#or yoinking him out of time in a way humans don't notice

[nym-wibbly]

And lo, all my fanfiction instincts kicked in halfway through season 8.

I adore Amanda Tapping. This is the first time in decades of viewing her characters that she's made my skin crawl. Great performance and some great eps as director, too.

Forget skinwalkers and the devil. Naomi scared the crap out of me by freaking Cas out that badly and smiling like that. We've seen Castiel all kinds of messed up by this point, but never helpless. (And then we found out it's her job to torture and brainwash angels back to their robotic factory settings by drilling into their head while they're still conscious. Aieee!)

| Now, as you were. They won't even notice you were gone.

Naomi in A Little Slice of Kevin (8x07) Best of SPN Ladies [393 / ?]

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Floyd Leech: Cinderella Step

GOOD GOD, FLOYD 😭 Put your grippers AWAY, I don’t wanna see those… (flashbacks to the horror of Dorm Uniform Jade groovy)

P.S. You should listen to Cinderella Step by Daoko :)) I enjoy it a lot, and it’s also the song that I named this ficlet after. I feel like that first full line (“Though you are the worst, I can’t help but love you”) is very evocative of the NRC boys 😂

Rise and Shine!

It was easy to tell which side of the room was Floyd's. It always looked like a hurricane had run through, scattering clothes all over every avaliable surface. Snack crumbs are sprinkled like a generous garnish on his desk and shelf. His belongings—interesting odds and ends he had collected over the weeks—were similarly strewn haphazardly, wherever there was free space to be occupied.

There was only one thing that the storm seemed to have missed.

His shoes.

A glossy black--patent leather. Large yet sleek, tapering into pointed toes. It was the same pair he wore every day with his school uniform, yet there was not so much as a scratch or a speck of dirt on them.

Pristine.

The one thing he takes good care of, you thought. Must be magic.

Other shoes sat in neat rows on a rack. Boots, sneakers, sandals, in shapes and colors you've never even imagined. The variety astounded you.

Floyd bounded about the room collecting his things. He hopped around on one leg, slipping on a sock, then alternated to the other leg. Next he slung his blazer, still slightly wrinkled from having been crumpled and tossed over a chair last night, on over his prim grey-lilac vest. His striped tie was forgotten, left forlorn on his bed as he yoinked the patent leather shoes and slipped them on.

“‘K, I’m ready," Floyd announced cheerily. "Let’s get going, koebi-chan~"

You stared at his messy room. "You're not going to tidy up a little before heading out?"

He blinked. "Hmm? Why would I? Stuff's gonna shift around anyway, so there's no point in doing that."

Floyd strolled out, hands casually tucked in his pockets. You followed after him, falling in time with his footsteps. Today, they were long and languid, like waves lazily combing the beach.

You knew what that meant; good mood, best to not disturb it.

"... Right." You offered a small, reassuring smile. “Hey, I noticed that you have a lot of shoes—and you take such good care of them.”

“Yeah. Cuz we don’t really have’m where I come from. Gotta make the most of my human experience and all.”

"You don't exactly dress in a shirt and pants under the sea either," you pointed out with a shrug.

“Shoes are special.” He said it with surprisingly conviction, an uncharacteristic seriousness set in his eyes. "You kinda need them to do the things humans do every day, least without getting nagged at. Jumping, dancing, strolling down the street."

“All this talk about footwear… You sound like Cinderella.”

“Ehh… Do I give you those vibes?” There was a crackle entangled with his words.

“You’re the kind of guy that would sneak out if Azul told you to stay put.” You paused, then added, “just to prove a point.”

He gave a razor-sharp grin in response. “Touché.”

Floyd glanced down at his feet. His eyes barely lingered there for half a second before they flicked to yours. “Glass slippers sound cool though.”

“Glass slippers? Really? You’re not scared they’d break…? I thought you’d be into more durable shoes. Something easy to move around in.”

