#one of my favourites out of all 271

[actuallykyogai]

Realised that THIS happened the day before my birthday (November 16!!) and it feels like an early birthday present whenever I read it. I wouldn't even care if it was Geto, but this is Kenjaku we're talking about. I'm insufferable when it comes to my favourite 1000+ year old parasite ( ＾ω＾ )

[reviiely]

Fic Writer Review

Many thanks to @kings-highway for the tag! I haven't done one of these in a hot sec :P

More under the cut:

"How many works do you have on ao3?"

Well. In total, the number is 56. Five are from the account that shall not be named and 51 are from my main one. I only have 16 Haikyuu works but hey, I started like five months ago and that's already pretty good in my standards.

"Your top 5 stories by kudos/likes?"

Oof. I've been writing for marvel for ages but the top spot is a Haikyuu fic.

a chemical change in the brain- 271 kudos

this was my second Haikyuu fic on my main and the reception to it was so lovely and it really made me want to continue writing for this fandom because everyone was so so sweet

2. The World We Knew (Over and Over)- 261 kudos

one of my favourite ones that I've written and the longest running project I've ever attempted to write and it took such a ridiculous amount of time like tell me how I managed to write 2k+ chapters PER DAY while going to school and replying to all the comments and not wanting to give up like wow did this plotline have a grip on me

3. 7 Minutes In Heaven- 242 kudos

aha the... the fic that made me contemplate never making out with anyone ever seriously and I really think I might just... never do it because the way I described their tongues touching each other... shudders and shivers down my spine... it was an absolute nightmare to write but everyone was really nice and I got a new friend out of it so

4. pretty- 221 kudos

my one and only kuroken centric fic and it's like my third haikyuu fic ever and maybe it's just because I posted them in the summer but they were up there pretty quick actually but I don't have much to say about this one lol

5. "Tell me where it hurts."- 202 kudos

ahhhh the fic that started it all. literally the fic that made me begin my sunglasses series that I've heard praised so much and made me fall in love with writing all over again

"Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?"

Yes! Because I have no life and I love talking to people. Also I didn't used to but once I started writing more consistently, I also started replying more consistently. Mostly for sunglasses and the other stories. It really helped that I had returning commenters lol.

"What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?"

Uhhhhhhh. Ummmm. I guess it would have to be Out of Time or The Next Big Thing because those are both MCD, but both aren't angst angst I don't think? Out of Time's ending is technically a happy flashback and The Next Big Thing is a canon death but from the perspective of different characters after being twisted by my au... I guess it's up to the readers lol. I don't usually write angst but (shameless advertising) I'm writing this Iwaoi fic where some death happens and that counts as angst, right?

"What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?"

Shit y'all, all of my fics have happy endings (sans the MCDs)(one is an AU of an AU that I wrote to appease a fan and the other one gets brought back to life and gets together with his crush so like)... I don't know. My kagehina maybe. 7MIH. Take your pick. All of my Haikyuu fics have happy endings I think. My marvel stuff is a little iffy but I wouldn't read them anyway just for quality reasons.

"Do you write crossovers?"

Uhhhhhh... (checks my fandoms) no. Unfortunately, my brain doens't like to imagine cross-media (aka novel to tv series for example) crossovers and the ones that I could cross over already have too much going on (marvel). And generally... I don't really wanna.

"Have you ever received hate on a fic?"

Not that I know of. I've had spam comments and 'pls continue' comments but everyone in my works are pretty well-behaved and none of the fandoms I write for are active enough to be angry.

"Do you write smut? If so, what kind?"

... Looks away in minor...

................. yeah but just to be funny................... so crack... i guess.................

"Have you ever had a fic stolen?"

I've seen my stuff on random fic platforms but idk I don't care. Attention is attention and any publicity is good publicity or whatever.

"Have you ever had a fic translated?"

Nope but I've gotten comments in different languages once or twice that I had to put into google translate so I can respond exactly the same way as I do every single time!

"Have you ever co-written a fic before?"

Yes! One with my dear friend Anna a long time ago that we just kinda abandoned that I actually almost forgot about. And I'm listed as a co-creator on altruist but that's only cause I like formatting and I get a rush when I'm posting things.

"What’s your all-time favourite ship?"

Uhhhhhhh... daisuga...? They're the safest option to read usually and I'm more into them than most of the other ships I read (sorry to everyone who knows me from marvel but I don't read much from there and I haven't read much ushiten because I haven't been reading anything lately anyway)

"What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?"

Either the Funny Thing About Hope or Ushijima Wakatoshi Is Not Invincible. Planning both of those were so fun but my god I have not been able to get back into writing them. And also my aos rewrite but at least that one has a nice clean ending. Y'all can pretend that Wonderful World doesn't exist.

"What are your writing strengths?"

I talk a lot about nothing! But formatting, mostly.

"What are your writing weaknesses?"

I'd make a self-deprecating joke and say everything but I wanna be honest and say that it's probably anything physical whether it be the kissy-kissies or a fight scene. And volleyball matches, can't forget those.

"What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?"

I come from a writing background of Harry Potter fanfic so usually italics is fine for me. When I was younger and writing for Marvel (which was primarily Natasha Romanoff, featuring her fluency in multiple languages), I usually used italics and the script that google translate gave me, not the romanized version. Now that I'm older and having written for Haikyuu, I think it depends on who's saying it/ the perspective it's in. If I was writing in Peter Parker's pov and Natasha Romanoff said something in Russian, I wouldn't say what she said. I'd just say 'she muttered something in russian' or something like that. People can do what they want though and unless it's an important plot device I don't really care how I or anyone does it.

"What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?"

I was actually talking about this with a new friend of mine today! I want to write for Kyouhaba someday. They're so cute and I haven't been able to because I've been on a block and I gave my one idea for them to Iwaoi so. Yeah.

"What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?"

I don't remember writing most of my fics. Or any of them. Even as I check the list, I draw blanks. Whose fics are these? Not mine. I've never seen these fics ever in my life.

That being said, I really liked writing Dictionary, even if it's one of the darker things I've written. I also really liked writing to build a home because 1) that was a gift to my darling friend Val and 2) it was so cute and fluffy and daisuga and just asdfghjkdhsh

That also being said, I have high hopes for this iwaoi fic so maybe if I end up writing and finishing it, maybe it'll be my actual favourite lol

Thanks for the tag, and the next people I'm roping into this are: @bubbletealife, @sleepyricee, and internet wine aunt @gammacousin (sorry for the random tag lol)

[cosmicwolfboy]

I posted 2,082 times in 2022

That's 535 more posts than 2021!

38 posts created (2%)

2,044 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@perinkling

@that-introverted-friendly-goblin

@dreamsequencer

@cryptic-science

@cabbage-loves-you

I tagged 271 of my posts in 2022

#taskmaster - 29 posts

#mcr - 24 posts

#for billie or worse - 17 posts

#star wars - 12 posts

#sludge speaks - 11 posts

#disability - 10 posts

#the batman - 9 posts

#oh my god no he’s zsaszposting again - 8 posts

#swedit - 8 posts

#fo4 - 7 posts

Longest Tag: 127 characters

#so i immediately thought of echo stumbling on them at 3am sneaking food out of the fridge with both of their eyes just glowing.

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

a piece about being disabled and trans and how it makes you want to claw off your skin sometimes :)

89 notes - Posted June 13, 2022

#4

peter parker you will always have my heart

159 notes - Posted May 26, 2022

#3

i have always been and forever will be a danger days defender. this blog doesn’t tolerate danger days slander.

she might not be everyone’s favourite but she’s MY favourite

270 notes - Posted May 23, 2022

#2

if you are ftm/transmasc and also physically disabled or bonus points if u class urself as cripplepunk pls drop me a message/reply/reblog in tags if it’s ok for me to message you!!

need opinions on the idea of a disabled transmasc zine<3

ableds + non-ftm/transmascs r welcome to rb for reach (it’d b v appreciated<3)

471 notes - Posted November 29, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

i really hate when we r like can we please stop the trend of disabled characters magically being Cured as this like amazing plot point or ending n people are like “SO YOU WANT THEM TO STAY SUFFERING?” no i just want some accurate representation without it feeling like my disability is being rubbed in my face because a cure doesn’t fucking exist irl. “it’s fantasy” it’s inspiration porn u fuckin weirdos.

why do u hate disabled people being disabled why do you feel like we all need curing?? you know we can be happy right? we can live full, joyous lives! disabled characters don’t need to me cured to be fulfilled!!!!!

some of u need to just admit that seeing disabled characters Be Disabled scares u. like u need to see us cured and able bodied miraculously because u don’t like the actual truth about being disabled because u know u can become One of Us at any moment.

stop trying to make us palatable for your own comfort u weirdos !!! i fucking hate The Disabled Character is cured and it’s a miracle!!!

it is literally just..inspiration porn idk how people can’t see that. it’s so fucking blatant

4,496 notes - Posted November 11, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[proudlylost]

My 6+1 favorite SPN fics: AU

After the SPN finale I kinda got sucked back into the fandom. The excessive amount of fanfiction reading ensued (I re-read all of my SPN fic favorites and then some) and I realised I have actually read quite a lot of them. So I thought I could share them, to highlight all the talented authors there is and also to gather all of my favorites into the one place. This post contain my favorite AU fics, the SPN universe edition of this fic rec can be found here.

Ninety One Whiskey by komodobits

“In the spring of 1944, the 104th Medical Battalion of the United States Army is disbanded, and its men reassigned to various infantry companies in preparation for their invasion of occupied France. For First Lieutenant Novak, this is less than helpful, as he has so far met his platoon’s designated medic a grand total of twice, and has both times found Sergeant Winchester to be the optimum combination of reckless, arrogant, and downright insufferable so as to make cohesive platoon function near impossible. When the time comes to move out, however, Castiel has to reconcile himself to the fact that men are going to go down and trust that Dean Winchester may well be the only person who can put them back together again. WW2 ETO infantry AU. “ 

READ! THIS! Well, there is some really disturbing war related and time period related stuff, but if you can stomach that, read it! Along with the Angel’s Wild, this is my favorite fanfiction. This fic is heart wrenching and so, so good.The characterization is on point. Historical accuracy is on point. Slow burn is on point. Everything is just perfect. However, as I said, this fic is heavy stuff. There is some serious angst (I cried. I almost never cry when reading) and trauma. But there is glimmers of hope, even if sometimes it feels hopeless. Expected recovery time: at least two weeks. Word Count:  401,183. Explicit

Angel’s wild by LimonadeGaby and riseofthefallenone

“But that’s the whole reason he’s here, isn’t it? He’s not out here hunting Humans. He’s not even hunting deer, or bears, or anything else that featured in Bambi. He’s out here, freezing his nuts off every night, because he’s hunting Angels.

Sometimes Dean wishes that Angels were like how they’re described in the Bible. How people from time too old for him to care much about thought Angels were messengers and warriors of God, protectors of Humans. He knows that how they’re really described in the Bible is actually pretty terrifying, but at least they were told by God that they’re supposed to love Humans, right?

That’s a thousand times better than what Angels really turned out to be.”

This was first longer fic that I read from Supernatural fandom and I fell in love. So this is “the fic that got me into the fandom” but I have read it multiple times since and it is still very, very good. I love everything about this fic. It is very original and the lore is amazing. I love how Dean and Cas are both quite young (in Cas’s case, relatively speaking) and how their love develops (slow burn! <3) I love how Cas is described and I love how he communicates (unintentionally) with flowers. You can also read this without having any knowledge of supernatural series (like I did) which is always impressive for a fic. Wor count:  389, 271. Explicit

For All You Young Hockey Players Out There, Pay Attention by thursdaysfallenangel

“Dean Winchester knows two things about hockey, two things his dad made sure he knew. One, hockey is a guy’s sport, and two, hockey is family. Hockey meant Sam and Bobby and Benny and Victor and Gabriel and hell, his entire team. So when Victor gets traded, Russian-star-turned-new-teammate Castiel Krushnic becomes a threat. As much as Dean hates him for that, the longer he sticks around, the more he begins to threaten that first rule too. Dean’s been taught his whole life that those who play hockey should not be captivated by deep accented voices and the way a guy handles his stick, so how the hell is he supposed to justify what he’s starting to think about Cas? All Dean wanted at the beginning of the season was to win, and now all he wants to do is figure out how he feels about Cas and how to deal with it without ruining his career and tearing his family apart. “

Ah, three of my absolute favourite things smashed into the same fic: sports, slow burn and enemies to lovers. This fic has lots of cameos from supernatural characters, because hockey teams require lots of players. So it is easy to spot your favorite character in this fic. This fic is probably one of may favorites, because of the sport environment (Outside the fandom, I have been super into sports. Like so much I have several national championships medals from my sport. Anyway, not a point here): also the sexual tension between Dean and Cas is so good, especially when they are pumped with the adrenaline. You don’t really need to understand sports to enjoy this fic, though. Word count:  143,592. Explicit

Formula Won by cardinalwrites

“Of all the places Castiel Novak thought he would take in his career, an internship as a Formula One Paddock Correspondent (or journalist, for short) was most definitely not one of them for a few reasons. One: He had no clue what the hell Formula One was. Two: He knew nothing about sports in general. And Three: He should not fall in love with the people he’s supposed to be asking hard-hitting questions to, least of all the head driver of one of the oldest and most well-renowned teams in the sport’s history.

