#so I guess I wouldn’t have gotten that interested in translating

[romijuli]

Honestly the funniest thing getting into a3 has done for me is that now I know way more than i ever expected to learn about translation, both amateur and profession, and it’s fucking FASCINATING. I wonder if I might’ve considered doing it as a career if I’d looked into it when I was younger…

[justagalwhowrites]

TikTok Trend

Beautiful decides to take part in a TikTok Trend with Joel. A New in Town drabble.

^We're borrowing Mr. Ben for a late-40s Joel, OK? I desperately need more gifs of Pedro's Joel from that era, I'm too reliant on other characters and actual Pedro gifs for these fics GIVE ME SOMETHING PLEASE

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female Reader from New in Town

Warnings: Not much! Age gap but not the focus of the fic (reader is 36, Joel is 48). No use of Y/N. Minors DNI 18+ only.

Length: 1.4k

A/N: I got stuck thinking earlier how Joel would react to the "call your boyfriend your husband" trend and this is how I think it'd go. This is set about 3 months before the last chapter of New in Town. This can be read as a stand alone fic with the understanding that reader is Sarah's best friend and Joel and Reader have an established relationship of about a year.

“So what’s this for again?” Joel asked as he sat down at the picnic table in the park. 

“It’s a TikTok challenge,” you said, settling in beside him. Joel opened the paper bag the two of you had just gotten from a food truck and started taking out the tacos, putting some in front of you and him. 

“Right,” he said. “And… I’m sorry, baby, but what’s the point?” 

You laughed as you set your phone against your water bottle so it was propped up and ready to film. 

“There isn’t really one, I guess,” you said. “It’s just a fun little video you make and then share. Those interns I have until May are all about it, they were showing me some of theirs the other day. Figure if I work in marketing, I gotta keep up with the trends!” 

Joel smiled a little. 

“So this is the kind of shit Sarah does, huh?” 

“Yeah, she does,” you laughed again. “Her and the interns made one for the company social page the other day, actually.” 

“Can I see?” He asked, interest suddenly piqued. 

“Sure,” you picked your phone back up and found your company’s TikTok, scrolling to the video and handing it off to Joel. 

“We work in marketing, of course we over analyze every ad we see,” Sarah said through your phone, a small smile on Joel’s face as he watched. 

It made you smile, too. One of the fun parts about being in the strange middle ground between your boyfriend’s and best friend’s ages was serving as a bit of a translator between them. Joel still didn’t quite get TikTok. Sarah didn’t understand why her dad refused to go all in on streaming and still had cable. You, at least, could see both sides. 

But this TikTok effort had nothing to do with Sarah. You did try to keep up with the trends on social media to better craft campaigns and content - capitalizing on trends meant that you had to move quick and you couldn’t afford to be out of touch - but your personal TikTok account was mostly empty. It was pretty private, anyway, shared with only a few close friends like Sarah and Maria. All it had were a few reposts of things you liked, some montages of video snippets from you and Joel’s first vacation together, that sort of thing. 

“You should do some of the trends!” Jason, one of your interns, said earlier that day. 

“Just being in the loop on trends is plenty for me,” you waved him off but smiled. “I don’t need to participate.” 

“But it’s fun!” Kenzie, your other intern said. “They’re not all dances and stuff, you know…” 

“I know,” you said. “But it’s just not what I want to spend a lot of time doing is all.” 

“Some don’t take much time,” she said, opening her phone and scrolling for a second. “Here, this one’s easy. You said you have a boyfriend, right?” 

“I do…” 

“Cool,” she said. “So all you do is record yourself making a video where you call your boyfriend your husband, just to see how he reacts. No crazy edits or anything, it’s super easy.” 

You caved after some light convincing and came up with a plan to get Joel in front of the camera. You told him it was a spicy food challenge, just to see which of you handled the heat better and, while you knew he wouldn’t really get the point, you knew he’d be supportive. He always was. 

But there was something about this trend in particular that made you a little nervous. It’s not like the two of you hadn’t discussed marriage. You’d been together a year now, you’d just moved into his house. It had definitely come up. But it had come up in the way that far off things do, something that might happen some day if things fell into place in just the right way. You didn’t want to push it, didn’t want him to feel rushed or obligated, especially since you’d only been cohabitating about a month. Bringing up marriage - even like this - made you nervous. 

“OK I think I get it,” Joel handed you your phone back after watching Sarah’s video twice. “But we’re not doin’ that same thing, right?” 

“Nope,” you said. “We’re going to see who handles the spice better.” 

“Think we both know which one of us is gonna win that one, Beautiful,” he teased, nuzzling his nose against your temple before kissing your cheek. “Us southern men are made of sterner stuff…” 

“Yeah yeah,” you rolled your eyes but smiled, leaning close to him. “We’ll just see about that.” 

You set your phone up to record again, propping it against your water bottle. 

“Here, you gotta get in close because the TikTok format is vertical,” you said and Joel adjusted so you were half beside and half in front of him, his arm going around your waist, hand finding your hip, thumb slipping up below your shirt to find your bare flesh above the band of your pants and brushing you slowly, sensually there. You gave him a look. 

“What?” He asked, brows raised, smile barely contained. 

“Don’t act all innocent,” you shook your head. “You know exactly what you’re doing…” 

“C’mon,” he said. “Let’s make your little TikTik video…” 

“TikTok,” you rolled your eyes but adjusted yourself, your heart pounding. 

“Whatever the kids are using now,” he said. “Because the sooner we’re done the sooner I can get you home…” 

“Alright, I’m going to record,” you cut him off. “Behave yourself!” 

“Always do, Beautiful.” 

You rolled your eyes again but took a deep breath, leaned forward and pressed record. 

“Hi everyone,” you smiled, watching the recording of you and Joel as it was made on the screen. “I’m here with my husband and we’re going to do the spicy food challenge…”

“Your what?” He cut you off and you turned so you could see him a little better. 

“What?” 

“Did…” he paused, looking at you like he wasn’t sure if you were losing it or he was. You weren’t sure if that was good or bad. “Did you just call me your husband?” 

“Yeah,” you shrugged, turning back to the camera. “Anyway, my husband and I both really love spicy food and…” 

You didn’t get a chance to finish your sentence. Joel grabbed your chin almost roughly, pulling you around to face him and all but crushed his lips against yours, clutching you close, kissing you deep and hard, like he couldn’t get enough of you. When he finally let you go, you looked at him and laughed a little, watching him. 

“What was that for?” You asked. 

“You wanna call me your husband?” He asked, a serious look on his face. “Beautiful, we will go to the courthouse right this damn second, don’t tempt me…” 

“Joel, it’s 7 p.m.,” you laughed. “The courthouse is closed.” 

“Don’t care,” he said, giving you a quicker kiss this time. “C’mon, we’ll grab Sarah on the way, see if Tommy wants to meet us…” 

“That’s all it takes, hm?” You teased, heart pounding but for a good reason now. “Just me slipping up and calling you my husband and you’re ready to run down the aisle?” 

“Baby, I’ve been ready to run down the aisle for about a year,” he pressed his forehead to yours. “Just been waitin’ on you to catch up.” 

“Well,” you kissed him softly. “I’m more than caught up. But think I’m still gonna make you ask.” 

“Good luck stopping me,” he said, kissing you again, longer this time, needier, until you pulled away with a groan. “Forget this food challenge, I gotta get you home and devour you. Let’s go, wife.” 

You laughed and stopped the recording on your phone, saving the video to drafts as Joel gathered up the food. You made the mental note to edit out that last part before posting, no need for the interns or Sarah to know quite that much about your sex life. 

“Sorry for ruining your little video,” he said as you started back toward the car. “We can try again later, promise to actually behave myself then…” 

“That’s alright,” you smiled, lacing your fingers with his. “I already got everything I need.”

[crestfallercanyon]

20 Questions for Fic Writers! Thank you so much for the tag, @incorrectcoldflashblog !! I'm excited to jump in (and have definitely answered too long windedly, haha, whoops)

How many works do you have on AO3? sixty-six!

What’s your total A03 word count? I was going to guess like over 100,000, which I guess I was technically correct because it’s 717,161!

What fandoms do you write for? A bunch! On this profile I’ve written for The Flash/Legends of Tomorrow, The Maze Runner, Bandersnatch (Black Mirror), Teen Wolf, Inception, and recently have gotten very into Shameless!

What are your top five fics by kudos? All coldflash (pretty sure it’s the most active fandom I’ve ever written for at a more active time, so, makes sense): a) Lullabies for Little Criminals (719 kudos) b) distract me from my last disaster (600) c) Something Out of Nothing (557) d) getting back to fine (512) e) Didn’t Change a Thing (424)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I try to, and for the longest time I kept up with it. Then I got overwhelmed with a bunch of stuff around late 2021 and into 2022 and stopped. Now i’ve started again, but there’s still a huge backlog that I haven’t gotten to. Please know that I appreciate you if you’ve commented!

What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I’ve written so many angsty fics, I don’t think I could name a single one, so here are my major fandoms (5+ fics) breakdown: a) This Time of Doubt (The Flash, coldflash) Len knows there’s something wrong with this timeline, and if he has to go through Barry to prove it, he will. (TW: Implied/Referenced Character Death) b) Red Lights, They Blink Your Name (The Maze Runner, minally) Gally’s going to follow that signal, even if it leads him into the dark. c) it’d be better if you flayed me alive (Shameless (US), gallavich) Mickey can't believe he agreed to let Ian shave his face before his fuckin' court hearing.

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? a) Conflicts of Interest (The Maze Runner, thomally) My maze runner criminal law lawyers slow burn au. b) What’s Mine is Yours (The Flash, coldflash) Barry and Len move in together. c) Nocturne, Murmures Milkovich Turns out, Ian still has things to learn about his husband.

Do you get hate on your fic? Only once, and I actually deleted that fic in its entirety. It was the first longfic coldflash I ever posted, and it rattled me pretty good. It was quite nasty. Since then, never again! (and I wouldn’t delete it this time around, I don’t think, but it was a multi chap and I was so stunned by the comment I just never wanted to continue writing it, so).

Do you write smut? I have tried, but I'm not the most confident in it. I’ve got Scheherazade in coldflash fandom, and then two thomally fics: Corpus Delecti (which is a fic you won’t see unless you’re logged in) and then he goes down easy for me.

Do you write crossovers? I do not.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Not to my knowledge.

Have you ever co-written a fic? Not yet!

What‘s your all-time favourite ship? I genuinely don’t know how to answer this question. I don’t really have one. To be perfectly honest, if someone writes it in a way that’s compelling, I’ll probably enjoy it.