“I’d try’m on at least once, as long as it’s not lame lookin’. I’ll try anything at least once. Glass slippers, a puss’s boots, ballet flats from twelve dancing princesses, shoes made by elves…”

“Even cursed shoes?” you asked. “Professor Trein was telling us about them the other day. Put them on, and you’re cursed to dance forever and ever—or at least until you collapse from exhaustion.”

Floyd made a face. “Nah. Dancing’s fun, but not if you do it all the time. I’d get sick of it.”

"There’s more than one way of dancing.”

“Duh. I know that. But it’ll still get pretty boring after a while.”

“I don’t think so.” You shook your head, your feet coming to a stop. “Dancing’s a lot like having a conversation, except your mouth doesn’t ever need to move. You just let your body do the talking.”

Your legs criss-crossed in a quick jig. "This is being excited." Standing on your toes, you carefully elevated yourself. "This is whispering." Putting all your weight into your feet, you stomped. "And this is shouting!"

Floyd watched your demonstration in silence. Gold, right. Olive, left. Together, mysterious and mirthful.

“Sounds fun,” he piped up at last. “I want in on this."

Before you had the chance to respond, Floyd's had had already latched onto yours. The other wrapped around your waist, tugging you against his chest. You lurched against him, and the sound of his raspy laughter filling your eardrums.

“You wanna dance? Let’s dance. Then you tell me what my dancing says to you.”

“W-Wait, Floyd…!”

He didn’t.

Floyd strung you along and down the street, swinging you erratically in his arms. With his long limbs swaying, he moved as naturally as a fish amid coral. For a creature of the sea, he had such grace on land that you could never tell his true origins.

He was the wind, a water current, a wayward traveler. Constantly changing and never truly contained.

Your panic and surprise easily melted into light-hearted laughter. And your feet, too, began to weave freely, as if wading on the shoreline, drawing indiscriminate shapes in the sand.

Realization struck you when you looked at him again. Your heart went thump-thump-thump, in a frantic little dance of its own.

What he’s trying to convey is…

Floyd met your gaze, sparks flying. His fingers interlocked with yours, he leaned in and grinned. Cheeks ruddy, eyes shining with exhibition.

“We don’t need words. Just our dancin’ shoes and each other!”

[chuckeroo777]

Frieren Liveblog- Chapters 21-24

Last time, Fern demonstrated that she is the fastest staff in the west, while Stark realized that he can, in fact, defeat a little girl in strength-based combat.

Wait, what? Are Frieren and Fern using some sort of forbidden technique to enhance their power? How deplorab-

I can't even finish that thought without laughing. I am a Marcille fan after-all. As long as they aren't harnessing unwilling souls or something, it's probably fine.

Oh geez, I guess this explains Frieren's outlook on life. Everyone she cared about died in this attack.

Good thing Flamme found her and thought her... something. I have a bad feeling about this.

I guess that explains why they are on the verge of extinction. And why Frieren hates demons with such passion.

I just think she's neat.

So that's the trick. Demons are prideful powerscaling idiots, so just make yourself look weak, and you can overpower them with ease. A bit underhanded to be sure, but it's no less ethical than a rogue using shadows to their advantage.

Oh. OH! Is this going, where I think it's going? Aura's about to mess up big time, and we're gonna get the demon lady on our team!

Maybe. Guess I'll flip to chapter 22 to see if I'm right.

Ah, so there is a distinction. I imagine the more physical threats we've faced were normal monsters, while spellcasters like Qual are demons.

We know Himmel fanned the flames later on, but I wonder if this is the moment Frieren gained her fascination with niche magic.

Did Frieren disguise herself as a human? Or is this an art error? It's only in this one panel, so I imagine the latter.

Yes, it's definitely because you recognize her as a powerful mage, and not because it was love at first sight.

What.

WHAT.

WHAT????

My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined.

Frieren, don't think a cute moment where you finally commend your companions will make me forgive you. I was so looking forward to having a begrudging demon mage in the party.

