#this works better when i do the last bit first ahaha

[adorastarot]

A message from BTS for you - Mini reading

Hii everyone and welcome to my second PAC reading! Today we are asking for a message from BTS for you <3 I hope that this PAC reading will help you understand the present better and help move towards the future that you want to manifest!

How to choose a pile: Take a deep breath and close your eyes. Ask the universe if there is a message that you need to hear right now. You may either hear a number or be drawn to a pack once you open your eyes! If the message doesn't resonate then it may not be for you.

♡ Want a personal reading? Check out my Ko-fi

Pile 1

2 of cups, king of wands, the hanged man, knight of wands, 7 of pentacles

Jin & Namjoon are stepping up for this message, the colours are red, orange and yellow. The energy feels very vibrant but calm?! They’re not excited per se, they just want to be present today and help light a fire in you. 

“Slow down when it comes to romance, not every frog will turn into a prince charming (not everyone can be as handsome as me *wink* - Jin) You may be trying too hard right now to find your other half, might be giving chance after chance to people who aren’t worthy of you. You have to take a break, otherwise, you will end up sacrificing the most important things to you - love, integrity, passion and stability in exchange for the desire that lasts a couple of days. Time is not running out, people sometimes are not what you expect them to be. You will find your soulmate one day, but you have to be ok with your own journey first. Do you love yourself? Even just a bit, even if it’s just some days.  What kind of life are you creating? You have put so much work into this - not sit back and enjoy the things that you have achieved. For some of you - what’s the worst that can happen if you stop looking for love? What if you never get married, but find the love of your life tomorrow? Would you be ok with this?

Pile 2

The devil, 8 of swords, knight of cups, 4 of swords, 9 of pentacles

Jimin and Hoseok are coming forward for this one and Yoongi wants to be present but is choosing to stay in the background. The energy of this reading is a bit more…closed off. Associated colours are black, dark blue, royal blue, deep grey.

“The only thing stopping you right now is yourself. You are stopping yourself from achieving greatness but do you even realise you are doing it? Why are you scared? I have your back, we are all here for you so just give it a try. What’s the worst that can happen? You may need to work on attachment and codependent relationships in your life. It’s time to choose heart over wisdom. Be free?! Free yourself of everything that is holding you down. Be careful with those around you - your support group. The people around you can either build you up or knock you down so please make sure that you0 have people around you that deserve to have you around. Even if at times you feel alone, I am here.” You know that video of Jimin saying something like - there is someone here in the city of Seoul who understands you? That’s the image that is coming through, that is what Jimin is wearing and the way he is sat during this message. “Sleep, make sure you sleep better and take the time to relax, enjoy life a little bit more”

Pile 3

Death, knight of pentacles, 2 of swords, 5 of cups, queen of wands

Ok so Taehuyng wants to take this one by himself ahaha his energy right now is very…beige ahahaha that’s the energy of this reading, very pastel-y colours, pastel yellow, pastel blue, pastel purple. He is sat down ready to talk with his face leaning on one hand.

“This is different, right? Did you expect something like this? Oh the amount of change you have been going through this year. You are like a phoenix rising from the ashes. You can’t remember the person that you were in 2022 can you? That’s ok. Take it slowly, baby steps, one step at a time. Let the sadness in your heart become the art of life, let it become your inspiration as you move forward and discover your true self. Be sad, cry if you have to, but at times remember to cry out of happiness too! Try to have those moments of so much happiness that you can’t help but let it all out.  You are a force to be reckoned with. Take your time and feel every single emotion as the clock won’t go back and you won’t be able to experience the same thing twice.

Sending all the love your way <3

[82mitsu]

{18Trip} <CHAPTER 001 SIDE-A: Sun will R1ze!> 001-A03 A sole rose

A translation of 18TRIP's CHAPTER 001 SIDE-A by 82mitsu. ENG proofreading by sasaranurude.

TL note:

In Japan, moth orchids are often chosen as a gift when celebrating the establishment of a new business, or for housewarming. 

Kaede: Uhm… the address on that business card I got should be around here… 

Kaede: …! There it is! “Flower Laundry”...

Kaede: (That nice guy who let me ride his bike a few days ago… Uh, Hachinoya Nagi-san? Wonder if he’s around?)

???: Hi there. Nice morning, isn’t it?

Kaede: …huh, eh! His bike’s on the floor… Wait, Nagi-san!?

Nagi: My darling motorcycle is hugging me so intensely…

Kaede: You’re being flattened like a pancake! Let me help…!

Nagi: Thanks, you bailed me out.

Kaede: Are you okay? Not hurting anywhere?

Nagi: I’m good. Saw a black cat too.

Kaede: A black cat…?

Nagi: It popped up out of nowhere and it caught my attention, so I lost my balance. The cat was cute so it's all oke.

Kaede: (W-what a strange guy… but somehow positive? Despite him being in a situation where he could have broken a bone if he got unlucky.)

Kaede: I dropped by to buy some flowers as a thank you for what you did the other day, but… This place really is a florist and a laundromat. 

Kaede: (This place has seen better days… Is it because of the decline of the special tourism ward? Could increasing the amount of tourists bring more customers to Nagi-san’s store, too?) 

Nagi: So it's flowers today. Laundry all good? Do you wanna wash it while you’re at it? And we can chat, if you don’t mind talking to a guy like me.

Nagi: Normally there’s someone better suited for talking round here, though.

Kaede: Ahaha… I’d like some flowers please.

Nagi: Oke.

Kaede: (He's really an indifferent guy…) 

Nagi: What flowers d'you want? For yourself? Or a present?

Kaede: Flowers for celebration. The company I’m employed at has been established, so for my workplace essentially…  

Nagi: … An employee buying flowers for his own company? Want these under a pseudonym?

Kaede: Eh… ah, no no! You see, the president is my childhood friend…! 

Kaede: It is for the company, but I mostly want to celebrate my childhood friend’s new journey… 

Nagi: Makes sense. Then an arrangement would probably be more fitting than your usual moth orchids. 

Nagi: We can go with the colors of the company, or your childhood friend’s favorite color. And you can also pick flowers based on meaning if that’s to your liking.

Nagi: Blue roses mean “dreams come true”, and muscari means “a bright future”. And since it’s for congratulating the establishment, it’d be better to make it luxurious. Though, if we’re thinking in terms of making it long-lasting…

Kaede: (...That’s surprising, seeing him thinking so earnestly about stuff relating to flowers. Looks like he really knows his stuff too.)

Kaede: (I thought it was weird how it's a florist and a laundromat, but… Nagi-san deeply values the work he does here.) 

Kaede: Um! Can you show me all kinds of different ones? I wanna pick the ones that are just perfect…!

Nagi: Of course. I’ll make it to your liking.

Nagi: So, thoughts? On the completed arrangement.

Kaede: It’s so pretty! Thank you so much!

Nagi: I’m glad. Alright, I’ll send these to your company first thing in the morning on Monday.

Kaede: Thank you very much! I’ll be waiting at the office.

Nagi: Ah… here, have this. A freebie. 

Nagi: Ngggh…..!

Kaede: (Eh, he’s kinda, like… projecting his thoughts onto it?)

Nagi: Take it. Since my flowers have a power that makes you happy.

Kaede: (Freebie, huh. Though, I appreciate it. Honestly, getting flowers does kinda make you feel good.)

Nagi: And… on your way home, watch out for rain.

Kaede: ? Rain wasn’t forecasted today, was it?

Nagi: There was a bit of a change in the clouds and pressure in the air. 

Kaede: Fufu. I hope Kafka will be happy with the flowers on Monday~

Kaede: Oh, even though I was headed towards the station, I ended up at our company instead… 

Kaede: (Anyway, this building reminds me of how I looked at HAMA’s scenery together with Kafka. To think he’d buy it and make it the company office.) 

Kaede: Kafka seriously goes above and beyond with what he does. Or maybe he's just bold…

Kaede: (Even back when he hired me, not a thought crossed my mind of this becoming our office. But… in a way, this building does mark the beginning of our work journey, so guess you could say I’m happy with it.)

Kaede: (He contacted me mentioning how he already got founding employees on board, too. Wondering what kind of people they are has my heart beating with excitement even now…) 

(Notification sound)

Kaede: PeChat… Ah, from Yuki-nii. 

Text message from Yukikaze 

<[Arrived at the airport now. Finally I get to see you. I can’t wait anymore.]

Kaede: (......That’s right, I’ll be able to see Yuki-nii soon.)

Kaede: Alright! Saw the office and got motivated, time to head home while…

Kaede: Hweh, what the, an evening shower!?

Kaede: Where can I take shelter from the rain… Under the roof, under the roof…!

Kaede: Even though it was sunny until earlier… My rose got soaked too.

Kaede: (Though, a wet rose is also pretty. Maybe it really does have the power of happiness. Roses are flowers of HAMA too, so just looking at it brightens up my mood.)

Kaede: (That person over there is completely drenched. They might end up catching a cold…)

Kaede: E-excuse me! This roof is wide enough here, won’t you come take shelter from the rain?

???: …

Kaede: Over here. Sorry, I'm going to touch your arm…

???: …Gh—

???: Leave me alone! I’m drenched because I want to be!

Kaede: …Huh. Y-you’re…

Kaede: (Nishizono Renga…? I met him at the airport…!)

Renga: …You’re— that annoying bastard who took the wrong bag…

Kaede: (Y-you were annoying to me, too, though!?)

Kaede: (Maybe it would’ve been better to leave him be~... Though, I already reached out to him…)

Renga: ….

Renga: …A rose.

Kaede: Eh…? Ah, this. It was given to me. It’s pretty… right….

Renga: …

Kaede: (...Why's he looking at the rose like he’s on the verge of tears?)

Kaede: (And why is he walking drenched through the rain like this…? And his clothes, are they for a funeral…?)

Kaede: Um… if you don’t mind, please take this rose.

Renga: ...Ngh, I d-don’t need it!

Kaede: But it seems that it has the power to make you happy. That’s why, uh, please!

Renga: …

Renga: …Is this some kind of tribute, or what? I don’t need it, but I’ll accept it.

Kaede: He ran away… He did take the rose, though.

Kaede: (Nishizono Renga-kun. One of the current active Ward Mayors of HAMA. If I’m working at HAMA Tours, does that mean I’ll also have to work with him?)

Kaede: (When I met him at the airport, and now too, our communication didn’t go well at all. Wonder if we’ll be able to make it go smoothly…)

<<previous chapter / next chapter>>

chapter 001 side A directory: TBA upon completion

[bluejackals]

ken beats parrot up part 3/3

summary: last part of the ken beating parrot up thing I wrote for fun (part 1 | part 2) after @saiintofdiirt wrote a possible parrot-finding-out-about-clonefies thing ahaha

notes: headcanons my beloved

word count: 1000 new words

---

“What the fuck just happened?” Ken bites out, as he also bites into a golden apple. “What did you do?”

Parrot doesn’t respond, just stares with eyes that Ken realizes are unnaturally bright. Like he’s searching for something. Whatever it is, though, he doesn’t find it. It seems to relieve him. 

“Halfway through, when you put your hand on my neck the first time, I thought you were gonna pop the totem. But then something changed.” Parrot stares again—not at Ken’s eyes, but somewhere a bit lower on their face. 

At the place on their nose where the Omz mask would’ve touched. Exactly there. And when Parrot does look them in the eyes again, his eyes trace out the line of the mask. 

Ken’s skin prickles and her ears flatten. “What the hell are you on about?”

Metal collides as Parrot re-equips his armor. Ken hisses, sword materializing in her hand. Parrot shakes his head, holding up empty hands.  

“Your behavior started…changing at that point, but since I don’t know you that well, I thought it might be normal. So I let you poison me.”

Ken does remember poisoning Parrot and prolonging the pain with regeneration. But the memory of it isn’t how he thought it was. His blood doesn’t pound the same way he remembered it pounding. 

Pieces speed around in Ken’s head, and none of them promise to form a good picture. 

“Then you went for my wings.” Parrot doesn’t sound mad, which just makes everything even weirder. “From how disgusted you were that I thought you might cut them off, I thought you wouldn’t go for them like that. And especially not while…smiling.”