This is a love story told around the world through the eyes of the person that knows the least about where he has found himself in. Come follow a 20-race season finding love in the lost, learning the truth, and figuring out what the hell Formula One is along the way.”

Another sports fic with a slow burn. This is probably not everyone’s cup of tea, because there is quite a lot information about formula one, and the reading experience is more enjoyable if already know about formulas/do your research. Don’t let it stop you though, because this fic is very good. The friendship between Dean and Cas is very natural, and later the romance as well. The plot is very engaging and the drama inside the formula one organization is so good. This fic is also not so “heavy” as the other ones in my list (of course, there are problems along the way, but even the fic’s tags say there will be fluff). The rating is T, which is kinda surprising, because I did not notice it until I already had read the whole fic. Word count: 123,777. Teen

Have Love, Will Travel by squeemonster

Castiel Novak is a reclusive writer with a childhood so tragic it's left him terrified to leave his home—until his overbearing brother, Gabriel, drags him out for a night on the town full of booze and strip clubs, and he encounters Dean Winchester, a mesmerizing and mysterious stripper with secrets of his own. Both men find themselves inexplicably drawn to each other, and soon Dean's private dances for Castiel become much more, as both men confess their troubles and find solace in each other's company. But neither can seem to find the courage to take their relationship further than the intimacy of the club's VIP Room—and just when Dean's own brother gives him the excuse he needs to finally admit his feelings, Dean discovers something that brings it all crumbling down. Will they find a way past their demons and their trust issues, and back to each other?

This is one of the fandom classics and quite rightfully so. Both Dean and Cas have issues, in other words: what’s new? The sexual chemistry between them was so good and well written, but there is also angst and mental health issues (mostly Cas). Sam is quite young in this fic, but manages to be very much a little brother. I honestly loved this fic when I was a bit younger, but I think it is still very good and deserves its place in this list. Word count  94,054. Explicit

Pick It All Up by thepinupchemist

Army veteran Castiel Novak is a wreck after his tour in Afghanistan, brought home to his brother's apartment in Lawrence, Kansas with scars both mental and physical. He copes poorly, and during one night of bad decision making, meets somebody just as much of a disaster as he is -- a prostitute named Dean Winchester. And suddenly, two damaged men might not be as irreparable as they believed.

Ah, it seems that I’m incapable of picking nice, fluffy, happy fanfics. This certainly is not one of them. There is full warnings in the tags, because there is some triggering stuff: PTSD, mentions of past abuse, alcoholism etc. But, this is also very healing story in its own way (It has happy ending. I guess I can spoil that because it reads in the tags) . I avoided this fic for a long time, because the prostitute!Dean tag scared me away, but this was so worth of reading (as I said, happy ending)! Gabriel is super supportive and sweet brother and Dean and Cas are dysfunctional but they work so well despite all the trauma they have endured. Word count:  126,611. Explicit

Bonus: Twist and Shout by gabriel and standbyme

What begins as a transforming love between Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak in the summer of 1965 quickly derails into something far more tumultuous when Dean is drafted in the Vietnam War. Though the two both voice their relationship is one where saying goodbye is never a real truth, their story becomes fraught with the tragedy of circumstance. In an era where homosexuality was especially vulnerable, Twist and Shout is the story of the love transcending time, returning over and over in its many forms, as faithful as the sea.

Well, I don’t think this fic needs any introductions. This is the fic, the most popular in SPN fandom and one of the most popular ones in the whole ao3. I thought that I could read this, because I don’t generally have many triggers, despite all the warnings. I was a wreck during reading. And I have managed to read it once and I can’t make myself read it again. But it is good and amazingly written. This fic plucks every emotion out of you and does anything it pleases with them. You have been warned. Word count:  97,556. Explicit

(When I wrote this fic rec I also realised I have a serious problem with long fics. Like, most of my favorites are at least 100,000 words. At this point I think I don’t even consider a fic to be slow burn, unless it takes several days to complete the fic. Oops)

[no-footprints-in-the-snow]

My Recipes

Resharing my recipes to help out some people looking for foods to eat low-carb, low-cal options! <3 <3 <3 

My favourite foods for meals are hard boiled eggs (72 calories a piece - a dash of salt or pepper, as snacks or sandwich filler), tuna (120 calories a can), tilapia (80 calories a fillet), frozen salmon fillets (130/4 oz), romaine lettuce (5 calories for two LARGE leafs/10 for 4) for salads or in replacement of bread.

For tuna wraps (two cans of skipjack drained (240 calories), tbsp of full-fat mayo (80 calories), pepper medley, (you can add chives or celery), wrap in lettuce (head of lettuce - 5 calories for two LARGE leafs/10 for 4) -- makes multiple 'sandwiches'. (325 calories - 205 calories for 1 can) Sometimes I just drain a can of tuna, throw on some Clubhouse ‘La Grille’ Pepper Medley and eat it straight out of the can with a fork. (120 calories)

Egg salad wraps (two-three-four eggs, depends on how hungry you are), tbsp full-fat mayo (80 calories), yellow mustard to taste (0 cals) -- you can add a dash of salt or pepper, wrap lettuce (5-15) around it to make multiple 'sandwiches'. (229-301-373 calories - 2-3-4 large eggs)

I typically boil an entire carton of eggs in one sitting, remember that it takes more time to cook a whole carton. I also get cartons of egg whites (two containers/250g a container/a cup a container), I use a whole carton, microwave for 2 minutes 45 seconds, and then mix in a big tablespoon of peanut butter. It's surprisingly delicious! And low-carb. (206-286 calories if you use 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter respectively) Veggies with dinner or any meal: Simply Steam Green Giant items (like cauliflower rice and broccoli with cheese sauce, broccoli and cauliflower with cheese sauce, and brussel sprouts in butter sauce). All of them are low-cal and delicious. I avoid corn. I'm more a veggie girl than a fruit girl (I've never really been a fan. I don't know why). (40-50-80 calories for half a package - 80-100-160 calories for a full package) You can even make an egg white omelette with one of those 250g cartons and Simply Steam veggies! Just add one cup/250g of egg whites into a frying pan (115 calories), I typically use the broccoli and cauliflower with cheese sauce package and it comes to 215 calories.

Snacks: Large hardboiled eggs (dash of salt or pepper) - (72 calories a piece), cherry tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, celery, (all great for salads as well), peanut butter, greek yogurt (don't get sweetened ones, they have a LOT of sugar in them). Sometimes, I just slice up a whole tomato (Beefsteak - 33 calories), and put some salt on it, and eat just that as a snack.

Get full fat dressing of your choice to dip or use as dressing. Smoked oysters (good healthy fat) with Clubhouse “La Grille pepper medley”. (130 calories) However, I get light peanut butter.

You can put peanut butter on your celery. Also, 15 almonds is about 100 calories – if you put them in water and in the fridge, they'll double to triple in size, much more filling that way!

Carbs: Whole grain brown rice (usually Uncle Ben's Express roasted chicken, vegetable medley, or mushroom), ready in 90 seconds! I typically only eat half a bag because the carb count can add up, for the second use -- you add a cup of water in the microwave, and heat up for 45-60 seconds. (130-140-150 calories) / (260-280-300 calories for a full bag)

Feel like pasta? They have low calorie options by Slendier – "Calorie Clever", which is gluten free, low carb, and a source of fiber. An entire package is 25 calories.

Feel like pizza? Get the whole wheat 7" tortilla wraps (the smaller size), a dash of tomato sauce spread around with the bottom of a spoon, mozza fat-free cheese slices (X2), top with low-cal toppings, spinach, chicken – 7 minutes in the oven at 400F. (235 calories)

Dessert or sweet tooth? A big spoonful of peanut butter (80-190 calories), or you can make a packet of maple oatmeal (Quaker), and a cup of cottage cheese, is REALLY good as a dessert. Mix it together, it's creamy-deliciousness! Great as breakfast/lunch/dessert, whenever. (271 calories)

Also, ICE CREAM. Plain. Chocolate. Vanilla. Nothing EXTRA in it, is what I mean. Chapman’s even makes a sugar-free, lactose-free kind. Chocolate and vanilla. And yes, Chapman's makes sugar-free chocolate and vanilla, and even ice cream sandwiches – so those are keto friendly! lol

I'm lactose-intolerant so I tend to avoid dairy products. I -love- ice cream, but ice cream does NOT love me. Chapman's makes sugar-free, lactose-free Chocolate, Vanilla, Maple Walnut, Butterscotch Ripple, and Black Cherry Ice Cream! And they taste AMAZING.

Not only that, I find I urinate most of it out, so it doesn’t add to the scale the following day for me.

Broth – I also like chicken bone broth with turmeric and black pepper. Easy to find on Amazon. I add a little bit of chicken bouillon and it tastes like a mug of spicy chicken soup. (75 calories)

I keep vitamins on hand: Essential Electrolytes, K2, Liquid Vitamin D (the pills don't absorb properly), B6, B12, biotin, and I have Apple Cider Vinegar pills (with 'mother') and Turmeric pills on hand. Keep in mind that for some people ACV helps acid reflux, for others it doesn't.

Turmeric is NOT a supplement. Do NOT take it on an empty stomach. I took two pills, then drank coffee. It was like I ate a ghost pepper, I could feel the heat in my mouth for the rest of the day and my stomach hurt. Only take Turmeric BEFORE you eat a meal. I also only take ACV before a meal. Never on an empty stomach.

Remember that the low-fat options typically have a LOT more sodium/sugar in them!

Drink LOTS of water, and don't count coffee or other liquids as your water intake. If you want to determine the exact amount you should drink according to your body weight, you can follow these steps: Take your weight and divide it in half and translate the lbs to ounces. Done.

Avoid sugar-free gum unless you're going to chew the same piece for 60 minutes + because that's how long it takes to burn off the calories in it by chewing it. If you’re going to exercise -- than sugar-free gum won’t matter, but it slows down your weight loss because it causes an insulin spike. You won’t stay in ketosis because of it. This is the same thing with sugar-free energy drinks unfortunately. I find changing your eating window around helps, because it confuses your metabolism. All of these things are easy to make, because I'm lazy. LOL

P.S. I'm a 'dirty faster', and put sweetener in my coffee, albeit I'm learning not to put sweetener in. And lime in my water (you can use lime or lemon), which is scientifically proven to kick your metabolism in the butt. Cool/cold showers instead of hot ones actually burns calories, and clears up skin from acne as well.

P.P.S. I've actually been clean fasting since early February. So now, black coffee, green tea, and water, are the only thing I intake while I'm fasting.

[that-bajan-kid]

Boku No Hero Academia Chapter 273 SPOILERS

(Well what do you fucking know. He didn't immediately cut back to the mansion. I'm so proud.)

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Holy shit Deku. That's my fucking son right there! I'm so proud. Now get the fuck outta there.

OH FUCK IT DIDN'T DO SHIT!

Izuku has a flash back of that time he saw Shigaraki at the mall where Shiggy explains how his quirk works.

Izuku realises this is all Shigaraki's doing, like no shit Sherlock. Who else do you know has a quirk like this.

Shouto has used Heaven Piercing Ice Wall. It was ineffective.

We got a double page spread of everyone running for their fucking lives. The kids are carrying as many people as they can.

BURNING IS STILL TRYING TO CONTACT THEM. SHIT THAT CLOSE UP ON SHOUTO AND NEJIRE WHEN SHE CALLED OUT FOR ENDEAVOUR AND RYUUKYUU.

Everything went to shit so fast for them.

Fuck.

Tomura I love you but please stop. You're going to kill my children.

Also look at this bitch with his brand fucking new cape and his goddamn stage he made for himself. Are we sure Tomura isn't a Todoroki too. This some dramatic ass shit he's doing. First he wakes up from the dead in the most dramatic way possible and the very first thing he did was steal a fucking cape and destroy a whole ass city. If that ain't dramatic...

Well that answers that fucking question. Guess X-Less actually did destroy the machine like he said he would. Probably why Tomura went all Thanos on everyone's asses.

Someone says "Do... It..." and I can't tell if it's Tomura hearing voices or if it's him remembering shit. With the way the speech bubble is drawn it could be either.

Tomura picks up an ominous looking remote off the ground while talking about how OP he is now. He also realises that if he's awake then his people are probably fucked.

