#that book was wild tho man from start to finish

[sporadictimetravelgarden]

reading voltaire’s candide for class. holy shit guys

the chapter titles are basically structured like friends episodes

the main character’s love interest is his cousin

he’s kicked out after getting caught kissing his aforementioned cousin by his uncle/boss/future in-law

some army recruitors are trying to get him to enlist but this dumbass just confesses his love for his cousin (and is then forcefully enlisted)

his army arc lasts like one chapter before he ends up in lisbon

their token philosopher is caught fucking a maid in the woods

they end up in actual el dorado bc why not

marty???? is my fav, love him and his pessimistic view of life, same

[wonkixo]

START OF SOMETHING NEW — p. sunghoon

pairing non-idol!psh x fmr genre strangers to ??? (happy ending tho!) synopsis when fate decides you need to experience one last extravagant moment with a stranger to end off your year. warnings not rlly any besides fluff!!! not proofread at all :p like one or two profanities. scenes mainly taken from high school musical, but with some twists and turns of my own ^^ kinda left on a cliffhanger but let ur imagination run wild <3

AUTHOR'S NOTE i grew up on the high school musical trilogy and they were my favorite movies growing up (even up to now tbh), so writing this made my little heart so happy :) i lowkey want to start a series for each of the members with a song from one of the movies :0 but we'll see lol special tag @aenify !! i hope u enjoy & we can become closer moots <3

You and your parents were celebrating New Year's at a ski lodge, although you were unable to locate your parents throughout the night. You quietly sat at a couch, isolating yourself from the rest of the crowd and began to read the book you brought along.

"Who's going to rock the house next?" The host on stage announces and you hear a few mumbles and cheers from people around you, motivating their friends to volunteer for karaoke.

Two stage lights begin to roam around the large room, picking out its next two victims. However, as oblivious as you were, did not notice the commotion until a bright light came into your view.

You look up, visibly disturbed by the light until you notice the announcer walking your way. You drop your book as he grabs your hands, lifting you up from the couch and guiding you towards the stage.

"Oh no sir, you must be mistaken... I'm not a singer." You gently protest to the host, who laughs to himself as he pushes you towards the microphone stand. "There's no such thing as a bad singer." He responds cheekily before walking off the stage.

You notice a boy around your age standing by the microphone stand next to you, who seemed to have also been forced onto the stage and appeared uncomfortable by the situation.

The announcer stands between you both and hands the boy the microphone. "Hey, you know what? Someday, you two might thank me for this." The host says as he walks off the stage. You cross your arms around your front, looking around the room trying to avoid locking eyes with the mysterious man besides you.

An instrumental tune begins to play and a few people in the crowd begin to cheer, although most seem occupied in their own conversations. Your mind began to race, thinking of several different ways to get off stage and still manage to not make a fool of yourself.

"Living in my own world... didn't understand." The boy begins to sing. You look over at him with slightly widened eyes, surprised by not only the fact that he is actually singing, but also his vocals (and not to mention his visuals) were beautiful.

The boy looks at you with gentle eyes, although still visibly shaken up by what brought you two on stage in the first place. "That anything can happen, when you take a chance." His verse finishes and he backs away from the microphone, beginning to walk off the stage.

"I never believed in..."

You begin to sing in the microphone, slightly shocked by your sudden courage to join in... but at this point in the game, why not? You notice in the corner of your eye that the mysterious boy stops in his steps, looking back at you as you sing.

"What I couldn't see..." You continue. The boy begins to return to his place next to you, holding onto the microphone stand and looking back at you. "I never opened my heart..." You sing, noting how the man's vocals easily harmonized with yours. "To all the possibilities."

The boy and you exchanged quick glances at one another, noticing each other's shyness but you two continued to sing along to the instrumental music.

"I know."

"That something has changed." He looks at you, noticing how cute you looked despite the awkwardness of the situation.

"Never felt this way." You look away from him, a slight blush crept up your cheeks as you noted how the pretty boy next to you was eyeing you.

"And right here, tonight." You turn your head to face him, seeing that he was still staring at you. He gives you a gentle smile to which you return.

"This could be the start of something new." The crowd around you both begins to cheer you guys on, clapping on beat. The encouragement clearly rubbed off on the boy besides you as he visibly became more comfortable as you two sang the chorus.

Your arms were still wrapped around your front, but as you two began the second verse, the man begins to remove his blazer. You giggle into the microphone as the crowd cheers you two on.

You could no longer hold back your smile as you watch the man groove to the song, which pushed you further out of your comfort zone. You moved your hands to grip onto the microphone and removing it from the stand.

As the song was nearing the end, the man gently approached you with a small smile on his face as he sang. When he was of closer reach to you, he softly took the microphone stand away from you and set it aside.

"It's the start of something new." Both your hands held onto the microphone as the boy looked at you with glowing eyes.

"It feels so right to be here with you." You couldn't help but think to yourself how spontaneous this encounter is, but you are enjoying yourself more than you thought you would. And by the looks of it, so was the man.

"And now, looking in your eyes." Your eyes lock with his, your smile widening as you become more comfortable on stage and around him. You examine his face as he is within closer proximity, finding the moles on his face adorable.

"I feel in my heart..." The boy takes small steps towards you, causing you to step back instinctively. You nearly fall backwards into the crowd, before the crowd pushes you back onto the stage and the man quickly takes a hold of your hand. He pulls you back up on the stage, you two much closer than before.

Your face was only mere inches away from his, with both your microphones filling the space. "The start of something new..." The song comes to a close, with the mysterious man still holding onto your hand and your eyes locked onto his.

The crowd erupts into loud applause for you two, many praising you both for such a wonderful and memorable performance, but you could not focus on anything else but the man in front of you.

"Sunghoon." He introduces himself over the screams of the crowd, his eyes anticipating to learn your name.

"YN."

"That was literally crazy!" You chuckle to Sunghoon as you two walk towards the outdoor balcony of the lodge. "I did not expect myself to do something so insane like that tonight... or at all!" You continue, the adrenaline still rushing through your veins.

"Me too! I've never been one to sing, but to hear you say the same thing? That's crazy. You're an amazing singer." Sunghoon compliments you. You take a quick jab at his shoulder, unsure of how else to react to the words of affirmation.

"I could say the same about you. That whole jacket move and saving me from eating shit proves you could be a good performer." You laugh, noting your silly mistakes on stage but shaking them off anyways.

"Wasn't about to let a pretty girl regret her last few moments of the year." Sunghoon shots back, causing you to cover your face with your hands as you were unable to stop the heat from creeping up your face. "You're such a flirt!" You giggle.

Sunghoon laughs, fond of your cuteness. "What can I say? You only live once, right?" You shake your head in disbelief, a small smile appearing on your face as you chuckle once again at Sunghoon's antics.

You two stand in a moment of silence before you hear everyone starting to whistle and cheer. Many began to crowd around you two on the balcony and a loud ticking noise was heard, signifying it's almost time for the new year.

"3... 2... 1! Happy New Year's!"

Fireworks begin to pop and delightful cheers begin to fill the sound of the quiet night. You watch the fireworks with a sense of excitement for the new year, until you feel Sunghoon's eyes on you.

You turn your head to him, in which he looks you in the eyes and you see him look down at your lips before looking back up. You two stare at each other for a moment, admiring one another silently.

"I should get going and greet my parents!" You break the silence, but you took note in the slight sadness hidden behind Sunghoon's eyes as you acknowledged your leave. "I should go too, you know... greet my family as well." He replies.

"Let's exchange numbers! If you're okay with that." He opts, his voice full of nerves but a smile on his face nonetheless. "Yes, of course!" You cheer and grab your phone from your pocket. You two exchange phones and enter in your contact information before returning them.

"Thank you for such a great night, YN. It was really fun singing with you and I..." Sunghoon begins to ramble until he looks up from his phone and notices you already disappeared into the crowd.

He chuckles to himself before looking back up at the freshly lit sky. A slight ping sound takes his eyes away from the night as he sees a text message from you.

YN: "It was lovely to meet you! Happy New Year's 🫂 Hope to see you around, Sunghoon <3"

"YN..." Sunghoon mumbles to himself. A toothy smile grows on his face as he anticipates what the new year has in store for you two.

[cocogum]

Let’s talk about episodes 7 and 8….

(‼️SEASON 4 SPOILERS‼️)

.

.

.

.

.

.

Oh boy.

We got a lot to unpack.

We start with when we last finished off in episode 6.

Eva properly gets to speak with her father Madagaskan while the others are right behind her, listening intently to them.

AND MY GOD THE EXPOSITION WAS SO GOOD.

(Good for us, not for Eva tho lol)

The fact that she and Cleophee come from the most infamous assassin’s guild is WILD. You’re telling me that its members are so good at what they do that the rulers of the world buy their offers as fast as possible cuz they’re scared that the guild could ruin them if they go to the opposite team?? That just SCREAMS how important and secretive they are!! (plus we also saw a glimpse of what one of them, freaking Madagaskan, was able to do with just rocks). But it does explain why Eva has such a good eye for combat. I can also see where Cleophee takes her hair from too. From what Madagaskan has said about Eva personally, she looks identical to her mother. (I already headcanon that Cleophee took her looks from her dad instead 🥰).

But what surprised me even more was Flopin’s decision to follow Madagaskan. Not only did he want to get taught by him, but he willingly SNEAKED OUT OF THE DAMN HOUSE to go to him!

Also, can I just say how nice it is to see what Elely and Flopin’s bedrooms looked like? I love how we got a good shot of each of their rooms, it completely encapsulates their personalities and how opposite they are to each other!

Just look at how Flopin’s room looks very organized, his books are properly in their places on the bookshelves, and the amount of papers he has. Even his bed was made and you can see how he has a map of the World of Twelve plastered on the wall just on top of his desk.

Whereas with Elely, her room is completely messy, pillows and clothes are lying around the floor on the left side of the room, her bed is not made, she has a giant tapestry on her wall, some boxing equipment like her gloves and a punching bag (which she drew Poo on it lol that’s a nice detail).

But Flopin did have a point when he talked to his grandpa. We all knew he was a loser cuz Elely and Pin were doing their own thing. I mean do you remember how exhausting it was to keep seeing Elely having so much spotlight back in season 3? My girl is awesome and all but let her breathe for a second damn.

I’m glad Flopin chose that route for himself even though it was a bit of a surprise to see him want to follow Madagaskan now.

