#sorry if the first one isn't right it's from a dictionary

[derwent]

Garbage Bandits: "стой, кто идёт?"

Me, trying to remember literally any russian or Ukrainian: "uuuh ....я геи?"

Bandit: "oh actually it's гей with a й, easy mistake to make" *shoots me*

[weebsinstash]

I'm not typically a fan of pregnancy au stuff for hazbin because it introduces a hell lotta new questions, but anyways, I DO find it absolutely entertaining thinking about a Reader who did the nasty with Alastor and had kind of a friends-with-benefits situation with him and he does his whole 7 year disappearing act without warning you or telling you anything at all (assumedly because he did not have a choice or opportunity) and he comes back, knocking on your front door, "say, doll! What's say we mosey on over to our old favorite jazz club to catch up on old times?"

and suddenly peeking out from behind your back is just the cutest little fawn with a head full of curls who is very clearly Alastor's son, clutching at your apron, "Mama, isn't he the man you listen to those old recordings of? He sounds the same"

Alastor feeling this, this WARMTH in his chest as you invite him inside your home and it's completely different from the last time he was there, filled with everything your son could need, his drawings and report cards from that nice school you break your back to afford stuck lovingly on the fridge and a hot home-cooked meal currently cooling on the stove as Alastor's invited for some food... if he feels comfortable. You and him discuss privately where your son can't hear as you get all weepy, "I'm sorry, but when you disappeared, I couldn't... ASK you what you would have wanted... I didn't want to have some kind of, of PROCEDURE and you hate me for it... and even from the very first scan, I loved him so much... he's my entire world... I couldn't even CONSIDER... getting rid of him. He's my beautiful smart baby boy and i would die for him"

Genuinely I think it would be real funny if Alastor is initially quite jealous actually for having to share you with a CHILD, but the more time he spends around the young boy, the more he realizes, oh, this is quite the upstanding young fellow! His mama raised him right and he likes to help around the house, likes to read lots of books, loves all kinds of music, helps his mother on all the crosswords and word searches and puzzle books, and he's smart enough to suss out pretty quickly, "sir are you my father"

and the second your son receives an answer, just, KICKING THE RADIO DEMON IN THE SHIN, "You're a horrible man!! You call yourself a gentleman but you left my mama to raise a baby all by herself!! You're terrible! Incorrigible! Disrespectful! Untoward!--" Your young son is breaking out the goddamn dictionary and synonyms on this man, "you lying, deceitful, devious, DEPLORABLE--"

And Alastor is watching this little kid threaten to beat his ass and not even caring that he's up against The Infamous Radio Demon, just shouting at Alastor until the young boy is absolutely changing colors in the face, getting SO SO upset for his mama that he's ready to FIGHT OVER IT, and Alastor is just, essentially, breaking out into laughter, "oh, so you ARE my son!! Aren't you a gutsy one!! Put JUST a little force behind that next one and it might actually sting a bit!" and pats the boy on the head. That settles it; he's accepted as Alastor's son like THAT

Of course, Alastor now caring for this boy does not come without its... complications. There might be some 'incidents' if you, for example, have other positive role models for your son, other men who are regularly coming around, making Alastor's new position as the boy's father and your not-quite-husband (yet) feel threatened and unstable and encouraging the Radio Demon to 'act out'. You're so happy to have Alastor back in your life that you don't even notice things are a little off until your son starts mentioning things like "Mama where did Mr Thomas go? He used to come by every Thursday to play chess but I don't remember seeing him for a while?" "Mama I know Benson has bullied me and pushed me down and stolen my things but I saw his mom crying outside the bookstore earlier saying he's gone missing and I think we should help look for him" "Mama I know Mr Alastor said we don't need her and he can teach me but I also like my old piano teacher. Could I have some lessons with her and some with Mr Alastor instead of just all of them with him? I miss Ms. Mason"

But like... you don't want to deny Alastor a relationship with his child after they both have already lost so much time and you don't want to deprive your son of his father without a good reason, so you stifle some of your suspicions. It's all for your son's sake, isn't it? And you can't help but, get a little selfish when Alastor insists on taking you and your boy out, going to see live bands, going to local events, taking your son to the county fair and you feeling tears in your eyes as, your boy finally gets to spend time with his father. It's like... it's like you're a real family... you've always wanted something like this, for him, for them, for yourself--

But... Alastor doesn't... see you THAT way, does he? He displays his emotions much differently than you, and there were even times in the past where Alastor himself drew the line in the sand that, oh yes you two were quite close friends, he has such a deep affection for you, but... romantically? Sorry, sweetheart, but no

... or so he thought. Now that he's back, he sees how deeply you love his son and sacrifice so much for him amd how much your son absolutely adores you and how, completely by yourself, without any of Alastor's help, you raised him into a fine young man that... the Radio Demon could see himself helping raise, a boy he can't help but feel a little pride in helping make and, can't help but feel a little sad he missed all sorts of important milestones for. And of course, of course of course of course, he missed YOU ever so much, and when Alastor looks up from his paper to see you at the stove, hair all out of place and your hands messy as you cook a meal for your son and his father, your little boy dutifully helping clean as you go, he can't help wish that THIS was how he spent his last 7 years.

Lucifer have mercy on anyone who tries to disrupt his new utopia of peace and tranquility. Could you even imagine, could you even fucking imagine you and Alastor are walking with your son and nearby TVs snap on and it's fucking Vox, showing your family on TV, talking shit to Alastor, using HORRIBLE language in front of your son--

And Alastor feels his love for you grow all the more as you use your own magic to surge through the television and begin strangling the newscaster right on the air, "DONT YOU DARE SHOW MY SON'S FACE ON TV YOU FUCKING--" and Alastor starts lovingly conversing with his son about how important it is to stand up for your family and your values as the pair of them watch you throw Vox around his recording studio in a frenzied rage, "You and your disgusting Vees always trying to peddle your worthless garbage to kids, you CREEPS!! BABIES DON'T NEED IPADS, RETINOL CREAMS, SKEEYEE DANCE ROUTINES, AND ATHLEISUREWEAR LEGGINGS THAT GO UP THEIR ASS, YOU CONSUMERIST IMMORAL SHELL OF A HUMAN BEING--"

Snapcut to you rejoining your family on the sidewalk with your hair a mess and visible blood on you while Vox is facedown on the floor in his broadcast unable to move before it cuts to a "technical difficulties, please stand by" screen. Alastor is oh so genuinely joyfully smiling, "Now who wants to go and get some waffles? I say we should celebrate any victory over our enemies with some tasty grub!!" and he takes you and your son's hands and is all but skipping down the sidewalk while his hated rival is bleeding out in his tower somewhere. Oh, Alastor will give the Television Demon his own revenge for daring to try and shame the lovely beautiful mother of his child and his beloved boy on that disgusting show. What kind of degenerate uses children for content, let alone threatens their safety? Alastor will be back for him later and do much, MUCH worse than you did.

For now, though? Alastor just wants to enjoy the sight of you and his son sitting in a booth with him while you all scarf down some hotcakes. A family of his very own, huh? How wonderful. If only his own mom were here to see it...

[littleeyesofpallas]

Hi,

would you make meta stuff about Mayuri's way of speaking? I mean guy speaks strange way compared to other characters and me with friend don't speak japanese and would like to know more about it.

Thank you! 💜

So, i do want to remind anyone reading my blog but please remember i'm not at all fluent in Japanese. I understand the grammar on a textbook level, and with enough dictionary resources I can poke around and sus out nuances of some word choices (particularly stuff like fictional names of people and swords and attacks and stuff, as those kinds of creative choices are very overt*), especially in irregular usage, but when it comes down to things like dialect, slangs, vernacular or phraseology, or more subtle tone indicators I'm pretty blind.

*(sorry to further clarify: when it's stuff like fantasy jargon it's stuff no one would ever actually say, and so the choices made in crafting those words or names from scratch are all reliably very deliberate. But when looking at more casual speech a lot of character voice just kind of defaults to what "sounds" right, and so the distinction between choosing one common word over another isn't always meaningful or readily apparent, both in general and to someone not fully fluent like me.)

Like if someone talks in a stilted overly technical or dry way I might be able to tell that much, but I'd totally miss more structural things like whether it makes them sound more like a mad scientist -vs- a tryhard edgelord fake intellectual -vs- a man out of time -vs- a stuffy rich person --or what the differences i'd even be looking for between all those would be-- I really can't tell outside of what i might be able to glean from things like narrative context more than the dialog itself.

With the exception of some very tropey, and thus easier to identify things like, movie-esque yakuza slang, or melodramatic historical feudal drama formal titles --and even then those are things i might more readily catch when actually spoken than when written on the page-- i'm just as lost as the next person.

That all being said, there are still a few little things i can sort of pick at without feeling totally out of my depth...

I think it's been brought up on some random post of mine before that Mayuri does notably use a "more feminine" 1st person pronoun, watashi[私] which is a pretty common pronoun, although its usage feels weird to explain in English?

Like... it is considered "gender neutral" in that there are other pronouns that are more specifically feminine or masculine and it's not one of them. But then in practice, you'd basically expect men to opt for one of the more overtly masculine pronouns, which just sort of leaves women with watashi as a default?

So it's not that it explicitly makes him sound ""feminine"" so much as it makes him sound less masculine; which suits his intellectual, non physical inclined, and at times cowardly or at least scheming demeanor. But like, it's also considered a little stuffy and sort of overly formal, or technical which is also appropriate to him.

Oh right and it's a formal pronoun as opposed to informal, but there's also a level of very formal pronouns, and it's not one of those, so that doesn't so much triangulate a position as it just leave in vaguely in the middle of the road...

Does that all make sense? it feels like super overexplaining for what is an extremely commonly used pronoun with mostly very neutral implications.

He occasionally ends sentences with a single katakana syllable rather than hiragana, indicating... not quite an "accent".. but like a sort of emphasis. Like a punctuating lilt in tone. Actually Nakao Ryuusei does this really noticeably in the anime and I don't know for sure if I heard it that way in my head and he just nailed it, or if i heard him first and it's just always colored my reading since.