OH FUCK IT WAS A COMUNICATOR FOR GIGANTO. TOMURA JUST FUCKING SUMMONED THE WHOLE CREW TO HIS LOCATION. WHERE THE CHILDREN ARE. I'm suddenly getting flashbacks to that season 2 (?) intro. The one with Izuku fighting all those fucking villains all by himself.

Oh right this shit is happening. Between Hawks being on his deathbed and the absolute shit storm going down at what used to be Jakku Hospital, it's hard to keep track of all the reasons to lose my shit.

Wait lemme guess. Fucking Giganto's gonna pick this moment to make his presence known, right?

Fat tells Fumi to take Hawks to their back up team and for some reason doesn't follow him but that's fine.

Mt. Lady is not happy about Geten knocking her flat on her ass and proceeds to punch her way through the ice.

Everyone is following the path Mt. Lady made.

The fuck?

I was like "Didn't Twice already kill this bitch like five chapters ago?" And then I read the dialogue. Shit, Toga's gonna fucking kill them all. And she can use this no-name's quirk too. Oh fuck this guy's fucking dead lol.

Yup.

I expected nothing less from her. You kill those extras Toga. Since we don't know their names then they probably weren't important anyway. You're doing great sweety.

Dabi hops on down to where Compress is literally just chilling on the balcony watching the chaos that is Toga unfold like he's watch the fucking sun set.

Compress is all "The fuck have you been? You're one of the leaders." To which Dabi responds "You too bitch."

Compress says Toga lost it after Twice died and now she's on a suicide mission to take out as many heroes as possible. And then Toga says living is to hard which is a big mood but like also don't do a kamikaze please. I can't have my favourite Yandere vampire villain dying on me.

Toga says she wants a world full of things she likes and that the heroes are in the way of that while sport a truly TERRIFYING face. The for some reason zoomed in on Gang Orca when she said this who, by the way, did actually see that villain that tried to sneak up on him in 271.

WHOSE FUCKING HA- OHMYGOD FUCKING GIGANTOMACHIA! I completely forgot about his ass and it hasn't even been 5 minutes!

MY MAN ENDEAVOUR COMING WITH THE CLUTCH. But seriously, there's no way they were dying. At least not out of sight of the students.

If Horikoshi really wants them dead he'd do it in full view of the kids. They're training to be heroes damn it, they need their daily dose of trauma. Fuck, Aizawa is full fledged hero and he still has to take his daily recommended dose of PTSD inducing trauma.

If Shouto wants to be the best hero he can be he has to watch his father die a horrible, pain full death before he resolves his conflicted feelings about him. Hawks still needs to tell Katsuki that he killed Best Jeanest. All Might still needs to die in Izuku's arms. Aizawa and Mic still need to bring Shirakumo back only to lose him for good this time. This is a Shonen manga damn it! Horikoshi isn't allowed to kill important characters off screen.

HEAR THAT HORIKOSHI? YOU AIN'T ALLOWED TO PULL ANOTHER BEST JEANEST!!

Until next time.

[cafedanslanuit]

thank you for letting me know dabi x hawks was okay! this song is from one of my favourite albums of all time so tysm for requesting it :’) hope you like it! <3

series: 500 followers event

pairing: Dabi x Hawks [Boku no hero Academia]

warnings: manga spoilers up to 271

song: Finally // Beautiful Stranger - Halsey

Beautiful stranger, here you are in my arms but I think it’s finally safe for me to fall

It was all over.

Sure, it had been a hell of a war and there were far more casualties than he could count, but it was finally over. And in good time, as he was seriously done with playing double agent. It wasn’t about the difficulty –hell, he had been trained for missions like that. Gaining people’s trust was his specialty and sending messages in codes had become easier once Endeavor caught the first clues.

The city had mostly been destroyed from the fight, but he still happily tapped his fingers on the railing of his stretcher while he looked out the window of his hospital room. A few broken bones hadn’t stopped him before and certainly wouldn’t choose the moment everything was finally okay to mess with him. The nurse had told him he should stay overnight just for observation and he had obliged, mainly because he had been in too good of a spirit to refuse his demand.

“Hey”

Hawks turned his neck around and grinned. A tall figure was slouched against the door frame, his arms crossed against his chest. The man ruffled his black hair and yawned, approaching the pro-hero’s bed with tired movements.

“How did it go with Endeavor?” Hawks asked. He shuffled on his bed, making space for Dabi to sit next to him.

“Fuck off” Dabi groaned, letting himself fall ungraciously on the bed. Hawks let out a laugh so loud a sharp pain on his chest made him wince in pain. “You ended up pretty hurt, huh” he commented, taking a shot at the other man’s crouched figure.

Hawks shook his head. “I’m fine” he assured him with a small smile. He sighed and let himself fall on the bed next to him. “I’m just glad it’s finally over”

“It’s not, though”

“Huh?” Hawks asked, crooking his neck to a side. He could feel a shiver down his spine when Dabi chuckled next. His turquoise eyes set on Hawks as he spoke next.

“This isn’t real, Keigo. You should wake up”

Before he could reply, a burning sensation on his back made his eyes water. Pain like he had never experienced before engulfed his body, feeling as he was about to turn into ashes. Hawks let out a broken scream, but couldn’t manage to form any words.

“Hang in there, Hawks! We’ll get there soon!”

The voice of Tokoyami rang on his ears as he tried to recall how he had ended up being carried through the air by his student. The pain made it almost impossible to think straight, but he managed to remember blue flames. He let out a shaky breath. Of course.

It was never going to be safe for either of them.

[belphegor1982]

@tinydooms​ tagged me for a fanfic questions thing a while ago - thank you :o)

How many works do you have on AO3?

55. But I have 66 on FFnet, including about 18 crossposted to AO3.

What’s your total AO3 word count?

472,530 😐

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

...at this juncture it would probably save time if I link to my “my fics” Tumblr page? If I go with just the finished stories and published WIPs, there’s Harry Potter, Great Mouse Detective, the Mummy films, Pirates of the Caribbean, Kung Fu Panda, Watchmen, Justice League/Justice League Unlimited (the DCAU), Discworld, White Collar, Hogan’s Heroes, Kaamelott, Ninja Turtles, the Don Camillo series, and Zorro.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Let’s see -

Villains (DCAU), 271 kudos

After the Sunset (The Mummy series), 127 kudos

Culture Shock (crossover, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003) & Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987), Turtles Forever), 111 kudos

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I regularly forget, but I try, and often end up doing so very late. Sometimes it leads to complete conversations in the comments, which I love. Too bad FFnet forbade that kind of interaction years ago (authors used to respond to reviews in the body of the fic until FFnet introduced the “review reply” through the PMs).

The rest under a cut because I can’t shut up!!

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Oh, that’s easy. If (Hogan’s Heroes), the AU of an episode opening where one of the gang gets shot lightly and another character is severely wounded. It’s less than 800 words of stunned shock angst with no reprieve at all.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I have! And I don’t know if it does qualify as “crazy”, but the most out there is probably the little conversation in some kind of afterlife that Sergeant Schultz (Hogan’s Heroes) and Sergeant García have in For Auld Lang Syne about the clever men who drove them crazy, shouldn’t have been their friends, but kind were nonetheless.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I don’t think so. In twenty years! Goes to show just how under the radar I’ve been for most of these two decades :D

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I do, have for a year and a half, and I still blush about it. 99% of the time it’ll be soft, warm, not necessarily loving but affectionate, at least, between characters who are fond of one another and like to spend time together. I have written one story in which the smut was a Bad Idea for the characters but they’re friendly and both decide that it was a Bad Idea with no hard feelings.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope! I have done translations, but never been translated. Although a while ago someone told me they wanted my permission to translate one of my Don Camillo fics into Italian, which I enthusiastically agreed to because holy crap YES!?? But I haven’t heard from them since so far.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No. I have written a fic in a collection of one-shots made into a story, Mothers of the Caribbean, about the mothers of the PotC characters, but it’s not the same, is it.

What’s your all time favourite ship?

The Surprise I don’t... really do ships? But if I really had to choose, based on the force of my feelings and the amount of content I’ve created for them, I’d say my Jon/Tommy/Elizabeth OT3 💜

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

So. Bloody. Many. For instance the Great Mouse Detective fic where a mouse who breeds cats (yes, cats) comes to see Basil because one of his animals went missing. I started writing this in French because I didn’t quite trust my English at the time (it was a looooong time ago) and I had plenty of ideas as to what happened next, but honestly I think the spark has gone out long ago.

What are your writing strengths?

Hmm. I don’t know, dialogue? Writing things for characters to say and exchange? Most of my fics’ dynamics are based on characters communicating in some way rather than plotty things (which I struggle at).

What are your writing weaknesses?

...see above :D Plotting things! Devising a puzzle that falls into place as you read! Not introducing OCs only to drop them later with next to no closure! Those are Things That Are Difficult 🙃

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Love them when it makes sense. I’m not a fan of peppering dialogue in a language the characters are supposed to be speaking with random words in that language just to remind the reader that they’re supposed to be speaking that language. (I have done it, though, of course, sometime in the 20-odd years I’ve been writing. Writing evolves.) There are nuances, though, and you can have:

a whole sentence in [language the point of view character doesn’t speak] can (if the reader doesn’t understand the language either) show how the character is out of their depth. I will always put translations at the bottom of the chapter, in a footnote if I can;

a sentence or words in a foreign language the character does speak can show they’re comfortable with that language;

“[Character] heard the woman shout a few words in French” shows that Character doesn’t speak French and therefore doesn’t know what “the woman” just shouted;

“[Character] heard the man tell off his child in French” shows that Character understands French enough to know what the man said to his child exactly;

and then you’ve got the case of appellations for other characters (”mum”, “darling”, “mate”, etc.) that a character whose first language isn’t English can use without even thinking about it, or -

some words or expressions English just doesn’t have a direct equivalent for (or the character can’t find one at the moment - like LeBeau’s line to Major Hochstetter in The Mystery of the Exploding Bridges (Hogan’s Heroes), “Décidément, your pronunciation is atrocious.” “Décidément” doesn’t have a equivalent on its own, it’s just there to emphasize that yep, Hochstetter’s pronunciation really is terrible.)

So, yeah. If you’re reading something I wrote, unless the general context calls for another language, the characters are speaking English. If for some reason they switch to another language the text will mention it at some point.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Huh. Technically? Probably the Sherlock Hound plot what plot whump I wrote when I was about 12, loooong before I knew fanfiction and hurt/comfort was a thing.

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

That’s for me to ponder and for you to wonder ;o) no, seriously, I have no bloody idea

Tagging @rose-of-pollux, @thisstableground, @radarsteddybear and anyone who’d like to do it!

[chaoticdisater]

Red white & royal Blue Favourite quotes

“How many times do I have to tell Y’all not to discuss your murder plots in front of a sitting president” their mother interrupts “Plausible deniability. Come on” (Pg 64) 

I don't know WHO you think you're kidding, you Hufflepuff-ass bitch, (Alex to henry over text pg 69) 

“‘put the turkeys in my room’  ‘No.’ ‘put them in my room, put them in my room, put them in my room -’  later that night as Alex stares into the cold pitiless eyes of a prehistoric beast of prey, he has a few regrets” (Alex and his mother Pg 76) 

“’he- Oi! Not for you Mr.wobbles! those are mine!’ more rustling and a distant offended Meow, ‘no, Mr. wobbles you bastard!’” (Henry at his sister's cat, pg 80) 

“Dec 8, 2019, 8:53 PM  yo there's a bond marathon on and did you know your dad was a total babe HRH prince Dickhead  I BEG YOU TO NOT “ (Henry and Alex over text Pg 84) 

“’ the options Id like...’ he says dragging the words out. ‘they don't quite seem to be options at all’” (Henry Pg 107) 

“’ christ you're a thick as it gets’ he says and he grabs Alex's face in both hands and kisses him.” (Henry Pg 107) 

“‘Seventy-eight percent probability of latent Bi-sexual tendencies. one hundred percent probability this is not a hypothetical question’” (Nora pg 118) 

“‘am I? do you think I'm Bi?’  ‘I can't tell you that Alex!’ she says ‘that's the whole point!’” (Alex and Nora Pg121)

“she slants a look at him ‘is this a diabolical scheme of seduction?’ she asks ‘if so, yes.’“ (Nora Pg 130) 

“Alex knocks the candelabra off the table next to them and pushes henry onto it so hes sitting with his back against - Alex looks up and almost breaks into a deranged laugh - a portrait of alexander hamilton.” (Pg 132) 

“‘im going to die’ henry says helplessly.  ‘im going to kill you,’ Alex tells him.” (Henry and Alex pg 133) 

‘”and if you fucking ghost me again, I'm going to get you put on a fucking no-fly list. got it’” (Alex at henry pg 134) 

“worst of all, Henry is good“ (Alex's thoughts on henry playing Polo Pg 147) 

“’I’m gonna go, Uh’ Alex says ‘say hi to henry’ Amy's mouth settles into a grim line ‘Please don't elaborate’ ‘Yeah I know’ Alex says ‘plausible deniability’” (Alex and Amy Pg 148) 