Ngl he lists out very valid points that even we were thinking about. It just shows that Flopin is very much self-aware of his position in the family and how this makes him look. I had a feeling Flopin would have his own arc but I didn’t think he’d separate himself from his family to have one! Good for him tho but still…

This means he won’t see Elely for a long time and Pin wouldn’t get to know him as much as the rest of the Percedal family….

But at least he’ll have his grandpa 😭😭

*Meanwhile with Ruel*

“HELPING FOSTER CHILDREN IN NEED?!?? 😱😱😱 HELL NAH NOT ON MY WATCH 😡😡😡”

I can’t with this old ass man sometimes I swear 😭😭😭

I just really loved the exposition on Nora’s part where she revealed to Yugo, Adamaï, and Qilby why and how she came to rescue their mother. The colors and the style of it all were so gorgeous and mesmerizing to stare at and it made so much sense. I also noticed how in her explanation, Nora mentioned that it was Efrim who had a special connection to the Eliatrope goddess instead of her like how it was revealed to be the case in the Wakfu volume 4 manga and the Islands of wakfu game. I assumed that Ankama retconned that tiny detail too.

LESBIAN QUEENS ‼️LESBIAN QUEENS‼️LESBIAN QUEENS‼️ LESBIAN QUEENS‼️LESBIAN QUEENS ‼️

I just love how realistic all the rulers’ answers have been so far. They’re all skeptical of Yugo and his family and I don’t blame them for thinking like that. It doesn’t matter how kind and helpful Yugo can be to them. As Aurora said, everything about this is too coincidental which is how Armand concluded that there could be a traitor in Yugo’s group. Again, I don’t blame him for saying that since he just got told by Yugo that the portals from the Sadida kingdom and Albuera have a portal, leading to the necrome world, that looks a lot like an eliatrope one.

And of course, Yugo doesn’t hesitate to blame Qilby and already jumps to conclusions way too fast, immediately thinking he’s the traitor since he knows he’s the type to hop from planet to planet, not caring what happens to the places he went to just as long as he got to study them.

I love this man so much 💕💕✨

But if Yugo actually took a second to process the information, he would know that there was clearly something wrong with his accusation. Because how and where would Qilby have the energy and especially the time for all that? Yugo is completely aware that Qilby got freed by their mother and Nora not a very long time ago. If I had to assume when he was freed, I’d have to say just a bit earlier when Yugo and the others were still in Oropo’s dimension.

Not only that, but since he got freed not too long ago AND was being carefully monitored by Nora, then there was no chance he could have been the traitor. He just got out of the White Dimension (again) so he’d be drained of energy and didn’t have the eliatrope dofus and the Eliacube.

But a very important thing to note here is that Qilby was also joining Nora and the small eliatropes on the missions his mother would send them in which clearly implies that he’s not done with this world yet (he could have been participating only because he was looking for the eliatrope dofus at the time when Adamaï didn’t find them first but if that was the case, then he wouldn’t have stayed and help to fend off against the necromes since he doesn’t like it when other beings pursue him and his people without, ironically, knowing where they are).

With all these in mind, it's safe to say that Yugo’s anger towards Qilby is based on personal issues.

Their fight in the sky was so well choreographed that I just loved every single second of it and how none of their poses were recycled 💖

If I see this shit in the streets you bet ur ass I’m shitting myself.

Also,

Ankama left us with a cute little gift so unexpectedly that it made me bash my keyboard at the wall. 🥰🥰

This shot was pulled out of nowhere that it made my heart drop to my feet.

This is the living embodiment of what Yugo’s sleep paralysis demon looks like 💀

One thing’s for sure though.

I’m not ready for the next episode my stomach keeps giving me constipation symptoms just thinking about it.

[crow-of-paradise]

I finished The Way of Kings and IIII'm feelin' it!!! Yo girl is going THRU it!!!

This book is great for the saps. The Sentimentals. Dare I say cheese-lovers. Moved easily to tears by acts of goodness and humanity. (<- all me) Maybe bc it is so lacking in our real lives - and this from someone fortunate enough to have some amazing people in their life, I still think we can all want to be better for ourselves and others, because it's the right and good thing to do. In the end, it's the heart of the book, imo, that stays with me the most. Kaladin, Dalinar, Bridge Four, struggling to do the right thing, keep hope alive in the face of despair like a small sputtering candle in the dark (or highstorm, as it were). When I finished and was gathering my thoughts, there's a lovely quote by Mr. Rogers that immediately came to mind:

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”

And this book has plenty of both (the scary and the helpers). It’s a very hopeful story at its core, despite realizing some people felt put off by the “depression simulator” (as the first review, of all things, I watched called him!!) that is Kaladin during most of the book, lol. But hey! I'm into that shit! I was deeply moved by his struggles and how he kept finding reasons to care, despite himself, like a wild instinct he’s unable to control. He’s gotta be one of my favorite fictional characters of all time, THE LOVE I HAVE FOR THIS MAN IS INSANE. So I'm hoping that the story continues with its main philosophy and theme centering hope prevailing in the end. I'm locked in, so I guess we'll see soon enough lol.

Also I fucking love beginnings. Some people loathe them - they’re too slow, there’s not enough happening, there’s too much to learn. When it’s done WELL, I eat that shit up, and TWOK does it sooooo well. When I first started reading it, I was constantly praising its accessibility, how easy it was to understand and visualize and keep up, as someone who does NOT read a lot (particularly not a brick like this). That is a constant throughout the rest of the book! I personally really meshed well with Sanderson’s writing style, and that was besides his amazing skill with a large and compelling cast of characters, all of whom have their own subtle arcs and development which were satisfying to read and I value most in the media I enjoy.

I found out about Sanderson in the most random way! I was RPing in Final Fantasy XIV lol (2022/23 was... a time) and I really wanted to work on my combat writing skills. I think I looked up recommendations for this and Brandon Sanderson’s name came up more than once (and yes, this book is a war epic, and the battles are long and brutal, and so captivating to read), along with The Way of Kings being the most recommended, so I filed away his name and the book in the back of my mind. I would see his work out in the wild and pick it up, balk at the size, but it wasn’t until earlier this year when I bought the mass market paperback that I actually decided to try it out - read a few pages, then bought the larger trade paperback bc I am Old and my eyes suck, also there are gorgeous illustrations to appreciate. I just wasn’t vibing with any of my attempted reads at the time (ACOTAR, Emily Wilde tho I do wanna try this one again, among others). I think I was craving something Epic, and I was fresh off season 2 of House of the Dragon and the latest FFXIV expansion and I wanted a book to take to Iceland with me (this massive tome did indeed travel with me lmao, and I didn't get far what with the long exhausting days of that trip, but I did manage a few pages and even more scuffs and dings along the way). So yes, this did largely scratch that itch and then some! I’ve said it 100 times but I’m not a good reader - it’s so hard for me to maintain the focus required for it long enough, though I do try. To me it’s nothing short of a GENUINE ACCOMPLISHMENT that I not only conquered this monster but did it relatively quickly during a stressful time of the year, and LOVED it. Books as a storytelling medium is such a large untapped well for me, so I mourn not being able to devour them like other bookworms do because I know there are some gems out there (audiobooks are worse for my focus to grasp onto funnily enough lol).

In light of that, this book really just feels like a small miracle that happened to me. It means a lot and I’m so grateful. (told you I was a sap!!!) And I'm so sad Words of Radiance is still being shipped to me. But I have another lovely book I'm reading (The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields) for book club with my bestie (shoutout to @bisummers I'M STARTING MY PAGES TOMORROW) so I will be occupied until then... and hopefully it gets here soon. :)

[borom1r]

2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 18, 20, 22 for lotr from the violence ask meme 😈

OK i have answered 2 already but lets do this thing fuck yea (thank uuuuuuuuuu!!!!!)

3) screenshot or description of the worst take you’ve seen on tumblr

look its not really a "take" but the amount of people who just post variations of "I don't like Boromir, he's the worst" IN THE BOROMIR TAG is genuinely insane to me. like have ur (incorrect) opinion but keep it out of the tag worstie

7) what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

uhhhh no one thank the gods. ive always disliked Denethor Because of canon. but i will say stumbling across the file index of an old LotR fansite + clicking on files w/ no preview only to find graphics thirsting over Denethor did cause massive psychic damage lmao

8) common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

idk 😭 i dont interact w/ the broader fandom really. i do find the way ppl reduce Pippin to Just a joke character in fanon insufferable tho

9) worst part of canon

BOOK!FARAMIR + HIS MIDDLEMEN SHTICK MY WORSTIE.

also ngl i do find the Aragorn/Arwen romance....... Weird. like I'm far from averse to "love at first sight" so long as it comes with the recognition that it's really more infatuation + true love takes work. and there's the fact Aragorn fell head over heels for an image of Lúthien, and Arwen's heart did not turn towards him until Galadriel dressed him up in elven finery. not to mention she was "not yet weary of her days" when Aragorn dies + has to die "whether I will or I nill" like she. wastes away? slowly alone in Lothlórien.

like idk [Aragorn kinnie voice] that's my sister, man but all that aside I do think.. Arwen deserved better? I like that the movies made her more active + I do wish she'd actually been there at Helm's Deep bc it would've been fun to see her and Éowyn bond but yeah. the vibes were off with that whole situation imho

12) the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

huh. does Théodred count? i feel like he's kind of a blank slate so fandom can just kinda run wild with him but i do genuinely enjoy writing him + find that there are solid implications for at least a friendship between him + Boromir (if not more). i mean, Boromir got a Rohirric shield from someone

14) that one thing you see in fics all the time

ok th implication here bein its sth that bothers me which thankfully i pretty much only read Aramir or Faramir/Éomer fics soooo theres not much??

i think the only things that RLLY get to me + they aren't THAT popular trope-wise (or ive been rlly good at avoiding them lmao) are fics that 1) make Boromir overly aggressive or 2) completely woobify Faramir

+ tbh the Faramir one bothers me more actually. that is a grown ass man and captain of the rangers of Ithilien.....................

18) it’s absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on…

HRM. again idk :3 <- blissfully not interacting w the broader fandom + only interacting w/ ppl w correct takes on Boromir + Rohan

(tentatively i need to start following more ppl i see some of yall in my notes + i shld follow. sorry im like a nervous dog u need to coax out from under the porch lol)

20) part of canon you found tedious or boring

side-eyeing my copies of the Histories. i need to finish those. eventually.............