A chill in Ken’s bones. She doesn’t remember smiling. 

“I tried shaking you out of whatever trance you were in with just pain,” Parrot says. “And you responded, but I could just…tell. Whatever was wrong was still there.”

It couldn’t be. (It could be.) The mask had passed onto Wato.(And who’s to say it doesn’t leave…traces?)

“So what the hell did you do to me then?” What was that feeling of burning from the inside?

“This is—please keep this a secret,” Parrot says. At Ken’s thunderous look, he adds— “but not from Wifies! Wifies knows.”

Ken will be testing that later. For now, she dips her head. “Okay. Now tell me.”

“I—you felt like you were burning up from the inside, right?” Parrot asks. 

Ken nods. He’s starting to suspect things. 

“That…kinda did happen,” Parrot says. “I mean, not literally! But it was literal.” He groans. “This is so annoying. I mean, I did use fire, but it wasn’t the same fire you cook food over. It was purifying fire.”

“Like a phoenix.” Holy shit, like a phoenix. “Are you a—“

“I don’t know,” Parrot says, and isn’t that the weirdest fucking answer? How are you not sure? “But I can use purifying fire. It just went through you to look for anything that was hurting you, to destroy it. Anything out of place that…wasn’t you.”

“And you found something.” Ken’s voice is flat. Could Parrot know about—

“It felt like a parasite. Like it attached to your head and mind and took over you, but subtly. Whatever it was wasn’t working at full power.”

He knows. Ken’s sword swings out, pointing directly at Parrot’s heart. “You’ll keep this a secret.” 

“Of course,” Parrot says. “Does Wifies—”

“Yes.” 

Parrot nods. “Of course. Do you…do you feel better now?”

“About what? I’m still mad at you.” Maybe a little less.

“Yeah, that makes sense. I mean, your senses are sharper now, right? No more…sadistic urges?”

Ken goes through his memories of hurting Parrot again. The more they look, the worse it gets. There’s a clear dissonance between what they know they felt in the moment and how they feel now, and it’s not because they suddenly want to be best friends with Parrot. And there are things they can’t remember—like what Parrot was doing while Ken broke his wings. There’s nothing that Ken’s senses perceived except for the heady rush of power that came with the sound of the bones breaking.

But no, the rush is gone now, with not even an ember left. Ken can smell, hear, see, touch, taste. He’s Ken. 

“All of my current sadistic urges are my own, thank you,” Ken says. 

Parrot cracks a smile. “Good to hear.” 

“Are you sure you’re not a maso—”

Parrot’s comm pings, interrupting her question as Parrot goes to open it.

“Oh, it’s Wifies,” Parrot says. The amount of warmth in his voice makes Ken want to projectile vomit. 

“What did he say?”

Parrot raises an eyebrow at Ken for the nosiness, but reads Wifies’s message out loud. “Thanks for pointing me towards that arg! It was really cool and I’m going to keep looking into it.”

Ken snorts. “Oh, so you were the one who gave him that. That explains the convenience of him being gone right now. Didn’t want him to know about this?”

“Would you want him to know?” 

Ken is silent at that. It makes Parrot huff in clear amusement. “Yeah, I thought so.” 

Then Ken’s comm pings—with a message from Wifies. Ken opens the chat with extremely practiced motions. 

[Wifies]: you said you wanted to eat lunch together today? it’s fine if something came up but if not do you still want to meet on your server in fifteen minutes

Parrot, wisely, does not ask what Wifies said. 

Ken hastily sends out a response. She would never miss lunch plans with Wifies. If she ever does, she’ll feed herself to a hopper.

[_Kenadian_]: we’re still on! see you there

[_Kenadian_]: if I miss a planned lunch with you it’s because I’m dead

They tuck their comm away and get up to stretch. Parrot’s eyes track the motions. Ken yawns just to flash their teeth. 

“Alright, I have places to be and pleasant people to talk to.” 

His hand stops on the button to open the door. It makes him want to break out in hives, but he has to say something. Despite it all, he is grateful. “Thanks for breaking me out of the trance. Okay, bye.” 

He can sense a migraine just waiting to spring into existence if he thinks too much about the labyrinth of mysteries that seems to be developing around Parrot, or about the implications of what Parrot did, so he shoves it all aside to be giddy about seeing Wifies. 

Ken can think about it later. For now, she just wants to be satisfied that someone paid some of his dues and she can go poke Wifies into talking about the arg while they eat. 

[shrimpsalot]

Oh gawd I dreamt of quite a weird AU(?) last night so yapping ahead!!

So for whatever reason instead of getting a full ss3, we just get random episodes here and there about their 11th-12th year? Randy and Howard's relationship r still ride or die but they managed to form a bigger friend circle with Theresa, Debbie, Julian, Bucky and Rachel and often have lunch together in a more darker gloomier version of the cafeteria (think it's just my irl school cafeteria that got projected into my dreams 😭 but for shits and giggles let's say Slimovitz ran out of budget to fix it completely after another monster attack). Unfortunately there was an assignment in class that put Howard and Debbie in the same group, idk about everyone else, and they have to research about stuff like Ninja's Japan origins, tactics, fighting techniques, types of weapons he used etc. Ofc no one knows it better than randy (and kinda howard) so when they were fighting about it during lunch, Randy just casually went "no actually because if you maneuver your body like that you wouldn't ensure a safe landing and might twist your ankle, also the chain sickle is used more as a defensive weapon such as blocking a sword, locking the opponent's weapon in place and potentially yanking it towards you, and did you know smoke bombs are crafted wit-" accidentally yapping about things Nomicon taught him until Howard cuts in to save his butt "see Debbie, even Cunningham's more knowledgeable about the ninja you sure you've been studying him properly for your reports?" which re-enabled their argument and divert the attention away from randy(which he's gonna thank Howard for later). A bit of time later an attack happen in town while they were working on the assignment in the cafeteria after school, Randy ofc had to leave but it'd be suspicious so he made an excuse maybe smth along the lines of they can learn more by watching the ninja fight and everyon agreed. Again he separated from them mid-walk to do some ninja-ing, which worried theresa that he's nowhere to be seen while Howard and Debbie is still fighting about their research. Howard couldn't take it anymore as well as lowkey bothered by Theresa so he called randy to prove that he's safe, AND to call for backup on his ninja knowledge. The phone call was the same vibe as ones in the show and while Howard was too engrossed on the convo, Ninja!Randy holding the phone answering while fighting got launched backwards to the front of the alleyway where the group was but randy didn't see them so he was unaware that they heard the phone convo. When he was finished and transformed back, he immediately ran into them after turning a corner and the first thing he said is "heeyyyy uh so I got a lil lost where were you guys? Ahaha" all for Debbie to respond with a shocked expression "YOU'RE the ninja?!?"

"what?? Nooooo I I am definitely not the Ninja psshh what makes you say that? I'm just a lil ol me Randy that's right there's no ninja here-", Theresa then explained they overheard his phone call and Randy gave in, only to be slightly offended to see Bucky looking defeated and handing Rachel $5. Cartoon scene cut and we see randy on his hands and knees in front of debbie(nothing too serious its like those comedy anime gags type of pose)

"What a sight. An 800 year old ninja vs the power of journalism." Bucky tries to lighten up the mood. Randy is begging Debbie not to write about this (for the second time) and she's having a hard time accepting (again) so she asked "what if I do write it? What would you do?" making randy look up at her with a serious face without saying anything, causing slight misunderstanding

"y-you're gonna erase me?!"

"what?? No ofc not I was just gonna mind wipe you!!!"

"mind wipe?"

"uh I mean-"

"what, by using that book that you sometimes drool on while being unconscious?"

"W-what book?-"

"is that like an 800 year old ancient ninja book of wisdom?"

"HOW ARE YOU STILL GOOD AT THIS???"

"wait 'still'?"

"CUNNINGHAM WILL YOU STOP TALKING SHE FEEDS ON YOUR ANSWERS" Howard shouted from the side

"do you mean you've mind wiped me before??"

"huh is it that time in 9th grade where you broadcasted to the whole town that he's the ninja which turned out to be false?" Rachel questioned

"I did what in 9th grade?????"

"... Debbie please" Randy pleaded

"Randy this is ridiculous" Debbie pinched her nose bridge "then why don't you just mind wipe us this time?"

"um..."

"because you can't or because the book will get mad at you?"

"enough with the mind wipe how did YOU know he was the ninja Rachel?" Howard saving randy once again

"well that time I got turned into a monster and the Ninja made me an apology song, it sounded awfully familiar to randy during music class so I just guessed, plus whenever we hang out and there's an emergency he's always the first one to disappear on us"

"and you gotta admit Randy's jokes are as bad as the ninja's " Bucky chimed in

The mood between them improved so debbie eventually agreed because they're friends for the past year or so, and that's when I started to wake up :') one more weird thing is the ninja in my dream didn't have a red scarf around his neck, it's more like black-blue color and idk maybe he looks cooler that way? At least it is in my dream

Thank u for reading I'll think about whether to make this into a real AU or not 😭😭 Edit: i just realized i dreamt of Julian but the entire time he was standing behind theresa, also worrying about randy but idk why he didnt do anything else :')

[mrssimply]

HIIII 3 and 14 for the fic writer ask pretty pls :]

3. how you feel about your current WIP?

OMG, Blue, you couldn't have chosen a worst question from this list ahaha. I feel awful, I hate it, I'm fighting it every step of the way, I wanna lay down and cry about it. I hate it so much, so, so much. I'm talking about The Burning of Rome, of course, not the answer to your prompt (yep, it's still in progress) though I'm also blocked on that one, unfortunately T-T.

Now, I'm just not gonna whine about my WIP, but maybe explain a little bit more. Even though it's... not fun, I know it's part of the process. First of all, I generally hate my WIPs at some point, most often I hate what I just finished writing. I think it's because, as I come down from the high of writing, I realise words and english failed me yet again and it's not as I imagined. It's never exactly as I imagined, but sometimes, this conclusion angers me. I often react with anger when my ego takes a hit, then I sulk, then I accept it and generally, by this point I read over the part I wrote and I rediscover it and hey, it's actually not that bad. So I know it's part of the process.

But... I'll admit it's the first time I struggled this hard with a fic. It never happened before. So, like a disgruntled old cat, I was reflecting on why is that, and here are my modest conclusions:

it's the... biggest work so far. Not in word count (though, if you add up the first two parts of the series, it is one of the biggest), but in ambition. I basically had to come up with so much for that series, and that last part in particular. I researched the mafias of the world, studied the Philipines geography and geopolitics, I went back to some history lesson to better integrate some part of lore into past events, and then there was the usual research about John Wick in genral, firearms, battle strategy, and of course, writing fighting scenes which is just exhausting.

The freaking cast... Like. Most of my works have around three main characters, and a few regular side characters, but most of the action happens in the intimacy of a couple, or a trouple. TBoR's middle part, which I finished with my blood and tears, only thanks to Koda infaillible support, has so many characters. There is only one main character (John) for most of that part, but he has significant interactions with like ten others characters. Thre of them are OC, and I try not to give too much screentime to OCs since, understandably, they don't interest the audience but Leonora for exemple, has been in this story for so long sometimes I forget she ain't actually in the movies xD. So yeah, a big cast to balance, to give screentime to, and to move around coherently, give each of them a role and a purpose. Exhausting.

Character developpement: I can only blame myself for that one. I mean, I can only blame myself for the previous points, too, but this one... Let me rewind a little bit: I know a lot of people in the fandom envision John as caring, understanding, patient. And he is. Our favorite Loving Husband. But he also is pretty aggressive, stubborn, and ffs he doesn't know how to grieve. At all. This "indomitable will" Viggo speaks about in the first movie, that thing that makes him get up after falling from the roof garden of the Continental... Well, when you put that into caring for his partner, it makes him a great husband. But when you put that into conflict with said partner, he's just unsufferable. And I wanted to explore that. And now, he kinda did something unforgivable, so how is he gonna get over it, I ask the audience? And the audience turns toward me: "but you're the author!" and yep. I am [nervous laughter]. So... Now I have the path, after... months of struggling to find a way out of the mess I put him and Santino into. But I have to write it, and it's hard, because I'm shit at emotional conflict, and how do you deal with emotional conflict when one character doesn't know how to express his feelings outside of violent outburst (killing seventy people because he couldn't deal with his grief~~~) and the other one is just as stubborn, and won't talk about his feelings anymore because when he tried, he got shut down. That's where I am people, and I. hate. it.

