#really glad I put it off to have a more critical thinking with this question

[twig-tea]

Taiwanese Talk Show The BL Era

Thank you @thisonelikesaliens for shouting out the Taiwanese talk show miniseries The BL Era: Taiwan's Spotlight, it was really well put together and gave me some good insights into the Taiwanese BL market. And thanks @my-rose-tinted-glasses for pointing out Aliens' posts to me when I've been mostly off tumblr.

Aliens has posted about all of the episodes on their tag, which I recommend going through (all of the episodes are linked there).

Here are my main takeaways from all 6 episodes, in case it helps anyone decide if they want to watch/which eps may be of most interest:

Ep1 on Unknown and The On1y One: The discussion about the adaptation choices in both of these shows (as both of these were adapted from danmei) was really interesting, though the lack of discussion about where to end the first season of On1y One was glaring to me. I did like that this episode talked about what made both of these stand out (the build of the feelings between the characters) and how much emphasis this episode put on good writing. There was an offhand comment that Director Liu Kuang Hi made about not needing a shower scene that made me wonder if he regretted that scene in Your Name Engraved Herein (I for one am very glad it was in the film as a critical character moment). That last bit is just me speculating BTW, I don't mean to put words in his mouth.

Ep2 on HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count: It was new information for me that this aired in a time where Taiwanese culture more broadly was interested in tragic stories, I liked having that additional context. Also I was interested to hear confirmed by writers and creators that there was a lot of pressure post-MODC to write only happy endings, though some of the fans interviewed talked about how a sad ending can be acceptable if it's earned. This was such a tumultuous experience for BL fandom, if you didn't experience it in real time I recommend watching this episode to get a sense of the impact.

Ep3 on VBL: This was my favourite episode of the series; it was the most interesting to me because it got into a side of the business I really don't pay a lot of attention to: Fandom management outside of the series itself. I learned a lot about the VBL series including that it was produced in partnership with a Japanese company and that it was the first BL since 2018 to air on TV in Taiwan. I also hadn't realized that this company had worked hard to build fandom around the pairs outside of the show itself, and that was a part of why it was so successful. I had no idea that this set of shows did such a good job managing fan engagement. It was really interesting hearing the network person talk about how they think about the show as just one part of a whole that they are selling, and how managing how it lands and what impact it has and what trends is another part. All of that was fascinating. I also liked hearing the actors talk about what it's like being in a CP. This episode did not hold back that the writing in the VBL series felt shallow and that the actors were green, which I was impressed by--I appreciate creators who acknowledge their own gaps especially when they then talk about wanting to see those improve.

Ep4 on Kiseki: Dear to Me: Placing this right after the VBL episode was smart because they talked about the effect of the fanmeet flop and its subsequent handling failure and the impact on the show, which is given more context from the previous ep. I knew almost nothing about this other than that the pressure on the secondary CP in this show was high, so getting this BTS insight into what happened from fan and industry perspective was fascinating. I did not realize that Taiwanese BL producers experienced expectations formed by Thai fanmeets (which differ from Taiwanese fanmeet styles) from both international fans and from Taiwanese BL fans. The framing of expectation and the question of whether Taiwan should follow the Thai model or just do its own thing but better set expectations in advance is an interesting one.

Ep5 on HIStory 2: I'm so glad HIStory 2 got some attention because it's my favourite season that I rewatch regularly. The news that they had a plan to have an check-in on the family from Right or Wrong hurts my heart; how dare they pain me with this info. That being said, the actor Steven Chiang writing what is essentially fanfic for his own character made me very happy. The idea of the Thai market being a one-stop shop and Taiwan still experimenting with small producers that don't have a production line or 360 business model was very interesting. I also loved the Taiwanese pride in this episode, and the frustration that came through when they were talking about how Taiwan has great IP to adapt too, it's just hard to get it off the ground. It was smart to end on this episode, as a speculation on how Taiwanese BL should move forward in the context of everything above: Its legacy, it's fumbles, the international pressures and the realities of the Taiwanese industry. Also, LIN PEI YU PRODUCING A TAIWANESE GL IN 2025?! GIVE IT TO ME!!!

[elina-sakura]

I’m just going say it although the book of death/Shinigami’s powers is cool also the big idea of the gameplay;in a way is kinda useless mostly on the fact the culprit dies,i mean HOW ARE YOU GONNA GET A CLEAR TRUTH WITHOUT A CLEAR CONFESSION!!!,also it just made it worse now that there now a person mysteriously dies out of nowhere,but they managed to put it in storyline sooooooo

Yeah something to think about

I think maybe it has to do with since Shinigami is the God of Death, her power is going to have a connection over on death. But you bring up a good point that it isn’t exactly useful considering it makes exposing the criminals harder.

Until I remember in Chapter 0 after the first Mystery Labyrinth from a YouTube gameplay I watched, where Shinigami comments how Yuma is now free since the culprit is dead, which the YouTuber comments that wasn’t going to work because Zilch was meant to be dead from the start and they only ended up reaffirming that narrative the Peacekeepers were painting to begin with. And I was thinking to myself, ‘didn’t they already figured out that the Peacekeepers were in on the plan in the Mystery Labyrinth? So why did she think the Peacekeepers would let him go if they were planning to frame him anyway?’ And that led me to think really hard about this.

We know Shinigami has the flaws of lacking empathy and not understanding humans at times, since she is an immortal god. I think in her mind, since the culprit is gone, there would be no reason for the Peacekeepers to keep framing him. Plus, again thinking into Shinigami’s mind, I think she believed since the culprit was a murderer would mean they would probably kill more people in the future, so the real goal was to stop a growing threat from claiming more victims like before.

And the killing thing? I think it’s a way to deal the justice in the holder’s own hands, to off the culprits so they don’t keep harming people from the mysteries they made, or claiming anymore victims from their deeds. In Chapter 1, one of the culprit was a serial killer, who would have gone off to kill more people. And the other culprit could have technically become a serial killer himself since he admired the Nail Man so much. Plus, an innocent man was going to get framed and executed for the Nail Man’s crimes to keep up appearances, and seeing how the Priest was going along with the lie, basically implied he was okay letting an actual, innocent man die in his place. Then in Chapter 2, Kurumi gets framed for the crime, and since execution seems to be a thing, she could have been executed herself, all so the Peacekeepers can keep their lies and appearance in place.

Plus, we have seen that the Peacekeepers don’t necessarily care about justice unless it serves them (or the higher-ups like Yomi in this case). They are willing to cover up the mysteries to convenient themselves and get what they want. And considering they are the police force, therefore the handlers of justice in Kanai Ward, they are the only ones in power that can lock away the criminals in hand and bring justice. But because they are so corrupt and self-indulgent, they are more willing to let criminals go or turn a blind eye or fail to solve the case thoroughly. So the Book of Death is the only way to ensure not only are the criminals are properly dealt with, but also cut away the Mystery Labyrinths as well. Since Shinigami has noted that if the Mystery Labyrinth grew and remain, they would influence other people into becoming murderers or criminals that would create more Mystery Labyrinths as well. As it was theorized by Yakool-Foolio that Kanai Ward’s Ultimate Secret’s own Mystery Labyrinth is what most likely led to the city becoming more crime-filled and creating their own Mystery Labyrinths as well.

It’s also important to note that there are other corrupt officials out in the world like the Unified Government who wants to keep their own secrets hidden away to keep up appearances. So it wouldn’t be far-fetched if there were other corrupt forces like the Unified Government and the Peacekeepers who would keep things secrets for their own benefits. Plus, we learned in chapter five that Number One of the World Detective Organization that he is actually in charge of issuing criminals to be sent to the death penalties, as noted here by Shiut, so I think executions and death penalties are uncommon in the Master Detective Archives world. So it wouldn’t be such a big deal for criminals to just die, even if it is inhumane and cruel.

In conclusion, I think the Book of Death is really a tool used in order to bring about the end of the criminals that threatens peace for everybody and could potentially hurt people (people getting framed, the killers killing future victims, exploiting people, etc). Since there is the chance of corrupt police forces not willing to indulge justice as they should and will let the mysteries remain and therefore the criminals free, the Book of Death is a mean to make sure the criminals and mysteries are gone. It’s a morally grey story where it may not be morally right, but it is not morally wrong either with the circumstances at hand. I think that’s what the Book of Death’s intention are, and why Shinigami thinks the way she thinks.

[spencerismmm]

I’m obsessed with the idea of a best friends to lovers type situation with mutual pining btwn the reader and early seasons Spence (I’m thinking like season 2 or 3). In terms of plot, I’m thinking a sleepover setting bc why not. If that’s not detailed enough I’m sorry lol

love this idea! thank you so so much!!

Summary: Spencer and reader are bestfriends and reader invites the team over for a sleepover, Spencer is nervous around reader but she tries to help calm his nerves (idk if this is good because it's my first time writing in a while, tips criticism is always welcome.)

Couple: Spencer/fem!reader

Category: fluff

Content warning: tiny mention of r@pe and kidnapping

Things were a bit tense at the BAU because of a very sad k!dnapping and r@pe case, and to lighten the mood, you thought to invite the team over for a sleepover. You were cleaning your house up for the sleepover, getting food and sleeping situations ready as the doorbell rang. You were confused as to why somebody had already arrived, considering there was still a while before the sleepover was intended to start. You went to the door, and realized it was Spencer. It wasn't unusual for Spencer to come to your house, as he would sometimes come visit as an escape, or just to talk.

"Spencer! Why are you here so early? There's still like an hour until everyone is supposed to get here." you questioned, still opening the door for him to come in. You liked when he came over, he always knew how to comfort you. "Oh, I just wanted to come help you get everything ready, and I had nothing else to do." Spencer said as he walked in, putting his things on the counter. "Oh, okay! Could you just help me set some of the food out?" you asked, not minding a little help. Spencer didn't even reply, he just started helping. You didnt mind when he didn't talk, it was just comforting knowing he was there. You knew in the back of your mind that you had a little crush on Spencer, but figured that he wouldn't like you back, though the whole team wanted the two of you together.

After a while of setting things up, the team started to arrive. first Garcia, then Morgan, then JJ, then Prentiss. That was everybody who was coming, Hotch wanted to spend time with his family, and Gideon was, wherever Gideon goes in his free time. Everybody was gathered on the couch for a movie, Garcia in between JJ and Morgan, then Spencer in between you and Prentiss. It was a pretty tight squeeze on the couch, but everyone made it work. You turned on the movie, a scary movie. Spencer wasn't really paying attention to the movie, as he was too caught up in his brain, thinking about you. Everybody on the team knows he has a little crush on you, except you. He was far too shy to ever admit that he liked you, but it was there. Right now, all he could think about was the proximity between the two of you, the way your legs layed against his, and the way he wished that you knew how he felt. During the movie, you would grab onto Spencer's arm every now and then, or lie your head on his shoulder, which drove him insane.