22) your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores

ignores?????? nothing i think (thankfully lmao) but i will say there is SO much detail in the films that it makes me INSANE. ik we literally just talked abt this in DMs lmao but i could sit n talk abt LotR costuming for fucking HOURS the films were SO stunning and the clothing alone reveals sooooooo much abt the characters i think its a super underrated vehicle for character analysis :3

[am-i-sans]

dnd adventures 41

we spent a long time talking about weed and shadow the hedgehog

inferno pops out of eeby deeby by tori oh no. frog says hi. tori is cursing at this lol. frog shows sunnie inferno's cat. suzy tackles him lol. frog introduces inferno to sunnie. inferno pretends to not know sunnie xD suzy says he told her to beat up sunnie. inferno got a 22 to deceive but sunnie also got a 22 wtf. sunnie trusts the kids more xD tori and sunnie just give each other a look.

suzy bites inferno for covering her mouth. clamped down lol. he manages to escape tho! tori says she normally tries to stop suzy but not when it involves inferno. inferno flips her off lol. cam goes eeby deeby. sunnie asks tori what inferno did, so much my guy.

dess and dans are still getting high. talking about how fucked up eeby deeby is. dess mentions another storage and freaks dans out. 'dess are you ok?' 'what do you think?' 'i think no but i wont push.' dans asks why dess joined this weird journey and she says she has a contract. cause of tall ass creepy elf man. cant talk about it cause contract stuff maybe lol. dans peeks in the bathroom on undyne shes snoring up a storm. he says his lawyer could help dess get out of her contract xD his lawyer is gaster and hes a nerd. dess says "oh 2 of them thats weird." "yeah thats weird."

suzy is poking inferno lol. run away inferno! sunnie asks if thats normal xD tori asks if sunnie is in town long. not long just research. inferno is still running from suzy lol. frog makes sunnie put them on his shoulders. sunnie is ghost hunting? he doesnt believe in ghosts tho like wtf xD frog says cam got possessed by a ghost lol. sunnies like what?! tori's like yeah lol. sunnie is also a flat earther nooooooo!

inferno is just walking randomly. he walked in a loop oh no welcome back. suzy pokes him again lol. tori is critiquing sunnie for not believing shit he writes xD suzy kicks inferno in the shin. sunnies next research is a haunted house outside of town. let frog go! sunnie pretends to not know infernos name and tries to take his name xD 'wouldnt you like to fucking know.' tori is surprised he still does that lol.

lady of the house set fire to it and killed everyone side, sounds familiar. very ironic. he was invited to investigate by a fan of his books. a bit sus. sunnie is fucking blind. both tori and sunnie said no ghost hunting DX tori tucks suzy under her arm like a football. tori has sunnie kneel and she peels frog off his head. tori mentions undyne is out of commission and inferno gets excited.

dans and dess finished the boof and now shes pacing. dans is a bit worried. undyne sings in her sleep xD. dans asks dess if shes worried about berdly. kinda but theres a lot on her mind. 'what are you a cop?' fuck no xD he says again she doesnt need to tell him if she doesnt want to, hes just all ears. shes worried from the crossover event cause she didnt appear in spingledorfs future. dans says maybe she just settled down somewhere. she cant go home, same buddy. 'you are fucked up and abnormal. i like you.' dans is so high he sees 3 of her lol. this is her first time seeing a bearded dans lol.

as dess and dans hang out undyne starts sleep walking and broke the bathtub. dans tries to lead her toward the bed and she fucking smacks him wtf. dess throws a snowball in her face to wake her up. doesnt work and she barrels toward dess. dess tries to restrain undyne with magic but since shes high it turns into wild magic lol. dess is blue now oh no and undyne slams into her and they fall over.

group 1 arrives at the hotel. sunnie pats frog on the head he was glad to meet them. tori asks if theyll see him tomorrow. suppose they will! tori sends the kids upstairs. inferno follows. they see undyne outcold ontop of a blue dess. dans is trying to pull her off dess. she wakes up finally. shes so confused lol. dess shuffles away lol. dans hands her some water. he tells her she was sleepwalking and smacked him in the nose for a nosebleed lol. and destroyed the bathtub. inferno says tori wont let us go to a haunted house. dess calls undyne a murder slut xD dans tells inferno theres a soap cart at the end of the hall lol then removes dess blue curse.

tori comes up and is very concerned. dans asks how brother time was and dess takes it the wrong way and then walks into a wall. cam pops out of eeby deeby by dess with an egg in their mouth xD dans catches tori up on what happaned with them. suzy and frog ask tori what cannabis is xD ask again in 10 years.

we long rest and frog is very energetic and they want to see sunnie. breakfast first kiddo. dess tells frog cannabis is a plant lol. cam says dess really likes quests. undynes got a headache and dess picks up frog from jumping on her. dess says she saw frog die 40 times or so. like girl what. tori of course really hates that. after breakfast frog runs out and starts asking people where the haunted house is.

frog you smell like weed stop that xD the guy just runs.dans is just having vani sniff out sunnie and undyne follows him. haunted house! frog just runs in okie dokie. frog avoids a hole then starts yelling for sunnie. time to split up! very burnt home. are we sure this isnt tori's family? after a long investigation i didnt bother writing, inferno sees a ghostly woman. cam returns to eeby deeby lol. undyne just wants to leave. ghost lady hates the husband guy i guess. sunnie isnt here.

[arwainian]

Reading This Week 2024 #5

orange means actually read, blue means skimmed. i am so deeply in the grad school reading hole it is So/Too Much and i have to read and grade student papers this coming week...

Finished:

The Book of Disappearance by Ibtisam Azem, translated by Sinan Antoon

said my thoughts on this last week! i will add that unfortunately at times the translation is sloppy/there were many typos.. i still really liked the book

Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 6 by Bisco Hatori, translated by Naomi Kokubo & Eric-Jon Rössel Waugh

just a fun read. debating if i should just read whatever next volume is available through my library, even tho its not the next one

Orange, Vol. 3 by Ichigo Takano, translated by Amber Tamosaitis

held my breath and got through the moment that i stopped reading on a few weeks prior and got past it! the story remains cute!

Started and Finished:

"Gender, Race and the Regulation of Native Identity in Canada: An Overview" by Bonita Lawrence

Giving an Account of Oneself by Judith Butler

"What is an Author?" by Michel Foucault

Introduction & Afterword from Critical Discourses by David Sancher

"Hansel and Gretel" and "The Juniper Tree" from Grimm's Fairy Tales

"Morphology of Folktales" by Vladimir Propp

"Theory as Liberatory Practice" by bell hooks

"The Attempted Dispossession of Kwe" Chapter 3 of As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom through Radical Resistance by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

"The Man of Professional Wisdom" by Kathryn Pyne Addelson

"Whose Words? Whose Reality?: THe Politics of Representation and Interpretation" Chapter 3 of Ethical Dilemmas in Feminist Research: The Politics of Location, Interpretation, and Publication by Gesa E. Kirsch

"Trapped in the Wrong Theory: Rethinking Trans Oppression and Resistance" by Talia Mae Bettcher

^^ really liked this one

The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh

what a page turner! and thank god it was bc it was 333 pages and i had to get through it all last week... wish me luck with the 360 pages book i have to read this week

I Think Our Son Is Gay, Vol. 4 by Okura, translated by Leighann Harvey

continue to find this very cute, and every time i read this series it reminds me of the wild feeling of my dad gifting me the first volume (being out to my parents has weird side effects like this)

"Postcolonial Studies and the Challenge of Climate Change" by Dipesh Chakrabarty

Selections from an Unfinished Book, "3,000 Years Among the Microbes" by Mark Twain, from Appendix V of Mark Twain: A Biography by Albert Bigelow Paine

^^WILD. human man shrunk down to microscopic scale talking about microbe society and philosphy

S.T. Coleridge on Fancy vs. Imagination

so many student paper proposals...

Ongoing:

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, specifically read the first 5 pages of part 2

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

read another chapter of this to the gf! every so often i interrupted myself to complain about weird word choices. seriously... "armed" used as a verb to mean "wipe sweat of one's forehead with their arm"???? bad

[tinx-methinks]

43, 44, 45, and 49! 💕

Thank you lovely~! I was hoping I'd get more than one of these. <3 Hope you're ready for this answer lol

43. Title of a book you own that’s in the worst physical condition you have. Explain what happened to it. Post a picture if you want.

I waited till now to answer this cause I wanted to include a picture of my shame and these books were tucked safely away in the back of my bedroom bookshelf where my partner was sleeping so I couldn’t get them. Confession time: I love reading in the bath. And in the days before my waterproof ereader I have destroyed a book or two simply by rereading it and exposing it to my wet and wild habit over and over. Please don’t judge me for the severity of these pictures, it was a different time.

All trigger warnings for severely abused books apply.

That is my copy of The Good the Bad and The Undead by Kim Harrison which is the second book in her The Hollows/Rachel Morgan series and the first one I read after finding it in my dad’s rejected books pile. It’s probably the book I’ve reread the most besides Reaper Man by Terry Prachett as I recall finishing it on occasions and immediately restarting it. I loved it. I actually own three copies of this book. This one. A digital copy in a full series omnibus. And another copy of the paperback bought recently as I’d love to own the entire series so I’m trying to pick the ones I’m lacking. 

The second is my copy of Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning this is the first book in her Fever series which I to this day haven’t finished but at the time it was a favored because of its interesting world building, angst ridden characters, and of course the sexy potential of its (poorly aged!) love to hate ‘em alpha-male romantic interests. Still I used to wait for each new book of the series to be available at the library and while I waited I used to reread my copy of this one to keep the characters fresh in my mind. Funfact: I also bought a digital bundle of this series which I was reading as my “work book” (the book I only read at work) for a while. And I made it all the way to where I originally stopped. The last book in the original series, book five: Shadowfever. I made it halfway through it when the lockdowns hit and at that point I didn’t want to start reading my work book at home so I still haven’t finished it. That’s probably ok though, while I enjoy the nostalgia of the characters and world it’s not so great in 2023! 

So yeah I think they’re both pretty banged up but I think Darkfever might be a little worse? It certainly feels worse to the touch! Pages clumped and stuck together and edges destroyed. Its more waterdamaged at least, but the other one is split down the middle so I guess that’s also pretty bad! I'm posting both tho because the other one def looks worse.