What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Probably Stranger Than Your Sympathy. I’m sorry, I want to, but there’s just some foundational things that I would change (mainly Newt’s characterization, I actually prefer how I characterize him now)

What’s your writing strengths? I like to think I'm good with characterization and like... individual internal narration. The whole reason I write fanfiction is because I love exploring characters' heads and their dynamics and their world (or how they interact with aus). So, I like to think that what I write is true to character and makes impactful scenes.

What’s your writing weaknesses? I get easily inspired, so I have left some fics behind (I am so sorry Aphelion and Shiva, I will come back for youuuuu); and then I have worked hard on it, but I occasionally get very long winded and have a hard time killing darlings for the sake of pacing.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? I’d love to be able to write in multiple languages, but I’m only fluent in English. At most, I could maybe write in Spanish, but I still would be worried about it being accurate.

First fandom you wrote for? Um, before I really knew what fandom was or anything like that, I wrote Naruto fanfic The first fandom I wrote for knowingly and participated in was Fire Emblem Three Houses.

Favourite fic you’ve ever written? Ufda, this is such a hard question. I’m again going to break it down into fandoms — a) Something Out of Nothing (The Flash, coldflash) b) Thou Shalt Not (The Maze Runner, thomally)(tbh this one changes all the time, ask me tomorrow it will probably be something different). c) I think it is all these things I have left to say to you Now it's my turn to tag! I'm very excited to do so, so here we go (and of course, no pressure!)! @blue-summers , @its-tea-time-darling , @itsthemxze , @sampharos , @callivich , @michellemisfit , @pathsofoak , @mmmichyyy , @go-catch-a-chickn , @sophiainspace , @sproutwings , @iasconsumesmedia

ALSO if anyone else would like to do this, go ahead!

[winterpinetrees]

Today on tumblr, winterpinetrees attempts to juggle four characters in a conversation. (the gap years part 3)

June 10th 2019

San Francisco 

Clay knows proper gun safety. He knows how to safely navigate a lot of things. He’s pointed the barrel of his sleek science fiction rifle at the ground and his finger is off the trigger. He is the reason why Sierra didn’t get caught stealing batteries from one of her father’s R&D labs and why Brian didn’t get mauled by a bear back in Sophomore year. He has a first-aid kit and a satellite phone and has spent the last four years getting ready to run. So no, Clay isn’t particularly distressed that he probably just killed a man. 

“Did we just kill that guy!” Sierra yells. They did. The armor on the soldier’s back crumpled like it was hit by a cannonball. Well, Brian and Clay did. He didn’t do much. 

Brian crouches down and rolls the soldier over. There’s a fresh cut on his chest that’s staining his shirt red with a worrying amount of blood. “I-I think he’s dead.”

Sierra ignores him and wheels around at their acquaintance. “You’re an elf, aren’t you?” 

Not-Martin leans against his quarterstaff. He has long ears and glowing eyes, but he doesn’t seem majestic or otherworldly. Clay noticed how confident he was back at the cafe, but that can just be a symptom of growing up rich. Maybe it’s just that the boy is wearing tan cargo pants and a sweatshirt with the sleeves cut off that’s getting in the way of any awe.  “Yes, we call ourselves elves. Well, that’s the current English translation.” 

Brian looks up at Sierra “How the hell do you know anything about this.”

“Not important right now! Ten years ago, a top-secret laboratory in the Nevada desert was destroyed by a whole crew of glowing people wearing armor like that. The one in charge glowed green and kept teleporting or whatever the hell you were doing! I want to know what you are doing here, who just tried to kill us, and why we thought we knew you.”

Clay sits by the head of the soldier. He finds a few latches and manages to pull off their helmet. The face underneath looks male and about forty, with dark skin and features that Clay can’t easily categorize. He isn’t prepared for its empty, half-open eyes. He tries to keep his voice steady. “Sierra, don’t threaten him.” 

The elf smiles, but it’s too wide and a bit strained. “It’s alright. My name is Prince Marin Sondaica. The leader of the attack in the desert was my mother, although, according to those soldiers, she’s been murdered.” His ears twitch downward. Oh yeah. He’s definitely not okay. “You thought that you knew me because I knew you’d never speak with a random stranger. I’d been watching you three for a while. I thought you were interesting.”

Immediate outrage.  

Clay recovers first. He’s going to ignore the stalking for a minute and take this one step at a time. “You didn’t answer the question about the soldiers. What did they say to you?”

Marin hesitates a bit. Lying or just emotional? “They told me that there had been a coup. My parents were dead, and he was going to kill me as well. Elves don’t kill eachother while invisible. It’s not respectful”. He pauses. “If they’ve gotten bold enough to attack in public, then things are happening more quickly than we expected.”

Sierra puts her head in her hands. “You are so bad at giving exposition. What is happening quickly?” 

Marin walks over to the side of the body. He retrieves his strange tardis bag and stares down at the soldier's face. “Global conquest is happening quickly. My family didn’t want to take over your world, but I guess the people got tired of waiting. The elven world… it is like Romeo and Juliet, except the two familes are far more powerful. I am a Sondaica, they work for the Mercuralis. The coup replaced my mother with a leader that would make war. You probably have a year or two before anything changes, but not much more.” 

Clay honestly thinks that wouldn’t be so bad. “And how do we play into this?”

“You were never supposed to. I thought you three were interesting and I wanted to meet you. But then we were ambushed. That soldier was a nobleman. They’re not going to forget about this”. The elf looks down at Clay. “I’m sorry. I thought they would let you go when you ran. Now it’s too late”. 

“So what, we’re just supposed to let you walk away and accept that we’re dead?” Brian asks. His face is red with anger, which is good, because it means that he hasn’t lost too much blood. “We’re geniuses and crazy rich. We’re going on this road trip already, why can’t you come with us? We’ll have a better chance of survival together, and you’re a prince! If your house-“

“Genus”

“If your genus controls half the world, then you’ve got to have allies. Coups are always complicated. If there’s half a chance that you can get your throne back and stop the Mercuralis from taking over the world, we have to try!” He rises up to his full height, which is a good half a foot taller than Marin. 

“Wait, Brian, are you seriously saying that we go off on a quest to save the world?” He’s smiling a bit.

“I’d rather die fighting. At least like this we have a chance.” 

Clay sits back on his heels. This was all typical Brian behavior, really. “We graduated high school last week. We have a fancy car and a lot of money, but that isn’t enough to overthrow a government. This isn’t Star Wars. Four people and a vehicle can’t defeat an entire empire”.

The elf stared down at him, but now it felt metaphorical instead of just physical. “You killed a nobleman, Clay Shepard. They are not going to forgive you.” 

“I killed a nobleman in self-defense after being brainwashed by a renegade prince into traveling with him. We can walk away from this if we want to, and I’m not going to risk my life for you if you keep being this vague.” He glared at Marin. “How can I know that you aren’t using your magic on me right now?”

Marin shrugs off his question. “Mind control doesn’t last. You’d just hate me later. The truth is, I don’t want to die. You three are uniquely capable of keeping me alive, but only if you do it of your own free will”.

Clay isn’t going to die for a maybe-elf that he knows next to nothing about, but he does need his friends. He knows that Brian wis a golden retriever of a man who already bonded with their new friend. He knows that Sierra would never pass up a chance to see real magic, and that the entire idea for a road trip began with her. Either he helped his friends and they all died together, or he went home alone. Or he went back home and hoped that powerful people would ignore him. 

“Fine. I’m in. Are we still going to Redwoods?”

..........

next time, Ishtar, Ryn, and their council discuss some problems.

@caliburn-the-sword @lokiwaffles hi! You rock and I think about you a lot! Thanks for stopping by.

[twilightmalachite]

PORTRAIT - Ah, still delay—thou art so ■■■ 8

Author: Akira

Characters: Akiomi

Translator: Mika Enstars

"(So I understand why, but… I didn’t expect that I'd be rejected so harshly.)"

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Season: Winter

Location: Downtown

Night of that day…

Akiomi: (Haaahhh…)

(I saw it coming, but we got in a lot of trouble.)

(I’ve always been a good honor student with a relatively good reputation among adults. But ever since getting involved with these kids, so much has been ruined.)

(But all Sena-kun wants is to be with Yuuki-kun, more or less.)

(I tried to accommodate Sena-kun out as much as I could because I felt for him, or rather, I wouldn’t know what he’d do if I said no.)

(So I came here to negotiate—If I could play a supporting or minor role or anything in the Klein Faust movie that Yuuki-kun is starring in.)

(If we starred in the same movie, then I’d have more opportunities to be around him. And then, I could let Sena-kun accompany me.)

(I could make an excuse, like that I’m letting him tour with me so he’d get to know what I’m doing, or that he’s sort of a servant of sorts to me…)

(Ideally, I’d like to have Sena-kun star in the movie alongside me, but it doesn’t seem likely… It doesn’t look like there’s any roles left for child actors in the movie.)

(However, Yuuki-kun and I’s agencies are rivals…)

(I got accused by our president, saying it was an act of self-interest.)

(I am one of the top earners of our agency, after all.)

(He must’ve been wondering why I’d take on extra work when there are so many other jobs that could benefit the agency.)

(So when the president confronted me, I ended up saying something among the lines of “I want to expand my artistic style, and become an idol in the future”.)

(That terribly disappointed the president. We’re a modeling agency, if I became an idol it would be double crossing the agency—)

(It’s kinda as if your son and heir who you carefully raised to succeed the family business suddenly eloped one day, I guess.)

(So I understand why, but… I didn’t expect that I'd be rejected so harshly.)

(So, I’m in a bit of a shock from that…)

(It said it on the spur of the moment, but it's true—I really do want to expand my artistic style, and become an idol.)

(I’ve gotten where I am today by being a good model that can be used conveniently, desperately doing the jobs I needed to do.)

(But, as the years pass by, the number of jobs I’m getting are slowing down.)

(I’m thoroughly fed up with it… Newer generations, like Yuuki-kun and the others, come in one after another and take on the tasks that used to be my responsibility.)

(I’m losing my place, and fast. I can’t keep modeling forever.)

(I’m at the point in my life where I need to think about my future. I’m figuring out all sorts of possible plans for my future…)

(And one of those plans was to become an idol.)

(To become loved and sought out by everyone—Like that Sagami Jin.)

Akiomi: (I want to be sought out by and loved by even more people.)

(That’s why I became a model. I love myself, and I want everyone else to love myself as much as I do.)

(But to achieve that, I have to rely on my appearance, something that’s constantly deteriorating and becoming more dull—I can’t keep working as a model.)

(That’s what I think, but I can’t get the adults to understand…)

(It’s just a child’s nonsense to them after all, the vague sense of anxiety that comes with adolescence. They’ll just laugh it off.)

(But we, in our own ways, have serious worries, too.)