Don't worry, Frieren has the finest collection of fake Flamme grimoires the world has ever seen.

Yeah, yeah, funny times a plenty for you, I'm sure. If only you weren't so quick to order beheadings.

God, I love these idiots. Maybe I can find it in my heart to forgive them.

All the best mages are quasi-legal.

Gee, if only you had a cool demon mage to keep you warm with fire magic or something.

An important image.

So cold Fern. Get it? Ok, I'll stop.

Gently yoink the elf.

Just because he isn't wearing a shirt doesn't mean he's a pervert. Though, with how rare elves are, I have a bad feeling I know where this conversation is going.

A precious image.

Hoo boy. Let's see how bad this goes. Keep the spray bottle ready Fern.

You know, I'm currently also reading My Hero Academia. It's pretty interesting, though the sexist undercurrents are... questionable. Frieren follows some basic gender role stereotypes, with our warrior being male and the mages being female, but outside that, this manga treats its women very kindly. It's quite refreshing after having to read Mineta's shenanigans over and over again.

It's kinda obvious how you use way more mana than you seem to have total. Demons are just too prideful to notice.

Huh. How about that. Turns out Kraft wasn't a pervert after all. I wonder if this is the last we see of him?

And that's it for now! Quite exciting, though I'm still quite upset at Kanehito Yamada for not making Aura part of the party.

Ah well, there's still, like, six more demon generals. Maybe one of them can join the team.

[i-am-beckyu]

BRICK! I AM SO FLIPPEN LUCKY!

I accidentally thought I deleted your ask which instead got posted and then deleted, but I got lucky and had copied the questions to answer qwq. I've been using control z too much... So thank you thank you for all the questions on Jornos and here you are! (Sorry I took so long to answer lol) @brick-a-doodle-do i can see a lot of awkward conversations between tommy and emduo + wil. like a lot of sarcastic comments towards tommy that have a secret meaning to tommy! lots of tensing up at the softest of questions

Yesssssssssssssssssssss! Many many awkward times! Tommy just a lil anxious boi :3

for the thing with tommy knowing things he shouldn't, how about a scene with tommy accidentally humming a tune he'd heard wilbur play before? maybe even accidentally murmuring the lyrics while wilbur only plays the melody! :0000 *yoinks this idea for later* Oh I likes this a lot >:3

do you have any design ideas for tommy's borrower home? is it very innovative with crazy cool designs, or something more basic that he'd thrown together with whatever he could find? I have many ideas for his home but nothing specifically made or set yet. Been thinking about that a lil bit atm lol. While I don't have any designs for Tommy's room, I have made a floor plan of the Crafts house to make sure I'm being coherent to the story and scenes so have that!

how does tommy react to the internet? does he find a means to conquer it after seeing how intimidating it is, or does he immediately fall victim to social media? maybe he finds some good ole schlatt videos and bonds over them with wilbur! Oh he's infatuated with it. He loved to try and watch Tv of Beans in the past but actually gaining access to the internet blew his mind! Learning so many new things and not understanding how some stuff was possible was insane for him! And Canon! Def bonds with Wilbur over the old vids!

does wilbur absolutely drag him into the world of music? i can see wilbur making a mini-him with his new younger brother! 100%. To Wilbur, Tommy is free blank slate brother. Time to educate the child in the world of music and properly!! (as well as everything else lol)

in a lot of fics, techno has swords n knives pinned up on his walls or leaning against his walls, do you follow through with that here? lalalala *yoinks another idea* :3

that also leads me to the question does tommy, as a borrower, find this threatening or interesting? and similarly, when he's a human, does he struggle with hiding his interest/fear of them depending on his borrower-selves reaction? Boi is both terrified and drawn to the blades. There's one sword displayed on top of the book shelf that Tommy often likes to marvel at. It's part of why Tommy tried to go for the craft knife that Techno left out on the table when he first moved in because he wanted to wield a sword like that too.

