Still holding his vegetables, he tilted his head and pondered silently: ". . ."

The chief steward hurriedly said: "If you don't want to, that's alright--"

He hadn't even finished speaking before Chu Wanning asked: "Where is the tofu?"

Chief Steward: ". . ."

"Elder Yuheng, do you . . . know how to cook?"

Chu Wanning said: "I'm not completely ignorant. I'll give it a try."

At noon that day, all the disciples happily entered Mengpo Hall as usual in groups, looking for somewhere to sit. Then, they headed to the counter to get their food served.

There was no shortage of food on Life-Death Peak. The food had always been plentiful and today was no exception.

The braised beef was fatty and lean, the fish shreds were vibrant and rich, the farmhouse pork was golden and crispy, and the chopped pepper fish was red and tempting. The disciples rushed to grab their favourite foods, lining up around the hall, asking the chef to add a spoonful of sweet and sour pork ribs to them, pour some marinade on the rice, or add some spicy sauce.

The ones who always made it to the front of the line first were Elder Lucun's disciples. The little guy at the head of the line had a big pimple on his nose. All he had on his mind was some Mapo Tofu. He skillfully carried the wooden tray to the last counter without raising his eyes and said: "Shizun, I'd like a bowl of tofu."

The shizun, with pale, slender fingers, handed him a plate full of tofu.

However, it wasn't the Mapo Tofu he was familiar with. Instead, it was a plate of strange food with a charred black colour and indistinguishable ingredients.

The disciple was surprised: "What is that?"

"Tofu boiled with bok choy."

Mengpo Hall was full of people, so the disciple didn't pay attention to answering the other person's voice. He said angrily: "Are you an alchemist? Can you even call this tofu with vegetables? I don't want it. Take it back!"

While cursing, he glared at the shizun there. As a result, when he saw the person standing behind the counter, the disciple screamed in fright and almost knocked the tray over.

"Elder Yu-Yuheng!"

"Hmm."

The disciple was on the verge of tears: "No, that's not what I - I didn't mean that just now. I. . ."

"Since you're not eating it, I'll take it back." Chu Wanning said blankly, "Don't waste it."

The disciple stiffly picked up the plate, handed it to Chu Wanning then left with his tail between his legs.

In a short while, everyone knew that Elder Yuheng was standing at the last counter, so the originally lively Mengpo Hall was suddenly silent.

The disciples lined up like a pack of puppies, and they hurriedly grabbed their food, panicked. They went up to the last counter respectfully, greeted the elder, and stumbled away.

"Hello, Elder Yuheng."

"Mmm."

"Good day, Elder Yuheng."

"Good day."

"Elder Yuheng has worked really hard."

". . ."

The disciples were very disciplined and were acting with an abundance of caution, so Chu Wanning accepted the tense greetings from each disciple, but no one dared try his pot of boiled tofu with green vegetables.

Slowly, the line was getting shorter and the food in front of other shizuns was almost gone. Only Chu Wanning still had a pot full of food. The pot of vegetables was completely cold and untouched.

Chu Wanning's face didn't waver, but his heart was conflicted. He had washed them all morning. . .

At that point, his three disciples showed up. Xue Meng was still in silver-blue light armour, refreshing getup. He bounced over with excitement: "Shizun! How are you? Does your wound hurt?"

Chu Wanning was very calm: "It doesn't hurt."

Xue Meng: "Well, that's good."

Chu Wanning glanced at him and suddenly asked: "Do you eat tofu?"

Xue Meng: ". . ."

[archivewilliamrikerstblog]

Confirming Suspicions - William Riker x Reader

Masterlist

Word Count: 1000+

Summary: "For the better part of three months, You and William Riker have managed to keep your relationship hidden from the crew. However, after an small accident in your lab, your relationship isn't such a secret anymore."

A/N: Side note - Deanna definitely knows but is far too amused with letting you and Will think she doesn't.

!Requests/Suggestions/Ideas are appreciated!

- - - - -

Ready to start your day, you navigate the twisting corridors of your deck to the Turbolift. Once there, the doors open and you are not all too surprised to be greeted with the sight of Commander Riker.

"Y/N. I was just on my way to see you." Will greets warmly as you step into the Turbolift with him. After telling the computer what deck you wish to be on, you turn to stand next to Will.

"So, my First Officer is here to personally escort me to my lab? " You tease, unable to suppress the smile that lit up your face. Will chuckles warmly in return, shaking his head as he did so.

"Still playing this game with me? I'll admit that it has been fun, but just how much longer are we going to keep us a secret?" Although Will's tone is teasing, you do know that it is a genuine question.

This had all started about a month into the relationship. With so little time to actually get together, no one on the ship was even aware you and Will were dating. You had made that observation one day; since then it had become a little game between the two of you - see how long it took for someone to figure it out. Two months had passed since then, and as far as either of you could tell, no one was the wiser.

"Okay. We can wait it out until next month when we go on Shore Leave. How does that sound?" You offer.

"Yes, because I am a man known for my patience. Alright, I'll do things your way." Will rolls his eyes and playfully bumps you with his shoulder. "To be honest, I am surprised we've not been found out yet."

"I know." You reply and try not to let your thoughts wonder to just why no one else noticed the way Will looked at you - or you at him.

"Anyway, am I still to join you at Ten Forward tonight?" You ask as the Turbolift doors open and you step out.

"I certainly hope you will." Comes Will's response just before the doors close again.

-

The day moves by rather quickly as you and your team work on analyzing some sediment and liquid samples that had been collected on the last Away Mission. Pleased with the progress made and the possibilities projected by the data gathered thus far; a couple members of your team had moved to running more extensive tests.

Nearly done for the day, you were still hard at work marking microbe-finding on a water sample you had on a slide. Looking through the microscope, you fail to notice that someone had sat down a chemical canister dangerously close to your right.

You are made immediately aware of the canister the moment one of your colleagues manages to topple it and the contents spill all over your hand and arm. The substance instantly began to seep into your uniform sleeve and burn against your skin.

You jerk away with a hiss of pain and the canister rolls from the desk to the floor. Instinct causes you to grab your arm; rewarding you only with more burns to your other hand as you grip the saturated material of you uniform sleeve. You feel the sting of tears in your eyes as you try not to cry.

Hearing the commotion, your team rushes over to assist. The offending sleeve is cut away before you are rushed off to Medbay.

-

Will sits alone at the bar in Ten Forward, scrolling through a PADD and knocking back a drink as he waited for you to join him.

An alert from the screen caught his attention - an accident report for your department. Quickly pulling up the report and reading over the details, he suddenly knows why you haven't come to see him.

Setting his glass down and taking the PADD with him, Will makes his way for Medbay.

