#you thought tumblr was bad before... phew

[snekdood]

i can tell twitter users are slowly going to make this website so, so much worse, and eventually do the impossible and make it go up in flames

[fierceawakening]

So I stayed up way too late last night watching a documentary about a murder. The young man who did it was very cooperative when caught, explaining that he’d always been curious what it felt like to commit murder, and killed a homeless man who lived under a bridge because he figured the police wouldn’t investigate the death of a homeless person.

I found it very interesting because, as many of you may remember if you were following me years back, I did a lot of research on sociopathy some years ago, spoke about it on my Tumblr, and promptly got inundated with people saying I was ableist, misunderstood personality disorders and hated groups of people, and particularly misunderstood “lack of empathy,” which according to my research often fueled people’s willingness to abuse or otherwise harm others but according to Tumblr has nothing to do with willingness to engage in immoral behavior.

I cannot say for sure this young man was sociopathic/psychopathic/had ASPD. At the time his only diagnoses were autism, ADHD, and I believe some depression. But I was struck by how closely the young man’s behavior and descriptions of his feelings and experiences matched what I read in my research, especially after years of tumblr telling me that research was cherry picked, outdated, and even perhaps literally hateful made me wonder if I’d misunderstood.

So again: possible I’m very wrong (hell, it could even be that one of his therapists considered and rejected an ASPD diagnosis), but I found it striking, and more convincing than a lot of tumbler where many people self dx and may misunderstand the criteria.

ESPECIALLY given that this particular documentary was almost all interview footage with the young man himself (don’t waive your Miranda rights guys! It’s fascinating but a bad idea to talk!) and his parents, body cam footage, etc. with VERY little theorizing about it. Played very straight, so I don’t think I was led to believe he sounded sociopathic by experts interpreting, I think I was mostly going “wow, I’ve totally read about this before. Here’s what matches this that I read about pretty extensively years ago.”

The crime was quite gruesome. The young man had dismembered the body and was caught because he’d taken the head of his victim home with him, where his mom found it and called 911.

The young man, Brian something, was very frank when police spoke with him. As I recall the interaction, it went like:

Police officer: Hi son. We got a call about something concerning to your parents that they found in the house. Would you know anything about that?

Brian: Probably.

P: All right son. (Stern but calm.) What am I gonna find when I look in that house?

B: A human head and hands.

P, still pretty calm but clearly taken aback: Okay, and why do you have that?

B: Because I murdered him.

P: Phew, okay. And why did you do that?

B: Because I was very curious what it was like to murder someone.

The things that struck me here (and in later interviews, where he very readily admitted to formulating a plan to sate this curiosity and explained that he didn’t particularly want to keep killing, just to know what it was like and now he did so he’d stop), in addition to his very cold emotionless delivery, was this:

I can actually relate to being curious what it’s like to commit murder. “Thou shalt not kill” is pretty much the ultimate social taboo and everybody knows it. That pretty much makes it certain that many humans are going to wonder about it just because we can’t try it.

But! I cannot imagine picking a random person to do it, because that’s a person. They have memories and history and friends and hopes and dreams, even if they’re an unimportant old guy living under the overpass. The thought of cutting all that short for someone just because I’m curious about something is just… immediately and viscerally wrong, so the only thing I can do with that curiosity is, like, write about characters doing it and what I imagine they’d feel, or watch true crime and listen to people like him describe it. Which may not even get me very close, but I can make do, because how could I not?

Which is what I understood lack of empathy to be pointing at, as my research explained the trait.

Low empathy means you see someone you want to hurt or trick or in this case even kill, and you don’t really think about them or their life as a whole. You would have to kind of… on purpose stop yourself and center yourself to remember they’re a person in the same way you are, and hurting them (as curious as you are about it!) is relevantly like hurting you.

Baseline neurotypical levels of empathy would mean that the worse you’re considering hurting the person, the more likely your brain is to start imagining all this stuff and stop you or make you hesitate, unless you’ve overridden it with something like “they’re my political enemy” or “I’m acting for the greater good.”

High empathy would mean you struggle to get as far as thinking seriously about it because your brain just kind of… bombards you with these thoughts of how that’s a person and what hurting them means you’re doing.

Which is what I took my research to be saying when it called low empathy people more likely to be dangerous. If you see a homeless guy and think “the cops are less likely to catch me, as most killers who target vagabonds get away with it as long as they don’t make it a habit,” you’re more likely to hurt him if you want than someone who looks at him and thinks “I wonder who his friends are and what he’s like around them.”

(And yes, he had friends. He worked part time, regularly went to the library and checked out books, and sat outside a particular shop to read them. These people immediately reported him missing and were very sad when they found out he was dead.)

Whether that’s how tumblr uses the word or not this case seemed like evidence for my idea here rather than against it.

Like when they talked to Brian’s mom (who was kind of a fascinating contrast—Brian only really described emotional intensity when he was stabbing the man and “started making animalistic noises,” which again he recounted without emotion, but his mom was understandably unable to stop crying and screaming pretty much the whole time), she reported that he got suspended from school a few times for behavior issues, and when the cops asked what that was, she said that a girl in his class had severe anxiety, maybe PTSD triggers? and would get very scared and upset at loud noises, so he yelled in her ear because it was funny.

And… I mean. There’s nonconsensual sadism there, clearly. But from watching Brian talk I don’t get the sense he’d be animated about it being so funny. That if they asked he’d just be “I wanted to see what she would do.”

Like. Me me me. My curiosity, without thoughts of how sating it affects others at all.

Again, may just be meaning drift and “lack of empathy” refers to something else now as it’s not 1950.

But whatever the right name for this is—callousness? Unemotional traits?—I do think it’s a thing, and I don’t think it’s ableist to give people a heads up that it can be a risk factor for harming others.

[rileyslibrary]

Okay, I have to get this off my chest, or else I’ll combust. Thank you all for the love on the recent Price’s Surprise Cake fic, but truth be told, it was posted by accident, and it was too late when I found out. 🫣

And if you happen to ask how something can be posted by accident, I’m here to tell you that either Tumblr decided to act out, or I absentmindedly placed it in queue rather than in drafts. Since I don’t like blaming my shortcomings on others, I believe it’s the latter. I’ve started using the queue on my main for reblogging art, and I think my brain acted similarly in this case.

Although the story was finished, it needed some minor editing (that I’ve already done), adding a title or a description, and, most importantly, fixing some inaccuracies that still bug me but can’t be altered cause they’re part of the fic now.

So, instead of crying over spilt milk, how about I present you with the inaccuracies so you and I can laugh together: 😅

I wanted to change the fruit tart to apple pie or something that doesn’t need to be refrigerated because who the fuck leaves a fruit tart out of the fridge for so long apart from the part where you get to eat it? Fruit will go bad (you know how already cut fruits taste/smell when you leave them out for too long), tart (that bottom/biscuit part, I don't know; I’m not a baker) will get soggy, not to mention how candles don’t sit upright when you place them in the cream.

Candles. Where are the candles?? Although we do know Price’s age, I wanted to include a sparkly question mark candle that the reader would hand to Ghost along with the box to hide. I thought it would add more to his irritability by seeing that 👇

The timing, omg that still bugs me. Price wants to meet in an hour, and Ghost tells the reader to return in half an hour FOR WHAT?? Why hide the cake in the first place if it’s just for an hour?? Might as well lock yourself in the broom closet with the cake if it’s for thirty minutes. Not only that, but if the reader were supposed to pick up the cake in half an hour, that means they would have to take it with them in the briefing room and therefore ruin the surprise. They’d either have to do it BEFORE the briefing or AFTER, where the reader would run down to Ghost’s office to pick it up.

See? The maths. They don’t add up.

Phew 😮‍💨 Now that I let everything out of my system, I can relax.

