#this isn't even grammatically correct I don't caRE

[thehealingsystem]

ughhh pretty nitpicky complaint maybe but I hate how some words in native american languages are simplified for the benefit of white people to the point where the original spelling(s) is rarely ever even mentioned. like my tribe, for example- the mi'kmaq, is about 98% of the time spelt micmac, its simplified english form and demonstrates to english speakers how it's (roughly) pronounced. which is usually fine, but like. last year there was a few small lessons we had about the wabanaki nations, and it was only ever spelt micmac. it's original spelling is never brought up ever. and it's a dying language, yknow? it's really not that difficult to say "mi'kmaq, pronounced and alternatively spelt micmac in english," but I don't even think the teacher even knew that. not even asking for it's singular form (mi'kmaw) just the actual title of what we're called in our language. like it's just one word. it's not asking them to learn a whole other language

[louiesblog]

Dearest reader(s),

I shall resume my normal reblogging/posting habits, of which not much will change except that I will be thinking even less about what I can or cannot reblog here. To a New Year and chill louiesblog posting. (God, I sound 12)

Sometimes, you just gotta vibe. Like that shot of squidward being all wiggly. God, if I could work for my theatre gig full time and not feel terrified about money I might just do that.

[tealvenetianmask]

Blitz is dyslexic (petty post about why I'm right with proof from recent episodes)

Disclaimer: I don't have dyslexia, so I can't speak from personal experience, BUT neurodivergent people tend to find each other, and I've been very close with a few people with dyslexia, to the point where I've extensively edited their writing. I've also learned quite a bit about dyslexia while working in the education field. Okay- let's go.

I hear way too often (yes, I'm referencing a certain youtuber here) that Blitz can't have dyslexia because we sometimes see him reading and we sometimes see him writing without errors. So when he shows spelling and grammatical errors in his texts and notes to self, that must just be him being rude/trying to be cute/being lazy.

And if the errors were just slang and abbreviations, maybe the people making those arguments would have a point. But they're not. And I'm convinced that he has dyslexia. So what gives? Why the inconsistency (assuming it's an intentional choice on the part of the writers)?

Most dyslexic adults CAN write correctly with extra effort. It's just harder. In the learning disability world, we sometimes call it self- accommodating. With any disability, that means doing work that neurotypical people don't have to do in order to overcome the obstacle that the disability poses- and often, no one else sees that work or understands that it's necessary. For people with dyslexia, that often means that they have to check and double check their writing.

When YOU AND I (if we're both non-dyslexic people) write casually and don't put in effort, our spelling is going to be mostly correct. And if we use slang and abbreviations, it's a choice. When someone with dyslexia shoots off a quick text, it's going to look messy, and they'll probably only do it in a text to someone they're comfortable with. THAT IS THE DIFFERENCE.

Let's look at some recent examples from Helluva Boss.

Blitz is writing notes to himself here, so he doesn't have any need to make them presentable. Cute inside jokes with himself are possible (i.e. the horses and nicknames that we sometimes see), but the spelling mistakes here don't really make sense as jokes. They also wouldn't be easier to write than the correct words for someone who isn't dyslexic. Mok(backward S)ie isn't shorter than Moxxie, and remembr isn't much shorter than remember. The spelling is also phonetic, which fits with how many people with dyslexia spell in initial drafts. He just isn't watching for and correcting his mistakes, because why would he in this situation?!

Okay, different situation . . . the apologies. I would argue that Blitz IS putting in physical effort here, even if it's not emotional effort. He brings entire gift baskets full of his favorite foods for the people on his apology list after all. Here's what he writes to the DHORKS:

I think "sowy" IS meant to be cute here. It's not phonetic after all. He put a little effort into drawing them a cute little horse too. And then the cherubs . . .

I think this is pretty interesting. Blitz actually bothers here to fix his spelling mistake. He spells everything right on the inside too, even though he's telling these guys "fuck you." Notice that he runs out of room and has to write sideways. And notice the nice block letters on the front. In terms of why he's trying so much here, well, it's to prove to Stolas that he can put effort into apologizing to people, isn't it? And that means that the unintentional errors get fixed!

Now, Blitz tries to text an apology to Stolas (and obviously stalls for emotional reasons), and we see him typing it in real time,

Yeah . . . it's a combination of shorthand and just plain old misspellings. He's focused on choosing the right words, not on getting the spelling right, and it's impossible to say he doesn't care at this point. Someone who has an easy time writing correctly spelled text might use some shorthand, but just like we saw with Blitz's notes to self, they wouldn't likely intentionally misspell completely unnecessary things, especially when trying to come off as genuine.

Sigh. I rest my fucking case.

If you'd like to see my thoughts on that text conversation from Western Energy, go ahead and click on the link- it isn't really about dyslexia, and I do actually think that Blitz is pretty literate in spite of his disability and limited education, but it does explain why I think the conversation goes the way it does.

[viaviv124]

Adding on my offer to beta read specifically the german in tf2 stuff, i'll also correct some common mistakes i've seen in this post!

Frustration & Insults

You cannot just freely translate "fuck" and put "Fick" instead. While the translation of the word is correct, the context isn't. In germany we don't use the word like that in frustration. If you're a very vulgar person you might say "ficken, alter!" but that's not commonly used, mainly by teens. I'd say you opt for one of the following: Scheiße (shit), Verdammt (damn/damn it), Verdammte Axt (literal translation would be "damned axe" but it's just a more frustrated "damn it"), Gottverdammt (god damn it). There's more words but these are the most common by far.

For insults in general, most you google should be fine (allthough i suggest googling specifically for german insults instead of google translating them), but i'll clear up two mistakes in the game itself that happend due to the VA not being german. "Dummkopf" for example. The singular word is fine but the game puts the plural as "Dummkopfs" which is wrong. You don't put words in plural by adding an "s" in german. It'd be "Dummköpfe". Another case of a german insult in the game is "Schweinshunds". "Schweinehund" is the correct singular form and the correct plural is "Schweinehunde". "Schweinshund" would be the word but with a dialect but i'm not going into all that now. (Also for everyone who doesn't know: the word effectively means "lazy bastard")

I'd be happy to teach more german insults if required because it's fun but this is getting too long anyway lol

Pet names

Don't frankenstein words together you put into google translate independantly. Yes german consists on randomly combined words but especially with pet names these words have gender depending on who you talk to/about. What i've seen a lot is "Mein Lieb" and that's just wrong. If you want to say "my love" it's "Mein Lieber" (male) or "Meine Liebe" (female) and even then that's not correct. It's something you tend to say in a dismissive, mocking/sarcastic or scolding way. "Mein Geliebter" (male) or "Meine Geliebte" (female) would work for my love but that word isn't something you use casually in every day conversation. It's a very high expression, often used in poems or songs. Likewise, please don't freely translate the pet name "love" as "Liebe" or "Lieb".

A few casual and common german pet names you can choose from are:

Schatz (treasure)

Liebling (love)

Hase/Hasi/Häschen (bunny)

Maus/Mausi/Mäuschen (mousy)

Engel/Engelchen (angel)

Täubchen (dove)

Bär/Bärchen (bear)

Spatz/Spätzchen (sparrow)

Kleine/Kleiner (little one)

Große/Großer (big one)

As you've seen, some words are cutie-fied by adding an "i" or a "chen". And generally words ending in "e" are grammatically feminine while words ending in "er" are grammatically masculine (note: just specific for the words given in these examples!! German grammatic rules are complex). You can also prefix every word with "Mein". (on that note: if you put "Mein" in a sentence, even if it's the only german word in it, put the whole sentence in a translator first to see if you need "Mein", "Meine" or "Meiner". Someone who doesn't speak the language sees very little difference but to someone fluent it can change the vibe of the entire sentence depending on the situation.)

Of course you can also be creative with your own pet names, but then please if you translate it put it in a sentence to see how it works. Sometimes just putting "my" before the word is enough!

Now something i've seen in NSFW specifically (if you dont care about that you can skip that paragraph dw) was the expression "guter Junge" or "Mein guter Junge". Which- please don't. It's very uncomfortable to read. While "good boy" can be sexy in english, in german it's (at least to my knowledge) really not. It's how you refer to children. German dirty talk always sounds incredibly cringe to me personally but if you really want to write parts in german and want Medic to say dominant lines like "good boy" please opt for using "brav/braver" instead of "gut/guter". Both words mean the same thing but entirely different vibe.

All in all german is a language that thrives on the mere vibe of a word, especially with insults, as well as the gender of the word as it's a gendered language. Please don't just translate singular words and mush them together. Use them in a few sentences beforehand to be able to see how the word behaves in different situations, because german grammar is a pain in the ass.

I hope this could help a little and if there are any questions or anything you'd want me to proof read, please don't hesitate to reach out!!

[wistfulcynic]

i teach english as a foreign language to corporate clients. What that means is that companies hire the school i contract for to enrol their employees in courses that include a run of online grammar, vocabulary, listening, and reading exercises; accompanying speaking classes with a teacher (that's where i come in); and supplementary "skills" exercises including writing.

the *only* one of these that matters to their ultimate success or failure in their course is the online exercises. That's bad for a number of reasons i won't bore you with but tl;dr the students "pass" the class if they complete the online course.

which means that the supplementary writing exercises have ZERO impact on their success or failure. They aren't even required. The ONLY reason to complete them is to practice writing as a skill and get feedback from a teacher (me et al). Mistakes are corrected but never criticised. This isn't a scenario where anyone loses face by using the wrong preposition or verb tense. It's an opportunity to practice and improve, that's all.

and yet. Increasingly i am getting writing assignments that are clearly, obviously written by genAI. They are grammatically flawless in a way that is impossible for students at the levels i teach to produce. Which means there's nothing to correct. No feedback to give. No learning opportunity whatsoever.

my school's policy is just to ignore this. Our students aren't students in the traditional sense, they are clients. More precisely, they're employees of clients but the effect is the same. Their employers are paying us for the expertise, guidance, etc that we can provide and if they choose not to make full use of what we offer then that's their call.

still it pisses me off. Because why. Why use genAI to complete an optional exercise that has no impact on your ultimate course success? There is zero reason to do that. No benefit to anyone. The students learn nothing and i get paid to make up some bullshit "feedback" to a paragraph i know the student didn't write. Why? Why waste all our time with an obvious farce?