A lot of the rhetorical NE[ネ] which begs confirmation, often translated into English as "...right?" (It's part of that desu ne[ですね] that you hear a lot in anime, where the desu[です] is just the verb to be, so together they tend to translate as "isn't it?")

YO[ヨ] which is again a sort of rhetorical thing that usually gets translated as something like, "...you know?"

and E?[エ?] which isn't even a word or part of speech so much as it's just like, an interrogative noise? Quite literally just "eh?"

But see this is one of those things were like... I can tell it's different from a sort of default neutral mode of speech, but I don't know what that indicates as, like, a point of characterization... Is it specifically condescending? Is it there to sound mechanical or stilted? Is it somehow old fashioned or polite/formal? I have no clue as to these sorts of specifics.

[edit]: I want to reiterate this is a rhetorical device, he's not literally asking a question and waiting for a response. If anything it's functionally the exact opposite, he's saying it to emphasize that he's stating things meant to be taken as facts, it actively closes the dialog off from further questioning.

He also says HOU[ホウ] a lot, which also isn't really a word so much as a sound, but given the pattern in speech above I feel like it's kind of inquisitive, or at least contemplative, which is (i think) how I remember Nakao delivering those lines too. Like a sort of, "Oh?" or "Huh..." or "Hmm..."

And given how close the camera gets to his face most times he says it, it gives an impression of being, not "quiet" exactly, but like you had to be close to hear it, so like, almost under his breath? Like it's clearly a noise he makes to himself, it's not like a thing or expression he's making to the other people int he scene.

FUU[フウ] or alternatively HUU, and I think once or twice FUN'/HUN'[フン] as a sort of grunt? not quite as guttural as that, but not quite a sigh? Like a "hmpf."

He also does your classic YARE YARE[ヤレヤレ] which definitely isn't unusual or unique to him but it has this kind "tut tut" or "tch"/"tsk" tone to it and tends to translated very loosely like, "oh my" or "good grief", but I think of it more like a "well, well, well..." but like kind of implicitly more exasperated than that sounds in english?

I don't know where to start trying to qualify, like... what kind of character says yare yare a lot, but it's definitely something that suits some characters more than others, and Mayuri it definitely fits.

He tends to laugh like ...KU KU...[...クク...] which is a kind of sharp snigger, sneer, or scoff. He really doesn't guffaw or cackle or have much of a more typical dramatic villain laugh, it's very understated.

Although in his fight with Pernida he does let out a full on maniacal FUHAHAHA[フハハハ] laugh for the first time in the whole series

I do love the fonts Kubo uses for a lot of Mayuri's dialog. At a certain point he starts to lean intothe same basic font as everyone else, but particualrly at the beginning he switches between a few unusual ones that are specific to Mayuri.

One's got that rough kind of pseudo handwritten quality to it. It reads to me as kind of scratchy, like a sharp pen nib on thick matte paper, with a kind of clotty ink flow that starts thick and wet but sorta tapers out too fast, leaving the lines spotty and rough.

But he also alternated with a thicker rounder font that has these subtle curls to them that I don't see other character use often.

and then he's got a second font choice that basically has all the same tones as the first one, except maybe a bit, like, louder(?) implicitly just based on context? It tends to be used in creepy action scenes where as the thinner one is more for creepy conversation?

In his very first appearance he chastises Gin, and he changes font between sentences, giving a very distinct sense that it's a change in tone. It reads to me like a low heavy hiss, almost like his voice is normally shallow or throaty, but when the font changes he suddenly drops his voice into a chestier range and speaks almost more smoothly?

Then there's just the perfectly regular fonts he uses sometimes, basically any/every other character uses these same fonts at some point or another.

and he has a neat thin wispy font that he only uses the one time when he liquefies himself. Along with the voice bubbles used, it gives a super distinct impression of his voice barely being audible.

He also one time speaks enthusiastically in an italic version of the more standard font when he arrives in Hueco Mundo.

And then in the Hell Jaw one shot he just has a completely different standard font because Kubo probably didn't keep track of what fonts he'd been using from like 8 years ago

There's also a subtly funky sort of font he uses briefly in the tbtp sidestory? I dunno what to say about this honestly. It gives me these vague 60s-70s vibes that I can't quite place? (I feel like I know i've seen it before but on what? A bowling alley sign? A little back alley cafe? a jazz album cover??)

I have no idea that the take away from that is supposed to be though.

And I guess that's it. I dunno how I thought I was gonna end this. It didn't really reveal any new facets to his character that weren't pretty apparent from the rest of his whole design and demeanor. Plus Nakao's performance in the anime basically nails all of this and i think makes it pretty apparent in tone even if you don't know much about Japanese.

[notmorbid]

damnation spring.

dialogue prompts from damnation spring: a novel by ash davidson.

i've known rocks that talked more than you.

if you don't bet on yourself, nobody else will.

the past isn't a knot you can untie.

don't ever leave the house without a kiss goodbye.

you want some coffee, while you wait?

you gotta take a risk sometime.

i probably should have asked you a long time ago.

the fear is worse than the pain.

are you not attracted to me anymore?

i forgot how good it feels to have a secret.

there are too many ways to die out here.

if you let your mind wander, it could cost you your life.

what the hell kind of five dollar word is that?

i just do what they tell me.

kids are like puppies. it's easier with two.

they'll cut you with one hand and bandage you with the other.

look up 'careful' in the dictionary, and there you are.

keep your damn shirt on.

used to be, people looked out for each other.

one percent's not milk, it's water.

it's too easy to kill an idea by saying it out loud.

half the time, i don't know what i think until i say it out loud.

i never know what to do with my hands.

every day of a marriage is a choice.

you're always playing some kind of angle.

go to school. learn something.

what's the use of dredging all that up again?

when you get to be my age, you don't leave things till tomorrow.

there wasn't anything anybody could have done.

dogs are the best judge of people.

well, aren't you just as bright as a dime?

when was i ever young?

what are you so nervous about?

you never say a bad word about anyone.

people always say the wrong thing, don't they?

you're the one who never called me back.

you knew where i was.

are you going to tell my mom?

women have a way of passing bad news around.

can you walk on my back?

do you ever wonder what your life might have been like?

i figured i had time, you know?

the judge said it was self defense.

i watch out for my people. you know that.

keep it. i've got another copy.

don't be a stranger.

i thought you were up to no good.

it's not like the old days, is it?

you missed a hell of a show.

what are you doing for money?

smoke follows beauty.

my first word was 'son of a bitch'.

you never killed anybody?

the early bird gets his own damn breakfast.

if i shoot myself in the foot, i'll need you to carry me out.

i used up one of my nine lives today.

clean up your own mess, for once.

watch out for potholes. and assholes.

i had a hell of a time finding this place.

keeps the bible salesmen away.

when were you going to tell me?

you were my best friend, once.

a little rest never hurt anybody.

i'm so caught up in my own pain, i can't see anybody else's.

even a nice dog will bite when it's hurt.

you only get one life, sweet pea. live it happy.

look who the cat dragged in.

has your conscience caught up with you?

if you're shooting, shoot. don't make me dance.

you've been distracted for days.

you know something isn't right. what are you doing about it?

you're going to get hurt. you might even get yourself killed.

you're not alone in this.

people don't worry what they can't see.

it's important to do the right thing, even when nobody else is.

sorry doesn't pay the bills.

i judge a man by what he does, not what he says.

a threat? no. that's a promise.

what's wrong with me?

i hope you brought some sunshine.

careful now. some places you go, you can't get back from.

____ can go to hell. and so can you.

what do you gotta do to get some peace and quiet around here? die?

the roads are fucked. it's faster to walk.

what's wrong with you? you just do whatever they tell you?

right or not right, it's done.

would it kill you to just take my side for once?

where else would we go?

it looks worse than it is.

i've still got a few lives left in me.

you're all thinking it, but no one has the guts to ask.

whoever said you can't buy loyalty never spent a day here.

if you're smart, you'll get out of town.

it's okay to wander, as long as we always come home.

even an old dog can learn, if you're patient with him.

why would this time be any different?

what did you wanna be, when you grew up?

you don't have to watch me every minute of the day. i'm okay.

i forgot i was mad at you.

from outside, it looks like a normal house.

i can come stay for a while.

you ready for some help?

please don't hide from me.

i don't want to lose you. i can't lose you, okay?

nothing's wrong. i'm just happy.

not a lot of people are born to do something.

[sonicblueartist]

is bullfrog date headcannons okay?

A/N: Of course~ And sorry if this is short. I couldn't think anything else to add lol

Bullfrog x h!reader

Masterlist

Word Count: 894

Taglist: @blorbostation

Btw does anyone want to be in the tag list?

Two things can definitely happen in this scenario. Either Bullfrog dates with you or stays away, he doesn't want to hurt you because of his job.

But right now, with your request we are going with a scenario where he chooses to date you and has close contact, so...

He is already a sweet and kind guy (and wise too). But when it comes to you it just doubles up. He is the dictionary meaning gentleman.

He could do anything for you to see you smile. It includes being silly. Avoiding his jokes isn't even an option.

"Knock knock"

"Not a door joke. God...Who’s there?"

"French"

"French who?"

"French frise!"

He is as honest with you as possible. He doesn't mind anything at all. He is comfortable with you and hoping you are with him too. He just wants you to be yourself with him.

Very affectionate and physical. You don't like PDA? He will drown you with his compliments.

"You look stunning as always, mon amour."

He loves to see your cheeks turn pink. He loves to fluster you. He will flirt if it means he could see that all the time.

"When you're around, I don't need anything else, mi chéri."

You are feeling bad? Exhausted? Sick? He will take care of you. There are no excuses.

You are in danger? Hurt? Oh god. I think for the first time in your life you might have the chance to feel sorry for those kinds of people. You know what I mean?

Bullfrog doesn't get angry very much. But what if he hears that you are being used or harmed? He will then go into fast rescue/kill mode. (I believe he still wouldn't be mad mad but you know)

I don't know why but I feel like killing or getting harmed isn't his breaking point to go mad about it. We need something else (Hopefully I can figure that out one day lol)

He likes to kiss your hands and if possible (because of his height) on your forehead too. You probably need to lay down or kneel for that and he doesn't want to force you. But if you lie down on his lap? Damn, he will melt and donate your face all over with kisses.