[subtle-as-an-earthquake]

phew, ok gonna just ramble for a minute! for the last couple of days i've been getting so caught up in my milex feelings and the letdown after the anticipation that i almost forgot to be properly excited for this trip 🙈 but now that i'm actually in dublin, after listening to arctic monkeys and miles tunes on the flight and getting hyped about seeing my one of my best irl friends from london again for the first time since june, it's much easier for me to put things in perspective, thank goodness!! i'd have kicked myself later if i spent my time here moping (which i've kind of been doing these past two days) instead of being excited about getting to see my all time favourite band play again (twice!!) AND with miles as well, and just have a fun trip with my friends in dublin (even though it'll be raining cats and dogs, but we'll be in the pub most of the time anyway 🍻)

after the london gig in june i really thought that was it for a couple of years, so to have been given this extra opportunity to see them again so soon is insane and an absolute blessing. i'm SO fucking excited, i can't even tell you 😭 these will be my 8th and 9th arctic monkeys gigs to date, and i'm still just as hyped as i was 10 years ago, and i think that's worth reflecting on for a minute ❤️

i'm putting some more musings about the milex situation under the cut for anyone who might be interested in a different perspective, but mostly it's just for me, to be able to untangle the mess that my mind has been in these past few days. also, please know that i'm definitely not trying to invalidate anyone's concerns or diminish anyone's feelings, because lord knows i've been feeling all the things the past few days and all those feelings are very (very) real!

i guess what i just keep coming back to is the fact that arctic monkeys (or alex, really, lbr) asked miles to be the support for these four dates when they absolutely didn't have to do that, and that if there was any bad blood between them then they totally could've asked anyone else. but they didn't, they asked miles! and miles agreed! it's much more likely that the fact that they're not playing together is due to logistics (with the orchestra and limited rehearsal time) and wanting to highlight miles's new album than any personal reasons tbh. they're professionals doing their jobs first and foremost, and while obviously we'd love a display of sentimentality, if that doesn't fit the show for whatever reason then it makes sense they don't give us that. i'm sure it's all been discussed and agreed on between them, and that they're doing perfectly fine behind the scenes. it's true that miles shows us a lot of himself, but alex and the other boys do not, so it also makes sense to me that what miles shares about them/their interactions with him is limited too, much as i'd love to see him gush about them and post bts footage. i always find that i get easily swept up in emotions and conjecture when i'm watching things unfold from a distance, through the tumblr/fandom lens, but i forget sometimes that that is a heavily coloured lens, and that real life is often very different, despite what social media etc. may seem to show. and for me personally, i've noticed that sometimes it's really good to break out of the bubble for a bit and see things from a different perspective, so i'm glad i was able to do that before my shows!

also, on a side note, i've seen some people being disappointed that alex didn't dedicate bodypaint to miles but just gave him a shoutout, but to me the distinction doesn't matter too much. he mentioned miles when he didn't have to, and miles stayed to watch the boys do their thing after his own set, and he didn't have to do that either if he wasn't feeling it. the fact is that recently there have been more and more signs that our boys are actually growing closer again than they seemingly have been for a few years, and while obviously i just want them to give us everything and announce a tlsp reunion and also profess their undying love for each other while they're at it, maybe their doing what they can right now, and they just need a bit more time to get to where they once were. we all need time to heal, or something like that, anyway. i obviously don't know anything, but this possiblity seems just as if not more likely to me than the other option (which would be that any of this is a sign they're growing further apart, instead), so i'm good with that for the moment.

anyway, this is just me talking to myself on the plane and creating some perspective for myself, but maybe someone else might find it helpful too, who knows. in any case, i'm going to do my best to enjoy it all to the fullest!! and while obviously getting to see them do something together would be brilliant, it would just be the cherry on an otherwise already really fucking delicious cake ❤️

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

Hi hello I am, once again, posting abt why Staticmoth makes me uncomfortable because I have a lot of thoughts about it that I just need to get out.

What makes toxic cesspool ships fun, for me at least, is that both characters are equally bad to eachother. Not that they're equally bad to the people AROUND them, that's a different dynamic, but to EACHOTHER. It makes you go "phew thank god they're dating eachother and literally not anybody else". It's SCP containment.

Staticmoth, as presented in episode 2, isn't like that. Like YES, Vox IS just as bad as Val in the sense that he enables Val's treatment of other people and does his own weird shitty billionaire stuff, but everything, and I mean EVERYTHING Vox does to Val SPECIFICALLY that could be considered a red flag in that episode is in response to, or immediately followed up by, Val doing something significantly worse to him. Vox grabs him and screams in his face? Val had already screamed in his face MULTIPLE times, threw a drink at him, and broke his phone. Vox lowkey manipulates Val into not going to shoot up the hotel? Val then proceeds to manipulate Vox into making a public fool out of himself for shits and giggles. That isn't. That isn't fun to watch. Having something that pisses you off leveraged against you to make you look like a fool isn't fun.

Idk, seeing people claim Vox is equally shit to Val just... really rubs me the wrong way. It feels disingenuous at best and victim-blamey at worst. I don't feel like talking about actual domestic abuse right now because A; we HAVEN'T SEEN ENOUGH OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO MAKE ANY HARD JUDGEMENTS ON IT and B; I don't. I don't want to bring serious topics into my shipping takes. Not right now. I just. I don't. HOWEVER, I would like to recommend Princess Weekes' video on mutual abuse, because it's a really good breakdown of how toxic relationships work and gets into the real world stuff that makes Staticmoth iffy to me better than I ever could in a poorly worded Tumblr post I'm writing while sleep deprived.

Oh also disclaimer: this is in no way me telling people to stop shipping Staticmoth. Like I've said before, we haven't seen enough of their relationship to pin down their exact canon dynamic, and until then you can literally do whatever the fuck you want with them lmao. This was just me talking about red flags I've noticed and why I don't feel comfortable shipping them. It's also literally not my place to say what you can and cannot do. Blah blah blah free speech etc if I see content I don't like it's my responsibility to block and move on. Also it would be kinda hypocritical of me because I am a dirty dirty Polyvees stan smh

[inventors-fair]

Status Symbols: EDH Redesign Runners-up ~

Our runners-up for this week are @izzet-always-r-versus-u, @lanabutnotdelray, and @wildcardgamez!

@izzet-always-r-versus-u — Haakon, Rimebound

It was a close one this week, but upon conferring with other judges, I looked at this card and really had to appreciate the creativity of it and what it's asking. Self-mill and processing means you can generate a whole bunch of nonsense to make mana in ways that allow for both self-contained and very thoughtful deckbuilding. Perhaps reanimation isn't as easy as it in with commanders like Sheoldred or The Scarab God, but this is an unlimited-ish mana-sinking card that generates some wild snow builds. Snow is a resource with which I'm not as familiar (aside from the one time I tried to make Tundra Fumarole work in Pioner) but that I respect a lot. This card, naturally, makes it work quite elegantly.

I think that as much as I'm iffy on the life payment, I have to respect the fact that this is an amazing commander that might just not be right for me personally. Seeing people do their self-mill builds would be awesome to check out, and there are cards like Mortuary and Haunted Crossroads that would absolutely shred the meta. A little bit of specific searching with blue for the mill, a little bit of token sacrifice to get the snow, a little bit of aristocrats for the black... I'm not entirely sure what I'd do with this card and that's because it's smarter than me. It's asking for some intricate and delicate builds with which I am unfamiliar. And I respect that immensely! That's what makes this design stand out this week for sure.

@lanabutnotdelray — Vance, Sunray Governor

Yeah, Rakdos steal-yo-man was around and about a little this week. And good for it! I think it's one of my top archetypes that I don't play myself. Only wording change I'd alter is the start of the last wording: "Whenever a player plays a card with a loot counter on it from exile, that player exiles the top card of their library with a loot counter on it and Vance deals 1 damage to each of that player's opponents." I think there's a little necessary specificity? I'm also paranoid about those things, and I also have questions of if they need to be separated, because there are really convoluted questions with damage, redirection, other triggers—like if Laelia plus Chandra's Incinerator plus damage increasers would buff with the exile before damage is dealt and how those triggers interact.

That's a massively specific corner case so let's talk about this card instead. Fun! It's the kind of card that would maybe have fun from Shared Psychosis this week, but also maybe not because Vance cares about the specific kind of counter. Hardly a fair point, though, because Vance wouldn't have to worry about getting other effects to make counters; she's a self-contained pirate where you can throw in literally any awesome effect and then make her work just fine. Increasing damage to your opponents and/or getting other cast bonuses and/or Treasure bonuses is awesome. I love stealing lands from other people's resources in Commander. Does that make me a bad person? No, I'm a pirate. Arr. The point is, I love the chaos that Vance causes and I respect the self-contained nature of these abilities. It's a fine choice to make a commander that builds around itself, basically.

@wildcardgamez — Satsuki, Seasoned Storyteller

I'm glad that Tumblr actually decided to show this image, phew. Anyway! Satsuki old and Satsuki here work quite well together. You get increase all of your sagas, and then when they leave you get to return them with this one. The death trigger on the other Satsuki does make it feel a little rough for Commander, as most legendary death triggers do, but this is for sure a fresher take. The ability to return any enchantment is certainly strong but it's supposed to be that way, so I dig it. Saga commanders are pretty tricky and quite limited; I know there are historic ones, and the one from CMM, and our good friend Tom—but, different spaces, different places.