44. The book(s) whose stories have become part of your very makeup.

Reaper Man. Dragonlance: Chronicles, Legends, Tales, the Lost Chronicles, and the Raistlin Duology in particular. The Count of Monte Cristo. Cyrano De Bergerac, The Art of Asking. American Gods. Countless short stories, fairy tales, myths and legends. The first six books of The Hollows series by Kim Harrison also need to be mentioned. Particularly the one above. You can’t imagine how mortified I was when I got my partner to read them and he commented “Hey, you, like, took some of your personality from these didn’t you?” Yeah. Probably bruh. But you don’t have to call me out like that.  Books five, seven, and eight of the Women of the Otherworld Series probably deserve an honorable mention for the same reason tbh. More recently I think the series of Bring Me Their Hearts, and The Library of the Unwritten definitely rewrote something in my brain. 

45. What book(s) would you sell your soul to get a TV or movie adaptation of?

Listen the other day I was imagining a Monty Python style variety show adaption of Daniel M Lavery’s book Something that May Shock and Discredit You which a WILD PULL but the only answer I have for you right now. I think it would have animated parts like Python did but they’d be stylized like The Simpson’s animation. I don’t fantasize about adaptations but I think they really work best for children’s books so if you made me answer seriously I guess I’d go with The Tales of the Frog Princess by E.D. Baker and maybe that should’ve been in the question above too lol. 

49. Do you prefer hopeful, humorous, very emotional or darker books?

I think I tend to err toward darker and angstier books. I get a lot of catharsis from them but I think most of the time books like The Bone Orchard or Leech or Iron Widow or whatever I’m reading that deals with dark topics usually benefit from that undercurrent of hope. I don’t think dark and emotional needs to lack hope and I tend to most enjoy ones that allow space for both. 

That being said I read a lot and I think what I like most is having options and variety.

Asks for Bookworms here

[istherewifiinhell]

personal pet enjoyment. just some things from the letters and ad space from mirage 8 i thought were funny. (literally just text. okay. and 2 outside images but just for joke purposes)

first not including the whole thing but just the use of the phrase comics fandom. in 1986. NEAT!

Bade Biker #1: Jim Lawson returns with a "prequel" to the Bade Biker story which appeared in TMNT #7. In this 30-page story, you'll discover the origin of Orson the frog, and see how he met up with the drifter, Bade Biker… and how they together confronted the evil Moto-Man! Art and story by Jim Lawson. Shipping September 15, 1986.

sorry for never having read bade biker but now just thinking the phrase "origin of orson the frog" issss so funny. (asss... mentioned. the version of issue 7 i read didnt have ANY side stories so /shrug)

Grunts #1: In every war, there are the foot-soldiers, those valiant trench-sloggers -- the 'grunts'. Now. Mirage Studios presents an anthology-style comic with stories by various artists and writers, featuring the exploits of these unsung heroes, with a twist all of the characters are anthropomorphics ('funny animals', for the uninitiated)! Thirty- two pages, black and white, hopefully bimonthly. First issue shipping in mid-1987.

literally just. 'funny animals' yeah man. yeah....

...Keep it coming! I love it! I think I've figured out who's who: Raphael's the crazy brawler. Michaelangelo's the warm, sensitive type, Leonardo seems to be the leader (aside from Splinter), and Donatello's the one with the mechanically-inclined mind! Am I right? (Spot-on, pal!--Peter) 'Til Fugitoid transforms into a truck, MAKE MINE MIRAGE!

Rob Sturma

Lindenhurst, IL

this is 1986 👍🏻 i say once again why do ppl act like the cartoon invented turtle personality. and being a comedy. that saaaaidd.....

The turtles are best in the city fighting thugs, killers, muggers in the alleys, rooftops, streets and sewers. This space stuff sucks -- Star Wars is dead! After the Cerebus issue, please get back to the basics, strong story and plot, and please start and finish the story in one issue. TMNT seems to work better that way. I'll be glad to see this space opera end. Also it is very violent. - "taking off heads"? Kids read this, you know. "Kick ass"? "Damn" all the time. You guys are an influence. Please consider that.

Despite all of that, I'll wait and see what #9 brings before I drop/continue collecting. Color would help the turtles.

Larry Mindy Chicago, IL

yes im gonna blast a rando from 1986... well e&l did it first (i never know whats weirder sending hate mail. or publishing it in ur comic). again. pre cartoon era here (tho coming soon). take the turtles back to basics. Oh you mean like issue 1 where THEY KILLED SOMEONE?? incredible. wild shit. turtles are making the kids violent the gift that literally never stopped giving. (pretty sure they say worse than 'damn' in these books)

anyway.

[ID from alt: 1. the turtlepedia advisory warning "You're not on Nicktoons anymore!" that says "Some TMNT stuff really isn't for little kids." 2. the next level up advisory "Hey, Kid, you're a long way from Nicktoons" that say "Some TMNT stuff was always meant for grownups. END ID]

[a-heart-like-a-sparrow]

February 15th, 2024 - "Oh", I thought

──────────────────────────────

Who cares anymore?

──────────────────────────────

•••┊┊🌙┊┊•••┊���🌙┊┊•••┊┊🌙┊┊•••┊┊🌙┊┊•••

A few days ago I saw an Instagram story where three of my friends, including my best friend(?), were hanging out. And then my mother asks me if I'll ever hang out with them. Now I don't know if I could.

Today one of them said that all of them wanted to be part of a group that organizes an event for school; I don't know how to explain it.

You know what? It's probably my fault. I barely talked to my best friend (if she even considers me her friend at all) and I'm pretty annoying. I know. So I can't complain at all.

But fuck, man. It hurt. Now what will I do when I go back to school? Talk to them like nothing happened? Be passive-agressive? Ignore them? What will I do on breaks?

I guess I'll have to go back to lock myself in the toilets. With my books and my phone.

I don't know what I'll tell my mother when she complains about me not going out with anyone. Why does she even care?

Should I be angry? Or sad? Is it even my fault?

Well, I guess it is.

But it was horrible.

I'm not gonna talk to them tho. Or unfollow them, or block them. I won't do anything about it.

Anyway.

I've been listening to "Bury Me At Makeour Creek" by Mitski and "So Tonight That I Might See" by Mazzy Star. I like albums that have 10 songs. It's perfect. I love them so much.

Also, Too Yugan, a guy who makes some kind of phonk, released his third EP now. I liked it a lot. I'd describe his music as "saturated", bur in a good way. He's really cool. I wish I could afford to buy one of his shirts.

And before I end this entry, here are the Kate Bush songs that I listened to:

Hounds Of Love - from Hounds of Love, 1985

There Goes A Tenner - from The Dreaming, 1982

Room for the Life - from The Kick Inside, 1978

Oh England My Lionheart - from Lionheart, 1978

All The Love - from The Dreaming, 1982

Wild Man - from 50 Words for Snow, 2011

I hated "Room for the Life", I don't know why.

And that was all.

Well, not all. I finished reading "Loveless". I loved it. It turned out to be the most important book in my life.

Now I'll start reading "Fabbricante di Lacrime" by Erin Doom from the page I left in on. I remember a bit of what I had read, so hopefully I won't have to go back to the beginning.

Now yeah, that was all.

I'm sad.

But I shouldn't be.

•••┊┊🌙┊┊•••┊┊🌙┊┊•••┊┊🌙┊┊•••┊┊🌙┊┊•••

[kadencactus]

WWE End of Year List - 2024!

My first full calendar year as a wrestling fan!! Normally my interests don't last this long but this one must be special or something. I had fun doing a list last year so it's time to run it back and see what's changed!

Wrestling is still so neat 🥹

Current Favorites

Commentary team: Vic Joseph & Booker T (AW YEAH MAAAAAN)

Faction: No Quarter Catch Crew aka NQCC aka WrenQCC 💛 (Charlie Dempsey, Myles Borne, Tavion Heights, Wren Sinclair)

Men's tag team: Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer & Axiom) *The Wolf Dogs (Bron Breakker & Baron Corbin) were my favs for the first 4 months of the year till they split up. It hurts me that I can't put them in this spot. I WILL NEVER FORGET THEM 🐺🐶💞

Women's tag team: The Meta Girls (Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson)

Men's singles wrestler: Drew McIntyre

Women's singles wrestler: Longest reigning Women's US Champion Chelsea Greeeeeeeeeen

Storyline: Drew McIntyre: Bloodline Hunter *Drew out here with a 2-year streak of having my fav storyline at the end of the year, you love to see it

Misc Stuff (warning: major yapping ahead, this is where I'm gonna just let my thoughts out)

Went from Disliking to Liking: Seth Freakin Rollins *What a comeback from last year!! *"A man I could talk about for hours" - Cody Rhodes *Ahhhh so could I Cody, so could I... And I will - in another post because it was getting waaaaaay too long for this one!! *The very short version is that Seth was the hero of WrestleMania 40 and also the most consistently solid and believable character all year long

Went from Liking to Disliking: Sami Zayn *Okay hold on hold on! Dislike is a strong word!! *This category is more like an "I don't get it" type deal. Like how I didn't "get" Seth Rollins last year. I didn't buy into what he was doing even tho I was generally having a good time when he was on screen and his matches were always fire *Same is true for Sami now. I didn't love what they did with him this year. The build to him beating Gunther at Mania was weird, Bron beating him in under 3 minutes at SummerSlam was weird, this OG Bloodline situation is weird. He's just at the center of a lot of odd booking/storyline decisions imo *BUT this year has taught me to be very patient so I'm hoping 2025 turns things around for Sami like 2024 did for Seth!! This OG Bloodline stuff could end up being reeeeeeeally good if they just tighten up some things *One of the coolest things about wrestling is how every single character has potential to be your next fav, even if you don't vibe with them currently *I try to always remember that when I'm feeling kinda meh about someone

Best match: Drew McIntyre vs CM Punk - Hell in a Cell at Bad Blood 🩸 *They say being in a HIAC match can change a person forever but what they don't tell you is that just watching one can also change a person *I have been altered forever *This match is 31 minutes long and not a single second is wasted *Absolutely brutal and I love it so much *Also I finally started liking CM Punk after this!!

Best in-ring moment: Cody Rhodes finishes his story 🤩 *I mean what can I even say *Genuinely perfect

Best out-of-ring moment: The Rock beats Cody Rhodes bloody in a rainy Chicago parking lot *I was in the crowd for this one!!!!! Holy shit what a wild night

Biggest laugh: Crowd at Backlash - France singing that Phenomenal song whenever AJ Styles did anything in his match with Cody *LA LALALA LA LAAA LAAAAAAA

Biggest gasp: "You broke your neck... So what??" - Kofi Kingston *I still can't believe they said that shit oh my god

Thing I most want to see happen in 2025: Roman Reigns apologizing *If they do this right I will be sobbing on the couch *I WANT to be sobbing on the couch!!!!