i bet tommy might have a strong reaction to flavorful things, especially something spicey, sour, or even really sweet, since borrower's grow up mainly on grain with the occasional addition of fruit or dessert. does this spark interest between emduo + wilbur or do they just bond with him and call him a child over it? I think I mentioned in a previous ask that Tommy just goes into sugar rush overload when he gets access to sugar so in a similar way, he'd have an extreme reaction to spicy, sour or bitter things too. If given any of those things tho, I'm pretty sure once comfy with the rest of sbi, would scream: ARE YOU TRYING TO POISON ME?!?!?

tommy using his skills as a human! i can see him offering to fix the craft's ripped clothing with his sewing skills orrr maybe they go hiking or smth and tommy's climbing instincts kick in and he just fucking climbs a tree like it's nothing lol Yesssssssssssss. That was one of the only things he could do at the colony and not get into trouble for it. Often he'd hide out and fix clothing for others so he loves to get his hands on stuff to mend for sbi. When they notice this, they actually get him proper sewing equipment and nice fabric for Tommy to experiment with and he goes wild with new clothes and bags. He adores it!

on the note of instincts, how are tommy's instincts? i always see borrowers listening to their instincts more than humans but still not always listening to them. does he got like really good reflexes that earn him the nickname spiderinnit? (to which he is extremely confused cause huh? maybe that leads to a movie marathon :0) Brick. How? How are you having all the amazing ideas?? *yoinks this too* He is spiderinnit damn it and they watch every spider man movie. So Tommy's instincts are a bit nuts atm. Normally his first thought when in danger is to run and get back to the walls or somewhere safe, but when he shifts he is so out of it, he kinda just shuts down because he can't just run back to the walls. Later on when he kinda works out the sizeshifting abilities, it takes a lot of will power to not let himself just run from everything and hide. But he will often react a lot to footsteps of people coming or animals because he still semi associates it with danger.

birthdays! i don't know about you or this au, but i like the idea of borrower's not really celebrating birthdays, and even if they do not every single one. so what's tommy's reaction to possibly having a party thrown for him? Sometimes Individual bdays are celebrated within small family's when borrowers see fit, say they turn 1 or 13 but yeah most of the time bdays aren't really celebrated. The celebrations are more of a celebration of surviving to an important point in life, not making it another year older in age. (that makes no sense becky. Good job :'D) Colonies will usual celebrate a borrowers coming of age for all the borrowers going on their first successful borrowing trips (of course Tommy isn't allowed at those though)

^^ on a similar note, does tommy know his own birthday? and if he doesn't, how the hell do the craft's react to that ?? He does not. He was abandoned by the colony and they kind of just guessed he was like 2ish when found so they make his bday just sometime in April because that was the time he was found. Tommy doesn't even really think about not having a specific day till he's asked and the Crafts are just so shocked that this kid has probably never had a party in his life and literally throw him a party within the next few days. Tommy is just so touched that he decides the date is April 9th because that was the date. (Even if it was actually *enter different month here*)

I have no idea what else you said about the ask but at least I had the questions so thank you for sending them in and your continued interest in the story! Jornos chapter 2 is almost done and then just needs to be proof read so keep your eyes peeled :3

[anarchy-and-piglins]

Okay there was enough encouragement in the comments + reblogs that I'd feel bad not giving the rant :kekw: just remember you guys asked for this.

Necessary for this to make sense, you need to get two of my very important headcanons about piglins:

'Gender' in piglin culture absolutely does not exist or not in a way the Overworld/humans would grasp it. c!Techno's gender when trying to be described in Overworld terms would probably be close to agender or at least some form of genderqueer/nonbinary.

Personal pronouns in the piglin language are nearly non-existent and it's a 'genderless' language (to the same effect as Hungarian and Tagalog). Fun side headcanon: this is also the reason why Techno says "Technoblade never dies" vs "I never die", it's a literal translation of a piglin phrase.