In my notes I mentioned this in a positive light, but this card reminds me of those Dominaria Commander-specific legends they had with a whole bunch of hyperspecific abilities. You know the ones I'm talking about? Like Archers, Kobolds, life payment... Anyway. I like that for this card. The other thing I want to note is the affinity; I feel that this card could've had it like Reality Heist instead of actual affinity, but that's just me. You could've even done it for each lore counter instead of each Saga itself! But with the lack of generic in the cost... That's clever. That's super clever. I don't think it would click for a lot of players and honestly I would've given it at least on generic pip, but that's really awesome in a nerdy way.

Commentary is half-done, but as you read this I'm knee-deep in nerd retail. Catch you all on the flipside. @abelzumi

[somelokivariant]

more fics based off of tumblr <3

I wrote this a while ago and kinda dropped it, so even if its bad take whats here bc my writers block is making me not touch it again :)

Sirius was in a panic. He was back at Grimmauld place, the air dank and the room dark. This is just a nightmare. I just need to wake up, back home at the Potter’s. 

But no matter how hard he pinched himself, or pulled on his hair, he didn’t budge. 

“REGULUS” the door flew open and Sirius flinched “Why aren’t you out of bed yet? Get up!” Walburga grabbed a Hogwarts uniform, threw it at his head and slammed the door behind her. Sirius looked down at the Slytherin tie in his hand. 

“Regulus???” 

- - - 

Meanwhile, at the Potter’s Regulus Black was woken up by James jumping on top of him. 

“PADFOOOOT. So, were going to pick up Pete next door then head to the station, you ready?” 

Regulus stared in horror.

“HeLLo WaKe UP!” 

“Yes-yes I’m up. Uh, sounds good.” 

Regulus found a Gryffindor uniform, put it on and looked at himself in the mirror. Or, looked at Sirius in the mirror.

“What an amazing first day.” 

Regulus was standing with James Potter, Peter Pettirew, Remus Lupin and Effie Potter waiting for the train. 

“Now you boys be safe this year! I don’t want any owls from McGonagall, okay?” Mrs. Potter took turns holding each of them by shoulder before pulling them into a hug, and a kiss to the forehead. She was warm. Regulus found she showed these four boys more love than Walburga has ever implied in his life. He thought of how Walburga told him basically the same thing every first day, yet something so different. 

The four of them found a compartment together and Regulus watched Mrs. Potter wave until he couldn’t see her anymore. 

They've been moving for a couple minutes now, and James must have noticed him staring out the window. He leaned in “Hey, everything alright Pads? You’ve been kind of quiet.” 

Act like Sirius. “Yeah of course James! Just a little tired still.”

“Moony’s rubbing off on you!” He laughs, “Well quidditch is gonna start soon, and you know, early bird gets the worm!!” 

“Ugh James stop!” Remus said from the other side, moving the conversation on. Phew.

- - - 

Sirius was dressed in Slytherin attire (lord help him) and holding his trunk at the entrance to the dining room. 

Walburga sat there with her coffee (black as her soul and her last name) and stared at him. “You’re going to be late now.” she said deadpan.

Sirius felt like his scared younger self, his voice wavered, “Are you not coming?”

“Are you a child?” 

“Um, no?” 

“Then no.” She said as if he could have come to his conclusion on his own. 

Ok-a-y then. So Sirius just turned around ready to leave.

“You’re the only Black heir Regulus. If I get any owls from Slughorn they better be good.”

Sirius just nodded. He found platform 9¾, boarded and found an empty compartment. 

I need to find Reggie… (or me-?)

Just as Sirius was about to go track down himself a fair girl with even fairer hair entered his compartment. 

“Reggie!” She sat down and her hair seemed to flutter around her, her and her blue robe. 

“...Pandora?” 

“Yes, how was your summer?” 

Sirius thought of his (which was great), then of Reggie, “It was alright, how was yours?” 

“Mrs. Black alright? Haha. Mine was rather nice actually, I foraged mushrooms!” 

“How cool.” 

Sirius ended up talking to Pandora on the train ride, she was an odd girl, but really nice.

Now he sat by himself at the Slytherin table. It was actually really crowded, someone pushed up against him on either side, but without his friends it felt like he was alone. Here he only got a polite wave from Barty Crouch Junior (shudder, he was odd) and Evan Rosier.

It was proving to be harder than he thought to see Remus’ giraffe head or even hear James and himself from where he was. Eventually he slumped down and picked at his now cold food. He figured he’d have to fix this after the sorting ceremony. 

- - - 

Over at the Gryffindor table now, James nudged Regulus as the first first year approached the stool.

“Oi, what's this one gonna be?”

“What?”

“What house?? Reckon Ravenclaw? He looks nerdy-ish.” 

Regulus watched the small boy sit on the stool. Maybe a little studious looking, but he had a warm feel to him, he looked at the room with doe eyes, as if seeing a glow. “Hufflepuff.”

“HUFFLEPUFF” yelled the sorting hat.

So Regulus joined their game, and got every student right.

“Hey!” James said in a brotherly accusing way. “When’d you get so good at this?” 

Sirius never teased him like that. He softly held his shoulder as James shoved at him. 

The four boys were now up in their dorm room. Regulus found Sirius’ record player, and put one on while they settled their things. Though it soon led to the three of them goofing off and Regulus watching them.

“So guys, pranks this year?” said Remus.

Chaos erupted. 

“As our last year, we need to go out with a BANG. I have the BEST idea-” 

“No prongs your ideas always lead to shit-” 

“They do not! You're mistaking me for your boyfriend over there.”

Remus presented his plans. Which Regulus appreciated were fairly thought through; made to work around the full moon, perfect duty and mostly, getting them alibis. 

Regulus looked at the other three boys sprawled on their beds, over at Sirius' record player now forgotten and spinning in the background. He was starting to smile a bit, he had eaten until he was full for once and he rather enjoyed Lupin's comments. He needed to fix this for Sirius.

So he excused himself, and snuck out of the Gryffindor tower, and towards the dungeons. 

There he found Sirius also escaping.

“Reggie!” He whisper-yelled, “Regulus is that you?”

Regulus pulled him into a smaller dark hallway. 

“Yes, now stop being so loud about it!” 

“Regulus fix us back now! The Slytherin dorms? They're dark, and cold, and damp and my hair can’t take it, do you see? It’s limp!” he sobbed. 

“That’s my hair Sirius.” 

“Well I feel bad for you then.” He went silent, but didn’t say anything more. 

Regulus thought about how this was the first day since first year that Sirius hasn’t come to school with James attached to his side. 

“We need to get our own lives back.” 

The two of them walked in silence to the library, Sirius sneaking them in and Regulus leading them through the many aisles. He maneuvered around like he lived here. He basically did.

They found some text books on transformations, transfigurations, replacements and switches. They each sifted through their own book with only the occasional sound of a page turning. 

Regulus looked up at Sirius- at himself. Concerningly thin, eye bags, as Sirius said, limp greasy hair. 

Sirius noticed him staring, “Reggie… Is every day like this for you? The way mother looks at you, riding the train alone, eating in the great hall like no one realizes you’re there?” 

Regulus wanted to tell Sirius everything. As a little brother would. How it is kind of stressful. Cold. lonely. But that he managed. He wanted to tell him how he understood why he left him. How Sirius made a nice life and family for himself. How he actually liked his choice of boyfriend. How he was happy that his big brother was happy. That Regulus would be okay. 

But they were never feelings-sharing brothers were they? 

He just looked back down and kept reading. 

Sirius seemed like he wanted to talk more.

“I met Pandora today. She seems nice.” 

Regulus’ heart hurt at Sirius’ effort. 

“She is.” 

Regulus’ heart hurt more at how lousy he was at this. What would Dora say to do?

“I’m happy for you Sirius.” He plowed straight through Sirius' confused look, because skip the painfully awkward small talk, he was here now, and he’d probably never be here again. 

“Everything you have. The perfect life. Perfect family.” 

“It’s not perfect-” 

“But it’s yours. And it's more than either of us could have ever wished for. And you got out.” Sirius couldn’t argue with that, he looked down. Regulus lowered his voice. “You’re out. And I’m okay.” 

They sat in more silence, this one heavier, with all their feelings in the air. It was honestly disgusting. 