-

It had taken longer to be seen to in Medbay then you would have like, but a more pressing accident in Engineering had made your chemical burns less than priority. Still, you were seen too as quickly as the MedStaff was able.

It was a quick fix once you actually got attended to. The burns were cleaned then healed with the Dermal. Other than the memory of pain and a little sensitivity, you were as good a new and free to go.

Unfortunately, you were late to meet with Will. You hadn't thought to try to send a message to him while you had waited in Medbay; your hand hurt too much from the burns to move. It didn't help that you couldn't really ask anyone to message him for you.

Stepping from the Medbay doors and rounding the corner, you gasp as you nearly collide with the tall figure of William Riker.

"Y/N? Are you alright?" Will reaches out to steady you as you stumble back; his hands coming to rest on your upper arms as he held you away from him. Will's brow is raised in concern as he looks you over.

It isn't hard to notice that you are missing your right sleeve. Will runs his hand down that arm, lightly touching over where the burns had been. The skin is a little tender and you flinch away, causing Will to let go.

"I'm fine Will. There was just an accident in the lab today." You try to assure him as you rub at your arm.

"Yes, I read the report." You try not to roll your eyes as you catch the annoyance in Will's tone. Of course a report would be filed before you could tell Will yourself.

"You know, if you had told me, I would've come to see you instead of wasting my time drinking alone. Might've been able to get you out of there sooner" Will steps closer, bringing his hand to rest against your lower back. Levity has returned to him, allowing you to tease him in return.

"Oh sure, and having my First Officer visit me in Medbay over some chemical burns won't draw attention to us." You scoff lightly. Nothing would have rumors running around the ship faster than Commander Riker coming down to check on you over just some minor burns.

"And having a lover's quarrel in-front of my Medbay isn't drawing anyone's attention?" Both you and Will snap your attention to the Chief Medical Officer standing just within the threshold to Medbay. Arms crossed, Beverly Crusher looks quite amused with the scene in-front of her.

"How much of that did you hear?" Shocked to be caught, you can't stop the question from leaving you. Beverly laughs lightly, dropping her arms and walking over before placing a hand on your shoulder.

"Enough to know that my suspicions were right. So Will, how long have you been hiding them?" You glance nervously up at Will, who seems just bewildered as you. He takes a second to clear his throat before answering.

"Three months."

Now it is Dr. Crusher's turn to be surprised.

[talatomaz]

crossing paths pt.ii | diana prince x lance!reader

a/n: reader has the powers of telekinesis. i’m not sure if I like how this went tbh but oh well

warnings: mentions of fighting

word count: 2.7k

masterlist | request list | request rules

pt.i | pt.ii

reader is sara & laurel’s younger sister who works with team flash. after her and cisco’s experiment goes sideways, she finds herself trapped on an unknown earth not unlike her own

i do not give you permission to repost or translate my fics on any platform - likes/reblogs are okay and are much appreciated

Home Sweet Home.

Exiting the train station, you exhaled a deep breath and took in your surroundings. Most importantly, the huge sign that had “WELCOME TO CENTRAL CITY” scrawled across the board.

After the events of the day, you’d decided that the best course of action would be to make your way to this Earth’s Central City.

You’d figured they had to have a Star Labs which you knew would hold the necessary equipment you needed to fix the extrapolator or at least the communication function so you could contact Cisco.

Luckily, whilst on your journey, you’d managed to hack into the train’s wireless computer so you could then erase the museum’s security footage from your phone. The footage of your fight with the robbers was the last thing you needed getting out.

Hailing a cab, you made your way to Star Labs, having pocketed one of the maps that detailed the route to the facility from the train station.

In little over 20 minutes, you had arrived. Paying the driver with what little cash you had left, you craned your neck to look up at this Earth’s Star Labs.

It was different to the one back home. Yes, it was modelled fairly similarly but this had a more...robotic feeling and was definitely a lot darker than yours.

Though you supposed that was because this Star Labs seemed to be more full, several employees walking in and out of the building.

Whereas the Star Labs back home, whilst full of technology, was only home to Team Flash and no one else. The risk far too great for ordinary people to see what you were doing.

Entering the building, you quickly donned a white lab coat and went in search for the equipment you needed to fix the breach device.

Finding a secure room, you put on your mask and used your powers to open the door.

As you walked in, you let out a small gasp. The room was larger than you’d expected; filled to the brim with computers and screens all hooked up to one another. Making your way to one of the larger ones, you began writing a line of code. Then you took out the extrapolator, placing it on the table and grabbed some tools that were on the desk.

You started to mend the broken device, remaining careful and alert incase someone was going to catch you. You were about halfway through when you felt a familiar rush of air and found yourself in an unknown area.

Not unlike Star Labs, it was filled with computers and the like but also held training equipment in the far side of the room. Then you felt yourself tied to the back of a chair, staring up at a group of men.

You recognised most of them, except the one that could only be described as a half-man, half-cyborg hybrid.

“Oh fuck.” You murmured to yourself.

This was all you needed.

To be captured by none other than Batman, Superman and the Flash.

“Yes, indeed. Who are you?” Superman asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

You narrowed your brows, analysing each of their outfits. This Earth’s Superman outfit was different to the one back home. Batman, you’d never really met before so you couldn’t comment.

But the most interesting was the Flash’s outfit.

It appeared to be made up of metallic materials whereas Barry’s was made out of intense heat-resistant and abrasion resistant polymer and some other stuff that Cisco had explained to you that you didn’t take note of.

“More importantly, where are you from?”

You heard a familiar voice say behind you.

You turned your body, as best you could since you were confined to a chair, and felt your jaw drop at the female who stood before you.

Not only was she the woman you’d met earlier at the museum but she was freaking Wonder Woman!

“Holy shit. Cisco is going to be so jealous he didn’t come here.”

“Who’s Cisco? And where did you come from?”

Not giving you time to answer, the brunette continued, “I saw you earlier at the Metropolis museum. You told me about the criminals.”

“We tried to pull the security footage but it had mysteriously been erased.” The man you nicknamed Cyborg said. “Why were you at Star Labs?” He asked.

“You know. You gotta let a girl answer before you continue asking questions.” You joked.

“This isn’t a joke. Tell us who you are.” Batman spoke for the first time, his voice coming out hoarse and rough. Probably from a voice distorter.

“I will. As soon as you untie me.”

When the five of them stared at you, you sighed.

“Guess I’ll do it myself then.”

With a flick of your fingers, the ropes that bound you came loose and you stood to face the group.

They immediately went into fighting stances, ready to take you down if need be.

“Oh, for God’s sake,” you scoffed, “I’m not going to hurt you. I just don’t like being tied up. Unless we’re in the bedroom.” You teased, laughing to yourself.

“You’re a meta.” Wonder Woman commented.