The movie had ended and everybody was sleeping, you were laying your whole body on Spencer, fighting the sleepiness away. "You really need some sleep, Y/n" Spencer said, awkwardly sitting there. "I am having fun, I don't want to sleep." you protested, sitting up, you then realized that everybody was asleep, groaning, you laid back down on Spencer. "Fine." you said, crossing your arms. "Y/n.. where.. where do i sleep?" Spencer asked, nervously running his hands through his hair. "Stay here. Stay with me." you say, leaning more into him, grabbing his arm and wrapping it around you. Spencer was glad the lights were off so you couldn't see his blush ridden face. He let his body ease up, leaning into you, but not fully. "It's okay, Spencer, just calm down. It's just me." you said, closing your eyes. Just you? Just the girl he had been lovestruck over for months, he thought. "Y/n.. i really like you." he says, shocked at his own words. Your eyes widen and you plaster a smile across your face "I really like you too, Spencer." You say, planting a kiss on the side of his jaw. "Goodnight, Spencer." you say, leaning your head into the crook of his neck, allowing yourself to relax. Spencer was shocked, but still allowed himself to relax and hold you as he fell asleep. As he thought you were sleeping, he whispered, "please don't leave me, y/n." as he moved your hair out of your face to look at you, he saw a smile, he knew you heard him, but he didnt care. Spencer Reid was in love with you.

I really hate this, it's so long. It was very rushed. Tips and criticism is much appreciated! I'm super sorry if this isn't what you wanted, but i tried😭💘.

[dellamortethelesser]

The Wigmaker Job

Notes and Thoughts - Part 6

pt1 | pt2 | pt3 | pt4 | pt5 | pt6 |pt7 (FINAL)

DISCLAIMER: These posts I'm doing are my own analyses and are done with the intentional eye to examine the relationship between Lucanis and Illario. I try to source all my assertions from what the text is giving me. This is not Lucanis critical nor should it be taken as such.

"That globe was keeping the Veil intact." "So you stabbed it?!"

So glad that everyone pointed out that Lucanis "my plan is knives" Dellamorte gets to have a taste of what this feels like during the Weisshaupt mission in Veilguard. LMFAO. This just makes me giggle. Poor Illario <3

"You said yourself vengeance was the best I could offer." ← LITERALLY ILLARIO DID NOT SAY THAT. WE JUST HAD THIS CONVERSATION WITH YOU LUCANIS. Thankfully Illario does come to his own defense lmfao thank god!

"No!" Illario retorted, his breath heavy from exertion. "My exact words were: 'We can't help these people.' I said nothing of vengeance. You're the vengeancey one."

I need Illario carnally for saying the word 'vengeancey' in full sincerity. Who said that wow a little gnome just ran by

Lucanis is the one losing sight of the mission! This is really starting to tie back all of the previous conversations and observations together that Lucanis has made throughout this story. Why does he associate Illario with that? Why does he put that on Illario? So someone can share the blame? So he doesn't feel like he's going off alone?

"Trust me—to Ambrose, turning his creations against him is a fate worse than death." "I'm sorry—did the contract ask for 'a fate worse then death'? Usually, it's just death."

Again. They're assassins. They have a set contract with set terms. Death, usually. Illario tried to kill this guy in the previous scene in the other room and you didn't stop him. Now Lucanis is trying to rope him into another change of plans—a far riskier one!

"I thought the plan was to have a few laughs, slit some throats—not release a demon swarm!" "Plans change." "Well, for the record, I preferred the other one." "Noted."

To be fair. Illario never really knew the plan beyond "slit Ambrose's throat". And he still prefers that one. I would be so frustrated at this point and Illario still deflects with sarcastic responses. It's probably the case that he is more annoyed than he lets on!

"There's no alarm. Ambrose should've found the bodies by now." / "Don't question the Maker's miracles, cousin." ← hmm. me once again thinking about the Andrastian influences here… although this may be one of those just culturally appropriate things to say

They come into the room and see that Effe is cleaning the floors and has moved the bodies. She yells at Lucanis for not killing him, and expresses fear about him finding out she helped. Lucanis reassures her that he's going to kill Ambrose.

Illario accuses Effe of telling on them, and Effe insists the only spoke to the other slaves. She tells Lucanis that "you promised to kill [Ambrose]", and Illario retorts with "and you promised to keep your mouth shut."

Notes from this above dialogue: Does Lucanis see himself in them? Trapped? Where does his sympathy towards the slaves come from? Not that sympathy is a bad or irrational thing, but that Illario doesn't seem to share it, and their profession doesn't lend itself toward it. Assassins don't free slaves.

"Take her," Lucanis told Illario. "Find the others." "Other what?" His eyes darted to the elf. "Slaves? Absolutely not." Lucanis continued as if Illario had agreed. "There's a statue with a passage—like the one we used before. It's not far. You should be able to escape in the chaos."

'Lucanis continued as if Illario had agreed' is that not the thesis of this whole short story?

I like that he does actually give Illario an actionable plan here—but he's not looking for Illario's consent! He's just telling him what to do and expecting Illario to obey without question! And it's yet ANOTHER change in plans!

They continue to go back and forth, with Lucanis giving further instructions and explanations—the name of the elf from earlier, Athima, and that she'd meet them at the docks.

This tells me that Lucanis always had an escape plan ready? Whether for himself, or the slaves, or the slaves and ILLARIO, we can't be sure. But he did have an escape ready.

He keeps barreling through Illario's attempts at interruptions before Illario finally loses his temper.

"Lucanis!" Illario shouted. "We are not revolutionaries!" Lucanis inhaled, his nostrils flaring. Illario was right. The Antivan Crows were assassins, not freedom fighters. Back home, people liked to romanticize, but Lucanis knew what he was.

We are not revolutionaries <3 The line that changed it all for me. He is trying to get through to Lucanis in the only way he knows how.

I actually do like this reference to "back home" = Treviso. It DOES reinforce the narrative Veilguard gave us that Teia is taking advantage (and she also does, to an extent, believe in) the revolutionary reputation that the Crows sometimes has.

Lucanis here says he knows what he is. I don't think he does. Well, no. I think he does know what he is. I think he wants to be different. I think he wishes he wasn't what he was, because then Illario wouldn't be arguing with him on the "right" thing to do. The "right" thing to do is subjective. They're both… right. The "moral" thing to do is the harder question.

Still, his fingers twitched. "They are not responsible for their master's mistakes."

I think this is closer to how Lucanis feels about himself and his relation to the Crows and Caterina. This is a very revealing statement.

He locked eyes with his cousin. Illario tried to remain resolute, but it was like touching hot steel. Sighing, he cursed and turned to Effe. "Come on," Illario snapped. She glanced toward Lucanis. He gave her a reassuring nod. "My cousin may be a snob, but he's true to his word."

Can you be nice to him for one fucking second without taking a shot at him? Genuinely this one is almost beyond the pale. You just fucking stared him down and again browbeat him into going along with YOUR changed plan, AGAIN, despite his protests, and you're going to… insult him again to the face of a stranger?!

Of a woman who you also put at risk by dragging her into this, even if you're going to get her out now.

'True to his word' at least there's that. Illario is going to get her and the others out safely, and Lucanis trusts that—trusts her to trust that, too.

"Are you?"

"The Wigmaker will die tonight."

ough. okay. we're almost done. I think I can do a final push and do all of the last of my notes tomorrow in one final post.

Quotes are either paraphrased or taken directly from The Wigmaker Job, written by Courtney Woods.

[paladin--strait]

soulmates part 1

luke hughes x reader

part 2 here! series masterlist here!

tw!!: none other than some language! use of y/n, reader can be depicted as any body shape/size.

this story moves kinda fast, since I want it to only be a couple of parts long. it's also pretty cringey...sorry about that lol

warning: this is a complete work of fiction. I am no way saying or implying that these people act the way the do in the story. I am open to any sort of constructive criticism! thank you!

I take another sip of my drink and look over at jack who has his arm around his 'fling of the day' as the guys and I like to call it. she's blonde with green eyes, which seems to be his type since that's what most of the girls he brings around look like. with a shake of my head and a sigh, I look over at timo, who gives me a understanding look with a chuckle. I ruffle my hair that is still damp from jumping off the boat into the lake with the guys earlier while I stand up and walk over to the kitchen island to talk to jamie, dawson, and john.

"yo luke!" dawson says, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me a little, "what's life like having to watch jack and his fling of day all the time?" he questions with a laugh, slapping me on the shoulder. my eyebrows raise and I sigh, shaking my head with a laugh. "its interesting, I guess." I say, shrugging my shoulders.

"you guess?" john asks, taking a sip of his beer. "doesn't it get annoying after a while? ya know? constantly coming home and he has some random girl in the house or when he comes home he has a girl? that would annoy the fuck outta me dude. I would honestly pack up my stuff and live somewhere else." he says with a chuckle, trying to lighten the conversation to some extent but it doesn't work.

"I've just gotten used to it over time. when we're in jersey I just go out for a walk or I just go over to cap's house and hang out with him. when we're here I just go out in the boat and stay in the middle of the lake for a while." I say with a shrug.

and its true, sad, but true. I'm just glad quinn doesn't act this way. at least, I don't think he does. I'm not in vancouver with him everyday so I wouldn't really know. but I don't really see quinn acting that way. jack's always been a bit of a player, but when all the guys are around during the off season he seems to want to show off.

sure, I've had a couple hookups here and there, but nothing like jack. he's my brother and I love him, but recently his player antics have been getting worse. I admit, I've been looking into some apartments lately. it's not like I can't afford them, because I can, it's just the fact that me and jack have lived in the same place for basically our whole lives. first it was our house and now it's our apartment in jersey. I don't wanna move away from him just because of some girls he brings back.

I make some more small talk with the guys, now including trevor, who had just woken up from his nap on the couch, and quinn, who had recently come out of his room after his shower, when the doorbell rings.

jack jumps up, almost knocking his girl on the floor in the process, and runs to the door. "I got it!!" he says, disappearing into the hallway that leads to the front door. the guys and I make our way to the couch, taking our seats and continuing our conversation.

soon enough, jack walks back in with nobody. "quinn, there's some girl here to see you. she's putting her stuff up and then she'll be in here." he sighs, sitting back down with his girl, who I've now learned is named kaitlyn. I look at quinn, who is looking at me with a confused look on his face, before he stands, waiting to greet who ever is here to see him.

Then, she walks in. she has got to be one of the prettiest girls I have ever seen in my life. her flowy hair, that sort of bounces with almost every step, her blue canucks jersey that fits her curves like a dream, and her eyes. god, her eyes are gorgeous.

I'm snapped out of my daze by her voice, "quinny!!" she says, practically running to quinn, who's face lights up, before grabbing her and hugging her tightly. they hug for a while and I can hear them talking, but i can't hear what they're saying. after a minute or two, they pull away looking at each other happily. brock stands and walks to the unnamed girl with open arms, yelling her name, and embracing her in a hug.

"everyone," quinn starts, "this is y/n. she lives in vancouver with me and works in media for the canucks so this is a surprise that she's here." he says, looking at her with a smile.