He is not someone to get jealous. He trusts you with his whole heart. But that doesn't mean he is not protective over you. If he sees someone bothering you and going too far? He will step in and warn them kindly. If that doesn't work? Oh, well. Have fun watching him give them some senses. What? No, of course he is not gonna beat them up. No, no. That's not his still. Not in public.

He could stare lovingly at you for hours. Tracing your lines. Observing your features. If undisturbed he can do this all day and night.

He can and will be brutally honest when the time is right (not specifically towards you), and sometimes that scares you.

"We are immortal spiritual beings that are embodied in mortal flesh to experience emotions and develop our own destiny, designed by ourselves in our pre-natal life."

"What?"

He is just joking.

He wears casual clothes when he is around you. Like a hoodie and shorts. Something comfortable.

He likes to cuddle with you while you both sit comfortably on your couch, watching something and a blanket around both of you. He LOVES your warmth. So he is gonna steal your hand whenever he gets the chance. Or lean his body on you.

He is very understanding and expects the same from you.

If you prepare breakfast and bring it to him in bed before he wakes up in the morning (which is a bit difficult, I'm sure he will always wake up before you), he may or may not start crying in happiness.

You can't sneak up behind him so no surprise attacks. It's not always end up like you planned it would be. He always somehow sensed it even before you had the idea.

"Agh, come on! At least can't you pretend you didn't know? It's impossible to surprise you!"

"Well, sorry, mi chérie, but you are a bit too obvious."

"That's not true!"

"Okay, okay, I'll pretend next time."

He couldn't. He just acts on instinct; you can't blame him for it. It happens unintentionally

"I just wanted to surprise you for your birthday, damn it!"

"Oh?" He is in tears from happiness.

He is not playing around when he told you that he loves you. You are his one and only.

Dates are either on rooftops or in your house.

He will never let you disrupt your sleep routine for him.

You are having trouble with something? Always having nightmares or you just can't sleep? Or having trouble eating? He will be there every second of it to help you.

He is not innocent. Of course you know that. He knows his place and he respects your boundaries and thoughts.

He feels intimate with you.

He loves any kind of fruit. I can see him sitting on the couch eating apple slices with you.

He becomes really awkward when he doesn't know what to do about something or gets really flustered.

He will support you with anything you will and can do.

LOTS OF PET NAMES IN FRENCH

[doctorbunny]

The mission to track down (most of) the locations in Ai Nan Desu Yo!

Firstly, I want to thank @archivalofsins /Gunsli-01, this whole thing started because of us DMing, wondering if we could use the background images in Mahiru's first MV to guess which university she went to, that started this whole adventure. By the end of this saga, the process truly was a collaboration too and i would've given up much sooner (sorry for taking so long to write this up!)

It started here. The caption says Mahiru is sat on the 大学のテラス (University terrace). So we figured this was the best shot to find her uni. Gunsli tried reverse image search but it just kept throwing milgram back at us. So I got an idea:

The magic of photo editing! it worked too and I got this back:

That's right! This isn't a university but a pizza place! Specifically one called 800 ディグリーズ ナポリタン ピッツェリア (800 degrees Neapolitan pizzeria) It is right next to two universities however:

Of these two, I speculate Aoyama Gakuin University is more likely to be Mahiru's as they have a large humanities department and an option to take Chinese language classes (interestingly, it is also a Very Christian university and we know from question 19 of Mahiru's trial 1 interrogation, she believes people go to Heaven when they die. There is also a lot of focus on international students and the campus nearest the pizza resturant has a 'statue of Love' in the Majima Archives building)

Inspired by this fruitful discovery I decided to try my method on other photos:

I jumped all the way over to day 13 because I felt like the sign would aid in my search. Before I bothered with any photo editing I just did some google searches "Tokyo Marun-" I got the autofill result 'Tokyo Marunouchi hotel' after investigating it wasn't the right place but we had a location name "Marunouchi" Trying again I typed "Tokyo Marunouchi Street" Autofill gave me "Marunouchi Street Park": Bingo!

This must be some kind of iconic sign because there were a ton of results for it. The bad news is that the sign was portable and only placed out for special events. So I introduce the next weapon in my arsenal: Google Streetview With a street to work with I walked up and down Morunouchi Naka-doori avenue until I got to a building with similar square pillars to the one behind Mahiru

This place is the MyPlaza, it's got a couple different shops, but importantly there is a function room you can rent out for events just like the wedding reception Mahiru attended here. This one turns out to be further away than some of the other discoveries but it makes sense because Mahiru is travelling to an event, not on a date.

Back to photo editing! This is one of two shrines I'll identify, they become important as they get special icons on google maps, becoming landmarks to search around later.

This is the Meiji Jingu Shrine

I was on a roll so quickly moved to day 14, however, my editing trick wouldn't work here so it would only be later that I uncovered the location of the park

Searching for day 11 was much more fruitful

I was really excited to track this one as Mahiru mentions it being the filming location for her favourite movie. So I thought if we could discover that, then we may unlock more clues about her as a person

I got about this far before realising I could try a different tactic. If this was a well known spot, surely in my broken Japanese I could google it right? So with a little help of my dictionary I spat out "Tokyo red hand railing movie". Somehow this barely worked

The movie? Your Name

At this point I was rolling on the floor laughing because I had been expecting some Japanese cult classic romance movie or a domestically popular but internationally obscure rom com meanwhile Your Name was a massive box office smash hit in many places. One of the few anime movies that even non-anime fans will be aware of.

Despite this, I hadn't actually seen it myself and wasn't really in the mood to watch it (I had more locations to track down, dammit) but fortunately Gunsli came in clutch, having previously seen the movie and also in the mood to rewatch it for clues about Mahiru.

These stairs are actually at a place called Suga Shrine, making this our second landmark. (Fun fact: if you look it up you'll find pictures of movie fans recreating photos of the place)

We were starting to build up an idea of Where Mahiru's world was, the border between Shibuya and Shinjuku ward. There were several parks in the area, so I figured I'd set out to find the day 14 park location by searching through each one. I was worried this would take a while but when I started with the biggest park, Yoyogi, I basically hit jackpot right away. Immediately upon seaching it, google recommended me results for images of the park at night. It turns out that Yoyogi had a large area used for concerts (that also may have been used for movie nights). By chance, I found this image from the park at night

which looks awfully similar to the lamp/benches seen in the background of day 14... According to Gunsli, the nearby yoyogi station is featured in an important scene in Your Name, so that's another thing pointing towards them being in this park. It's not solid evidence but we'll come back to this later.

At this point I'm both hyped up and bored, so to amuse myself and just to see if I can, I decide to search for the place Mahiru's boyfriend is working at in day 8

At first I had written it off as pointless to even try searching, but Gunsli noticed that in the top left corner you can see a hint of the store's sign. It is the same colours as a Seven Eleven (a chain that exists both in the US and Japan) This greatly narrowed down my search, as it ruled out the many Family Marts and Lawsons in the area (I cannot stress how many convenience stores there are in Tokyo) Unfortunately, there were still many 7/11s to search through and thus leads to the several hours I spent on google maps, individually going to each 7/11 in Shibuya and trying to look for those bike racks, floor tiles and old security camera. It was demoralising. But when hope was nearly lost and I almost gave up (there was a heat wave outside so my brain was melting during this). Gunsli reminded me of something very important. On day 8 we get two images, the above of Mahiru waiting outside the 7/11, and one of her sat on a park bench. If we were right about the day 14 park being Yoyogi, then surely our 7/11 would be in walking distance? The search began again. The third 7/11 I found near the park was it.

In one fell swoop I had confirmed both day 8 and 14. In celebration I made a tumblr post

Now, at this point I'm running out of images to search for because a lot of the locations in Ainan are indoors, meaning they could be taken from a studio or even one of the milgram crew's homes (which isn't actually uncommon) and thus, not a relavent location. I did half heartedly attempt to look for the day 9 bar, but as you can imagine, without any external landmarks it was even more of a goose chase than the 7/11...

The last location I decided to look for was all the way back in day 5

This edit was pretty tough to make so i was very annoyed when it didn't work. By this time it was late at night, but Gunsli had a hunch that this would be a well known running route, so started looking for those. By the time I'd woken up, she got it down to a route called the Imperial Palace Running Route, which is very popular (especially with tourists, it is recommended to give it a go if you're in the area)

I found it on streetview by following road signs seen in a video of someone running the route Gunsli found (the part in Mahiru's video appears at about 1:35)

It's an area called Takebashi and here is a screenshot both of what we saw in ainan, as well as what Mahiru would've seen in the direction she ran (the route loops back on itself)

Ok I'm tired it's 1 am, finally here's a really rough map of everywhere in relation to each other

An interesting thread throughout is that many of these places are sort of tourist-y, suggesting Mahiru's boyfriend may not be from Tokyo either. The university (assuming I'm guessing the right place) taking in lots of international students and Mahiru's boyfriend working at a 7/11 (which Japanese people can do but is also Stereotypically the part time job of choice for people from outside Japan while studying) could perhaps even hint to him not being Japanese, but it's all speculation right now

I hope you enjoyed this long rambly mess, I'm so sorry it took me so long to write it all up....