Placing your hand in your pockets, you were about to reply when you felt that they were empty.

“Wait, where the hell is the extrapolator?”

“Oh, you mean this?” The Flash said, holding the device in his hand.

“Give that to me.” You ordered, charging your way to the speedster before Batman stood in your way.

“I don’t think so.”

“Barry, that is not something to play around with. Give me that.” You repeated.

“Wait, how do you know my name?” He paused, everyone’s eyes trained on you.

“It’s a long story. Now please, put down that device.” You sighed when he placed it on the table beside him.

When he put it on the surface, he must have accidentally pressed a button because Cisco’s body popped up like a hologram.

“What on Earth?” You heard Wonder Woman say.

“Y/N! Where the hell are you? Woah, is that Batman?!” Cisco’s voice crackled through the device as the hologram glitched.

“Cisco, the device broke. Can you track what Earth I’m on using the GPS?”

“I can try. But I need you to fix the small chip that’s in the extrapolator first.”

The Cisco hologram glitched out and faded away.

“Shit.” You murmured to yourself.

“What do you mean ‘what Earth’? Who are you?” Batman said.

Sighing, you spoke, “I’m not from this Earth.”

“You’re an alien?” Barry exclaimed.

“What? No! The only alien here is Clark.”

You gestured towards the Man of Steel.

“How do you know who I am? Did Lex send you?”

“Oh, please. As if I’d work with that idiot. Besides, I like his sister much better. As I was saying, I’m from an Earth called Earth Prime.”

Then you gave them all a brief explanation of the rebirth of the Universe and how you’d arrived here.

“Ever heard of Everett’s many-worlds theory? Simply put, this Earth is not the only Earth that exists. I come from a parallel Earth where I work with the Flash and several other heroes, including Supergirl and Batwoman. Though no one’s seen Kate in a while.”

Looking into each of their eyes, you could still see apprehension.

Facing Wonder Woman, you held out your wrist, “Use your lasso of truth and you’ll see I’m not lying.”

“How did you-”

She started before you interrupted her, “Do it and then I’ll explain.”

You watched as she removed the rope from her armour and wrapped one end around your wrist.

Your eyes widened as the rope started to glow a bright yellow, the material feeling warm against your skin.

“What I just said was true. And I know about all of you. Your parallel selves are my family and friends back home. And Wonder Woman-”

“You may call me Diana.” She interjected, flashing you a kind smile.

“And Diana,” you corrected, “you’re somewhat of a Legend where I come from. I visited Themyscira once, it was beautiful.”

“My home is hidden from Man’s world. How did you see it?”

“My sister, Sara, travels through time with her team and when I worked with her for a brief period, my friend, Zari, and I, took Helen of Troy to your island to save her. Anyways, you do exist on my Earth but no one really knows of you.”

Diana stared at you for a few moments, her intense glare making you weak in the knees, if you were being honest.

It was as if she was looking right into your soul.

Whatever she saw must have pleased her because her gaze faltered and she removed the lasso from you.

“She’s telling the truth, guys.”

“Thank you. Now I need to fix the extrapolator or I won’t be able to get home.”

“So that little thing can make anyone travel between worlds?” Cyborg asked.

“Yes, exactly.”

“It’s like one of those damned mother boxes that almost destroyed our world.” Bruce said harshly. “We can’t risk having that here. We need to destroy it.”

“Don’t even think about it.” You spat out, your hands clenched at your sides.

You narrowed your eyes, watching for any indication of movement from the vigilante.

The only warning you had was Bruce’s muscle tensing before he reached for the table that held the device.

In a quick motion, you used your powers to throw the former into a pile of boxes to break his fall.

The playboy rose to his feet and charged at you, ignoring the shouts of his team.

You blocked his punch and deflected his kick. Ducking when he swung his arm, you used all your strength to throw him over you.

He reached into his cape and you flung whatever he was about to hurl at you into the wall. He swiped at your legs, making you stumble to the ground. You picked yourself up and when he ran at you, once more, you used your powers of telekinesis to rise in the air above him.

You extended your hand in front of you and lifted him in the air to face you. He struggled within your hold before you both looked down at Diana who’d shouted.

“Enough! Y/N, put Bruce back on the ground.”

With a crash, Bruce fell to the floor whilst you gracefully landed upright on your feet.

“Bruce, this device isn’t as harmful as the mother boxes. And it is her only way home, we cannot destroy it.”

Diana said calmly as Bruce huffed and murmured a curse.

“Listen, Batboy. I will kick your ass again if you don’t shut up.” You said, meaning every word.

“I’m not trying to be hostile here but I only came here to prove my theory which I’ve clearly done so now I just want to repair the device and go home.”

Walking over to the table, you picked up the extrapolator and inspected it. Your heart dropped when you saw a crack in the chip.

You knew that there was no way to fix the locator.

“Y/N, is everything okay?”

Your voice not strong enough to answer, you shook your head. Clicking the communication button, you saw Cisco’s hologram appear again.

“Y/N, have you fixed the GPS chip yet? Y/N, what’s wrong?” Your friend asked in concern.

“The chip’s broken. Majorly so. I’m going to need to replace it but the only replica of the chip is-”

“Here.” Cisco finished. “Is there a Star Labs near you?”

“Yeah, I went there earlier to fix the damage but there wasn’t any chip. I checked.”

“Okay, I just need to create another extrapolator and then somehow come and get you.”

“Cisco, you know that can take weeks.” You sighed.

“Y/N, it’ll be fine. We’ve been stuck on other Earths before. Including with a telepathic gorilla. I doubt there’s any Earth worse than that.” He said, trying to inject some levity in the conversations.

“You’re right. Look, don’t tell the team. You and I both know that they’ll just worry and I don’t need them telling Sara or Dinah either because they’re too protective. Just lie and say that I was missing Laurel and decided to take a vacation.”

“You got it. Stay safe, y/n. And keep this extrapolator with you so I can speak to you.”

“You got it. Bye, Cisco.”

Once again, the hologram faded away and you hung your head.

Cisco was right.

It was not the first time this had happened and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. You were damned if you’d let this get you down.

Clearing your throat, you straightened and faced the group, having forgotten that they were there for the entire exchange.

“Guess I’m going to be in your hair for a little while longer.”

***

It had been 3 weeks since the day you’d arrived on this Earth.

Diana had kindly invited you to stay with her whilst you waited for Cisco to arrive. You remained in constant contact with the latter; he wanted to keep you updated on his progress.

You were still on rocky terms with Bruce, him not appreciating you beating him. He was stubborn and irritating but reminded you of Oliver in that regard.

You helped the Flash with his speed, giving him tips on how to manage it and retain his strength which you’d learned from having closely worked with Barry all these years.

You also got on fairly well with Superman and Cyborg and even met Aquaman who tried to hit on you the moment he saw you.