‘A <agcd@eclare45.com>  to Henry  his royal highness prince of whatever,  Don't make me learn your actual title’ (Alex’s email to henry Pg 152) 

‘Henry <hwales@kensingtonemail.com>  to A Alex, first son of inappropriately timed Emails when I’m in early morning meetings’ (Henry’s email to Alex Pg 155) 

“when he shows up to a briefing two days later Zahra grabs his jaw with one hand and turns his head, peering closer at the side of his neck. ‘is that a Hickey’ Alex freezes. ‘I . . . um, no?’” (Zahra and Alex pg 162) 

“‘Do you have a last name?’ Alex has never actually offered a greeting when calling Henry  ‘What?’ the usual bemused elongated one-syllable response” (163 Alex and henry over the phone) 

“‘Baby’ its become a thing: Baby he knows it’s become a thing. hes slipped up and accidentally said it a few times, and each time, Henry positively melts” (Alex Pg 166) 

“‘I miss you,’ Alex says before he can stop himself he instantly regrets ut but henry says. ‘I miss you too’” (pg 173) 

“she flung her arm out emphatically enough to upset an entire potted cactus on her dresser and says ‘Because until now you weren't fucking the prince of England’” (June pg 177)  

“‘you should try saying some of that stuff to Him’  ‘stop trying to Jane Austen my life’” (June and Alex Pg 180) 

“’ is now a good time to point out henrys very hot Very rich best friend is basically in love with you?’ Alex says to June ‘hes like some kind of billionaire genius manic-pixie-dream philanthropist. I feel like you would be into that.’ ‘Please shut up,’” (Alex and June Pg 182)  

“‘yes, yes, Pez, we know there's nothing you cant do,’ says henrys voice off-camera ‘no need to rub it in’“ (henry Pg 184) 

“‘oh I haven't had vodka since uni,’ henry says ‘it tends to make me erm, well-’ ‘flamboyant?’ Pez offers. ‘uninhibited? randy?’  ‘Fun?’ Bea suggests  ‘Excuses you, I am loads of fun all the time! I am a Delight’“ (Henry Bea and Pez pg 190)

“’yes Beatrice, we shall behave in a manner befitting the crown,’ henry says. his eyes are slightly crossed ‘don't be a tosser’“ (Henry and bea Pg 195) 

“He likes taking henry apart but there's something incredibly intantament about sitting on the bed they wrecked the night before, the only one who watches him create Prince Henry of Wales for the day.” (Pg 200) 

“‘So this is the gang now, huh?’  and through it all, Alex realizes with a start: he has friends now.” (Cash pg 201) 

“How is a man to get anything done knowing Alex Claremont-Diaz is out there on the loose?” (Henrys email to Alex pg 203) 

“yours in sexual frustration  Henry” (henrys email to Alex pg 206) 

“once again, how had he ever convinced himself he was straight,” (Alex pg 213) 

“‘just so we’re clear,’ Alex said ‘Im about to have sex with you in this storage closet to spite your family. Like that's what's happening?’“ (Alex pg 217) 

“your Brave I could use some of that” (Pg 218) 

“Because that's what he would do if he were here in this palace to fall in love Henry” (Pg 220) 

“Zahra doesnt even look up from her phone ‘that was my boyfriend and no, you may not ask me any further questions about him’” (Zahra Pg 223) 

“If he’s some anonymous normal person removed from history he’s twenty-two and he’s tipsy and he’s pulling a guy into his hotel room by the belt loop. He’s pulling a lip between his teeth and he fumbling behind his back to switch on a lamp and he’s thinking I like this person”  (Pg 228)

“You still are. Because you still bloody care so much.” He leans down and presses a kiss into Alex’s hair. “And you are good. Most things are awful most of the time but you’re good” (Henry Pg 230)

“’Seriously?’ She hisses ‘your literally putting your dick in the leader of a foreign state who is a man at the biggest political event before the election in a hotel full of reporters in a city full of cameras in a race close enough to fucking hinge on some bullshit like this like a manifestation of my fucking stress dreams and you’re asking me not to tell the president about it?’” (Zarha pg 233)

“The next slide is titled EXPLORING YOUR SEXUALITY: HEALTHY BUT DOES IT HAVE TO BE WITH THE PRINCE ENGLAND? she apologizes for not having time to come up with better titles Alex activity wishes for the sweet release of death” (Pg 237)

“History huh? I bet we could make some.” (Alex’s email to henry Pg 241)

“The pair of you share and an alarming number of traits by the by: passionate determination, never knowing when to shut up, &c &c,” (herny’s email to Alex Pg 242)

“Regards Haplessly romantic heretic prince henry the utterly daft” (henrys email to Alex pg 243)

“‘It’s math,’ Nora says ‘Math has no authority here,’ June tells her ‘Math is everywhere June’” (Nora and June Pg 247)

“Henry is tipsy and shirtless and attempting to referee” (pg 252)

“’Some times you just jump and hope it’s not a chiff’” (Alex dad Pg 256)

“Well, Alex is so in love he could die.” (Pg 257)

“He’s been falling in love with Henry for years probably since he first saw him in glossy print on the pages of j14 almost definitely since Henry pinned Alex to the floor of a medical supply closet and told him to shut the hell up.” (Pg 257)

“’Fuck off five nine is average’” (Pg 258)

“’H?’ He whispers ‘you awake?’ Henry sighs ‘always.’” ( Pg 260)

“He’s got a distinct feeling of something being pulled out of his hands right before he could grasp it.” (Pg 263)

“something rises in Alex's throat - anger, confusion, hurt, bile. Unforgivably, he feels like he might cry” (Pg 270) 

“’Fuck I swear you don’t make it fucking easy but I’m in love with you’” (Alex Pg 271)

“’I never thought I’d be stood here faced with a choice I can’t make because I never ... I never imagined you would love me back’” (Henry pg 273)

“He’s in Henry’s face now if he’s getting his heart broken tonight he’s sure as hell going to make Henry have the guts to do it right ‘tell me you're done with me. I’ll get back on the plane. that's it. and you can live here in your tower and be miserable forever, write a whole book of sad fucking poems about it, whatever just say it’” (274)

“He’s in stupid unbearable love and Henry loves him too and at least for one night it matters, even if they both have to pretend to forget in the morning” (Pg 275)

“He tells his too fast brain: don’t miss this time he’s too important” (Alexs thoughts Pg 275)

“henry’s hands-on him are unhurried and soft and they make out lazily for hours or days.” (Pg 280) 

“Alex sighs ‘i don't think I told you but she uh. well, when she fired me she told me that if I wasn't a thousand percent serious about you. I need to break things off.’  Henry nuzzles his nose behind Alex's ear ‘a thousand percent?’” (Alex and Henry Pg 282) 

“‘Diaz you insane hopeless romantic little shit’ says the voice of the president of the united states, muffled in the bed ‘it had better be forever. Be safe’“ (Pg 284) 

“hes cut off mid-sentence because Alex has stopped in the middle of the corridor and yanked him backwards into a kiss” (pg 286) 

“’its funny’ henry says ‘i always thought of the whole thing as the most unforgivable thing about me but you act like its one of the best’“ (henry Pg 289) 

“he takes the chain off his neck and slides the ring on next to the old house key. they click together gently as he tucks them both under his shirt, two homes side by side” (Pg 291) 

“I opened my blasted mouth and said ‘because I'm not like the rest of the men in this family beginning with the fact that I'm am very deeply gay Philip’  once shaan managed to dislodge him from the chandelier Philip had quite a few words for me,” (Henry’s emails to Alex Pg 298) 

“just leaving, not coming back. maybe burning something down on the way out. it would be nice.” (henrys emails to Alex pg 299)

“I thought, if someone like that ever loved me, it would set me on fire” (henrys emails to Alex (describing how he felt when he first saw Alex) Pg 300) 

“20. the fact that you have loved me all along.” (alex’s email to henry (the list of things alex loves about henry) Pg 303) 

“‘Oh my god Z what is That? did you get engaged?’  Zahra looks down at the ring and shrugs. ‘i had the week-end off’” (June and Zahra pg 305)

“’you and me and history, remember? were just gonna fucking fight. because your it okay? Im never gonna love anybody in the world like i love you,’“ (Alex pg 312) 

“‘I swear to god if you say I'm too young I'm gonna lose my shit,’“ (Alex pg 315) 

“What did he do ‘be more specific’“ (Alex to Zahra pg 321 ) 

“’the president is sitting down with as many members of the office of communitcs we could drag out of bed at three in the morning’” (Zahra Pg 323) 

“‘pack a bag’ she says ‘we’re going to londan’” (Zahra Pg 334)

“she (Zarha) seems confident Shaan will agree to it and willing to physically overpower him if not.” (pg 334) 

“still the cocky shit head part of him is slightly pleased to finally have claim on henry. Yep, the prince? Most eligible bachelor in the world? British accent face like a greek god, legs for days? Mine” (Pg 336) 

“‘youre giving my ulcer an ulcer’“ (Zahra pg 336) 

“‘Im running on nothing but black coffee, a wetzels pretzel, and a fistful of B12. Do not even breathe in my directrion,’“ (Zahra Pg 339) 

“He leans up and kisses the underside of his jaw, finding it rough from a full fitful day,” (pg 340)

“‘What kind of family, that says we’ll take the murder, we’ll take the raping and pillaging and the colonizing, well scrub it up nice and neat in a museum but oh no you’re a bloody poof? That’s beyond our sense of decorum’” (Henry pg 347)

“Bea seizes the pot of tea from the center of the table and dumps it into his lap ‘Oh, I’m terribly sorry Pip’ she says grabbing him by the shoulders and shoving him sputtering and yelping toward the door ‘so deardfully clumsy, you know I think all that cocaine I did must have really done a job on my refexes!’” (Bea pg 357)

“Henry pulls Alex close and kisses him whispers, ‘I love you I love you I love you’ and it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter if anyone sees.” (Pg 358)

And that’s when I gave up I do have more but well I didn’t want to make this list any more

[rosaliepostsstuff]

17 questions, 17 people

thank you for tagging me @pansydaisy and @pineapplesandpinas my dears! 💕

1. nickname: Milenka (family, sometimes) for friends: Milen, Malena, Majlen (pronounced like my-lenne), Malenita

2. zodiac: gemini babyyy 😌♊ twinny twin twins

3. height: like 153cm 🤏🏻

4. hogwarts house: hufflepuff 🦡💛🖤

5. last thing I googled: ottery st. catchpole 😅

6. song stuck in my head: skipping stones by dan reynolds currently

7. number of followers: 271 🥰

8. amount of sleep: tonight 2, it's been a bad night, I usually aim for 7-8

9. lucky number: don't really have one but if I were to choose now, maybe 18

10. dream job: used to be a programmer, anything with game development but that's unlikely now, I guess it'd be fun to be a translator

11. wearing: pjs

12. favourite author: again, don't really have one but if we're judging by creations only, Andrzej Sapkowski for the Witcher, though I don't agree with all of his views

13. favourite instrument: piano

14. aesthetic: slay me but I can't really name aesthetics, dunno

15. favourite song: can't choose one, I have a wild music range and I'm indecisive 😬

16. favourite animal noise: a dog talking to you, or maybe alpacas cause I've seen some recently

17. random: I'm bi but never really had to come out to anyone, with all my friends and school mates it's always been direct, just another fact about me that was rarely relevant and everyone was like "oh ok, so anyway..." and I'm not out to my family 🙃

no pressure tags: @weasleysbees @loony-loopy-lupinn @boxofbadaddiction @valwritesx @lumosandnoxwriting sorry if any of you have already done this and i haven’t noticed

[ariadcalfine]

About EndHawks and DabiHawks - and other BNHA ramblings

Heeeeeyy

The lockdown/quarantine due to coronavirus had given me time to rewatch HQ seasons 1 to 3, as well as to fully catch up on BNHA. I stopped watching the anime at season 2... episode 15 I think? When Deku started his internship at Gran Torino’s place? At that time, that was the latest episode available. And after watching that episode, I went on to read the manga... the latest released chapter at that time might have been Bakugou’s kidnapping. Anyways, now I had finished watching season 4, and read the latest released manga chapter of 271.

In the early days of BNHA, my favourite character was (and I think still is) Todoroki Shouto. Because he’s an ikemen, surely (laughs) but also because I’ve always found the Todoroki family drama somewhat more interesting than the fighting against LOV. I’m glad that the plot is getting more intricate - that LOV isn’t a one-dimensional antagonist and the story goes deeper on things fundamentally wrong in BNHA’s setting (be it morally grey HPSC, ranking heroes and treating them like celebrities, discrimination on villain-like quirks or quirklessness, and so on) - but the Todoroki family drama still holds a bright candle in my heart. So of course I fully jumped into the ship that was ‘Dabi is Todoroki Touya’ theory.