Sirius broke the ice, “I found it. A soul swap? ‘...wake up in another's place, with their life and appearance, but your own consciousness…’, that seems right? Oh there’s a little clipit here, I think it’s on the counteraction? ‘Reparatione per epiphaniam et appreciation’.”

“By epiphany?”

“Welp Regulus I understand how depressing and gray your life is, understand how amazing mine is so I can return to it.” Sirius said playfully. Regulus didn’t respond. “Or… a reversal? You know what? Let's just repeat it backwards. Whas the worst that can happen?” 

“We switch bodies too?” 

“And our consciousness is in the right body. Boom.” 

 Regulus couldn’t think of anything better, nor how this could cause the end of the world, so both him and Sirius found an incantation and recited it, holding on to each other's forearms.

They finished and looked at eachother. Nothing changed. 

“At least we're not dead,” said Sirius. 

Regulus just nodded. “So what now?” 

“We go to Dumbledore.” Sirius said obviously. 

Regulus panicked a little; he couldn’t have a letter go to Walburga. But, what else were they going to do? They agreed to meet and go straight to his office tomorrow morning. So they packed up the books, and left the library in opposite directions. Everything will be fine, he told himself. I didn’t do anything wrong. Mother will understand. 

- - - 

Sirius woke up glad to find his own hair on Gryffindor red pillows. He sat up to see James’ bed already made, Peter making his, and Remus’ untouched. He bolted to the common room to find him passed out on the couch.

“MOONY. MOOOOONY.” 

“What? What!?” It’s only been 24 hours, but to Sirius it felt like eternity. 

He remembered Regulus. 

“I have to go.” He left poor Moony dazed on the couch (he’ll tell him everything later). 

He made his way to the entrance of Dumbledore's office to find Regulus already waiting. 

“I guess we don't have to do anything right?” Regulus looked kind of relieved. (Sirius wondered if it had anything to do with Walburga).

“I guess not.” 

They stood in awkward silence. 

“Alright then.” Reggie made to leave.

“Wait-” Why did he say that? What was he going to say? He didn’t even need to answer that question. Regulus seemed to understand what Sirius felt without the words. Sirius grabbed Regulus' forearms the same way as when they tried the reversal yesterday. (Sirius thought of how a dark mark could be under his hand, but quickly shook the thought away)

 Reggie just gave him a sad smile, his voice quiet again.

“Go live your life.” 

Sirius looked at his baby brother. Seeming not so baby anymore. He ought to acknowledge Reggie in the halls (he felt bad for the amount of years they went without so much as a wave or smile). Because he needed Reggie to know he wasn’t completely alone. 

At the moment, they went without a proper goodbye, they just parted ways. And carried on to class. Like none of it happened. 

But Sirius knew it did. Regulus knew it too. 

And there was a mutual feeling for each other. Though neither of them knew exactly what that feeling was. 

They truly appreciated each other. 

[mi6-cafe]

007 Fest 2023 Survey Results

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, but thank you all for participating in this month-long celebration and for giving thoughtful feedback in our survey. Our incredible team of Cafe volunteers met this weekend to go through all of it and we have lots of ideas for changes based on your feedback. We are by no means done coming up with ideas, but here is our annual survey analysis.

Communication

You all loved the all Fest channel in slack so we’ll be keeping that again for next year. We also decided to freeze the Fest-related channels in slack at the end of August. (More on this coming in slack as we figure out the different options for doing this.) We also acknowledge that Fest is spread out across a lot of different platforms. Next year we will lean a little more heavily on emails for the crucial information throughout the month, and also be more clear about where to expect different types of announcements.

Team Leadership

As always, Fest could not run without amazing leaders! We changed things up this year by having both captains and cheerleaders and your feedback indicates that we should keep this! If you were a team leader this year, we’ll be reaching out later in the year to help us create a new document to further clarify expectations so that we can give a much better orientation to leaders next year.

CAT prize

This year we offered a special Cool, Awesome Teammate prize. There were many great nominations, but there wasn't one person who was a clear stand out above the rest. So rather than us trying to debate between people when we obviously aren't on every team, we are electing not to award one person this year as the stand out. We are, however, still passing on all those nominations and shout outs to the people they were about so that they know how much they are appreciated!

Changes to Points

You all voted on tumblr polls counting as one point each. You also voted to increase the bonus stacking limit to 3. We will also be working throughout the year to make changes to the word count divisions, add new higher point categories, and increase the point value of social events like watch parties

Roleplaying

We have comments about this each year in the survey, both good and bad. We’ve had to adjust our suggestions for the roleplaying aspects across the years, but for next year we are putting a stop to all roleplaying aspects, pressing a reset button of sorts. We know for many of you pretending to be in the spy world is fun, but this year the complaints which stemmed from it far outweighed the compliments. As a team of mods and volunteers, we have a few little details to work out, but we want to be clear on our expectation of no roleplaying aspects to the Fest next year. After 2024, we will reassess.

Team days

Along those lines, team days will also stay retired for another year. However, your feedback indicated that what most people missed was the collaborative spirit that often blossomed when a challenge was issued. So, we are going to work hard to incorporate that in other ways throughout Fest. (If you have ideas for small challenges which require teamwork, let us know!)

Big Format Changes

This is a little vague, but your suggestions inspired what we hope is a great idea to shake up the format of Fest. It will de-emphasize some of the competitive aspects, and also increase the focus on the other ways to contribute, like doing beta work and attending watch parties. We have lots of details to work out, but we’re excited.

Speaking of, we’re going to use the tag #007 Fest Change Log to let you all know about changes we’re working on throughout the year and occasionally use tumblr polls to ask your opinion. 

Phew, that got long. Tl;dr You all had great feedback, the team is working on changes big and small, stay tuned for exciting announcements! 

And stay tuned for LDWS coming up very soon!

~Your Cafe Mods,

Castillon and Linorien

[pathologicalreid]

for the fear of falling apart - part five!!

first of all I want to say that I this series is one of the most well written pieces I‘ve read for spencer!

I‘m in love with jareau!reader, they will always have a very special place in my heart and how you‘ve written the concept, the difficulties, the relationship between reader and spencer and the relationship between jj and reader is sooo perfect and well thought about.

“Why are you going to stay here, JJ? Do you want to stay at the hospital for my sake or for Spencer’s?”

gagged her ngl.

…but you didn't have the gracefulness to coddle her anymore.

this part. I love how reader made it clear that yes they are sisters, that’s unchangeable, but them being friends? not gonna be like before.

the comparison with the broken vase was so good, it can be fixed but the cracks will stay.

“Oh, for years in his letters, he’d always talk about you. Even before you started dating – it was always about you in a way I’d never heard him talk about anyone,”

yeah spencer was head over heels for reader since day, love this little part so much, also diana remembering all the letters must mean that reader really was a highlight in those, making her trust reader so much is chef’s kiss!!

also!! reader pregnant and spencer already instantly being protective and asking if they checked if everything was ok and them asking him if he was happy because then they could feel happy about this ahhh

it‘s a girl. calling it right now it‘s a girl because!

“A little kid. A girl…“

“…maybe the little girl is a manifestation of hope.“

like hello? it has to be a girl!

Margot thank you sooo much for writing such a meaningful and beautiful series!

and if you ever decide to write a little something about how spencer and reader are adapting to being parents, or about how the pregnancy is going or whatever comes to your mind I‘d take it, I‘d read it, I‘d love it.

also in general I‘ll be excited to read whatever you come up with next, it‘s gonna be just as good! <33

omg opening tumblr to this i died dead im on the floor

i so badly wanted to make the relationships in ffofa feel real and i'm so happy to see that people have recognized that and YOU my beautiful anon have recognized that and i love you for it

but actually reader sitting at spencer's bedside and begging jj to be a better sister. phew.

the voices in my head were telling me to give jareau!reader and spencer a baby so bad like i absolutely had to do it. canonically spencer wants children so badly it feels like the best way to give him a happy ending.

i'd be sooooo down to write a "where are they now" kind of thing for jareau!reader and spencer but also part of me wants to build on their relationship. if they got together in between s7 and s8 that's a lot of lore that we missed before we first meet them in ffofa.

anyways anon i love you you're the light of my life this is such a beautiful message

[misc-obeyme]

🪿anon here Hey hello! I thought I put in another ask before the one you replied to, but I think tumblr ate it somewhere between you and me. So sorry about the confusion, you didn't miss me at all. Your reply was lovely and I loved reading about your headcanons, especially how Mammon would totally biff people with his wings. Ask game time tho! 🦈 What is the character you have the hardest time writing? And as a bonus, if you're up for it: 💛 What's an impactful lesson you've learned about writing? I'm a fellow (and often struggling) writer and I love hearing what other people have to share, especially in the fandom space. Honks and hisses! 🪿

Ahhh okay, that explains it! Tumblr has been known to eat asks on occasion! Phew, I'm glad I didn't miss you! I'll go ahead and add your emoji to the list now!! Ah, I'm glad you liked my reply too I felt bad that it was so lengthy lol.