I can tell her likes her, crush or not, quinn likes her. he never smiles like that for anyone. she smiles back, and waves hello, a tiny of blush on her cheeks. she then makes eye contact with me, eyes widening a bit and her cheeks getting a bit redder before quinn pulls her away to introduce her to everyone.

I gulp, realizing that quinn's best friend might be the death of me. I get up quickly, walking outside with my drink in hand. I sit in a chair facing the lake and take in the sunset. I can't help but think about her as I sip my drink.

y/n's pov

"and this is the middle brother, jack, and his girlfriend, kaitlyn." quinn gestures to them, and jack stands to give me a handshake, but eventually settles on a hug. I notice that his girlfriend is eyeing me hard. but the look I give her back is enough to get her to look away. "and luke is over there." quinn points to where he and luke were previously sitting on the couch, but luke is nowhere to be seen. quinn frowns, before looking around and finally spotting him sitting outside on the deck through the window.

"you can stay in here, quinny. I can go introduce myself on my own." I say, smiling before quinn does as well, walking back to take his seat beside who I think is a guy named trevor.

it's a short walk to the porch outside. the sun is glaring in my face so I pull my sunglasses down from my head to cover my eyes. the wooden boards of the deck clack as I step on them, making my way to luke.

I sit in the seat beside him as he turns to look at me with a suspicious look on his face, wondering who followed him outside. I give him a smile and makes eye contact with him, which he returns for s split second before looking away. "hi luke! my name is y/n. it's so nice to finally meet you! quinn has told me so much about you." I say, hoping to get him to look back at me.

all he does is nod and say a quick hello with a 'nice to meet you'. I frown, my gaze settling on the wooden boards below our feet. I sigh, and stand back up, walking back to the house.

my mind is racing as I try to figure out why he won't talk to me or even look at me. maybe he's tired? maybe he just wants some privacy? I'm not sure but the sadness in my eyes is evident when I walk back into the lake house, my eyes meeting Quinn's and I give him a small smile which he returns with a frown.

Quinn walks to me and puts his hand on my shoulder as he leans in to whisper something in my ear. "I'm sorry about luke. I'm not sure what's gotten into him. I'll talk to him and see if he'll come around." he pulls back and gives me a smile before he walks outside.

"hey y/n!!! come sit with us!" I hear a voice say, soon figuring out it was that trevor guy. I smile and make my way to them.

luke's pov

my heart is racing when she sits beside me. I can't believe quinn is friends with such a beautiful girl. I feel my cheeks begin to heat up even more when she mentions how much quinn has talked about me.

I try to be nice to her and return her greeting but I just can't focus on what she's saying. my mind is thinking at a billion miles per hour, wondering what quinn had told her about me and whether I need to be worried if it's bad.

I'm so focused on my own thoughts that I don't even realize she's gotten up to leave until she was halfway back to the house. I stand, and outstretch my hand, wanting to call her name and tell her to come back, but nothing leaves my mouth.

I sit back down and wonder what I just did. is she gonna hate me now? is she wondering why I won't talk to her? does she think that I think that she's ugly and I don't wanna look at her?

I'm pulled out of my thoughts by a hand touching my shoulder and a voice calling my name. I snap out if it and look over at the person. its quinn. he's got a worried look mixed with a bit of anger on his face.

"why won't you talk to her?" he says, crossing his arms and looking at me with a look of confusion. "she was so excited to meet you and jack and you won't even look at her. I told her that you two would get along so well and she's been so excited ever since. what's the deal?"

his voice gets louder at the end of his questioning. I can tell he really cares about her.

"i don't know..." my voice trails off and I look down, fiddling with my fingers.

"you don't know?? luke, she was more excited to meet you more than anyone else. I didn't know that she was coming down today or even at all but I was planning in buying her plane tickets later to get her down here tomorrow or the next day so she could meet all of my friends and family. I don't understand what has gotten into you, luke." quinn's head shakes in disappointment and disbelief.

"listen quinn, I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me either." I say, about to play everything off. and then it all comes out. "all I know is that she's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life. I don't even know anything about her but I can already tell that I'm about to have the biggest crush on this girl. so seems so kind and so fun from what I've seen. which is not much but still! I can already tell what kind of person she is. she just gives me that feeling of kindness. please don't tell her that I said any of that and I'm so sorry quinn."

I don't think I've even spoken faster in my life. quinn's face went from disappointment and anger to disbelief and happiness in a split second. he jumps up and puts his hands on my shoulders.

"luke. I wanted to bring her down not only to meet all of you guys, but I wanted her to meet you. you're perfect for each other! she's always so happy and excited for everything and that's just what you need! I'm not saying you're a huge party pooper or whatever, but sometimes you need more excitement in your life! look at jack. he's living his best life right now. sure, he's definitely had way too many girlfriends, but that's what makes him happy and you deserve something or someone that will make you happy too. if you wanna date her, go ahead. y/n hasn't had the greatest experience with relationships. and I think that you could change all of that for her. so I'm absolutely fine with it if you wanna take her out."

quinn's words shock me. he stands there with an excited look on his face and he urges me to stand up.

"I guess I should talk to her then." I look at quinn with a smile and he puts his arm around my shoulders, laughing excitedly as we walk back to the house.

[hinamie]

My I ask why are you a gojohater? I am a gojolover and love your gojopieces and love your portrayal of Gojo and Megumi, and I've known you're a gojohater since before I hit follow, but I am honestly curious haha I am a gojolover, but I love criticism of Gojo (and anyone tbh but him in specific precisely because I like him a lot) both narratively and metanarratively, both his writing and his personality. So I am really curious, all the more because I always love your takes on him not just in image, but in concept. Many of my fave people to talk about my fave characters are haters of my characters, it's alright, truly. I really mean no harm. I'm just super curious because I think it could be very juicy and intricate analysis given your portrayals of Gojo xD

I am asking on anon because I'm shy and you're a big account, but I could ask off anon too if you're not comfortable with answering this question without putting a face on the sender, or in public as a whole. I am not shy enough that it would be a problem to me if you prefer it. Of course, please feel free to ignore my question too if you don't want to reply for whatever reason (even just not being in the mood, that's good enough reason in my books xD)

In any case, thanks for drawing and sharing your art with us!

Hi anon! i’m glad you like my art of him but if you’re expecting an intricate analysis on gojo you’ve come to the wrong blog :’> 

as fr my thoughts on him,,, listen. I hate on him as a meme gsdhjf it’s not that serious. i’ll come out and say it, I don’t /actually/ hate the guy, really the extent of it is just that I think he's annoying a lot of the time and not in a way that endears him to me. however when I started watching jjk I’ll admit I Was charmed by him! And even now I can recognize tht there’s undeniably a lot to his character that makes him super interesting, I think that his loneliness and burden of being the strongest hidden under a carefree mask r things that make him rly compelling. i like that he’s insane i like that he’s strong to the point of being unreachably Alone, i LOVE that despite that he cares so much about the kids and tries to connect with and protect them at every opportunity. he’s a tragic tragic character and annoying or not, I eat that up

my beef is with fanon gojo ghjgshd seeing the way that the audience treats him soured him for me Bad. It’s so hard to see a character for the tragedy of their desire for connection when the entirety of their personality and the significance of all their fascinating story beats are entirely drowned out by mischaracterization and audience horniness. he overshadows everything he’s in because That Type of gojo fan sees him and gets tunnel vision regarding everything else—see the people who were threatening gege's life over killing him and Hard banking on a gojo comeback until the very end despite th narrative uproot it would cause. someone could make the most emotionally poignant piece of gojo-centric content and you’d still have probably a majority of his fans doing nothing but barking because that’s their 6’4 dom top or whatever. 

atp i’m used to seeing it but it still makes me angry that such a deep character with so much story significance is completely objectified by ppl who claim to be his fans. that’s not my business tho, engage with media however u want, just know that i Am judging you

so long story short i hate on him out of principle. i saw the way fandom treats him and i simply decided that yeah i dont like this i will not contribute. i will not show him any love beyond the art i make of him. but I wouldn’t dedicate so much time and effort to making art of a character if I truly hated them lmao i’m not that dedicated to the bit

[rlbbackup]

A year in review - 2024 (SxF)

So, after reading the lovely @unhappy-sometimes's 2024 retrospective (which I highly recommend you read!), I thought I'd do something similar!

This will be pretty long and have lots of links and tags but I hope you enjoy this little romp I took down memory lane about all the fics I wrote this past year!

All for Naught

This was a fic that was inspired by a conversation with @glacialdawn and I wrote it up completely in 12 hours. I’m not exaggerating! We were just goofing off in dms and we got on the topic of Yuri’s decision to become an SSS officer and how it relates to Yor’s raising him…and it evolved from there. 

All in all, I’m VERY proud of how this fic turned out. Having it be solely from Yor’s POV and forcing her to deal with an abrupt change in how she views her brother was a lot of fun. Of all the reveals that may or may not happen in SxF, I personally feel that the Briar Siblings reveal will be the most critical. Yeah there’s betrayal involved in the TwiYor one and Anya’s reveal will likely end in bloodshed, but Yor has hid what she needed to do to raise Yuri for over a decade and a half at least. And while she admits that her brother is intense, seeing him in his work environment would probably shatter something within her. The work of the SSS isn’t glorious. Neither is that of an assassin. 

All this to say that with this as the start of my fics in 2024, I’m not surprised how later fics turned out XD

Hypothetically…

While my Post-reveal, Pre-relationship series has been written almost entirely out of order, I really enjoyed the inspiration that led me to writing this one. When I saw this post by @itsmechini, the words almost poured out of me. Twilight and Yor have had a lot of things taken from them in life, things that ultimately made them who they are but they didn’t have a choice or say in the matter. Having the choice to reveal who they truly are to each other and accepting the other for who they are feels like a healing of that particular wound and I couldn’t help but put pen to paper. 

I was also inspired by the writing style of the lovely Puolain while writing this, leading me to use different scene change styles and I think it flows better because of it! 

I will also admit that I cried several times while writing this, especially at Yor’s answer to a hypothetical question asked. Beyond that, this was a really cathartic fic to write and I’m glad I got to share it with you guys!

Side by Side and Locked in Tight

THIS FIC.

It’s been bouncing around in my head for a long time now, since I love the song that inspired this (Cop Car by Sam Hunt - there is also a version by Keith Urban, but the Sam Hunt version feels softer so I’m going with that one XD). I had an early draft of this fic existing in my Google docs since… 2021 I think? Right after I fell down the Ken/Anya shipping cavern and haven’t wanted to climb back out.

But actually writing this fic was a STRUGGLE until talking prompts out with the people in the SxF Rare Pair server. While it was a NSFW prompt, handcuffs just broke through the fog I’d had regarding this plot idea and BOOM I was finally able to post it. 

While Ken has some of the shortest character involvement in SxF, I love this kid. I get he’s practically an OC at this point, but I’m okay with that and I love playing around with how he’d interact with the Cecil Hall Gang. I want them all to be friends. Anya should have more friends!