Even when I wasn’t watching canon BNHA, I still stayed in the fringes of the fandom. I saw it shifted from ‘TodoDeku is life!’ to ‘BakuDeku for the win!’ and kinda got on board with BKDK even. Still finds TDDK sweet and fluffy and such a balm to the kokoro, but the dynamism of BKDK endears me too. The fandom also had a way of portraying Kacchan as less of a jerk and more a Tsundere Pomeranian. As the manga went along, glad that Kacchan is shown to have a depth of emotions but was misguided and could not really express himself well.

MOVING ON to Hawks. I like his character design, and seriously Kadeart’s Hawks as well as other fanartists’ drawings of Hawks just made me love the guy more. Casting Yuuichi Nakamura was just... pure gold. Perfect fit for ‘secretly intelligent lazy boy’ too-cool-for-school persona. Just... Kuroo Tetsurou all over again.

When I was watching the end of S4, of course I noticed Hawks was a huge Endeavor fan, and in my mind I thought, ‘uh-oh, the fandom is sure gonna ship that...’ with some queasiness. Sure enough, the fandom does. I notice in particular the Japanese fandom is more on board. There are only 4 DabiHawks doujinshi titles in Toranoana today but 36 EndHawks titles. #荼毘ホー (DabiHawks) tag in Pixiv also only yielded 2 pages of search results, compared to 7 pages of #炎ホー (EndHawks) tag. The Japanese fandom has a history of being more accepting of a ship with big age difference - case in point, ReigenMob / MobReigen from MP100 (Western fandom is more comfortable with SeriRei). 

Daddy kink doesn’t really appeal all that much to me. And I admit the size difference is hot, but InaShou fulfills the kink better in my opinion. However, age difference is not really the source of my queasiness.

It’s Endeavor’s history of domestic abuse.

I love a good Endeavor-redemption fic. The two that I’m following now are:

1)  The Return Of Superman by kummibear

2)  Where your love has always been enough (for me) by classicequinox

I suppose I’ll feel more at ease with EndHawks only after Endeavor fully makes amends for his wrongdoings and goes public with them. Whether he has to serve time or can just pay damages doesn’t really matter to me. Only after he has closure with Rei, Natsuo, Shouto and Touya (if he’s Dabi), can he move on to a relationship with Hawks. It’s only fair for Hawks as well.

Sure, Dabi is a villain that canonically has kidnapped a teenager and killed people by burning them. He is not a good person. But 1) I don’t think he’s mentally all that sane, 2) his crimes are public knowledge and if he’s caught, he will have to serve time (either in Tartarus or maximum security rehab facility). Why I need Endeavor to go public with his abuse is because right now the populace doesn’t really know about the abuse and Endeavor continues to be lauded as Number 1 Hero. That doesn’t sit right with me.

I also don’t really like fics where Dabi is being rough or abusive to Hawks. I prefer HawksDabi to DabiHawks, actually. I don’t like fics where Hawks is uke-fied because the HPSC abused him too much. Both Touya and Hawks are victims of abuse, true... but they deserve to be portrayed as complex human beings who are strong enough.

I’m guilty of viewing ‘bad guy’ character in a sympathetic light because I want an antagonist character to turn good (case in point, Harry Potter’s Draco Malfoy; HPDM is my OTP). Besides, if Endeavor deserves a redemption arc, why not Dabi?

(Erm, Shigaraki and AFO are another matter tho. It’s like... nobody quite expects Voldemort to be redeemed.)

All of the above being said, I don’t think I will invest time in reading a good, healthy slow-burn EndHawks. It’s just not my OTP. Of course, I will not crash EndHawks’ fanfics or fanarts just to say EndHawks is ‘bad’ or ‘disgusting’. 

Shipping has always been: to each, his own. Let’s just stay out of each other’s way and have polite communication if we do cross path.

[queer-cosette]

Coco Writes

OK, so I know I’m not always great about summarising my fics on here; I usually just post links. But here is a masterpost of all my fics!

Les Miserables

The Leader And The Cynic

Rated T

1/1 chapter; 1226 words

Summary:

A series of moments from the relationship of Enjolras and Grantaire. Because now my happiness depends on the happiness of fictional revolutionaries. Modern AU

Read on FF.net

Series - On Se Sent Comme Par Magie

The Destiny Of Cosette

Rated T

No Archive Warnings Apply

22/22 chapters; 88,475 words

Summary:

Cosette is an ordinary Parisian teenager - until one day, she stumbles across a powerful Faery being attacked by an ogre! And when she inadvertently uses magic to protect the Faery, Enjolras, she realises that she’s maybe not as normal as she thought. Enjolras invites her to attend Faery school in another dimension with him, where they become friends with three other faeries - Courfeyrac, Jehan and Éponine - and form Les Amis. But all is not well in the Magic Dimension -

What’s the deal with Grantaire, Marius, Bahorel and Combeferre - four cute wizards from another school?

What are Patron-Minette - a trio of witches - planning?

And who is Fantine, the mysterious Nymph who keeps appearing in Cosette’s dreams?

Read on AO3

The Shadow Phoenix

Rated T

No Archive Warnings Apply

26/26 chapters; 165,435 words

Summary:

Les Amis start their second year at Musain College for Faeries, and right off the bat, strange things begin happening in the Magic Dimension. Musichetta, a water Faery, arrives at the school begging for help to rescue her friends, the Piskies, and Patron-Minette have busted out of rehabilitation with the help of a strange skeletal knight - who matches Musichetta’s description of the Piskies’ kidnapper. With the help of Musichetta, Feuilly - a Wizard and new member of Les Amis -, and Professor Mabeuf, the wise new philosophy teacher, this year promises to be as exciting as the last!

Read on AO3

The Warlock Of The Flame

Rated T

Major Character Death

18/25 chapters; 122,516 words

Summary:

Cosette’s life is going great! With Lord Méchant defeated, her final year at Musain College for Faeries is going to be normal (for once); her relationship with Marius is going spectacularly (and it looks like there’s a proposal in the pipeline!); and there’s nothing to suggest that the Magical Dimension is in any danger. But then news of something horrible happening on Musichetta’s home planet reaches the ears of Les Amis - and according to Headmaster Myriel, there’s only one Warlock who could have caused it. As Cosette and her friends face off with the culprit, it becomes more and more apparent that his true nature and past are darker than any of them could have imagined...

Read on AO3

***

Total Drama

Dear Diary

Rated M

Major Character Death, Reference To Eating Disorders and Attempted/Implied Sexual Assault

9/? chapters; 27,617 words

Summary:

"Dear Diary - My teen angst bullshit now has a body count."

Heather Chandler. Gwen Duke. Lindsay McNamara. Courtney Sawyer. Together they make up the most powerful clique at Westerburg High. Most people would die to get into it.

Courtney would kill to get out of it.

Enter Duncan Dean. He has a way with women, a way with words, and a very special way with a gun.

"It's God versus my boyfriend, and God's losing..."

Read on AO3

Read on FF.net

A Little Fall Of Rain

Rated T

Major Character Death

1/1 chapter; 663 words

Summary:

In the midst of the July Uprising, Gwen Thénardier takes a bullet for long time friend Duncan Pontmercy, despite his love for Courtney and his obliviousness towards her feelings for him. Gwen as Éponine, Duncan as Marius. Based off the scene in the musical. I don't own TDI or Les Mis. Warning: Character Death.

Read on FF.net

Freak Out, Let It Go

Rated K+ (G for AO3 users)

1/1 chapter; 271 words

Summary:

Alternatively called ‘What Happens When I listen To Avril Lavigne For Three Hours Straight’. One-shot starring our favourite crazy redhead. Enjoy.

Read on FF.net

Bubblegum Bitch

Rated T

1/1 chapter; 539 words

Summary:

Heather is shiny and perfect on the outside, but on the inside she's a backstabbing user - a mess.

Read on FF.net

I Wish

Rated T

Implied Character Death

1/1 chapter; 357 words

Summary:

When Courtney doesn't show up after TDWT's finale, Duncan does some serious thinking about the past.

Read on FF.net

***

Miraculous Ladybug

mArinette

Rated T

No Archive Warnings Apply

7/8 chapters

Summary:

Marinette tells a lie. A pretty big lie. And soon one lie turns into another, and before she knows it, she's going out of her way to keep the lie going.

When Lila lies, it's sloppy. But Marinette's lie is all too believable.

At least no one else is getting hurt by her lie.

But Marinette's about to find out how hard it is to be known as the school slut.

An Easy A AU.

Read on AO3

Series - A Miraculous Musical

Cute Boys With Short Haircuts

Rated G

No Archive Warnings Apply

1/1 chapter

Summary: 

Marinette sees Adrien and Kagami kissing and jumps to conclusions. Hurt and upset, she heads up to her balcony to do the one thing that cheers her up: singing a really angsty song.

Adrien had nothing to do with the kiss. He just wants to ask Marinette out. He passes her balcony as Chat Noir and hears the most beautiful singing voice... but the song is so sad. And then he sticks around just a little too long, and catches sight of something he shouldn't have...

Read on AO3

Act One: Whalesong

Rated T

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

2/? chapters

Summary:

Marinette's family receives tragic news, and suddenly her cousin becomes her roommate. With her only possessions being a small suitcase of clothes and a bizarre hair-clip, anyone connected to María Sugrue-Dupain begins to become infected with some sort of singing virus - in which they have no choice but to sing about their problems. Ms Bustier, ever resourceful, takes the opportunity to direct the class in a production of the musical 'Heathers', and there is drama on-stage and off it.

But why does the singing virus exist at all? Why is Gabriel Agreste suddenly so interested in Adrien's schoolmates? And seriously, is Nathalie OK? The Gorilla wants to know if he should call someone. Should he call someone?

Read on AO3

Series - Let Me Be Loved

More Adventurous

Rated G

No Archive Warnings Apply

1/1 chapter

Summary:

"And it's only doubts that we're counting On fingers broken long ago. I read with every broken heart We should become more adventurous..."

As Marinette sings at a Kitty Section concert, Adrien starts to notice her in a new light. Unfortunately, he's too late, even if he's not quite sure what he's too late for.

100% inspired by 'More Adventurous' by Rilo Kiley

Read on AO3

***

Equestria Girls

Dazzlings

Rated M

Contains Major Character Death, Reference To Eating Disorders and Attempted/Implied Sexual Assault

13/13 chapters

Summary:

"Well, fuck me gently with a chainsaw! Nancy Drew is onto you, Sunset."

Sunset Shimmer wished she was popular, and she became popular -

And suddenly she wished she wasn’t popular.

When Sunset is faced with a fate seemingly worse than death, mysterious new kid Flash Sentry suggests she take matters into her own hands and use drain cleaner, Ich Lüge bullets, and adult ignorance to make the world a better place.

But is his vision of a world without bullies really worth the cost?

Read on AO3

Read on FF.net

***

Original Work

Our Relationship Was A Rainbow

Rated T

No Archive Warnings Apply

1/1 chapter

Summary:

An original piece following the course of a relationship that in spite of glowing all the colours of the rainbow, ended grey and cloudy.

Read on AO3

An Anthology Of Verse, written by a traumatised (yet certified) idiot

Rated G

No Archive Warnings Apply

2/? chapters

Summary:

I asked my followers on Tumblr if they'd be interested in reading some of my original poetry if I posted it here. Four likes and a comment saying "Yes please!!" is more than good enough for me. I hope you enjoy it!

(Note: A lot of this was initially written a few years ago - or even longer. Some of it has - naturally - been edited since my initial draft, but some of it may have a different style to my more recent writing.)

(Another Note: I will be posting new poems as they come to me, or I rediscover them. I will also update tags as I go.)

Read on Ao3

[ajokeformur-ray]

Hello lovely, can I have two individual small imagines of Orochimaru and Yoongi from BTS showing their love? They noticed that their gf has dark circles under her eyes and comfort her by cuddling and just being really affectionate (oro letting her play with his hair?) ? It would make me reaaally happy! The imagines don´t have to be long, take as much time as you want, bean

I’m so sorry this has been so long omg long time no speak, how are you???? Message me asap omgggg

Naruto: Orochimaru x reader (neutral pronouns)

This one contains implied nsfw at the end.

wc: 275.

Though you were getting what Orochimaru knew to be an adequate amount of sleep, you had multiple heavy bags under your eyes. You looked exhausted in much the same way as his ‘recruits’ did when they returned to him after a long mission. Your daily responsibilities were such that, even in sleep, you couldn’t rest. Orochimaru felt guilty looking at your half-asleep state in the bed. He had asked you to help him the night before with one of his experiments and as such, you hadn’t gone to bed until gone midnight.

You had never said no to him, no matter how unsavoury you found to be what he asked of you, no matter how tired you were and how much you craved for sleep, and so he had no one but himself to blame. Pushing away his guilt, for it was a pointless waste of emotion, Orochimaru slid easily back under the hot covers and reached out for you with his cold hands.