Now, I know that when I publish the final part, I'll be happy. Not just happy to be done, I'll be proud of myself because, this was huge. I knew it would be when I started, and I told myself several times that I wouldn't do it because it was too big and I wasn't sure I could pull it off, or even wanted to... I mean, I don't wanna sound like I'm whining but I know the energy this will require out of readers, it's not a fanfiction anymore, it's a book, and people have shown to have more difficulties engaging with that kind of works than with oneshots, or short fiction. Won't get into why, that's another subject entierly, but I just know this work, which is my soul and guts, will get less reactions that the one I wrote in a frenzy for a prompt. It's always been like that, I've... accepted it, I'm not complaining about it I'm just saying sometimes it's hard to swallow.

Moving on.

I've been thinking a lot about another fic of mine (from Cyberpunk) lately in relation to The Burning of Rome. The fic is called To the day I die and it was, is, my personal masterpiece when it comes to Silverdyne (Johnny x Kerry). It's also the final part of a series that started innocently as a prompt (W.A.R, the series TBoR is part of, started as a character study), and it embarked me into this huge odyssey about love, growing up, getting better, relapse and what it means to be wise. Also, some of the themes are the same : both characters hurting each other with the best intentions, one of them being a self-sacrifycing fool, and the other being stubborn because he was once hurt by his partner. They also end up kinda nearly killing each other lol I need to stop doing this (it's a lie, I'll do it again, it's my favorite trope, don't send help). I think I unconsciously used some of the same sentences, or at least the same situation. I I foolishly always thought I had no "themes" in my work but that was obviously my ego speaking! Incredible, what we learn about ourselves while writing.

So yeah.

I hate it.

But when it's done, I'll be proud, I know.

I might even print it, for posterity.

It's my best work so far, so why not?

(Fun fact, I wrote that yesterday and I think venting helped me because I kinda made a huge leap in the fic!!! Kudos to me and thank you for the ask!!!)

14. where do you get your inspiration?

Ah, that's a good question. I don't know, and it's bugging me a little ahah. I was talking to my sister about what I consider a "good movies" lately and my conclusion was "I need to develop an obsession, however brief, about it". That's what I'm seeking when I watch a movie, when I start a series or a game: I want to get that obsessive reaction, because it fuels my creativity like mad. Now, what will make me obsess about a content? No idea lol. Example of materials that should've inspired me but didn't: Mass Effect, Red Dead Redemption, the Sandman, Our Flag Means Death, Interview with the Vampire... they had ALL the ingredients that should've made me fall into a new obsession, and well, nothing happened.

On the contrary, examples of material that made me go into a frenzy: X-men:first class, Startrek, Stargate (SG1 and Atlantis), Cyberpunk, Matrix, John Wick, Naruto and lately, KinnxPorsche (thawainese drama, yeah, I was NOT expecting that one). I've tried to come up with the fomula but I've not yet found out what makes any of the above kickstart an obsession, and with it, inspiration to write or draw.

One thing maybe is the epicness: I need to feel the story is vast and world threatening. I also love element of fantasy, or science fiction. I need the story to get me out of our daily world (but then again, Mass effect checks all the boxes, and yet...).

Music can also inspire me but I'm very fickle about it. I did write with music but I stopped that a while ago because it made me too dependent on the music's mood to write the right scene. Now I write without, and it's actually easier to focus, I think I also got more control over my writing in general, meaning I can write the scene I want, when I want, not when the mood strikes.

Last but not least: other fanfictions. This is always, a huge reservoir of inspiration. Headcanons, fanons, and all the content of a fandom is generally a bottomless well of ideas, feeling and themes to explore. As such, it can be hard to be in a small fandom, with a ship with few supporters because I "lack" this source of inspiration, but that also mean I'll produce more for it, like I'm trying to fill the void xD. For example, I never wrote anything for any big fandom because I spent too much time reading fanfiction, and feeling like everything was already written and I just needed to find it to get my high. In a smaller fandom, I need to participate more, and it's really stimulating! So overall, it works out either way!

And of course, one thing that stays true no matter what: I'm an overwriter, look at that long post!!!

Thank you for the ask (and for listening to my lecture!) <3

[bluecatwriter]

For that Director's Cut thing?? uhh uhh O'erthrow Me, please???

Ahaha, you want to see me suffer (ramble about embracing the eroticism of the divine), don't you??? *trying to look offended but actually just grinning like a goofball*

The fic in question: "Renfield asks Jonathan to read him some poetry."

(For anyone unaware, this is a smutfic, so keep that in mind before clicking the "Keep reading…" Also contains mention of sexual assault, Christianity, and spoilers.)

-The idea for this one came when I was rereading some published fics (as I often do), and was thinking about how I'd like to do another Jonathan/Renfield fic. I am obsessed with this ship for many reasons, especially what Jonathan and Renfield bring out in each other, and so I always have some ideas brewing in my head. The thought of Renfield asking Jonathan to read him some erotic poetry seemed like a fun idea to run with, and so the brainstorm began in earnest.

-Despite my premise, I have read very very little erotic poetry, so either I could go on a poetry-reading binge, or I could grab the first one that came to mind: "Batter My Heart, Three-Person'd God" by John Donne, which I've always been a little feral about (despite not really reading anything else Donne wrote. Fake fan, I know). It's a poem addressed to God, but it's incredibly erotic, and fit well with the themes of possession and loyalty that had showed up in my earlier Jonathan/Renfield fics. (I think I'm really into the erotic as a path to the divine as a result of 1) being raised in a branch of Christianity that just. does NOT allow eroticism in any form and, paradoxically, 2) coming of age right when the "Jesus is my boyfriend" rhetoric was really strong in evangelical circles. Learning to find God in all aspects of being human, including the erotic, has been a big deal for me the past couple decades.) I looked up some of Donne's other poems, too, to include, and it worked out really well.

-Usually my smutfics have some sort of build-up beforehand to explain how the characters end up in bed together, but in this fic (and in the previous one in the series, "Enough"), I just dive straight into the sex because this is an established relationship and I don't need to justify why they're having sex right now. (Unfortunately in this fic it's not abundantly clear that this whole thing is taking place with Mina's consent and blessing— but that's just a rule of thumb whenever I write the Harkers.)

-This was the first Jonathan/Renfield smutfic I wrote from Jonathan's perspective, but I knew I wanted to because the other ones had been in Renfield's head, and I wanted to show what Jonathan was thinking and feeling here. It also addresses the elephant in the room: in this version of events, Jonathan has been sexually assaulted by Dracula repeatedly in the past, and so having sex with a different intense old man is going to dredge up some memories. I got the chance to delve into that in this fic, showing how this is a healing experience for him.

-Then we get the Sexy Poetry Reading! Again, I bring up an intentional parallel to abuse that Jonathan suffered in the past, showing how even something simple like someone asking him to read can dredge up feelings.

-Figuring out the logistical details of the physical description vs. the spoken lines took quite a bit of shuffling; I was arranging and rearranging stuff a bunch up until the very last draft. But I'm happy with how the sequence turned out in the end.

-Plus the lines in the poem fit really well with a narrative that has emerged from shipping these two. ""Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov'd fain/But am betroth'd unto your enemy/Divorce me, untie or break that knot again/Take me to you, imprison me…" Again, brings up a lot of the themes that I'd been exploring earlier in the Jonathan/Renfield series, and fit together even better than I expected.

Thanks so much for the ask! :D

(Ask game here)

[mephinomaly]

[TL] BIOHAZARD/Chapter 5

[ This post uses Ois~su ♪ ]

Time: That night

Location: In living quarters of the AIIE experiment grounds

Rei: Uwaa, we’re having a sleepover with all of UNDEAD~♪

Fufu. The SS preliminaries was the perfect opportunity for one, but Kaoru-kun was thrown into a desert and separated from us.

I’m happy that the four of us can have a sleepover together peacefully– gah!?

Koga: ...

Rei: Koga? Don’t throw an omanjuu at me? Is this your way of telling me you want to play?

Koga: Stop bein’ so happy-go-lucky, vampire bastard. The hell you mean, pajama party.

Rei: Oya, how nostalgic. Could this be that you want me to call you ‘wanko’ for the first time in a while?

Koga: I ain’t callin’ you that for nostalgia purposes, I’m insultin' you.

Rei: How troubling. Please don’t take your frustrations out on me.

We’ve all given our consent to take part in this experiment.

We can’t complain now, can we?

Koga: We was basically forced to? If it hadn’t been us, it woulda been like, Ra*bits who haven’t done nothin’ wrong.

Then we’d hafta live with the knowledge that them lot are now the victims whilst we watch from the sidelines.

It’s better for our own mental health to just do it for real, right?

‘Cos I don’t like this at all. Don’t forget that.

Kaoru: Ahaha. It’s definitely a little off putting and shady sounding, but it makes for an interesting story, right?

AI idols and stuff– no, technology and science in general has come a long way. Really, it’s like an old sci-fi movie.

If this was just a movie, or even just someone else’s problem, I think it could have been a lot of fun.

Adonis: I also don’t feel great about this but I am interested in terms of the development of science and technology.

This is the future we thought of when we learnt about Voc*loid and drawing AIs, and it’s becoming a reality right in front of our eyes.

We’re now living in a near sci-fi world that people from the past could only imagine.

It’s like a dream, whether that’s a good or a bad thing.

I’m excited.

Kaoru: Ahaha. That totally has the vibe of a boyish heroic novel.

I don’t particularly like that sort of thing either. At the end of the day, I’m still the son of an academic who reached for the sea in search of romance and mystery.

Adonis: I also dislike jumping into areas I don’t know about.

Rei: If we think realistically, if we had refused to take part, there was the likelihood of RhythmLink turning their backs on us.

I suspect they would be rather unpleasant in the matter.

This is a necessary step so we are not thrown to the side. The compensation is rather impressive, and, in simple terms, profitable for us.

Well, we made quite the sum of money during the SS, so we have some to spare.

If an experiment such as ‘AI idols’ is successful, implemented, and announced to the world, won’t they look to us as we were the test subjects? Doesn’t that make this all worth it?

Koga: But this doesn’t solve the problem we’re havin’. They’re just killin’ time, it literally has nothin’ t’do with our situation.

This better not turn into a goose chase, wastin’ time runnin’ ‘round lookin’ stupid.

Rei: Umu. We should all brainstorm some ideas in order to solve the root of the problem, as Koga said. Fortunately, we have been blessed with plenty of time to do so.

Kaoru: Mmm… I was kinda on guard when they said experiment, but if they’re just asking us to stay the night here?

Rei: Umu. We will be given medicine, which will cause us to sleep for about half a day. In that time, via the devices connected to our heads, data will be collected and compiled.

During the time we are not asleep, we will exercise to prevent our bodies from weakening, and eat to keep up our energy levels. Let’s all get on, the four of us.

The testing period will last approximately one week. During this time, any other forms of work are banned, as the extra stimulus may skew the results.

Our phones will be confiscated, and we will be separated from the outside world.

Kaoru: Kinda feels like being a prisoner or a hospital patient… Welp, this’ll be easy money if all we’ve got to do is laze around.

Rei: Umu. I suppose we can take it easy. We will be paid regardless as to whether the experiment produces useful results or not, so it’s not a complete waste of time.

Fortunately, this location is better than a hospital or a prison.

Look, there are some cards and board games we can use to kill time. Let’s play until it’s time for us to sleep.

Koga: Ain’t you bein’ too relaxed ‘bout this whole thing?