But out of everyone, you’d grown close to the Amazonian warrior. The first night you’d stayed with her, you found yourself talking to her all through the night until the sun had come up.

She had told you about her family back home and you told her about yours. You supposed it was easier to tell her than anyone else since she’d endured so much loss and pain and understood what it was like to be separated from her family.

“Y/N, you ready to go?”

Interrupted from your thoughts, you turned to face the beautiful brunette who had a soft smile painted on her face.

She had asked you to dinner a few days before, telling you she wanted to give you both a relaxing evening. You had graciously, and rather, immediately accepted the invitation.

The truth was that, over these past few weeks, you found yourself hoarding a crush on the Goddess.

You could have disregarded it as a schoolgirl crush but the last time you’d ever felt like this, was when you were with Thea. But that had ended amicably after she found love with Roy.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

After eating outdoors at a small bistro, the two of you strolled down the street. Then your heart skipped a beat when she slid her hand in yours.

Looking up at her, you saw a gleam in eyes as she smiled at you which you reciprocated. You basked in the feel of her hand against yours, her warmth spreading through you.

Then you both jumped when her phone started to trill in her pocket.

“Diana Prince.” She answered her phone, humming in response before disconnecting the call.

“That was Bruce. He needs us at Star Labs. Both of us.”

She answered when you opened your mouth to ask just that. Closing your mouth, you nodded and ducked with her into an alley so you could both fly to the building.

“What is it, Bruce?” Diana asked as the two of you walked into the facility.

“The mainframe’s been going crazy. It’s as if someone’s breaking in here but no one actually is.” Cyborg answered instead.

Running up to the screen, you noticed the flashing alarms on the screen.

“Well, at least you guys have better security than we do.”

Pulling up the schematics of the building, you furrowed your brows at the thermal energy reading.

Parting your lips, ready to voice your confusion, you jumped back when a breach opened up in front of you.

When it closed, it left two people in its wake.

Barry and Sara.

“Y/N, Cisco told us what happened. We’re here to take you home.”

Glancing behind you, your eyes fell on Diana whose eyes flickered between you and your friends.

“God, I’m going to kill Cisco.”

<- Part 1

[faroreswinds]

Scarlet Blaze - Prologue to Chapter 4

I decided to go with SB first. I’m going to record my own thoughts as I go. I did have to start over, which sucks, but it refreshed my memory at least. 

Below the cut are my thoughts to where my thoughts are. They are just jumble messes, nothing structured. 

Jeritza’s VA is still really bad, sorry. I am so very annoyed by it

Monica is very annoying, I’m sorry. She just never shuts up, ever, when Edelgard is around. 

Alois pushing “hush money” is still kinda funny to me. He didn’t seem the type in Houses. He does suggest “another knight” brought it up but I mean, still weird to me. 

Monica... .Monica, why are you so slow to tell us who kidnapped you?

I seem to recall Tomas had left the monastery some time ago, then came back like... a few years ago or so. Am I misremembering? Has Solon been Tomas for 40 years?

No, sorry, Solon’s transformation being compared to Shez’s is still really a stretch. 

Edelgard would have really left Monica to die if not all the pieces were in place, lol.

Edelgard using the Church only to backstab then later... Why the hell do you declare war?! Stop being dumb.... 

I think Hubert’s countermeasures that are used for the Church were originally meant for the Slithers, before they changed their plans.

“Rhea would never help Edelgard!” lmao, she does almost instantly. 

“But please know we have nothing to gain by deceiving the church” lmao Hubert, pleaaassseee

I wonder how much we will actually learn about the slithers and the like here in this route?

Hubert’s commander is an assassin. Heh.

Edelgard prefers if you “respond obediently”, that’s still nicely in character I see. 

Cornelia is really “Cleobulus” and is apparently a man? I wonder if that’s a translation error. 

It’s nice to see all these Daddies. Shame about the Mommies though

I was always under the impression Edelgard got Caspar’s father on her side a bit later in Houses, but I guess here she had talked to him a lot earlier than we figured? Or plans changed and she talked to him earlier just in this game.

THIS MUSIC THO 

The hand high thing is a little cringe, not gonnna lie

Poor Ferdinand. 

It’s interesting, but I guess Edelgard has two more years to prepare for her war. Makes sense, she just lost out on her Slither allies this time. 5 years, though Edelgard, for a war? Nice “estimation”. 

Caspar’s father is just as dumb as his son, I see. They are literally two peas in a pod. 

Making Count Varley the head of the Southern Church is so brilliant I mistook this game for good writing. 

Hubert’s father “died in battle” lmao Hubert, nice, patricide really sells your character. 

But where is Ionius? They literally just... don’t have him here. He’s still technically the emperor. Edelgard even became Emperor before kicking out Aegir in Houses. So... uh, what gives here? Means like a big oversight, imo.

I do like that Edelgard wants to make everyone “equal” by having no social standing. That’s not her worst idea of all time. However, there are still Houses. That’s basically... like, still having Nobles, no?

Stay in school, kids. Things are about to get real trippy. No school for two whole years!

So, Edelgard takes advantage of Foldan going through so many changes at once. Clever. But her war declaration still makes no sense. You LITERALLY just reformed. Why are you saying they are stopping changes and stuff? HUH?!

It makes more sense if you feel that she’s removing the Church to make her claims on the Kingdom and the Alliance. But let’s be honest.... She literally believes the Church is also at fault and evil. 

“FALSE CHURCH” but you guys have your own false Church, you know. 

So, the assassination stuff isn’t the Church’s MO but... since Shamir actually does attempt to kill Edelgard with Catherine... I guess the Church actually did attempt to kill Count Varley? That’s... so weird. Never, ever happens in Houses. 

Whhhyyyy is Bernadetta considered a good choice for an officer, Edelgard?

“The wisdom of my decision” she is so confident, that Edelgard. 

Gatekeeper... :( You traitor, joining the Empire this time. I mean, I get why, but still.

It’s interesting, but the Empire’s “Abyss info” is not as personal as the other two routes. It’s just a report.

There is one solider at the Imperial camp who is upset because his child was just born and he has to go the front lines. Man, this unnecessary war sucks. 

“Share his bloodlust” with Caspar. My man really wants to fight Seteth or Catherine. Bloodlust...

Lord Acheron and Count Gloucester are such snakes for letting the Empire camp in Alliance territory. Acheron’s territory in particular. 