One of his hands grabbed yours and put it on his hair; even in your state, you were appreciative of the chance to touch his hair, which slipped through your fingers like black ink in water. You played with his hair slowly, sleepily, and it created a trance over him that he couldn’t, wouldn’t shake off. 

And so it came to be that your busy day became a day spent in bed; you were each exhausted in your own ways and only the pleasure of each other’s company could replenish your chakra stores; though if you exerted your physical energy stores at various intervals in the day, who would blame you?

Naruto: @ocean-wide-mind  @amoureux-de-la-litterature @tsukuyomi011 @sanity-is-overratedxp @thevillagehiddenintheinternet

BTS: Yoongi x reader (gender neutral pronouns)

Not written much for Yoongi so be gentle in feedback!

Wc: 271.

The golden rays of sun broke through the minute gaps in the curtains, illuminating the room with a soft glow that brought out the natural red tints in Yoongi’s hair.

Your alarm had gone off just five minutes ago and you had fumbled desperately for the switch, not wanting to wake up the sleeping beauty beside you. Both of you had hectic schedules and both of you had gone to bed exhausted last night; would there ever be a day off wherein the two of you could be together? It seemed that every time one of you had a day off, the other was working. It was enough to drive you both crazy but you would push through and endure, for the day that you could both be together without any time limits or restraints.

You climbed out of bed, your body and your boyfriend protesting, and made your way to the kitchen, yawning the whole way. You made coffee as best you could, your body yearning for caffeine and sleep in equal measures. 

Sleepily did you shuffle back to bed, your hands holding two steaming cups. You held Yoongi’s out to him, made his favourite way, and you sat down gingerly beside him, not wanting to spill any of the precious onyx liquid. It would be a sorrowful waste.

Today was a special day. You finally got each other to yourselves, and you’d fight tooth and nail to stay in the bedroom with the gently rising sun, the sound of bird calls, and the gruff sound of a morning Yoongi.

It was a piece of heaven in a hellish week.

Want to be added to my BTS taglist for any of the members or all of them? Let me know .via. ask or DM!

[forerussake]

Answer these 21 questions and tag people you want to get to know better

I was tagged by @radicalcupcakemassacre

Tnx!!!

Anyway here goes:

1. Nickname: I haven’t really got one? Childhood friends called me Evo, which is probably the only nickname I’ve ever had that I was comfortable with. In high school people using a proper abbreviation of my name became kinda synonymous with them wanting sth from me, so it’s kinda icky to hear people doing that nowadays. I’m struggling a bit with my name anyway and will probably want to legally change it in the future so...

2. Zodiac sign: capricorn or aquarius? If someone could tell me where the official border between those two is then pls it would solve a mystery I’ve been trying to figure out ever since I learned what zodiac signs were as a kid.

3. Height: 1.70m/5’7”

4. Last thing I googled: uuuuhm I checked whether ‘ballsy’ is spelled with one or two l’s bc I’m incompetent.

5. Fave musicians: Blind Guardian, Noah Kahan, The Score, grandson, Unlike Pluto

6. Song stuck in my head: Hold it down - Noah Kahan

7. If you had a time machine, would you go back in time or to the future? probably back to the past. I don’t like to think of the future and there are many questions I have about the past.

8. Do you get asks? Sadly no :(

9. Following: 271, not all of them active thank god or I’d go mad.

10. Would you rather be rich or famous? I mean the two are often connected... In all honesty though, I would like to say famous because my dream in life is to leave a mark on the world and be remembered, but when I think of how scared I am of my future and my financial situation in a few years time I probably have to say rich. Being rich would lift a lot of my anxiety about life and might help me get to grips with the underlying reason for that anxiety.

11. Amount of sleep? 6 hours a night on good days, less on bad ones.

12. Lucky numbers: 3, 5, 8, 13, 66, 73. I like 3’s they’re very special and beautiful to me for some reason. The other numbers are connected to things in my life. (Some of them really silly: 73 was the number of the bus I used to take to the mall with my mom when I was little.)

13. What are you wearing? Comfortable weekend clothes: a pair of really old dark-greyish jogging pants, a light-grey T-shirt, my glasses. Not wearing shoes bc I haven’t been out of the house all day.

14. Dream job: Author or politician?

15. Dream trip: New Zealand?

16. If I were an animal I’d be: a hawk? I’m very alert and attentive to detail, I like to look at things from a higher perspective so I can see the bigger picture, I’m an introvert, I love the thrill of speed (though I don’t get it a lot xD) and I find my freedom and privacy some of the most important things in life.

17. Fave food: roti

18. Fave books/films/shows/games: anything related to Tolkien, whether book or movie or game. Also: V for vendetta, Lucifer, Sherlock (here meaning the bbc series, but I love the granada show too and of course the original stories are high up on my list of favourites to read), Star Trek.

19. Do you play any instruments? Not really no. I can play a tiny bit of piano and I know some chords on the ukulele, I love playing the djembe occasionally bc I find it such a beautiful powerful instrument. I’ve been told I could be good at the piano or drums if I took lessons, but I’ve always been afraid of taking lessons bc I feel like being forced to practice would make me not like it anymore. I’m more of a constant casual interest vs short-lived obsession kinda person (though there are exceptions to that rule in the form of eternal obsessions such as Tolkien).

20. Languages? Dutch and English fluently. I’ve studied French and German in high school for 3 years and Chinese for 4, so I know a bit of those languages but my knowledge has really declined after a (couple) year(s) of not using them. I’m a classics student so I can read some Latin and Greek (but I feel like I’m so bad it hardly counts xD)

21. Describe yourself as aesthetic things: morning dew on the autumn leaves of a forest, a steaming cup of mint and apple tea on the patio of a log-cabin, a cold gust of wind on a high mountain top caressing the stones, the faded letters of an ancient manuscript telling the story of a long-forgotten hero, and the flickering light and warmth of flames in the hearth as the wind howls outside.

Tagging: @glorfindel-is-a-porcelain-doll @catilinas @findekanc @silveraspens @aredhel-of-doylkien @legolasgoldy if you want to!

[songjihyo]

What are some of the best ji hyo episodes/moments? Also what are your favourite running man episodes?

Oof, I have to be honest, I haven’t really watched Running Man since Episode 350 or so. I just recently started to watch again.

My personal favorite moments of Jihyo are whenever she can do things she enjoys doing and when she can interact with guests, since she gets paired up with a male member too often tbh. I might do a rewatch and make a list / make gifs but I can’t promise that.

I’d suggest googling some jihyo moments, since I’m not a really good help :(, but generally some earlier episodes when she’s more active.

Hm, on top of my head I’d say my favorite episodes are:

• Episode 88 (Yunhos drawing kills me everytime)

• Episode 104 (Idol Olympics)

• Episode 135 (Jackie Chan appears and everyone freaks out)

• Episode 233 (Idols that don’t appear often on variety shows special)

• Episode 254 (SNSD special)

• Episode 271 + 271 (100 vs 100 special)

• Episode 319 (Running Man members being hunted)

• Episode 363 (SNSD special)

• All episodes where they are overseas. Especially the one where they are in Mongolia (351 + 352) and when they are in Dubai (289 + 290)

There are a lot more, but it’s difficult to remember tbh.If anyone has a favorite episode that I didn’t list, feel free to comment on this post :)

[ikementally-deficient]

Iron Chef Sengoku - Chapter 1

Fandom: Ikemen Sengoku

Warnings: None-so-far!

Summary: Date Masamune, Chef. Oda Nobunaga, former Chef with ambitions of TV stardom. 

Tags: Cooking AU, Iron Chef

Author’s Note: ‘Kojuro’ was the common name of the head of the Katakura clan, who served as senior retainers to the Date clan. You recognise him if you’ve ever played everyone’s other favourite Sengoku warlord Otome, Samurai Love Ballad Party. Saigo Magoichi is a similar title for the head of the Saigo/Suzuki clan, and one of them apocryphally served in Masamune’s rifle troop. ‘Megohime’ was the wife of the historical Date Masamune. ‘Sumire’ is not, to the best of my knowledge, a name associated with any particular woman of the Sengoku era; rather, it’s the name of the lead character in my favourite josei manga, Kimi wa Petto/Tramps Like Us. My Sumire is not related to that one, but I do like the name. 

According to the Diabetes Association of Canada and the Mayo Clinic, although onset of Type 1 diabetes is most common in juveniles, it can appear at any age. Development is not linked to sugar intake, but it does give Hideyoshi a good reason to get upset about Nobunaga’s candy habit.

**************

The kitchen of Oshu buzzed with activity and good cheer. It was nearing 11 pm, and the only station still working was the desserts, where Magoichi was artistically arranging several plates of wagashi. The dessert chef hummed absently to himself as he worked, oblivious to any scrutiny. The rest of the staff were wiping counters and sweeping up, preparing to close. The dishwasher sat ajar, waiting for the last diners’ plates. 

Date Masamune leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his broad chest. It had been a good, busy night, and his cooks had performed admirably, as they always did. He nodded approvingly as Magoichi’s plates went past him to the dining room and moved to the centre of the kitchen. He’d never approved of the kind of plating and presentation that went on in haute cuisine, partly because of his own lack of patience, and partly because he felt sub-par chefs used it to distract from the mediocrity of their food. Wagashi was different; each tiny pastry was like a delicious gem, displayed to perfection to nourish the spirit as well as the palate. Magoichi’s wagashi were always beautiful. Oshu was lucky to have him.

“All right, lads!” He clapped his hands and smiled broadly. “The battle is well fought and won. Help Magoichi clean up and get set up for last call. Tonight’s special is curry udon and pork cutlets.” A cheer went up and everyone not already occupied with cleaning went to the open area at the back of the kitchen and started setting up a long folding table. Masamune adjusted the dark blue bandana keeping his shock of chestnut hair tucked inside his toque before striding out to the hostess’s station. Sumire, the senior hostess, was preparing receipts for the table currently tucking into Magoichi’s creations.

“Hey, Chef. No last-minute surprises. These guys look like they’ll be ready to leave in ten minutes. They’ve already told Kita they don’t want any tea.” 

“Great.” Masamune rested his forearms on the riser of the hostess station. “We’re just finishing clean up in the kitchen, desserts was the only thing left.”

Sumire grinned. “What’s for dinner tonight?”

“Curry udon and pork cutlets. Your favourite.”

Her groan was both delighted and despairing. “If you keep feeding us like this, Chef, you’re going to have to roll me out of this restaurant some day.”

Masamune winked at Sumire. For all he fed her and the rest of the staff, the woman was a twig. “Maybe it’s my way of keeping my staff loyal. You can’t quit if you’re too fat to leave!”

Sumire giggled, then waved him away as one of the diners at the final table caught her eye and waved. Masamune chuckled to himself and wandered back into the kitchen. 

“Kojuro, help me get the beer.” Katakura Kojuro, his sous chef, followed Masamune towards the walk-in fridge, where they grabbed two cases of Sapporo. 

“Good night, eh?” The older man looked satisfied. Masamune grinned broadly at him. 

“Good enough, and no dawdlers delaying our after-party!” As the men stepped out of the fridge, Masamune saw the table and chairs were set up and Magoichi had already started serving the curry. As Masamune set the case in the middle of the table, he could hear Sumire answering the phone at her station. “Oi, Sumire, tell them we’re closed and come get your dinner!” 

When Sumire entered the kitchen a few minutes later, all the staff but Masamune had a beer in hand and a bowl of curry. Masamune had a cup of tea, which he raised in her direction. “Come on, lass, you’re keeping us waiting!” 

“Sorry, Chef, that last call had a message for you.” She handed him a slip of paper with a name and phone number scribbled on it before accepting the beer Kojuro was holding out for her. She popped it open with practised ease. “He said it was vital you call him tonight, if at all possible.” Sumire slid into the seat left vacant for her and raised the bottle. “Kanpai!” 

“Kanpai!” the rest of the table cheered back at her. Masamune took a swig of his tea and scanned the note as everyone dug into their dinner. 

(011-271-6677) Oda Nobunaga

Oda? He hadn’t heard from Oda Nobunga since the man had retired from cooking two years ago. Now he was merely the owner of the Sixth Heaven, a step down in the opinion of any chef. By all accounts, his former sous-chef Hideyoshi Toyotomi was doing an excellent job with the kitchen there; Masamune had no idea why Oda might need to speak with him urgently.

He stepped away from the table, taking his bowl with him. “Carry on, lads! I’m going to see what this is about.” A few shouts of commiseration trailed behind him as he went to his tiny office and shut the door. He contemplated the number for a minute before shaking his head and opening a line on his desk phone while shoveling curry into his mouth. The speaker blared for a few seconds, then clicked.

“Oda.”

Masamune swallowed hurriedly. “Oda-san, Date. My hostess said it was urgent. Did Toyotomi forget to bleach a counter and give himself psychosomatic food poisoning?”