Anyway! I go back and read this fic from time to time and I’m still happy with it. Especially the twist at the end XD

Don’t forget to lock the door

Another fic created with the help of the Rare Pair Server! (love you guys!)

One thing that makes me laugh constantly in SxF is the fact that the Forger’s apartment has a deadbolt but it looks like the Forgers never use it XD. Imagine all those times people barged into the apartment stopped by a simple use of a sliding lock 🤣So, why not make it a plot point of a fic!

I blame @creativwit for this ultimately. Though it was a pleasure to write Twilight and Franky needling each other and Yor soothing both of them. On a second/third/however many times I’ve read this thing, I still love how they are soft with each other in their own ways.

Little Black Number

A fic inspired by my own art!

Sometime in 2023, I was talking to some friends on discord when I was reminded of Princess Diana’s “Revenge Dress” that she wore after then Prince Charles’ “Tell All” interview where he sort of hinted at being unfaithful to her during their marriage. This spiraled into “I’m pretty sure Yor would look fantastic in the Revenge dress” and going from there.

Now, based on anecdotal evidence, it’s believed by myself and others that SxF takes place mostly in an alternate version of the 1960s. Endo-Sensei does mix things about the world regarding technology in his story, but the fashion is straight out of 1960s fashion magazines. So, the revenge dress is way out of the possibilities. Still. I think the dress would look good on Yor and drew it!

The dress I describe in the story is notably different (namely that the skirt is ankle/floor length versus the above knee design of the inspiration). 

To the story itself, I really want Yor to have friends and while I’m still wary of Melinda I think the two of them could be close! So I wrote about them having girl time together, bonding even when they are in two different social groups and where they can compromise on things. It was a quick and fun write! I really loved this one!

A moment of weakness

This fic was inspired by @/usleepover's art on Twitter!

Like most of the other fics mentioned here, this was inspired by chats on Discord. I have USleepover and @astersugar for this. Long before ch. 109, we were wondering what would lead these two to interact, and guessed that it would probably involve Dr. Forger’s office. Now…that conversation spiraled into something wildly different from what I did in this fic, but it did inspire me.

As a little more background, I have had a fic in the background for a year and a half now where Yor experiences a medical emergency and how the Forgers’ lives change as a result. I have no idea when or if I will ever post that fic since it’s…heavy. Emotionally and mentally heavy. But I was able to write this in relation to it. While I’m not specific in what ails Yor, I did leave enough for one to guess. Like it’s larger, heavier sister, this fic took an emotional toll on me. Having someone you love in the hospital and not being able to do a damn thing to help them is…difficult. I can’t put into words exactly how difficult that is. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy, that’s how bad it is. So writing Loid and Melinda come to terms that they are out of their depths and still want to do something for Yor was cathartic in a way. I’m really happy with how this one came out and still reread it on occasion.

Rendezvous

I half blame @sister-cna-reader for this 🤣Her Hidden Under Roses’ Au with McMahon and Sylvia has me in a CHOKE HOLD and I was sunk for this ship from the start. So I decided to write about it. The other person I “blame” for this is @/Ari_Gateau on AO3 for encouraging me and ultimately giving me the prompt idea in the first place! You both are wonderful and I love you dearly!

I went back and forth on where in any timeline to put this, but ultimately decided that my PRPR verse was the best place. With Twilight and Thorn Princess revealed to each other, I could see their handlers also involved in that. Handler and Director aren’t exactly friends, but they are allies enough to watch each other’s backs if they find themselves on an assignment where they have aligned goals. 

Leaving this fic with the ending I did was a choice I also debated internally but I like it! And I guess that’s what matters 🤣

Pink Sakura

OH BOY THIS FIC.

The inspiration for this hit me upside the head very suddenly on Kiss Day (May 23) and I decided to choose violence. Like with Side by Side and Locked in Tight, I pulled my “canon but mostly an OC” buddy Ken back for some hanahaki “fun” 🤣This one is in the same universe as Flowers and Thorns, but this is clearly the angster younger sister. And once I started writing, I couldn’t stop. I wrote for almost three days straight before I was ready to post this. But it was worth it.

Adding Anya’s chapter wasn’t something I had originally planned (not that there was much planning involved in this fic 🤣) but once I finished Ken’s chapter, I realized there were some pretty glaring plot holes. So I used Anya to fill them and I think that worked out really well! I know hanahaki isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I enjoy it and I’m glad I wrote this one!

New Moon Blues

I return to my Myth Au! 👏 I’ve mentioned this in my author notes, but this whole au was developed by several people (@httplovecraft1890 , @gonnahypatia, @whatroguewrites, @awphooey2u, @juuyeah and @connoisseursdecomfort) and started by @foxtamer113. I couldn’t have made this without everyone’s inputs!

This one was a plot we had discussed ages ago. I think once we nailed Loid and Yor’s roles down, we almost immediately started brainstorming how Anya fit into their lives. We pretty much made her their biological child from the start (if my memory serves me), which I genuinely love in Aus. We did debate over HOW she was born, even though we agreed that she would be a baby goddess. One of the ideas mentioned was something about mingling blood and tears but we decided that the "Athena" route was much more fun to play with. In the end, I altered it just a bit mostly because of inspiration from a comment on the story before this one (Soothing Rays). (thank you to that commentor! I can’t find it right now, but you are amazing!)

Floodgates / Throwing Away Fate (just to keep you safe)

These fics are a RIDE my guys. 

First off, Floodgates was originally a gift from the lovely @creativwit and I hijacked it because of conversations about this au on discord 🤣(like several others on this list amirite??) The idea of Kasper came from those conversations and we’ve grown insanely attached to him. Originally, he was going to be the contact that Garden silenced in ch 43, but we loved him too much to do that.

Since then, we had this idea of what would happen if Franky really did end up in Garden’s crosshairs, and Wit wrote the first chapter of Floodgates as a start. I’m pretty invested in Yor as a fault, so I kept thinking about how she would handle this situation and ended up writing the “interludes” for this fic. I’ve since renamed those chapters to the lyrics of Loyal, Brave, True by Christina Aguilera since that’s the song I primarily write these chapters to. 

Throwing Away Fate is a prequel (hence why i’m mentioning it here) and was pulled from those same conversations. I love the idea of Kasper already been head over heels for Franky before the real action gets going in Floodgates, so I wanted to explore how he found Franky and went on this adventure running from Garden. Originally, I had wanted to write more (up until they are found in Floodgates ch. 1) but I was running out of steam and didn’t want to force myself any farther. Maybe one day I’ll (or wit, or both of us together) write the scene where Shopkeeper finds Kas. That might be fun 😈

Crosslegged in the Dim Light

Unlike the song this title is drawn from, it’s pure fluff! I saw this art by EvuriKigen and immediately started writing. There wasn’t much thought put into the development of this fic since I just started writing. The only thing I did think was that I wanted this to be in my Post Reveal/Pre relationship series, where even though Twilight and Yor have all their cards on the table, sometimes they don’t need to talk about the specifics of their jobs. They know and trust their partner, and that’s really the point of this story. 🥰

Inferno

Shifting gears pretty abruptly, we once again dive into my chats over discord 🤣While I will grumble about how Yuri’s superior doesn’t have a name 😒, I love the dynamic Endo-Sensei set up for the First Lieutenant (I know in the English version he’s called “Captain” but the Japanese says “First Lieutenant” so that’s what I’m going with!), Yuri and Chloe. So I wanted to expand on that outside of their tracking down WISE agents. 

And while I know there is no evidence of any of them being closer than colleagues, my shipping brain just loves the idea of Chloe at least admiring her superior. Hence This fic. 

Like Crosslegged in the Dim Light, I wrote this one very quickly and with little thought about plot. I’m pretty happy with this one!

7 Minutes in Heaven

This one was a beautiful joint venture with @cambot77, @sister-cna-reader, @strangeduckpaper and @creativwit! As with several of the last fics, this one started it’s life on discord. It was our original hope to have this done by Kiss Day (May 23) but that changed as we all kept writing. It was a blast!

Writing out a list of all the pairs to start off was a treat because I kept randomly forgetting some of them XD. But we got them all and planned out a vague idea of what could happen in each chapter. Then I used an online spinner to divide up the ships that hadn’t been previously claimed. After confirming that everyone was happy with what they had, we made the order. 

Ao3’s Collections and Co-author features really helped us here and reading everyone’s chapters brought me genuine joy. It’s so wonderful watching how all of our different writing styles and takes on the characters fit together as a whole. I honestly cannot pick a favorite chapter since I love them all. Thank you all again, my dears. This project was so much fun!

Complicity

The fact that it took me 9 months to finish this one is still astounding to me 🤣I had planned for All For Naught to be a stand alone, but then I saw a prompt on the @dailytwiyorprompts tumblr and that quickly flew out the window!

Seeing everything from Twilight’s perspective and going through his mental gymnastics was honestly a blast. Not sure if there will be a follow up to this duology or not, but anything’s possible.

Psyche

The last fic I started in 2024. This is a gift for the lovely @cantareincminor and was something she requested specifically. Her prompt was: “Mole hunt arc with a twist: Garden sends Thorn Princess to Shellbury to assassinate Wheeler. Instead of Nightfall, Thorn Princess is the one to stumble upon Wheeler and Twilight. She absolutely mops the floor with Wheeler and saves Twilight. Up to you whether his mask is off or on—could be awesome either way if she believes her husband or her brother is in danger.”

No going to lie, I was completely surprised when this developed into a 10k first chapter. The second chapter is still in the works and looks like it may also end up about that length and there’s no clue about the 3rd. But I want to talk about the inspirations behind this fic beyond the prompt. 

The title for this fic changed multiple times as I was writing it and probably spent more time as “untitled” than anything else. But within the day I posted it, I was struck by Orpheus by Cantare herself! I honestly love mythology (as my Myth series shows I hope 😅) and considered the wider plot of where this story would go. Without giving away too much, the story of Eros and Psyche just fits. Yor is the wife that doesn’t truly know her husband and through some twist of fate ends up finding out. While this story won’t be a one-to-one retelling of the myth, there may be echoes found within it until the end. And I’m really excited to share that with you all!

Honorable Mention: Sleeping with the Telephone

While I started this fic back in Nov 2023, a lot of it has been written in 2024. This fic has been an honest to goodness rollercoaster to write…and it’s not done yet. 

In my author’s note, I mention that I originally wrote part of the first chapter as a one shot on my RP blog, but it has developed moreso than I could have anticipated. There are a lot of themes in this, from draftees suddenly leaving their children and spouses behind, to family dynamics and the struggles therein, how war impacts relationships as a whole, and the like. Of course most, if not all, of these are addressed in Spy x Family, but bringing the war back to Ostania and having them fight another country entirely was interesting. 