(i mean, i know why. Because it's easy. Because they believe that the product and not the process is what's important. Because they don't want to learn, they want to have learned. They are the ones who are always trying to get me to reveal some secret magic trick that will make them able to speak perfectly without them putting any effort into it whatsoever. They are, if i tell the stark honest truth, on the whole not people i can help.)

this is, ultimately, why i am against any and all use of genAI in education. Full stop. There's simply no pedagogical benefit to it. The learning process involves trying, failing, receiving correction, and then trying again. Over and over and over if necessary. We have already seriously damaged this process by caring only about results--test scores, essay marks, etc, achieved by any means necessary--and forgetting both as students and teachers that failure (or at least not perfect success the very first time) is an essential element of learning. Use of genAI skips over the learning process entirely. It basically finishes what years of over-testing and grade inflation started. It's bad and it's wrong and it accomplishes nothing other than giving people more of an excuse not to think for themselves, not to try, not to learn.

it needs to be stopped.

[azuresins]

Something important consider regarding Sebastian, and some of the things people have had to say about him pertaining to following Christian Mythology.

Some people are using the wrong evidence to support Sebastian following what they claim is "Christian Mythology." If one tries to base his origins off of his contract symbol alone, and link it to The Lesser Key of Solomon… a lot of people have some feelings on the matter. Namely, an entire group of people. I did my best to break down the contract and it's origin in a previous post, but I did not further expand on it. I deeply regret that I didn't. The lesser Key of Solomon is a grimoire that does not actually trace back to the Talmud. The Lesser Key of Solomon is loosely based off of The Testament of Solomon... which barrows from multiple cultures and can only be traced as early as the middle ages. In fact, is has absolutely no connection to true Jewish folkore or true Kabbalah. There are mountains of evidence to support this, I would encourage people to keep digging. This article expanded upon this much better than I could ever explain. :

That people have used this grimoire in the past as "evidence" that jewish people have "secret magic and powers" and as an excuse to be antisemitic. N-zi's used this, as propaganda.

The book was clearly written by a non-jew (goy), who culturally-appropriated from Kabbalah and Talmudic texts. How do historians (more importantly, jewish historians) know that? There's a lot of grammatical errors in extremely-broken hebrew, for one. There's the countless books and articles written about this by Jewish people that often get trampled on, by people in occult spaces. Theistic Satanism is rife with people who are comfortable brushing shoulders with N-zis and parroting their ideology, for a reason. Occult spaces in general are very hostile, toward jewish people in general and they don't care if they're stealing from a closed practice. Quabbalists / Cabbalists were formed in general, so that non-jews could steal/practice Kabbalah and pretend it's Christian … The Lesser Key of Solomon, is a part of that. People call it "Christian" as an excuse, to be able to use it in religious practices. Solomon came before Christ, not after.

Jews who believe and practice in a non-secular way, don't believe demons are inherently always evil beings. There isn't a clear cut translation for "demon" in hebrew. That very belief in of itself, has gotten many jewish people hurt, killed, and persecuted for centuries.

A mystic jew who practices Kabbalah, would not have written a book/grimoire describing demons, like that. A jewish person wouldn't have even approved of the vast majority of those illustrations of the demons, either. Another reason this is known: it's staple of jewish folklore that demons aren't capable of completely shapeshifting into a human being, as they always will have what's described as 'chicken feet' / 'bird feet' / 'cock's feet', when they're in disguise, and they have to hide them using other much more ordinary means outside their own magic.

A lot of those illustrations in the lesser key, describe and depict them as having human feet, when they take the shape of a human... There's not even one mention of 'They take the shape of a man with chicken's feet/birds feet' or any warning, about what their feet will look like, anywhere, in the Lesser Key of Solomon. Wouldn't that be important?

In jewish folklore sometimes demons are known to chase ghosts and wayward souls that were once evil in life, trying to escape accountability for their misdeeds. Human ghosts who try to posses or hurt other humans. In other words it's generally accepted that human evil has the potential to be more meddlesome and monstrous, than a demon can be. That's not primarily a Christian belief. It is also a Jewish belief, that demons are inherently doing what they're supposed to do and have a place, in G-d's plan. Even 'Satan' (not the correct name in Jewish belief!!!) is ultimately a subordinate to G-d, working with him and not against him... not necessarily HIS adversary or the enemy, it's much more accurate to say demons and devils are an adversary to humans and human kind, alone. Didn't Sebastian say, "Where is the FOOL who spits on God?" ...That doesn't sound like a demon who sees God as an adversary. Contrary to popular belief, the Christian God and the Jewish G-d, even conceptually... are extremely different concepts, and entities (I mean for fucks sake one did the whole Jesus thing, and one DIDN'T... that's a huge difference. It is not by any stretch the only one).

People have been pointing these things out for centuries. That Christianity is NOT Judaism Plus™️... but it continuously falls on deaf ears. The reason why discussions like this almost never go anywhere productive, are because people out there... either don't care, or are Antisemetic anyway. It doesn't matter if they brush shoulders with extremely misguided and bad people, they want to believe what they want to believe. People will always be out there who will try to insist the Lesser Key is actually-reliable knowledge concerning the vast majority of these demons, and those who actually use it are "doing it in good taste!" and that "this source is Christian actually, and I am respectful!"

There's "demons" on that list, that come from completely unrelated cultures and practices, that aren't christian OR jewish. I've cited sources that confirm this already... but you need look no further, beyond the names and descriptions of the demons themselves. Therefore, insulting to say, "Their overlord is Satan" and they're beneath a rank in any kind of Christian-formulated hierarchy.

For the record... Of course, it is possible to explore this in fiction and to study these things. Of course it's possible, that jewish people have written about these spirits, and have tried to reclaim some elements of design of the sigils and content that was badly botched. It's their right to do so. Of course it's possible, to take these sources with a grain of salt and read it as someone curious, and studying how this all happened... how these texts came to be, and why it's so far removed from the closed practices that wrote about them. I'm not saying it can never be used or written about, ever, I am not trying cancel anybody (or Yana). Especially people who didn't know half of what I've just talked about. It took me an embarrassingly long time to understand any of this, and even accept half of the things, I've read. I'm just saying trying to say, as someone who has studied these matters independently for over fifteen years... That even if you're of the belief, Sebastian is connected to the symbols within the contract and that grimoire? ... It still doesn't mean, he's a part of Christian mythology. That source doesn't necessarily mean anything, in the context of who Sebastian is. The evidence to support he is Abrahamic in origin is much more arguable. The fact is, we don't know what Yana has in store for him, and we don't know that his contract necessarily means that The Lesser Key of Solomon, or The Testament of Solomon are accurate sources for what he is, or are actually helpful when it comes to identifying what sort of demon he is. He's certainly not following Christian mythology, and isn't displaying any of the signs that track with Christian mythology. He wears a crucifix, walks about a church, and walks on hollowed ground. Before anyone says with their whole chest they know exactly what sort of Demon or entity Sebastian is, in the context of the manga… I would implore people, to do more research, about these matters and to ask a lot of questions... and seek many different sources, regarding even what they THINK they know, and who they THINK they can trust.

It's easy to imagine in fiction, that if an entity went from a g-d to demon, or even from one type of demon to being seen as a different type... that they might embracing the symbols and names, they are now so commonly associated with. A lot of stories have been written like that. It's a very common theme in a lot of media, written by many different people across several different cultures! Jewish culture was not the only culture appropriated, in The Testament of Solomon.

I do find it extremely odd though, that people use the contract symbol and where it came from, as evidence that Sebastian is a "Christian demon" and "A fallen angel"... when Yana herself has already said she doesn't ever intend to confirm what his nature is, or where he came from. I also don't believe that humankind is supposed to be the pinnacle of all things innocent, and that the supernatural and divine are forces, are leading them to pain and poor choices... there are so many evil humans, in black butler and if anything, they use the supernatural as means to accomplish their goals and ambitions. Not the other way around. We have seen Sebastian act manipulatively, destructively, and even cruelly... but not any more so, than other characters in the story. Sebastian is not behaving the way a true evil being out of the bible, would.

Sebastian's contract isn't even "perfectly" inverted (as I already pointed out). "Solomon" / "Soluzen" isn't in Sebastian's contract, at all (the exception being S1 in the anime... thats it) ... and that tells me all I needed to know! * * * If you read all the way to the end of this you deserve rewards and treats. * * *

But finally on a personal and extremely petty note …why do people want things to be infinitely less interesting than they could be????? 😭 Why do Christians think they invented and have the monopoly on demons? Why does he need to fit into an extremely limited view of what a demon is that BADLY?

[aixeko]

This idea have been swirling around my head for a while but anyway.

Incoherent thoughts that aren't proofread + isn't grammatically correct because my dyslexic ah cannot tell where it is but I know it's there.

Arlecchino with an older khaenri'ahn reader and they under unforeseen circumstances get along quite well even with the stark contrast to their personality and morality, different ways of going about life, different way of dealing with it, yet still respects and oddly enough quite enjoy listening to one another perspectives on every little particular things. Arle with a gentle caring reader who is open-minded and nonjudgmental despite Arle criminals association and such.

Although the catch is that they have never met before, because while Arlecchino lives in the current teyvat timeline, the reader is from 500 years ago.

Their way of communication? An abandoned mansion that Arle so happens to come across during one of her missions and decides to investigate the unfamiliar place. When she had entered a room belonging to what seem to be a young noble she notices magical strokes of characters forming on one of the wall, acting as a diary of sort, detailing their mundane life. It peeks her curiosity and she decides to press one of her hand against the indented marking on the wall only for it to be accidentally erased causing the person on the side of the wall to question what, and who is messing with them.

It was on that fortunate day that they met, and slowly, unbeknownst to both, they were slowly forming a feeling that's equally a stranger to both their heart.

Arlecchino would make her way to the once unfamiliar place that spoke no meanings to her, a place that she would come to associates with a special someone that no other individuals can figure out who.

It was simply another day, Arlecchino had just finished work and is on her way for the routinely weekly visits to the abandoned mansion. She makes way to the young noble room who she has still yet to figure out the owner to be and begins writing on the wall to signal her arrival to the person who understands her like no other had.

She waits, and waits, seconds passed, then a minute, and it wasn't until the one hour mark that her concerns started to become reality.

Arlecchino shakes it off as you oversleeping, there could be no other ways you wouldn't respond, after all, you were never allowed to leave your room which was why you had come to entertain yourself with detailing and creating stories on the wall.

For the first time ever after a year of finding this place and meeting you, Arlecchino decides to thoroughly look through the source of her connection to you.

When she had finished looking through the place, regrets were the instant emotion swirling her entire soul.

You both had never truly spoken about where you reside, only that you shared Khaenri'ahn blood. A misunderstanding that had led to this. Arlecchino may have been connected to Khaenri'ah but you are of noble khaenri'ahn blood, you are a pure-blooded khaenri'ahn, this room belonged to none other than the same person who she has been talking to this entire time, you.