When Techno first came to the Overworld his default pronouns were they/them because they do not ascribe gender to him. However, a lot of people used 'it/its' pronouns for him in a /neg way, as a form of dehumanization. Because he's not human - or they don't see him as a person.

Over the years, Techno internalized this and started to kind of roll with it but also in a /neg way. Referring to themself with 'it/its' pronouns (often internally) when they were not doing well or during times of extreme stress/when they were engaged in situations where others were using them as a weapon. Somebody who was close to Techno could have picked up on this, but usually nobody was actually close enough to Techno to notice.

After meeting and befriending Phil, Techno noticed others using he/him pronouns for Phil* and Techno yoinked them. He liked that it made him feel a kinship with Phil and was something that connected them. So Techno started using he/they.

(*fun side headcanon number 2: Phil's gender is also some flavor of genderqueer or nonbinary because you don't get to be immortal and ancient without having your concept of strict gender norms completely annihilated for being silly. However, he's been using he/him since birth basically and is comfortable with that + too old to really feel it's worth changing)

Techno defaults back to it/its in a /neg way a few times during the dsmp too. Notably during Pogtopia and maybe the Butcher Army arc and a slip-up or so when Doomsday takes place. It's only noticed in that last instance, by Phil. He doesn't comment on it though, because he's not sure how to.

Then Ranboo joins the commune.

Ranboo uses any pronouns but is especially fond of they/them and it/its. Techno sees Ranboo use it/its for itself in a very /pos way.

Techno starts bonding with Ranboo, notices, and discovers they're kind of... envious? Almost. They like the way Ranboo uses it/its pronouns.

Ranboo is who ends up reconceptualizing that specific set of pronouns for Techno. He's also the first who uses it/its for referring to Techno but in a /pos way (after Techno tried it out on himself a few times and Ranboo is very perceptive) and Techno is surprised with how much he digs it. He decides to once again yoink a friend's pronouns. And thus becomes a he/they/it pronoun user.

TLDR: Techno is an agender person whose pronouns are specifically influenced by two of the most positive and trusting relationships he develops as some sort of symbolism for the people in Techno's life who actually bother to get to know who he really is and not just view him as a weapon.

Nobody is ready for my very long-winded explanation as to why c!techno shoud be a he/they/it pronouns haver but it lives in my head rent free.

[schrodingersauthorii]

You. You don't understand. This thing is so bonkers *cinematic* in my head.

Imagine, if you will, that Natsume's on a shitty road trip to his next shitty set of relatives with his current shitty relatives.

They end up at That Place taking a "short cut" and you know, abandoned amusement park, delicious food stand (that Natsume's not allowed to eat with them at), oink oink.

Natsume, being the fundamentally Good Boy (tm) that he is, goes up to the nicest looking of the ayakashi that are *suddenly there* to ask for help.

Ma'am, there's been a terrible mistake, his family are Nice Normal People (who are obviously only here because of him, why else would all this weirdness happen to them) used to the human custom of paying AFTER a meal. They've obviously been punished for a crime they didn't actually commit.

The ayakashi: I'm sorry, adorable little human(?) child, but I am literally just a guest's maid. I have a pork bun to fix the fading that hasn't started happening to you (yet?), but that's all I got. Maybe I can take an hour or so off to escort you back to the human world?

No, thank you. Natsume *has* to get his relatives turned back. Nobody would believe him in the human world to come rescue them.

The guest's entourage: hey [name], whatcha got there?

The ayakashi: a lost child.

Entourage:

Natsume: *polite as hell*

The Guest: whelp, guess we gotta talk to Yubaba. The rules say no humans allowed, but surely she'll make an exception when she sees how polite he is.

There are... issues trying to get to the bathhouse. Namely, yokai offering to eat the "contraband."

Natsume is not amused.

Yubaba initially turns Natsume into a dove (for going right up to the yokai that want to eat him), but turns him back after she hears the maid call him "Natsume."