🦈 What is the character you have the hardest time writing?

Siiiiigh it's Levi. I'm much better with him now than I used to be, but I really struggled with him for a long time. His anxiety really reminded me of myself irl, so I had a hard time separating the anxiety of his character from my own. And this was an issue for me because it messed with my characterization of him.

I also struggle with Mammon sometimes. This is because I think the fandom's version of him and the canon version of him are different. So my brain is always flip flopping between them when doing his characterization. And I was so worried about writing him OOC that I would just kinda... not write for him much at all? But then I kinda reconciled it by deciding I was going to write my version of him and just own it! LOL.

💛 What's an impactful lesson you've learned about writing?

Ohh an interesting question! I would say the understanding that there is no "right" way to write a story. You get to decide what works for you. Even if a lot of other writers swear by doing this one thing, you only need to do it if it actually helps you. Otherwise, chuck it!

Specifically to fandom things, though, I would also add that having fun is the most important thing. How other people react to your writing is not an indication of how good it is. Things like how active a fandom is, how popular a ship is (if you're writing a ship), how many people are looking for this specific genre (e.g. fluff, angst, etc), all of that is going to impact how people react to what you wrote. You might have written the most exquisite novel length fic ever, but if it's about something not a lot of people are interested in, you might get only a handful of comments/reblogs/likes etc.

So the important thing to focus on for fanfic is how you feel about writing it. Write things you enjoy, write for yourself. You're spending a lot of time and effort and energy on that story. Make sure it's one that you're proud of, no matter how people respond to it.

I'm writing Arsenios's story and it's been such an amazing experience. I absolutely love it and I'm throwing my whole heart & soul into it. But OC stuff rarely has the same engagement as canon. So when I finally start posting it, I won't be surprised if it doesn't do very well, especially compared to some of my other stuff.

But the thing is, it won't matter. I'm writing that story because I love it, because it's fun, because it makes me happy. So how well it does or doesn't do won't impact the experience I got out of writing it.

OOF sorry to ramble so much, but I hope that makes some sense! I just think people get too hung up on numbers and things (myself included lol) when really that's not the thing that matters most!

Ahaha but I could write about writing all day... I guess it's my special interest. :)

Anyway, thank you for asking!

Fanfic Writer Ask Game

[kafkaoftherubble]

这次又滚去哪里了：春节篇

Happy to report that it is now 初十 and yet no major conflict had happened! Neither did anything bad happened during 除夕、初一、 初八。This is a triumph for all of us! An indicator that Past Lyns' effort and action had not been in vain!

... Phew. Not that I can rest on our laurels, of course. One should never mistake anything as permanent, hahaha!

Oh, I wore my first ever hanfu! Or at least, modernized hanfu...

初一

Yo, guys! We finished Ajin on this very day!!! Ain't it swell?!

Wait, maybe that's why I had that stupid dream—of opposing Sato by trying to drag Kei out of his retirement with Kou's help—this past Saturday night. I'm angry because I couldn't interact with Kei properly with my persuasion game before I woke up, but I don't really wanna admit to that... Also where is the yellow text color option, Tumblr? WHY ISN'T IT HERE WITH ME ANYWAY WHAT WAS IT AGAIN?

It was mad fun talking to friends while getting in a preparatory frenzy for the rest of the event. Okay, fine, one of them was just that useless horny JJK-harem sister.

The cost is missing that morning's Ānāpānasati practice. Shh! Don't bring it up too often around him! I don't want to see That Glare.

Went to the usual place. The Wat we've been going to since we were kids.

This hanfu is so wispy and not at all warm or stuffy.

Guys, I'm telling ya, we are soooo finding ways to incorporate this for this year's conventions. Probably some sort of mix-and-match in the end—that's how we always roll! A vest and a bolo tie? That puffy skirt? A combo that falls between being fashion-approved and "Only you will think this is good"...

"Fake Flowers and Me" is the best combo ever.

Background: you can see the entrance gate. Oh! The shrine for a pair of Thai ancestor spirits was blocked from view.

Foreground: Sister accidentally took a picture of me mocking Gojo Satoru's Murasaki technique.

This wat was originally fully Thai, but Chinese visitors and elements gradually cropped up (which is really no different from how it's like in Thailand). Compare the architectural difference between the shrines in Fig 1. and Fig 2. Both re within the same compound.

Fig 1. Background: The shrine at the back is for 观音 (Guanyin), hence the obviously Chinese architecture. However, a bit closer to me (but behind the trashcan) is 孙悟空 (the Monkey King). Not taken within the frame of the picture are the other three main characters in Journey to the West.

I was supposed to mirror the Monkey King by looking at the other direction, but it just looks like I was adjusting my sunbonnet...

Fig 2. Background: The one at the farthest back is the main shrine of the compound. Their main Gautama Buddha is housed there. But I'm old enough to remember their actual oldest resident statue, though—he is now housed in the shrine right next to me in the foreground.

----

Anyway, as per our New Year tradition, we went for archery. I mean, yea sure, we always come up with an excuse to shoot. But hey, I was wearing something that she imagined to be really cool with a bow. Was sure would look so swell!

But first!

Look at those magnificent eyebags! Premium grade. As immaculate as Yuta's! Truly my best features. Anyone who cannot see the beauty of these bags do not understand my appeal.

Er, why were my veins popping?

I looked so fucking swell!!! If I were 2 meters tall, I could be mistaken as the 8-foot tall Woman in a festive mood and a bow, right? Right?!

The music was annoying, but I shot pretty okay. Still had so many moments of shooting wide, though. I just can't seem to aim well. I always suck at the things I claim to enjoy, haha!

Also, the people working in that range thought I was "cosplaying" and asked me why I didn't celebrate Lunar New Year instead. I told him I was celebrating. This outfit is part of it!

And then another one came to ask how old I was. No one... believed me when I told them I'm 28. Apparently, these people had headcannoned me as "just 20 years old."

We really are in that liminal space when it comes to age. On the one hand, we're often one of the oldest in the bunch we're associating with. On the other hand, people mistake me for someone way younger, and sometimes, younger than my youngest sister even though I'm gonna be 30 soon.

Do I really ooze that much childish aura?

At least those people didn't think I was still in high school. Like that other time...

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

初九

Went to the heart of the metropolis to check out that new elite mall for rich kids and tourists. But honestly, it was more of a romp in my favorite part of the city.

Went to an aesthetic bookstore; finally found a good old Chinese New Year staple: goddamn Fengshui books.

The MRT station sure looks like an airport, but many MRT stations look like this. Monorails had the oldest design—and are the slowest. LRT stations are the ones we're most familiar with; they are kinda like the most typical train stations with roofs.

Yea. Sis really went for a headful of hair redder than even Sukuna's. Throughout this week, she had been Makima, Ariel... and that Wendy's girl.

This shop really captured the demography the mall caters to. The most "affordable" food in this coffee shop is 25MYR, which upon payment gives you... a piece of toast.

Their fish n' chips cost around 150MYR! I've eaten decent fish n' chips for 15 MYR, bro. The dory fish served had gotta at least dated Timothy Chalamet for three days, otherwise I don't understand the price.

Looks like it's an "experience" though. I mean, look at Fig 2! It's so opulent inside.

Sis is sure that there is now a new way to brag among us Malaysians. "I went to ___ to buy some toast!"

There were several people wearing hanfu today, but most were women. A man looking this hella good in it though? Amazing.

I kinda wish I could make someone wear this so I can see how fucking handsome they must be! Hee hee hee.

It was quite a humid day, and Sister kept complaining about how hot she felt. And then she would comment on every single person who passed her by, rating how hot and stuffy their drip must rendered them. "Wow, a hype-beast kid? That thick hoodie? Mm-mm. 9/10, Stuffy As Fuck."

The difference between us is this. While looking at the central tree in the background:-

Lyn: Huh. Looks like someone can meditate under it.

Sis: Really? I was thinking someone could hang themself from it.

Lyn: Ooh! You are so right!!!