You weren't a part of this era, you don't exist anymore, and she had accidentally communicated with someone who had long passed 500 years ago during the destruction of the nation.

Today, this day, was the fall of the nation. The day of your death.

That's the gist of it, tbh it's such an interesting concept to me. Ofc when I come around to writing it everything will be explained more thoroughly.

Maybe the reader pulls a Dainsleif or Pierro who knows 😴

Collecting them dead lovers like Pokémon cards, oh wait, they didn't even get to be lovers.

[teleit]

This is not just another whining, I say, you know, like a liar

This isn't really a new essay where I hysterically ask what's going on in the writers' heads, but a legitimate question.

Why was Joffrey Velaryon never considered for the role of heir to Driftmark in the show?

I even googled the answer, and there were many interpretations, the most popular being that after Rhaenys's death, Corlys's relationship with Rhaenyra deteriorated so much that he refused to support her farce, and demanded that true Velaryon's blood be on the throne of Driftmark (with Lucerys there would have been no such problem, his bride was Rhaena, but Joffrey was betrothed to Manderly girl), and Rhaenyra couldn't refuse him, considering that he was her strongest ally at the time.

But this is a book, you know, a thing with letters on paper, written by a person who tried to at least make ends meet a little, even in the format of a medieval historical chronicle.

But in the show, Corlys from Season 2 is the same tasteless cardboard cutout as the rest. He barely mourns the death of his wife, and rushes around with his inheritance like it's a hot potato, not knowing who to throw it to.

And for a man whose character traits were declared to be ambition, loyalty to his House and heritage, a desire to put his blood on the Iron Throne - Corlys seems to not try at all. There was a lazy attempt to marry Laena to the rotten Vizzy, then Rhaenyra's marriage to Laenor, but after that, nothing.

In canon, the marriage of the twins and Rhaenyra's children was arranged in infancy, so Corlys quickly received assurance that his legacy would continue. In the show? No one gives a shit, if Rhaenyra hadn't begged Rhaenys for support during the disputes over the Velaryon inheritance with Vaemond, no one would have thought about the marriage of these four.

With that attitude, where history doesn't remember blood, only names, the Corlys of the show would have shrugged and said "oh well" to Joffrey being named heir to Driftmark.

But instead he tries to hand the inheritance over to Baela first, who decides it's the perfect moment to gaslight gatekeep girlboss, and refuses the title of heir to the richest House at the time (why? It wouldn't have affected the engagement to Jace, Laenor was Corlys's heir AND the future King Regent, she could have a couple of children, and named the second one as Velaryon heir).

Why did everyone forget about Joffrey? Why should I care about him if the show doesn't? I'll be sad to see him die, because children's deaths are always sad, but otherwise - I don't give a shit.

PS. All grammatical errors are intentional, I refuse to correct my gaps in English

[compassionatereminders]

I just wanted to say~

I saw one of your posts, talking about how you "used to be the scarily smart kid" and how you feel that you aren't anymore

I've been scrolling through your blog, and honestly, I don't believe that's true. You're educated, kind, grammatically correct pretty consistently, and give very good advice. Just because you don't have as much opportunity to show off your math skills, or logical thinking skills, etc, doesn't mean you aren't still smart. You HAVE done something special. You've created a blog that includes and provides comfort for those who need it. You seem to be a very kind and compassionate person, who wants to help.

On another note, society's view of "being smart" is largely a social construct, and has many more layers than most people portray it to have. Even if you aren't the world's version of 'smart' anymore, everyone is smart in their own way. You're open to learning, and emotionally mature. I'd say that's pretty smart. It's very, very hard to do some tremendous, incredible, world changing accomplishment, and just because you were known as the smart kid does not mean you are destined or have to do something like that.

As humans, oftentimes we decrease the value of our own accomplishments, or try to downplay them. Comparisons are hard, and sometimes it feels as if it nullifies all the things you've done and contributed. I think you ARE still smart. Maybe you're not the way you used to be, but that shows you've grown and learned. You're just smart in a different way.

Feel free to ignore this if you want, and sorry for rambling😅 this may not be what you want or need to hear, and if it isn't, that's fine! :] I hope you have a great rest of your day/night, and take care of yourself!!

I appreciate your intentions here, but I'm far more into the "being smart isn't a requirement for being worthy" type of reassurance than the "actually I'm sure you are in fact really really smart" type of reassurance. But that's just my personal preference and this is genuinely kind, so thanks regardless

[roses-dreams-andthorns]

Hi Author-nim! Could you please do my request? If you don't want, you can ignore it.

If yes, could you please do GN!MC as Lock from "Trash of the Count's Family"?

(sorry if i have grammatical mistake)

Have a good day/evening Author-nim ♡

oooh! Is that a webcomic? Trey's never heard of it before but Trey will do their best! Trey did some reasearch beforehand so it should be acurate? if it isn't I'm very sorry! You didn't specify what characters to do, So I'll just do the Riddle, Azul, and Jamil if thats okay!

GN! Reader!

HE LOOKS SO CUTE THO!!! AWWWW!

Riddle

When he had first saw you, he figured you'd be just like Ace and Deuce, he was slightly correct, in a sense, as you weren't the brightest, and were quite naive, but when he spoke to you for the first time, he now realized you were more on the shy and timid side, you tried your best to follow the Heartslabyul rules, but you find it hard to memorize all 810 of them... the only one you only slightly remember well is "If you eat a steak on a full moon, a cat must play the violin."

He finds your naiveness slightly adorable, and how shy you get while speaking to him, because of this, he never thought that you had another side to you... Prior to Leona's overblot, during a fight with Jack Howl of Savanaclaw, you had entered your berserk mode and you shine out as a more delinquent like version of yourself, being stubborn and courageous, and insanely strong, you swung at Jack with your hands, which now had claws, your presense was threatening now, and he began to grow slightly scare of you... but after the fight you began to grow far too exhuasted to even move, Ace and Deuce carried you to the infirmary while dragging Jack with them so he could spill the tea on what the hell was going on with all the injuries happening around campus.

Azul

Oh dear... you poor, poor unfortunate soul... your naiveness is hilarious, falling for his tricks almost immediately, thinking he's trustable in the first place, but he also finds your shyness quite adorable, stuttering when speaking to anyone you come across like a shy little puppy... a perfect oppertunity for blackmail, pre overblot, he only saw you as a means for easy business, but post overblot, he's grown quite attached to you, praising you for your efforts and for helping him around the lounge, he feels so lucky to have someone as kind, yet so naive as you. He's at least lucky you've never used your berserk form on him, though the tweels say otherwise when reporting back to him...

Jamil

You're similar to Kalim... very similar. Besides the fact you can actually take care of yourself instead of relying on others, he first took advantage of your naiveness and weaknesses, luring you in to become a part of his plan to overthrow Kalim from his position as dorm leader, though it was quite difficult to get you under his unique magic, as you hardly ever make eye contact due to shyness, but the second you do, he's got you right where he wants you.

Post overblot, he treats you more like a close friend, if you're sick, he'll help treat you, you got injured and can't cook today? he's already got some dinner made for you and ready on your table. You do the same for him as well.

He only saw your berserk form once, and he never wished to again. The durastic change in your personailty and actions... he couldn't handle them well, especially since this was pre overblot. He had underestimated you and your strength. He still probably has a few scars and bite marks from when he fought you in full berserk mode, you tend to feel guilty about that, but he always says "No, no, I deserved it, really."

You always tell him to treat himself, and if he doesn't? You're treating him. You don't care how packed his schedule is, you'll deal with it later, right now, you're taking him to a nice resturant for dinner and treating him like a sultan for a day, which makes him quite happy.

[almost-an-arsonist]

10 Things I Love About MN

In honor of the upcoming hockey season, here are some things that I love about Minnesota in general.

WTF even is that mascot?????

Google "Minnesota Wild Mascot." Go ahead. Do it.

Its name is Nordy...I have no clue what animal Nordy is, and I have yet to meet someone who does. At first glance, it seems like a bear, but I have never seen a bear like that...

2. It's called pop, NOT soda (or coke, or some random hidden option).

Don't you even TRY to fight me on this one. I am currently in a war with my friend from California over this one. Just accept this as a fact.

3. Seeing people from warmer areas suffer in the cold.

Seeing these people on a 60℉/15.556℃ day in full parkas is amazing.

4. Loons.

Enough said.

5. Butter sculpting.

Yes, this is a real thing. It's not COMPLETELY exclusive to Minnesota. Where does one see such amazing things, you ask? The State Fair. Which is pretty amazing, especially if you want to try deep fried ranch. Or anything else deep fried (I don't really like it, but feel free).

6. Here, its completely acceptable to just stick beer, pop, or other cold beverages in the snow instead of a cooler (make sure its the back yard though, so nobody steals). Source: just trust me.

7. We are the northernmost CONTIGUOUS US state.

Of course, Alaska takes the gold for being the northernmost state. But WE take silver. Some other contiguous states (Maine) LOOK like they are further north, but that is simply not true. Its caused by distortion in map projections, and the fact that the earth is a sphere. Google it. I dare you.

8. Big Targets (Super Targets, they are called).

Remember that friend from California that I mentioned?? Apparently they have (and I quote) "Bite sized Targets" in that hellhole. As in, TINY TARGETS. WHY???? These stores go on for miles in Minnesota (not literally), and I'm supposed to believe that there is such a thing as a BITE SIZED TARGET???? Honestly, I haven't seen this one with my own two eyes, I'm just taking her word for this one. Someone please tell me this was a fever dream that she had one night. Please. I am begging you.

(Honorable mention: I have also noticed that we put our carts in the right spots after shopping a lot more than other states, which is commendable)

9. GREAT medical centers (this list isn't in order, I appreciate great health care a LOT and THANK YOU to all of the health care professionals out there, you are amazing and don't get appreciated NEARLY enough ❤).

We have a whole lot of hospitals and healthcare places here (I don't think that was grammatically correct), and if I ever almost die I feel like this is the state that I want to do it in. However, this only really goes for the metro/southern areas, because the farther north you go the less people and settlement there are. But in the twin cities it's pretty great.

10. Last but DEFINITELY NOT LEAST, our amazing landscape and wildlife.

It's so beautiful here, but I'm glad that we can have both a nice metro area AND natural beauty.

[strangesthirdeye]

ᴍᴇᴀᴛ ᴘᴀʀᴛ 1 (sʜᴇʀʟᴏᴄᴋ x ɢʜᴏᴜʟ ғᴇᴍ! ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ)

Summary: day after day, serial murders began to make a mess around London just after the police from Scotland Yard found human corpses that looked like they had been chopped up and bitten near central park. At first, the police assumed it was a wild animal attack. But, Sherlock has an assumption about his new neighbor.