(……)

[ ☆ ]

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[happilydistinguishedbanana]

Fallen Pt. 2: Introductions

Authors note: I’m trying to get this story moving, and I promise that the reader will be able to chat with other characters normally!! But I’m thinking the longer she’s there, the more she’ll begin to under. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!! I still also need to decide who is going to be the love interest!! I might put up a poll for you guys to decide.

Warnings: Mentions of nausea

Summary: Every bit of me is scared being in a strange place that I used to love watching behind a screen, but a little part of me is hopeful. Hopeful that I’ll be assigned to the Bad Batch.

Word count: 2239

Relationship: Undecided Batcher(s) x Female Reader

For the next week I was watched. Of course, I never actually caught anyone watching me, but it was that strange, tickling feeling at the back of my neck that let me know someone’s eyes were on me. Sleep didn’t come easily.

My mind was constantly thinking about Corey. I had gotten on her a lot for not having many friends, or at least any good ones. But she was the only friend I had at the college. We met freshman year and we’ve been stuck at the hip since. I started to wonder if she had gotten home safely that night and headed over to my dorm. And even though none of this was my fault, I still felt terrible that I couldn’t have met her halfway.

I had a lot to lose in this situation. I had a family back home, a life, a college education that was almost complete. I met a boy in class, a very sweet boy. We would study together and get coffee or lunch just outside the college campus. He answered my calls instead of ignoring them. He took me out for dates and then walked me back to my dorm to make sure I was safe. He had kissed me just days before I fell into this alternate universe. He kissed me, and I never got the chance to kiss him back.

It was things like this that kept me locked up in my pompous room with its pompous decor and pompous view. It was sickly to be in there, but maybe I wanted to feel sick. At some point, I started to think that karma is real and that stealing that box of cigarettes when I was fourteen was actually a lot worse than I thought.

Eventually I had to leave the nauseating comfort of my room. Not by choice of course. Obi Wan walked with me all the way to a landing station built for military personnel. He made me pack a bag too, so I could only assume that my stay is over.

Ships flew in and out in mesmerizing patterns that slowly started to make my head light after looking up for so long. It was loud. Engines roared and hyperdrives sputtered after the long trek to Coruscant. Obi Wan walked through the bay casually like none of the loud noises and thundering ships bothered him. I guess it wouldn’t if he’s off on missions as often as the show portrayed.

They should be here soon. His words filtered onto the datapad I still carried close to me. The port isn’t nearly large enough for a large ship filled with overtired and overworked clones. I’m assuming I was being put with an elite force, a force small in size but large in assets. But could it really be the Bad Batch?

We stood for a while in silence. It was awkward to make conversation with the language barrier. I wondered if I’ll ever get a translator, one that wasn’t a square device that I could fit in my hand.

Obi Wan perks up then, his eyes watching the mouth of the hanger eagerly. A ship flys in suddenly, with two down turned wings and a metal horn that sticks out of the top. The Marauder. The Bad Batches' Omicron-class shuttle just flew into the hangar.

The Jedi approached their ship with determination. I was starting to get the idea he was excited to get rid of me. But I stood still, partly out of shock, partly out of fear. The Bad Batch was an elite squadron of clones that had favorable mutations. They went on elite missions, tackled elite tasks, and fought a hundred droids with just the four of them. And sure, they’re probably one of my safer options, but I can’t even stand the thought of blood and gore. I bet trying to shoot someone would be even worse.

I watched them file out of the ship one by one. My hands rubbed at my eyes several times. Seeing Obi Wan and Windu was something, but this was entirely unreal. When they took off their helmets, they were a lot different looking than I expected. Maybe it's because they’re more real.

They talked for a while, just them and Obi Wan. There was this weird aura of respect between them. Wrecker was laughing, Tech put away his datapad, Hunter was Hunter, and even Crosshair seemed to be in a good mood. It was refreshing to see. But it also hurts to know what happens to them.

I didn’t realize I was smiling until Obi Wan gestured in my direction, alerting the men of my presence. My lips dropped, and suddenly I felt that same vulnerability I felt wearing that hospital gown.

I met them halfway but said nothing. It was one thing talking to one person at a time, it's a completely different thing to talk to four.

These are the clones that you are assigned to. Obi Wan told me, looking back at the group of clones. The batch eyed us and our interaction carefully. I felt my palms start to sweat.

“I can see that.” Obi Wan watches the datapad in my hand and chuckles.

They will watch over you, but you will have to follow them on missions. It could be dangerous. The others glance at each other with a knowing tilt of their heads. Hunter chuckled and I felt a shiver crawl down my spine.

“I don’t have much of a choice.” I shrugged though I could feel my heart beating faster. “Even if I stated my opinion, I doubt it would matter.”

Obi Wan frowned and turned to the rest of the group. They talked quietly, quiet enough that the translator couldn’t pick up what they were discussing. I grinded my foot into the ground impatiently.

A weird feeling in me was telling me to look up and I did. I regretted it. Crosshair was scowling at me, his gaze penetrating right through me. He was one of my favorites in the show, well, they’re all my favorite, so it was a bit of a reality check that he probably wouldn’t like me right off the bat. I am getting all up in his brother's business after all.

I stare at him blankly. One thing about staring contests is that you can get away with a lot of stuff. His eyes were a lovely golden brown color, his skin a lot tanner than the show portrayed, his lips quirking up slightly as if his permanent frown wasn’t all that permanent. He was beautiful, yet terrifying at the same time because behind all that beauty is a soldier, a sniper, and a killer. And if I were to give him any reason not to trust me, I don’t think he would hesitate to end me.

The datapad vibrated in my hand and I looked away. Obi Wan started to speak again. My neck warmed, not from embarrassment but from the sudden prospect of me being alone with four men. It made me nervous.

I must take my leave, it read. He waited for me to nod before giving me a quick smile and headed off. He didn’t even bother to say goodbye.

I rubbed my arms up and down. This was no good. No good at all.

Hunter started speaking to me, his voice gruff and serious. Unwavering. Of course I didn’t understand a thing until the device in my hand translated it to me. We need to head out in a few. Take your bags into the ship. Wrecker will show you around.

“All business.” I shook my head while the others looked at me curiously. “Can’t even introduce yourselves.” I mumbled quietly enough that Tech wouldn’t pick up what I was saying. Those damn goggles of his would be a problem. I was no fool to know that they translate any language that you could think of, and once again I felt like every part of me was being bled out through the words that came out of my mouth. I was exposed, and I had no power to fix it.

I hauled my bag up without the help of the largest clone of the batch. He was quite muscular, but he was still lean in some places. His scar on his face was a lot more graphic than I anticipated, and I tried my best to not regurgitate my lunch. I suddenly felt bad for being so sensitive.

The ship smelled of sweat and man, but I can’t say I’m surprised. Inside was self explanatory. Wrecker wouldn’t need to give me a tour.

I dumped my luggage into an empty corner. Wrecker was speaking rather nervously, saying more than he should, stumbling over his words. Not that I could understand any of it. It was cute that I made him fidgety. Big scary guy with a warm personality.

“Calm down.” I waved a hand in his direction. “All is well.”

He looked confused so I pulled up my datapad. He read it, widened his eyes, and then bloomed into the toothiest smile I had ever seen. I was taken aback.

He started to speak more rapidly than before, his nervousness dissipated into resolute joy. The translator could not pick up his words fast enough, each sentence a jumbled mess of what he was saying. And then suddenly I didn’t need to read the screen.

“-an’t wait for you to see us fightin’ those clankers!”

I whipped my head around, the task of unpacking my luggage long forgotten. My mouth parted and I shouted out a rude ‘stop!’

He froze and shut his mouth. The ship was silent except for the soft putt putt putt of what I think was the hyperdrive. Wrecker looked like a deer caught in the headlights, and I had no doubt I looked the same.

“What did you say?” I gaped at him. “Say it again.”

He looked at the datapad I had placed between us. He hesitantly spoke again, but it was the same, unfamiliar language that I was surrounded by. I couldn’t stop the moan of disappointment from leaving my lips.

“Dammit.” I cursed, turning back to my measly attempt at unpacking. There was hardly anything in the large duffle bag. A pair of flats and a pair of boots. A warm cloak, two pairs of pants, a pair of shorts, a few long sleeved shirts, a few short sleeves, several pairs of underwear and a white cloth to wrap my breasts because apparently bras don’t exist here unless you like the thin structure of a bralette. Oh, and a fashionably extravagant dress that I was certain would look terrible on me.

Wrecker didn’t speak any more, and I wasn’t surprised when I turned around and he wasn’t lingering behind me like he’d been doing. It was strange to be alone on the ship, but I felt a wave of relief. For the first time since I came here I felt alone. Actually alone. There were no shivers, no judgmental gazes watching me, no tenseness in my shoulders. It was a delightful feeling.

But it didn’t last for long. When you’re constantly watched all week, its not hard to tell when someone’s gaze lands on you.

“It's rude to stare.” I say. I zip up my bag and turn, expecting to see the cold sniper. But instead it's the intelligent mechanic.

Tech goes about the ship casually, as if he didn’t just get caught staring at me. He speaks a few words, and I laugh when the datapad translates his words. It would be unavoidable. We will be in close proximity with each other.

He glanced up at me, his fingers stilling over the button to the cockpit. He cocked his head like a chicken. It was cute.

“I suppose, though I’m sure I’ll have more problems with it than any of you.” I stand up from the floor and brush off my pants. His eyes watched me brilliantly.

He nodded shortly after, and I weirdly felt like I was actually having a normal conversation for once. And after my strange interaction with Wrecker, I was hoping that maybe I can get rid of my translating device all together. Eventually.

We chatted for a while until the others came back. Hunter showed me an empty closet where I could stay, and Crosshair eyed me with a look that was filled with interest. But I didn’t look too much into it. I was tired, emotionally drained, and felt the burning feeling of anxiety in my chest. It didn’t help when the batch took off, my feet tripping over themselves, landing me square into the wall. My face heated when I heard the crude snipers chuckle.

And then there was silence. I peeked in the cockpit to witness the colorful array of hyperspace. It was pretty to watch, but with the nauseous feeling that dug itself in my stomach after take off, I turned away before I puked all over the back of Hunter's head.

The only thing that was on my mind was getting rest, and while I laid on my hard mattress, a blanket barely big enough to cover the entirety of my body, I thought of all the possible thrilling things that could happen on my adventures with the Bad Batch. But I also thought of all the terrifying things too.

[no-where-new-hero]

author ask game: 7, 10, and 21!