[nikamuhlstattoo]

in a good way (1)

"i didn't know that i was capable of being happy right now...but you showed me how."

cw: angst, mentions of death/su!c!de, mentions of self-harm, marijuana usage, drinking, explicit language, slow burn (im so sorry), panic attack(??), dad joke near the end, idk what else

a/n: this isn't really my first time writing angst (not on here) buttttt im still nervy. idk how to feel. i spent a dumb amount of time on this and it still sucks!! this series is also gonna be long so i apologize. but its necessary i promise! i just feel like ppl don't write about ellie falling in love enough. all of it. i wanna see and write all that stupid lovey stuff, from the start. idk how to write so be nice (ori'llcry) also listen to this song i love it sm.

you shoot awake, beads of sweat forming on your forehead and your breath quick. in out in out in out in out. for the past month you've been plagued by nightmares, making you wake up hyperventilating nearly every night. earlier this month marked the one year since your best friend passed away.

lucy meyer, the only person who truly understood you, took her own life last year on november 3rd. there's no word in the entire dictionary to express the pain you constantly felt. you tried so hard to cope, therapy sessions after therapy sessions. nothing helped. nothing could replace the comfort of being with lucy, just knowing she existed used to bring you happiness. lonely wasn't even a good word to describe how you felt, it was so much more than that. you felt so empty without her.

you had been doing "good" before now. you made a few new friends, dina, jesse, abby, and you left your house more. but the sudden reminder of lucy's absence sent you tumbling down again. it had only been a year. how were you meant to live a whole lifetime without her? without your best friend? the dull ache you felt in your chest worsened every day without her.

your eyes stung with tears as you slowly caught your breath. you were sitting up in your, almost overwhelmingly so, cozy bed. your eyes blinked quickly and rapidly, your eyes darting across your pitch black room. you eventually shoved the suffocatingly thick duvet off your body and stood from your queen bed. you lumber over to your bathroom, flickering on the warm lights and squinting from the brightness. you slowly adjust to the nearly blinding light, rubbing your tired eyes.

what you see in the mirror looks like a whole different person. you frown, seeing the dark under eye bags and sunken face. your hair's all frizzy and messed up from the terrible sleep you were having, you flatten it with your hands. your weary eyes glance down at the picture frame that sat on the sink, picking it up to get a better look at the photo in the frame. the photo was one of you and lucy two years ago in june, it was a selfie of you both in a pool. her long and curly black hair was pulled up into a high bun on top of her head. her dark blue eyes store into yours as you examine the photo, making you let out a choked sob as a tear runs down your face.

lucy was always beautiful. she was the most beautiful person you had ever met, inside and out. she had fairly pale skin and soft features. some acne was on her chin and left, rosy cheek. she had fluffy, arched eyebrows with a slit in her left one. you remember the day she put it there. she claimed she wanted to "look more edgy" with a giggle as she lifted the razor to her eyebrow, exposing her slit wrists when her long sleeves accidentally slipped down a little.

you set the picture frame back down and wipe the tears that must've fallen from your face at some point. you didn't exactly remember when they did. you quickly piss and wash your hands before you shut off the light and walk back into your bedroom, flopping onto your warm bed. the time on your phone said 4:24 am in a bright white font. you laid on your back in your bed, staring up at the dark ceiling. you didn't fall back asleep that night.

you were so glad you had no classes today, you rarely had fridays off but you just so happened to today. you were fucking lucky too, having something as drastic as your best friend dying happen and being a busy college student wasn't for the faint of heart. currently, your closest friend at the moment, dina, was dragging you to a party with her boyfriend jesse and one of their friends, ellie, who you've never met.

"damn...i'd hit. seriously though, you look hot." she winks at you after you exit your closet, dressed in a tiny jean skirt and see-through, hot pink, long sleeved shirt. since it was fairly see-through, you could see the pink bra you paired with it underneath.

if you were being honest, you didn't want to go to this stupid fucking party. you wanted to stay home, and maybe cry a little. most of all. you wanted lucy. you needed lucy.

while you fix up your hair for the party, dina's phone buzzes. the message was from jesse, telling her that he was there and ellie was gonna meet you guys there. as you stand, dina gives you a wink and playfully smacks your ass as you roll your eyes and walk out the doorway. walking up to jesse's black jeep ranger, you slide into the back seat and dina sits in the passenger seat, dina mumbling a small "hi, babe" with a giggle. jesse smiles at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead before he turns his attention to you.

"yn! you hoe! i missed you, where've you been!?" jesse practically yells at you, making you flinch slightly before chuckling. you really had missed jesse.

"y'know...i have a mysterious reputation to uphold. gotta go ghost every now and then." you jokingly huff out, looking down at your lap and flattening your jean mini skirt. the words them both chuckle out a small laugh, it was comforting to hear that noise again. but you knew dina knew. she always did.

already feeling nauseous, the car pulled over and parked on the street near the house. the cool night breeze burned your exposed legs, making you shiver slightly. people were spilling out of the front door and sitting on the lawn, most people smoking with a drink in their other hand. the base boosted music could be heard from outside the house, making your head hurt already. you felt sick, you needed a drink or something.

walking past loads of drunk young adults, all three of you make it into the house, finding it fairly crowded. jesse goes off to find a place to sit while you and dina make your way to the kitchen, finding it slightly less crowded. dina poured you both shots, which you downed immediately, cringing as the liquid burned your throat. you perk up when you notice a stack of red solo cups, quickly grabbing one and pouring whatever drinks there was out into your cup, making a brown drink that hurt to swallow.

dina leaves you to find and probably make out with jesse, leaving you alone to babysit your drink. bad idea. you never could drink responsibly, finding it impossible to stop once you've started. the warm feeling that grew in your lower stomach and how your mind melted into mush was unbeatable.

"hey, you were lucy meyer's friend right?" a voice rang from in front of you, urging you to look up at the stranger. it felt like you've been here for an hour, your heels aching from the constant standing. "were". your chin quivered at the reminder of your best friend's permanent absence. you look up at the stranger, blinking away the haze in your eyes.

"uh, yeah...w-why?" you mumble out with a chuckle, tripping over your words. while drunk, everything was funny, letting you feel something good for the first time in a while.

"oh, no reason, you just looked familiar. um...sorry about what happened n' stuff.." and suddenly nothing was funny anymore. it was too crowded, too many people. you found yourself overwhelmed and suddenly you felt like you couldn't breathe. constantly breathing in warm, used air, you thought you might choke.

you don't even reply before stumbling away, almost frantically trying to get to the back door. you elbow your way through the crowds of people, not bothering to apologize to the people who curse at you. you quickly slide open the glass door to try and get fresh air. you plop down on the top step of the back porch and attempt to catch your breath, completely unaware of the person who was sitting beside you, curiously eyeing you up and down.

your elbows rest on your knees, your face in your hands as you try not to cry. maybe you were overdramatic, but just hearing lucy's name made you tear up. still unaware of the girl next to you, you sniffle and huff into your hands. suddenly there was a soft tap on your shoulder, making you jump a little as you pull your face out of your hands, looking over to your left at the mystery person.

"hey, uh...you alright?" the girl asks, scratching the back of her neck. you want the world to swallow you, bury you in a hole to never be found again.

you take a moment to take in her appearance. she had auburn hair that stopped a little above her shoulders, the layers made it almost look like a mullet and it was styled in a half-up half-down bun. she had mossy green eyes, the kind you could easily get lost in. the way her right eyebrow was slightly raised made you notice the small scar through it. you immediately thought of lucy. you wonder how she got it. her face was covered in pretty freckles, clusters of them painting constellations across her face. she had a half-burnt blunt in her left hand, her elbow resting on her bent knee.

you stare at her with wide, teary eyes, mouth slightly agape and seemingly out of breath. you blink a few times before haphazardly wiping your eyes -- trying not to smudge your makeup -- and looking away, looking up at the night sky. "fine... sorry, have you been sitting there this whole time?" you ask, your eyes drifting over to her again.

"kinda, yeah.." she responds with a quiet chuckle, huffing a small laugh through her nose. her smile makes a warm feeling flutter in your stomach. even though you literally just met her, you felt sorta comfortable around her. she had some weirdly nice presence. "you look familiar, what's your name? i'm ellie."

ellie. what a pretty name for such a pretty girl... seriously, she was crazily handsome. wait. suddenly it clicked in your head. "ellie? as in ellie williams or...?" you asked hesitantly, snapping your head to look over at her. she was already looking at you, silently admiring the way the moon hit your face.

"yeah... how'd the fuck you know that?" she asks with a laugh, her eyes narrowing at you. she shifts on the step slightly, turning to face you a little more. your knees almost touch, both of you angled at each other. there's a small smirk playing on her lips, a playful glint in her jade eyes.

her smile makes you dumbly smile as you explain, "dina and jesse told me about you, they really wanted us to meet." you're not sure why you're smiling. there isn't really a reason to smile, especially not when you think about the whole reason you came out here in the first place.

"oh shit! are you y/n?" the blunt in her hand was completely forgotten about. she put it out on the spot next to her on the old wooden steps. she shifted to face you even more, her body nearly completely turned. you did the same. you nod at her, a small smile still on your lips.

you both talk. and talk. and talk. for what feels like hours. strangely enough, being around ellie made you forget about everything. all the shit that went down last year, this dumb fucking party. all of it. you felt sorta free. you didn't think about lucy, about what you two would be doing right now, if she was still here. no. none of that. you're in the present for once in your fucking life. you didn't even think about how cold it was outside, you didn't care.

ellie made you feel free. even though you only just met her. thinking about it too hard made you feel a little crazy. 'you only just met this girl, how do you already feel so good around her?' so you don't think about that either. a loud buzz buzz came from your handbag, pulling you away from the conversation you were having. you open your phone to a text from dina.

dee 🩷: wgere tf r u girl

you: outside

you: r u guys trying to leave?

dee 🩷: yss

dee 🩷: hrry my feeet hurt

you look back over to ellie, frowning. "i gotta go."

"aww, you didn't even get to hear the rest of my cool dad jokes."

"i knowww. this stinks."