Warning: gore, murder, blood, mention about chopped body, mention about wild animal attack, cannibalism, suspicious, Dark fic? Basically it's all about murder and blood so read at your own risk.. Sorry if this fic make you uncomfortable. (Y/H) means You Hometown.

As usual, I'm sorry if there are any wrong sentences or typos or grammatical mistakes, please forgive me and again English is not my first language, so I try to improve my language and writing in this way.

Part 2

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You put your luggage on the steps of door 221B after a four-hour cab ride from the airport to get to the flat you bought, which is 221C. You sighed and looked at the area around Baker Street. The rather large and busy area is the main attraction of Baker Street and even more interesting, the door marked 221B is also an attraction for people around London because it is the place where the famous Consulting Detective Sherlock Holmes and his partner Doctor Watson live.

You looked at the cafe next to the flat.

'Speedy's Cafe'

From where you stand, you can smell the aroma of coffee and food there. Very delicious if you know the smell. But, you don't really care about the food there. All you care about is the aroma of hot coffee that stings your nostrils. With that smell alone, you started drooling.

You were stopped from your reverie as soon as you remembered your motive for coming there. Yes, you moved to London because of an unfortunate incident that happened in your hometown. So not wanting to get involved with that, you quickly went to London to find a new place to live. Your old work in your home country is left behind.

So, in this way, you can start your new life and forget what happened before. You look at the black wooden point in front of you and notice that the knocker on the door is tilted. You straightened the knocker without thinking. Well, you can be said to have OCD but not too OCD. You only correct the small things and not the big things. Big things are usually left scattered all over the place so you just ignore them.

You started knocking on the door of 221B three times before standing up straight trying to show that you are a woman with manners.

4 seconds later, the door of the flat was opened by an elderly woman with a big smile.

The old woman looked at you kindly. "oh, hello dear.. is there anything I can help you with?" said the elder woman in a soft tone.

Just look at the old woman, you get the impression that she carries a warm and welcoming aura like a mother. An aura that you yourself have never experienced or felt before. So, you immediately relaxed your nervousness and returned the old woman's smile.

"You are Mrs. Hudson, aren't you? I asked you for an offer through the website you made regarding flat 221C. So I came here for that flat." you replied fumbling with your black jacket.

Mrs. Hudson was silent for a moment maybe trying to remember that before she chuckled lightly and looked at you with the same happy expression on her face.

"oh, you're the one who emailed me last week, aren't you? Y/n L/n is your name, isn't it?" Mrs. Hudson extended her small wrinkled hand towards you to shake your hand.

You immediately turned around and shook hands with Mrs. Hudson while nodding your head a few times with a smile still on your face.

"Just call me Y/n. Ma'am" you replied and broke the handshake.

Mrs Hudson nodded her head. "then you call me Mrs Hudson, dear. Come in, it's a bit chilly outside so you must be cold now. Come in" Mrs Hudson invited you and moved aside to let you in.

You nodded and bent your body slightly to reach the handle of your luggage before walking into the flat. Before you step inside, you smell the unpleasant odor around Baker Street.

•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•☾☼☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•

"It's not big but it's quite comfortable for you to live in." said Mrs Hudson while opening the curtains on the window of flat 221C to let the sunlight in.

You shook your head as you looked around your new flat. The wallpaper looked like it had been re-pasted, while the windows were clean and dust-free. Most surprisingly, the electronic items there work well and there is also a sofa that looks like no one has touched it even though it has been abandoned for a long time. Mrs Hudson must always clean this flat in the hope that someone will live in it. Well, luckily you are the one who lives in that flat.

"Oh, I'm not the type to complain. As long as this place is comfortable, it's enough for me. After all, I like the atmosphere of this flat. It's quite calm and cozy here compared to my old flat in my home country" you said while caressing the wallpaper wall with your fingers you

Mrs Hudson chuckled. "oh thank goodness there are people who want to live in this flat. It's been a while since this flat was inhabited. The last person who lived in this flat was probably 4 years ago. After that, no one lived in this flat. So it's quite good that you like this flat" explained Mrs Hudson as she walked towards the kitchen. Maybe she want to organize all the messy things.

You nodded slightly. It's good that you live in this flat, otherwise you'll have to find another flat. After all, renting this flat is not expensive at all so it really fits your budget.

"By the way, dear. If I ask you this question, is it okay? If you don't answer, it's okay, I understand," said Mrs. Hudson from the kitchen.

"umm yeah, just ask.. I'll answer" you replied and started sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Is it okay if you live next door to people? Because the neighbors in the flat below can be a bit annoying and noisy sometimes, but that's only if there's time. Sometimes the people in the flat below will play the violin indefinitely. So I'm worried if it just bothers you," said Mrs Hudson.

"oh, it's okay.. I'm not bothered at all. I'm used to noise and commotion so I don't mind" you said optimistically.

Mrs Hudson nodded her head and walked into the living room and sat next to you. Her body is turned towards you as she gently pats your hand.

"well, I'm just warning you because Sherlock and John sometimes argue with each other or it's just Sherlock being Sherlock. So the atmosphere in this house is a bit noisy all the time" said Mrs Hudson with her cherished tone.

"well i suppose that's what happens if you live next door to Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson" you replied jokingly then chuckled.

Mrs Hudson chuckled then shook her head and started to stand. Her hands patted her shirt and pants. Maybe to remove wrinkles or dust. Then, Mrs. Hudson looked at you.

"well, I think I should go now.. I want to finish my abandoned laundry. Perhaps, after I finish the work at home we can continue chatting. oh, it's been a long time since I chatted with a girl." said Mrs Hudson happily. Her smile never left her face.

"Oh, that's fine. But, I need to get my things out first.. maybe next time we can continue chatting. Just give me time to get comfortable in the new place" you replied and stood up to escort Mrs Hudson out.

"that's not a problem, dear. I hope you can get used to the new place. I understand how you feel about the new place. Maybe you're used to the atmosphere in your old flat" said Mrs Hudson.

"yeah, well.. I don't want to bother you anymore so I think I should take out my things and settle in"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It's been 4 hours that you packed and arranged some of your belongings in the new flat. Everything went smoothly and quietly without any commotion from the flat below. It means that Sherlock and Doctor Watson haven't come home yet so that's why the atmosphere in the three-story flat is quite quiet.

While you were busy arranging the books of novels on the bookshelf you had installed, a knock on the door outside your flat made you stop what you were doing. You then stared at the door of the flat for a long time before taking a deep breath. Immediately, the smell of jasmine and bakery passes through your nasal cavity. But, there was also a faint smell of plastic and meat coming through your nose making you immediately stand up from kneeling on the floor and walk quickly towards the door. Your stomach rumbling means that it needs to be filled with food.

You reached for the doorknob of your flat and opened it. immediately the smell got stronger.

"Oh, Y/n. Sorry to bother you but I found this box in front of the door and I thought it was yours because it has your name on the side of the box that's why I'm here. Don't worry, I didn't open this box for your privacy." Mrs. Hudson said warmly.

You looked at Mrs Hudson's hand which was still holding the white polystyrene box in her hand. And what Mrs Hudson said is right because there was a note with your name on the side of the big polystyrene box.

Without hesitation you took the large polystyrene box from the older woman's hand and walked into the flat and placed the box on the table. Mrs Hudson is still standing in front of your flat door. You looked at Mrs Hudson.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hudson for giving me this box. I hope I didn't bother you with such a trivial thing." you look down a little.

Mrs Hudson waved her hand slowly while chuckling a little. "Don't worry, you didn't bother me either. I happened to have some errands before I saw the box in front of the door. You might have overlooked it." Mrs. Hudson dismissed.

You scratch your neck at the same time your hunger is fighting inside you waiting for the time to devour. "umm.. should I return the favor? Maybe tea? or something?"

Miss Hudson shook her head. "There's no need to return the favor, as long as you pay the rent, that's good enough"

You nodded your head in understanding as you stared the polystyrene box for a long time.

Mrs Hudson looked at you worriedly. "is everything ok, dear? You look a little pale.. Do you need some medicine? I have medicine that can be given to you" Mrs Hudson approached you.

You shook your head a few times as if waking up from a daydream. "oh no, I'm fine.. I'm just a little tired with all this. There's just a few more things I need to organize and tidy. Overall, everything's fine."

Mrs Hudson nodded in understanding. "if you insist. But if you need anything, just shout my name and I will help you. There's no need to be shy." Mrs Hudson then left your flat.

You only caught a glimpse of Mrs Hudson leaving before you quickly closed the flat door and locked it. Then you quickly went to the table and greedily opened the polystyrene box. After the box was opened, you inhaled the smell of the meat deeply while closing your eyes. Appreciate the delicious smell that hovers in your nasal cavity.

You slowly opened your eyes which now changed color from your original eye color.

The eyes that were previously E/c now change color to black and red making your face look different than before. The face that is full of psychopathic and hungry begins to appear as soon as your eyes look at the contents of the polystyrene box. Yes, it's definitely meat that's in plastic and frozen, but it's not just any kind of meat.

This meat is far from beef or pork nor chicken or goat. Only Ghouls like you eat this unique meat. Slowly you reach the plastic that has the arm cut off and frozen. The plastic was torn greedily by you then with initial hunger you smelled the arm with pleasure and relief before you opened your mouth wide and bit the arm wildly.

꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚

"What do we have now, Lestrade?" asked Sherlock as he walked beside Lestrade. Next to Sherlock John was trying to catch up with the two of them with his short legs.

"Edward Montague, 29 years old. Worked as a cashier in a grocery store around here. His body was found by an old woman while she was walking her dog. Cause of death.. probably a wild animal attack looking at his bite marks." explained Lestrade while lifting the safety tape up before ducking in followed by Sherlock and John behind.

"but?" Sherlock interrupted.

Lestrade stopped and looked at Sherlock with tired eyes. "but I don't think it's the result of a wild animal bite"

"so what's your guess?" Sherlock walked past Lestrade and saw the man's corpse that looked like it had been torn apart and bitten voraciously.

The corpse's right hand was missing while his leg was torn off and almost severed while the side of his stomach was torn apart and had a large bite mark.

John stopped himself from throwing up when he saw the state of the body. The pungent smell of blood made John almost throw up before he backed away from the scene. Although John had fought and seen blood when he was fighting in Afghanistan, but seeing this thing that was far from what he saw made him uneasy and nauseated.

Who is so cruel to do that? What did this man do to die in this condition? Oh, whoever does this is indeed the heart of a beast and a devil.