“Date!” Nobunaga chuckled. “Nothing so dire as that. This isn’t about the Sixth Heaven at all, actually.”

Masamune leaned back in his chair and rubbed a hand under his eyepatch. “Then what, Oda-san? Surely you didn’t call at closing time on a Tuesday night to reminisce?”

“Actually, my friend, I have a business proposition for you. Are you free tomorrow morning?”

Masamune sat up straight again. “You know I stay out of other people’s business propositions. Paying you back for Oshu was enough.”

“No, this is nothing like that. I’m not asking you for any money. In fact, if this goes well, you’ll probably get a nice bump out of it.” Nobunaga’s voice was replete with confidence. Masamune eyed the phone doubtfully, letting the pause lengthen. Finally, Nobunaga continued. “At least give me the opportunity to make my case in person, Date.”

A sigh escaped Masamune. “We open at 11 for lunch service. How long do you think you’ll need?”

Nobunaga hummed contemplatively on the other end of the line. “Can you come by my office at the Sixth Heaven at 8 am? Two hours should be more than enough and give you time to get back to Oshu.”

Masamune winced. Early rising was not his favourite activity, but Nobunaga had piqued his interest. “Alright then, 8 am. This had better be worth it.”

“Oh, I think you’ll agree it is,” Nobunaga answered smugly. “Tomorrow, Date. 8 am.” 

Masamune put the phone back in its cradle. Whatever Oda was playing at, it’d probably be interesting, but eight o’clock? In the morning? His cellphone chirped from the pocket of the leather jacket slung over the back of the chair, and he jumped. “Shit!” He fumbled it out and answered the call.

“Masa,” a sweet soprano voice purred. “What time will you be coming? I’m getting bored waiting for you.” 

“Eh, Megohime,” he smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. “Actually, something’s come up and I have an early appointment tomorrow. Rain check?”

“Aww, Masa-kun.” The soprano voice pouted at him alluringly. “You’ll make it up to me, right?” The last word had a wicked curl to it, and Masamune smirked. 

“Of course I will. I know what you like best.” He let his voice rumble enticingly. “I’ll text you later this week, all right?”

“Oh, all right.”

Masamune flicked the phone off and dropped it back into his jacket before turning his attention to his cooling dinner, Megohime already forgotten.

********************************

At eight A.M., Masamune rolled his motorcycle to a stop in front of the Peninsula hotel. He cut the engine and cast his gaze up the 24 stories of the skyscraper. Pictures of the skyscraper lit up at night made it seem very dramatic and romantic, but to his jaded morning eye it was merely bombastic. Still suits Oda, he grunted to himself as he pulled off his helmet. A valet hurried towards him, bowing. 

“Forgive me, sir, but your motorcycle can’t be left here!”

Masamune toyed with the idea of just tossing the keys to the valet and letting him figure it out, but the chance of damage to his bike outweighed the comic appeal. He sighed. “I have a meeting with the owner of The Sixth Heaven this morning. Where can I park?”

Name-dropping Oda got him directed to a private section of the underground parking lot, near a service elevator. He parked and carried his helmet with him, entering the elevator with several women wearing the uniform of cleaning staff. He towered above them all from the back, but would have stood out anyways in his royal blue moto jacket and leather chaps. He tilted his head enough to see the woman standing immediately to his right, and exaggeratedly winked his left eye at her. She blushed a healthy bright red and the rest of them giggled. When the elevator reached the second floor he exited, tossing a grin and a wave over his shoulder. More giggling and a few sighs were cut off as the doors closed behind him. He made his way down the tastefully silent hallway and ornate restaurant entrance, shaking his head. All this opulence made his teeth itch.

He stopped at a heavy wooden door with ‘Oda’ engraved on it at eye level and banged his helmet against it gently in lieu of a knock. The door clicked open immediately, opening to reveal a slender man with feral features and silvery hair. Masamune nodded briefly.

“Akechi-san. I’m here to see Oda.”

Akechi Mitsuhide smiled thinly and stepped back to allow him access to the antechamber. “Nobunaga mentioned you’d be paying a visit this morning.” He waved Masamune in. “Can I bring you a drink?” Mitsuhide was the head bartender of The Sixth Heaven, and served as personal mixologist for Nobunaga whenever his boss was running business meetings. His mind was as sharp as his ears, and he excelled at serving drinks that loosened people’s tongues. Masamune shook his head.

“You know I don’t touch it.” He was well aware of Mitsuhide’s predilection for sneaking sake into his cup. It would be far from the first time. The arch of Mitsuhide’s white eyebrow indicated amusement at the thought, but he waved a hand in negation. 

“I’m well aware of your difficulties holding your liquor, Date-san, but I do have tea and coffee on hand as well. Nobunaga does want you to hear his proposition, not sleep through it.”

“Fine, green tea.” 

“I’ll bring it in. Nobunaga’s waiting for you through there,” Mitsuhide indicated the door to Nobunaga’s inner sanctum with another languid wave as he moved towards the door that presumably hid the drink service. Masamune pushed through the door and into a smaller, but no less opulent office. Oda Nobunaga sat behind a desk done in tiger stripes of ebony and lacquer. The carpet was plush, with a geometric design in black and scarlet. The rest of the furniture was black leather. Masamune nodded in greeting as he took a seat in the swiveling armchair facing the desk’s owner, his chaps creaking against the cushion. 

“Oda-san. Isn’t all this,” he waved vaguely at the room, “a bit much?”

Nobunaga was leaning back in his vast executive chair, and didn’t bother to sit up when Masamune entered. He shrugged a response, bringing a steaming cup to his lips. The smell of coffee hit Masamune. “Oh, it’s not very minimalistic, I grant you, but we are a Cantonese restaurant. Japanese restraint would hardly be appropriate.” He set the cup down again on the blotter. “Good morning to you as well.”

Masamune let his helmet roll under his seat and shrugged off his jacket, then leaned forward, elbows on his thighs. “What’s all this about?”

“Straight to business then? No more comments about my interior decorator’s work? Fine, then.” Nobunaga smirked lazily, then finally leaned forward. “I find that since stepping down as Chef here, I’ve been getting bored.” He paused as the door opened to admit Mitsuhide carrying a cup of tea. “I miss the challenge, and the --” he paused again, searching for the right word. “The performance of cooking.”

Masamune nodded his brief thanks to Mitsuhide as he lifted the cup to his face and sniffed the tea. No alcohol that he could detect, and the tea itself was high quality. “So, what does this have to do with me? You could step back into your own kitchen at any time. Toyotomi would never begrudge you the job.” He sipped the tea and squinted across the desk suspiciously. “There’s certainly no room for you at Oshu.”

This time Nobunaga laughed out loud. “No, no, those days are long past me. Time for the new generation to step up.” He pulled a remote control out of the desk drawer and pointed it at the wall. A black screen painted with a dragon in gold and scarlet silently slid upwards into a recess in the ceiling, revealing a television. The screen flickered to life. 

A martial theme began to play as the words ‘Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.’ floated on the screen. The theme nagged as Masamune’s memory, but he couldn’t place it until the voice over started describing Kitchen Stadium. He stared at Nobunaga blankly.

“Iron Chef? You want to compete on Iron Chef?”

“Compete? No, didn’t I just say I was done with cooking?” Nobunaga shook his head in amusement. “I want to remake Iron Chef.”

Masamune burst out laughing. “With yourself as the owner of Kitchen Stadium, I assume?”

“Indeed. I think I’d make an excellent Chairman, don’t you?”

“You’re certainly hammy enough for it.” 

“I think the title of Chairman is played out, though.” Nobunaga gave his guest a significant look. “I prefer . . . Shogun.”

“Shogun Oda. It has a good ring to it. And the chefs would be your daimyos?”

“I think it fits the level of drama the series needs.” Nobunaga leaned back again and gestured expansively. “I want to do the entire series in a Sengoku theme. Shogun, daimyo, samurai chefs, over-the-top uniforms, the whole nine yards.”

“I like it! Everyone enjoys a good historical drama.”

“We’ll update the format a little too. The old one-on-one competition lacks flair. Audiences these days prefer continuity. I’m planning a five episode series, with four Iron Chefs and two competitors. Each episode will have both contenders against one Chef, and then against each other at the end. There’ll be a running ranking, with the winner announced at the end of the series.” Nobunaga clasped his hands together over his stomach. “What do you think?”

“It’s a good plan. But,” Masamune set down his tea cup. “You still haven’t explained why I’m here.” 

“Isn’t it obvious?” Nobunaga lifted an eyebrow and smirked at him. “I want you to be one of the Iron Chefs. The most important one, even, since Japanese is your specialty.”

“Huh. And who else have you signed on to this?”

“You’re the first I’ve approached. I trust no one else with our national cuisine.”

Masamune grunted skeptically at that. “You mean, you don’t have enough dirt on anyone else to twist their arm.” His dry tone belied his rising interest.

“Come now, Masamune.” Nobunaga leaned forward. “Your debt to me is cleared, you know that. I invited you here as a respected peer, not a vassal.”

Masamune leaned back himself, considering. For all he mocked Oda’s hamminess, he was self-aware enough to know how much he himself enjoyed the spotlight. He rested his chin on his right hand, feeling the faint scar under the edge of his eyepatch. “It’s tempting . . . ” A television series, a few new fangirls, a little extra fame for Oshu-- That last thought brought him back to reality. “But I can’t. Oshu is too busy these days. I can’t afford to take the time away from the kitchen.”

“Are you sure?” Nobunaga narrowed his eyes. “You know Katakura has more than enough experience to keep Oshu on an even keel for the few months this would take.” The older man was right, of course. Kojuro had taught Masamune most of what he knew about running a kitchen, starting from the day Date Terumune had brought his second son into the kitchen of Date’s.

Masamune shook his head regretfully. Oshu was his responsibility, not Kojuro’s. He hated the idea of not being there to care for his staff. “Maybe next year.” He gripped the arms of the chair, preparing to stand up. 

Nobunaga dipped his chin, frowning a little, but didn’t argue further. “Very well. It’s a shame, we could have used you. The audience would appreciate your charisma.” He clicked a few buttons on the remote, and the old episode of Iron Chef was replaced by a woman in kitchen whites, hair tucked into a tight bun under her cap. “Before you go, at least, would you review this audition tape for me? The woman’s name is Mizusaki Mai, and her specialty is Japanese as well.” He hit ‘play’ without waiting for an answer.

The woman onscreen bowed to the camera and smiled brightly while introducing herself. Masamune retrieved his tea and sipped it. She was cute, certainly, and lively, but it wasn’t until she mentioned bringing Ainu cuisine into mainstream Japanese cooking that he really started to pay attention. She spoke passionately about the need to preserve the minority culture and retain its lessons of simplicity and efficiency in nutrition in the modern day of empty flamboyance. 

Simplicity and efficiency, and somehow she’s caught Oda’s eye? Masamune looked across the desk as the video ended with the woman bowing again. “I appreciate her philosophy, certainly. Where did you find her?” 

Nobunaga looked serious. “You know why I retired from cooking?” He opened another drawer in his desk and removed what appeared to be a leather shaving kit. Masamune shook his head, but stayed silent. Nobunaga flipped the case open and removed a small plastic device with an LCD display and a lancet, which he pressed to his middle finger without flinching before displaying the resulting drop of blood to Masamune. The display lit up and beeped.

“I was diagnosed with Type I diabetes.” 

Masamune nodded. “I remember Toyotomi trying to protect the dessert station from your ‘quality testing’.”

“If he were less diligent, I suspect I’d be dead now instead of merely restricted.” Nobunaga shrugged one shoulder as he wiped the lancet with an alcohol swab and packed the kit away again. “The doctors tell me the sugar wasn’t a factor, but --” He shook his head. “Before I was diagnosed, I was eating at the restaurant Mai worked in at the time. I wasn’t feeling well, but attributed it to overwork, too much alcohol, you know how it is.” He barked a short laugh. “Turns out I was falling into a diabetic coma. When it affected my behaviour, my dining companions assumed I was drunk. Mai was passing through the dining room and realised what was happening, and called for help. Thanks to her, I was treated before any brain damage could occur.”

Masamune let out a slow whistle. “That’s quite the tale.” He glanced back at the freeze-frame of Mai on the wall. Add ‘perceptive’, ‘intelligent’, and ‘quick-thinking’ to ‘cute and lively’!

“Indeed.” Nobunaga shrugged again, annoying Masamune with his cavalier attitude. “In any case, I thought giving her a chance to compete on the new show would in some small way repay her, but I’m not sure about her angle here. I mean, Ainu cooking? Even in Hokkaido they don’t much care for it these days.” He fell silent, eyeing Masamune over the rim of his coffee cup.

“Well, it’s certainly not as flashy as your Hong Kong style here,” Masamune snapped back irritably, “But it’s nice to hear a professional show some appreciation for the food instead of the plating.”