"can i at least get your number... y'know, to show you all my cool dad jokes?"

you huff a laugh through your nose and wait for her to pull out her phone. you quickly put in your number as you hear your own phone buzz again. dina was so impatient. you save your contact name as "y/n :)"

"can't wait to hear 'em all!" you joke to her as you walk back into the house.

the drive home was fine. they blasted some pop music dina loved, she screamed along to the lyrics, still plastered. they quickly arrived at your house.

you walk up the carpeted stairs to your apartment room, keys jingling in your hand. as you open the door, you flicker the lights on and kick off your shoes. fuck high heels.

home. a lot of people say "home is where i'm happy." or whatever. but its kinda the opposite for you. home is where you allow yourself to feel, where you think. your mind's not mush anymore, you can think and feel again. and all you feel is hurt. that stupid ache is back. the dull feeling in your chest that just won't budge. at home you feel like you're slowly being sucked into a black hole.

you huff and toss your bag onto the table, phone in your other hand. you shuffle to your bedroom, turning off the main lights and on your bedroom lights. you strip from your uncomfortable clothes and into comfy clothes, sleep shorts and a big t-shirt. you flicker the lights back off and flop onto your big bed, letting the comforters consume you.

you sit there for a few minutes until your phone buzzes. it's a text from ellie. she texted you on your ride home so you already saved her contact.

you stupidly smile at your bright phone screen, shaking your head and turning it back off. you plug it in and set it on your bedside table. you lay back in your bed, staring up at the dark ceiling. your hand reaches up and grabs the necklace you were wearing. it was lucy's. you rub the L shaped charm between your pointer and thumb, turning to lay on your side.

that night you dreamt of green eyes and short, auburn hair.

[ghostsbimbo]

The boys and going to the Trinity Of Terror [3rd Leg] with you

A/N: for those who don't know what the ToT Tour is, it's a 3 part tour containing Motionless in White, Ice Nine Kills, Black Veil Brides, and at some shows, Atreyu - I went to it last year and it's coming up on the one year since then, so why not make a whole post dedicated to it. Also, my very first attempt at writing Rudy and Alejandro!! :D hope you like it.

Simon "Ghost" Riley.

the dude would much be the type to help you get to the barrier and keep your guys' spot safe, glaring at anyone who would complain about his tall stature being right at them. He didn't wear his skull mask or balaclava, but you did do his make up so it'd very much fit one of the aesthetics of the bands. - He agreed to do a horror movie-esque look for Ice Nine Kills. - He wouldn't show it, but he definitely admired you in all the lighting. He also managed to catch a rose and guitar pick at the end of Motionless in White's set for you <3. Oh and he watched with an amused look when you were squealing over getting the set list.

John Price

Peepaw would be in the seats as you had the time of your life down in the general admissions area. He'd be watching with worried eyes when he seen the amount of mosh pits going, and get even more worried when you went into one. He's to old for this, and to see how you just ate up the energy of it all was amazing. He would definitely go through the concerts again if it meant seeing you so energized and happy after the show.

Johnny "Soap" MacTavish

You can not deny he'd be one to join in on the fun that is mosh pits. Of course, you'd have to teach him pit etiquette first, but it'd still be so worth it in the end. He'd also make sure to get you guys matching hoodies for y'all afterwards. you'd guys argue over which band, before settling on Ice Nine Kills hoodie, and then the SpongeBob themed Motionless in White shirt.

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick

I'm so sorry, but I don't think I can even see him at a metal concert. He'd be the type to drop you and a group of friends off and give you his card for merch - and food if you're hungry enough to spend money on stadium food. - He'd probably just sit in the car in the parking garage until you and your friends were ready to go. He knows the type of shows you like going to when you told him about one singular one, and his anxiety is like "nope, not for me, but I will totally drop you and your friends off at them"

König

His build and stature REALLY helps you out, Barricade EASILY. Sticks out like a sore thumb to the bands. Chris Motionless even taking a few minutes during the show to point him out in the crowd. - being nice of course, because that man is a SWEET HEART, like if you look up the word sweetheart in the dictionary? An image of Chris pops up. - Anyways, he gets like two flowers from MIW easily, one for you, and one for a little kid that was about 6 or 7 he had seen in the crowd that was bummed out he didn't get one. oh and he definitely got a drum stick from the drummer who he remembered was your favorite members. [ How could he forget? You have a whole fan blog dedicated to the drummer, Vinny Mauro ]. He is also VERY fascinated by the Bombshells during Motionless's set, especially when they have the grind pads near their crotch and have sparks going everywhere - "Mein Gott, isn't that dangerous?" - He also is all heart eyes for Spencer from Ice Nine Kills. Dude changes his lock screen to a photo of Spencer that he got during the show, even.

Alejandro Vargas

You would spend MONTHS begging him to go with you. He finally crumbles the night before. He definitely is the guy to stand there, straight faced and his arms crossed over his chest while you're headbanging and going into mosh pits and crowd surfing.

Rodolfo "Rudy" Parra

He'd probably surprise you with VIP tickets so you could do the meet and greet. - hell, he'd use the meet n greet to propose to you so you could be proposed to in front of your favorite band because that dork loves you. - He'd also spoil the FUCK out of you with merch after :)

[afreakingdork]

/that user who asked about an inexperienced reader, sticking their head out of the corner/

Hi, me again xdd

Thank you for your answer! Honestly, your scenarios with mostly bad endings, sounds a bit (or a lot) depressing xd But I guess they make sense. But I assume the outcome is also based on readers personality. So, if it's ok to ask for another question, what traits in readers personality would've been the decisive factor for their relationship to work? Especially in the second scenario where reader never been in a relationship a never had a sex. Like, would they have to have a personality that's mostly the same as "canon reader" have, or a few certain traits would've been required, like, maybe, boldness and being open minded to this whole new situation. Maybe if they weren't as naive as they could've been in their first relationship, and they were taking it more seriously and having a mindset that relationship is not the thing to toy around with mindlessly.

Sorry, I'm honestly projecting myself there a bit xdd Can't help myself.

Hey, the story is meant to be projected onto and I feel like I'm failing you since you can't jive with it. I'm happy to help!

So the big kick-off point for the entire fic is that Donnie notices you when you go to get the sandwich. From the prelude comic and like I mentioned in my Midnight Sun ask not too long ago, if reader hadn't reacted the way they did, Donnie would never have noticed them. While reader is meant to be as insertable as possible, I felt like someone would still need to be a certain way for this version of Donnie to even notice them in the first place considering what sort of place he is in life.

So let me bring your attention to something quite important from the start of the fic...

Donnie's negative list for you.

This isn't something I've gotten to talk about so this is truly a blast for me.

Donatello right off the bat, starts assigning you negative adjectives.

However, we also find out down the line that Donnie thinking of you as his 'Weak Spot' is actually a high honor.

When he describes you negatively it's because that's how he views his own ability to love you through his lens.

Those are the things he adores about you.

Here's the current list:

presumptuous

tenuous

ludicrous

stubborn

licentious

Incredible

greedy

Let's break those down through Donnie's eyes:

Presumptuous - You are bold enough to assume things about him that aren't the norm. You see him and you don't see a monster to shirk away from. You presume that he is a regular person and that he isn't something to be feared. Even when he presses and hints at his true nature you aren't deterred because you already made your decision to like him.

Tenuous - While the dictionary defines this as flimsy and weak, you can use this word to describe person or situations that are stretched thin and may break at any time. Donnie calls you tenuous because he feels like your situation may fall apart at any moment. You ignore too much and play a dangerous game. You also press his weaknesses and find the places he is most flimsy i.e. his tender heart.

Ludicrous - probably the most obvious of all the adjectives. You are ludicrous because you are outlandish. From the Midnight Sun ask, he finds that you say things so outside the norm that it catches him off guard, something that hasn't happened to him in many, many years. He finds it infuriatingly endearing.

Stubborn - this one is the most important. I don't think anyone could be with Weak Spot Donnie if they weren't stubborn. You had to stick to this man. You had to fight for this man. You had to endure a lot of shit, a lot of withheld truths, a lot of him being a general pain to reach his ooey gooey core. If this was a fleeting romance, that wasn't something he was ever interested in. To be clear, he wasn't keen on any romance, but because you were stubborn, you wormed your way into his life and heart.

Licentious - the second most obvious trait. You are unabashedly horny and open with your desires. You chance him like his metaphor for chapter 9 about poking the bear. When he points out how dangerous that is, you literally retort that you want to make it clear how much you want to be eaten. He loves this bold side of you. He knows that you will always ask what you want of him and nothing less which fits his personality well. He's long past mincing and fake words. He wants to be wanted for who he is and it's oh so easy since you tell and show him openly.

Incredible - One of his few that flip the negative to positive script. He picked this word up around the time that you started to learn to fuck him senseless right back. It was something he never expected in a thousand years even though he had already settled into knowing that you would regularly surprise him. Finding you can match him on all fronts made you an even better suited partner for him and he's literally feral about about it. It itches his instincts so good.

Greedy - This one falls very closely in line with licentious. You pick this one up for how you always demand more of him. While he is often taxes and has succumb to more than one break down because he pushes himself so hard, he doesn't consider your greed to be a driving factor in that. He feels driven by how much you pull from him. It makes him want to strive to be a better partner. He wants to be worthy of you, not good. He's made that very clear.

Now that we've done that (I'm seriously vibrating that was so much fun), I'd like to address you directly now that you've revealed a little more of your intention and I mean this in no mean way: Weak Spot not might be for you.

NOW, I'm not saying this because I don't think you should read or that I think I'm doing you a disservice! I said up top and still mean it that I want to do write by you story wise and I feel bad that you don't feel included, but this is a thought out and meticulously crafted tale. I plotted everything little thing, the sequel, and the sequel's sequel before I even started writing. I wanted to know exactly what I was going to to tell before I even opened a word doc, I have not once deviated from my mission, these principles are what I think about when I write every single consecutive chapter, and those truths remains in effect to this day:

I did not write Weak Spot to write an x reader.

I write Weak Spot because I wanted to test if a truly dastardly villain deserved love.

I write Weak Spot because I wanted to know if you are a villain, what makes you truly evil?

I write Weak Spot because I wanted to know if the things you've done prevent you from being happy.

I write Weak Spot because I want to see if your profession really defines the core of who you are as a human being as society makes you want to believe.

I write Weak Spot because I wanted to see what I felt would have to happen for Donatello Ninja Turtle to become a villain and if he were to make that turn, what would have to happen for him to find love if at all.