Unlike the phenomenal @niregonnagiveyouup’s Not a Vein of Stars (which i HIGHLY recommend), I wanted to base this story around some of the hot conflicts during the Cold War. The US and USSR were infamous for recruiting other countries to help fight “their own” wars (like the Philippines sending troops to South Korea and The Warsaw pact sending troops to fight with the USSR in Albania). This still happens in the present day (such as the UK sending troops to Afghanistan and Belarus to Ukraine), even if it’s not to the same insanity that WW2 was. I don’t like it. I never have liked war, and writing this story from the perspective of a family being caught in the proverbial crossfire helped me hate it all the more.

But this story is a passion project of mine. I’m at the home stretch and re-reading this story to center myself for that happy ending I’ve promised myself really helps me love it all the more. Someday soon that fic will have a complete next to it’s name and I can’t wait. 

I know this was long as heck, but thanks for sticking with me! I didn’t realize I had written so much this past year since I took a break for a good chunk of it. But in hindsight, I’m really proud of how all of these works turned out and want to thank everyone who read, left kudos and/or comments. You all are wonderful!

Happy 2025 everyone! Here’s to more stories! 🍾

[the-100-days-of-junkan]

Day 91

Besties i’m so fucking glad i don’t have that music video looming over my head anymore, like yeah i’m writing this on day 82 so it’s not ACTUALLY off of my chest yet but still. Oh right- the topic.

“So Elegant, So Vulgar” from School Life of Mutual Loving, by MarySutcliff

So this ones special! And the reason its special is also the reason I did it first! It was a bit hard to figure out, but if looking at the date of the collection of stories is correct, and putting it and putting it against other fics of the same nature, this chapter is the FIRST Soft Junkan Fic on AO3. If i’m wrong that’s my bad but I think the time of release for this one (which I can only speculate because I don’t know the best way to check)?

So it only seemed right to make something based off of it, for the culture! Though it wasn’t easy, this fic is a bit more . . . abstract? That’s probably an awful word to describe it as but I’m not good at this. The story switches perspective between several characters, in a way that pleases my brain as we loop between them, starting from Junko and ending at Junko. Now the format and the very internal way this fic was written posed the question of how the hell I was supposed to visualize it. Eventually I just tried to mimic the way the story was formatted, every character layered on top of eachother with Junko and Mikan exclusively in the center.

It’s really hard to describe but you can probably just look at it and see what I mean?

As for the fic itself! 

It’s nice! I very unfortunately don’t have a lot to say beyond paying my respects for it’s place in Junkan History, and it’s extremely pleasing and unique format. Admittedly I do find the dialogue, both internal and external, a bit, jarring? Nothing that truly detracts from the piece, just feels off in a way that isn’t there with some of this author’s other stories. 

I won’t be complaining though! I’m a gal who struggles to really critically chip into the things she takes in, I prefer to just enjoy what I’m given despite it’s flaws. I don’t blindly enjoy everything of course, there are pieces of media i either don’t feel positively on (or anything on), and even some pieces that truly bring out the worst in me. I am a woman who holds deep burning angry and spite inside of her, I just choose to try and not make it anyones problem but my own!~ Simply put while I may air small issues here and there, the coming days of fic adaptations will be more about showing my love for the work that I’ve read dozens of times and have helped somewhat satiate my constant need for Junkan, rather than picking apart everything that may or may not be wrong with them, very sorry if ya’ll were looking for something like that!~ Hopefully my happy go lucky lifestyle will suffice in its stead!

As always, Reblogs, Comments, and Little Notes in the Tags are appreciated!~ They always make my day!~

[bibibbon]

Now about Tenya:

. Tenya is practically known for being punctual, but in an exaggerated way, since he always does everything to arrive at the place at the promised time, so much so that he is one of the first students to arrive at school. He ends up criticizing those who are late, only earning annoyance from his classmates, something he does not understand.

. Tenya has a huge idolization of his brother, Tensei. But Tensei is a little bothered to see his brother treating him like a god, he is always trying to get Tenya to stop this exaggerated admiration. This is also noticed by their mother.

. Tenya is autistic and has an OCD when it comes to keeping everything organized, to the point where he gets really irritated by people who are disorganized. A fact is that when he was a child, he almost had a breakdown when he noticed the whole room was messy after the art activity. He always leaves his belongings and clothes organized. He says he wants to leave everything ready for tomorrow.

. Tenya doesn't have a good relationship with his father, a former hero and head of the Ingenium Agency. This is because his father puts excessive pressure on his son, in addition to setting goals that Tenya does everything he can to achieve. One fact is that Tenya got an 8 on a math test and his api didn't speak to him for a week. As for his mother, she always wants to please him, and comfort Tenya while he cries and vents about his father's pressure, which always ends with her preparing hot chocolate and cookies for him.

. Tenya doesn't have many friends, only Ochako and Izuku at middle school, since he's always criticizing and trying to bring order, making his classmates tired of his attitudes, something that makes no one want to come to him to talk or ask him out. Tenya doesn't understand this, besides it hurts him a lot.

. Tenya always carries two spare glasses in case he breaks or loses the one he is using. He also always carries orange juice in his backpack during physical activities.

. Tenya does a lot of artistic gymnastics, which explains his muscular body and how good he is at jumping and falling. He soon gains a training partner (Izuku), since he also does this type of sport, requested by All MightStar.

. Tenya and Izuku didn't start off on the best of terms, as Izuku was incredibly able to answer questions faster than Tenya, and also got a higher grade than Tenya. This resulted in Tenya seeing Izuku as a rival, but they soon came to an understanding and became friends.

. Tenya is still amazed when he sees All MightStar in the living room of Izuku's house, especially when he sees him cleaning and carrying a basket of clothes. Izuku always laughs at Tenya's reactions.

What do you think? (Sorry for the long asks, I'm glad you're interested in my rewrite)

Hi @lorddog45 👋

I love how you're sticking to Tenya's Canon characterisation, making him a die-hard rule follower because he thinks and has been taught that it's both the best and right thing to do. I wonder how you would choose to present his conflict when he does learn that said rules aren't always the best at protecting people and aren't always the right thing.

I love the Canon focus on just how much tenya admires his brother, and I hope that with this admiration, we get to see more of tensei and how tensei feels about the hero world in general. Do you think tensei would try and sheild his brother, lead him to believe that nothing can go wrong if rules are followed? Do you think after tensei's attempted murder that he would be more honest with tenya and give him advice about the cruelty and dark truths of hero society?

The autistic and ocd tenya headcanons are to die for!!!! I always headcanoned him as autistic so I'm glad to see that others think this as well.

Tenya and shoto parallels!!! The strict father who holds way too much over the child's head drowning them in expectations that will most likely hinder and squander their potential in the processs. I am surprised that tenya still wants to be a hero after all of this maybe that's a nice contrast he has to shoto who until izuku convinced him and reminded him of why he enjoyed all Might didn't have much feelings to becoming a full fledged hero that would use both his quirks to their fullest potential

Desire for order and peace but also the desire to be seen as friendly and good clashing with tenya. Tenya not understanding how him simply wanting to do what he believes is good is harming him and everyone else.

This is Canon to me!!! Tenya does indeed carry and have a stack of glasses that he just knows he will need them because of the amount of times he has broken his glasses and he keeps a few bottles of orange juice that he sometimes ends up giving to ochako or izuku

Artistic gymnastic tenya!!!! Never thought of that but it makes sense and izuku getting inspired and becoming his partner is such a great idea and mirrors Canon how izuku was inspired by tenya's flexibility on how he moved his legs and started to incorporate that in his hero fighting style. I feel like ochako would join them as well and they would start to mesh both ballet and gymnastics

Tenya and izuku one sided rivalrly from tenya who thinks izuku is trying to one up him and also admires izuku while izuku just thinks tenya hates him and sometimes gets reminded of bakugo

Tenya being an all Mightstar fan and forgetting that his friend has all mightstar as their adopted parent mirror's izuku and how much he loves heroes and how izuku would definitely go into an analytical fan ramble whenever he meets tensei

[theamazingdigitalraceway]

Scarlettttt.......... When I catch you.........

rrrrrggghhhghg

RRGGAGAGGAG

my fricken FEELINGS

zoooobllleee..............

I can't wait for the next chapter.

Anyways here's a question so this ask isn't all just a comment-

How do the cast react to the new shadow pom?

A/N: hehehehe, glad you're enjoying yourself

CAINE: He's grateful, believe it or not. Pomni is safer like this. Beyond Abel's immediate influence. Sure, he'd rather not think about how close Seth has to be with Pomni in this state, but he'll bite his tongue when it comes to criticisms in this hour or need.

Outside of such circumstances: "GET OFF OF HER, YOU PARASITE!"

POMNI: She's...adjusting. It's so weird having him in her head. She can hear him as though he's all around her, clear as day no matter how loud the surroundings. She can feel him. His emotions, his thoughts. Her body doesn't feel too different, but there is a lingering sensation of touch all over. That takes the most getting used to.

RAGATHA: Pomni looks good. Really good. She should've gone with the motorcycle from the beginning. Can she go for a ride too?

JAX: "What....the....f-" She's there and gone so fast, he didn't have time to process. "How does SHE get an upgrade while the rest of us are stuck with crazy ass cars!?"

GANGLE: She's very confused and wants to know how this happened.

ZOOBLE: Very surprised and confused, but won't bother with questions. They don't care that much.

KINGER: He's not sure it's even Pomni at first. Could Seth always shape shift? When he figures out it's her, he wants to know how she changed her avatar.

GUMMIGOO: He's cheering Pomni on. He's always known she was one of the best, and now it's being put to the ultimate test.

LOO: Pomni looks really cool. Punk fashion icon.

SETH: He's very comfortable. She feels determined and strong. Very impressed with her bravery, willing to do what needs to be done even when she's scared.

ABEL: He's furious. He can't summon her because she's no longer a normal racer. He can't lock on Seth's life force because he's moving around too much too fast. He needs more power. More data. He WILL find a way to catch her eventually. She can't run forever.

[bananaguyboi]

Hello! I'm interested in your Tang Bo and Chung Myung fanfiction, so I came to chat you up! ;D

lol I'm new to Tumblr so I think this is where I should ask right?

Ayee!!! Thank you so much for showing interest, and for trying to help me out!!

The chapter 1 of the fic isn't finish yet and you can tell because it's quite fast paced lol

Anyways!! Hope you have fun reading!!

If there's any criticism you want to say, please do!! That would help me alot lol

Though do be warned that this fic has some swear words in it- (i honestly dont why im putting a warning about this but just incase :] )

...

The distinct smell of blood

Mingling with dark, vivid sky

Chung Myung's breath came in short gasp as he couldn't take his eyes away from his dying friend, despite the countless dead bodies scattered everywhere in the battlefield.

  'Is this how it ends?' Tang Bo questioned.

But no one answered. Nobody could answer.

Only the frantic sound of Chung Myung's breathing filled the air.

   'Hyung-nim....'

With no thoughts, Tang Bo slowly gaze his eyes on Chung Myung who was trembling uncontrollably while gripping his hand. Desperately infusing his inner energy onto Tang Bo's body, but no matter how hard he tried, the blood flowed with no end.