It's been a bonkers year. And very special to me. Sooooo many things were first-time experiences for me as a new fan. My first Rumble, my first Mania, my first SummerSlam, etc. My first time going thru the heartbreak of a tag team split. My first time feeling frustrated that someone was called up from NXT and then barely used - or worse, released from the company. My first time seeing brand new titles get introduced. My first Miz heel turn!! My first KO heel turn!!!! It's been really fun to be active in the community and aware that these are all tropes but still get to experience them like they're new. And I haven't gone thru it all yet!!

There's so much more I could babble about that happened because of wrestling. Taking my mom to a live SmackDown (she had no idea what was going on but she saw Ludwig Kaiser in a dark match and decided he's her favorite). Hosting watch parties at my house for every PLE to force my friends to watch with me (they like it now!!). Making bingo cards for Mania with a square that said "finger stuff" for Pete Dunne's small joint manipulation and hearing everyone in the room scream when it finally happened. Going to the CW premiere of NXT and getting mediocre pizza from CM Punk after the show. Meeting neat people online and getting to read their thoughts on every episode. Having something to look forward to every single week. Making art!! Writing fanfic!!! Unironically becoming a fan of the Final Testament!!!! Oh my god there's just so much and I have to stop now or I won't get anything done today

Happy Early New Year!! 🎉

WWE End of Year List - 2023!

I've only been watching for 4 months but I wanted to write some shit down to see how my thoughts and feelings change in 2024

Wrestling is so neat y'all 🥹

Current Favorites

Commentator: Booker T

Faction: The Judgment Day 💜

Men's tag team: Pretty Deadly

Women's tag team: Piper Niven & Chelsea Green

Men's singles wrestler: Ilja Dragunov

Women's singles wrestler: Rhea Ripley

Storyline: Drew McIntyre's heelish quest for the world heavyweight championship

Misc Stuff

Started watching: August 14, 2023

Went from Disliking to Liking: Alpha Academy ✌️✌️

Went from Liking to Disliking: Seth Freakin Rollins

Best match: Carmelo Hayes v Ilja Dragunov at No Mercy

Best in-ring moment: Trick Williams winning the Men's Iron Survivor Challenge at literally the last minute at Deadline

Best out-of-ring moment: Jey Uso & Cody Rhodes's post-Fastlane press conference

Biggest laugh: The Miz's interview with an invisible John Cena

Thing I most want to see happen in 2024: Cody Rhodes finishing the story

Not a lot of niche or hot takes in this list but hey the big superstars get the most screentime so it's easier for me to form opinions on them. Also the list is very Raw-heavy but I like the characters and stories on there more than on Smackdown rn - that could change in 2024 tho! I wanna see more big things for Dragon Lee in particular 🐲

[dyrwoodan]

,

[sukirichi]

jujutsu kaisen characters as students in high school: (non-canon AU)

featuring: itadori yuuji, fushiguro megumi, gojo satoru, getou suguru, & ryoumen sukuna notes: some parts include you as their friend, or even their high school love! (this is unedited/ not proofread)

masterlist ! requests are open 

𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐑𝐈 𝐘𝐔𝐔𝐉𝐈

he’s not the brightest bulb, but he makes up for it through hardwork and enthusiasm

yuuji is literally that classmate everyone is just friends with

the type who waves with a smile, saying “good morning!” the moment he walks through that door

with that being said, since he’s everyone’s friend, i headcannon that yuuji doesn’t really have a best friend because he’s so open and available to everyone it’s hard to have just a one on one conversation with him

not to say he’s always surrounded by a crowd that you can’t get near him, but everyone likes talking to yuuji

he just fits in so well and understands people 

kind of like how he easily clicked with junpei (please, i miss him, i still can’t believe that he’s...you know...)

whether it’s the guys raving to him about sports

or girls shyly talking about their crush on class or about that new shojo manga

yuuji is open to anything and everyone. this boy wears his heart on his sleeve and he’s honestly such a precious boy, please be kind to him <3

the type of student that gets called to answer in class but isn’t shy to admit he doesn’t know the answer while rubbing the back of his neck

he does pay attention tho

i think it’s canon that yuuji is a dedicated man, like from that time he just watched movies straight and kept his cursed energy controlled so the cursed corpse would stop hitting him

overall, yuuji is a very hard working student! 

he wouldn’t get over the top grades, but he’s really proud of himself (and he should be!)

also that one kid in class that is surprisingly good in sports despite his lanky figure and laid back persona, because all the other sports-craved people are always flexing or challenging other captains 

but plot twist, this boy is ripped and very, beautifully kept in trim

yeah he’s not really into club activities that much

not because he hates them, but he’s just not that into it. he’s more than glad to join in whatever activities though and enjoys them, but if asked what he’d like to do, it wouldn’t be that first thing that came to mind

in conclusion: itadori yuuji is the class sunflower that lights up everyone’s day  🌻

yuuji’s role: the hard worker! 

𝐅𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐔𝐑𝐎 𝐌𝐄𝐆𝐔𝐌𝐈

hands down, megumi is THAT student

if you’re volunteering in the library, you can sure as hell guarantee you’ll see megumi there

he doesn’t like studying in class because it’s too noisy, so if he’s in school, you’ll always see his name in the library logs

he’s that kid that aces all exams

the type to scowl when he sees a 96% mark because he’s expecting a perfect mark

okay before you come at me, i’m not saying megumi is that annoying smart kid in class that goes, “Oh, I’m so dumb, just a 96?”

no he’s more frustrated at himself because he knows he studied hard and lost sleep over it. he’s just wondering where he went wrong. he has literal note cards and customize flash cards on an app on his phone, waking up every four am and probably taking supplement classes after regular school hours

i headcannon that megumi is someone who always wants to do his best and actually goes through lengths to prove his worth

maybe it stems from having the need to show who he really is and what he’s capable of

but yeah i can totally see him doing that

also that cute student that keeps visiting the cafe every saturday morning, wearing a black hoodie and headphones tucked in, his pretty hands nestling over a book

he looks like a gamer but honestly i don’t think he’s got time for that lmao

would also be that guy people find hard to approach because of his quiet and reserved self

he’s pretty intimidating too

definitely sits beside the window at the back of the class. you can’t fight me on that

just because he’s smart and loves studying, it doesn’t mean he’ll sit on the front row and raise his hand every damn second

the teachers will encourage him to participate in class a little bit more, especially after seeing he’s awkward during group activities, but megumi just really prefers to do things by himself

i also headcannon him eating in the cafeteria like everyone else instead of having his alone time during a rooftop? like idk i can’t picture megumi completely isolating himself like that

he blends in well in a way that you know he’s just like everyone else; a human

but he also stands out in the manner that he’s a lot more introverted and reserved compared to everyone else

surprisingly good during sports and relay games

100% reliable

the type to stay up at midnight to finish a group project, sighing because his groupmates doesn’t care as much as he does, but turns it in anyway the next day

he’d be annoyed at them, but he doesn’t really like confrontation so he doesn’t out them to the teacher like that

but he’s also not someone who lets people walk over him, so he’ll simply say something about his groupmates becoming more responsible and to be serious for once as a “warning”

and yeah, he may be closed off, but once you get really close with him (even better if you have similar interests) you’ll find there’s a lot more to him than what you’ve originally seen and he’s actually a pretty great friend and supportive classmate

would teach you instead of just letting you copy his work or snap pictures of his notes

ugh he’s so responsible and morally right and that’s so attractive help

in conclusion: fushiguro megumi is the hidden gem  💎

megumi’s role: the intellectual outsider!

𝐆𝐎𝐉𝐎 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐔

man...i don’t know how to start this

i’ve said this about megumi, but gojo is also that student

no, in fact, he’s THE student

everyone loves him. literally everyone

the teachers? smitten

his classmates? in love

the school guard? calls him by his first name

the cleaning lady? turns into a star with the way she lightens up when he’s there

the cafeteria staff? yeah free food because he’s gojo satoru

gojo is what i like to call the “one who has it all” because....well, he kind of does

he’s really smart and talented, which comes as a surprise to everyone in the first day of school when he nearly gets kicked out for falling asleep in class

only for everyone to be shocked that he knows the answer already and the teacher is only discussing chapter 1 lmao

yeah he’d be that kid who always sleeps in class

or is playing games on his phone behind an open textbook

he literally doesn’t listen to what the teacher is saying at all - or at least that’s what he wants you to think

man is a god at multitasking and his seatmate would snicker because he’s crushing his enemies at a phone game, but then gojo coolly corrects the teacher about history or something

he’s pretty laid back tbh

but when he’s got everyone’s attention on him? ofc he’d show off

basketball meats are wild. even students from neighbouring schools would visit just to see gojo play - and he’s not even an official member! the coach just asked him to replace a sick player but boy won that champion shot

omg BASKETBALL PLAYER GOJO I CAN’T

but he pretty much excels at everything

except cooking class, gosh, don’t ever bring this man anywhere near a fire. that’s probably the only thing that really got him to detention this time because he always somehow talks himself out of getting that red card with his words and charm

also that kid that would receive lots of confession letters, chocolates, and random gifts in his shoe lockers

he knows he’s handsome and he’s not shy about it. in fact, he’s shameless when it comes to his allure on people

but he also doesn’t really date anyone (it’s canon this man won’t stay loyal to a single woman lmao)

if he and megumi were classmates, they’d be sort of rivals

megumi would always come on top of class, but gojo is just a breath away from the former’s perfect marks. if it only weren’t for megumi’s squeaky clean record and reputation - whereas satoru’s is TAINTED as heck - and the fact that gojo doesn’t really study as much as gumi, then yeah he’d also be top of the class if he wanted to

on a much more serious note,,,gojo acts like nothing really bothers him and he’s simply that effortless

but i feel like he grew up with tutors from a very young age and that’s how his natural intelligence was just further improved and increased with that type of environment in his childhood

and unlike megumi, i don’t think gojo would really have a set goal in mind on who he wants to be or what he wants to do in the future

he’d just be enjoying the moment <3

in conclusion: gojo satoru is the effortless god!