Thank you for these asks, @batrachised!!! Very thought provoking :)

7. Which part of writing do you struggle with most?

I chronically suffer from something I like to term One-Act syndrome: when I get an idea that I know has legs, I can write one act—the first act—fairly easily. Introducing characters, establishing setting, dropping in the initial conflict or the inciting incident—easy. But at the part where the second act should begin—hinging on a plot twist or a change in location or shifting the pace, basically the thing that deepens or layers on Act 1—I hit a HUGE roadblock. It happened with “A Dream of the Woodland” after the Valancy proposal scene, and it’s happening currently with “and a liar,” as I move from “enemies to lovers” to “friends to lovers” and need to find a way to make that transition. That’s why I know I need to become a better outliner, just so that the hinge/twist is smoother (I always fear my writing awkwardness will translate into story awkwardness). For that reason, I prefer writing things with unconventional structures, just to trick my brain out of holding sacred the three-act format or the ten-part story beat format.

10. Do you enjoy writing dialogue, exposition, or plot the most?

Exposition!! I love that shit!! I could literally go on for pages just narrating what’s happening in a character’s head or describing the sensory impact of a scene. I don’t think I’m very good at dialogue—beyond the hardship of just making characters’ voices distinct, I feel like a lot of my conversations come across as rather unnatural. And I’m not entirely sure what “writing plot” is except for moving from one beat to the next—but even while I’m doing that, I’m expositing a crap ton, so it kind of goes hand in hand for me.

21. What is the one fic that got away?

Oof, I’m not really sure if I have one! Potentially the LMM broody male character crossover? I’m still trying to figure out how to make that work. Part of me wants to stay more or less in a canonical timeline, meaning that Dean would be in his mid-40s when he meets the college-aged Walter and the twenty-something Bernard Redfern—but it’s obviously more interesting if they were all the same age. But I feel so sure that if I were to write this, I’d get everyone “wrong.” I wouldn’t even really know what kind of plot to frame it in. So I guess it hasn’t exactly gotten away, but it’s certainly trying to make a bolt for it.

[jmars-fanart]

2024 Exciting Update in Everything

It’s been a month! omg… When you start to be in a flow in doing everything, time flies and you wouldn’t even notice. I was like in a time machine again.

I remember it was the golden week, and when I was back to work, there were tons of task waiting to be done. And then my arm hurt and I didn’t know why. Luckily I had gotten my current work all done, so I decided to take some rest for my arm while I was to improve my productivity system and update everything for my art pages.

And it’s a month that has passed. I feel better with my arm now! And with the improved system, I feel like I can start to get more things done!

I've updated my Kofi goal and revamped my commission board and page! Prices unchanged and there will be a supporter discount and discount offer for Pokémon SV characters requests this summer! No new types added yet, but I’m exploring chibi style, sketch collage, and character design—

Especially character design, it’s the comms type I’ve always wanted to do! Just like concept designs I did for my original characters! I think I will open this type someday after I've posted and shared some art of my original characters! Stay tuned if you like my style for the concept designs or are interested in this comms type! I’ll make a pinned blog about my comms and things later!

Speaking of OCs, I’m planning more original content on my art pages, sharing what I’ve drawn for them and making new pieces about them. I’ve been talking about it but now I feel it’s time. Really excited and can’t wait for you to meet them! I didn’t really draw them all so this will go with some concept design process update, it must be fun to share!

Also, I decide to open a new blog for my original work! Actually, that was what I was doing with this blog at the beginning, though it ends up becoming a fanart-focused blog now. I will make this blog remain fanart-focused, sharing mine and rebloging others', and my fanfics will also be shared here.

Then I have to mention my King Mettaton story. I haven't given it up despite translation challenges and everything. I’m starting to think maybe I should share the fic even if it’s still untranslated. The translation softwares can help readers nowadays. After all, if I don't start sharing the story, no one will ever read and know the story. I finally got over my perfectionism I guess… I’ll urge myself that translating at least one sentence a day and call it still a progress, so someday I will eventually complete the fanfic translation. I will stick with the plan that sharing the story on Tumblr. But maybe also on Ao3? I’ve heard that is the site where most people share their fanfics, perhaps I could open an account there for my KMTT story and other fanfics too.

Lastly, I’m launching my Patreon! Some supportors suggested it, and I think it’s a good timing to make another fresh start for my artist journey, after I’ve made this far. Updates on Patreon will sync with Kofi, so you can support me on your preferred platform. I'm exploring more content and offer too!

Life gets busy, but connecting with you all and sharing art bring me joy! I just can’t imagine a life without all of these, so even though I’d be busy sometimes, I will always manage to come back no matter what happened! I’ll keep up the pace and be more active on here!

Stay tuned and thank you all for your support! 💖✨ As always, I'll give a shoutout to people who have financially supported me ☕️ You have my eternal gratitude for being part of my journey!

🌻 BridgeWowDah

🌻 Shell

🌻 Quinlynn Hayner

🌻 kazzyrus

🌻 v

🌻 Sophtopus

🌻 Ko‑fi Supporter

🌻 Timothy

🌻 MagicPenguin

🌻 Michelle

🌻 Dimitri

🌻 Amber "Blackjack" B.

If any other new ideas for the plan for my pages, I will keep updating this post!

[kawff33]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

I was tagged by the lovely @cnnmonbimee <3

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

9 works!

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

183,378 words. Good lord.

3. What fandoms do you write for? 

JSHK and The Legend of Zelda. I’ve written things for other fandoms but never posted them online! I write so much more than I post.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Undertow

Each Gentle Pass of Sun

Here at the Top of the World

must be the season of the witch

Hallow Fates

5. Do you respond to comments? 

Absolutely! Sometimes it takes me a while, but I always try to respond. Comments give me so much joy and more energy to write!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? 

Honestly, I have the angstiest ending written, but not posted on AO3 yet, and I’d hate to spoil it! Save your tears!

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? 

I think the happiest ending might be Undertow, just because I took us deep into the angst/pain, so the high was that much sweeter after that.

8. Do you get hate on fics? 

I’ve gotten a couple…odd comments. I wouldn’t go so far as to say hate, which I am so thankful for, but a few people have shared some interesting opinions.

9. Do you write smut? 

Yes. And then I hardly ever post it because I’m a coward. The smut I have posted I literally never look at again because I’m so embarrassed.

10. Do you write crossovers? 

No :)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? 

No? At least I hope not!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

No, but that would be such an honor.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? 

No, but I’ve always wanted to!!! I’m moots with some incredible writers. I just send out psychic vibes and hope they receive them lmao

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? 

I have a few favorite ships (Hananene/Amanene and ZeLink are a couple of them!) and they just reorder themselves in my top 5 all the time.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? 

NO. I’ve sworn to myself that every WIP will get its ending, and I’m definitely still working on that.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Hm. I guess my greatest strength might be creating atmosphere. At least, it’s what I give a lot of thought to, and a few people have pointed it out before.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I write like there’s someone watching me from over my shoulder at all times. I feel like there’s an audience in my brain, so I end up being super critical of my own work, or hesitant to try things. It’s silly, but I’m trying to grow out of that. It’s my New Year's resolution!

Also: comma splices >:(

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? 

I don’t have the confidence for it yet!

19. First fandom you wrote for? 

JSHK, of course <3

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? 

The one that started it all: Undertow :) There's always something special about your first fic, right? It holds a special place in my heart.

Unfortunately I have no one to tag who hasn't already done this. If you see this post, take it as an open invitation (yes, I'm in inviting YOU) to do this!

[lazuli-writes]

Outtakes - 25 quotes from the Silver Quartet

summary: 25 random quotes from each member of the Silver Quartet.

genre: angst / fluff / humor

estimated word count: 1400 words

a/n: Just trying to get back into writing more. I have so much stuff for this series, but I’m struggling to refine it. Here’s a droplet fic for Slytherin’s resident four horsemen. Remember folks, copying other people’s works is plagiarism and that’s illegal. Don’t be that kind of person. Anyways, hope you all enjoy it :)

©little-lazuli. Do not copy, repost, or translate without permission

Tracey

“Areyougoinhtoeatthat?”

“It must be the galleons talking.”

“We’re like a failed Monty Python.”

“If having half the prat-blood you have makes me less than, than I’ll happily be less than.”

“So the beast wouldn’t attack any of us, right… just asking.”

“You filthy barbarian, fish and chips are a DELICACY! What are you, AMERICAN?!”

“What would your mum do if we were to break the uncooked pasta noodles?”

“Fun fact: I don’t care.”

“There’s enough oil in Snape’s hair to satisfy the needs of English fish frying for at least a decade.”

“I’m a witch, not a prophet.”

“I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furio- not a single one of you know which film I’m quoting right now.”

“Banoffee pie was a gift from the heavens.”

“Oh please, by the time we reach your age Professor, I’m sure at least one of us will have made a name for ourselves other than being stuck in a castle teaching delinquents the refined arts of magical cooking.”

“Run Theo! Run” *cue the laughter as she watches Theo run from being disciplined by Bartholomew Greengrass.

“I want the skeletons. Oh and the jewelry please!!”

“It’s almost as if I don’t care.”

“Daph, you’re forgetting the fact that Ron and Theo share the same braincell… Wait… I forgot you don’t know what a brain cell is.”

“Mutually assured destruction. Truce?”

“What crawled up her butt and died?”

“Oui oui” “Tracey I am Italian, NOT FRENCH!” “Yeah yeah whatever.”

“That’s a lot of deathies. They would probably need multiple Potters going separate ways to possibly make an escape.”

“Ron you’d be Ginger Spice, Daphne you’d be Posh Spice, Theo is Baby Spice and of course I’d be Scary Spice-“ “why can’t I be sporty spicy” “because you can’t even say their name correctly Theo.”

“Do you think you’ll find something as perfect as they did?”

“Over the hills and a long way off…”

“Theo… I’ll be with you soon…”

Daphne

“So the first place you choose to hide is in a room with dead bodies?”

“She looks like the love child of a troll and a fairy.”

“Stupid mirror.”

“Ronald, why is our potion pink?”

“Father is gonna kill you two for going into the chamber you know…”

“You. Ate. My. Cauldron. Cakes.”

“You tell Ron anything and I WILL tell Tracey how you find her lips very interesting lately.”

“For a dirty stray, he does kind of look like Falkor.”

“You won’t look like that when you get old, right Ron?”

“So blue is out of the question. I guess the typical silver would look nice.”

“Do you think he found u-AHHHHHHH!”

“All I know is that I lay claim to any and all dresses, cloaks, shawls and the likes. Any clothes in this room is MINE.”

“A quintaped has five limbs.”

“Harpy, veela, vulture… same thing.”

“He’s more of a man than you will ever be.”

“It was Theo and Ron’s idea.”

“He had the breath of a damn merling!”

“You gave my parents the greatest gift they could have ever gotten in that moment… hope that their daughters… their family will survive this war. You gave them hope.”