As I mentioned in your previous ask, while these scenarios seem like bad endings, that is because they are written within the confines of the Weak Spot plot. Take metal for example. Wedding rings are made of gold because they are considered precious, but also because they are malleable and can be molded into different forms. You would not use gold to say, make a cooking pan. Sure, people have done it, but it's too damn soft. It would warp and deform. it also has very little abrasion resistance and would be a nightmare to clean. If I were to tackle a fic in earnest where an inexperienced reader romanced this particular villain Donnie, I would use a completely different story. To have a successful romance under changed perimeters, I would have to use a different binding agent to make it work.

Interestingly enough

and not something I've told you yet.

This exists.

It's called Missed a Spot and is a Weak Spot one-shot where reader and Donnie met way earlier in life. It's rough. The two of them GO THROUGH IT to get to a happy ending and even that ending is quite a traumatic one.

I plan to post this as a future plot bunny.

Now, all this, but don't let me discount you. I hear you anon. I hear that you want to try hard. I hear you are down bad for this man and you know what, who's to say? Maybe you can go out and find this man and absolutely nail it. Maybe you would give it the care it needed. Maybe you wouldn't be as naive as you could be. Maybe having the mindset of not toying around would work out.

I say this with the utmost love, reality is not so kind and one the hallmarks of my writing, something I obsess over heavily, is that my work is grounded in reality.

Yes, I'm writing mutant ninja turtles.

Yes, Donnie has tech that isn't feasible.

But I bust my ass and research every single choice that I make. I badger my betas until I have no idea how they deal with me. I agonize over every single plot choice because I want it to feel authentic. I want this to feel possible. I want to try to reach as many people as I can and let this story feel like one that you could step into without a second thought.

Do I succeed?

Assuredly not, I'm human.

Just look at the spelling errors that slip through even with my multiple edits!

I don't know you and truly anything can happen in this world. I love human beings. I think they are infinitely fascinating in all the million ways we all see everything uniquely. You could freaking nail Weak Spot Donnie first try.

It wouldn't happen the way it's happening in Weak Spot.

Don't sell yourself short though.

This man is not real.

You should not try to change yourself.

Don't look at reader's qualities and think you have to be like that to get this man.

I have to say that going into a relationship like this without any experience is like jumping into a Dark Souls game having never played a video game before and setting it to whatever equivalent difficulty setting is Nightmare.

Heck, maybe you're a psych major and you'll freaking nail it.

It's extremely unlikely though.

Again, I've said some tough stuff, but I hope you know I'm not trying by any means to crush your dreams. All I can do is speak from my writing perspective and I wish you all the best.

Heck, if you've got more questions or anything else, I'll be happy to try to craft something better for ya! I need to see the story to do it though so unfortunately I can't make any promises.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate you writing in and giving me this chance to chat. I'm truly honored. You've given me a lot of perspective and a lot to think about and I will forever be indebted to you for writing in!

[fandomworld9728]

The King & Queen of Hell Chapter 4:

"Adam!~" Running over to his husband, Lucifer threw his arms around his neck and showered his face in kisses.

Chuckling, Adam wrapped an arm around his Queen's waist and lifted him up to sit on his arm. "Hello, love. Same pronouns today?"

"Yes. Thank you for asking."

"I see that the rumors are true. Our dear King and Queen are sickeningly loving."

Fixing the sinner now in front of them, Adam felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise. This guy had power just oozing out of him. "And you are?"

"Alastor. Pleasure to be meeting you, sire, quite a pleasure."

"He's helping Charlie with her hotel."

"Oh fuck. Really? That's awesome man."

"Yes... quite. Charlie is such a delightful young lady, and your spouse is such an excellent host. You are a very lucky man." He wasn't just trying to be polite or trying to sweet talk the two. Alastor had no idea how such a man could charm the angelic creature that was Hell's Queen. The very reason for humanity's free will. Very lucky man, indeed.

"You got that right."

"Adam. At least try to be humble?" Lucifer teased his husband. People were always confused how the two most prideful people in all of creation could stand to be married to each other. It was often that their egos would lead to fights and their stubbornness would drag them out for days, sometimes even weeks, before they found a way to compromise or find a victor.

But that's what made it fun! They loved and trusted each other for all their positive and negative traits. At the end of the day, they were silly fights that never truly mattered that always seemed to end up as a game. To see who would yield first.

"Sorry, love. I don't know what that word means."

"Perhaps a dictionary would make a fine gift for his majesty? Ha!" A laugh track played from the sinner, momentarily spooking the first man and causing the fallen angel to try and find his laughter behind a dainty hand.

"...You're pretty funny Albert-"

"Alastor, dear."

"Isn't that what I said?"

"I'm supposed to be the one who's bad with names." Turning his attention back to the radio demon, Lucifer was still all smiles. "That was a rather ballsy move there. Insulting your King disguised as a joke."

"I figured it was worth a shot. I do love a good joke and as you said before. What is life, even an afterlife, without whimsy?"

"Nope! This meeting is over. We didn't even get anything important done!" Quickly walking out of the meeting room, Charlie started to pull guide Alastor out the front door by his cane.

"But Charlie-"

"I'm already running late for my meeting with Lilith!"

"Are you two going to stop her?"

Watching their darling daughter leave, Lucifer couldn't be prouder about how far she's come from being a push over. "Leave her be. She's been busy and stressed with worrying about her hotel and the Exterminations. If she can prove this works, there's a chance that they'll call off the yearly attacks. She's putting all of this on herself... but we'll be here when she's ready for our help."

~

Walking up to the Heavenly Embassy, Alastor couldn't keep his curiosity to himself anymore. "Charolette, why is it that you failed to tell us of your royal lineage?"

Hand on the door's handle to open it, the princess froze. Shit! This is why she wanted to go alone. She didn't need everyone finding out and treating her different. Charlie didn't need to try and live up to their exceptions too. If her friends knew, would they think she wasn't a good heir like the rest of people who knew? Would she let them down-

"That is not something you should hide, my dear." Opening the door, he ushered her inside and walked with her to the front desk. "The heir to Hell's throne saving wayward sinners and wanting the best for them! While your bleeding heart may be a weakness to most, it can also be your greatest strength. I've seen how protective you can be and that's where your power lays."

"That's... what my family always tells me." Taking a moment to think, Charlie signed them both in. Alastor had already figured out who she was so there was no harm in him sitting in on the meeting.

"Then show all of Hell who you are and what you're made of, my dear. Use every advantage you have to succeed."

"Yeah.... yeah! I'll show them all!" She felt much more confident than she had that morning. A new energy filled the princess as she and Alastor stepped into the meeting room. "Let's get this shit done!" 

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[kaylaz-world-00]

Anon: is bullfrog date headcannons okay?

A/N: Of course~ And sorry if this is short. I couldn't think anything else to add lol

Bullfrog x h!reader

Masterlist

Word Count: 894

Taglist: @blorbostation @eateableworm @livelaughluvvfaithyy @darkchanx @astoraa @shiroisotto64

Two things can definitely happen in this scenario. Either Bullfrog dates with you or stays away, he doesn't want to hurt you because of his job.

But right now, with your request we are going with a scenario where he chooses to date you and has close contact, so...

He is already a sweet and kind guy (and wise too). But when it comes to you it just doubles up. He is the dictionary meaning gentleman.

He could do anything for you to see you smile. It includes being silly. Avoiding his jokes isn't even an option.

"Knock knock"

"Not a door joke. God...Who’s there?"

"French"

"French who?"

"French frise!"

He is as honest with you as possible. He doesn't mind anything at all. He is comfortable with you and hoping you are with him too. He just wants you to be yourself with him.

Very affectionate and physical. You don't like PDA? He will drown you with his compliments.

"You look stunning as always, mon amour."

He loves to see your cheeks turn pink. He loves to fluster you. He will flirt if it means he could see that all the time.

"When you're around, I don't need anything else, mi chéri."

You are feeling bad? Exhausted? Sick? He will take care of you. There are no excuses.

You are in danger? Hurt? Oh god. I think for the first time in your life you might have the chance to feel sorry for those kinds of people. You know what I mean?

Bullfrog doesn't get angry very much. But what if he hears that you are being used or harmed? He will then go into fast rescue/kill mode. (I believe he still wouldn't be mad mad but you know)

I don't know why but I feel like killing or getting harmed isn't his breaking point to go mad about it. We need something else (Hopefully I can figure that out one day lol)

He likes to kiss your hands and if possible (because of his height) on your forehead too. You probably need to lay down or kneel for that and he doesn't want to force you. But if you lie down on his lap? Damn, he will melt and donate your face all over with kisses.

He is not someone to get jealous. He trusts you with his whole heart. But that doesn't mean he is not protective over you. If he sees someone bothering you and going too far? He will step in and warn them kindly. If that doesn't work? Oh, well. Have fun watching him give them some senses. What? No, of course he is not gonna beat them up. No, no. That's not his still. Not in public.

He could stare lovingly at you for hours. Tracing your lines. Observing your features. If undisturbed he can do this all day and night.

He can and will be brutally honest when the time is right (not specifically towards you), and sometimes that scares you.

"We are immortal spiritual beings that are embodied in mortal flesh to experience emotions and develop our own destiny, designed by ourselves in our pre-natal life."

"What?"

He is just joking.

He wears casual clothes when he is around you. Like a hoodie and shorts. Something comfortable.

He likes to cuddle with you while you both sit comfortably on your couch, watching something and a blanket around both of you. He LOVES your warmth. So he is gonna steal your hand whenever he gets the chance. Or lean his body on you.

He is very understanding and expects the same from you.

If you prepare breakfast and bring it to him in bed before he wakes up in the morning (which is a bit difficult, I'm sure he will always wake up before you), he may or may not start crying in happiness.

You can't sneak up behind him so no surprise attacks. It's not always end up like you planned it would be. He always somehow sensed it even before you had the idea.

"Agh, come on! At least can't you pretend you didn't know? It's impossible to surprise you!"

"Well, sorry, mi chérie, but you are a bit too obvious."

"That's not true!"

"Okay, okay, I'll pretend next time."

He couldn't. He just acts on instinct; you can't blame him for it. It happens unintentionally

"I just wanted to surprise you for your birthday, damn it!"

"Oh?" He is in tears from happiness.

He is not playing around when he told you that he loves you. You are his one and only.