satoru’s role: the lazy king everyone is envious of 

𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐔𝐆𝐔𝐑𝐔

the playboy

you can’t argue with me on this one

he just is, i feel it deep in my SOUL he just is

moment he walks in, all classy and suave aura and all, you can honestly smell and taste the amount of confidence that drips from him

probably came from a well-off family

probably the mayor’s kid lmao and he’s been used to the attention ever since he was young

much like megumi, he’s not really the type to show off his intelligence

and similar to gojo, people are surprised he’s actually got them brain cells just because everyone is more focused on his appearance first

like who would expect this tall hunk beautiful beast of a man with long hair and piercings actually liked classic novels and could effortlessly recite sonatas and poems in different languages

yeah i headcannon that getou is an intellectual, cultured man

ofc having long hair and piercings isn’t allowed in his school, but because he’s geto and the school knows about his family’s influence, they just let it slide

probably comes late to school too

he eats in the cafeteria, but you don’t really see him indulge much. some days, he’ll have his own fancy bento box prepared by a family chef, but geto is actually pretty simple and humble that he also buys packed bread or canned coffee 

takes the library volunteer by surprise when he drops by one friday after class to borrow an old classic novel that even your professors had a hard time analysing

but geto’s like, “oh this? yeah i last read it when i was thirteen, thought i’d read it again”

IDK WHY but I can see him as sort of breaking the rules when it comes to the school uniform

top three buttons of his shirt open when he’s feeling hot or something

doesn’t really keep his tie that tight too

but overall, geto is a composed and well-put together guy

i just can’t picture him slacking when it comes to his appearance, he’s too fancy and pretty for that

he’s also similar to megumi in a way people find it hard to approach them, but most definitely, geto also receives confessions often 

i can see him dating someone after being interested in someone in school and actually being serious with them unlike gojo

then they would be “that” couple that’re just so couple goals

not the type that goes overboard with pda and pulls off the angry face emoji when they hear someone talking about them and they’re like, “NO HE’S MINE”

okay that’s cringe but i legit witnessed that way too many times in high school yall cant blame me lmao

but they’d be more like the chill laid back couple that supports each other in everything and you can just tell they have a happy, healthy relationship

(oh to be getou’s girlfriend in high school and his first love and all his firsts)

in conclusion: getou suguru is the unpredictable!

getou’s role is: that one classmate you really admire but he’s so far out your league but he’s genuinely a good guy anyway so you’re happy for him no matter what <3

𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐌𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐔𝐍𝐀

okay okay hear me out but...the stoner

i really can’t see him any other way guyssss

and if you’re his classmate, you most likely wouldn’t see him that much either

dude is like 2-3 years older than everyone in class and he doesn’t give a shit about it

he’ll come like...once a week, if he’s in the mood enough

teachers don’t even bother scolding him for his tattoos anymore because there’s rumours going around he’s the son of a yakuza leader or that he’s a gangster who sells organs or some creepy dark stuff

ofc he doesn’t do that

he just does drugs and gets drunk at most

sukuna doesn’t really have that much friends either. yeah he parties with people and often gets high with some older kids, but he doesn’t genuinely enjoy their companies either

would totally come to school with his uniform unironed

red-eyed from his high and naps at the back of the class, making the teacher soften their voice in fear of waking him up

also doesn’t have a pen or paper

i mean...he doesn’t even bring a bag

fails the exams all the time, making him repeat year by year, and he’s even known for beating his senpai up for something stupid and sending the guy to a hospital where he stays for two weeks

but on the other hand

he’s also freakishly attractive and surprisingly easy to talk to

you probably bumped into him one time and you profusely apologize, but then he notices something about, something odd like, “did you just cut your hair?”

“uhm yes...you noticed?”

sukuna shrugs lazily, “noticed something was different, but whatever. it looks good on you though.”

he’s just soooo nonchalant most of the time, it’s hard to believe he’s actually pretty violent

but yeah this man has anger issues i’m sorry

but with that speaking, i actually don’t see sukuna as a bully with like a gang of his “followers” or that type of jazz

he’s more like the kid that hides under the bleachers or gets high in a storage room while everyone else is occupied with school festivals

it’s a shock he even came, but sukuna just says “free food is always a gift” but ofc it’s not free food...he just steals from the stalls

now here comes the fun part

so now that we know sukuna pretty much is a hopeless case...suddenly, he isn’t? maybe he meets you, the class volunteer who goes out of their way to visit his shabby apartment just to hand him his class work that he’s missed out on

he obviously disses you at first and ignores you, telling you to get lost

but somehow your kindness and persistence has him breaking

now he starts coming to school often, carrying a pack of gum or mint pops because he smells like weed and he’s slightly conscious of himself

this is supposed to be just them being students in high school, but i could honestly sukuna changing colors once he just gets a better grasp of what would be good for him

or maybe something finally interests him and gives answers to his silent questions

i feel like he’s such a troubled kid and just lacks proper care and attention, but once you become his friend and show him you don’t have bad intentions, he’s actually a loyal and decent guy

and when you two finally get close, you eventually gain enough courage to tutor him. sukuna is actually pretty smart too, he just doesn’t like studying, but when you compliment him, oh man, he melts

“yeah, you actually got that right! i told you you could do this!”

tsk,” he scoffs, “that’s all kindergarten shit.”

“if it is, then why haven’t you graduated?”

“shut the fuck up.”

although he sneers, you and sukuna have gotten close enough that you know both of you don’t mean anything bad behind those words and it’s all light hearted teasing

oh and when you ask him to take a picture with you for “high school memories?”

sukuna is disgusted

“get that thing away from my face - did you just take my photo?”

“yeah, you look pretty cute here! i’m so printing this and putting this in my album.”

sukuna is about to scold you even more, but the thought of you putting your photo together - even when he’s frowning in the picture - in something as sentimental as a photo book really has him softening up

would even try - keyword is try - to study more just so you’d stop frowning when you see his paper covered in red marks all over again

and he’d even try cutting down on his weed for the sake of his “health”

ofc he won’t suddenly - or ever, even - become the amazing student megumi is

he’ll still get into trouble because he’s impulsive and has poor coping skills, also he’s not good with words or dealing with his emotions

but on his good days, he’s a pretty funny guy

it just takes a lot to see that side of him, but it’s worth the time and patience

also i was expecting to write funny scenarios or imagines of stoner! sukuna because he’s too high to even hold a proper conversation sometimes but all i got is him saying weird words like “snail trap” or something when you ask him how his day is

would also have that garbled little laugh when he’s so out of it

sukuna will try to be better though, you just need to be patient him

but my GOSH when he finally graduates

he’s going to hide that little smile because deep down, he’s also pretty proud of himself and how far he’s come <3

lol now this makes me want to writer a high school au lololol

in conclusion: yeah he’s the stoner with a good heart 

which is so not canon...this shouldn’t even be a headcanon we know ryoumen sukuna is PURE EVIL but oh well maybe when I’m down from my sukuna high I’ll write him a lot more canonically

[shepard-ram]

// tw. possessive behavior, yandere stuff lmao

I tell you what; Xisuma is the type of guy to be passive aggressive when yandere, he's always been a big softie! That is to say, he has a huge soft spot for the reader. Like imagine this scenario:

X: "Listen, you can't just leave whenever you want. It's dangerous out there."

Reader: "I know you love me and you just want to keep me safe, but will you be happy if I'm not happy with it?"

Yeah he definitely flinches and starts trembling guiltily. But won't and never will change his mind. You're gorgeous. You can't be damned by anyone. And even if there was a danger that you would be destroyed, he would be the one doing it. He is the only person you should be concerned about; fuck everybody else.

X: "Be honest, are you good here?"

Reader: "..."

X: "Silence? That's a yes in my book."

Anyone that approaches you must be a big threat if they want to play about with the server admin, THE SERVER ADMIN. He would ban them. Remove them from the code. Hels upon, he would even attempt to murder them before doing that.

Alongside with the people that certainly have the audacity to interact with you, he's got a much bigger deal.

Evil X.

This man is an actual menace, a wicked devil. He definitely flirts with you in an effort to make X go wild and looks vicious as hell in front of the reader. But Void below, he is far smarter than that. He would make up excuses to distract the conversation and stall it until you leave and finish the little asshole quickly. Otherwise, he'd simply establish a border that would prevent you and Evil X from ever speaking. Like mentioned, you only need to care about him. No one else is allowed.

OH AND THE PET NAMES. BIG BABY MAN EDITION. (Inspired by previous headcannons made by some anons of yours :D)

- Honey

- Sweetheart

- Baby/Babe

- Honeybear

He is so affectionate (unnecessarily), like what the hell.

In my opinion it's an 8/10. Man's absolutely possessive, but he's not impermissible of everything. Treat him right and you shall receive the same.

(Don't try to escape tho. You can't)

Also can I pretty please be 🎮 anon? Thanks in advance and have a good day! :]

Sorry for the late welcome, but happy to have you Remote!

And hhhhhhhhhhhh I am fully adopting this version of Yandere X. On the sweeter and softer end, (assuming you play along) yet still with the ability to make you regret ever disobeying him. Thank you for the presentation 10/10 five stars

[harrowscore]

best books read in 2022 by yours truly, in no particular order:

the seven deaths of evelyn hardcastle by stuart turton (technically started in 2021 but finished in early january 2022, so it counts). murder mystery + time loop + redemption themes = perfect mix, 10/10 recommend

this is how you lose the time war by amal el-mohtar & max gladstone: space lesbians but what if they were enemies? lovely, lovely prose. one flaw tho: more of a ~i'm being poetic for the sake of being poetic~ than a character story. still, interesting read.

the plague by albert camus: i couldn't not include him. 5/5 stars, he's easily becoming one of my favorite authors.

hygiène de l'assassin by amélie nothomb: a female journalist succeeds where everyone else fails and interviews an old misanthropic and cynical nobel-winner author. but not everything is as it seems... insane little book, great characterization for the female protagonist. perfect ending. i couldn't put it down, thankfully it's quite short.

carmilla by j. sheridan le fanu: this doesn't need introductions, does it? :)

hedda gabler by henrik ibsen: a play revolving around a woman - daughter of a general, unsatisfied by her current circumstances and marriage. a fascinating female protagonist, especially for the time; the kind of writing you usually get for male characters, and a role every actress would give everything to play at least once.

salomé by oscar wilde: one act only, but it stays with you. particularly incisive adaptation of the biblical story; wilde's writing as usual is stunning.

an oresteia (agamemnon by aeschylus, elektra by sophokles, orestes by euripides) by anne carson: another read that doesn't need introductions.

the hours by michael cunningham: somehow based on mrs dalloway, it is about one day (and the life) of three women in three different time periods; among them, virginia woolf herself. lovely prose.