Nobunaga waggled his fingers dismissively. “Let’s not start that argument again.” He turned off the television with a flick of the remote. “I assume that means you’d endorse her.”

“I would. If I were involved in this, which I’m not.” Masamune leaned down to retrieve his helmet before pushing out of the chair. Nobunaga shrugged philosophically. 

“Very well.” He stood as well, accompanying Masamune to the door. “Thanks for coming out this early, at least. I’m surprised you were able to tear yourself away from whichever woman’s warming your bed this week.” 

“Eh, I decided this meeting was worth getting a full night’s sleep beforehand.” 

“And Isaka was all right with that?”

Masamune paused, hand on the doorknob. “Oh, I haven’t seen Isaka since I left the Sixth Heaven.”

Nobunaga smirked. “And how many others have there been between Isaka and --?” 

“Megohime.” Masamune turned the knob. “And a few. You know that no one stays around long enough to come between me and Oshu.”

********************************

Nobunaga heard Masamune and Mitsuhide exchanging muffled farewells and the outer door closing. By the time Mitsuhide entered bearing a fresh pot of coffee, Nobunaga was back in his chair, staring out the window over his steepled fingers. 

“Congratulations, sir.” Mitsuhide refilled his boss’s cup and put the pot down on a trivet. “You played him well.”

“You suggested the leverage, Mitsuhide, as you well remember.” Nobunaga swiveled around to face the silver-haired man. “It will do Mai some good to go up against a chef like Masamune, and it will do me some good to use him to attract the others.” His brow creased. “The man is so damn likeable, we’d never get Uesugi and Takeda without him.” He shook his head, dismissing the thought. “How long do you predict it will take Katakura to change his mind?”

Mitsuhide made a show of pondering. “I suspect it will be within the next 48 hours.” He turned to leave the office. Nobunaga nodded agreement.

“Make sure the contract is ready when he calls.”

“Of course, sir.”

********************************

The motorcycle roared as Masamune pulled into the lot behind Oshu. Gravel flew as he swung around into his spot and killed the motor. Through the window into the kitchen he could see Kojuro going over a clipboard with Sumire. They looked up as the motor stopped; Sumire smiled and waved, but Kojuro looked solemn. 

Kojuro appeared in the office doorway as he was stripping off his chaps. “How was your meeting this morning? It didn’t keep you as late as you expected.” Masamune had called him before visiting Oda to advise he might be later than usual.

Masamune shrugged as he hung the leathers on the ancient coat tree in the corner. “Waste of an early morning. Oda’s planning a cooking show.” He grabbed his whites from the cubby hole next to his jacket. 

“And?”

“And what?” Careless of Kojuro’s presence and the open door, Masamune unbuckled his belt and let his worn jeans slide to the floor as he sat down in the desk chair to kick them off. 

“And did he just want to share his good news, or did he ask you to participate?”

“Oh, he wanted participation, all right.” Masamune swore under his breath when his jeans tangled around his boots, as they did every morning. You’d think I’d learn. Boots first! He fumbled with the laces.

Kojuro rolled his eyes. “And did you accept?”

“Accept?” Finally free of the right boot, Masamune started on the left. “How could I accept? I have responsibilities, Kojuro. I can’t be haring off to a studio for two months.” The left boot was forcefully kicked into the corner, and the right was tossed to join it. Masamune scuffed his jeans the rest of the way off and pulled his kitchen trousers on before looking up at Kojuro. The older man’s expression gave no hint of his opinion, but his set shoulders and folded arms radiated disapproval. Masamune was taken aback.

“Out with it, Kojuro. What’s eating you?”

His sous-chef’s lips tightened. He glanced over his shoulder into the hall, then came fully into the small room and closed the door behind him.

“You spend too much time here, Masamune.” Kojuro squeezed past a box of old menus to sit in the rickety wooden lawn chair that served visitors. “You need to branch out.”

Masamune gaped him for a minute before closing his mouth. “What in the nine hells does that even mean?”

“It means you’re in a rut.” Kojuro gave him a considering look. “You haven’t tried anything new in months, aside from new women.”

“Experiments are risky. I have to keep the good of our staff in mind!”

“Masamune --” The older man paused, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Masa-bo. Our staff are fine. You take excellent care of them -- of all of us.” Masamune scowled at the use of the childhood diminutive, but Kojuro continued before he could answer. “But you don’t take care of yourself. You thrive on innovation and excitement, but you’ve boxed yourself into a traditional restaurant and traditional cuisine.” He hesitated again. “Terumune wouldn’t have wanted you to limit yourself like this.”

“Don’t you tell me what my father would have wanted!” Masamune snapped, but Kojuro didn’t flinch.

“I know better what he might have wanted for you than you do! You were only eighteen when he passed. He always wanted you to have your restaurant, but he never meant to force you into his mold.” Kojuro scrubbed one hand over the bandana covering his hairnet. “Look, Masa-bo. I’m sorry. You are doing an excellent job with Oshu. But Terumune would have -- I want to see you be fulfilled instead of just ticking the boxes of your life.” He stood up. “Just think about it. Sumire and I can keep Oshu running while you stretch.”

Masamune glared at the empty seat for a minute after Kojuro left. Am I the only one here who understands what obligations are? Underneath his ire, he knew he was being unfair. Kojuro had stuck with Terumune until the bitter end of selling off Date’s. He’d come to get Oshu’s kitchen off the ground at a much lower salary than his experience warranted, to help the man he’d trained in that long-lost restaurant. Masamune had to admit the old man had a point. Life in the kitchen had become routine lately; Oshu was stable now, seven years in. He knew it was madness to tinker with what worked. People don’t come to traditional comfort food restaurants for excitement. But --

He shook his head at last and shrugged into his white jacket. But nothing. Deal with the job in front of you, Masamune. Worry about everything else after dinner.

********************************

It was nearly midnight when Masamune waved off Kojuro and Sumire in the parking lot. Kojuro bade him good night as usual, giving no sign their earlier conversation was on his mind, but Masamune kept turning it over as he strapped on his helmet and kicked the bike to life. He rode home much slower than usual, letting his mind wander. 

Once he reached his building, he parked the bike and pulled the cover over it as usual. Slinging his helmet over his elbow by the chinstrap, he pressed the elevator call button and pulled his phone out of his pocket. There were three messages from Megohime.

Message from: Mego-chan

11:44 a.m.

When do you want to reschedule for?

2:37 p.m.

I’m not going to keep my weekend open forever!

7:22 p.m.

If you don’t call me back tonight I’ll be busy for a while.

Masamune winced. The ice dripping off the last message was palpable. He ran his thumb around the bottom edge of his eyepatch before sighing. Might as well get it over with, he thought fatalistically, hitting the call button.

The call barely rang before Megohime answered. “Masa-kun!” 

Was she sitting there holding her phone? “Hi, Megohime. Sorry I didn’t get back to you earlier.”

“You should be!” There was playful anger in her voice, but he could hear the undercurrent of relief. “It’s not fair to leave me hanging like that!”

“You know the restaurant hours. I can’t have my phone on me while I’m working, it’s too distracting.”

“You like my distractions.” Megohime’s voice dropped to a throaty purr. The elevator door opened. 

“Not when I’m working. That comes first.” Masamune entered the elevator and propped himself up in the corner, suddenly very tired.

“Awwwww,” Megohime began, and Masamune saw the pout on her face as clearly as if she was in the elevator with him. All at once the conversation irritated him. Why am I listening to a grown woman whine like a schoolgirl?

“I have obligations, Megohime. Don’t pretend I didn’t make that clear when we started this.”

“This?” she demanded sharply, dropping all pretense at cuteness. “You mean, our relationship?”

Huh? Masamune was caught off guard. “What relationship?” he blurted, then resisted the urge to beat his head against the steel wall of the elevator.

There were several seconds of silence before Megohime answered coldly. “Well, I guess that explains why I don’t rate as one of your obligations. Forgive me for intruding on your time, Date-san.” The call ended.

Masamune let his head fall back and closed his eye. That could have gone better, I suppose. 

It was another minute or two before he realised he’d never pressed the button for his floor. The elevator lurched into motion.

Inside his apartment, he dropped his keys and helmet on the bench in the entryway. He let his body go on auto-pilot as he ran the conversation with Megohime over again in his head. I thought she understood we were just casual. By the time he was standing in the bedroom, stripped to his shorts, he’d put it behind him. Oh well, one less ‘obligation’ to worry about.

He sprawled out in bed, peeled off his eyepatch, and hit the light. I guess I’ll have more time to ‘stretch’ now, was his last though before falling asleep.

********************************

The next day, at Oshu, Masamune was sitting at his desk reviewing the seafood order for the weekend when he saw Kojuro pass the doorway.

“Kojuro!” The older man paused, but stayed in the hall. Masamune grimaced. “Come in, please.”

Kojuro did as asked, taking his time closing the door and seating himself. Finally he raised his eyebrows at Masamune. “Yes, Chef?”

The title stung, as it was meant to. Masamune dropped his pen and ran his fingers through his hair before exhaling long and loud. “All right, I deserved that.” He met Kojuro’s impassive stare. “I apologise, oji-san, for my words yesterday. I was being unfair.” 

Kojuro’s eyebrows lowered and his stiff expression softened. “You haven’t called me that since Date’s closed.”

“Yes, well, if Father had heard me speak to you yesterday he’d have made me wish I’d never grown up enough to leave.” Masamune looked away awkwardly. “You -- you made some good points yesterday. I’m sorry that I wasn’t ready to hear them.”

A smile spread across Kojuro’s wrinkled face. “And today?”

“And today, I find myself with more free time than yesterday, and someone wiser than I said I should take some time to ‘stretch’.” 

The smile faded as Kojuro figured out what ‘more free time’ meant. “Ah, you ended things with Megohime?” 

“More like she ended things after I stuck my foot in my mouth, but it had run its course anyways.” Masamune shrugged. “So which one of them called you, Oda, or Akechi?”

Kojuro started, then chuckled. “You always were too quick.” He nodded. “Oda-san, of course. He keeps in touch, even though you’ve paid off his investment. Claims to be making sure Oshu doesn’t bring him down by association, but honestly I think he just worries about you.” 

Masamune grunted skeptically. “So, you think I should take him up on his offer?”

“I do.” Kojuro laced his hands together and leaned forward, elbows on knees. “He’s not asking for any financial investment, and from what he said, most filming will only be a couple of days a week.” He straightened a finger to mark this point. “You’d only be missing one or two services at most, and we’re closed on Tuesdays.” Another finger. “Saigo-kun is ready to branch out and train as chef de partie, and I’ll make sure he’ll be able to cover me while your episode films.” He smiled again at Masamune’s surprised look. “Do you really think I’d let you cook in public without your sous-chef?” A third finger. “Sumire already keeps the hostesses and servers in far closer line than you ever did, so nothing will change there.” His eyes crinkled in a smile. “She runs a tight dining room.”

“That she does,” Masamune chuckled. He knew he tended to be far too soft on the young girls working the tables, treating them like little sisters.

“Besides,” Kojuro unlaced his fingers and waggled one across the desk, as he had when teaching the younger Masamune. “You need to have some fun.”

“I was having fun!”

“‘Fun’ doesn’t give you that hunted look every time you check your text messages.” Kojuro shook his head ruefully. “You youngsters and your cell phones. You know, when I was a lad, relationships meant talking to face to face --” 

“All right, all right!” Masamune lifted his hands in mock defense, laughing. “You’ve made your point, oji-san. I’ll call Oda.”

Kojuro stood, dusting his hands on the knees of his trousers. “Good. See that you do.” He made his way to the door.

Masamune waited until he was out in the hall before yelling “And it wasn’t a relationship!” He ignored the amiably mocking laughter that trailed back to him.

Shaking his head, Masamune picked up the phone to dial Oda. The call was answered quickly.

“Oda.”

“I’ll do it.”

“What?” Nobunaga made a good show of sounding surprised. 

“I’ll join your kitchen circus. On one condition!” He thumped a finger into the middle of the desk. “Your Mai competes. Against me.”

The faint clink of a coffee being put down sounded from the other side of the line. “She’ll compete against everybody, in the new format. But just to make it fun, I’ll save you for last.” Nobunaga’s voice was warm with repressed laughter. “I’ll have a contract couriered over to Oshu this afternoon.”

Masamune grinned ruefully in return. “You know me too well, Oda-san. How long have you been buttering up Kojuro just to push my buttons?”

“I never let a useful tool pass out of my hands, as you know. And I don’t care if you see through me, as long as you still say yes, Date.” 

“Fair enough.” Masamune scrubbed his fingers through his hair again. By now it was standing straight up. His hazy reflection in the glare of his computer monitor resembled some kind of tropical bird.

“You won’t regret it, old friend. We’re going to have a lot of fun this season.”

“I hear that’s what I need, these days.”