Although Tang Bo was barely conscious, he muttered his words.

"Chung Myung..." 

Hearing Tang Bo's weak voice, Chung Myung quickly looked into his eyes with distraught.

And.. he sees Tang Bo.. Smiling...?

Hah..

Is this really the time to smile, you bastard? 

Tang Bo let out a faint chuckled at Chung Myung's glare.

     'Still the same...' he thought

Tang Bo knew he was dying, but he didn't want to see his hyung with such a stupid, helpless face. That face was unlike him after all. So he's glad to see that annoying face one last time.

 Tang Bo grinned at him, and softly uttered his words

"Hyung-nim... I have a favor to ask for you.."

The words lingered in Chung Myung's ears as he slowly stared intently at Tang Bo, clutching his hands even further.

"Please..

 Look after the clan..

 and my people.. "

...𝐈 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮"

Tang Bo uttered his final words before closing his eyes.

***

With a void filled with darkness

Emptiness

Black

Everything was black 

 

Lifeless

He couldn't 𝐬𝐞𝐞 anything

Or even 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 anything

It was just a vast emptiness

'Is this what death feels like?' 

'Just nothing?'

 .....

'Fuck this really'

     

'This seems more painful than dying!'

'Do I have to be stuck in here for eternity?'

'such bullshit exist?'

'Why am I even able to think if I'm dead?'

'Am I even dead?'

'...'

'I'm going crazy..'

Tang Bo's mind was filled with question after question, But there was no one  no reply.. 

That's pissing him off even more!!

'Ohhh my fate!!'

With nothing more to do, and no one else to talk to, all that remained was himself. 

In the void.. 

By himself...

Ah, shit...

That doesn't sound good...

Tang Bo being all alone wasn't new

Especially, because he was born in the Tang Family.

There was a reason why Tang Bo was outcast in his clan. With their abundance of over-reliance on traditions, and poisons. He wasn't fond of the idea of the Tang Family's ideals slowly becoming repressing. No, he hated it more than anyone.

But, despite distancing himself from the Tang members

All he felt was bittering loneliness. It felt as if he was trapped inside a cage. Isolated, but all of it was intentional. 

The only friend he ever had was his Hyung-nim. That demon-like guy..

'Ah.. I miss him already..'

'I prefer getting my ass beaten by him than being stuck here'

Being in this.. 'void', There was nothing Tang Bo could ever do

.

.

.

SHRNNG-

Hm?

SHRNGGGGGG-

A light was being shoned

...

Ok!! So this is where the fic ends lol, i told ya that it's fast paced😭💀

You can tell me you're opinion on this :D

[justin-chapmanswers]

Hello Mr.Chapman!

I wanted to bring this to your attention with the newest episode! I loved it, it was very good! however, there was this one scene that rubbed me and a bunch of other disabled people in the community the wrong way.

The scene with bot and telling Cabby the wrong information about them and then asking Cabby to not write anything down felt very off,, as someone who suffers bad memory loss from amnesia and such and tends to write things down to remember really threw me and a bunch of others off! i’m really hoping you and the team can bring this up and talk about it and listen to us on this topic! it would mean a lot to me and the other disabled people in the community ❤️

Hello!

Sorry for the delayed response to this conversation, we've all been traveling and I just arrived back home. But yes! Received a lot of questions regarding this here on Tumblr (as well as positive messages that I super-appreciate but of course this deserves to be addressed first), and I definitely want to hit on it before I get swept away again.

Thank you (and everyone!) for all of your messages regarding this topic. I have been reading and ingesting so much of this conversation and am very glad for everyone who's spoken up on the topic. I understand there had been debate regarding what's right and what's wrong with this angle of the Bot-Cabby story, and Cabby's depiction as a whole, but I'd like to put all the comments on the side of "I don't see it that way because xyz" to the side for the purpose of this post (although I appreciate your perspective as well, especially those who personally connect to the material).

I do want to start the dive-in with a sorry to who felt overwhelmed by this conversation as a whole, because clearly elements within the writing could have been tweaked and we wouldn't be needing to have this conversation. But absolutely a good one to have, anyway, because the show's history has been far from perfect in this regard. And, even more-so, want to say sorry to anyone who felt personally hurt by anything in the episode that read as ableist. While this was far from any intention, it certainly lead to plenty of hurt.

I figure I'll try to lay out as much of this conversation as I can, so it's clean and transparent all in one place, but of course feel free to keep the conversation going. It shouldn't end with me, whether that's more asks here or in your own circles.

I'll start with intentions within the writing regarding the more common talking points of the episode, and then hit on where things could have been corrected in execution. As Anonymous noted earlier, there's the segment where Bot presents Cabby with incorrect information. Understandably, leading a lot of people to feel uncomfortable with how this affects Cabby, who has difficulty with information. On my end, this was never really desired for this to come across as good normal healthy behavior. With the queer narrative in mind, Bot is insecure and uses this as a device to cope with their stress over being put under a microscope while they're still learning to feel confident. And have a Bow file in front of them. Hence Bot rejecting open-communication about Test Tube, offered by Cabby early on, to continuing to make outlandish claims about themself, as well as opening up authentically with true statements once they felt that safety and connection that they've needed. Starting the two off in a really rough place, and eventually getting the two to hear each other a little better and start communicating more healthily.

But does that make it any more comfortable to watch when you have Cabby's history in mind? Probably not. Perhaps out of all criticisms that had been laid out, this is the only one that I had not considered coming up in the many months since this episode's been written, until episode release. No excuse, that's on me. I think a lot of it was softened in my head by the fact that Bot had been completely unaware of all Cabby goes through, and that when Bot finally gains some insight, they soften up towards Cabby. I've seen others levy that note in these discussions, but ultimately it's not my place to say. I completely see now why this can be discomforting, especially in its presentation as being doing in such a light playful manner, no matter whether or not it was intended to be seen as a flaw that is fixed in the context of the episode.

There's also the other note that Anonymous mentioned here, regarding Bot telling Cabby to not write anything down. Intentions aren't too different are exciting, all very similar to last time regarding queer insecurity, Bot not understanding Cabby's situation, and the goal for the episode being to show they start in an unhealthy place and land in a good one. I think where a lot of that falters, were that to be the right starting place for the story at all (and understandable if you argue that it shouldn't have been) is not giving Cabby more support before the end of the episode to show that Bot understands them as much as Cabby gets to prove she's gotten to understand Bot.

There was initially space given to that in the episode but to try to tighten things a bit, we figured it'd be okay to hold onto that since there's still time to explore that. But I've given the advice before, even within the II team, to make sure that these types of issues conclude within the context of the episode as to not give any wrong ideas as-to what the takeaway should be. Unfortunately, I overlooked my own advice this time around. I do like the moments given to Bot and Cabby to show that they have learned to support one-another after learning about each other on an intimate level, but I think it's important to vocalize what these understandings are more explicitly.

Aaaaand also in general I've been wishing that I had made that moment a little softer, were it to be there at all. Between script completion and episode release I'm always poking holes in what I've written, especially as I watch it go from page to screen and things may get adapted in ways I didn't (but often should have) anticipated. That line in particular I've found to be pretty harsh in vibe for a while now, so we're on the same page. If it had to be a beat, I think something softer and more communicative could have been helpful. I do think it's fair for Bot to want to put up boundaries, but it could have been an open dialogue on the subject.

The thought then was that while Bot has discomfort with Cabby, due to their difficult history, they would offer Cabby an alternative accommodation via a more healthy form of communication and repetition that could then work as a compromise. But yeah, completely see why that's also a point of iffiness too, as the files are the intended accommodation. This was all less intended to be another finger-wag at Cabby's files in the way that was presented before Cabby returned to the game, but more-so to highlight how difficult the subject is for Bot. But the way that this could ignite both side of the coin should've been accounted for.

On a similar note, there was another point brought up in a separate ask-

"did she really have to us her file as a ramp? i hope that this isn’t going to go into the direction of ‘oh she’s cured now!’"

Similar to above, it's another case of me mentally prioritizing the story of Bot for their concluding-ish episode and their bond with Cabby, as opposed to Cabby as an individual. I had a visual in mind for a very long time of the Bow file crushed at the end of Bot's journey without any intention of it reflecting on how Cabby uses files, but rather about Bot feeling more comfortable in their robotic skin and others understanding them as an individual.

That is to say, no, there was never any intention that this would indicate that Cabby is done with using her files to collect information for better-navigating their life, and for her broader love of information-gathering. it is just to say, whether correct or not to implement, that they understand Bot's boundaries and see why having a Bow file for Bot can be seen as distasteful, now that they better understand who Bot is. Cabby still has the files, and there's always been every desire to continue to shed light on her story and perspective in the future. And now, with more consideration.

An aside, I suppose, but I do love Cabby. One of my favorites, always has been. In every episode I've written with her in which she is a notable character so far (10, 11, 14), I've wanted to lean into exploring how Cabby navigates difficult social scenarios in which, no matter how strained it may be at the start, we land in a place of others learning to see the plentiful good in her and/or show that they're willing to stick by her side wholeheartedly. With the Indefinite Islanders, Yin-Yang, Bot, etc. I say all of this to try to clarify that I've never had any intention of vilifying Cabby, and I'm really sorry to all of those who connect closely to her who feel as though I was trying to make her out to be a bad person. Again, although the intention was never negative, it's the outcome that matters most- so I am sorry.

And I'm not looking for anyone to write to me "great, all good now, all forgiven" or anything. I'm just looking to continue an important conversation. I know even before the episode's release, there's been plenty of this discussion here on Tumblr, which I am appreciative to have been able to look through and analyze as thoroughly as I can to understand every angle.

But yes, thanks for bearing through this long block of text. If anything comes across as messy, apologies, running on two or three or so hours of sleep, but I am happy to hit on anything that needs clarification or other elements later after work. I don't see myself making any big posts like this again soon, but at the very very least I'll read over what's sent in the ask box as always.

While I'm good with any and all continued conversation, my only request is that you all please just go easy on the rest of the crew. It's been a very emotionally-intense last few weeks, and a lot of the team is just in an overwhelmed state at the moment for a thousand different reasons. They're all trying their best to do and handle everything. But it can be a lot, especially when it's dealing with the Internet, and when it's thousands of voices screaming in your direction all at once. Thank you!

[kp-does-suff]

Here's some eeveelution stuff because why not

I've been drawing some evolutions for a while now and decided to share them I hope you like my characters!

[You're going to see that I love incorporating the shiny designs in these characters]

So this is Copper she was originally going to be a little one-off drawing, I was just like "I should draw an Eevee from memory today" and that's how she came to be. She's an energetic kid and wants to be a good battler just like her mom.

[also all of the characters don't have stats or natures or anything like that yet at least if I do come up with something like that I might put it in a separate post. I'd also like to hear your opinions because I'm not very knowledgeable on that stuff]

This is Copper's mom Stella! She's a bit hard on Copper but she means well. She's actually a descendant of the Espeon in red's team. She's stoic and serious the majority of the time.