Sis:

------

Walking in the City

I was about to take a picture of the guy "pulling" his milk tea, but I failed.

Strange people in a glass container? Under this weather? With what seems to be lackluster air-conditioning?

Sister immediately rated all of them as 10/10, "That ain't their skirts; it's their melted skin."

Here's our own three-way intersection area.

Just the back view of today's drip. Was wearing that Sato Cap. Mixue's lemonade was really good.

Had a funny gait, Sister said. Also, "9/10; are you sure it doesn't feel like a sauna inside? You're also wearing a hat and a mask, dude. You're insane."

We also, by happenstance, encountered not one but two lion dance occasions! Can't upload the videos because Tumblr said "only one per post."

They were nice.

The food we had was nice.

I like rambling. I like to walk.

We had fun.

[miru667]

Thanks to everyone who tried out my quiz! xDDD I'm happy with the scores, it seems that I set the right level of difficulty! Below I'll talk about the results:

Favourite colour: Started out with a hard question, I see! This would've been an easier question years ago when my self insert's default outfit was a red hoodie! It's hard now since I've got lunchlady miru and death god miru now, and neither of them wear any red (except for lunchlady's red hair tie), plus all I draw is Audrey now who also doesn't usually wear red LOL. The other colours are there to try to trick you - I knew some ppl thought I had an affinity to orange since Audrey is orange, and green is there for those of you who relate me more to onceler. Green and teal are more Audrey's favourite colours, although I super love teal as well.

Home fandom before the onceler fandom: This also tripped some people up I'm guessing because I've stated multiple times before that the onceler fandom was my first fandom - that I was ACTIVE in. Kingdom Hearts was my heart and soul for almost 10 years until the Once-ler came in! I just was always a quiet loner who enjoyed media my own way with maybe 1 other irl friend. I was a huge fan of Beyblade too, but it only lasted about 5 years before I went back to KH, my home. And Steven Universe (2013) came out after the Lorax (2012), so that one's just plain wrong if you remember that I was in the onceler fandom since 2012.

Where does the 667 come from: This one was answered publicly on my tumblr blog more than once! https://miru667.tumblr.com/post/37104426699/ive-always-wondered-whats-with-the-667-in-your It was a two part answer, so you had to just pick the most accurate one. Robert Schumann is there to try to trick you since his name is close to Schubert.

Where was I born: I thought that maybe this would be tricky because just because I'm a Canadian living in Canada doesn't mean I was born there, but almost everyone got this one! Nice!!

Audrey Grace is: my darling niece!! HAHA SORRY this one tripped people up because yeah she's also my OC. But she's not JUST my oc, yanno? She's the apple of my eye, and I refer to her as my niece quite often, to every single person online and offline. More than half got this correct! Good!

Who is my wife: I've been tagging Elsa as my wife on my sideblog for years! The Once-ler is there as an option to trip up the ppl who think I still see the onceler that way. xP I don't! He's just my roommate now. I'm flattered that a few people thought I had an irl wife though omg...in my dreams lmao.

My fav artist/band: OOF this one tells me I'm not talking about my fav band enough! No one should feel bad, I agree it was the hardest one. MCR is a very close second to iDKHOW and going to that MCR concert was the peak moment of my life, and I talk about how much I love christmas music all the time on twitter, and I reference Taylor Swift a lot because of Audrey and because she's current (and I also genuinely love tswift, her stuff is pure poetry and she's a genius). But iDKHOW's music...man it's like they can't make a bad song to me. Morbidly cozy romantic vibes just reach all the way to the depths of my soul and make me feel healed and cradled. Two of my drawings were inspired by their songs: [link] [link] I think it's just that they're not as active as much and not many other ppl really know them so I don't really get a chance to mention them often? But in general I also just...don't talk about my interests that often, that's just the way I am aaaaakjhfg

Audrey Grace's fav food: Anyone who's seen her in RP long enough would know this answer, plus I've stated it directly in a self reblog recently (now deleted). This post on her blog was also a clue: https://audtreegrace.tumblr.com/post/699641281660551168/your-hair-looks-like-pumpkinpos I don't blame anyone for choosing any of the other answers though, because she LOVES those foods too and I've shown it in artworks!

Siblings: Phew I was watching the results and for a while there a lot of ppl thought I was an only child? lksfjhgld do I really have only-child vibes omg (don't answer that). In the end, more than half of you got the right answer so, good!! I love my younger sister so much, she's the original inspo for my Audrey, and I'm sure I've mentioned that on multiple platforms.

What I look forward to every spring: This question is easy for my twitter followers! I mention cherry blossoms every year on twitter, and share my photos. People who know me would also remember my bday is in the winter, not spring, and that I don't really care about the lack of sunshine during winter, which is my fav season. So those two answers are out by process of elimination. As for the onceler fandom anniversary...yeah, for the third time I've tricked you LMAO IM SORRY;;; I just wanted to wave to those who know me for more than onceler. :,) It's not that I don't care about the fandom anniversary - I do care about it! But I don't wait for it with anticipation like I do with cherry blossoms. But most ppl got this answer anyway so I feel loved!

And that's it! Thanks for reading if you did! I'm not offended by anyone's score at all, this was soooooo fun for me LLOLL xD

I made a friendquiz! 10 questions to see how well you know me :3 Though tbh I think you'd have to have followed me on twitter for a while to stand a chance haha ^^;; But it's a good way to find out some random facts about me anyway, so feel free to try!

[karasunology]

❝ OH, YOU'RE JEALOUS ❞ + ❝ THAT'S KINDA HOT ❞ with SAKUSA KIYOOMI !

"Oh, you're jealous" and "that's kinda hot" with sakusa freaking kiyoomi because I love my side hoe and I'm betraying akaashi so let's not guilt trip ourselves 😌🤧  love your work, I would've added a meme but you can't add pictures soo 🤷🏽‍♀️ 😳 - akaashiiguess 

❝ ― submitted by @akaashiguess <3 ❞

-ˏˋ ➶ character(s) ━ sakusa kiyoomi <3

[ trigger warnings ━ none ]

-ˏˋ ✉️ REQUESTS ARE ALWAYS OPEN.

⇣ please read the RULES before requesting.

✎ . . . request a prompt from this prompt list and i'll answer 'em !

[ ♡ ] tumblr?? deleted this?? for some reason??

SAKUSA KIYOOMI.

➜ sakusa was not a jealous person, persay; because even to him, he would describe himself as more protective than jealous

➜ protective in a sense that would never let you eat something if you haven't washed your hands, would always pull you near him while you guys share an umbrella when it's raining, would not let any guys touch you because guys other than him and komori = germs = disgustang

➜ you guys started dating after a few months of getting to know each other when you first joined as an assistant coach and manager for the msby black jackals.

➜ you didn't really get his attention the first time he saw you, but when he heard you scold bokuto for laying his face on the gym floors, emo mode activated and ongoing, commenting about how dirty the floor was ─ and he just sukusa.exe stopped right then and there

➜ sakusa wasn't an affectionate man in the start of your relationship, which he seemed more a close friend at most.

➜ at first it bothered you, doubts were appearing, lingering; was this all a joke? does he even like me? am i just clowning myself?

➜ but as time moves forward, so does your relationship with him. as now, believe it or not, you could hold hands with him without him shrugging it off. he'd also pat your head, and you knew the art of intimacy of knowing things that not a lot of people knew about him.

➜ it was a small improvement, it was gradual and slow burn. but it was better than nothing, and seeing how he was actually making an effort made you even more wrapped around his fingers ─ it was one step closer to the goal, and you were beyind satisfied with it.

➜ but mentioning how wrapped around you were in his fingers, he too was also a goner for you. especially seeing how patient you were and encouraging you were with him and how you didn't pressure him into doing things he wasn't comfortable doing yet ─ mans knew he was falling, and he was falling HARD.

➜ he was wondering how you were already satisfied with it, and for a few moments, he was satisfied with how things were already.

➜ so why does be feel like shit whenever he sees atsumu hanging around you with lingering touches for too long? helping you around, and you smiling along wuth him as you would playfully touch and push him around.

➜ sakusa knew he doesn't have any right to be jealous, seeing how you probably wanted to do that with him but you were too constricted by his bounderies and he felt bad. felt bad for you, and felt bad that he was feeling jealous of you and atsumu.

➜ maybe because he knew you deserved better.

➜ you noticed that he was silent, too silent. speaking volumes to you as he was never that silent before. you wanted to go to him but you were being dragged by both atsumu and hinata to train with them, while atsumu, being a bit closer than hinata was at you.