Rei: That’s a good thing, is it not? I’ve been acting unusually mature since my youth, so I do not have many experiences like this. Such as having a sleepover with friends of the same age—

That’s why. I can’t be sure of the future, but I know I am very happy right now ♪

[ ☆ ]

Chapter 4

Chapter 6

[sunlightandsuffering]

talking about bareback

from time to time I still think about that series of drabbles you wrote of Armin asking Eren tips for buying condoms and Eren’s like idk man I don’t use condoms and Armin is shook - “baby roulette!!” I often wonder how this Eren and Mikasa are doing

AHAHA I think they're doing well with their baby roulette lol!!! I just love how overconfident they are ahah as I said a few asks ago I'M INSPIRED NOW! So idk if it makes sense with the timeline i wrote in that drabble but here lets add to it, first time EM with a condom. "Condom?" Mikasa hisses out, her last working brain cell screaming in her head, telling her to be responsible despite the overwhelming pleasure she's feeling, that delicious pressure teasing at her cunt, the aching fullness she knows will follow if only she just lets him. Just the tip, it'd feel so good, just a little taste, the blunt head of his cock bumping at her seam, the slightest press open-no! Bad Mikasa!

"Condom," she breathes out again, her tone pleading and Eren groans against her neck, cursing. "Fuck I don't think I- Do you have one?" He's nibbling at her neck, his hips pressing insistently against her, gluing them together in all ways but one and distracting her immensely, he's just out of reach fuck!

"Check the nightstand I might," she tilts her head back so he can get a better angle at kissing her, sucking a mark into that little spot on her neck he knows so well. But to her great dismay he heads her words, leaning over to reach into her nightstand, his cock dragging deliciously across her tummy, weeping pre all over her abs and she almost whines at the sensation she needs him inside.

"Magnums?" Eren questions as he pulls back, his lip caught between his teeth and in all his messy glory, sweat lacing his brow, green eyes wild with lust and yet he's still pouting. "Thought you were a virgin," he mumbles petulantly as he tears open the package and Mikasa growls, her sexual frustration taking over as she snags it from his grasp. Her tone is fraught with need and irritation, "I am you fuckwad, Sasha gave it to me last year now let me fucking put it on, you're too slow." He shuts up after that and this time it's Mikasa forcing him to the bed, spread out on his back, his cock bobbing hard and thick against his stomach, and fuck is he ever big. She swallows nervously, her confidence leaving her as she reaches out tentatively. Eren hisses as her fingers trace over the veins of his cock, unable to wrap around his thick girth. She's gentle with him, unsure and Eren groans at her light tough, eyes shutting in pleasure, "Baby you can grab it, please you're fucking killing me here." "I've never done this before!" "Then why didn't you let me do it!" Her mouth snaps shut and she refuses to admit it's just because she wanted to, wanted to hold him hard in her hands while she slips the latex over his cock, jerk him off a little bit before he slips inside her.

"Shut up," she settles for, grasping him more harshly this time and Eren grunts in pleasure, dropping his head back against the bed and completely giving up on micromanaging her, content to let her do her thing. Tentatively, she brings the latex circle up to the tip, her lip bitten between her teeth in concentration, what was that she learned in health class? Just to roll it down ?

So she tries just that, but to her immense horror, it does not work at all. At first, it seems like it'll work, that it'll fit, but it's tight, that much is evident, much, much tighter than it had been when she'd practiced on the banana, stretched thinner than she'd like, almost like it could snap at any moment.

It doesn't quite roll down to the base of him and Mikasa curses inwardly, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

"It doesn't fit." Eren is the one to say it allowed, peaking up at her through one eye, "It's wayyy too tight Miki, if I blow my load in this it's gonna break." "Fuck!" Mikasa curses, slipping it from his cock and throwing it from the bed in aggravation.

"Well, I guess we should turn in then, we'll just get some tomorrow or whatever." "No! I'm losing my virginity tonight, I want you inside me." "That's hot," Eren says, his eyes twinkling with mirth now, "We could go bareback, or I could pull out-" She cuts him off by bringing her hands back to his cock, she just needs to think, run through her options, and it doesn't hur tot familiarize herself with the cock thats going to split her like a fucking tree, god he's massive. He probably needs like an XL or something if those even fit at all.

"What size are you normally?" "Dunno," Eren murmurs, "I'm a virgin remember?"

"Just let me go bare Mika It'll feel better anyway, no barriers I'll just pull out." Why is that so hot, she's supposed to be a good responsible girl here, why is it so hot that her boyfriend wants to fuck her raw, why does the idea of having him shoot inside her turn her on? It's irresponsible!

She lazily jerks him off as she tries to think, and Eren's eyes flutter shut all over again, "Fuck Mikasa." "Quiet," she snaps, trying to figure out options. She's on birth control, but no condom isn't great still and she's only just started, she's worried the pill won't be effective just yet. "I can't contribute meaningfully to the conversation when you're doing that- fuckkkk," Eren groans, his curses turning to whispers of his love for her as she pays special attention to the head, thumbing at the tip, and then gripping him all the way back down to the base, leavig not an inch out. "Can you promise to try and pull out?" "I'll promise you whatever you want Mikasa, my balls are quite literally in your hand baby, it's whatever you want." "Okay," she mumbles, she wants him too much to stop just for one lousy condom. "Just pull out," she reiterates as she lines herself up, ready to split herself off on the monster below her, she's been waiting forever now, wants to feel that full of him, that connected. Spoiler alert: He doesn't pull out, and not because he doesn't try, but because Mikasa won't let him. And after that, they deem themselves a no condom couple because Mikasa will be damned if there's ever a barrier between them now, she can't go back. It's simply not happening.

[mainstoryarchive]

Revolution - 50: Equals

Translator: Creampuffs

Makoto: Alright, I’ll play the music, then~ Is the volume okay?

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

Location: Dance Room

Makoto: Alright, I’ll play the music, then~ Is the volume okay?

Hokuto: This practice room is soundproof, so you can increase the volume. It won’t bother anyone. This space belongs to us.

Don’t worry about the dance formations. Just dance – with a smile, if you can.

I’ve finally realised the other day, but if you smile while performing, it makes the performance look so much better.

Makoto: Ahaha. Hidaka-kun, your expressions and way of thinking have gotten softer~♪

Hokuto: I’d like to think it was the fruit of my training with the twins. I can’t quite tell myself.

I’d like to say the same to you, as well, Yuuki – you’re more powerful than before. Although, I do think it would be best if you either took off your glasses or used a pair of sports glasses instead.

Makoto: Oh, now that you mention it, I probably should, huh. Your field of vision’s expanded so much, Hidaka-kun~ You’ve started nagging more and it can be a bit annoying, though ♪

Hokuto: Hmph. If you don’t want me to nag, then grow into an excellent idol that I can’t find fault with.

I can’t lose to you guys, either. Especially to Akehoshi and Isara, who basically ditched training last week.

Subaru: Hey~ I didn’t ditch. Anyway…

I think I’ve learnt what it means to "put myself in other people’s shoes" after I spent the last week with the Transfer Student.

You’re making a big mistake if you think I’m still the same old me, okay?

Come over here, Sally~ Let’s dance together! Hurry up or we’ll leave you behind~☆

Mao: Alright, alright. Geez, must be nice – you guys always look like you’re having fun~

I’ve had a bit of a late start, but I’m gonna work hard so that I can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you guys.

No, I’m not gonna think about the difficult stuff – I’m just gonna enjoy myself ♪

Watch. This is my specialty… break dancing ♪

Subaru: Wow, that’s so cool~! I’m gonna do that too. Spin, spin ☆

Makoto: How’d you do that!? That’s amazing!

Ugh, it’s so frustrating! I’m the only one who’s dancing awkwardly like a robot. I need to practise more!

Hokuto: (…Hmm. I’d expect no less from Isara. You’d think he spent a lot of time with us – he joined the dance circle so naturally.)

(He must pay a lot of attention to his surroundings. His sense of balance is also out of this world.)

(He’s especially amazing when he pairs up with Akehoshi. As expected of fellow members of the Basketball Club – they’re so in sync.)

(They can also be a bit too wild, so I need to make sure I keep them grounded.)

(Thanks to my training with the twins, I think I now know about the breathing and timing needed for these sorts of things.)

(Yuuki is also doing his best to keep up. Everyone is striving to improve by working hard and encouraging each other.)

(Things are heading in the right direction. You wouldn’t believe it’s just been a week.)

(The training Sakuma-senpai assigned to us was fitting for each person.)

(We can grow stronger. I still don’t know whether or not we can beat the Student Council.)

(But the probablity of our victory isn’t zero. That’s what I believe. So, I’ll do my best.)

(Grandma, maybe there’s a chance I can come to love “idols”, as well.)

Subaru: Hey, Transfer Student, you look like you’re itching to do something. Do you wanna dance with us~?

Come over here! Think about the songs and the difficult stuff later – let’s just have some fun ☆

Together, we can rise higher and higher! We’ll reach the top of the dark starry night, and then we’ll become stars!

We’ll become “Trickstar” – the first star of the night that will revolutionise this school!

Ahaha~☆

[ ☆ ]

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[serendertothesquad]

Seren's Studies: Wordsville's Official Release -- Is It Really an Odd Squad Clone? (Part 2)

Because Tumblr! Photo limits! Why, uh...whose dumb idea was it to put a photo limit in here? Man, that'll take a while to get used to.

Let's go on with Part 2 of my Wordsville analysis.

(Make sure you read through Part 1 first!)

If this were any other show with a reasonable episode length, I'd be fine with this. Covering all this? Essential to a mystery.

In 8 minutes, though? No. They fill out half of the columns in a rush in the first half, and then leave three open for the second half of the runtime. Read my digital lips: N. O. Not if you want your series to be good.

This is a good time to remind people they are putting out 33 episodes of this shit. That is an entire-ass season of messy pacing, rushed plotlines, and characters that I wouldn't know a single thing about if I hadn't unearthed the series' synopsis and character descriptions.

They have.

Their own.

FUCKING.

CURRENCY?!?!?!

Y'know, even Jackalope Dollars make some sense. Canadian money makes some sense. This? This is repainted Monopoly money and you can get the fuck out of my house with that because it's card-only entry.

I do so remember when WordGirl had a bit of a popularity renaissance on Twitter last year or so.

This show...is like the complete and utter opposite of that.

Ahaha...geddit? 'Cause...'cause she's an athlete, and...she's eating a brownie...which is unhealthy...

ARE YOU LAUGHING, SON? ARE YA LAUGHIN'? DO YOU FIND THIS FUNNY OH MY GOD PLEEEEEEEEASE LAUGH.

makes edible food that is meant to net customers said edible food is not for sale

By all accounts, people, these donuts are meant to be edible. So in what fuck-all world of logic would you use edible food as an advertising gimmick for a bakery? That shit will go bad within a week, and then what? You waste supplies remaking them.

Bro, get some cardboard copies. Fuck, in this high-tech universe you could probably 3D-print inedible donuts that spell "scrumptious" and put them on display!

AND THAT.

IS WHY.

YOU MAKE.

THEM.

INEDIB-

"Official Word Mystery business", "official Odd Squad business", it's all the same and you're not being slick.

You could tell me this was Otto's little brother and I honestly wouldn't even argue with you on that. I'd give you $10 and concede.

Man, and I thought Odd Squad's "Why Did the Chicken Cross the Dimension" featured abuse way too heavily for my liking, and here's this kid feeding donuts to a cat which are made out of ingredients cats really shouldn't eat, let alone digest.

Graham didn't make these treats cat-friendly. They were made for humans. And he's giving them to a cat.

As someone who worked at an animal shelter, of course you realize this means war, Gene Vet Wilder.

I'm not gonna lie to all of you.

I was legitimately going to fawn over the cat...until my eyes drifted down, and I thought the cat was wearing a feline airbag.

It's dude's arm.

...No more BIG BONG tonight.

Naming your cat "Yummy" means you have already committed at least ten cat crimes.

It's also ironic, because cats can and will eat your dead corpse.

Give dude 30 years, it'll catch up with him.

No. No. You know what sounds cute? Nyammy.

You know what doesn't sound cute? Yummy.

You know what name isn't crazy ironic? Nyammy.

Problem solved.

I think I can safely say "Crime at Shapely Manor" handled the traditional mystery a lot better than...uh...whatever this was going for.

Not animated + L + ratio'd + tour an animation school and call me back.

See, the reason why this hurts is because this just proves the entire series could be animated, in full and properly, and there would be no issue.

What we got is Sinking Ship's brand of creation applied in one of the worst ways possible, and I'm still as disappointed as when I walked in here.