This is Wave, Copper's dad! He's a more go with the flow type of guy he's extremely chill Copper actually gets most of her traits from him even though she lives with her mom the most. (they're not divorced or anything they just have different trainers) he's kinda like bandit from bluey.

This is Spark. Copper's uncle, Wave's brother. He's the oldest out of the three so that means that he worries and panics the most. He doesn't have any animosity or resentment to his siblings he just grew up with the mentality that he always had to be the "protector, the leader, the one in charge"

This is Ruby. Copper's aunt She's the second oldest and actually decided to be in the show biz, despite what happened to her parents. She was actually the first of the three siblings to get a trainer and it's kinda strained her relationship with her siblings. She rarely talks to them anymore, they still care about each other of course but it was such a weird feeling. Despite the horrible thing that happened to their parents why would she want to pursue that career?

[also if you're wondering what happened to their parents I think I might make that a separate post so out for that if you're interested!]

And so that concludes my showcase of my Pokemon OCs! They were really fun to work on and I can't wait to make more stuff for them in the future.

Are there any questions, comments, concerns, anything you think needs to be improved upon? I'm open to constructive criticism for my story (not my art tho but that's besides the point) also I wanna thank @lockandkeyhyena (sorry for the tag) for inspiring me to do this I love their characters and stories I'm glad he let me ramble in his inbox about them lol.

[sparring-spirals]

I need to yell about fcg and *specifically* this great post that you wrote ( https://www.tumblr.com/sparring-spirals/747570433506902016/okay-after-some-sleep-back-on-my-bullshit-lets ) because it made me realize that I really, truly hope Laura will remember she took off her circlet moments before the bang and Imogen had the chance to hear that fcg was at peace with this decision, not because they were trying to be a martyr, but because they had a true chance to save their friends, knowing full well that detonating *would* be a sacrifice because their life *did* matter.

(I hope sending asks is okay, sorry to barge in like this)

Ahw, hell yeah, glad the post hit hard, recontextualizing it in my head helped a lot with chewing through my feelings about. All of this. I'm always okay with asks!! As long as folks are aware I am not necessarily going to agree with every ask that comes in, and more critically, sometimes I disappear off the face of the Earth for a while, dont answer asks, and then feel too embarassed about answering them so much later/get asks about something I didnt watch, go "ah ill answer when i watch it" and then. Well.

(To the various people who sent the total 12 asks that have been sitting in my box for over a year now. I am. So sorry.)

Honestly, I didnt even think about the possibility that Imogen might have heard it, goddamn. Fascinating. I was fully bracing myself for Bell's Hells just- never knowing, and them having to grapple with it. Which. Takes me out at the knees, tbh. I hesitate to speculate on it too much when the episode is going to come out Thursday and probably prove me wrong, but. God, there's no world where the Bell's Hells would instinctively know that F.C.G had made the call with that attitude, and fuck, that puts all of it into a different light, clearly.

I'm a little apprehensive and tbh deeply curious to see how the Bell's Hells take this- the depth of the loss, the sudden nature of it, the victory against Otohan probably not even feeling that way. Maybe wanting to honor F.C.G's sacrifice but. Probably. And understandably. Angry at them for making that call, but he's not. Even there for them to be angry at. So what then? So what then? They can have all these feelings and have all these questions about why he did it, about what he was thinking, and he's not there to answer them, and that's the issue.

If Imogen did hear his last thoughts, this elevates it into a different kind of heartbreaking, but probably still easier overall. The world where they don't know. Is. A more tricky one to navigate, for sure.

But also if I'm being honest. I am not opposed to how the cast would have the Bell's Hells experience and explore that scenario. So i mean. I mean. I hope so too. But if Imogen didnt. Consider me buckled in for whatever happens.

[odyssean-flower]

the winding path of fate ch 10 (scrapped version)

the chapter is coming along nicely. this is the scrapped version of the first half. the final version will be something like this. constructive criticism is welcome

“Madame, are you feeling alright? Please let me know if we need to stop the boat somewhere for a short rest.”

“I assure you, I’m fine. I stopped feeling nauseous a long time ago. The boat has been moving very smoothly so far.”

Despite your repeated assurances, Neuvillette still looked slightly doubtful. He was probably going to ask this question again later.

After lunch, Neuvillette took you to a small dock to the south of the willow tree, where there was a small, inconspicuous boat waiting to take you two to Elynas, where Merusea Village was located. The vishap had followed you and saw you off.

The rowboat had been fine, but queasiness took hold of you once you got onto this boat. It was probably because you just had lunch. Luckily, the boat wasn’t going too fast. You suspected that it was on purpose.

You glanced up at Neuvillette. Like the rowboat at the tree, this boat was smoothly cutting through the water of its own accord. You didn’t hear the sound of the motor, nor was there anyone at the wheel.

Leaning back against the cushions of the seat that Neuvillette made you sit on after you first mentioned your dizziness, you closed your eyes. The warm sunlight felt like a comforting blanket, and the refreshing sea breeze stroked the hair at your nape like gentle fingers. The boat’s steady rocking was soothing, almost hypnotic. Ah, this is heaven. I’ve been missing out.

The cry of a seabird near your ear caused you to open your eyes. You saw Neuvillette standing at the bow. His long snow-white hair was fluttering in the wind, along with his coat tails. He had his cup in his hand, no doubt filled with water. You couldn’t see his expression from here, but judging from the relaxed set of his shoulders, he was also enjoying himself.

In another life, Neuvillette would make a fine ship captain, you idly thought as you observed his stately, erect figure. He certainly had the bearing of one. Or what you imagined a captain would be like from the various novels and books you read.

Your fingers itched to paint him. You were already thinking about the composition and colors. This was strange. Usually, you didn’t really enjoy painting people. You didn’t even like doing self-portraits. Landscapes and buildings were more to your taste.

As though sensing your gaze, Neuvillette turned around and looked at you. “We will be reaching Elynas in about an hour or so. Please, relax until then, Madame. Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”

“I am. Please stop asking,” you said firmly and resolutely fixed your gaze ahead. The sharp peaks of Elynas were still just a faint dot in the distance. You could see the shadows of ships gliding on the water. What would their passengers think if they saw the Chief Justice standing in this small, inconspicuous boat?

You turned your head back in the direction of Erinnyes. All you could see now was the shoreline and verdant trees. It was as though that giant willow tree and vishap never existed in the first place. Like it was all a dream.

The seat next to you sank down with Neuvillette’s weight. “Did you enjoy our time at Erinnyes?”

“Oh, I did!” you turned to him with a broad smile. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light, but you thought his eyes widened slightly. “It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to. It’s so…so mystical. I wish we could have stayed longer.”

Neuvillette let out a little chuckle. He put his hand to his mouth, as though to hide his expression. “I’m very glad to hear that. I hope the vishap didn’t spoil your mood.”

“Not at all,” you shook your head. “I was a little scared at first, sure, but she was actually very gentle. I did assume there would be more vishaps around, though.”

“Most of them live underwater to hide from the sunlight and humans. I considered summoning them aboveground to introduce you to them, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you.”

The thought of those large vishaps dwelling beneath the ground was somewhat disconcerting, but thrilling at the same time. Erinnyes was supposed to have a complicated network of underground caverns. You supposed they lived there.

Another thought occurred to you just then. “You can speak their language,” you turned to him. “Are you related to them in some way? Like…their overseer or something?”

“Overseer…? Interesting choice of words,” Neuvillette stroked his chin, thinking your question over. “I would not call myself that, but I do watch over them, and they depend on me.”

“I see,” you said. It didn’t escape your notice that he didn’t answer your question about whether or not he was related to them. You stared at his slitted eyes again. They did resemble vishaps’ eyes quite a lot. Could Neuvillette turn into a vishap? You couldn’t quite imagine it. If he could transform into something, you’d imagine that it would be something more majestic and graceful, like…

Neuvillette cleared his throat. That was when you realized that you had been staring into his eyes for far too long. Hastily, you looked away, your gaze landing on the sparkling water.

“I…I didn’t know that the Chief Justice’s duties also extend to looking after the wild creatures of the land,” you said. You hoped that you didn’t sound too flustered. “I don’t know how you manage it.”

“Well, those wild creatures, as you called them, are also citizens of Fontaine, so they are under my purview in that sense. And also, the role of Chief Justice isn’t the only role I play.”

You didn’t quite understand what he was talking about, and he didn’t seem to have any intention of elaborating. For a while, the two of you watched the neighboring shoreline move past you.

Eventually, the back of the Opera Epiclese came into view. And in the distance, the Court of Fontaine loomed over the waters. Looking at it from here, you once again appreciated just how big it was. When you first moved there, it had taken you weeks to find your way around without getting lost.

“What a great view of the city,” you said. “I’d love to take some pictures of it.”

“Why don’t you, then?”

“I’m afraid I’ll run out of film since I took so many pictures back at Erinnyes, so I want to save it for Merusea Village.”

“There’s no need to worry about that. I’ve brought several rolls of film with me,” Neuvillette patted his pocket.

“Oh, really! Don’t mind if I do, then.”

You went to the cabin to get the Kamera, then proceeded to take pictures of the city from several angles. It certainly looked imposing, with its tall ramparts and the lofty Mont Esus looming in the background, but it was simply too gaudy and new-looking for your liking. You found yourself focusing on the sunken ramparts poking out from beneath the water instead. Are those from the last flood period? I wonder what used to be there…?

“You stopped taking pictures all of a sudden,” At some point, Neuvillette had come up next to you, sipping from his cup. “Is something the matter?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” you said quickly. He’s standing kind of close, isn’t he? His sleeve was brushing against yours. “I just got a little lost in my thoughts.”

“Oh? What sort of thoughts?” Neuvillette leaned in closer. Strands of his hair brushed the top of your shoulder. You could smell his cologne. It smelled good, although you couldn’t identify the scent. Maybe I should start wearing perfume…?

“Uh…I-I was thinking about architecture,” you gave a vague answer. He really was standing too close, wasn’t he? Perhaps you should move away a little after all.

It wasn’t that you were uncomfortable with being in close quarters with a man or anything. He was your husband, after all, so you should probably get used to it. It was simply that you were still coming to grips with the fact that you were on this little boat in the middle of the sea with the Chief Justice (who really did look quite resplendent. You should ask to take a picture of him. As a souvenir of this day, of course), and you couldn’t forget how different and warm and comforting it felt to be in his arms. That was all.

“You’re interested in architecture, Madame? Indeed, the Court of Fontaine is awe-inspiring when seen from the water. I’ve heard many people liken it to a fortified castle. What caught your eye?”

“Nothing in particular,” you said. “I was just thinking about how, um, modern it looks.”

“You don’t sound very impressed,” Neuvillette sounded amused.

“I wouldn’t say that…” you said, struggling to figure out how to bring this topic to an end. “I simply have different aesthetic preferences

You felt Neuvillette’s heavy, questioning gaze upon you, but didn’t turn to meet it.

The shadow of the aquabus rail passed over you, marking the halfway point of your journey.