“Not even death can dispute my love for you, Ronald Bilius Weasley. I would be blessed to be able to call you my love, my partner, my friend and my husband for eternity. By these vows… I declare, I do.”

“I think insanity is a social construct. We may think he’s unhinged beyond compare… but he’s definitely the hero in her world.”

“I killed a child Ron! How can you still look me in the eye and say you love me! HOW?”

“I’ve never killed a mutt before.”

“He asked to take my name. He felt that he had no right to give a name he was deemed unworthy of.”

“It is hard to play a game when you don’t know the rules.”

“Say hello to mother and father for me sis. I’m gonna miss you… so much.”

Theodore

“Why do you look like that?”

“Sectersuper?” “Sectum—sempra” “shut up Weasley.”

“Auntie!! Daphne and Tracey are breaking the pasta noodles!”

“You have troll breath.”

“You didn’t have to do that. You’re not bad Weasley. Not bad at all.”

“I would have called him a filthy spawn of inbreeding but then… that would have also… applied… to-“ “SHUT UP THEO!” “What, it’s the truth Daph!”

“Oh yes, because the lion is the most amazing creature in the world. *eye roll* When a lion talks and starts killing witches and wizards, talk to me then Weasel.”

“I didn’t mean for Malfoy to call you Weasel. Accident, truly it was!”

“Why are you always staring at Ron?”

“Why would he think he even had a chance with Trace?! He looks like the love child of a hag and a house elf.”

“I’m telling you my dear cousin, that Malfoy has been staring at Ronald’s bottom almost as much as he was staring at yours.”

“I’m gonna be a rich man!!” “You already are a rich man Theo.” “Then I’m gonna be an even richer man!! I call dibs on all weapons!!”

“I don’t know why!! I was too busy saving your sister to think ‘oh how much money is this worth’.”

“It’s not my fault you failed to save mother.”

“God save the witches and wizards.”

“I’m not staring at Tracey you imbecile!”

“You cannot be both annoying and lacking magical prowess. Please pick one failure to endure.”

“If you must know, banoffee pie is actually scrumptious. If you are going to advertise your lack of taste, please do so away from my presence.”

“Why do we have to go back to Ron’s old bat of an aunt? She’s so mean.”

“If you wanna be my friend… you gotta get with my… other friends.” “Horrible rendition sporty spicy.” “Shut up Ron!!”

“I wanna live in a small cottage when I choose to settle down. I want a place surrounded and engulfed by all of my favorite plants.”

“Still got troll breath I see.”

“I wish I could see what is it you see every time you look at me Trace.”

“I love her. So damn much.”

“DON’T YOU TOUCH HER!!!”

Ronald

“Do you have an eye problem?”

“Theo has a bag of bezoars for a brain.”

“Daphne will kill us if she knows what we’re doing and Tracey will laugh at us if we get hurt. I already know.”

“Stupid mirror.”

“You hear that Tracey, us peasants mustn’t talk anymore.”

“Do you think Snape has a pet under that robe? He always smells.”

“Potter, Granger and Longbottom seem to have this obsession with all things ‘not their business’ that it’s actually quite funny at times.”

“Me and you remember Valentine’s Day very differently.”

“Bill and Charlie ran away the first chance they got. Percy has a superiority complex, Fred is sadistic. George just thinks Fred’s farts smell amazing, and Ginny has this weird habit of hero worshipping people who aren’t heroes.”

“Theo… could you think of anything else other than… her.” “Shove off and stay out of my head Ron.”

“Bloody bint… that thing is worse than Snape…” “Ron that was a quintaped.” “An ugly one at that!”

“Some of my family has this… belief that I’ve been ingenuous about my character. When really, they just don’t seem to understand me all that much.”

“I.. don’t know… I can’t find the words to tell you how I’m feeling Daph.”

“Muggles do have the big boom booms. What are they called again? Nookies?” “Nukes Ron.” “Oh.”

“How do you think she’ll kill us for leaving? Do you think she’ll really castrate me?”

“You want to… marry me? Why?”

“Auntie, if you turn me away now, I’m literally gonna slap you with my hand.” *proceeds to wave his amputated arm, much to the silent horror of Muriel Prewett*

“There will never be a second in this lifetime or the next, that I will ever stop loving you Daphne. You bless me with the honor of being able to call you mine and I yours. By these vows I declare, I do.”

“Still sour about the Manor Lady Lestrange? If it’s any consolation, your husband’s wand works wonderfully.”

“I mean I could… but why would I want to do that Daph?”

“All I ever wanted was to be a real Weasley, dad. And I fucked that up the moment that hat screamed Slytherin.”

“And now we are both here. Rotting in Azkaban. Yet only one of us has any chance of leaving.”

“You what?” “I gave birth Ron.” “. . .You were pregnant?”

“This is your grandma and grandpa. That’s your aunties Tracey and Tori, and your funny uncle Theo.”

“Daphne did you hear!! Albus is a Slytherin HAHAHAHAHAH I can’t wait to shove that in Ginny and Harry’s face.”

[ayliamc]

Italia

Day 2 - Lemon Frenzy 🍋

Steps walked: 23,862

Flights climbed: 7

Vehicles ridden: 1

Points of interest visited: 1

Lemons spotted: all of them.

Drugs are great. We took some to sleep and it enabled us to get thru the night and wake up comfortable in the morning, ready to face the day.

Our B&B host, Dino, chided us for not telling him ahead of time that we are both vegano, that he could have plant milks for us, and that his wife is vegan. (Of course not as strict now they have a kid because kids make everything harder, he says. “Wait til you have kids,” to which I got to reply with delight “Oh no I’m sterile.”) He was hilariously Italian as he went on and on about mozzarella, erculano, and how we’re going too fast and we go to bed too early.

We escaped long enough to trek thru Pompei to get to a cafe that allegedly had vegan-as-is croissants (unlabeled). If you know anything about me, you know I can’t resist a vegan croissant. We booked it thru town with a minor detour due to some big church thing for Madonna (I can’t believe she tours in Pompei!) to get our croissants where Google translate helped mediate the exchange. We got two citrus croissants that were not labeled anywhere as vegan but the guy didn’t correct us when we asked “vegano?” three or four times.

We checked out and leisurely made our way to the train station - another long walk - only to arrive at the platform at the same time as the train to Sorrento. How perfect! Except we don’t have tickets yet… so we buy our tickets, the train leaves, and we’re forced to wait forty minutes for the next train, only to discover no one ever asked for our tickets and no entry required them. We could have totally gotten on the first train without paying and we wouldn’t have had to wait. Crime does pay, as it turns out.

‘Twas a crowded train ride to the end of the line, where we then had to trudge for nearly half an hour with our bags on cobbled streets and unreliable sidewalks to get to our hotel. (Side note: i wonder why no one ever talks about all the vespas and scooters in Italy. There are so many! I just figured I would have heard about it before this.*)

We checked in to our hotel around lunchtime, ate our croissants illicitly on the balcony (no food allowed in our hotel room), and headed back out. Naturally, all the stuff we wanted to visit was back in the direction of the train station, but a 25 minute walk goes much easier without two backpacks and a roll-y bag with dysfunctional wheels.

To paint the scene, all these walks are lined with more citrus trees than you’ve ever seen in your life and drivers who might not actually run you down but you probably shouldn’t test that theory.

We grabbed a quick lunch at a family owned Italian restaurant and had some tasty food including “the best tomato pie [Dan has] ever had” then continued on my lemon quest.

Walking on our way to a limoncello Lemon grove we passed another one that we were able to walk around in. It was so pretty. A lovely garden with lemon trees, orange trees, olive trees, squash plants, tomato plants, and peppers. They also had a restaurant but we were so full we decided we’d come back for dinner.

On to I Giardini di Cataldo where we had hoped to have a tour and a limoncello workshop but they didn’t have any available for the day. Womp womp. We tasted some limoncello and got lemon sorbet and ate it in their lemon garden before continuing to meander in the direction of shops.

Fortunately I had set a limit as to how many Lemon things I could get for myself and I immediately met that limit so I guess I’m done shopping for the… trip. Except I still need a Leonardo souvenir, I mean let’s not get crazy.

Here I am casually showing off all my lemons.

Another 25 minute walk to the hotel to drop off our stuff. By this point, I can confirm we had already exceeded yesterdays step count.

Just before sunset we walked to a dock overlooking the coast and watched the last rays of orange sunlight disappear behind the horizon. The coast is a steep cliff face that drops off into the ocean, but in the distance you can actually see Napoli looking like an island, in reality just more of the Italian coast. Then Dan’s eagle eyes spotted a bat. Then another. And sure enough within a nook of the cliff, at least half a dozen bats had roused and were feasting. It was awesome. We watched them for a little bit. I think a few more even joined them as we watched. It certainly felt like there were more bats there when we left.

And the days recurring themes of walking and lemons continued as we headed back to La Limonaia, the lovely lemon grove where we had decided to dine. Our wonderful server was very confident about our “vegano” requests and he had the chef prepare dishes for us. For Dan, a lemon vegan cream sauce on linguini and for me, a salad made with fresh veggies from their garden. Those same veggies we had seen in the afternoon as we wandered around the grove. So fresh! And I could totally tell. I slathered my tomatoes in balsamic glaze and enjoyed some of the best tomatoes I’ve ever had. (Also a hilarious thing we’ve noticed here is when they bring you bread it comes in a little paper bag as opposed to a bowl or a plate. It’s so funny.) We drank, we ate, we were merry, all under the lemon trees. ‘Twas in general a near perfect dinner experience and we happened upon it by happenstance. Not only a great way to celebrate Jimmy Carter’s birthday but our 12 year anniversary. Six years of marriage. I can’t believe I’m old enough for that but there it is.

After dinner we met Carol at her hotel which was thankfully in the same direction as our hotel so we wouldn’t have to backtrack anymore. She got us drinks, gave us a lemon souvenir she’d gotten in Capri that day, and she and her group regaled us with stories from their trip. As ours is still near the beginning, theirs is coming to an end. We chatted until we noticed the bartender was waiting for us to be done to leave so we wrapped it up and Dan and I walked back to our hotel to gratefully rest.

*Sarcasm

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two (redux) 79

“You look losst.”

Mihre’s gentle hiss tickled its way into Marcy’s thoughts. She shook her head and smiled vaguely. “Sorry, sorry. Just having an adventure, I guess.” It was a little difficult to bring her roaming thoughts back into the quiet kitchen, stars and secrets vanishing into mundane synthetic wood.  

They chuckled and ruffled her hair. “What, and didn’t invite Mihre along? For sshame.”