At the very least, I'll give them points for not having Glory and Wilder and Graham voice themselves. Given how they weren't there when Gabby and Sly were solving the case, it would be too weird.

And this is why you don't make edible food as an advertising gimmick to get people to buy your shit aaaaaaaaand I have a headache again.

But- I- br- HOW DID BRO GET A BOX FOR THE DONUTS. H O W . NOT GONNA EXPLAIN THAT SHIT ARE YOU YA SORRY FU-

It's pretty much standard business knowledge that the advertisement-making comes first, before you serve the customer.

But this guy made his advertising while on the job. You...uh...well, you can do that, but in this particular case, that's what we call "a dumbass move".

FWIW, returning bought food to the bakery you bought it from is also a dumbass move.

I don't care if these haven't been touched. Eat them, and then help Graham make new ones. Inedible ones.

Cool!

TOSS THEM THE FUCK OUT.

Seren puts on a tight smile. "No," she utters. "No. When Odd Squad does it, it's funny. Not here."

Seren then spends 34 years eyeballing the Hollywood music industry aggressively.

In 7 minutes, with rushed pacing, and I have no idea what the hell your personality is even supposed to be.

Sly's, yeah, a little. Yours? I- no. Mm-mm.

...Okay, I don't know what the hell her personality is supposed to be besides loving gingerbread.

Seriously, this is one of the few times the sample script is actually better than what we got.

Oh fucking hell. No wonder I didn't like this episode -- it was written by the same person who created it.

And it's been a while since I've had to whip this out, but I'm going to take the criticism I had about Season 3 writers not watching Odd Squad before getting hired and apply it to here. If Christin had actually watched Odd Squad prior to writing and creating this show, I guaran-goddamn-tee we would have gotten something leagues better. And I know they've written for other SSE shows, but this is focusing on Odd Squad and Wordsville specifically.

Credits rundown to avoid hitting the photo limit:

Mia SwamiNathan plays Gabby. She also voices Zadie in Work It Out Wombats (haha Canadian actor pool, dive in suckers!), and while Zadie is my favorite character, that will not give this show any sort of a saving grace. The actress, yes. The show, hell no.

Matthew Bishop is the animation Executive Producer. He also worked on Odd Squad. Which makes the stuff in this show seem a lot more insulting.

Ah, yes. What I want all my songs for my show to be made by. A company called Daysun. (Hey, FWIW, I've seen worse.)

Wait, wait! It can get worse! Smiley Guy Studios did the animation! And y'know, I could make a "they hired people from Walmart to animate this shit?" joke, but instead I'll say how Sinking Ship has a whole-ass animation division and they couldn't animate the show themselves. If they did, it would have been a lot better than what we got.

----------------------

So I might as well address the elephant in the room to kick off the conclusion: is Wordsville an Odd Squad ripoff, really and truly?

The answer...no. Not exactly. If anything, it's more like an inferior copy, if the word "copy" were hanging fast and loose like a shoe on an electric wire.

I'm going to use "Crime at Shapely Manor" as a direct comparison. In that episode, we get a sort of traditional mystery similar to what Wordsville gives us. We have suspects lined out, we have what they did, we have clues, we have a summation, all that jazz. The difference, though, is that "Crime at Shapely Manor" not only had 14 more minutes to flex their skills in the mystery genre beyond what spin Odd Squad in and of itself as a show puts on it (typical of police procedurals, it does have mystery elements), but they did it incredibly well. Even with the suspect being a downright fucking cliche, they still managed to do it while leaving the audience entertained and opening our minds to the personalities of "I can emote like a Discord chat server" Olive and "I do not understand financial concepts when it comes to very valuable furniture pieces" Otto. It can breathe. It does mystery well. Wordsville...doesn't. Eight minutes is not sufficient for the mystery genre. And if you want to prove me wrong by showing me a piece of media from a mystery show made for kids that is 8 minutes long, go right ahead. Enlighten me. Prove me wrong. But there my opinion stands.

I really could bore you all with the differences I managed to unearth between Wordsville and Odd Squad. I really could. Even more than that, I could bore you all with all the negative shit I found in what has to be the craziest combined 40 minutes I ever wasted of my life. But I'll boil it down to key elements only.

So first of all...the characters. The side ones are confined to a single career just based on their names, and as far as I can tell, the only trait they were all given was "serious about their jobs". (Gene Vet Wilder also does...magic, I guess? I mean whatever floats the boat...) Gabby and Sly, on the other hand...I genuinely can't pinpoint them. Best I can gather is that Gabby is the serious one and Sly is the silly one. So basically, an Olive/Otto dynamic where their little siblings take the spotlight. That's about it. Their friendship, let alone their personalities, are barely touched on in favor of shoving the mystery in your face. For an example: one episode revolves around their "Friendaversary", and them disagreeing on what they're going to do to celebrate it. Now, we already got this as an Odd Squad conflict in a similar way, and it was amazing. I loved "Happy Halfiversary"! Otis busted his ass for Olympia, and she did the same for him. We got some worldbuilding, some good old character interactions, and some funny jokes to boot. For "Uncompromising Community", what we get is a shitty plot that only serves as gift wrap for the mystery of the episode, which revolves around Firefighter Ember giving a fire safety course that Reporter Read plans to make a new story out of, while Baker Graham has a prior engagement with her. And if you're thinking "that sounds fun", then watch the episode and get back to me. That's good for an 11-minute plot. Not for 8 minutes with a full minute dedicated to both opening and closing credits.

Second on the list is the lack of worldbuilding. Lore. Basically anything of substance. Wordsville is, at its core, episodic. So's Odd Squad, to an extent. For Wordsville, if I hadn't read the synopsis of the series prior to watching it, I wouldn't know what the fuck was going on or what it was even about. I wouldn't know that the main cast are supposed to be only children, or that Wordsville is apparently a town...somewhere...on a map...somewhere. Does the Wordsville Online Detective Agency only have Gabby and Sly? Why is it online-only? Is there air? You don't know! I don't know either, and that's the thing that gets to me. I wasn't expecting anything heavy and lore-filled a la Odd Squad, but I wasn't expecting anything simplistic and bland, either. I've seen slice-of-life kids cartoons, and a lot of them are more enjoyable and have a lot more stuff to work with while also expanding on the world and telling me more about it. Wordsville...ain't it. It gives a big "fuck you" and trucks along.

Third of all, the educational aspect of it. Old-timers who have been watching the show for a long time know that one of the things that makes Odd Squad appealing is how it hides math into the plot in a way where it isn't super obvious and all up in your George Foreman grill. It's there, sure, and it does hinder the plot at times, but for me, I don't mind it. I'm still engaged. I want to know what happens. For Wordsville, the education is, indeed, all up in my George Foreman grill. It is fucking everywhere. Not hidden, just completely out in the open. WordGirl is probably the best show I can draw a comparison to, even though it's in a different demo -- while WordGirl does have word lessons, they are slipped into the plot much like Odd Squad and aren't shoved in there with an attitude I dare to even call obligatory. Wordsville is the entire opposite, and they absolutely do not, cannot, and will not miss a chance to educate you on words any chance it gets. Do not let the 4-7 age bracket fool you; this is a preschool show on something far more fucked up than "I'm having an 18-hour seizure with the cockroaches on a public bathroom floor" meth. And don't let Odd Squad's 4-8 age bracket fool you; that's a kids show people have watched while high on weed and had hella crazy trips. (And acid, in one case, which got far crazier.)

And finally, the animation, which I mentioned before but I'm bringing up more to summarize. Like I said, Odd Squad has good animation. Not 2D, though; it's CGI. It's not stellar, but it's solid. The creature designs in particular get real crazy. In Wordsville, the "animation" is drag-and-drop stuff that's half-done and has characters' heads and expressions on them for the lawl unique 'n quirky. I'm not shitting you when I said I was thinking of South Park when I was watching the animated bits. Hell, you could tell me the animated bits were a South Park parody and I'd believe you! But it's not. It's not a parody at all. And before you go at my throat saying "that is a literal child", I'd like to remind you that I know people under 18 who draw and animate a lot better. (I'm looking at a good chunk of you reading this and giving you a thumbs-up. Keep up the great work!) It's just like I said before: they had the potential to do something better, and they completely threw it away. Animation is hard. It's expensive. Sinking Ship is not a rich company. But they've done better in terms of 2D animation. They could have done better here.

What my opinion of the show overall boils down to is that I would have been happy with just the show synopsis and the sample script. I would have been happy with the one Seren's Study. Now, not only have I been proven fantastically wrong, but I've been proven fantastically wrong in the worst way I could have ever possibly imagined, because it somehow got worse than what I was expecting.

Now, I'm going to put a disclaimer out that this is my opinion. If you wanna go and watch Wordsville and decide for yourself how it is, go for it! Be my guest! No one's stopping you, and if you happen to like it then I will respect your opinion. But as it stands across these first 5 episodes, it's not my cup of tea. I think I'm better off giving WordGirl a rewatch.

Thanks for reading. See you all in the next Seren's Study!

[twilightmalachite]

2×2 - Grown-Up Situation 4

Author: Akira

Characters: Yuuta, Hinata, Anzu

Translator: Mika Enstars

"He actually made 2wink shine, unlike other people who are nothing but talk."

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

Season: Winter

Location: Meeting Room

Yuuta: …And so, those in the faction who want to disparage Anzu-san are trying to get YamadaP appointed in her place.

Hinata: There’s talks about bringing in a well-known independent agency from the field to ES and make them the head of P-Association, huh?

And transfer the power and authority Anzu-san currently has over to YamadaP.

Yuuta: Well, it might become a hot topic. It’s an undeniable fact that YamadaP is competent, I have a feeling it’ll change the way we see the P-Association, which is currently being laughed at.

He actually made 2wink shine, unlike other people who are nothing but talk.

Hinata: Watch your words… Why have you turned into such a bad kid, Yuuta-kun?

Yuuta: I’ve been like this for a while, though? Wasn’t it just everyone else who misunderstood me?

I just realized that it’s impossible for others to understand me even if I kept quiet, so I decided to not hold back anymore from revealing my true feelings.

I don’t care if I’m hated for it. It’s better than being slowly chopped to death.

Hinata: … …

Yuuta: Well, whatever. Maybe I just don’t get it, but what do we have to do with this unsightly P-Association infighting?

I don’t want us to get involved in this~, can’t you idiots just squash each other instead?

Hinata: I told you, watch your words, your words…

Anzu-san said that since there’s no point in fighting forever, they decided to settle with a match.

A production showdown between AnzuP and YamadaP.

Yuuta: Sounds fun, adults.

Hinata: Better than a never-ending internal conflict that could lead to violence—I mean, it sounds pretty healthy.

Yuuta: Anyways, we 2wink have been chosen for the production showdown’s material.

Hinata: We’re the balls being used in a ball game.

We seem to be the only idols that Anzu-san and YamadaP have both produced—

Yuuta: As an external producer, YamadaP doesn’t seem to have much involvement with ES idols.

I guess that means we’re convenient~. Well, I do feel that in terms of how long we’ve known each other, Anzu-san has a bit of an advantage.

But, YamadaP has spent more time working as a producer, right? Meaning his experience and track record are on a whole different level.

Hinata: I guess those reasons are why they felt we would make suitable “balls”.

I sound like you saying this, Yuuta-kun, but adults seriously are always making selfish decisions without knowing it.

Yuuta: As usual, our autonomy is not taken into consideration, isn’t it?

Hinata: Right, right, do we get anything out of going along with this mess?

Yuuta: Hm, hm… Eh, for real?

Yuuta: Really… From now on, we’ll be able to have our very own brand-new weekly name-sake program during prime time?

Hinata: I wonder if that’s what the Vice Prez was referring to when he called it a “large job offer”.

That program—2×2, will be produced alternatingly by Anzu-san and YamadaP.

Yuuta: And then, you’ll compete for viewer ratings, or something?

Hinata: As of right now at least… It seems the program’s scheduled to air a total of 12 times for a season, meaning Anzu-san and YamadaP will be in charge of 6 each.

The total ratings earned for those 6 sessions will be compared, the winner being who has the highest.

Yuuta: Ahaha, isn’t this just some game?

Just what do these oh-so-hard-working people think of the work they do as?