"This is the third one for this week.. Surely our murderer is getting bored" said Sherlock and knelt in front of the corpse and examined the corpse with his magnifying glass.

Lestrade who was standing near Sherlock looked at the corpse with pity even though his face showed a feeling of pity for the fate of the corpse, the blood and the current situation was not intense making him nauseous or horrible because he was used to facing such cases. That is normal as a Detective Inspector.

John who was still standing near the two of them began to approach Lestrade. His eyes were still looking at the corpse even though he was trying to hold back his nausea. "Looking at the bite mark, I don't think it was the work of a wild animal. Those bites look neat and tidy compared to wild animals that tend to bite the meat violently and messy"

Lestrade looked at John. "so you're saying this is a human act?"

John shrugged his shoulders. "maybe"

"So what you're trying to say is that this killer we're tracking is a cannibal?" Lestrade looked at John in disbelief.

John stared at the corpse for a long time. "not just any cannibal. But a Ghoul. You know.. People in Tokyo have dealt with this Ghoul. They eat humans and live like humans, hell looks just like humans. You can be mistaken between a human and a Ghoul because this Ghoul is a beast that smart and agile. They're psychopaths and murderers."

Lestrade looked at John nervously as his right hand tugged the collar of his shirt slightly to let air in. "Where did you get this information, John?"

"one of the commenters on my blog told me about this on my blog after I updated my blog about this case. They said that Ghouls are not only in Tokyo but all over the world. But they said that this Ghoul is just a myth. Most likely not there are many ghouls now but they are still there and dangerous"

Sherlock got up from his knees and looked at John with a firm face. "don't believe that nonsense, John. Ghouls don't exist"

John looked at Sherlock who was now walking towards the security tape and immediately followed Sherlock. Lestrade remained silent. Maybe thinking about what John said. And Lestrade was sure, even Sherlock himself did not know the cause of death for the third of the three victims for now. For now, Scotland Yard is only assuming that this is a case of wild animal attack.

꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚

"think about it, Sherlock. Surely some of the people we know are secretly ghouls. Ghouls can live among humans, act like humans and look like humans, what's different is their way of eating." John quickened his pace trying to keep up with Sherlock's pace.

Sherlock glanced at John and then his gaze was directed straight ahead. "Like you said, it's a myth. They don't exist and if they existed a long time ago we would both be their dinner if someone we know is secretly a Ghoul. You don't have to believe what you read in the comments. It's full of useless things"

John shook his head. " No. Listen here, Sherlock. Our murderer is out there still walking free and they can do the same thing as the three victims no matter where they are. Remember the first time we faced this case? Like Lestrade said the three victims were killed in the middle of the night and discovered by the public in the morning. Don't you find it strange? Ghouls come out at night to look for food just like wild animals and ordinary killers usually kill people whenever they want."

Sherlock stopped walking and looked at John with narrowed eyes. "The killer can plan the time and when they wants to start their work. All of this can happen if the killer really plans to start their killing work late at night. Seriously, John? How long have we been doing this job? Surely you know which one thing is true and not. Cannibals I can accept but Ghouls?" Sherlock walked back leaving John who still believed in such things.

John then looked at the figure of Sherlock who was continuing the journey without waiting for him or without looking at John. John sighed heavily. He still believes that his assumption is true which is why he asserts such a thing to Sherlock. He had a dubious feeling about this horrible case because if it was a wild animal attack, what animal would attack its victim so neatly? The bite of the wild animal is not the same as the bite mark on each victim's body. It looks like a human but has sharp teeth marks. Not to mention if a wild animal gets its prey, the animal will surely drag its prey to another place. But in this case, the corpse was found as if it had been left in a hurry. Only the splattered blood decorated the place where the body was found. Even some of the victim's organs and limbs disappeared without a trace.

But seeing Sherlock's reaction to his assumption made John think twice. Ghoul is just a myth and if it exists it will definitely raise questions for the people around it. In fact, this case is the same as in Tokyo a few years ago. Only it's in London. Returning to the comment on his blog, Ghouls are mostly in Japan because that is the place where Ghouls were 'born' and this is also quite rare if some Ghouls intend to move to other places other than Japan.

But, it could also be because Ghouls are indeed like humans, only their way of eating and diet is different from humans, causing them to have certain advantages and high stamina to survive compared to humans. And this makes them more dangerous. They have a sharp sense of smell and even sharp hearing makes them alert to the area and change of situation well. They are also able to extend their claws and their teeth become sharp, making them able to tear or grab their prey.

Not to mention, their eyes can change color and their vision is the same as an eagle's, making them able to identify their prey and prey from far and near. Stamina is strong and high causing them to move nimbly and quickly not to mention their quite extraordinary strength. And there is another advantage of them but it was not mentioned on the internet when John did research about Ghoul the day after the comment was on his blog. Bless whoever commented on that on his blog.

Not long after, John decided to change his course to another place to think after what he and Sherlock argued. He needed time and fresh air to refresh himself on that matter otherwise his mind would become cluttered with what he and Sherlock had argued about earlier. So, with the right foot, John made his way to a quieter and less busy place.

꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚

It was a long day, every day was a long day for Sherlock who is still thinking about the serial murder case. Sherlock who decided to continue his journey without John decided to take a cab to Baker Street.

After he got into the cab, Sherlock stared out the cab window. Thinking about the assumption that John had made a moment ago. Ghouls. Heh, who still believes in the existence of human-eating creatures? Surely only people like John believe in such mythical things. All those are just words that people make up. The Ghoul is now gone, in fact it has been quite a while since the case regarding this Ghoul is gone. Who the fuk still believes in the existence of Ghoul? Cannibal Sherlock can accept but Ghoul?

Sherlock closed his eyes as he sighed heavily. With that, Sherlock enters the Mind Palace where all the evidence and useful information is stored.

Things are getting worse. All three bodies were found by the public, making it an unsettling sight for them. What's more, the police work became more and more noisy about it and Lestrade became worried about this case because the three victims were found two days apart. Anyone can be the target of this serial killer and it doesn't matter gender or old and young people. This causes people who live near the scene to be afraid and cautious to go out at night. They fear they will be the next victim.

Sherlock's eyes widened as soon as he entered his mind. Where he is now in his flat 221B in Baker Street. A place that is the main place in his mind if he wants to think. Sherlock looked at the investigation board behind him. All the red threads and photos of the victims and evidence are all written on the investigation board. All the red strings are connected into a line that has a connection with each picture.

Every picture there becomes a key pillar in the case and some evidence is definitely a clue about the serial killer. Sherlock's fingers caressed each picture as if he was reading each picture through his fingers though he was thinking about the way the serial killer committed the murders. Yes, serial killers and not wild animal attacks. Sherlock managed to make the assumption on the first day they found the first body that this was a case of murder and not a case of a wild animal attack because as John said when he was at the scene not long ago, the way the bites and tears are very neat and clean is far different from a wild animal attack.

Plus the bite mark is also approximately the size of a human mouth, only it is quite large and torn as if it was pulled and torn in a hurry.

But there is something. Something he knew but couldn't catch up. It is definitely not Moriarty seeing that he is dead for good and not Eurus seeing that for now Eurus is in the recovery center. But it is something that he is not sure about and only he can unravel it.

Sherlock jerked from his Mind Palace when the cab break was suddenly pressed causing the cab to jerk. Sherlock was breathing heavily in the back as if he was holding his breath underwater for a long time. The cab driver looked at Sherlock from the rearview mirror.

"Baker Street, sir" said the cab driver.

Sherlock nodded and took out his credit card and slid his credit card on the credit card pay stand. The cab door opened and Sherlock got out of the cab. His eyes looked at door 221B in front of him. Sherlock walked towards the black wooden door but stopped when he saw the knocker on the door straightened. Sherlock frowned.

'Strange..' Sherlock thought curiously. 'it's either Mycroft or a client with OCD.. better clients than Mycroft'

Sherlock tilted back the door knocker and took out the door key and inserted the key into the door knob. The doorknob was turned and Sherlock quickly stepped inside. Sherlock's eyes looked towards the stairs leading to his flat and the flat above. The sound of classical music from upstairs made Sherlock frown curiously. Although the classical music sounds faint, but it is clearly heard in this quiet three-story flat. Meaning, the new neighbor that Mrs Hudson told him had already moved into the empty flat.

Sherlock slowly took off his trenchcoat and blue scarf then he hung the two items on the hanger next to the door. His eyes were still looking at the stairs leading to the upper flat.

Sherlock then arranged his steps to go upstairs but before he could climb the stairs, the door to Mrs Hudson's flat opened. Mrs Hudson sighed heavily as she lifted a large plastic garbage bag in her hand. She still didn't notice the glimpse of Sherlock at the end of the stairs who was still standing with his right foot on the stairs.

Mrs Hudson then with all the energy she had, she tried to lift the garbage plastic bag with a groan. Sherlock, who had been looking at Mrs Hudson with a blank expression on his face, immediately walked towards Mrs Hudson.

"Here, let me lift it up" Sherlock said in a deep voice. His right hand was stretched towards the garbage plastic bag.

Mrs Hudson looked at Sherlock in surprise. "oh, Sherlock. It's okay, I can lift it up"

"I don't think you can lift it. Seeing you struggle to lift it is enough for you to need help. So, let me help" Sherlock then took the plastic garbage bag from Mrs Hudson's hands and lifted it as if it weighed nothing. Although many people think that Sherlock is rude and cold, it does not mean that he is not a gentleman and respects the elderly. Hell, he once helped Mrs. Hudson get flour from the tall cabinet just to make Sherlock's favourite cookies. So, that's because Mrs. Hudson treats Sherlock like her own son and Sherlock treats Mrs. Hudson like his own mother.

Mrs Hudson just smiled genuinely at Sherlock. "oh, what a gentleman Sherlock you are"

"Not quite gentlemen, Mrs Hudson." Sherlock replied and walked towards the back of the flat they lived in.

"well, have you noticed our new neighbor? She just arrived and moved here last afternoon. Turns out she is very sweet and polite." Mrs Hudson told Sherlock in a motherly voice

"yes, I notice that." Sherlock murmured and put the trash bag into the big black trash can.

"How about you introduce yourself to her? Maybe you two can get along well. Perhaps John will be delighted with this new neighbor seeing John always welcomes new people" Mrs Hudson suggested.

Sherlock looked at Mrs Hudson long and walked past her. "I'm sure John can introduce himself and me to her."