Marcy lightly punched their arm. “Come on, you know I have to have someone there to send the search party when I’m lost in thought.”  She scooted over on the couch to make room for them to sit by her. “Dad made fruit punch if you want some. How’s your day been?”

Mihre hissed and hummed, a sure sign they were wondering just what to tell her. “Nothing bad today,” they settled on at last. “Sscared a few tourisssts away from the nest—for their own safety, yes.”

Marcy looked up from her laptop, catching them in eye contact before they could politely avoid it. “Scared how?”

That earned a small mischievous chuckle. “Nothing I might get arresssted for.” Mihre sat down beside her, slow and careful so the little thorny edges of their carapace wouldn’t scratch the upholstery. “Mmm, very sssoft. Floran might get something like this for the nest.”

“You might have a little trouble with that.” Marcy sighed softly and shook her head. “The shop owner’s an old-school Hylotl, sign on the door and everything. Probably would give you some line about not wanting a floran scratching up his furniture…”

Mihre scoffed and patted their spiky elbows. “Floran is careful. But I said ssomething like, not the same. Not too bad, ssettling for others, you know.” They flicked her nose. “Plenty of fish in the ssea.”

Marcy laughed, maybe a little guiltily. “That’s rude to say and you know it.”

Mihre just shrugged. “So is not letting me buy a sssofa. But we give him a chance first, yes. Maybe even play nice.” They shifted again to get cozy and tucked their legs up like a very contented cat. “Is nice down here. Very bright, very warm.”

“Don’t you go falling asleep on me or I won’t tell you any secrets,” Marcy warned, flicking between the two nostril slits that passed for their nose. It was much brighter and warmer now, at least. The city council had finally gotten around to installing a few adjustable mirrors on top of the apartments so that even the ground levels got natural sunlight coming in. It made a world of difference. Their little library had picked up so many patrons.

Mihre hummed again, eyes half-closed. “Floran can find secrets anyway. All Floran are quite good at that.”

“True.” Marcy fell silent, remembering. Dear, silly Muth…

The sofa rustled lightly as Mihre draped themself across the back to casually look over her shoulder. “So, what sort of ssecrets?”

Marcy snorted and prodded their nose again. “Oh, now you’re interested. Maybe I won’t tell you.”

Mihre rattled, quiet and cranky, and sank sulkily into the couch cushion. They reminded her very much of a begging puppy. Marcy laughed and tilted her laptop screen so they could see it better.

“Oh, alright. Here it is.” She ran a finger along the picture. “See this here? Nyota’s crew got some pictures of an ancient building. I’m helping to decipher things. Though it sounds like they already have a translation here, so I guess I’m just looking for whatever they missed.” Marcy paused. “Did I tell you about Nyota yet?”

Mihre’s dark eyes sparkled with more than a little mischief. “Brawny grey apex, yes? I met this one.”

“Really? Well, I guess that saves me a bit of trouble, then.” Marcy smiled fondly. “She’s an old friend of mine from Earth. I thought… But it turns out she’s alive and well, and even running her own ship. She came here to get stuff for repairs and found our library. Small galaxy, right?”

Mihre chuckled, deep and raspy. “Very sssmall. My little brother is in her crew.” They stretched out their toes, very like an extremely content cat. “Ssaid she ‘smacks good,’ high praise indeed from a floran.”

“Ha, yes, she’s a good fighter.” Marcy remembered quite a few after-class lessons, Nyota trying to teach her how to defend herself. “Never would tell me where she learned, when we were in school. But she’s very patient too, even if you’re not a good learner.”

“She taught you to fight?” Mihre’s eyes were fully open now, and the purr had faded.

Marcy remembered a little too late what she had asked them the other day, about the Miniknog. She hoped she hadn’t given too much away, but what was done was done now. She settled for a sheepish grin. “Well, she tried to. I’m still not very good, but I passed the class at least.”

The floran settled back into the cushions again and closed their eyes once more. “Well, there’ss that,” they hummed with a soft laugh. “She gets pointss for trying. So, let’s see these ssecrets.”

[ramblinganthropologist]

N7 24 7 - Free Day

Summary: So, Alistair had a crush on Garrus for quite some time. But when did the turian start to fall for his commanding officer?

---

Honestly, he could get used to this sharing a bed with someone thing. It had been a little awkward at first, but Alistair was finding that he rather enjoyed having someone to curl up next to after a hard day. If not for the Reapers destroying the galaxy, he would’ve been pretty happy about the whole thing.

That was where he found himself, sometime after midnight. Garrus lay next to him, naked as the day he was born. He was naked too – their clothes had long been abandoned on the floor once they had gotten off the elevator. Later they would have to sort things out, but that was when they had to go back to duty.

“Feeling alright over there, babe?” He nudged the turian gently as he turned on his side. “You’ve been kind of quiet.”

Garrus let out a thoughtful note as he reached out to take his hand. Their fingers still fit oddly together, but he was getting used to the stretch day by day. Maybe if they survived, he wouldn’t notice it at all one day. Or maybe it would always be there – he wouldn’t mind that.

“Just thinking I guess.”

Alistair cocked his head to the side. “About what?”

Much to his surprise, the turian’s mandibles twitched. It was a sign he was embarrassed about something – he knew Garrus’ tells well after being by his side for as long as he had. Years of studying him meant he could read him like a book.

“It’s nothing.”

He squeezed Garrus’ hand in response, rubbing his thumb against one of his talons. “If it’s bothering you, I want to know.”

“It’s not that it’s bothering me, just…” Another twitch. “It’s embarrassing to admit I guess.”

Well, it wasn’t like anyone else was going to hear it. Apart from Saren, who was more interested in seeds and his burrow than anything else going on in the room, it was just the two of them. There were no cameras to catch what was going on – whatever he said stayed between them.

“I promise I won’t laugh.” Alistair nudged against Garrus’ side. “Come on, you’re not going to be able to sleep like that, and we both need to be bright eyed for whatever fresh hell awaits us on the next planet.”

The turian chuckled softly at that. “Fresh hell is putting it mildly, Al.”

His shoulders sagged as he sighed and closed his eyes. “Alright. I was just thinking how this was what I wanted back on the original Normandy. You probably don’t even remember what happened.”

And then in the quiet darkness of the room, his mandibles continued to twitch. Soon, words were beginning to form – taking Alistair back to 2183 and on the deck of a ship they had both come to know very well.

---

Everything hurt, but it was a dull ache. He could work with that.

Garrus wasn’t sure the last time he had eaten or slept. He was running on emergency energy supplies and the brief moment he had shut his eyes on the shuttle back from Virmire. That was twenty, maybe thirty minutes of disturbed rest under his belt, but it was all he could ask for as he tinkered with his gun.

It had been too slow – Saren hadn’t wound up with nearly enough holes in him.

“Damn it.”

He swore under his breath, too low for the translator and any nearby humans to pick up. There was a part that was sticking, and no matter what he couldn’t get it to go in right. The urge to throw the whole thing to the ground flashed through him, but he resisted the urge. It was his favorite, after all – and he didn’t like the guns the humans kept on the Normandy. They were made for softer fingers and not talons, so the trigger was all wrong for his talons.

So, unless they got to the Citadel anytime soon, he would have to work with what he had with him.

Virmire kept flashing through his mind – the showdown with Wrex and his impromptu commanding officer, then Saren appearing mid fight. There had been a bomb, and modified krogan, and a salarian task force, and all of it had gone to hell as they fought with the indoctrinated turian to a stalemate.

In the end, they walked away with some wounded crewmates, but no deaths. But his mind kept flashing back to the very end, where Saren and Shepard had showed down. At one point, he had watched the man dangle from the platform, hanging over his sure death as Saren grabbed him.

If not for the left hook that had knocked him back, no doubt Shepard would’ve fallen.

“We would’ve been doomed if he died.”

Garrus had come to realize that over the short time he had been stationed on the Normandy. Though he had started out disliking its commanding officer, enough time had shown him that Shepard was a man of honor who believed in people’s ability to be better than they were. It often got him into trouble, but there was something admirable about the fact he kept trying to spur them on through his words.

It also gave the turian a heart attack every time he tried, but… well, he was learning to adjust to that too.

“I just wish he wouldn’t risk getting shot like that.” Garrus shook his head as he continued to fiddle with the mechanism of his gun. He had long since lost count of how many times he had seen the commander put himself in harm’s way, either for a crewmate or to give an opponent the chance to turn themselves in. Hell, it was because of him that they had all made it back to the Normandy in one piece – anyone else would’ve lost at least one.

But did he have to be so damn risky about it?

Just thinking about it made him frown, but that also made him realize something as he sat there, staring at the parts laid out on the desk. Lately, Shepard had been on his mind. Part of it was the fact they ran missions together, but his thoughts had been drifting towards the human in his down time. Sometimes,  he even showed up in his dreams.

It was… disconcerting to say the least.

Garrus would’ve kept fiddling with that part, but the door behind him slid open. He turned to look over his shoulder, blinking as he realized who was coming in. There was Shepard, fighting back a yawn as he stepped into the room.

Their eyes met – and the commander’s one good eyebrow cocked.

“Garrus? You were supposed to be off duty two hours ago. What are you still doing up like this?”

That was one of the odd things about Shepard – unlike most men, he chirped. Well, he didn’t actually chirp – humans couldn’t do that if the extranet articles he had read on the subject were correct. But the translator had decided that was the best way to make whatever sounds he made palatable to a turian. He had found it a little ridiculous the first few times they had spoken, but now it was just part of his strange… charm, almost.

He shook his head. “I can’t get this part to go back. I think it’s broken.”

Shepard nodded as he stepped over, their shoulders brushing together briefly as he leaned over to inspect the gun mechanism. The turian suddenly found it hard to breathe as he got a close up look at the man he followed into battle. Up close, he could see just how many dots – freckles was what he called them – covered his skin. Counting them would’ve been impossible, and had he not been informed it was a normal thing for humans he would have thought it an outbreak of some strange disease.

Well, it was still strange. Why did humans get dots like that when exposed to the sun? Seemed like a bad genetic adaptation, but exobiology wasn’t exactly his specialty.

“You got a screwdriver? I think I see what’s wrong.”

Wordlessly, he handed it over. Their fingers brushed together briefly, and Garrus felt his heart pound dully within his carapace. Then Shepard got to work, fiddling with the mechanism, and muttering under his breath. A few seconds later, everything clicked into place.

The human’s face lit up with a broad grin. “There we go. Little bugger was being stubborn.”

He then handed the gun back. “Now that that’s done, you can go get some rest. When’s the last time you slept anyway?”

Garrus’ tongue didn’t want to work as he accepted his weapon. Instead, he mutely headed over to his locker to put it away. Right then, nothing but his feet seemed to be working. All the while, his mind reeled.

What the hell was going on?