the cycle of earthsea by ursula k. le guin: series of 5 books (including one of short stories) masterfully written by ms le guin. the first book is a sort of fantasy buldingsroman about a young wizard named ged who, because of his hubris, makes a peculiar sort of enemy... the next books follow ged as he becomes an adult, a middle-aged, and an old man + a varied cast of characters (most importantly tenar, introduced in book 2). original worldbuilding and story (especially for the time - the first novel was published in the 60s), lovely prose and themes (light/dark as yin/yang, necessary to each other's existence - sw wishes it had what earthsea has) + beautiful love story in the last volumes. bonus: most characters in earthsea are very much not white. again, very avant-garde for the 60s, and something all adaptations deliberately ignored.

grendel by john gardner: based on the beowulf poem - the story told by the antagonist's point of view. just striking, and oh my god the themes. couldn't stop thinking about it for days.

in the night garden by catherynne m. valente: a girl trapped in a garden spins a labyrinth of fairy tales for a boy - the only person willing to listen to her - a la scheherazade. told in the usual beautiful prose made in valente, amazing settings and atmospheres.

the sundering duology by jacqueline carey. (thanks for the rec, @queen-zimraphel ❤️) basically a lotr retelling told by the Bad Guys' povs. the inspiration is clear but also it's meant to be a mirror and say 'what if?'. grey morality everywhere, elegant but simple prose + death and the maiden vibes from the local tormented dark lord/the beautiful elf lady. (tho the main love story is not about them specifically... but still.) a great tragedy, but masterfully told - this is how characters who were dead from the beginning and given a role to play in the narrative by a fate larger than them should be written.

honorary mentions to áqua viva by clarice lispector, waiting for godot by samuel beckett, enrico iv by luigi pirandello, and then there were none by agatha christie, sharp objects and gone girl by gillian flynn, in the margins by elena ferrante, ficciones by jorge luis borges, and obviously demons by fyodor dostoeveskij <3

[tfwlawyers]

Not me singlehandedly going through your entire parent trap au I’m so invested even though like half of the posts are from 2015 💀

THESE THINGS HAPPEN I get such a kick out of knowing this au is still making its rounds though 😭😭

and yk what just because I know I’m never going to do anything else with this, have a 3.5k attempted scramble of fic for this au I tried writing back also in 2015. i was even less of a writer back then than I am now so it’s absolutely terrible but have at thee

“Oh, wait...” Trucy winced and tapped her earring. Apollo’s eyes widened in realization. “Looks like we have one more thing to do tonight - it’ll be super quick, I promise.”

“Oh no,” Apollo said, visibly paling, “there’s no way you’re doing that to me-”

“Then cutting my hair was a total waste,” Trucy huffed, tugging at a newly shorn lock, “because there’s no way I can go to camp with pierced ears and come home without. Come on, Polly, where’s your sense of adventure? It’s just one little pinch!”

“Just one?” he asked hesitantly, eyes now trained on the sharp needle laying on the table.

Trucy paused. “Well... I guess it’s technically two. I really only wear the one earring, but both my ears are pierced.”

Apollo sighed. “Great.”

“Nah, I got this,” Trucy said, grinning toothily. “I went with Aunt Maya when she wanted to get hers pierced, even though she chickened out at the last second.” She picked up the needle and a book of matches from the table, eyes glinting. “I had to get mine repierced because of infection the first time too. Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”

-

“Put that apple slice back,” Apollo said, narrowing his eyes at the piece of fruit in Trucy’s hands. “They’re acidic, I don’t need that anywhere near me and oh God you’re really going to shove a piece of metal into my ear, aren’t you-”

-

“You sure I look okay?” he asked, patting down the skirt. He squinted down at the stark white boots he’d thankfully fit into. “I’m terrified to walk in these, they look like death traps -”

“Which is why we’re practicing,” Trucy said primly, wiping her hands on a gel-stained rag. She still didn’t quite have a grasp on the correct ratio of product to actual hair, but she was much better than when they had started five weeks ago. “Now, walk towards me.”

-

“One last thing, I guess,” Apollo said, removing his bracelet and handing it to Trucy, watching as she carefully slid it on. He rubbed his now bare wrist absentmindedly, feeling strangely naked without it.

“So... this is really it. We’re really doing this.”

“We’re really doing this,” Trucy confirmed, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet. For all her apparent enthusiasm, she looked as nervous as he felt. The studs in her ears reflected the morning light.

“Give papa a hug for me,” he said, smiling weakly.

“Give daddy one for me too,” she said.

They hesitated a moment more before Trucy threw her arms around her brother’s shoulders. Apollo’s arms immediately snaked around her waist, drawing her in tight. They clung to each other, silently willing and praying this was somehow going to all work out - that they wouldn’t just to get to meet their other parent, that they wouldn’t only get a few short weeks with the other father they hadn’t even known had existed, but that they could find some way to reconcile the two, that they wouldn’t have to lose anyone across the wide expanse of the Atlantic ever again.

-

“You’ve had your ears pierced,” he said almost absently, cradling her head between his hands and gently turning her neck back and forth to better view the studs. He clicked his tongue. Trucy felt her heart sink.

“Do you... hate them?” she asked tentatively.

Edgeworth’s eyes snapped to hers. They were the same soft gray color as the paint Daddy always kept too much of around the house. “On the contrary - I find they suit you incredibly well. Please tell me you didn’t get an infection.”

Her face split into a wide smile.

-

Apollo thumbed through a stack of canvases that had been shoved into a corner. There was a thin layer of dust of them; if he had to guess, he’d say they hadn’t been disturbed for at least three months - not a particularly long stretch of time, all things considered. They were clearly less polished works, lacking the technical skill and attention to detail that made Phoenix Wright a name to be reckoned with in the art community, but they were still beautiful in their own way. Paintings of vineyards and what looked like London, towering skyscrapers and calm seas and -

His father.

Apollo blinked.

The portrait of Miles Edgeworth drawn in rich oils did not blink back. Nor did the three that followed.

-

“There were a lot of paintings of the same person in daddy’s works. Some guy with grey hair,” Apollo said, struggling for nonchalance.

Maya’s grip on the mixing bowl faltered. “Is that so,” she said carefully.

“Was he one of daddy’s favorite models or something he just never told me about?”

Maya pursed her lips and continued stirring with a newfound vigor. “You could say that.”

-

“You’re not Apollo?” he asked, voice thick. “You’re Trucy?”

She smiled weakly. “That would be correct.” One strand of hair fell lank across her forehead - how did I not notice, Apollo hasn’t used nearly that much gel in years - and he absentmindedly tucked it behind her ear. He felt her press into the warmth of his hand, as if she were afraid he might suddenly vanish across the Atlantic again.

“I hope you don’t - I hope you don’t hate me,” she said, voice beginning to waver, “it’s just that Polly and I met at the camp and the whole thing sort of just spilled out. I’ve wanted to see you for so long, and Polly felt exactly the same way about Daddy, so we sort of just - just switched lives and hoped it wouldn’t take you so soon to notice. I really hope you don’t hate me, because I’ve wanted to meet you basically my whole life and I hope that maybe one day you can love me for me and not Polly and -” (this is ALL from movie tho so mix this up)

Edgeworth’s left hand came to cradle the rest of Trucy’s face, cutting her off mid-sentence. “Oh, my dear,” he said, cautiously tugging her forward. She came willingly, all but sprawling across his chest, tucking her head underneath his chin and wrapping her arms around his middle. “I’ve loved you since the day you came to me,” he whispered into her hair, blinking away the beginnings of tears he felt gathering at the corner of his eyes. He felt her tighten her hold and he did the same.

-

He poured himself a thumbnail of scotch, perfectly content to pretend he didn’t have tickets to a plane back to a state he had vowed never to set foot in again departing in less than four hours. “He was rather handsome,” he found himself admitting, absentmindedly swirling the glass and taking a sip. He paused, staring at nothing and mumbling to himself, “...had the most crooked smile. Always made me weak at the knees.”

“What was that, sir?”

Edgeworth snapped his attention back to the other man; he’d nearly forgotten Gumshoe was even in the room. “Nothing, nothing, never mind, have you seen the tickets?”

Gumshoe shrugged. That was Trucy’s cue.

“Almost ready, papa?” she asked, stepping smoothly into the room from her hiding place behind the thick wooden door. Edgeworth looked just as wild-eyed as she’d been hoping.

“Yes, of course, I’m almost finished packing -”

She didn’t even have to look at his still mostly bare suitcase to know he was lying.

“ -and you did tell your father we were coming, didn’t you?” he finished, placing his drink on a nearby dresser and running his fingers shakily through his hair.

“Absolutely,” Trucy promised.

“Ah,” Edgeworth said, fiddling with his waistcoat buttons. They looked like they’d been polished recently.

“Liar,” Gumshoe leaned down to whisper. She shushed him.

-

“Might I suggest we continue this little gathering inside,” Maya said, already beginning to shepherd the twins - the twins, she was going to need another vacation just to process the fact that they were together again - into the room. She twisted back around to look at Edgeworth, still shoving Apollo (that was Apollo, right?) forward. “Hi,” she began again, offering a free hand, “you probably don’t remember me -”

“Maya!” he interrupted, smiling warmly and bending to kiss her chastely on the cheek. His breath was sour with vodka and his glasses clunked awkwardly against her face. As he turned and stepped fully into the room, Maya’s cheeks(rp) began to hurt from smiling so fiercely.

“I knew I always liked him,” she said to no one as she closed the door.

-

This was ridiculous. This resort was full of entirely too many people who favored the same sort of eccentric clothing that man had even fourteen years ago, a disproportionate amount of them with the same slate grey hair. He almost would have written that (awkward*) expression seen from across Dahlia’s shoulder/a hotel lobby as a figment of his overtaxed imagination had it not been so much realer than the stacks of canvases in his studio. Which meant Miles was here, but he’d swept the first level of the hotel twice already after begging Dahlia to take to her room for a bit, the pool area was as depressingly empty as the inside was, and -

There he was.

Across the pool, descending the steps carefully from the inside lounge area and walking on the balls of his feet like he always did when he’d had a bit too much to drink (and why did he still remember that) was, without a doubt, Miles Edgeworth.

Phoenix suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

Edgeworth was halfway down the opposite path before Phoenix realized he should probably do something.

“Excuse me,” he said, shouldering his way through the crowd. It would be rude and more than a little intrusive to just call out his ex-husband’s name in the middle of a resort, right? Perhaps not as rude as nearly shoving the poor bellboy into the shrubbery, but, well, desperate times called for desperate measures.

He didn’t immediately notice the odd assortment of friends and family and a lumbering man in striped green swimming trunks perched on pool chairs as he stepped past, but they certainly noticed him.