Dates are either on rooftops or in your house.

He will never let you disrupt your sleep routine for him.

You are having trouble with something? Always having nightmares or you just can't sleep? Or having trouble eating? He will be there every second of it to help you.

He is not innocent. Of course you know that. He knows his place and he respects your boundaries and thoughts.

He feels intimate with you.

He loves any kind of fruit. I can see him sitting on the couch eating apple slices with you.

He becomes really awkward when he doesn't know what to do about something or gets really flustered.

He will support you with anything you will and can do.

LOTS OF PET NAMES IN FRENCH

[ayayabaroque]

Tears, Laughter, Sorrow.

corny, pero wla ako mapost e wla akong no choice last march pa 'to sa drafts CW: Angst? mostly none, corny writing, i hate writing esp since i cant think of anything good/this is why i dont post anymore ffs Spoilers for Lantern Rite '23, not sure if i mention anything but yk its just to be safe A/N: i love school, but i went from rank 1 to rank 3 and i absolutely hate everything and everyone im going to cry sorry for not posting anything recently(and ever), and as usual, English isn't my first language, so please don't have any high hopes for this piece. I might go back to completing the Slowly series but im not feeling well since i last went on here to write a serious fic Read utc!

*:･ﾟ✧ Zhongli *:･ﾟ✧ "Would you live to see Liyue's downfall, or always relive the one most painful moment you have felt in your lifetime?" You pause, thinking on an answer to your friend's question. "The latter. Liyue's downfall won't happen for another thousand years, I doubt that any of you would be attending my funeral any time soon." Your friend tears up at the thought. "Right... yeah probably right." "I'm kidding of course! An endless time loop would keep me stressed, I'd rather have you by my side." ... "I'm... relieved? Hey listen, it's getting late, you should be getting home. I'll see you tomorrow." It was unlikely for your friend to suggest to leave this early, but you don't mind, as long as you see them again tomorrow. Then again, it was too tiring to walk home just right now, maybe you could walk around the harbor, after all, you and your friend have been playing by the docks all day, without anything better to do. "I should be getting home back to Zhongli." you mutter. Although cold, the air in Liyue would always smell of various floral scents, specifically the Glaze Lily. You hated Glaze Lilies. There wasn't one word in the dictionary that could describe how much you loathe these cyan-petal, night-blooming lilies as much as you possibly could. Well, truth be told, you hated the person Zhongli associates with these blooms, and it drives you insane. Guizhong, Zhongli's late friend before the Archon War, used to be so close to him. He would return late from his ventures with his friend in tow that he forgets to come home to you every single time. You couldn't really argue with the reasoning he has, since he is more of your superior rather than a lover. It's been so long since he spent time with you without reminiscing about Guizhong, probably a little over your 429th birthday. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention you were old? The more Zhongli leaves you to mourn Guizhong's day of death on your day of birth, you resort to laughter every time he comes home instead. The false joy of seeing him return home after a mournful day which he marks Guizhong's passing, your laughter behind the façade you show for your lover. "How's Guizhong been? Any response yet?" you muse. "I prefer you not adding salt to my wound." "Oh yeah, you guys ended on rather good terms, it would be a shame if I were to slander her in front of her good friend." The statement always seems to make Zhongli seethe with fury, and it looks like he's had enough of your insults and remarks. "A true shame you did not get to know her, or were you busy burning away your lifetime serving false gods?" "You know well better than to bring my past stature into this conversation." It pains you to think about your past, when your parents sold you off to a minor god for wealth, leaving you to rot in the god's hands. "I'm tired, I do not wish to make this into a heated argument. Go to bed." ... "I honestly wish it was you instead of Guizhong, I miss her dearly." That was what made this memory painful, it was what made you cry in the eve, and sob in the morn. In the end, when you were asked the same question years ago, immortality seemed like a dream, now turned into a living nightmare. You only wish to awake from this horrible dream, again, and again, and again. "So... Would you live to see Liyue's downfall, or always relive the one most painful moment you have felt in your lifetime?" The question that would mark another day of the loop, spent in misery and sorrow. The days you've spent celebrating your birth over, and over again. "Happy 7,329th birthday, to me."

[panelshowsource]

this is such a great episode!

for anyone who hasn't listened yet — it deals with some heavy things including food addiction and eating disorders, death, and more, so anyone who wants to check it out should be aware it's about richard's own history and his self-identified "failures", and it's not particularly light-hearted or funny even though it's endearing and inspiring in many ways

i really appreciate his honesty and how carefully he speaks. he has every right to be angry — with his father leaving, with his relationship to food and shame, with the ever-present confines of modern masculinity making life so lonely for men — but he never seems to be. he just cares about being the best, healthiest version of himself. and i appreciate that he doesn't talk at people, preach, act like he knows more or best; he just knows what he knows all while seeking to always be learning more. i really appreciate him!

i've never heard of a podcast by tailors, how interesting! i listened to the episode with alex and it was really sweet! i'll post this in case anyone else wants to check it out :)

(of course 💜)

same, i'd only really heard of it because i got a bunch of messages about it! (i was a little unplugged from scripted tv when the first series came out 😅)

TOTALLY AGREE about jon pointing! his comedic timing, his facial expressions, he is just too hilarious — even though...can i just say...why was that old ass man playing a uni student X_X

anyways — i knew him from plebs!! that's quite a famous itv2 series, so you should check it out and see if you like it! i love tom basden ugh and if you check my non-panel shows masterpost i have live at the moth club and he does standup in ep1!

i am somewhat familiar with it as someone who likes to watch some of the nextup specials (alistair barrie was one i enjoyed recently!) and tries to keep abreast of the festival nominees & winners, but i don't have as much time as i'd like to really weed out my favourites only because there isn't enough time in the day and i'm already trying to watch 100 things a day 🥲

one thing i find funny is how i pay more attention to who would do well on tv opposed to who is just GOOD. like, i didn't get john kearns until stopped thinking about him in the context of dictionary corner and started acknowledging his written set as a very, very specific piece of work that really shouldn't be disassembled and consumed in morsels. but i do see my interest in — and potentially my preference for — panel shows reflected in some of the circuit guys i like, such as alasdair beckett-king, huge davies, larry david. i just know they would kill panel show world if they were pushed properly :')

i find that i like standup a lot more live than i do on screen — which i think a lot of comedians would understand!

as well, i find the discourse about how difficult it is to get started/off the ground now that edinburgh fringe is becoming less and less accessible extremely fascinating and try to listen to all of the podcasts/convos about that that i can. it's costing comedians upwards of 5k just to debut a modest set at edinburgh — which is madness. here is tom mayhew talking to bbc news about this just a couple of weeks ago...

anyways, is there someone you wanted to recommend? i would love to check out anything 😚

—

daniel sloss standup — added a couple of those to drive! god i looooooved him when i was in high school and still do! highly recommend him on roast battle uk if you need extra sloss content. i'll work on the others over the next couple of weeks

alma's not normal — added to drive!

here we go — i know exactly where this is so i can hook you up but imma need you to dm/ask me off anon for the deets!

hold the front page + the unofficial science of home alone — sorry anons i don't have these on me but they're very easy requests someone can hook you up with on r/tv_bunny, so post them there!

—

PANEL SHOW WATCH LINKS / NON-PANEL SHOW WATCH LINKS FAQ / TAGS / ASK

[ghosttownwherenoonegoes]

Hello! i have a question, but my english is not good. you can ignore this if you like of course :) joe says at a comic con that eddie wants to be a ladies man. do you think it means that eddie wants to be a player? i'm scared because it would take the character away from me, and i always thought eddie would like true love. it makes me very sad but probably i misunderstand what he means?

Hey, nonnie!!!

So, to my understanding, a ladies man is someone who has a lot of girl friends and is quite attractive (which is true for Eddie, he is very attractive) and respects women and won't play with their feelings. A player is different, it's someone who, like I kind of just said, plays with people's feelings, has little respect for said people, and isn't honest in their intentions. I used Urban Dictionary for this paragraph because honestly, if it wasn't for UD, I wouldn't know 98% of what people say these days...😅Eddie is... not like that, on either count.

So when Joe said that Eddie thinks he's a ladies man, what I interpret that to mean is that Eddie thinks he's good at flirting with people, he thinks he's smooth, and he thinks he's attractive and uhhhh sorry, Eddie, baby, but only that last one is true. It absolutely does not mean (in my very humble opinion, please don't take any of this as gospel) that Eddie wants to be a player - he's shown to be very respectful to pretty much everyone he comes across unless they're rude to him first or he judges them faster than they can judge him. He's only human, after all, and we're flawed and messy.🥰

So, I think that you're right - Eddie says it himself, he's cynical but even he knows true love when he sees it (we'll ignore the fact he said that about St*ncy; that's not what this ask is about/I don't ship them so I'm not gonna get into that). I think if Eddie found someone whom he was attracted to and who was able to understand/connect to/return his dorky LOTR and D&D references, if he was able to connect to them on a deeper level than purely physical, if that someone knew who he was and loved him all the same, then I think he'd die for them, no hesitation. I think Eddie would very much be "I know I only learned your name yesterday but I want to marry you two days ago" if he found someone whom he really loved and whom loved him just as much. He's cynical as all hell but he knows true love when he sees it, and with you??? Baby, you're a match made in the metal heavens.💗💗💗

Please don't take any of what I say as gospel; this is just my very quick first draft opinion and I hope it makes sense! I think Eddie is a ride or die man, very respectful and giving and generous. He loves hard and he'd treat you like you're a celestial being, far too good for the likes of him, but you can work on that with him.🫂I do not for a moment think that Eddie would be a player; Uncle Wayne raised him properly and he wouldn't tolerate that kind of shit from his son for a second. Hawkins is a small town and news, especially of that sort, travels fast. So yeah, this is just my opinion and others may disagree and that's okay!! I hope this made sense and that you feel more comfortable with Eddie now, nonnie! He'd love you.💗

[miatsai]

I want to be an editor someday! What are the most important qualities or skills you think an editor can have? Both from an editor perspective and an author perspective?

Hi Anon!