I hate fighting my husband Seteth

[uplatterme]

Dom mirror maiden x Sub Pyro agent x dom fem reader who has a teleportation power and can summon anything (italic text means it's in your mind)

Warnings: poly relationship, overstimulation, fem reader (duh)

It was a Sunday morning, both of you were working your asses off while lynx (what I like to call the agent) had it rougher

It took three hours to be done with the work you had been assigned to do and it was already 11:50 a.m when you looked at the clock, you decided to have a little talk with your cute boyfriend who's such a obiedent little darling to you

But what you didn't know was the he was fighting with his comrades without his shirt, you were obsessed with his abs. He was quite built and damn

He might as well be the hottest fatui you seen, but anyway

You were hiding behind idfk somethin big that can hide u from the other dumbass guards seein, you were blushing a little and staring at him from afar. You unknowingly started touching yourself because of him

He was the reason "Archons he's so hot.. that sexy six pack, that cute big thick juicy dick, his cute moans, mm everything about him makes go crazy, just gotta wait till he's at the restroom and I will make the whole fatui know my name.." it felt like love happening all over again, there was a weird presence behind you which caused you to look back slowly

Eyes widening at mirror maiden you immediately got in a fighting stance "calm down now, am not gonna hurt you" she said in a calm icy voice "yea right" you scoffed "quite the impolite one aren't you?

Anyway, who may you be staring at

Are you staring at the young handsome man right there?" she asked calmly, the compliment made your blood boil a little "yes, yes I am. And that's MY man your talking about so watch your fucking mouth." Saying in a cold angry manner "no need to bitch about it, I wouldn't steal him from a beautiful and quite sexy lady like you." You slightly blushed at her little compliment and just started looking at your soon to be husband again "ahem. You wouldn't mind if I know a little more about you do you dear?" You looked back at her again and gently said "I guess, but I do wanna stare at my boyfriend.." she smiled jealously at your comment about him "you should be staring at me.." she said a little heartbroken in her mind "well you can just summon a table and two chairs, you have the powers to do it as well" she said with her most genuine smile, it made you blush a little but also in shock "how the fuck does she know that shit" "and if your wondering how I know that, I forced your boyfriend to tell me that" she said the word boyfriend with spite and sadness, it made you wonder if she had a little crush on you. You just smiled at her with your charm "she always makes me feel something when she smiles so beautifully

She has the beauty of the cryo archon.." she knew what she was thinking was wrong but she couldn't control herself

You two mfs who have no life were talking about eachother, what yall like, what yall's types are and bla bla bla blaaa no one fuckin cares anyway

"You're a fun person to be honest" you smiled at her and squeezed your boobs with your arms while looking directly at her eyes with a hint of lust

She blushed heavily at that and looked around "why thank you mo- * cough * my love

Sorry about that I got something stuck in my throat" you smirked at her and calmly said "you will have something else in your throat tonight tho~"

She spat out her tea and started choking violently, you panicked a little and helped her "s-she just said that to me, oh dear am I dreaming?

Wait what are you saying Marilyn? (Mirror maiden) Get a hold of yourself!"

"Jeez didn't know you had a crush on me" she looked at your direction with her mouth slightly opened shocked at what you said "h-how did you-" she standed up, brushed her clothes and faked two coughs because yes I can "I was just joking about the crush part but turns out you actually do have a crush on me" you looked up at her with a shit eating grin while she looks away in guilt, you patted her back and said her not to worry about it "I like you as well, and not as a friend" you smirked at her and kissed her cheeks

"And am not toying with you my darling, am being genuine"

her heart ached lovingly at that, she felt relief, happiness and a "tiny" bit of horniness "but we can't be in a relationship this soon, Let's just be friends who likes to flirt with each other for a year and maybe we will get into a poly. How does that sound, моя королева" (man I hate myself too much) her cold heart saddened a little but still there was happiness lingering around as you called her "my queen". You both sat back in the chairs you summoned and started talking about lynx (Pyro agent) "he is quite the sweetheart to me if I say so myself" Marilyn (mirror maiden) said, you giggle showered with endless lust "he's a cutie in the bed as well~" Marilyn's eyes widened at that, her heart broke as well "maybe you are too, with that cute big boobs and loveable face of yours you definitely have to be" you smiled was only able to show one thing, lust. Her heart swelled and swelled with escasty and love, she quietly but a loud enough giggle came out of her luscious lips "the way you giggle is cute my dear" you said with eyes that hint you want something from your boyfriend and her "what's the most cutest is my head in between your thighs" she flirted back, there was one thought going around her head. Why was she acting so.. whats the words

Ah yes, unlady like and informal. But did she care?

No. She was having fun with her longing to be beloved, there was random scenarios playing in her head that contained you, lynx and her. (Killing random mfs? Yes.) "Lynx must be done with his fighting sesh, wanna do something fun to him my love?~" you looked at her with a grin that's glowing with mischief, she nodded with thoughts that are beyond horny

Poor lynx was just changing his clothes not seeing his any of comrades on sight, thought he could talk to someone because poor baby felt lonely as hell. His eyes looked at the two tall shadows behind him, he immediately turned around only to be relieved and also confused on why ladies are in the gents changing room "what are you two doing here, its the gents changing room" he looked at both of you shirtless, he didn't mind letting the both of you see his chest that had long and small scars but marilyn was looking away to give him privacy but you

Who has seen his whole body multiple times and you loved staring at it. There was a bit of an awkward silence between the three of you "ahem, I said what the hell are you two doing here in the gents room." Lynx said with a bit of a strict voice "sexy" you thought while Marilyn thought that it was quite the cute voice "well" you spoke up while walking closer to him, pinning him to the wall "y/n mirror maiden is here.." lynx said in the quietest voice ever, sadly for him she heard that "so what if am here?~" he gulped and saw the both of you smirk

It spelled bad news for him, you came close to his ear and whispered "me and my dearest marilyn are going to fuck you stupid right now" his eyes widened while his cheeks glowed a dull red

Part two coming soon because am a lazy dirty little piece of celery

-🕴️anon

My, what a good read ^^

I’ve never really thought of simping for the enemies but I will agree that mommy mirror maiden is very attractive plus the pyro agent 😙

[wedreamedlove]

Mo Yi in Love - Character Study

I just read Mo Yi's [SSR Brewing Thoughts] card and, not only am I an emotional mess, but I also hit an epiphany regarding understanding his character and now I have to write about this. I know I'm going to repeat this at the end, but understand that Mo Yi is just a man who wants his first love to be his last love and who has relatable fears over failure, haha.

SPOILERS go up to chapter 3 of Mo Yi's personal route, [SSR Brewing Thoughts], [SR Fake Tears], [SSR Dangerous Invitation], and reveal Mo Yi's family background. In addition, while the lines are in order, I chose to remove some descriptions to keep things shorter.

First, I want to talk about Mo Yi's view towards love.

It's really positive, which is ironic given his background and what he grew up around. However, he's always been a rational person and the object or feeling itself has no crime, it's what people choose to do with it that matters.