Hinata: I think it’s good and easy to understand. Also, Anzu-san and YamadaP will be in charge of the first and last episodes respectively, which are the most likely to get large viewership ratings.

Yuuta: It kiiiinda feels like they’ve made a solid plan already, somehow… If we refuse the request, the whole thing will just fall apart, is that really alright?

But if we say no, then I bet some other idols will just be put in our place… Honestly, there’s probably millions of them out there ready to toss us aside and replace us.

Hinata: Hmm. And it's true this is a disproportionately huge job, where turning it down isn’t really an option.

I’m willing to take it on, if anything. It sounds like it’d be a little interesting, and I think it’d be beneficial to 2wink too.

So Anzu-san, there’s no need for you to do anything like kowtow.

Yuuta: We’ve been used to being swung around to other people’s conveniences for a while now.

You can apologize now and say that you’re sorry for causing us trouble, but all I can say is if you’re going to apologize, then don’t do it in the first place.

Hinata: I’m still concerned about how you phrased that, but… Well, that's how it is.

We’ll cooperate with you the best we can, so don’t look at us like that—okay, Anzu-san?

We owe both a lot to you and YamadaP, so it doesn’t bother us, although we can’t just pick a side.

Yuuta: I suppose that’s why we were chosen. Any other ES idol—Especially those from Yumenosaki, are likely to have a bias towards Anzu-san.

Where if it were us, who don’t really have favor towards one side or another, it’ll make for a fair game, right?

Hinata: Right. So, well, it’s hard to not want Anzu-san to win, but we’ll do our best as professionals!

It seems to be somewhat of a troublesome position for Anzu-san, too…Well, do your best.

As a producer.

And we, too, will do our very best as idols, with pride.

[ ☆ ]

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[sunshine-overload]

[BSTS] 4th Anniversary ‘Outsider’ Event Story - Part 2

Part 1

Chapter 8

-starless break room-

saki: Good work today, everyone.

ran: Oo it's Nee-chan! Ya came to watch us again today did ya?

nekome: It's been tough for Saki-chan too hasn't it~? Picking the cast members and coming to watch all our shows, you've got your hands full.

saki: Oh no, I haven't been doing much... Compared to you guys this is nothing.

taiga: I can't deny the fact that it's been difficult, this show especially. Like seriously, what was up with that improv part? The air still feels tense even now. 

ran: Hm-? I love that about it though, ya get used to it eventually!

taiga: Uegh, as if... There's no way I could get used to such a nerve-wracking show. Though, I guess I am a bit more used to it than the first performance.

kasumi: You really have to keep your guard up more than usual.

ran: This survival theme's great! It makes ya wonder if this is what it'd be like if we really did all try to kill each other. Ain't it exciting~?

nekome: That's quite a disturbing train of thought.

ran: No seriously, aren't ya curious what it'd be like?

taiga: Geh... Just imagining that happening is horrific enough.

kasumi: Since I'm a mob character I guess dying first would be my destiny~ When I consider that, it's reassuring.

taiga: No, what. Normal people wouldn't find that reassuring.

ran: Oh! So ya saying ya would still fight then, huh Taiga?

taiga: I wouldn't say I'd fight exactly... I'd make use of traps or something and survive as long as I can, basically. I ain't the sorta character that would fight head on in a bold fashion. If I were to run into Kokuyou he'd beat me to a pulp in three seconds flat.

nekome: Kokuyou does seem to be the type that would kill you quickly.

ran: Ahahaha, you're probably right! He'd take ya down the moment ya cross paths. However when it comes to those that are strong at hand to hand combat, all ya gotta do is take 'em out first by throwing a bomb or somethin'.

taiga: Hmm, a more guaranteed method would be better. Like setting up a poison trap from the same distance and then delivering the final blow whilst they can't move. Rather than planting your own bombs, defusing them and rubbing it in your opponent's faces is more fun.

nekome: You're really raring to go there Taiga, impressive impressive. However, aren't those sorts of crafty characters the ones that end up self sabotaging themselves in the end?

taiga: Geh... Don't say that.

ran: That's when Ran-chan would make his grand appearance. I'd show up an’ wipe out any of the remainin’ tough guys in one go~ ☆ Wouldn't it be the best if we were legally able to kill each other?

saki: (This conversation keeps heading in even more disturbing directions...)

taiga: Dude don't go full psychopath on us. Look, you're freaking Saki-san out.

ran: It goes without sayin' that no matter what happens, till the very last moment, I would plan to protect ya, Saki-chan. So don't worry!

saki: Ahaha...

—end

-

Chapter 9

-starless restaurant area-

aogiri: ...That's everything you ordered. Please enjoy yourselves.

female guest 1: Thanks. I've gotta say, your smile is so healing, Aogiri-san~

female guest 2: I know right. And you're so gentle and polite too, almost like a butler. I love it, I might become a stan~!

aogiri: Thank you, I'm honoured. I'm still only a trainee for now, but if I do get to be on the stage one day, I'll look forward to having your support.

-sceen pans to kei-

kei: Hm... He does not appear to be lacking in ability.

sin: Are you saying he's already grasped the upper strings then? Eloquence and secrecy go hand in hand. The tune that the crested ibis plays on the koto could easily become a melody that opens the gates.

kei: We cannot yet determine that. We of course still need to continue with caution but... If that's the case it may be safer for us to keep him under surveillance. How is the matter of the costumes progressing?

takami: Things are going well. I'm slowly learning more about how the external duties work. I was considering having him try and make a prototype costume for himself as well, what do you think? Well, first of all I think we should get him to show us what he’s capable of.

kei: ........

-behind starless, night time-

ran: Aaaand, there we go. Whew, today's been a lot.

-takami steps outside-

takami: Good work, Ran.

ran: Ooh, hi Takami, you too~

takami: How have things been going recently in Team B?

ran: Why ya askin' all of a sudden?

takami: I was wondering how Hinata's been handling things. Do you think he'll make for a good understudy?

ran: Ahh that's what ya meant. It's been tough for y'all on the temp management team huh. Hinata gives it his all during training, even though he's still got a lot to learn. But, the understaffing issue should be better now!

takami: That's good to hear. I'd heard he has been a big fan of Team B for a while now, so I was worried he might've just been slacking off.

ran: Yea he's a fan. The day Iwami-san brought him was the first time he'd ever been here though, right? This store is pretty underground, and minors rarely ever visit. So I was wonderin’— How on earth did he discover Heath then?

takami: Who knows. Perhaps he must've seen him in videos online?

ran: Ahh, he did say that, he did. That he saw a video of us! Well at any rate, don't worry, we'll make sure to take reaaal good care of him!

takami: I see, thank you.

ran: Imma head on in then~

-ran leaves-

takami: ........

—end

(tl note: I recommend listening to this ran takami convo voiced, I tried my best but it’s hard to convey that they clearly both know there’s something else going on, and that Hinata probably didn’t learn of B just from some video, its SUS)

-

Chapter 10

-rehearsal room-

kongou: Let's take a short break.

gui: Ok.

kongou: Make sure you keep your fluids up, Heath.

heath: I know.

-maica walks in-

maica: Hey, is Mizuki in here?

gui: He went out.

kongou: Did something happen?

maica: I came to tell him that his prop has been repaired.

kongou: Thanks. By prop you mean his weapon right?

maica: Yeah. He said the light wasn't working so it needed to be fixed. 

kongou: I see, sorry for the trouble.

maica: It's fine, I'm going to go and tell Nekome the same thing.

kongou: The close range weapons are more prone to breaking considering the circumstances huh.

maica: Sure, but he was still being way too rough with it. Mizuki almost hit me in the face the other day.

heath: That's because Mizuki's been going all out.

maica: And where did that Mizuki who’s skipping rehearsal go exactly?

kongou: He's not skipping. He's with Hinata who needed to go and buy a support brace.

maica: Oh? Just until recently he'd been going on about never letting you guys have an understudy ever, what changed his mind?

kongou: Now that you mention it, I don't actually know the details either.

gui: Mizuki told me to join B once before too. Is this different from that time?

heath: It wasn't because Mizuki changed. It's probably the opposite.

maica: That so?

kongou: In the end you didn't join B huh, Gui.

gui: My team is Team K.

kongou: Hahah, that's true.

maica: Well I'll get going then.

heath: Thanks for the help.

maica: Make sure you tell Mizuki to not break it next time.

—end

-

Chapter 11

-starless hallway-

-unei trips-

saki: Are you ok...!?

unei: Ow... I-I'm sorry~!

menou: Yawn... What are you doing?

qu: You really do lose your footing quite often hm? Let's pick up all these flyers first Unei-kun.

unei: Uwah, they really went all over the place... Would you two mind helping me out!?

menou: Don't wanna.

qu: I don't mind...

saki: I'll help too.

qu: Thanks, sorry for the trouble.

menou: Saki-chan shouldn't need to help out.

-menou picks up a flyer-

menou: Huh? This is from when he went on our onsen trip.

qu: And this one over here is for 'vow of love'. Time sure does pass you by quickly, it's already almost been a year since then.

unei: Every time our anniversary comes around I'm reminded just how much time flies. Wait, this isn't the time to be getting all sentimental, I need to tidy this mess up...!

-hari walks up-

hari: Qu, so this is where you were.

qu: What is it?

hari: Today's rehearsal location was changed to the second room, I came to tell—

mokuren: What the hell are you two doing? Rehearsal is starting right now. Oh Princess, what a nice coincidence, you should come and watch us practice too.

saki: O-ok.

-mokuren grabs hari and drags him away-

menou: Team C seems like it's been quite lively lately.

zakuro: Yes, it is as you can see. It is due to the number of sacrifices having increased from one to two. I shall tread carefully as to not be chosen as the third. So long.

-zakuro leaves-

qu: Everything’s tidied up here so you can go on ahead too.

unei: Yes, the flyers are all together again, thank you Saki-san.

saki: Is that so? Then, excuse me.

-saki leaves-

menou: You're not going, Qu?

qu: I will be. I just need to finish up here first.

menou: Hmm, to me it looks like you don't want to go. Your improv parts are pretty boring aren't they? You only put in the bare minimum. Were you always this bad at improv?

qu: Well... I wouldn't say it's the improv that I'm bad at. If it's to protect a country, a position or a person then I can act it out no problem. But when it comes to having to protect myself, to kill someone to do so... For some reason I just can't get a grasp on it.

menou: In that case you mean to say you'd be fine with it if Aogiri kicked you out of your spot and you became an understudy? If the options are fighting or being killed, then being killed is the easier option no? 

menou: Hari's performance is so interesting, since he's desperately fighting up there. Meanwhile, you just seem frightened Qu. Well whatever. When we're on stage together make sure you come at me like you're really trying to kill me, kay? Yawn, I'm going back to sleep.

-menou leaves-

unei: Ah, thank you!

qu: .......

qu: He really doesn't change does he...

—end

-

Chapter 12

-starless restaurant area-

maica: Looks like the fourth anniversary show is finally coming to a close.

akira: Ah... I'm so tired...

hinata: It's gonna be ending soon isn't it? It's kinda sad.

aogiri: I've learnt a lot, when I think about that I feel the same in wishing we could see more. Most importantly though, I'm glad the performances can come to a close without there having been any trouble.

hinata: Ahaha, yeah true.