"But you can't do that. You need to get along with new people, especially your new neighbor. She's sweet, Sherlock. I'm pretty sure you and her can be good friends." Mrs. Hudson walked behind Sherlock. "Anyway, where's John? Aren't you guys always stuck with each other?" Mrs. Hudson added.

"we're not always stuck with each other, Mrs Hudson. John probably take fresh air. He'll know to come back. Besides, I think I pass your suggestions. She's likely not wanting to be friends with a rude man like me." Sherlock.

"Sherlock, you are not always rude. I know you are a gentle young man even though many people think otherwise. Why don't you just try to be friendly with her? Get to know her and socialize with her?" Mrs Hudson advised.

Sherlock ignored her and suddenly he began to take a deep sniff in the air. His nose suddenly caught a rather strange smell from the flat. Something iron mixed with vanilla scented upstairs. Sherlock stopped.

"That's a strange smell for perfume, isn't it?" Sherlock turned his gaze towards Mrs Hudson.

"Every female has their own perfume taste, Sherlock." Mrs. Hudson replied.

Sherlock knew this kind of smell but still it couldn't be the smell of blood. Vanilla? probably the new neighbor likes that smell but, iron smell? This is weird. Surely there are no pipes in the flat that are already rusty. His experiment also did not involve blood. So why is there a familiar smell to him?

"Is our new neighbor someone who works in the medical field?" Sherlock stared at Mrs Hudson.

Mrs Hudson looked at Sherlock questioningly. "I'm not sure, dear. She's a bit mysterious, you know. I barely know her. So I respect her privacy" Mrs Hudson then got an idea. "Why don't you just do what I suggested earlier, hmm? Introducing yourself to her and get to know her if you want to know what she did throughout her life.  I'm sure you can get to know each other without me having to crack information from her."

"like i said, Mrs Hudson. I pass those suggestions from you. Let John do that" Sherlock went upstairs towards his own flat.

He opened his flat door with a burst as usual. Still thinking how come the door is not torn from the frame with how many he is bursting through that door. Sherlock stopped his movement and looked at the set of stairs leading to the flat above which is the flat occupied by his new mysterious neighbor.

The smell of metallic from there was quite strong, making Sherlock's mind pounding with questions. What is going on up there? The new neighbor is a woman like Mrs Hudson said. So who is she really?

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"You're late" Sherlock muttered, eyes closed as his palmed hands under his chin. Mind palace obviously.

John huffed as he undressed his black jacket and threw it behind his chair before sitting on his chair facing Sherlock.

"Well, I just came back from the bar actually. Need something strong to relieve stress" John signed while massaging his temples.

Sherlock hummed then opened his eyes and observed John. "Have you heard about our new neighbor upstairs?"

John glanced at Sherlock with furrowed eyebrows. "New neighbor? Upstairs? 221C? They've already moved?"

"Ms. Hudson suggested us to introduce ourselves to her" Sherlock spread his arms over the arm rest of his chair and unconsciously his fingers tapping the arm rest.

"A woman? Mrs Hudson suggested us to introduce ourselves to her?" John furrowed his eyebrows.

"She suggested to me but I want you to go." Sherlock replied flatly.

"Why not you? Mrs Hudson suggested to you first. I mean, I can go but why not you go, seeing as it was you who Mrs Hudson suggested first" John replied.

"I rather not" Sherlock muttered, avoiding eye contact with John.

"Sherlock, at least if you go, our new neighbor will feel welcome with us as her new neighbor seeing that she's the only woman besides Mrs Hudson who is willing to move here" John spoke.

"well, why isn't she the one who introduces herself? She's the new neighbor, of course she's the one who should greet us first" Sherlock protested.

John glared at Sherlock for a moment. Although his face looks calm but his eyes are a bit angry with Sherlock's behaviour. John sighed heavily and got up from his chair and walked out. Sherlock raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"where are you going?" Sherlock asked, confused.

"Upstairs, Introducing myself to our new neighbor since you decided to be a frog under the shell. You don't want to meet outsiders nor do you want to know about what's going on in the outside world" John said as he went upstairs ignoring Sherlock calling his name.

Sherlock rolled his eyes and quickly got up from his seat, rushing behind John towards the upstairs.

The metallic smell is gone only the vanilla. Weird. Sherlock frowned.

John reached the new neighbor's flat door and stood in front of the flat door. He glanced at Sherlock briefly before knocking on the door three times.

A sound of someone rushing could be heard from inside the flat.

"Coming!" a feminine voice shouted from inside the flat before the door was opened wide by a woman the same age as Sherlock dressed in a gray jumper and black pants.

You looked at John and Sherlock with an unrecognized look on your face. "yes?"

"Hi, I'm John Watson-"

"Doctor" Sherlock interrupted.

"And this is my flatmate Sherlock Holmes. We are your neighbors downstairs. Good to see a new face in this flat. It's been a long time since people moved here to stay in this old flat" John said with a warm smile.

You smile. "hi, I'm Y/n L/n. Just call me Y/n. I'm your new neighbor"

Sherlock narrowed his eyes. Trying to read anything from you.

'same age'

'metallic smell is strong here'

'cracks in reddish nails, nail polish? looks like dry liquid, blood? Injured during cleaning?'

'slightly stooped standing posture, lack of self-confidence'

'lack of sleep, eye bags'

'Vanilla, perfume'

"come in, I can make some tea for a chat, yeah?" You invited them and turned to the side to let them in.

John and Sherlock entered your flat. The flat door was closed by you when they entered your flat. They both looked around your messy flat with boxes and items that had just been unpacked.

You shyly looked around as you noticed the state your new home is.

"err, sorry about the mess.. I just took the items out of the box.. so sorry about all this mess" you scratched your neck awkwardly.

John waved his hand as if he didn't care about the mess there as he already dealt with that a long time ago.

"You should see our flat" John chuckled.

Sherlock rolled his eyes at that. John and his charming cannot be separated. Sherlock walked around your flat curiously. John who is ripe with Sherlock's behavior just let him hang around your flat as long as he didn't cause any trouble. You warily glanced at him.

"So uh.. Where did you come from?" John began to start a conversation.

"oh from Y/H...I moved here on business that I need to avoid there" you replied, the corner of your eye still watching Sherlock's movement.

"boyfriend?" John continued.

"Ex-friends" you replied.

John nodded in understanding and decided not to ask that personal question again. He looked around your boxes. Some have not yet been opened, some have been opened and the items inside are mostly books, black discs and various types of drawing tools.

"Are you a painter?" John asked referring to your drawing board.

"It can be said.. I make masks actually.. For events" you said, half lied half not. Although, covered identities to hunt people is an event too, right?

John raised his eyebrows impressed. "You're the Mask Maker? That's the first I've heard" John grinned.

"thanks, most people don't know that is also a job for living" you said, smiling sweetly.

Sherlock stopped his movement when he found some interesting things in your box. He took that thing and inspected it. It's your mask. Your hunting mask.

"Strange pattern and shape.. What events do you always do?" Sherlock showed you your mask which is a black veil and two horns above the veils.

It may be simple but it is quite useful to eat and hide your whole face even though it is only made of black cloth.

"It's usually for Halloween or a dance party like a Masquerade ball. Mostly from Japan who always ask for this kind of shape for their masks" you lied smoothly even Sherlock seems to be buying with your deception.

He could read you but he can't read the whole other details about you. It's like you are Irene Adler where he cannot deduce anything from you even small details. You hide it quite carefully. Now this is quite intriguing.

You smacked your forehead lightly before chuckling. "oh, silly me.. I forgot to make tea for you two. I should go and make tea for you, okay?"

"oh it's okay, we won't be long"

"black two sugar" Sherlock and John said in unison.

You stopped and pressed your lips into a thin line. Not knowing how to respond.

"well, I should heat the water then.. Uh.. please, please sit down" you offered them before moving to the kitchen.

Sherlock and John take a seat on your couch. John glared at Sherlock.

"You shouldn't have said that, it was disrespectful" John said slowly.

"She's the one who offered, I'm just saying" Sherlock replied simply but his eyes were still on your mask box.

"yes but you shouldn't have said something like that. It's disrespectful" John said lowly, not wanting you to hear his argument with Sherlock.

Sherlock rolled his eyes, annoyed by what John said. Meanwhile you are in the kitchen standing at the kitchen counter with both hands holding the electric jug of hot water and pouring it into the teapot after you put the tea bags. You heard what they were arguing in the living room with your sensitive ears. You found it amusing with John who's yapping endlessly with Sherlock's respectful and disrespectful attitude. For you, you don't care about it because you know that they are guests and they have the right to tell what they want and don't want. As long as it's not something that goes beyond the limit.

After making the tea, you brought the tray into the living room and placed the tray containing the teapot and the 2 cups on the table in front of John and Sherlock. You grinned while pouring tea into the two cups.

"so, uh.. what are you two doing? It's not fair that you come here to welcome and get to know me. I also want to get to know and welcome you too" you said while handing the cup of tea to John.

John took the tea from you and grinned. "Uh, well. That's right. Well, I'm a Doctor. Like Sherlock said before. I work at a hospital near here permanently and well at one time I was a blogger." John explained.

"Doctor and Blogger? That's pretty impressive" you raised one eyebrow.

"yeah, but it's a bit of a hassle too." John scratched the back of his neck while chuckling lightly.

Sherlock rolled his eyes.

"So you are a blogger, what kind of topic do you always do? And where can I read it?" you smile

"I usually make topics about cases that Sherlock and I solved, actually. And you can read it online. My personal blog Doctor John H Watson "John replied, smiled.

"cases?" you turned your gaze on Sherlock. "Are you a Detective?"

"I’m a consulting detective. Only one in the world. I invented the job" Sherlock said coldly.

"Consulting Detective? Is it the same as a private detective?" You cocked your head to the side slightly.

John smirked at what you said. His mind played with the memory of when he met Sherlock a few years ago. The exact same questions were told to him by you.

"No, it means when the police are out of their depth, which is always, they consult me." Sherlock explained.

You nodded understanding and decided to change the question. "so, you haven't solved any cases now or are you in the phase to solve cases?" you looked at John and Sherlock.

"We are trying to investigate this new case. If you know, it is already in the news." John said while sipping tea.

"A new case? What case?" You looked at John curiously.

"The police said it was a case of wild animal attack." John said, clearing his throat as he put the tea cup back on the table.  "I'm surprised this case isn't as exciting as the previous case.. Well at least not yet"

"I just moved here so I miss a lot of things that happen here but seriously, wild animal attack? In London?" You frowned.

"There are many impossible things that can happen out there. Especially in London. But the police are still investigating that. We are trying to solve it, seeing that Sherlock probably has another theory about this attack" John remarked.

"You have your own theory? About that?" You stared at John intently.