[Personal Route Ch.1]

MY: True love brings light and hope to life and makes a person better and better.

MY: At any time, you could meet with that person who would make you a better person, but you may not be aware of it at the time.

[Personal Route Ch.3]

MY: Alright, quiet... What everyone here has said is all "love".

MY: Love itself is a concept that cannot be clearly defined because, for every person, their feelings and preferences are different.

MY: So, this student here, I apologize sincerely but I may not be able to give you an accurate answer.

Student: Professor, what do you feel is love then?

MY: Me...?

Mo Yi faintly smiled.

His eyes passed through the sea of people and met mine.

MY: To me, it is a unique miracle.

MY: She makes me unable to control wanting to investigate, to touch, and to figure out everything.

MY: There are even times where, for a short moment, I am unable to distinguish the divide between reason and emotion.

MY: In this world, there are too many people who are fair on the outside but foul on the inside, however there will always be that one person...

MY: She will make you become better, make you believe everything is wonderful, make you start to look forward... to the future.

Look, he's an utter romantic! But, like I mentioned above, he's also a rational person and he needs to make sure that this love is The One for him.

Second, what's important to mention here is his view on Love At First Sight because that's what he admits to himself that he has for his heroine.

However, he has a huge scar about Love At First Sight because of the tragedy that was his parents. His father, a nobleman, and his mother, a foreign woman from a background of scholars, fell in love with each other at first sight. However, due to his father's poor handling of the church in his country, which basically denied their relationship unless Mo Yi's mother converted to their religion, Mo Yi's mother left his father and his father lost the love of his life and has been regretting it to this day.

So, what does he think about Love At First Sight?

[Personal Route Ch.2]

MY: ...Personally, I believe in "love at first sight".

Student: Really? I thought someone rational and calm like you wouldn't believe in this sort of illusion.

MY: "Love at first sight" has uncertain factors, but that doesn't mean its existence itself is a mistake.

MY: Furthermore, isn't it human nature to harbor hope for this wonderful and sincere emotion? I am no exception.

MY: Only...

Mo Yi paused slightly and, when he opened his mouth again, there seemed to be some unclear emotion in his tone.

MY: When "love at first sight" arrives, I am more inclined to make a particular judgment first rather than walk eagerly towards love.

MY: Those wonderful things that are unforgettable for people, are they for real or are they "ephemeral"? This is more important, is it not?

Student: Oh, can this sort of thing be tested? Professor, can you teach me?

MY: It's not a peculiar method, you just need to make observations.

Student: Observations?

MY: Correct, observe the other party's attitude and thoughts when facing matters, especially the things that really threaten their lives or safety.

MY: To a certain extent, a person's behavior can reflect their personality.

As a top psychiatrist, Mo Yi is extremely honest to himself with his own emotions and thoughts. Heck, that's why he always records voiced diary logs because he uses those to examine his own mental state. So, this determination on whether or not the target of his Love At First Sight is The One means a lot to him, because he will throw himself fully into this love.

One huge thing about Mo Yi is that he chases perfection and has an aversion to imperfect things. This stems from his deathly fear of failure because he doesn't believe there is a "next time" after failure. Once something fails, that's the end. This is due to his parents again and how, while it takes time to nurture emotions, it only takes an instant to lose emotions or trust.

Third, because of the above, it is incredibly important for Mo Yi minimize as much "risks" as possible.

The translations below are going to be paired together for consistency, but they will be addressing two points at the same time. One, that Mo Yi may exaggerate the emotions he reveals, but they are genuine. Two, that he is showing his "imperfect" and "ugly" sides to his heroine in controlled settings because he doesn't want her to hate him.

(On a minor note, I think it should be kept in mind that he's also observing her through all of this to determine whether or not she's The One, but honestly she just keeps surprising him throughout the game and making him fall harder and harder for her).

[SR Fake Tears]

In those gold eyes of his, the usual gentle smile was replaced by another emotion.

MC: Dr. M-Mo...?

That expression... was not sadness and was not relief, but...

A kind of inevitable self-confidence, the satisfaction of seeing through everything, or... an unfathomable control.

That glance... was it my misconception?

In the flickering light, that expression was gone in a flash. I was incapable of determining it, but instinctively a hint of a chill rose from the bottom of my heart...

MY: Did I scare you?

MY: I just... don't want to hide myself in front of you. I just want to be honest about my weakness in front of you alone.

MY: You won't hate me, right?

Before I could answer, he smiled softly.

MY: Let me indulge myself this once, alright?

MY: Just for this short while...

[SR Fake Tears]

Mo Yi sat at his desk and turned on his digital voice recorder.

The time on the recorder slowly moved forward, but Mo Yi only watched that changing number without saying a word.

After a long time, a soft sigh came from the quiet room.

MY: I shouldn't have done that...

MY: Just for a moment of warmth, I deliberately showed her that appearance, even exaggerating my sadness and weakness...

MY: I even fully enjoyed indulging myself... I sought even more from her, hoping she would... feel even more sorry for me.

MY: But, at that time, I really didn't want to use reason to control my emotions.

MY: This is the first time I've been so... contradictory, chaotic...

His voice became lighter and lighter.

MY: The yearning I have for her... is already... an addiction I cannot give up...

[SSR Brewing Thoughts]

MY: Saying you wouldn't be able to sleep tonight was only an excuse, wasn't it? You were afraid I would have a sleepless night because I would think about past matters.

MC: Dr. Mo, you—

MY: I'm really happy.

MY: I won't be sad because of those things, but I truly am really happy.

His fingertips gently caressed my wrist.

MY: A child who has tasted candy would have a hard time enduring the loss. Can I be insatiable and rely on you more?

MY: Or is it that people who are too strong, who don't feel sad, have no way of receiving concern?

MY: Are you... going to leave and ignore me?

There was a hint of pretend grievance in his voice, and also a deep belief and certainty that I couldn't refuse him.

MC: (Too unfair! There's no way to refuse...)

Before I could answer, Mo Yi held my wrist and pulled me even closer to him.

MY: Just stay here, right with me.

Some context here is that he was acting "drunk" in the translation above. Below was the reveal that he wasn't actually drunk.

[SSR Brewing Thoughts]

The bud of feelings needed to be raised with the utmost care, but how could he let it grow strong in an unpredictable environment?

Of course he had to control it himself rather than allowing it to happen naturally.

Just like adjusting the sun and rain when a grapevine was growing, and just like controlling every timing of winemaking.

Furthermore, if someone wanted a grape seedling, which was imperfect to begin with, to produce the desired fruit, to brew the perfect wine, then it needed even more precise control.

Otherwise... just like wine, a small error might lead to serious consequences.

As you can see, the god complex and obsession over control is strong here. He cannot and does not believe to leaving things to random nature. He's not willing to lose this love and will do anything to give him and his heroine a happy ending (unlike his parents).