This is a great question that has lots of answers because it really depends on the kind of editing you do and what the expectations are. But in general, I think that having an understanding of authorial intent and voice is super important. Authors make choices in their art, and any editor who believes rules supersede those artistic choices in every situation possible is not taking into account that writing is art.

There are copyeditors (or copy editors, I know some of you like seeing this term open) who hew strictly to their style guide of choice, the dictionary (Merriam-Webster Collegiate is the gold standard in trade publishing), and/or the house style guide, even when the author demonstrates a clear preference for something that's contra the guides or the dictionary. Sometimes it's for a very good reason. For example, I know that "accouterment" is the American spelling and therefore the "correct" spelling in the US, but you can pry "accoutrement" from my bare hands only after I am dead. Sometimes the author simply does not know about the rule, and that's where your discretion comes in when writing a global query.

Hand in hand with understanding authorial intent and voice is the ability to query without being harsh. No one likes having a mean editor. It's tempting to snark or fuss at an author, especially when passages are egregious, but a gentle correction with the right tone of voice works much, much better than a comment that will result in your author thinking you hate them. Being a mean editor (I'm sorry, "brutally honest" if you're a man) is not a badge of honor. I'll say that again: Being a mean editor is not a badge of honor. Editors are there to help clarify and shape a document, all under the aegis of the author's vision. They are not there to cackle maniacally and go on power trips. It's a skill to write queries and letters with gentle but direct language and provide examples where they are needed, and it's something that's only developed over time.

What do I mean by gentle but direct language? Well, that's hard to define as well; authors take feedback in so many different ways, so what may seem gentle to you may not feel gentle to the author. As an author, I have received edit letters that made me spiral for two months. My editor was not mean. She was complimentary. It's just that she asked a lot of questions and I needed to break my manuscript apart to address them in the scope I think they needed to be addressed in, and then I ran into a block, and thus, a spiral ensued. And that's for a letter that was short and kind! Her language was great, though.

Overall, I think that language such as "Echo here intentional?" or "AU: I noticed that this chapter and the previous seem to be out of sync with the rest of the timeline. OK, or should that be changed?" and comments in that tenor are professional and will not be met with accusations of being mean. This goes for developmental edit letters too; you have to find the tone that suits you as an editor as you deliver news that amounts to "scrap the following and rebuild," which no one wants to hear even when we say we want to hear it! No, we want to have written it perfectly on the first try.

And lastly--this one may feel the most controversial, but it isn't if you're an editor, and is if you aren't--when you're on a job, take your sentimentality out of your editing. You'll definitely find manuscripts or papers or whatever you're editing that you're a fan of, and when that happens, it's really wonderful. The jobs go by so much quicker when you're enjoying the material. But you still have to be able to look at a work as objectively as you can and analyze it without regard to your personal feelings. People have asked me how I feel about things I've edited when I was editing them, and the real truth is, aside from a few manuscripts I really adored (but still took the magnifying glass to), I don't have particular attachments to them. I don't have opinions on them. It's work, and it's a sign of respect for your profession and your author that you give them your best, regardless of your feelings for the manuscript.

I know, I know, it sounds cruel. But it's also one of those things where you don't want to be overly harsh to an author because you really, really don't like the way they write, or miss things because you were so caught up in the book that you just could not stop reading it. In those cases, when you send the manuscript back to the author, you can include a little note about how much you loved it, how much you're looking forward to seeing it on the shelf or on your device, etc. There are exceptions, of course, and I try to sniff those out before I accept manuscripts so that I don't read something that hits all my triggers. And that's the last-last piece of advice I'll give on becoming a good editor. Learn what your boundaries are and how to say no. Sometimes, it feels like you can't say no because you need the cash or you want desperately to get word of mouth out, but editing is taxing on the mind and body and the only one who suffers the consequences of that work is you.

Hope that answered your question!

[randomingoftherandomness]

That's exactly what he meant about Ziyu, everyone except everything in a blink without caring about who he was. A person can't change in a day.

As for his father he was shit as a parent you can't let your child do everything then expect that one day he will choose duty over freedom.

For Yuanzhi I still stand in my position and call him entitled. First he openly attacked Ziyu in front of the brides for no reason, he didn't show him respect when he was chosen as Zhiren (Shangjue did even if he didn't like it), he tried to bad mouth young elder Yue, he poisoned a girl and killed a housekeeper without a second thought, he put himself in danger just because he knew his brother had his back, he talked back to his brother wife.

I don't mean he is a bad person but I don't see his attitude much differently from Ziyu's. The real difference was that Ziyu was public shamed by hi father (and Yuanzhi was pleased by it) while Yuanzhi was backed up and pampered by Shangjue.

Ps. Sorry for my bad English.

Oh no, you’re cool don’t worry about it, I understood you just fine. Which is why I’m going to treat this as a query coming from a basis of good faith.

You can believe he is “entitled”, but lets just have a look at what that word actually means as per the dictionary definition

First he openly attacked Ziyu in front of the brides for no reason

Oh wow. Okay. We have only gotten this small sliver of a glimpse into their lifelong relationship with each other. Who is to say that this isn't par for the course when it comes to their interactions with each other?

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who has complicated relationships with members of their family and every time we meet or gather, must put on a smiling face to deal with the snarky/sarcastic remarks and the occasional physical assault that is always passed off with a "I'm just joking". Not excusing anything, but my parameters for what "attacking" might be skewed here.

No apparent reason? Have you ever met anyone whose sheer existence is reason enough for you to have a distaste for them?

he didn't show him respect when he was chosen as Zhiren (Shangjue did even if he didn't like it)

Okay, I've said this in one of my previous treatises about Yuanzhi, but Yuanzhi is literally an employee for the Gong family. When you work for an entity/institution/corporation, the decisions made by upper management will trickle down to you and affect your work.

It's quite literally the worst things about working btw.

But I digress.

Let's put this out there; Ziyu was not CHOSEN to be the Zhiren, he was the ONLY ONE AVAILABLE, and therefore they had to go with him. We know he rose up to the challenge and will prove himself a capable simp to his wife Zhiren, but at the time when Yuanzhi "didn't show him respect", what was Ziyu most known for? That's right. Being a drunk who spends too much time in the whorehouse and has no wits for the family business.

Was Yuanzhi "entitled" for backing his apparently disrespect towards someone who DID NOT work for his position? Was Yuanzhi "entitled" to flaunt the fact that he IS the person everyone turns to for poisons/knowledge about cures? No. Every attitude he and Shangjue gave is backed up by their track record of service to the Gong Family.

Respect isn't given, it's earned. At that point of time, has Ziyu (bless him) done anything to be earning the respect as Zhiren? No.

Let me also remind you of the scenes where Ziyu returned Yuanzhi's hidden weapons that Shangguan Qian filched and when Yuanzhi gave Ziyu the Chuyan Chonglian meant for Shangjue after the battle with Wufeng.

Tell me. Do you remember what was the most important thing in those scenes? That's right. Respect earned by Ziyu as the Gong Family's Zhiren that Yuanzhi gives willingly. Yuanzhi literally poured him a cup of tea under the guise of not wanting to owe him a favour; Yuanzhi literally giving him the special flower he painstakingly raised to keep his brother safe. You know. The one person this crazy poison didi is a brocon for?

he tried to bad mouth young elder Yue

And after Shangjue tells him that Elder Yue is someone he has to respect, what did he do? I keep saying this about Yuanzhi but I think it bears repeating; he's young, he's egoistical, he's brash, but he's the furthest thing from stupid. And Shangjue is his moral compass.

If you are then talking about the scene where he was captured in Yu residence for snooping, bruh. Be for fucking reals here. Please meet me in the middle. The dude saw something shady going on. Didi legit heard Yun Weishan admit that she's from Wu Feng. Didi heard the admission that Elder Yue was working to collude with an agent of Wu Feng. Fam, please. I'm pretty sure you can see the bigger picture.

he poisoned a girl and killed a housekeeper without a second thought

Ok? And? Yuanzhi was brought up under a precept of rules that pretty much had no mercy and a kill-first-ask-later policy. I'm failing to see how this is entitled behaviour.

he put himself in danger just because he knew his brother had his back, he talked back to his brother wife.

Okay? And? I'm seriously failing to see how this is entitled behaviour?

Shangjue is his most precious person and obviously the one person in the show's universe that he can trust with his life and have his back. When you have someone like that that you trust so implicitly, why wouldn't you have the belief that they'll come through for you? Which Shangjue has obviously done time and time and again for him? And something Yuanzhi will do for Shangjue too?

And about the wife comment. The woman is a suspected Wu Feng agent. Him and Shangjue deadass DO NOT TRUST her. They may buy into certain aspects about her dog and pony show, but they definitely trust her about as far as they can throw her. Which is a very short distance. Is a bit of sass and snark back talking? Perhaps if you take it that way. The way I see it, Shangguan Qian is very amused by Yuanzhi's jealous little wife act and is actually very entertained. To her and her smiling wiles, Yuanzhi is worth the effort to tease and toy with. Like a cat batting at a ball of yarn.

And furthermore, who is indulging the back talking? Shangjue. The exact person who is the center of the power play.

And again, I fail to see how this is, as the literal dictionary definition, "entitled" behaviour.

You wanna talk about entitled behaviour? Let's look at Ziyu. Let me just list some closing arguments off the top of my head coz I need to go pee:

Ziyu who feels entitled to Gong Yuanzhi's help when the man from the outpost collapses in front of his carriage even though Jin Fan had protested with valid reasons

Ziyu who was entitled enough to waltz into the bride candidates hostel just to talk to Yun Weishan even though the senior maid told him she could get into trouble and he isn't allowed in there

Ziyu who felt entitled enough to start ordering people about as Zhiren even though he doesn't have the a) credentials and proven track record for leadership b) hasn't even completed the Trials of the Three Realms

I love Ziyu but if you really want to talk about "entitled" behaviour,

Also, I don't know if by "pampered by Shangjue" is also the equivalent to "letting your didi get taken off to jail where there's a chance some guard might get a little trigger happy and torture him", but wow. That's some D/S level pampering.