“Daddy, are you okay?” Trucy asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said vaguely, refusing to take his eyes off Edgeworth. He was abruptly terrified he might vanish again if he did.

He

“Nick, watch out -”

“Hey, pal -”

“Daddy -”

With that, Phoenix collided into a passing service boy, arms pinwheeling wildly as he fell directly into the pool behind him.

-

“Hello Miles,” he said, smiling sheepishly and wringing out his tie. He fought the urge to rub the back of his neck and settled for clenching his hands into tight fists instead. “Or do you people call you Edgeworth now?”

“Miles is - Miles is fine,” Edgeworth said weakly, trying to look anywhere but Phoenix, as if this was a perfectly normal conversation they should be having for the first time after fifteen years. “My father still calls me Miles.”

-

Something warm coiled in his chest. It felt infinitely more dangerous than it had fifteen years ago.

“You always had a smart mouth,” he murmured, rubbing a swathe of cleaning ointment along the cut on Phoenix’s forehead. Phoenix hissed.

“So glad you remembered,” he bit through gritted teeth.

“Hush.”

Phoenix hmmed but stayed silent for a few more seconds, staring at Edgeworth as he dug back into the first aid kit. Edgeworth tried not to flush under the scrutiny.

-

Phoenix held his wrist in a loose grip. He should have felt clammy from the pool and the rapidly descending night, but he blazed oddly hot against Edgeworth’s skin.

“Miles, I-”

“Feenie? Who is this?”

“Dollie!” Phoenix said, shooting upright and wincing at the sudden dizziness.

-

Edgeworth’s burgundy coat was hung carefully over his arm, too thick for the warm California night. The buttons on his waistcoat glinted from a nearby streetlamp’s glow.

Phoenix swallowed.

-

“Do you have any idea where they’re taking us?” Edgeworth asked, leaning in slightly. Phoenix’s (nose twitched? something about scent memory?) and he refused to let himself acknowledge that Miles’s choice of aftershave hadn’t changed since the day they’d met. He abruptly remembered the taste of cheap wine and overly sweet cake on his tongue, felt the ghost weight of a ring fifteen years gone.

He hastily turned away.

“No idea.”

-

“Grandfather chipped in a bit -”

“Apollo,” Edgeworth warned.

“Alright, so Grandfather chipped in a lot, whatever, we’re poor teenagers, the point is,” he said, emphasizing the final word by pulling the ship’s impressive doors open with a firm tug, “it’s ours for the night.”

Phoenix whistled shrilly in appreciation, instinctively reaching out to ruffle Apollo’s hair. It was a testament to how important the night was that Apollo merely batted Phoenix’s hand away. “Seriously, dad,” he mumbled. His scowl was clearly forced, however; he felt oddly warm that he was able to finally use that word at all.

-

“Subtle,” Phoenix remarked.

“Mm,” Edgeworth agreed. “I don’t suppose we should let their efforts, however misguided they may be, go to waste, should we?”

“You just want to know who else they roped into this ridiculous scheme of theirs.”

“Oh, because you don’t.”

“I,” Phoenix said, moving to the chilled champagne propped by the windowsill and popping its cork, “have a perfectly healthy level of curiosity. It does not involve wondering what’s going on in my kid’s head. Trucy is a teenager. That’s terrifying.” He carefully poured the sparkling drink into two glasses and offered one to Edgeworth.

“I find that somewhat difficult to believe,” Edgeworth said, striding forward and taking the  proffered glass. He made certain their fingers did not brush. “Thank you.”

-

They waited until she had hastily bowed out of the room before turning their focus back to each other. “Miles, that’s why we came up with this arrangement in the first place,” Phoenix continued, nonplussed.

“Really?” Edgeworth carefully picked up his glass flute, trying to ignore the tremor he felt running through his hands. “I thought it was because we’d agreed to never see each other again.”

Phoenix’s heart clenched. “Not ‘we’, Miles,” he said slowly, spreading his hands on the tablecloth and feeling like if he missed a step here, he would risk something he couldn’t afford to lose again.

Edgeworth took a shaky draw of wine. “You know,” he said slowly, seemingly forcing himself to meet Phoenix’s eyes, “that part is unclear to me as well.”

“Oh, you don’t remember the day you packed?” Phoenix asked.

“No, I remember that day perfectly. Did I hurt you when I threw that - oh God, what was it -”

“It was Kamisar’s Modern Criminal Procedure. It left a dent in the wall from where it rebounded off my head.”

“Oh,” Edgeworth said, at least having the grace to look properly abashed. “Right. Sorry.”

Phoenix shrugged. “It’s not like I was making it that easy on you.

-

And....” Edgeworth trailed off, twisting a napkin between his fingers. “You didn’t chase after me.”

Phoenix felt (something) shift. “I didn’t know that you wanted me to.”

-

“A toast to -”

“Our children,” Edgeworth cut in. He ignored the tightening in his chest at the our.

“Our children,” Phoenix repeated slowly, as if the words didn’t quite match with what his mouth had wanted to say.

“We both got where we actually wanted to go.”

Phoenix’s eyes never wavered from his. “We did,” he said, voice strange.

They toasted again and finished their meal in silence.

-

“Apollo, what are you doing in those clothes? We’ve got a plane to catch.”

“We’re getting totally ripped off,” maybe-Trucy said. “Daddy said we’d get our camping trip and we want to go.”

“Wait, hang on,” Phoenix interrupted, “what camping trip?”

“The one Aunt Maya and I make you take us on every year before school starts,” almost-definitely-Trucy said. Phoenix began to lift his finger in triumph, sure he’d found his kid -

“ -the one behind the house that runs all the way up to Gourd Lake, remember when you fell in that one year,” I’m-not-too-sure-if-this-one-is-still-in-fact-Apollo finished.

Phoenix’s arm fell listlessly to his side. Edgeworth snorted.

Phoenix shot Edgeworth a look. Thanks for helping, one of these is yours. “This is entirely unfunny, you’re going to make your father miss his flight,” he said, shifting his attention back to the twins. Honestly, he was an Ivy University graduate and Miles was a world renowned defense attorney, how were they being duped by their own kids -

“Apollo -” Edgeworth began.

“Yes?” they both said in unison.

Edgeworth groaned. “They get this from you, I’m sure,” he said.

“It’s not my fault you’ve apparently been raising a devilishly deceptive teenager,” Phoenix quipped back, never taking his eyes off the twins. He could feel the beginnings of a migraine pound at the base of his neck. “He’s probably rubbed off on Trucy.”

The twins grinned.

Phoenix rubbed a hand over his eyes before stooping to their height once again. He stared hard at each of them, looking back and forth between their faces. “This one’s Trucy,” he said slowly, pointing a finger to the sibling in orange. “I’m positive.”

“You know, I hope you’re right, Daddy. You wouldn’t want to send the wrong kid all the way back to Germany - ”

“ - would you?”

How was any of this fair?

“Here’s our proposition. We go back to Daddy’s house, pack our stuff, and the four of us leave on the camping trip.”

“The four of us?” Edgeworth interjected. They ignored him.

“And when you bring us back,” maybe-Trucy-maybe-Apollo continued, “we’ll tell you who’s Trucy and who’s Apollo.”

“Or,” Edgeworth said, carefully stepping around and in front of Phoenix and crossing his arms firmly across his chest, tapping his finger rhythmically against his arm, “new plan. I take one of you back to Germany with me whether you like it or not.”

Two identical sets of eyes twinkled back at him.

(He felt a migraine beginning to pound in his left temple.)

-

“You can cook now?” Edgeworth asked.

“Oh yeah,” Phoenix said. “I can make pasta. And pasta. Probably more pasta, if you ask really nicely.”

“Hm,” Edgeworth said, eyebrows scrunched in mock thought, “pasta sounds good.”

Phoenix grinned, bumping Edgeworth’s shoulder. He was warm through the cotton. “Pasta it is.”

-

Edgeworth looked across the seat at Apollo. His glassy eyes reflected the flickering street lamps as the taxi sped down the empty street.

“Apollo, I -” he began, deflating as Apollo turned further away. It’s entirely justified, he thought despondently. I’d hate myself as well.

-

“Grandfather?” Apollo called, shrugging out of his heavy jacket and hanging it on the coat rack. The house was silent.

“I’ll check the study,” Edgeworth said, tugging his jabot loose. Apollo nodded and headed towards the direction of the kitchen, toeing off his shoes on the way. Pushing open the wide doors that led to the study, Edgeworth saw someone reading a paper at the desk. He cocked his hip against the door and crossed his arms. “Hello, father. We’re back.”

The newspaper lowered. It wasn’t Gregory.

“Hiya, papa,” Trucy said. The corners of her mouth were quirked despite her obvious attempts to reign in her expression. “Did you know the Concord gets you here in half the time?”

Edgeworth slipped against the doorframe. He felt the knob dig into his hip. “I - yes, I’ve heard that.”

(Edgeworth was acutely aware of the doorknob digging into his hip from when he pressed against it. “I - yes, I’ve heard that.”)

Apollo walked into the room, drawn to the sound of voices. When he saw Trucy his face split into a blinding grin. “What are you doing here?”

Trucy neatly folded the newspaper on the desk and clasped her hands in front of her. “It took us about thirty seconds after you left that we decided we didn’t want to lose you two again,” she said, eyes crinkling.

Edgeworth swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. “We?” he said, voice cracking.

“We,” a new voice agreed.

From the corner of his eye, Edgeworth noted Trucy moving to stand by the far wall of the study, giving the vaguest attempt of privacy. It didn’t matter. His eyes were trained on Phoenix, tracking his movement as he crossed the room.

-

Phoenix peppered his face in light kisses, smiling into the curve of his throat and pressing his lips to the thrumming heartbeat beneath his skin.

They eventually pulled back, desperate for air. Phoenix’s eyes crinkled - crow’s feet, Edgeworth thought wildly through his haze, he’s got crow’s feet now, I haven’t seen him this close up since - and he rested his forehead against Edgeworth’s.

“God, I’m never letting you go again,” he whispered, hands snaking around the other man’s back to pull him even closer.

-

“You want to toast with this? I’d have thought you might want to upgrade to something with a little more class.”

Phoenix smiled sloppily, pressing a chaste kiss to his temple. “You’re the only one I said I’d drink it with, remember?”

Edgeworth smiled back. He took the proffered bottle warmed by the weather and tugged his husband into a proper kiss, matching rings glinting in the dying sunlight.