That's not to say that he HAS to control everything though. He actually doesn't care about the process (nature vs. nurture) so long as the results are good. But, like I mentioned above, he is certainly a master of reducing "risks".

However, and this was the whole point of [SSR Brewing Thoughts], Mo Yi's heroine teaches him that there is a "next time" after failure. She teaches him that, sometimes, the journey along the way is more important than the conclusion and that what's most important is whether or not the person he loves is beside him.

What is extremely touching is how matter-of-factly she tells him that they can just try again if they fail at something. He does not need to chase perfection when he is around her and a lot of his dates are seeing him in various states of failure. Practicing failure is such a relatable thing for us all to learn in life.

Fourth, I am going to repeat myself a little here after these translations but, in my opinion, Mo Yi carries a childlike honesty and purity regarding his emotions. The thing that makes him so charming is that while he plays these manipulative tricks, he is also extremely blunt about his own emotions. He expresses his jealousy, his possessiveness, his blunders, etc. He wants her to be the only one who can see these different sides of him and perceive his moods when he normally keeps everyone else at a polite distance. The ONLY disguise he wears is a flimsy one that hides what, in his eyes, are the "ugliest" sides of himself because he doesn't want his heroine to hate him; but he doesn't hide the fact that he has these ugly sides at all.

Fifth, basically, go ahead and fall in love with Mo Yi! He looks dangerous and he sort of is (extremely grey morality, does not adhere to the Hippocratic Oath, literally amassed power to have the choice to do what he wants, and uses his own scale of judgment, but that's another essay for another time) but he is never dangerous to you and is just as invested in this love as you are.

I suppose one thing you do have to watch out for is his arrogant god complex and believing he knows what's best LOL.

[Personal Route Ch.3]

MY: Because the mother eagle knows that, only after experiencing the pain and torment of a broken wing, the young eagle will truly have the ability to soar in the sky.

MY: Although this is just a metaphor that is somewhat different from reality, when it comes to her...

MY: This is the path she chose and, not only will I let her walk on it, but I will also let her become the most dazzling presence on this road.

MY: But, Constable Yan, you should know better than me what sort of end most people who pursue light in the chaos have.

MY: So, to recognize the darkness in front of her and face it directly is something she must learn.

MY: If she was always huddled under the wings of others, then her road would end here.

YW: But aren't you afraid of something happening by chance?

MY: "Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions."

MY: Since I chose to do this I naturally have enough certainty. Besides... I am here, so who could hurt her?

However, this is not a one-way street and the same goes for the heroine and what she can do to him. In fact, I am going to end this essay with one of my favorite quotes ever in this game (even still to this day), because it honestly shows how Mo Yi fell in love with the dazzling justice the heroine upholds and how he will accept anything of her.

One thing he says in a beta PV, the prologue of the game, and [SSR Border of Light and Darkness] is that he hopes she can stick with the choice she makes, even if it runs counter to the world and everyone is against her.

So, anyway, the context of the quote below is important because [SSR Dangerous Invitation] is essentially a microcosm of their relationship. They roleplay a locked-room mystery and, in the end, the heroine chooses to throw Mo Yi (her lover in the game) into jail because he's a murderer (even though he did it for her). She chooses the truth and her version of justice over them living together in a lie (by pushing the blame to someone else). Before the lover is executed, he writes one last love letter and this is what Mo Yi reads out to his heroine at the end of the date.

[SSR Dangerous Invitation]

MY: Perhaps what he was infatuated with was this kind of you.

MC: !!!

Hearing his words, I looked up in astonishment.

Those gold eyes suddenly became profound and intense. I couldn't understand his emotions, only feeling that I was about to fall into his eyes.

The noisy wind and the voices of people on the long street gradually faded away at his words.

Only my heartbeat remained in my ears and the last love letter the duke wrote to the viscountess before the gallows that he read out slowly.

MY: "I will always open wide my arms and accept all your beauty and cruelty."

MY: "I hope that you will, with this heart, embrace the one and only truth you pursue."

Sorry, I can't resist finishing off by saying some more sappy words but, again, Mo Yi is just a simple man who wishes his first love to be his last love and he's so invested in this love. You are the once-in-a-lifetime stirring of his heart.

[shayoranwriting]

The Selkie of Port Mo Chalmaig

Summary: It's been months since selkie, Catrìona, was taken captive and she still can't understand why the locals see her and her people as the problem.

Word count: 992

Content warnings: Domestic violence, mentions of trafficking, mention of war, mention of death

-

Many people would say that a young lass shouldn’t be out on her own this late. But, with me, they know better. I’m not what I appear to be. And I’d much rather face whatever may lurk on these dark streets if it keeps me from the house a little longer.

I came to the surface months ago to avoid the conflict between my people and the Ceasg, who wanted to exterminate all our men but weren’t above slaughtering our women and children too. It was supposed to be temporary, just till the worst of the conflict had died down and I could feel safe again. But someone found my skin and they’ve been holding me here ever since. My ma always warned me about that. A lot of selkies have been caught the same way, though, so at least I know I’m not the only fool. There are even people that make a career of it; they go out and collect loads of skins at a time and keep all the selkies in a big house, then sell them on to folk. They make the selkies do all sorts… It doesn’t bear thinking about.

I suppose I’m one of the luckier ones. My captor brought me to his home in Port Mo Chalmaig. It’s a fairly small coastal village where everyone seems to know each other, but there’s also a larger town nearby. I haven’t seen my skin since that time. He stashed it away upon our arrival and I’ve been unable to find it.

He’s much older than me. Sometimes, when I’m running errands, I hear the elderly townswomen gossiping about us, wondering why he couldn’t get a woman his own age. And species. To be quite honest, I agree with them! So I don’t understand why I’m the one that gets all the dirty looks and vicious whispers. Sometimes they even openly harass me and other people will join in or cheer them on, jeering at me. I haven’t done anything wrong so I don’t know where this hostility comes from. All I can do is rise above it and not sink to their level. That’s the way my ma raised me.

Nevertheless, this is the life I’ve landed in and, with a heavy heart, it’s time for me to return to him. The last light is gone and there’s not a soul left on the streets. I just know he’ll be waiting for me, nursing his wrath to keep its embers smouldering. So, I make my way back along the main street, with the shore on my left and the village on my right, before heading up the winding roads that lead to his old, stone house. I open and close the door as softly as I can, then hold my breath and wait. Did he hear me?

“Where have you been, Mhairi?” he asks darkly from the sitting room.

That’s not my name. It’s the one he chose for me. My real name is Catrìona and I like it. But, sometimes, it’s easier to simply co-operate.

“Just a walk,” I answer after a moment.

“Why?”