-iwami walks up-

iwami: Yo, how are things?

hinata: Ah, Iwa-san-! Could it be you’ve brought gifts? Afternoon snacks?

iwami: Yeah, I picked out some sweets. They're for everyone.

hinata: Heck yeah! I was just getting hungry too~♪

maica: You've been visiting an awful lot lately huh.

iwami: That's just because I'm worried about you guys. Speaking of, there's a face I'm not familiar with here. Is he a newbie?

hinata (while eating): Das Aogiwi. He jus’ joined wike me.

aogiri: Nice to meet you. Um, and who might you be...?

iwami: I'm Starless' previous owner. But well, nowadays I'm just a regular fan of the place.

akira: Uwah, could you sound any shadier.

iwami: Leave me be. Well, we might run into each other every now and then, so let's get along.

aogiri: Understood. Speaking of the owner though... Where is the current one? I've yet to introduce myself to them yet.

iwami: Ah, Haseyama you mean. You don't have to worry about meeting him any time soon. It appears the store can run just fine without him here too.

aogiri: Is that so...?

hinata: I was wondering the same, why's that guy never come here anyways?

iwami: It's not that he isn't coming here, he can't. He got shot and is currently still in hospital because of it.

hinata: Huh? Wait what, you're being serious?

iwami: That's not all either. After that Saki-chan was kidnapped... It was a very troublesome string of events.

hinata: Whaaat, that's so scary.

maica: Oi, what unnecessary things are you filling the newbies' heads with. You're being inappropriate.

iwami: It's not unnecessary. If you don't tell them now it'll only affect you later, won’t it?

maica: That's...

iwami: Did they really not tell you anything about it when they employed you?

aogiri: No, this is the first I'm hearing of it.

maica: Um... Just make sure you're careful. There's recently been some bombing incidents nearby here too...

akira: Well, public safety ain't doing the best job in that case.

aogiri: ...Is that so. I had read this place was a cozy and well managed workplace though.

maica: Cozy? As an adjective for Starless?

aogiri: That's what was written on the job application page on your website.

akira: Sorry to say but you got duped, I feel bad for you~ 

aogiri: I do find it to be a workplace that's teeming with inspiration though.

—end

-

Chapter 13

-starless restaurant area-

saki: (Today's show was amazing as always. The other guests seem to all be fired up as well.)

female guest 1: Today's performance might have just been my favourite one out of all the fourth anniversary shows. Rindou was just so wonderful.

female guest 2: The way he endured villain Sotetsu's torture only to overthrow and defeat him in the end was so hot wasn't it~♪

saki: (Rindou-san's performance really did feel even more impressive than usual...)

-break room-

rindou: Is that so? If the guests enjoyed it then that's what’s most important.

saki: Yes. Everyone was really impressed by both you and Sotetsu's acting.

rindou: And what about you? Did you enjoy the show?

saki: Of course. It really was wonderful.

rindou: I'm happy to hear you think that. I'll do my best to keep that momentum going until the closing show.

saki: Yes, I'll be cheering you on. I'll go and tell everyone else my impressions too then.

-saki leaves-

sotetsu: You two seemed to be having fun. Was it about our improv? It was a pretty great show huh.

rindou: You're talking like you weren't involved. Half of the credit goes to your acting as well.

sotetsu: Really? I was just sticking to playing an easy to grasp villain though.

rindou: And that's exactly why it worked. It made it easy for me to choose the best direction to go from there. Thanks to that, I think it ended up being a great show.

sotetsu: Well that makes two of us. You seem to be looking well recently.

rindou: ...Yeah. For better or worse the situation hasn't changed but... I have no intentions to allow my personal feelings to affect the stage in any way, so don't worry.

sotetsu: I see. At this rate you could even take Kei on. I'll be expecting an exciting show.

rindou: You say it like that’ll be easy.

-starless backrooms-

ran: Rindou seems like he's back to his usual self.

maica: Yeah, thank god... By the way.

ran: Mm?

maica: I don't plan to get involved again but, I just want to confirm something. Have you made any progress regarding the Black Card?

ran: Nope, not at all. Of course I've still been gatherin’ info an’ stuff though.

maica: I see... I hope things can continue peacefully like this...

-break room-

rindou: Well, I'll get going.

sotetsu: Sure, see ya.

-rindou leaves-

sotetsu: So the card hasn't moved then huh... In that case...

-he looks to aogiri down the hall-

sotetsu: I guess it’s about time I start looking into this matter instead.

—end

To final chapters

[ampheenix]

I'd rather burn out (than fade away)

SUMMARY:

Programmed memories had then flooded her in a rush, a cascade of red, yellow, and blue emotions all being button-mashed as her hands twitched erratically.

Her name was Maple. She was a doll.

She loved making new friends, and warm tea, and soft shades of pink.

And she loved Midori most of all.

“Ahaha, she’s awake at last!” The green-haired boy leaning over her smiled brightly, tilting his head to the side. “Do you know who I am, Maple?”

---

Or, Maple meets the love of her life for the first time... and Midori meets his new creation.

Maple remembered the day she had been born.

There was darkness for a long, long while, time feeling stretched out like plasticine as her mind raced. She wasn’t conscious yet, as her AI was still getting used to being in a new, synthetic body.

Programmed memories had then flooded her in a rush, a cascade of red, yellow, and blue emotions all being button-mashed as her hands twitched erratically.

She…

Her name was Maple. She was a doll.

She loved making new friends, and warm tea, and soft shades of pink.

And she loved Midori most of all.

Oh…

Gosh, how she loved him, his brilliant green hair, viridian eyes, and how he was always so forgiving to her, even when she made mistakes… And he was so intelligent, too…

Wait, had…

Had she met him before?

Maple didn’t remember, but it was okay. That didn’t matter.

Even if she hadn’t met Midori yet, she was sure she knew him better than he knew himself.

Maple became HAPPY.

Feeling pure joy fill her like liquid honey, almost to the point where she couldn’t stand it, her eyes finally fluttered open. Her heart began to race as she noticed distinctive green hair leaning over her.

“Ahaha, she’s awake at last!” The green-haired boy who she knew to be Midori smiled brightly, tilting his head to the side. “Do you know who I am, Maple?”

His voice… it was just how she had imagined it to sound! Crisp, efficient and polite, as his eyes bore into her…

Gosh, his eyes were so intense, it felt like they were looking straight through her to her soul. That is, if she had one, haha!

Maple felt a matching smile light up her face, sitting up and glancing around for a moment before feeling her gaze being drawn back to Midori, almost like a magnet.

Hmm, it looked as if she was in some kind of underground lab, and she was sitting on an operating table… but that didn’t matter right now! She was finally meeting the love of her life!

“Yes, you’re Midori! And I… I love you!” She watched breathlessly as Midori’s smile widened further, looking satisfied as he leaned forward in his chair.

His eyes narrowed down to slits, and she couldn’t help but blush slightly as she noticed how his gaze grew in intensity, almost pinning her down with his stare.

“My, what a shame!” Midori said pleasantly!

…

…What?

Maple felt her smile falter, happiness stilling in her uncertainty.

“You see, because…” Midori’s next words pierced through her like a blade.

…

“I don’t love you. Not even a bit.”

He said politely with a smile as he shattered her world, and as he gazed at her… this time it felt less like he understood her and more like he…

Was scrutinising her to see what made her tick, scouring her with sandpaper until she was red and raw. And the way his smile kept widening as he watched her expression change was almost… sadistic.

Maple became SAD.

“Y-you… what?” Maple said, feeling tears fill her eyes, her pure joy draining away like someone had pulled the plug out of her honey-filled bathtub and instead starting filling it with icy water.

“Why… why would you say th-that?” She said, stumbling over her words through the lump in her throat, and even though she tried in vain to stop them hot tears just kept coming, rolling down her cheeks and splashing onto the bed.

“Good, good, so that’s all working…” He muttered, quickly writing something down on a clipboard, before he turned back to Maple.

“Well then.” Midori’s eyes widened again, looking the picture of innocence as his lip trembled. He hunched over and wiped away non-existent tears, choking out a few words in a flat voice…

“Oh my, Maple. I’m so, so sorry. I never meant to make you cry. Please forgive me.” He said in a deadpan voice, sniffing back fake tears even as his eyes continued to pierce through her.

Maple… she felt her tears slowly come to a stop, drying on her cheeks. Her grief was drained away, and started filling back up with warm, comforting honey. She felt a smile slowly pull at her lips, sweet and forgiving, and she didn’t feel so broken anymore.

Maple became HAPPY.

“It’s okay Midori… you didn’t mean to upset me! I forgive you!” Her eyes shined, and her joy brightened as she watched the sadness fade from his face.

“Gee, thanks Maple.” Midori’s relieved smile was just a touch too satisfied to be genuine as he ticked something off on the clipboard, pulling something out of his pocket before turning back to her.

“Alright, one more thing.” He said, brisk and business-like as he handed something to her. She gave him a curious glance, and Midori only smiled brightly in response.

Maple’s gaze moved to what he had placed in her palm, and…

Oh, gosh!

Her eyes widened, rose dusting her cheeks as she gazed at the gift sitting on her hand. A beautiful necklace with a pink heart pendant… she loved it!

“You really didn’t have to… thank you so much Midori, I’ll treasure it always!” Her eyes lit up, beaming joyfully as she turned back to Midori. Her happiness was like a tangible thing in her chest, making her feel warm and fuzzy inside.

But as she gazed at him happily, Midori’s bright smile… slowly faded.

He raised an eyebrow at her with a disappointed expression, and Maple stiffened. Insecurity gnawed at her thoughts. Why… why was he looking at her like that? Had she done something wrong?

“Aha, you didn’t seriously think that was for you, did you?” Midori said sharply, cutting her down to the bone with his dissatisfied gaze.

She shrunk back slightly, feeling confused and her emotions in turmoil, all her joy evaporating under his scalding gaze…

She looked down at the necklace sitting in her palm as her emotions crashed into eachother like foamy waves in a storm. Midori loved her, but…

This gift… it wasn’t for her?

But then… Maple stilled, eyes widened as an uncomfortable thought emerged from under the waves.

Who was this gift for?

Midori reached out and plucked the heart necklace off of her hand, dangling it out of reach with a bright smile. “Whoops, looks my hand slipped, and I took the necklace you cherish…”

His eyes glinted. “Tell me Maple, how do you feel? I’ve taken something so precious from you, right? Don’t you want it back?”

Before Maple could even process his words, emotions still at war within her… Midori was talking again, leaning forward in his chair.

“And hey, Maple,” Midori mocked with a sharp smile, tilting his head slightly as Maple’s eyes started to fill with tears. “How do you feel knowing I’m going to give this necklace to a different girl? Don’t you feel betrayed, upset, maybe even…”

“A n g r y ? “

Maple stiffened again at his words, feeling the hot tears rolling down her cheeks slow to a stop. She noticed how her fists were clenched so hard they were shaking, and her nails were biting into her skin. Angry? Was she? Angry?

She bit her lip hard enough to bleed, eyes narrowing. Midori was going to give the necklace to a different girl. A different girl, even though Maple loved Midori with all her heart? Even though Maple loved him more than anyone else ever could?

Did her feelings mean nothing to him?

 “Midori… y-you… how dare you…” Maple felt the emotions crashing around in her drain away except for unbridled anger, so fiery she could feel it scorching away all rational thought, all her previous emotions, until all that remained was rage.

Maple became FURIOUS.

“Yeah… I must really suck, huh?” Midori smiled brightly, leaning back in his chair with a pleasant expression as he fanned the flames even more. “Don’t you want to just tear me apart? Ruin my life? Make me sorry I ever crossed you?”

…

…

Midori raised his eyebrows as Maple just sat there, silently simmering with rage instead of lashing out.

“…Yes.” Her voice cracked when she finally spoke, her expression contorted in agony as she clenched her fists even tighter. “I’m so… so very angry that I can hardly control it, how dare you buy a gift for a different girl when I’m RIGHT HERE?!”

Midori waited with a satisfied expression, clipboard in hand.

“But… but…” Maple’s fury faltered for a moment, her eyes full of pain as she gazed at him. The flames of her anger were slowly quenched the longer she looked at him…

Midori’s beautiful green eyes, looking back at her neutrally as she trembled with emotion.

“No matter how angry I am, how could…” She took a deep breath in, and out, to calm herself down.

“How on earth could I ever hurt you?” Maple whispered, feeling a painful pang in her heart. She clutched at it through her clothes, hating herself as she felt tears rolling down her cheeks once more.

Maple became sad.

“Perfect, that’s working fine as well... hmm…” Midori muttered under his breath as he made a few notes on the clipboard. “…Alright then!” He clapped his hands together with a beaming smile, and Maple flinched at the loud noise.

“Don’t worry about all that Maple, I love you dearly.” Midori lied through his teeth. “Just routine testing, you know?” He got up off his chair and walked over to a desk, fiddling with something Maple couldn’t see.

Sniffling, Maple wiped away her tears, feeling a shaky smile on her face. Midori loved her after all… well, of course he loved her, the necklace was just routine testing for his lab experiment or something… How had she ever thought otherwise?