You offered to give the Kamera to Neuvillette so he could take pictures as well, but he declined, stating that he brought it for your sake and that you should take pictures to your heart’s content.

With Elynas gradually coming closer and closer, the skies seemed to darken as well. Elynas was reputed to be dangerous, so in that sense, you supposed that it was appropriate lighting for the setting. Rain wasn’t in the weather forecast today, but as you were quickly learning, the weather worked on its own terms.

Glistening colors in the water caught your eye. A school of fish was swimming past the boat. You managed to get some good pictures. Here, the water was exceptionally clear, enough that you could see all the way to the white sandy bottom.

In between shots of brightly colored sea plants and what looked like old sunken buildings (you hoped), you looked up at the sky. The clouds were gray and heavy-looking. Would it really rain? Hopefully, you would be in Merusea Village before that happened.

“Worried about the weather?” Neuvillette asked, his eyes fixed on the sea ahead. You remembered a story that Muirne, a Melusine who worked at the Palais Mermonia, told you about Neuvillette staring out at sea and causing a crowd of people to wonder if there was something going on out there. Looking at him now, you could understand how that happened. There was a magnetic intensity in his gaze that drew you to him. You had never seen that expression for yourself, though. Perhaps it was reserved for the sea.

There were many things you didn’t know about him, even though you lived with him for months now. The thought gave you a strange restlessness.

“A little bit. Do you think it will clear up?” Neuvillette always seemed to be more intuned with the weather than regular people.

“Hmm…” Neuvillette closed his eyes for a moment. “Perhaps, or perhaps not. It remains to be seen.”

You frowned. His tone retained his usual smoothness, but there was something else in it that you couldn’t quite put your finger on. It was vaguely familiar.

“How annoying,” you remarked. “I’ve always hated it when the sky can’t make up its mind as to whether or not it will rain. It should just stay clear if it can’t decide.”

Neuvillette chuckled. You looked at him questioningly. “…My apologies,” he said. “I wasn’t making fun of you. I simply…found your response to be very much you.”

“Huh?” you tilted your head to the side.  Neuvillette was smiling, and his eyes glittered. He was in an exceedingly good mood for some reason. You didn’t grasp the reason, but as long as he was happy…

You asked to take a few pictures of him, and was somewhat surprised when he agreed easily. You were under the impression that he didn’t like being photographed, considering the scarcity of his photos in the papers and his avoidance of being in public.

“Should I pose or, ah, smile?” he asked, fiddling with his fingers. Maybe he was like you, uncomfortable with being photographed.

“No. All you have to do is to stand and look as you usually do,” you said, even as you find yourself curious about what sorts of poses Neuvillette would make. “Just stand against the railing and look out at sea. That would be perfect.”

As you aimed the lens at Neuvillette and looked at him through the viewfinder, it struck you then that from an outsider’s point of view, you looked like a real couple, on a real date.

Embarrassingly, the thought made your heart flutter.

The boys back in your hometown had never interested you (not that your mother would have approved of you getting with anyone who wasn’t wealthy), and the less said about your experiences after debuting, the better.

So, this was truly your first, real, actual date.

Except it wasn’t, really. It was a sham, all for show. It was like a play, almost, performed for an invisible audience. A farce for no one except the two of you (and the Hydro Archon).

But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re happy right now, a voice whispered in your mind. How long had it been since your heart felt so light?

You weren’t sure if that made you more pathetic or not.

You took a deep breath, clearing your mind of these errant thoughts, and concentrated on taking pictures of Neuvillette. He really is very photogenic, you thought. Though he does a look a bit stiff. You put on what you thought was an encouraging smile to help him relax, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Whoops?

After you were done, Neuvillette said, “I do hope the pictures will turn out well.”

“I’m sure they will,” you said, putting the Kamera back down and flopping back down onto the bench. “There is no finer pairing than a handsome man and beautiful scenery.”

Neuvillette made a choked noise. He blinked rapidly and shook his head, like he couldn’t believe what he just heard. “Pardon me?”

“‘There’s no finer pairing than a handsome man and beautiful scenery’?” you repeated your words, confused. Neuvillette still looked a bit stunned. You began to wonder if you had said something wrong. You meant it as an innocuous comment, but it could be taken the wrong way in the context of your relationship. Perhaps Neuvillette thought you meant something more by it. You should rectify things before a misunderstanding occurred.

Just as you opened your mouth to speak, Neuvillette beat you to the punch.

“You…consider me handsome?”

Now it was your turn to stare at him. “Of course I do?”

“I-I see,” Neuvillette said in a low voice. He seemed awfully caught off guard by your words. That was strange. Surely he was used to receiving compliments on his looks? The papers always made sure to describe his looks in loving detail whenever he made a rare public appearance, and it was well known that he had a legion of fangirls, some of whom had even been sent to the Fortress of Meropide for their extreme behavior.

“I mean, I consider you handsome in the same way that most Fontainians do. I don’t mean anything untoward, sir. Did you find what I said offensive?”

“No,” Neuvillette said, then cleared his throat. He was looking at anywhere but you. You could have sworn that the tips of his ears turned red. He almost seemed embarrassed. “No, I was simply…simply surprised, that’s all.”

“Surprised? Why?”

“Because you…ah, never acted in a way that suggested that you did…” Neuvillette struggled to find the words to finish his sentence. Poor man, you were embarrassing him to death. “Admire my looks, so I assumed that you…did not think of me in that way.”

You stared at him with your mouth agape, only to hastily close your mouth when you saw how flustered you were making him. So Neuvillette was aware of the effect that his looks had on people. “Wait, what about that time when I kept staring at you? That counts, right?”

“No, it was different. It felt more as though you were trying to analyze me,” he said. He must be so used to the amorous stares of his admirers that he was able to differentiate between the different types of gazes. His brow wrinkled, as though recalling unpleasant memories. Most likely related to the more extreme side of his fans. Poor man, you thought again.

“I see,” you nodded. “I am sorry if I caused any offence by never saying anything.”

“It isn’t something I care a whit about,” Neuvillette said quickly. If you didn’t know him, you would have thought he was trying to convince himself. “I find the fixation on appearances quite baffling and needless, honestly.”

“Really?” you gave him a once-over. He wasn’t wearing his usual judge’s garb, but he was still dressed much too formally for a casual outing like this. The afternoon sun gilded the edges of his white hair, which looked soft and silky to the touch. His hair care regimen must be intensive.

“Yes, really,” he nodded. “I only put up with such standards because of the demands of my position.”

Easy for someone as stunning as him to say, you thought, but felt no bitterness. Maybe it was because he sounded truly sincere.

Perhaps it was that sincerity that spurred you on to say what you said next.

“Even so, I think there’s nothing wrong with complimenting someone on their looks, especially when they look as radiant as you,” you struggled to find the right words. You were never much of a writer. “Looking at you…reminds me of the mountains near my home. I liked seeing them every day. They never fail to take my breath away.”

A thought popped into your head. Wait, a comparison to the sea would have been more apt here. But truth be told, you didn’t have any strong connection to the sea. Mountains, on the other hand, have been the constant backdrop for your childhood, so that was why they were the first thing that popped into your mind.

Neuvillette, who had been looking at you with an unreadable expression on his face during this whole ordeal, remained as expressionless as ever. His cheek seemed to twitch a little, and his lips were pressed together tightly.

“I’m sure that you received far more flattering remarks,” you said, looking at your feet. You felt your cheeks beginning to burn. “But I do mean what I said.”

A nearby seabird’s cry made you turn. Elynas was right before your eyes. Just a little stretch of water between the boat and the island.

You heard a rustle of clothing near you. Neuvillette had taken his cup out again and was sipping from it. He seemed to gripping the stem rather tightly, though it was hard to tell because of his gloves. When he noticed your gaze, he lowered his cup.

He then took your hand in his and raised it to his mouth. Before your astonished eyes, he pressed lips against the back of your hand. The kiss was feather-light; you barely felt it.

“Perhaps I have received more eloquent compliments,” he said, his voice low. Lower than you had ever heard it. “But for some inexplicable reason, I cannot seem to recall them right now.”

There wasn’t a cloud in sight in the skies above your head.

[secretkittywolf]

Zexal shipping Incorrect Quotes

Yuma: WHAT’S YOUR TYPE Reginald: Anything, honestly, but idiots especially Yuma, desperately, as Reginald bleeds out: YOUR BLOOD TYPE! Reginald: Oh! B positive Yuma: DON'T TRY TO CHEER ME UP JUST TELL ME YOUR BLOOD TYPE!!! Reginald:

Trey half asleep: Do you think you’d actually notice if someone didn’t cast a shadow? Or if their limbs were just slightly too long? Or if they had just a little too many teeth? Like how many times have you passed Something on the street and you just didn’t notice it? Yuma, also half asleep: Stay woke monsterfuckers your love is out there!!!!! Trey: Y'know what? Not my point at all in any way whatsoever, but I’m glad I could be an inspiration

Yuma: You often use humor to deflect trauma Vector: Thank you Yuma: I didn't say that was a good thing Vector: What I'm hearing is, you think I'm funny

Reginald: I made tea Kite: I don’t want tea Reginald: I did not make tea for you. This is my tea Kite: Then why are you telling me? Reginald: It is a conversation starter Kite: That’s a lousy conversation starter Reginald: Oh, is it? We are conversing. Checkmate

Quattro: I turned out perfectly fine! Dextra: Honey, this morning you thought a ghost made your toast Quattro: I DIDN’T PUT THE BREAD IN! YOU DIDN’T PUT THE BREAD IN!!!

Astral: How do I deal with my enemies? Reginald: Kill them Astral: That's a bit extreme, I was hoping for a more passive solution Reginald: Kill them only a little?

*Yuma and Shark sitting in jail together* Reginald: So who should we call? Yuma: I’d call Kite, but I feel safer in jail

Yuma: Let’s watch Sharkboy and Lavagirl! Reginald: Okay Yuma: And make out during the scary parts Reginald: Th- Reginald: The scary parts? Reginald: Of Sharkboy and Lavagirl?

Vector: Welcome, fellow idiots Yuma: Hello, Ray! Vector: No, no, not you, you're not an idiot Yuma: You underestimate me

Reginald: I'm 10 times funnier and sexier than you Kite: 10 times 0 is still 0 though Reginald: Jokes on you, I can't do math

Dextra: I actually have a black belt Quattro: In what, karate? Dextra: No, from Gucci *shows off belt*

Reginald, pointing: May I sit there? Astral: That's my lap Reginald: That doesn't answer my question, Astral

Vector: Okay. I get it. You've had a really hard time lately, you're stressed out, seven people died- Yuma: Twelve people! Vector: Not the point. Look, they're dead now and really whose fault is that? Yuma: Yours! Vector: That's right: no one's

Yuma: So that’s my plan Trey: Are you alright with constructive criticism? I don’t want to sound mean Yuma: No, go ahead, I want to hear it Trey: It fucking sucks Yuma: That’s not constructive criticism