➜ and to sakusa, that was the final straw.

➜ his silent yet kinda pissed off figure struting your guys' way made you feel some typa thing ngl😳😋

➜ seeing the intimidating and dark aura around his, the setter and the wing spiker  dropped their hold on you, as they scurried away.

➜ and they waddled away, waddle waddle lmaoo

➜ he was getting to close to you, leveling his face to your lowkey cowering hot and bothered figure. inspecting your face, your arms, everywhere that atsumu ( and hinata. ) touched you.

“ they're too close to you, now look, you have too many germs around you. ” he LOWKEY POUTED IN HIS MASK, but you didn't know that.

➜ you rose an eyebrow at him, wondering wtf he was talking about. is he gonna disinfect you LMAOO

“ i guess i have to clense you, ” he dragged down his face mask before going in for a kiss ─ your guys' first kiss as a couple HOLYSHIT.

➜ sakusa knew he wasn't good with words, with actions. but he was trying his best with you, and god WHY DIDN'T HE KISSED YOU EARLIER??

➜ you pulled away from shock, the tips of your fingers touching where his lip met yours.

“ was it ─ was it bad? ” he thought you liked it whenever he initiates these affections, or perhaps were you already falling out of love for him? these thoughts were going to be the death of him ─ no you, were going to be the death of him.

“ oh, you're jealous. ” you put two and two together. thinking of teasing him when he sneered disgustingly as he looked away before putting his mask back on, clearing his throat, basically confirming yojr accusations.

“ that's kinda hot ”

➜ and you were like, phew IS IT GETTING TOO HOT IN HERE OR

“ do you ─ do you want to do it again or . . ? ” he averted his gaze to look at you, the beam in your eyes never once gone unnoticed as you nodded, taking him by the collar and much to his shock ─ you planted a cute peck ontop of his mask, which was ontop of his lips.

➜ eyes widdening as he realized what you did, but before you could go away with your teasing, he placed his hands firmly on your waist, making you stay in your place as he dragged down his mask before once again leaning in for your lips.

“ directly please. ”

[stemmmm]

for someone whos made that may sex jokes i dont think beato knows what sex is. good for her

ahh. this baby story explains the weird phonecalls. question becomes are they real or also hallucinations. im assuming hallucinations.

god who do you think you are, anthy? tho this brings up a thought i'd been having which is that... if we are to say beato isn't a witch and natsuhi's (or someone else is) making all this shit up anyways, then this "beatrice" within the game board is just something that will say anything that whoever is imagining her wants to hear. the perfect scapegoat. the perfect vessel in which to scream "a witch did it! it was a witch's curse!". hm. ok yeah all the demons are saying it to her outright. god every time i think i've pieced something together on my own and think i'm so clever the game goes right ahead and wacks me over the skull with it lmao.

very fun, very ooky spooky for the implication of the 1st twilight to be that battler slept in a room full of corpses without a clue.

very fun also for it to straight up be lambda doing a voice for the phonecalls, not even pretending like there's some other person, she's just rustling shit up

i love to see erika getting her shit kicked in for being an absolute bitch no one likes because she sucks so bad. even bern hates her ass in a way that makes me think bern made her in a moment of "oh you know what would be sooooo funnnn :3c ive never played a detective before detectives are soo fun and cute :3ccc" and then instantly got bored. erika will absolutely become someone sympathetic at some point im certain but not now lol.

i know she has a voice but the instant dlanor showed up and started talking in a strange, kind of robotic manner my hc for her voice instantly became this: https://www.reddit.com/r/Grimdank/comments/yhrho1/uwu/

i was also astonished i was able to find that video so easy by googling "giant robot warhorn welcome to the maid cafe" because 1. the only version i knew of was the majorly crunched tumblr version and 2. i got the phrase completely wrong

i will also say of dlanor, in addition to my distaste for increasing magical bullshit, the shitty leotards all of the characters get put in makes me hate them on sight because it means when they show up i have to see their awful outfits, so she had a major disadvantage starting out but she was able to instantly come around in my mind by being soooooooo cute. :3

thank god battler clarified after the fact that the wack shit with him jumping out a fucking window was his piece being controlled by lambda because while i sincerely had no problem with his actions or reasoning, i just couldn't forgive him somehow shattering the 4th wall to interact with the "phantom" team or w/e (love that we've got a 3-way battle also. very excellent development for how things are going). everything was absurd and fun but i was just screaming the whole time "wait battler isnt playing right. he's not- he cant be- is he??? he hasnt shown up as not a piece in so long, when did it switch, when did he come in???" so PHEW!

every single person, especially everyone who's a piece seems like they hate bern and lambda pretty fucking bad so I've got a feeling that this shit is gonna end with the entire game revolting against those two. battler and beato don't even need to be involved for that i think.

part 5 (+?) thread

ep1 ep2 ep3 ep4

erika furudo is bern's fucking self-insert oc................ i knew they had to be the same person because they Look Like That and also. Name. but. oh my god this is funny. she's managed to say a single line btw, this is just spoiler knowledge and inference running

ah! ok so we are doing answer arc-ass answer arcs. cool i'm fine with that! makes things a lot easier to follow especially since more inane bullshit's gonna get thrown in

hate haaaaate seeing beato like this tho :(((( this is miserable, she makes me so sad, and battler saying over and over again "dw boo i'm gonna kill u for sure" also makes me so sad. get well soon queen!!!!!!!!

i may be wrong but i get the impression that this was kind of the same as the evolution of the real life beato's situation/personality.... and in that sense i can't imagine any of this ending well but i want it to so baddd because i love herrrrr she deserves the worllldddddddd

it's nice of them to rewind things for battler's sake but uh. erika's a bit of a fucking cunt huh. no love in this game, indeed. we are bringing out peoples worst and making sure battler has as miserable of a time as possible. it's interesting to see that the epitaph is solved before any murder but know that people still die in the end tho.

also love that we're saying kinzo's dead for real, none of this with natsuhi is happening. open your eyes battler, look. nothing's there. really good moment.

battler's been confronting the epitaph in terms of why it exists rather than solving it, and there's definitely been much spoken of miracles, added onto by lambda saying there'd be no point in the riddle if it wasn't hard which would add ammunition for a miracle to happen, though there's still the insistence that beato has nothing to gain from the riddle existing... at least materially. and she doesn't kill for pleasure. so there's the obvious point that she made the epitaph because she wanted to play with someone, specifically battler since he always lives, and battler himself mentioned the play aspect though I dont know how serious he was about that. beato's very obviously just wanted to play with him from the beginning, even though her kidnapping and torturing of him in the first place pretty heavily obscured that. if we accept play as her reason for it existing and doing the murder games, that still leaves the miracle up in the air. does the chance of a miracle occurring not count as a potential material gain? is doing something purposely to try and create a miracle not... a reason for doing it? is the miracle that beato could Actually be revived in some way or is there something else?

[00gangfriend00]

I was tagged by @jade-marie and @bourbon-ontherocks to list my top 10 books  fics I read in 2020.

and lemme tell you..

i’ve been WAITIN’ for this one!!

This IS a bit tricky because I spent most of 2020 just lurking on AO3, no acccount, no commenting, no kudos. so there are just so so so many fics that I remember pieces of, and have little headcanons that LIVE with me but I have no idea who the author is or what the fic is called.  

so.. that being said, the top 10 is ever changing and could never be fully complete. I just love every author and every fic, you are all so wildly talented. 

❤  a song inside the halls of the dark - ms_scarlet  (@mego42 )

This fic has everything!! a sexy ex-lover rival gang leader, relaxed rio, angry rio, angsty kitchen sex rio. LOFT rio. AND it’s my favourite post-S2 reckoning of all time. There are moments in this fic that I just want to SPAM the gg writing room with. like scrap ur plans. DO. THIS.  Overall, this is such a creative and well-written series.  The characterization is superb, the smut has.... so many feelings, and the angst is AMAZING. There are a couple chapters (I wont give spoilers) that involves Beth in a hotel in Canada that I legit could not stop reading. it’s just all... so damn GOOD. favourite line: You thought I could be something, right? Well, this is that something. The bitch you trained bit back. 