“I needed some fresh air.”

“You better not have been at the shore,” he says, with a clear threat behind the tone.

“I wasn’t,” I lied.

I often go there just to be close to the sea. But, more than that, I go there to help my people as best I can. I don’t want them to end up like me or like the others in the “selkie houses”. I would give anything to stop another from suffering our fate. So, I warn anyone that comes ashore and I hide any skins I find. It’s not much, but it’s the best I can do.

I’m not supposed to go down there, though. I’m not supposed to interact with my people at all. It’s better if I “assimilate” is the way he puts it.

I hear him push himself up from his chair, followed by the thud of his footsteps as he crosses the sitting room and, when he steps out into the hall, I shrink back involuntarily. He’s taller than me, though not by much, but he has plenty of meat on him. A great hulking beast of a man. Wild and hairy too. All in all, he paints quite an intimidating picture.

“Don’t lie to me, woman!” he spits the last word. “Where else would you go for so long?”

He’s in a worse mood than usual and it puts the fear into me. I decide to cut my losses and tell the truth.

“Alright, I was at the shore. But I don’t see the harm! I like it down there.”

“You shouldn’t be down there,” he declares. “You’ll get ideas. You should be at home.”

The words are out before I can stop them: “The sea is my home!”

Before I can react, his hand is in my hair and I’m being dragged. Down the hall, through the kitchen, and to the much dreaded door. He opens it and throws me down into his coal cellar. A regular occurrence when I don’t toe the line.

“You need to think long and hard about how lucky you are to be here, my lady,” he tells me.

I watch the light from the door above me narrow into nothingness as it closes, and I am left in pitch darkness.

Sometimes people tell me I should go back where I came from. I never understand why they say it with such hostility. I’d love to go back to the sea. I’d love to see my family and know that they’re safe and well. I’d love to be safe, myself, and feel like I belong again. But I can’t. Things would be better if people understood that the selkies aren’t the problem; it’s the people trapping us here. We share the same enemy and we could stand together against them. Wouldn’t that be simpler?

[natsu-tte-noodle]

手紙 (Letters) - To Tsumugi

(Cross Posted on AO3)

Words: 1070 Warnings: None

Dear Tsumugi,

Hi!  You totally think I’m writing a practice essay for you to look over right now, but I’m actually taking the opportunity to hunker down and write my letter to you.  Sorry!  Forgive me just this once for ignoring my work, please!  I know you’re gonna be mad when I give you an envelope instead of a book report, but there’s also no way I’m not gonna procrastinate this even more if I don’t ride this motivation wave while I can.

Omi let me see a little bit of his own letter, actually.  The one that you wrote for him!  Thanks for pushing him to take care of himself a little more.  I definitely noticed that he seemed way more tired than normal recently, but I was like.  “Is it weird to tell a guy whose who’s older than you to rest?  Like is that condesending?”  We’ve got each other’s backs of course, but telling him what to do still feels a little weird, even when it’s coming from a place of concern and all.  So I’m glad he heard it from someone else before I had to worry about that too much.

What I saw of his letter had a REALLY important message, but the letter I got was pretty chill, so to be honest I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do here?  Like I’ve got stuff I wanna say but how am I supposed to format this?

I guess Izumi told us to do what feels natural, so I’ll just start talking.  Please don’t grade this like it’s actually the paper I was supposed to be doing.

Ok, so this is gonna come out of nowhere, but I actually wanted to apologize?  Don’t worry, it’s not like I did anything!  And I’m not asking you to cover for me for anything either.  It’s just that something’s kinda been on my mind recently.

You know how Mantou Fist just ended, right?  It was so much fun to put on a completely different show than any that the Autumn Troupe has done before.  And finally getting to stand on stage as the lead (and of a play made just for me!!) was SO cool!  It’s a memory I’m never going to forget, even if I lose all my memories as an old man I’m still going to talk to all my grandkids about how I played Chan on stage.

But I can’t say it was all smooth sailing.  I had a really hard time accepting that I was… good enough?  Worthy?  To be the lead.  The guys in the Autumn Troupe helped me through it, but after closing night I was thinking about how much everyone in the company has done for me, and I got to you and.  I don’t know, I guess I started to feel like I was being selfish.

Even outside of the Winter Troupe, you’d have to be pretty blind to not see how much not getting into the God Troupe fucked (I’m sorry Autumn habit please don’t get mad!!!) messed with you back when you first joined the company.  Reni was a serious jerk to me, so I can only imagine what stuff he said to you.  I seriously felt for you there.  I never said anything, but it felt like we were brothers in arms against the guy, even though all I did for the act-off was help make the costumes.

But, I don’t know, I wasn’t really thinking about the fact that at least I got in?  Sorry, I hope that doesn’t sound rude or like I’m bragging because I really don’t mean it that way.  I guess I like, started to wonder if I was being unfair.  Yeah I was in the back, but at least I got to do a show, right?  Was it ok to compare my situation to yours?  Mine wasn’t great, but at least it let me continue with theater.

It sort of made me feel like I was whining or ungreatful, or something.  Like, who was I to complain like that?

I know you’d tell me to not worry about it and that “we all have different challenges we face differently” or something, which is why I decided to write it here so you couldn’t tell me to shut up and be nicer to myself mid sentence.

Anyway, don’t feel bad about this or anything!  I don’t know if it’s right to say I’m over it, but I’m gonna try to not beat myself up over it too much.  We’ve gotta focus on the future, right?  I’m really greatful to be here in the MANKAI Company with you and everyone else.  I feel like it’d be MORE unfair to ignore that and focus on things that have already passed.  I can’t know for sure obviously, but I feel like you feel the same.

And I understand that thinking I’m being unfair to you is kinda unfair to myself too.  Because even if I passed the auditions, it was it’s own kind of hell.  I guess we both came out of it with confidence issues.  You know that meme that’s like a cow that can go through one of two hallways, but both halls end up in the same place and it says “the illusion of free choice?”  You probably don’t but it’s like that.  The free choice is whether you get into the God Troupe or not and the end of the hall is like.  Trauma I guess.

Ok, well.  That was it.  Really, I just wanted to get it off my chest.  So if you’re still reading, thanks for letting me do that.  I feel like I can move forward with my head up a little better now.  I mean, acting here, under Izumi and with everyone?  How could the future NOT be bright!

I know we’re in different troupes, but if we do more mixed plays like that school-themed one that’s coming up soon (congrats on landing that by the way!!), I hope we can star in one together.  I can’t think of a bigger honor than getting to stand next to you on stage.

Anyway, I’m seriously looking forward to how you guys take on your next play.  I want you to show me a Tsumugi Tsukioka that the God Troupe WISHES it had!

Your favorite student that you totally aren’t mad at for not doing his work,

Taichi

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