Maple became HAPPY.

“Anyway… you know what to do now, I’m sure.” Midori spoke without looking at her, reading through some papers he’d picked up off his desk with a frown. “Make sure you don’t disappoint me or I’ll give your necklace to that other girl, alright?”

…

Midori paused. “Whoops.”

Maple became ANGRY.

[slytherinshua]

Hopefully they will get a bit of rest before the show! They definitely need it after the tour though, the schedule seemed brutal. I don't think I'd be able to cope if it was me lol. You'll have to let me know what they are like to watch live, I'm sure they'll be amazing!!

Play is such a comfort song! I have definitely cried listening to it as well haha, also haze. I really do love how they have a song for every mood lol.

I'm honestly so glad that I started to listen to them when I did. I found them at a time when I'm finally starting to think more positively about myself and seeing my own potential, like seeing that I can improve myself but also being kind to myself when I inevitably mess up. I think the messages in their songs are really comforting and make me feel seen. (Although I still remember the night when hug by seventeen absolutely broke me ahaha) Finding a talented violinist who plays music that I like has helped me want to become better in that sense too, although admittedly I have wanted to improve for a while, but Yechan has actually given me a goal which is nice. (I've started to try and learn boogie man and my respect for Yechan has went WAY up).

I have wanted to watch super and for ages!! I never knew where to find it though. I found out about it because I'd started to listen to Hoppipolla and then would watch compilation videos of clips from superband. It seems so fun! And the amount of talent would make me cry ahaha. I'll and Ha Hyunsang's voices in 1000x almost made me cry the first time I listened to it because they blended so beautifully. After getting into Lucy, I was kinda like, the bassist in the awesome cover of the Coldplay song (I can't remember what it's called lol) was Wonsang?! Yechan played viva la Vida?? With Ha Hyunsang?? That made me want to watch it more ahaha (although I don't know if I'll be emotionally prepared to see Sangyeop cry)

I'll let you know if I have any ideas haha, but definitely keep writing for Lucy! I really liked your style of writing and thought you wrote Sangyeop really well!

Enjoy the show!!!!

okay now that I’m back from the show lemme answer this 🥹🥹 I think they did get some rest beforehand they were rly energetic and excited :( moreso than me cause I was so sore it hurt to stand and I was struggling when sangyeop wanted us to jump sigh

You could rly just tell they went all out for their last show of the tour and it was just so special :( I was right by wonsang bcuz he’s my bias and I wanted to watch him up close so most of the videos I took are of him. Whenever I could see sangyeop or get noticed by sangyeop I would die internally idk smth abt him live is just way too attractive and charismatic and he needs to stop being so fucking fine istg??? But wonsang was so cute I was chilling standing by him <33

I swear I can cry to any lucy song cause even the happy ones have sad or relatable lyrics… the sad ones hit so fucking hard absolutely when I need to cry colourless is my go to…. Sangyeop ugh 👹👹👹👹 and when it’s a song like boogie man I just cry cause of how beautifully crafted it is cause I think abt how hard wonsang works on every song LMAO IM SO EMO KILL ME

I also feel like I found them at just the right time but like for the opposite reason. I was going through intense burnout and listening to stove while I worked on schoolwork was the only thing keeping me going :( (along w bambam ty husband <3)

I NEED TO REWATCH SUPERBAND IN FULL TBH CAUSE 😭😭 I went back to watch the lucy stages but I just need to experience the WHOLE thing again… anyway here’s the link to the google doc with the google drive eps for you <3333 AND YES ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME COVER!!!! Absolutely adored it sm I remember how everyone thought wonsang was selfish and trying to make himself stand out by only picking guitarists while he was the only bassist but then he got all 5 votes cause his arrangement was so beautiful and chilling and ethereal and I love him sm I always call him my lil genius :(

Dropping some photos from the concert hehe

[darkx-the-dragon-kn1ght]

Chapter 17- Part 13

I think…the benefits of getting rid of both Skuntank and the Mist on this turn outweigh the costs. If I need to use Blaze again this fight, I can always use that Revive.

So- live up to your name, Blaze!!

Oh- I get to send out a Pokémon first…? That’s…who is Corey gonna send out, then? Is it gonna be Crobat, or something else?

I think the safest move is to send in…Breeze.

And it’s a good thing I did that! He sent out a Mareanie! I’m fine with this! Let’s have Breeze use Feather Dance to lower its Attack, just in case-

Oh! Shoot, Venoshock did a lot with that crit- but it’s okay, we’re bringing in Glare anyways!

Another crit on the switch-in, but she's still fine. We’ll just repeat what we did with the Skrelp with the Glare™ and Screech combo- hopefully this one doesn’t have Venom Drench too.

And now, Glare gets to eat even more seafood that would probably be unhealthy for any other Pokémon to bite on, but she’s a Poison-type so it’s fine!

It definitely doesn’t help when Mareanie gets another critical hit, though. What is this thing’s deal…?

A FOURTH CRITICAL HIT!? KNOCK IT OFF! What is wrong with you??

(Future edit: Merciless paired with Corrosive Field, that’s what.)

Enough! We’re finishing this with Crunch!

Crit that, why don’t ya!?

Alright…the big event. No time to waste with Glare, let’s just bring in Riptide!

As long as it doesn’t Nasty Plot right away again, all will be fine, we can use Scary Face to mess with its horrifying Speed and then-

Ah, dangit- maybe I could have used Glare to hinder it somewhat like I did the first time.

Well, the only way I can safely bring this down now is with Kirin, but I’m not sacrificing Riptide to do it. Instead, I will sacrifice Breeze.

I’m so sorry, girl-

But thanks to that Scary Face, Kirin can definitely outspeed, and that’ll help with the upcoming events that I have in my plan.

And by ‘plan’, I mean use Psybeam until Crobat’s dead!

One down, good, good- how much does one do without the Psychic Terrain?

A little over half! Which means one more should do it, right??

RIGHT! Now I’m satisfied! And it was only slightly scuffed and unnecessary, but not enough for me to wanna reset for a fourth time!

Ah, yes- and since Riptide didn’t get KO’ed this time, he got some of the exp. points…and you know what that means?

He’s BIG BOI now!! Incredible!! If I’d played my cards a bit better, maybe Riptide could have solo’ed Crobat and his evolution would be even MORE cinematic, but this is still leagues better than the last attempt!

Oh- ooooh, honey, you have no idea what you’re getting into.

Now, this Croagunk probably has Sucker Punch to deal with Psychic-types like Kirin…but unfortunately for it, Kirin’s not attacking this turn!

Aha, exactly like I thought. It’s not gonna work like that, because it’s time to change the Field one more time!!

PSYCHIC TERRAIN, FOR THE WIN! And the best part about using Psychic Terrain here? Its main feature in the canon games is that it makes it so priority moves don’t work! Soooo no Sucker Punch for you, in ANY capacity! Ahaha!!

And there’s the Nidorina again…and I think Kirin can take her as well, yeah? Yeah.

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[lisutarid-a]

[Gakuen K] Yatogami Kuroh Route Translation

Summer festival for two

LIST OF CHAPTERS

[Translation under the cut]

Saya: (Today is the last day of summer vacation. We were supposed to go to a summer festival, but…)

Saya: (Neko is on an extra supplementary class, Shiro-kun had maintenance work to do on the Himmelreich)

Saya: (We with Kuro-kun decided to go together)

Saya: …Ha, I'm nervous.

Saya: (That wasn't a problem until a while ago)

Saya: (Something strange happening with me since he told me the other day that I'm better)

Saya: (Even thought it was a simple conversation…)

Saya: …I wonder what this feeling is.

Saya: Ah, the phone.

Saya: Hello.

Kuroh: It's me. I'm in front of the dormitory. How are you doing? Are you ready?

Saya: Uh! Sorry to keep you waiting. I'll be right down.

Kuroh: Yeah, I'm waiting.

Saya: …

Saya: (All he said was that he was waiting for me, but it made me really nervous somehow)

Saya: (Kuro is a good friend. There is no need to be nervous at all)

Saya: …Well, let's go.

Saya: Kuro-kun. Thank you for waiting!

Kuroh: That was really quick. You could have taken your time, you know.

Saya: Un-uh, it's alright. Kuro-kun, you're wearing a yukata today.

Kuroh: Yeah. I haven't worn it in a long time. It's not something you get to wear very often unless you have an opportunity like this.

Saya: That's right. It really suits you!

Kuroh: Thanks. You look good too.

Saya: R-Really? Thanks.

Saya: (I'm so glad….I'm glad I took the plunge and wore it)

Saya: Well then, let's go to the summer festival!

Kuroh: Wait.

Saya: Eh?

Kuroh: …The shrine is that way.

Saya: I-I see…Ahaha.

Saya: (Let's calm down a bit…)

Saya: Even though it's the last day of summer vacation, there are so many people here.

Kuroh: I believe it's because it's the last day. Be careful not to get lost.

Saya: Kuro-kun too.

Kuroh: Yeah. I know. I'll try to keep a good eye on you.

Saya: (…Him saying things like that makes my heart racing)

Kuroh: What's wrong?

Saya: Un-uh, nothing! If Kuro-kun is looking out for me, I feel safe even if I go to different places!

Kuroh: That's not what I meant. You are…a bit in high spirits today, aren't you?

Saya: Fufu, it that so.

Kuroh: It's okay at least for today. It's a festival after all. Let's go take a look around.

Saya: (…My feet hurt)

Saya: (I guess it's because I'm not used to wearing geta. The part that is in contact with strap hurts…)

Saya: Uwaa!

Kuroh: Eh…What's wrong?

Saya: Geta is…Ah.

Kuroh: Seems like the strap snapped. We need to find a place to sit down…Let's move over there.

Kuroh: Sit still. Now, if you'll excuse me.

Kuroh: …You've got blood between your toes.

Kuroh: I believe I had a band-aid somewhere…I'll put it on for now, make sure you disinfect it when you get home.

Saya: Uhm. I understand. …Sorry.

Kuroh: There's nothing to apologize for. The strap snapped, it can't be helped.

Saya: Un-uh. After all, I think I got carried away.

Saya: I'm not used to wearing geta. I should have walked a little more carefully.

Kuroh: No…I should've been more careful too. Sorry for dragging you around.

Saya: It's not your fault, Kuro-kun.

Kuroh: I think I was…a little carried away too. Guess I was just feeling a bit relaxed without the two usual guys around.

Saya: …You, Kuro-kun? You didn't look like that at all. You were paying attention to make sure I didn't get lost.

Kuroh: I hope it looked that way. …We both were carried away. Let's put an end to the strap theme.

Saya: Uhm…I got it. Thank you for a band-aid.

Kuroh: Yeah. Okay, I'll fix your strap. Give me your geta.

Saya: Is it really that easy to fix?

Kuroh: I can somehow manage with the first aid. Just give me a minute.

Saya: Thanks for today, Kuro-kun. And for the strap.

Kuroh: I'm the one to thank you. It was a lot of fun. You can send the strap for repair later.

Kuroh: I've never talked to you this long before, so it was a good opportunity.

Saya: I understood ve-e-ery well that Kuro is really influenced by the principle.

Kuroh: Sorry. I just can't stop myself when it comes to Ichigen-sama…

Kuroh: I got carried away because you were listening quietly. I'm… sorry about that.

Saya: Un-uh. I've enjoyed listening to your stories. Please tell me again.

Kuroh: Ah, uhm!

Choice: [Good night] ❤

Saya: Well then, good night. See you tomorrow.

Kuroh: Yeah. Good night. Let's work hard in the second semester as well. See you tomorrow.

Saya: Fufu, that's so like you, Kuro-kun…

Choice: [Just a little bit…]

Saya: It all ended so fast. I wish I could have hung out with you…a little bit longer.

Kuroh: Second semester starts tomorrow. It would be better to go home and get some rest today.

Kuroh: If you don't maintain a regular lifestyle, you will have problems later on.

Saya: You're right. Well then, good night, Kuro-kun.

Kuroh: Yeah, good night. See you tomorrow.

Saya: He's gone…

Saya: Second semester starts tomorrow…It's a little depressing that summer vacation is over, but I'll do my best!

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