“Garrus? You ok?”

He snapped back to reality. “I’m fine, Shepard. I have things I need to do anyway. No need to worry about me.”

Getting out of the room sounded like a great idea. He started to move, but then his exit was blocked off by the human. Shepard wasn’t taking no for an answer, and it showed in how his eyebrow furrowed.

“Shepard-“

“Garrus, I’m serious. When’s the last time you got some solid sleep or ate something?”

He tried to brush past him, shaking his head. “I ate earlier, it’s fine, re-“

But then he couldn’t speak. Nor could he move, thanks to the fact Shepard had suddenly nudged him against the wall. His heart skipped a beat, then two more, as he realized the human had pinned him there.

Well, pinned wasn’t the right word – that implied force. Sure, there was an arm keeping him in place, but he could easily break the hold and get past if he wanted to do it. Instead, it was the human’s gaze keeping him in place.

He had never seen Shepard look so focused outside of battle. It was like the man was keeping him there alone with just a look. He was frozen in place, unable to do anything but look at the person in front of him.

That close, a guy noticed things.

“You need to sleep, Garrus.” Shepard shook his head. “You’re going to pass out if you keep this up, and I doubt you’re going to want to sleep in the middle of the floor.”

He should’ve been paying attention, but he was focused on the man in front of him. Shepard wasn’t the bulkiest marine – or even halfway there – but he wasn’t a pushover. There was a lot of lean muscle there, especially in the arm he used to block him from leaving.

What could he do with that strength?

“Did you hear me?”

There was a note of authority to the man’s voice that brought a shiver up Garrus’ spine that reverberated through his entire carapace like he had been hit with a hammer. Maybe it was because he was tired, but he had to force back a shudder working in the opposite direction.

What could he say – he was a turian. There were jokes about turians falling for their commanding officers, but they were mostly just shared among young recruits during boot camps and splashed on prime time dramas in Palaven. He had never actually seen it happen first hand, or even heard about it.

Did it count if Shepard wasn’t technically that position?

“Garrus?”

He snapped back to reality. “Sorry. I’m fine, really.”

“No you’re not.” He shook his head, never relinquishing his hold. “Don’t make me put you into bed myself, Garrus. You need some solid sleep.”

Had he been in his right mind, he would’ve chuckled at the thought of the small human taking him anywhere. There was a healthy height difference between them, and humans usually weighed less than turians anyway. If he wanted to, he could throw his weight around and that would be the end of that.

But the look in Shepard’s eyes, and how serious he looked, destroyed his resistance in a heartbeat.

Hi shoulders sagged as he accepted the inevitable defeat. “Alright, fine. You don’t have to drag me. I’ll go.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t drag you. I’d strap you to a chair and roll you there.” It sounded like a joke, but the man didn’t laugh. At least he backed up, freeing Garrus to go. “Get going, then. I’ll clean up around here.”

Strap him down? Garrus’ heart thudded hard and his mouth went dry. Still, he had agreed to this, so all he did was nod wordlessly. That seemed to satisfy Shepard, so he walked to start putting things back in place. Briefly, their shoulders brushed as he sidled past, but it was only for a moment before all contact was broken up.

That touch was like electricity that shocked his entire body.

“Right… thanks.”

He then started to walk away, heading for a free cot. At the last moment, Garrus glanced over his shoulder. Shepard seemed lost in the cleaning process, back to normal as if nothing had happened. He was even humming something under his breath – something old sounding and upbeat.

Had that actually happened?

In the end, Garrus just shook his head and headed off for bed. Maybe this was all because he needed sleep, but there was a strange feeling pooling in the pit of his stomach as he walked down the hall. He knew it well – had since he was a teenager – but this was… new.

He wasn’t sure if he liked it or not… but at least he could ignore it. After all, Shepard was his quasi-commanding officer. That was enough.

Right?

---

“So… yeah.”

Alistair blinked in surprise as he processed his boyfriend’s story. Just like Garrus had insisted, he had no memory of the moment. Part of that was because 2183 had been one of the stressful years of his life, what with the Reapers and Saren and everything, but also because it just seemed so… normal to him.

“If I’m understanding this right, I ordered you around and you got horny?”

The turian’s mandibles twitched as he glanced away. “I didn’t get … that… horny.”

Laughter bubbled from his throat as he shook his head. “Had a little turian moment then, babe? Talk about being a stereotype, that was all it took?”

In a way, there was some relief there. As it turned out, he hadn’t been languishing in a pathetic crush alone like he had thought. Garrus had been suffering through a similar condition in silence and neither had ever said a word about it.

It would’ve been sad if it wasn’t so funny.

“Look, I wasn’t expecting it either. I thought it was just because I was tired but… well, things kept building up after that.” Garrus nudged against his side. “I was actually thinking of asking you to dinner after everything happened with Saren and we went our separate ways, but…”

Yeah. He had gone on that geth finding mission and wound up dead for two years. It kind of put a damper on things when it came to the love life.

“Well, I guess I’m glad you still wanted me to bang you.” Alistair chuckled softly as he felt his cheeks heat up. “Thanks for holding the torch for a dead guy?”

That made Garrus chuckle too. “Most people would consider that pathetic, Al.”

“Well, we’re not most people.”

That was obvious, even if they forgot the fact they were on a war ship in the middle of a nonstop fight against the forces of doom and destruction itself. Things were never normal between them, and probably would never be. But there was comfort in that too, weirdly enough. Weird was normal for them.

“That’s true.” The turian yawned, shaking his head. “Damn it all… guess you wore me out more than I thought.”

Alistair poked him in the side. “Don’t make me tie you to a chair and roll you out, Vakarian. Get some damn sleep.”

“I regret telling you that now.” Still, Garrus chuckled softly as he laid back down. “You know I’ll have to leave early so that reporter doesn’t see me. I think she’s catching wise.”

Right – Allers. Alistair was still trying to figure out what to do with her. He doubted she would spread that kind of story around – it was bad for morale, and she was a battle reporter over a gossip channel. Still, the less she knew about him the better.

“I’ll deal with her later.” He yawned too, pulling closer to the turian. “Sleep well, babe. We’ve got a busy day ahead of us.”

If Garrus said something in return, he didn’t hear it. Sleep was taking him over, and his exhausted body was more than happy to accept it. So he curled up next to his boyfriend as his eyes grew heavy and finally closed.

For the moment, there was enough for him.

[twilightmalachite]

2×2 - Grown-Up Situation 5

Author: Akira

Characters: Yuuta, Hinata, Shinobu, Nagisa

Translator: Mika Enstars

"The complicated heart of a maiden (?), I guess…"

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Season: Winter

Location: Inside Studio Bus

Reminiscence over, present time. Inside the location bus traveling for filming 2×2…

Shinobu: Hmmm.

A producer showdown, huuuh… This is somehow turning out to be more complicated than I’d thought, de goza—

Ah, um, thought.

Yuuta: …♪

Hinata: The pressure in that silence is crazy… I’m so sorry.

Actually, I’m surprised that you didn’t know anything at all about the situation, Shinobu-kun. You asked him to help out without explaining a thing, Yuuta-kun…?

Yuuta: Yup. ‘Cuz if I explained the situation, then he wouldn’t be helping out of “pure kindness”.

I needed Shinobu-kun’s help, but I didn’t want it out of pity.

Hinata: The complicated heart of a maiden (?), I guess… Even still, you should at least check the job description in the case of a strange incident, Shinobu-kun.

Nagisa: …You are being used to someone else’s convenience. Hiyori-kun used to scold me often for that.

…He’d say I listen too readily to whatever Ibara tells me to do.

…Although I also think that kind of unconditional love is what love is.

Yuuta: So you understand me?

Nagisa: …I do, but you must at least explain things properly.

…Not everyone cares about “those sorts of things” as much as I do.

…However, it sounds like this situation is rather troublesome.

…If you are facing serious trouble, perhaps I could make a proposal to the P-Association.

…I don’t want to involve children in meaningless conflicts, no, the meaningless conflicts of adults.

Yuuta: Hm~… The words of the oh-excellent “top idol” would certainly be hard to ignore, but…

Could you please refrain from doing anything unnecessary? While I think we’ve reaaally gotten caught up in something real troublesome—

It is true that this 2×2 is a massive opportunity we could have ever hoped for, and it was a good choice for us.

Hinata: That’s right. ‘Course it’s nothing compared to SS, but it’s the biggest project we’ve ever been the center of.

If we can ride this big wave, we might even be able to join the ranks of top idols this time around!

Nagisa: …You have a strong desire to rise as ever. It’s no wonder you and Ibara get along so well.

Shinobu: Hm. While I don’t like the idea of being dragged into a conflict between adults, it does appear they are competing fairly and with sportsmanship thus far.

It’s not like someone is going to die whether they win or lose…

If it’s done like a sport, then I (sessha) would also like to give my usual support and cooperation de gozasorry I used “sessha” again!

Yuuta: It’ll distract from the conversation, so don’t worry ‘bout it right now, okay~?

Shinobu: Huh, for real? Yay, I (sessha) have been forgiven…☆

Yuuta: … … *silently marking down tallies in a notebook*

Shinobu: Uu. A-Anyway, to summarize—

Each time, the different producer in charge of 2wink’s namesake program 2×2 changes.

Nagisa: …Anzu-san, and Yamada-san? So she’s taking turns being the producer in charge with this big-name producer?

Hinata: That’s right. And after all 12 episodes air, the winner will be determined by the number of viewership ratings each of the 12 episodes garnered.

Yuuta: The competition is based not on which has the highest rating, but the total of the ratings, so every episode counts!

Shinobu: Well, I don’t know much about this YamadaP person de gozaru, but each time, Anzu-dono gives it all her might, de gozaru!

Hinata: But that’s the problem with YamadaP~. We haven’t known him for too long or too deeply, so we don’t really know what kind of person he is.

Nagisa: …I know, to some extent.

…Actually, I was curious, so I had looked into him..

Yuuta: Ooh, so he’s such an amazing person that even caught the interest of Ran-senpai, huh?

Hinata: This YamadaP really is a big-shot, huh~?

Nagisa: …No, it was simply out of curiosity, not because I recognize his ability.

…This Yamada-san is someone whose vigorous activities has had him being praised as being an “active volcano”.

Being an active volcano, he is sometimes called “Your Excellency”.[1]

…Since Ibara also calls me Your Excellency, I got curious and looked into him.

Hinata: So it really was “just” curiosity…

Shinobu: I kinda understand… Having the same name makes me interested with a sense of familiarity de gozaru, like how I’m a big fan of the Sengoku period warlord Sengoku Gonbei![2]

Yuuta: Though I’m not interested in Aniki, even though we share the same last name “Aoi”.