"well.. " John cleared his throat. Eyes glanced at Sherlock before returning to you. "My theory is that, it's not just any wild animal attacks but it's a case of Ghouls"

You sweat dropped at that. Ghouls. As if you can't get away with that. Even if you have moved abroad, it does not mean that other Ghouls are not abroad. Wherever there are Ghouls because they have now increased throughout the years. Breeding or experiment.

Sherlock rolled his eyes at that. "oh, seriously John. You're not going to let this Ghouls thing go, aren't you?"

"Think about it again Sherlock. Cannibals won't attack and eat their victims directly. They prefer to kidnap them and eat them. Wild animals won't make neat bites like that." John defended.

"So uh.. Ghoul?" you try to naturalize the tone of your voice.

"yes, Ghoul. As you know I posted about this case in my blog and then one of the readers who read my blog commented their theories about Ghoul. So everything that has to do with this case is the same as the theories they told me" John paused. "You don't know what Ghoul is, don't you?" He added.

"not really.. Uh, I only heard rumors about them. So I barely know about their things" you lied through your teeth. Hoping that none of them sensed your lie.

John nodded in understanding while Sherlock looked at you suspiciously.

"You seem tense" Sherlock muttered. John side eyed him as if to tell him 'don't start'.

"well, when you mention something like that.. The one behind these attacks must still be out there, right? So it's not safe to walk alone to work or anywhere. They or it will probably make me the next victim if I'm off guard" you mumbled, looking at your lap. Fingers fidgeting with each other pretending that you are anxious.

Sherlock nodded, for now he just let it slide. He has nothing to accuse you about these attacks, although he himself doesn't know why he feels this case has anything to do with you. He just can't put his finger on it. Who are you.. really. So far he only knows that you moved to London because your ex friend in your hometown and you are a mask maker. But something inside him told him that you are more than that.

"What kind of customers do you always make a mask for?" Sherlock asked, attempting to change the topic.

"For the rich. Sometimes there are middle class. But mostly first class. They pay handsomely for the mask I make. Though, money is not my problem." You replied, genuinely. "Are you interrogating me?" you cocked your head slightly.

"what makes you say that?" Sherlock frowned.

"You asked me questions that only the police ask. Although, it sounds like the police, but are you interrogating me?" the beginning of your narrowed eyes.

"No.. I'm merely just asking you a simple question because I'm interested in what you're doing" Sherlock replied smoothly.

"Most people don't find what I do interesting" you shrugged.

"I'm not most people. And I'm genuinely interested in what you're doing. I find it intriguing" Sherlock replied.

John observing the conversation of the two of you silently, sipping his tea. He wants to know where this conversation is going but he is afraid that this conversation will take a turn that it shouldn't, seeing that Sherlock seems to be onto something.

"right, if you said so. What other things do you want to know about my job then?" You crossed your legs. Eyes focusing on Sherlock.

"Well, you're good at sketching. Do you perhaps know about human anatomy?" Sherlock stared at you intently.

"A little bit, though I only sketched faces for mask design. Why?" you raised your eyebrow at him.

"Just want to warn you who are neighbors with me, you will pass through some unpleasant smells like the smell of something sizzling or smoke because I usually do experiments at undetermined times" Sherlock warned.

"and that includes?" you stared at him.

"human body parts" Sherlock said simply.

"That doesn't explain why you asked me if I know human anatomy" you narrowed your eyes.

"Perhaps I need your help for an experiment" Sherlock muttered.

You were silent for a moment. Heart beats fast at this. Does he know what you are? or perhaps he doesn't know but he wants to find out about you. Is this about the mysterious attacks they are both working on?

"I'm only a mask maker, Sherlock" You said.

"then why is there a smell of blood here?" Sherlock narrowed his eyes at you.

"sorry?"

"the smell of blood here. It is very strong. Although I know the smell of blood when I smell one due to me being working on many cases involving blood. So why, the smell of blood here is strong?" Sherlock said, suspiciously.

"Sherlock, I think this is already-" John tried to cut off the tension.

"Are you talking about the meat that I took out of the freezer to cook? Yeah, the smell of the meat's blood is very unpleasant, isn't it? Maybe after you two go back to your flat, I'll wash it for dinner" you said, boldly. "Honestly, Sherlock. Are you accusing me for being the one behind the attacks that I barely know?" now you displeased with what Sherlock accused. How dare he accuse you of something you didn't do. Yes, you are a ghoul but you don't attack people at will. You always take human flesh at the morgue or if someone wants to attempt suicide who willingly becomes your food. Never had you ever attack people if you are hungry. You can control your hunger well.

Sherlock blinked his eyes at you. He lost all the words he said. John glared at him, dissatisfied with what Sherlock did earlier. Accusing someone who just moved to this country and barely knows about the case. Now this is out of control.

You gave Sherlock a death stare before shifting your gaze to John. "I think it would be good if you both return to your flat. I don't want to continue this unpleasant conversation anymore. I have other things to do" you uttered idly.

"uh, yes. Of course. So sorry about him." John apologized, giving you a reassuring smile before he dragged Sherlock out of your flat.

Sherlock seems unfazed that he himself was dragged out of your flat by John, only after you closed the door of your flat with force Sherlock seems out of his mind. He sucked his breath and looked at your flat door.

"right, what was that?" John stared at him with his dangerously calm face.

"I'm trying to prove my point" Sherlock turned his gaze on his flatmate.

"what point? hmm? The point that you accuse her for being the one behind this attack? Are you accusing her for being a cannibal who kept the body parts of the corpse that we are trying to solve?" John hissed, eyes showing rage even though his face was calm.

Sherlock seemed to lose all the words he wanted to throw at John. His mind is racing with the thought that he couldn't place something about you. He seemed to want to prove his point that you have about this case but he doesn't know what it is.

John massaged his nose in frustration. "Look, we should welcome our new neighbor and build a good relationship with her. Not accuse her of what she didn't do. That woman is too good, she's not mad at us even though she should be mad at us because of you. She barely knows about any of these, for God's sake!" John lowered his voice. He turned his back toward Sherlock as he took a deep breath trying to calm himself before he continued.

John leaned forward slightly as if he wanted Sherlock to hear his words clearly while pressing his thumb and index finger together.

"Listen, I don't want to tell you this again -"

"-the don't"

"-Because you're the type who doesn't understand the language with all the warnings I give-"

"-I understand the language well-"

"-then understand what I'm saying!" John released a heavy breath. "Just stop this.. Stop accusing someone if you yourself have no evidence to accuse someone. She didn't do anything wrong since she moved here. She wants to start a new life here, not for you to destroy her new life. Just because you are frustrated that there's no evidence yet doesn't mean you can turn in someone who is innocent to do such unforgivable things"

Sherlock stared at him absently. He doesn't know what to say as he knows what John said is right. He shouldn't accuse someone for being the one who did this cruel crime. But knowing Sherlock, he probably has another way to prove his point.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

[zuyiesque]

His Troubles ｡ ꒰ Kamisato Ayato ⩨ ͢ short fic ꒱

◗ please do not read this if you are below 18+ ◗ english isn't my first language. there might be some grammatical errors ◗ do leave some constructive comments and feedback. they are highly appreciated!

The Kamisato Estate . Dusk

Of course Ayato is the picture perfect image of calm , serene , as if he were the glassy surface of pristine waters untouched by the ripples of fate ... Yet somehow , whenever you're around , the man switches to his more gleeful self.

Who knew the Yashiro Commissioner was a playful tease ? No wonder Yae Miko called him a rascal.

And soon you would find out exactly why.

One of the house attendants said he was writing in his chambers. Ah , probably his poems. True enough, you do find him elegantly tucked behind his table , plume in hand , expression expertly focused on the scrolls in front of him.

“ You're here , ” grins he ; the smile on his lips soft , his eyes lit like fireworks. “ Would you like to read this poem I've just written ? ”

“ Sure ! You've written so many good ones , I'm excited to see this one . ”

You're hovering next to him now and the wonderful surprise commences —— one that leaves your heart thumping rapid , your eyes wide and your cheeks a la rose.

Ayato's sure arm was wrapped gently around your waist ; he had pulled you close ... close enough to warrant you to take a seat not only next to him , but on his lap.

He was warm and the scent of sakura blossoms wafted from his presence. his hold ; still , was as gentle as ever —— oh just why wouldn't your heart stay put ? For sure , he meant nothing by this , right ? He's not as unfazed as you are.

“ It's a poem about how like the sakura , a person's heart is just as fleeting. I wrote this while I was pondering on some things that troubled me —— which is rare , I usually don't have this dilemma. ”

He sighs and his breath tickles the back of your neck. You cannot help but shudder and feel small — safe , in his arms. Slowly , your eyes start to feel heavy ; you were just too comfortable .

“ To be honest , ” he continues. “ My troubles only arise when you are near. It's funny , isn't it ? Even now ... I am extremely 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥. ”

Your heartbeat takes a dive as you can hear him shift and another warmth presents itself to you , only this time it was in the form of his hand delicately cupping your chin. Why was he being so careful ? It's not like you would break ...

“ You just had to come see me alone when I was thinking about you. ”

His voice was hovering oh so dangerously next to your ear , his breath tickling your skin.

“ How do you plan on compensating me for my troubles , hmm my sweet princess ? I'm afraid just sitting on my lap won't do. I was thinking of ... let's see , sitting you down in front of me and having you all to myself ? Did you know that I don't share the things I like ? hmm ? you better hurry up and tell me how this should go , my sweet princess. ”

He reckons to the raging pulse forming in between his legs , beneath his crisp white pants. Sinful , yet about to burst at the seams with anticipation. He had indeed been holding back .

“ I'm getting extremely impatient , lest you want me to give you the correct answer . ”

❪ * to be continued .... ❫

[loiswasadevil]

Hi Lois! I don't think you understand what catalysts actually means given how every slightly upsetting thing causes you to use the word despite it meaning a positive thing when it's referring to people, dictionary.com has the definition as "a person whose talk, enthusiasm, or energy causes others to be more friendly, enthusiastic, or energetic" when refering to people. I think your confusing the word for plight or antagonize

this isn't meant to troll or be mean it's just the word keeps being misused and it's confusing to see it used negatively.

God this post Is going to be my catalyst, The way you start off acting like you are coming from a place of caring just to make me look stupid, even though you are wrong. I have No clue what definition of Catalyst you are finding, When i use this word I mean my fuse, What causes my devil's heart to unlock, and it is grammatically correct.