Silver hair, green eyes, an *incredibly* appetizing scent... Is he perhaps related to Natsume Reiko?

Yes, Natsume Reiko is his grandmother. He is her only surviving relative and he has no idea where her possessions might be.

(He has no clue where they crashed the car, so he technically doesn't know where the Book of Friends is. He's not dumb- Yubaba can't want his grandmother's things for any *good* reasons.)

New offer: Natsume can work in the bathhouse, serving/entertaining guests.

Oh, but he'll have to pay for his human form, his room, his food, robes suitable for entertaining high profile guests... and eventually his relatives' freedom and humanity.

Mercifully, Yubaba doesn't take his name. She can't, if she wants to exploit his connection with Natsume Reiko.

Thus begins Natsume's lucrative career as a glorified side show attraction.

Time skip!

Back in the human world, a priest-friend of Tanuma's dad convinces him to bring Tanuma on a "meditation trip."

Only, it turns out that he *actually* wants to use Tanuma's spiritual sensitivity to help find a missing couple and their "spooky" foster child.

Creep.

Well, he gets exactly what he asked for- and gets turned into a chicken when he tries to run away after his sutras fail.

Tanuma, well Tanuma's got *just* enough spiritual power that Yubaba considers using him as another human oddity. The idea had become surprisingly fashionable, and humans who don't *totally* reek were a rarity. It was worth the investment if spending time in the Spirit World increased his spiritual powers.

Until then, though, he's strictly on cleaning duty.

*He* gets his name yoinked, of course. "Kaname" is spelled with one character, so he gets another character added to become "Kanato."

(The new character means "human." I spent way to much time looking this up )

Yubaba forgets about the dove roosting in a cage after a slow workweek. Tanuma never noticed him at all.

It's rather inevitable that the only two humans become friends, even if they're both working their asses off.

Tanuma's starts off rather awed by Natsume, though. Rumors (legends) of his grandmother abound, and Natsume's worked very hard to meet the standards of beauty and grace expected of him.

And he *remembers Tanuma's name*, and just returns it to him free of charge, no questions asked.

Kind of easy to get Imposter Syndrome after that. What's *Tanuma* doing besides sweeping floors and scrubbing bathtubs?

Tanuma saves a little green frog from getting squashed, and thus comes to Misuzu's attention. He wins his respect after solving a dangerous "riddle" (looking at you, Five Day Mark)- and his patronage.

And Misuzu has ~suspicions~ about Tanuma and Natsume's working conditions. He leaves them both enchanted objects as tip

Whoops! Tanuma and Natsume never receive them, and Yubaba has a nasty curse to deal with unless she repays everything that she's stolen.

Namely, Natsume and Tanuma's tips. Which is more than enough to cover their living expenses and buy back two pigs and a rooster.

*Spectacularly* more in Natsume's case, even if the majority of it was still spent on "maintaining an adequate appearance for guests." He has no idea what he's supposed to do with the ridiculous clothes and toiletries now, but they're his outright.

(His shitty foster family Did Not Learn, and everything disappears in the name of "pay for his up keeping."

Natsume wouldn't have minded, except none of the money appears to reach the people doing any of the current upkeeping.

The Shitty Foster Family finally finds Misuzu's tip in the bottom of a box after Natsume moves in with the Fujiwara's.)

Tanuma has far fewer physical souvenirs, but being in the spirit world for so long did, in fact, increase his spirit power. He can now see yokai on his own.

Natsume and Tanuma try to keep in touch, but Natsume's childhood being what it is, they eventually loose contact. Until Tanuma moves to Yatsuhara- and immediately gets involved in all of Natsume's business with Misuzu's blessing, because he actually passed Misuzu's tests while, like canon, Natsume technically did not.

*Begs my brain for one (1) complete scene in the NatsuYuu Spirited Away AU so I can post it as a one shot (and get fan art.)*