Hinata: The older brother has been hurt by the younger brother’s heartless words!

[ ☆ ]

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“Active volcano” in japanese is 活火山 (kakkazan). Your Excellency is 閣下 (kakka). A fitting nickname!

The Sengoku in this warlord’s name uses the same characters as Shinobu’s last name “Sengoku”! On the other hand, the characters used for “Sengoku Period” are different.

[abnormalityjoseph]

Corey Cunningham • Inviting The Shape into Your House [Headcanons]

- Okay. Look-

- Corey, your best friend [and/or significant other], is just a lovable guy who’s judged harshly for an accident.

- So how the hell did Corey run into Michael fucking Myers??

- He won’t tell you, and Michael doesn’t talk

-> So..your probably never know.

-> Uh, unless you’re like..Corey’s accomplice or something. In murder. Then you’ve got a good idea.

- You realized Michael wasn’t there to kill you the second Corey had to walk in and get between the two of you.

-> What was he intervening you ask? Well, it’s normal to assume one would freak out and grab a knife to defend yourself against The Shape himself.

-> “Look I can explain-“

“COREY THAT’S MICHAEL MYERS.”

“I KNOW—“

- After that…interesting first meeting, Michael just acted like a silently judging house cat.

-> Or, a silent yet very protective father, if you’re with Corey romantically.

- The Shape blankly staring as you request to tend to his wounds, or if you request anything of him.

- Corey says he nice. And, while you’d prefer it, there’s a high chance Myers will never listen to you if you asked him to leave.

- Corey has to translate the..head tilting and staring…because you have no idea what they mean.

-> Corey actually doesn’t…really know either?? But his guesses are very accurate. And he knows the stare of disapproval.

- Eventually, gradually, Michael will begin to tolerate you. Initially he would just show up to get a better knife/any random weapon he could retrieve from your house

-> But now he…cleans them. Like you can just see him wash a bloody knife before putting it away in the correct place and walking away and it’s weird but nice??

- Corey is very happy that you’re okay with his mentor coming and going. Though it seems he sees Michael more like a father figure than a mentor.

-> Which, well? You can’t say anything. Corey never really knew his biological father, and Ronald wasn’t really…apart of how he was raised.

- Michael initially tolerated you via not murdering you. But now he will actually listen to you [to a degree.]

-> So if you were to let’s say…ask him to wipe his feet before coming in, he would.

-> Considering he’s been showing up so frequently and you haven’t called the police on him or Corey, Michael thinks it wouldn’t hurt to listen.

- Corey used to clean up and dress Michael’s wounds by himself, and Michael did the same for him, but now you get to help them both out with preventing death from blood loss! Yay!

- And, lucky for you, Michael was able to be convinced to shower from being in the sewer. Err…well he mostly just hoses himself down outside before coming in.

-> It’s a miracle Michael hasn’t gotten sick.

- And if you’re dating Corey?

-> Michael’s staring fulfills the “You are not good enough for my son” vibe very well.

-> Corey kept talking about you while they were on the way to your house, so he initially thought you were just a close confidant. Something he didn’t really..have—

- Look, Corey said he came to your house to get patched up and Michael thought it wouldn’t hurt to find out if his protégé’s confidant was trustworthy.

- And, you are. Considering how you opened the door and let Corey in immediately despite the blood all over his clothes.

- Michael slipped into your house from the backdoor after Corey gave the green light.

- And he did expect the scare you had when he showed up. But Michael was a bit surprised how quickly Corey had talked you down.

- After a couple a lot of visits, Michael has come to the conclusion that you might be good enough a trustworthy romantic partner confidant for Corey.

-> A conclusion that took a lot of time to make, as well as several moments of Corey ranting about how amazing and special you are. The latter mostly convinced him.

- You can imagine Michael confusedly staring at Corey after visiting your house for the first time (and it’ll probably be accurate to what I’m thinking).

-> “What?”

“…”

“They’re…really nice to me.”

-> AND THEN JUST A NOD OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT FROM MICHEL BECAUSE COREY IS NOTHING BUT OBVIOUS WITH HIS LOVE FOR YOU

- The only way you realized Michael approved of your relationship with his son protégé was when he left a bloody bouquet of flowers with a congrats card

-> He did, in fact, kill the people he stole that from.

-> Oh, and if that odd gift wasn’t enough Corey most defiantly came to you immediately after he realized the stare he saw Michael give was the stare of approval.

- So..you somehow got The Shape’s approval to date his apprentice.

-> That does mean you’ve got two slashers ready to help you if anything happens.

-> But you will have to help patch up both of them after their excursions. At least stop any injury from getting infected.

•••••

I see my fellow Corey enjoyers are finding my headcanons. This one is kinda short though, sorry.

Any ideas for headcanons may or may not be used.

[sweet-demiboi]

Well. Mhmmm, I was thinking of being the other King of Asgard and maybe also a God? (maybe the God of Knolagde). And maybe the Avengers need help so Thor asks his Husband😜 and that of course, means that the Avengers will meet him and maybe kinda fangirl? Oooh I'm so stupid, I forgot to ask, do we need to describe our personality? Cause if so I'm rather shy.

Also feel free to message if you need any clarifications.

Thanks!

Thor x Male!Reader

Plot: Requested

Warnings: Hm... bad English? A bit angst, but really not much

.............................................................................................................................

You were having trouble in your mind. You sat outside in the beautiful gardens of Asgard's palace, admiring the beauty of the nature around you. But it wasn't able to clear your mind of the concerned thoughts you were thinking about for the past days now.

Thor had promised to inform you about everything that was happening in his life on Midgard but he had neither sent a message nor had he visited Asgard by himself. You were seriously concerned about your husband.

You got up from the chair you were sitting on before and started walking around the gardens. No other god or goddess disturbed you as they could clearly see that you were trying to focus on your problems.

At least that was something you could do really well, after all you were the god of knowledge and wisdom. Different scenarios played in your imagination and you didn't notice the person standing next to you until they laid a hand on your shoulder.

Your head went straight up and in the matter of just a few seconds, you had pulled out your dagger and were putting it against the intruders throat.

"Whoa, keep calm, (Y/N)!", Thor laughed with raised hands. You sank your weapon and looked at him with an accusing look in the eyes. "Why didn't you tell me about your days? I was concerned.", you asked with crossed arms.

Thor smiled but looked a bit defeated at the same time "I am sorry, my love, but I wasn't able to send you a message. The mission we're working on right now is quite hard.", he stepped closer to you and took your hands in his own, big and warm ones. His blue eyes had a pleading look in them "I should have told you about it earlier, I'm sorry." A small smile spread on his lips as well as on your own.

"I'm still mad.", you informed him "But not as mad as before." Of course your husband could've handle the situation otherwise but everyone made mistakes sometimes although Thor didn't want to hear that. You decided that you had forgiven him, but wouldn't tell him now.

"So, why are you here?", you asked "Obviously something's up." The god of thunder smiled, you knew that he loved it, when you acted smart "I need your help with that mission I was talking about before." You nodded slightly and and started slowly walking with his hand in yours. "Tell me about it.", you demanded, so he told you:

"Hydra is active again, it's a terror-group, which managed to hide from us for quite some time now, but we managed to get a few hints from some... shady people. If we could crack the code they gave us, we could handle them! This coded message can tell us their location! But sadly... we couldn't crack it until now."

"That means you want me to help you with that message?", you understood. Thor nodded "You're the god of knowledge and wisdom!", he took both of your hands in his and stood before you, excited and with pleading eyes "Please! Please, (Y/N), help me!" You smirked slightly and whispered: "Of course."

Thor smiled brightly, cupped your cheeks and kissed you pasionately on the lips. Oh boy, how you had missed that! His warm lips on yours, his body pressed against your own and rising together in that bubble of love for each other. His tongue found its way into your mouth and played eagerly with your own. You slung your arms around his neck to stabilize yourself.

You looked deeply into each others eyes after this kiss. "Let's do that code!", you whispered against his now swollen lips, which showed you a big smile now.

.............................................................................................................................

Over all this excitement you had forgotten that you were rather shy towards new people, so you grabbed the hand of your husband while Heimdall was bringing you to earth. Thor's thumb brushed slightly over the back of your hand, calming you a little bit.

Suddenly you stood on the top of the Avengers tower, Thor had already told you about. The outlook you had over New York was stunning and something you had never seen before. "It's beautiful, isn't it?", Thor asked next to you and you were only able to nod. He closed your mouth with putting a finger under your chin, smirking when you blushed slightly.

"Oh, Thor, you're here again!", a man with sunglasses and an expensive looking suit walked over to you. It had to be Tony Stark, who your husband had also talked about. "And you must be his charming, smart husband he always talks about!", he gifted you a smile and put out his hand for you to shake it.

"That's right, Tony Stark.", you shook his hand a bit nervously, but he didn't seem to notice. "I guess Thor already told you about our problem?"

"I wouldn't be here, if he had not.", you answered and Tony laughed, already guiding you inside. You weren't pleased by seeing even more people in the conference-room, where you had just walked in. The looks were on you, the other Avengers seemed interested in your presence and someone was walking towards you.

"Hello, my name is Steve Rogers.", he shook your hand "Thank you for the cooperation.", he acted a bit nervous himself, but you just smiled and introduced yourself too.

"Where's this code I'm here for?", you asked. A red-haired woman in a black suit came to you and gave you a piece of old-looking paper. "We tried to figure it out with countless programs, but nothing worked.", she had a slight russian accent, and looked you up and down.

You took the paper out of her hand and looked briefly at it "No wonder, I don't think any computer or even program was invented in the time this language was spoken, Ms Romanoff."

"Wait a moment, it's a language?", a man, Clint Barton, asked with crossed arms. "How could you figure that out so fast?", another one interfered, who had to be Sam Wilson. "The structure and signs in the text are similar to old-greek although it's way older. It might be an old japanese text, as there are still some people who can translate it. Give me an hour and you'll have a translation."

The group was starring at you with surprised looks, which made you a bit uncomfortable, so you looked over to your husband, searching for help. Thor came right next to you and requested the others to get out that you could concentrate. "Can we keep him?", Bucky mouthed to Thor, who rolled his eyes smilingly, but you felt very flattered as Thor had told you that the 'man with a metal arm' wasn't trusting people fastly.

"They already like you.", Thor commented, when everyone had gotten out of the room. "Looks like so... it's calming that I'm not the only one who is nervous." Your husband laughed a little and caressed your cheek. "I wish you good luck with the code.", you smirked "I don't need luck." Thor smirked back "Have fun." He kissed you softly and left the room too.

You weren't mad anymore. How could you? You loved him.

I found time a bit earlier! :D Hope you enjoy it, @marilynmonroefanfics