Catalyst: "a person or event that quickly causes change or action", The precipitation to the Unlocking of a Devil's Heart. Just as the lighter is the catalyst that makes the dynamite boom, Many things act as a cataylst to my Devil's Heart. Stop coming on here trying to make me seem ignorant because you looked at the first definition of a word you havent used before. I am Not misusing the word, You don't know what it means. They ARE my catalyst because they are the variable that unleashes my Devils Heart.

[satsuha]

hi!! correct me if i’m wrong but you played octopath traveller 2 in japanese, right? if so then you might be able to clear up some confusion for me and if i am mistaken then i at least wanna hear your opinion. i’m a fellow hikari/temenos (hikanos? temehika? whatever people call it) shipper!! i love their dynamic. just putting that out there so you know where i’m coming from.

i don’t really like the hikari/agnea ship. i just don’t like the idea of pushing them as a romantic couple just because they have a shared story (which barely even supported them being a thing in the first place imo) and i find the idea of them being supportive friends so much more sweet.

you know that travel banter in agnea’s chapter 2, the one where hikari calls her dances hot? everyone seems to interpret that as romantic and it’s constantly written as a scene that pushes their relationship in that direction. i just don’t get it? because to me that scene felt like a very obvious demonstration of “hikari is awkward socially and he’s just copying what someone else said because he can tell it’s a nice compliment when coming from that person and wants to imitate it”. i don’t know if it’s just the fact that i’m aromantic and autistic so i prefer to put neurodivergent meanings to these things but that was so clearly what it was to me. and then everyone made it romantic? idk i just hate that, i feel like it takes so much away from both of their characters to force a relationship from that.

i’m wondering if it’s a translation thing. does it read as a more romantic interaction in japanese? if so then i’m far more willing to accept it. but if not then i’m just so confused about this and i wish people would talk more about hikari being a neurodivergent icon (also hikari/temenos is sooo underappreciated it makes me so sad so maybe i’m just biased idk)

sorry this was super long i hope you’re okay with me rambling like this!! if not feel free to ignore it

hi thanks for the ask! and i'm happy to see a fellow temehika enjoyer 🥺

i need to preface this with the fact that i don't have a japanese education, and though i have picked up on things on social media and such, i could definitely still get things wrong! with that being said, here's my take on it under the cut:

anyway yes! i played octopath2 with japanese voice, and am now replaying it in korean text (has a vocabulary and is grammatically similar to japanese, and a language i can actually understand)! i also cross-check a lot of stuff with the original japanese text, so i did that for the banter you're mentioning just to make sure.

funnily enough, the japanese actually pushes it in the opposite direction... gil uses the english word "hot" in his speech, hence hikari's (and agnea's, initially) confusion at it since it isn't a word that exists in the japanese language. and as far as i can find, "hot" (the english loanword) doesn't have the same connotations as english of being "sexy". the sources i can find online list "new, trendy", "spicy or hot (food/drink)" and "intense" as definitions, but i can't find anything that matches the common english interpretation.

in gil's case, i would say he's either going for the "intense" or "popular, trendy" definition, and given that he treats agnea like a kid (literally calling her "kid" in english and "嬢ちゃん" in japanese, something like "little lady"), i don't think his intent was romantically or sexually charged when he used the word to refer to her.

(sources: weblio and goo)

now, you've probably seen that i'm biased against this ship as well so there's that to keep in mind but... yeah, in my opinion this was absolutely not supposed to be a romantic thing, and while i can't fully speak on the localization's decision to just keep the word "hot" as is, it bothers me that they either failed to realize or were trying to push the added connotation in english.

at the same time, i know a lot of english fans tend to not care about the original text at all and the localization is meant to work as a replacement for it if you don't know the original language, so i can't completely fault people for taking it that way... unfortunately i am a nitpicker and also a translation nerd and in this case i blame the english version for having that added nuance which did not help!

also i complained about this enough elsewhere but none of their later banters have any kind of interesting topic that tells you more about either of the characters so i don't even think this one works as a turning point for their relationship ...

but yeah anyway again, thanks for the ask! i don't always feel very comfy with analyzing japanese since i don't actually speak it, but unfortunately there isn't anyone else doing this kind of comparison so... i'm always happy to answer and look into it if anyone is curious about anything!!

[artdecosupernova-writing]

Fictober ‘21 Prompt No. 10 — “It's so quiet.”

Category: Original WIP: For The Stars Rating: T Timeline: an AU in which both Warren and Thrive are human CW: none Word Count: 1,283 Additional Notes: I liked where it went so I turned it into a full-fledged AU

***

Warren breathed in the saline air of the ocean from his seat in the sand, watching the waves lap at the shore and admiring the moon's sparkling diamond drops of light on the surface. He drew his knees up to his chest, balancing his beer on one of them, observing the refracted horizon through the green glass. He stayed that way until he heard muffled footsteps behind him.

"Oh, hey," he said, blessing his companion with a small smile. "If it isn't Oliver Judge."

"Now what in the world did I do to deserve that…?" he asked, lowering himself to the sand beside Warren. He had a beer in his hand, too, and no shoes, and he wore Warren's ringed planet t-shirt under one of his red flannels with the sleeves pushed up.

"Nothing." Warren shrugged, careful not to knock over his bottle. "I just can't believe your name's Oliver."

"You didn't think my name was actually Thrive, did you?" Thrive frowned playfully at him, digging a small hole to set his beer into. "How long have you known me?"

Warren made a show of thinking it over. "About three days."

"Well, that's not in any way correct." Thrive took a drink of the beer before stuffing it into the sand. "It's been three months for two weeks."

"And apparently it's been enough time for you to start wearing my clothes." Warren tugged at the elbow of the flannel, which was tight on Thrive's toned arm. "This ascends us to a whole new level of friendship, my guy."

"I actually broke a bottle of this awful stuff all over myself trying to open it," Thrive muttered, gesturing to the beer. "I'd hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm not exactly what one would call a 'bro,' I guess."

Warren chuckled. "Man, I don't care. You think I'm a bro? I just packed my shit and moved across the country to work for NASA with a guy I hardly even know.  What part of that sentence screams 'bro' to you?"

The corner of Thrive's mouth quirked upward and he brought his beer to his lips, though he said nothing else as he cast his eyes to the ocean.

Warren sighed. The crashing of the sea served as their soundtrack for a few minutes, and he found their silence comforting, though he felt his ears getting hotter the longer they went without speaking.

"It's so quiet," he finally said. His voice cracked and he cleared his throat. "Virginia Beach is nice, isn't it?"

"It's definitely not Alaska," Thrive said.

"Can I ask you something?" When he got a pair of lifted brows in response, Warren bit his lip. "…Why did you come all this way with me? I mean…I know you're after that other NASA position but why did you decide to uproot yourself with me? It doesn't strike me as something you'd do."

"I've suffered the tedium of an office job for long enough. I need to pursue the career I'd always wanted as well as the career at which I'm certain I'd excel."

"That's…not really what I meant."

Thrive took his time to gather an answer, and he sighed as well. "You want the truth?"

"No. Please tell me an elaborate riddle sourced straight from a mythical sphynx. It'd be off-brand, but I think you could do it."

Thrive looked at him. "I like you."

He'd said it so abruptly, so succinctly, that Warren had to process the information despite the fact that it was presented to him in as few words as grammatically possible. "You…like me?"

"Yes, I do." Thrive squinted against the saltwater breeze, which had picked up for a swell. "I appreciate your humor and you're a delight to be around. I may not show it as outwardly as anyone else would, but I enjoy your company."

"You're almost a full decade older than me, how can you find me enjoyable?"

Thrive paused. "Is that a trick question?"

"I just…" Warren set his beer down beside him, a little thunderstruck. "I guess I'm not used to someone enjoying my company. I don't even think my parents enjoyed my company," he joked in an attempt to ease the tension. He felt it in his chest, though, and it threatened to explode from him via his trachea. "…Follow-up question."

"Mm."

"What would happen if I told you that I enjoyed your company too?"

"Well," Thrive said, moving to take one more dreaded swig of his beverage, "I suppose that would ascend us to yet another level of friendship, wouldn't it?" He did a double-take as he looked at Warren, the bottle halting before it made it to his mouth.

"Follow-up for the follow-up," Warren murmured. "…How many levels…"

The rest of his words died on his tongue. He couldn't read Thrive's expression, and his heart began to pound hard enough to knock him over if he wasn't careful. He felt a prickle of perspiration at his temples and he glanced at Thrive's lips.

The bottle was tucked away again and Thrive leaned forward so slightly. Time stilled, and it became apparent that Thrive placed the ball firmly in Warren's court. He eyed his face, waiting for him to either make it exceptionally clear that this was not what he'd meant, or to finish his thought.

"I don't…" A chill ran down Warren's spine. "I don't wanna mess anything up…"

"Warren," Thrive said, a slow smile spreading across his face, "you moved your whole life on the chance that you could start a new one." His bright green eyes gleamed with excitement, and their energy rivaled the shine of the moon on the water. "Ultimately, it's your choice. I'd never cross a line. But isn't this merely another chance that could pay off?"

"You're…gorgeous, and I'd be stupid not to let you kiss me right now," Warren said at length. "I'm not stupid, Oliver Judge."

Thrive shifted forward and pressed his lips to Warren's, cupping his face in a hand. His initial enthusiasm to fulfill his request melted into gentle affection, sending Warren's brain into a sparking spin that set off all sorts of fireworks behind his eyes. He kept it soft, kept it pure, and though the way Thrive's fingers combed into Warren's hair sent a jolt of electricity directly into his belly, he wanted nothing less than to ruin this moment.

It felt like five years before Thrive broke the kiss, and even longer before Warren could open his eyes.

"…So," Thrive murmured, holding Warren's hazy gaze. He brushed a thumb across his cheek. "I had a wonderful evening."

Warren swallowed. "I, um…I'm gonna need my money back…and a reminder never to play poker with you again."

Thrive tapped Warren under the chin with a featherlight knuckle. "What level is this?"

"I could consider the meter broken, maybe."

"Could we possibly wait until after our interviews before we have a heavier discussion about what just happened?" Thrive took a drink.

"Uh-huh. What? Oh. Yeah. I mean, yeah. We could…we could just have a good time for now, there's no pressure."

"Good." Thrive smiled at him again. "I do like you, Warren Cougar."

Warren wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. "I like you too. So much so…that I think I'm getting light-headed."

Thrive winked. "Watch a true-crime documentary. It always helps me out of a 'situation'." He got to his feet. "Good night, Warren."

"Wanna get breakfast before we shove off to D.C.?"

"Sure," Thrive said as he started back to the rental house. "I'll use the money I won from you to pay for both of us."

Warren drained his entire bottle of beer in one go.