❤  we’re living in a powder keg and giving off sparks - BourbonOnTheRocks  (@bourbon-ontherocks)

Whew! this fic has EVERYTHING. safe house brio. KARMA. brio ignoring each other. snippy, cranky brio. baking shows. mick overhearing loud shower sex. zero communication. brio getting high and giggling! all the feelings. I looooove this fic. like I LOVE it.  it's so creative and it feels so real!! I can play it like a movie in my head. There is so much fun smutty build up, so much tension, anxiety and a very, very, good Thaw Of Feelings which is my fav. I will forever have a soft spot for safe house fics, but this one hilariously twists the trope by doubling down on their idiot stubbornness. genius. favourite line:  He's using her and she's using him. Maybe it's the only thing they're truly equal at.

❤  my girl - elizabethmarks (not on tumblr?)

This fic has everything!!!!!!! (but TW that everything is not for everyone, as the plot primarily revoles around a rape scene.) This fic sets up some of the most soft, emotional, protective brio moments. I also adore how this author handles the delicate subject matter. I work from time to time as a crisis advcate for women and ...... this fic is so accurate and well written. All the emotions beth feels, the way rio reacts to her. everything. I have read this SO many times. It also inludes a Mick POV that will TUG at your HEART.  favourite line: *When on route to Rio’s loft* Rio nods, with that gentle look he has. "Alright, mama. Let's get you home." There's a beat, they both catch it, but neither of them make the correction.

❤  working on things - odenkirk (not on tumblr?)

THIS fic, now this fic has everything!!!!!!!!! masturbation! sexting! weed-smokin horny rio! DEAN?!??! in a way that didnt repulse me???? SEX. kinda threesome??? a heck of a lot of things that I didnt think id be into but then read it and was like HUH, guess i AM. and last but not least, deliciously perfect characterization. This is a fic I ask you to take a risk on. It will pay off. Its fun and oooh soooooooo sexy. Yes, dean goes to pound town too, but I promise- odenkirk makes it WORK.  Blush meter: off the charts. I had to put my phone down and reckon with Jesus.  favourite line:   Rio: Don't get precious, sweetheart. It's you cuz it's you.  AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

❤ miles before you sleep - FakePlastikTrees (@nakedmonkey)

THIS AUTHOR has EVERYTHING! FakePlastikTrees is one of those authors where... I read one fic - then buckled my seatbelt and clicked on her account so I could systematically read through every. single. fic. They are often short scenes that feel so true. Her Rio characterization makes me green with (benevolent) envy. and her smut?? oof. top notch.  This fic in particular lives in my heart because it really truly feels like a missing GG scene between Beth and our favourite tattooed babysitter. The atmosphere is tangible and the author slows time down for these two, it stretches out like you are smokin in the suburbs with them. I love a MickFic and this one is top tier. 

favourite line: “Oh come on. He’s a little unhinged.” “Takes one to know one.” 

❤  people can be so cold - s_t_c_s (@sothischickshe)

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh this fic has EVERYTHING. scrabble competitiveness! annie speaking truths! christmas beth! christmas rio?!?! delicious bickering! CABIN isolation!  gift giving perfection! I could go on and on and on.  This fic just pulls you straight in. stcs crafts the timeline so effortlessly, and weaves it with so many endearing and authentic feeling details (beth has her own ‘guys’ now, and we know this bc she gives them sweets and food. OF COURSE) The longing between her and rio is so RICH. if you want your heart to swell a million sizes - this is the fic for you.  favourite line:  They hadn’t – been intimate yet, back when she got him arrested, or the first few times he’d shoved a gun in her face. And the sexual part had been all done and dusted prior to their, god, kidnapping and shooting fiasco. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t present throughout – a hovering spectre, forming a treacherous spine through all their endeavours.

  ❤ listening through the air shaft - ms_scarlet (@mego42)

now this fic. actually for real, has everything. because its every POV you never knew you NEEDED.  and mego42 absolutely nails each and every one. especially Dean. Its a complicated look into his blubbering sexist mind, and misguided fixations that is really well-written. The way in which brio has their own arc throughout the chapters, but told through the eyes of those around them - is amazing. this fic just makes you love every character even MORE.  favourite line: well.. annie, mick and ruby have a group chat and thats all you need to know. anytime that comes up = favourite line.

❤ instigator - nomind (@inyoursheets)

be still my bisexual heart. this fic has everyONE! Yes, this fic dissolves into perfect threesome smut BUT before you get there, you get this awesome set up of a dangerous-feeling connection between Rhea and Beth. They are honest, open and fully acknowledging the fuckedupness of their desire. For how small a part Rhea has in the show - this author NAILS her voice, it’s uncanny. Both of them talking about rio? sign me up. Rio coming home to it? sign me UP.  favourite line: “Jesus,” she hears behind her. “What am I looking at right now?” Rhea smiles down on her, ignoring him, running her fingers through Beth’s hair.

** shout out to another be-still-my-bi-heart fic : @sothischickshe​’s “its a dirty, dirty, game”

❤ do not pass go - linzackles @mrslackles

this. fic. has. every. thing.  I am currently putting every single important thing in my life on hold to PLOUGH through this series. like full speed ahead. UGH. marcus!!! beth and rio at an event! a fancy one! big bad business dudes! betrayal! beth making bad choices! rio unable to fully communicate the weight of his desire for her! angst! just excellent, excellent, excellent plots. i like everything!!!!! favourite line: truly impossible. they are all art. but this one made me cackle.  Shrugging, she responds. In the bathroom, eating nuts.Annie’s reply comes through instantly. Rio’s???????

❤  meet me under the mistletoe - sdktrs12 (@sdktrs12)

this fic.... has.... everything. I want to include this not only because I loooOoOOOved it, but also because this author just has a talent for creating holiday themed brio fics that are not in the slightest cheesy, or forced. which is... hard! to! do! I read her halloween series while in quarantine, and it became apart of my little daily routine. each fic containing at least one moment that made me go AHHH these two!!!!!  so in short - thanks for infusing all my holidays with stellar brio. then christmas comes around and she nails it again! beth and rio begrudgingly working late?   YES. they migh each have a date but they dont DARE talk abut their jealously? YES. Bourbon as a third character? haha YES! Beth looking smokin hot? YES.  favourite line: “Is that your move? Meet me under the mistletoe?”  “Oh baby, you know my moves.”  

and PHEW. there ya go! 

Thank you amazing fanfic authors for making my year 10000000% better. 

I TAG @whiskeyjack @purplemagic @sdktrs12 @joeyjoeylee @ama-ssiempre @roxy206

[dogcircle-scans]

Natsume Yuujinchou: “Cookies to the Forest’s Entrance” Summary (Chapter 105)

Our cuties are back with more adventures!

I was trying to get this out within a week of the chapter’s release, but life happened so it took a while. ;w; Anyways, this is our first chapter after the 4 month hiatus! Perhaps to serve as a breather after the super intense Homura arc, we have a relatively short chapter (only 24 pages compared to the usual 30-40 pages) about Natsume, Tanuma and Nyanko-sensei stumbling into an old house in the middle of the forest. In some ways, this chapter felt more like a special chapter rather than a main one (don’t expect any plot or character development for this one, especially not information on the grandpa), but surprisingly, it also helps wrap up some stuff in the Homura arc (firstly, DID NYANKO GET HIS COOKIES, secondly, our poor cinnamon roll pure boi needs a hug ;w;). It still gives me the usual NatsuYuu feels, so no complaints from me! Also (I’m sorry for plugging), but if you enjoy what we do, and don’t mind giving a couple of dollars,

please buy me a coffee or two. At the moment I’m using my Kofi funds to buy raws of the manga for our scan uses, but after losing my Tumblr account, I haven’t had any new donations, so my tank is running empty (especially after buying the raws for Volume 25). ;w; If you have some spare cash and would like to help support our scan work, please help donate. You have my eternal gratitude. TwT As always, special thanks to Jessica for proofreading this for me on a Sunday!

- Niji

Chapter 105: “Cookies to the Forest’s Entrance”

While walking home from school, Tanuma accidentally steps onto a cookie, hearing it crack under his foot. He spots another cookie in the distance, and begins finding more and more of them the further he looks.

Tanuma: (It leads into the forest.) // This is just like Hansel and Gretel. / I wonder who dropped these…

Tanuma: ! // Natsume? Natsume: Huh… // Tanuma!? / Why are you in a place like this? Tanuma: You too, Natsume, what are you doing here…

Tanuma asks if Natsume might have been the one to drop the cookies, but it turns out Natsume didn’t notice the cookies at all. After recognising the cookies, he runs off, following its trail. Tanuma runs after him as well. At the end of the trail, they find a little house.

Natsume: Ah. // In a place like this… / Is it a vacant house? Tanuma: Hey, Natsume… / Do you know what these cookies are? / You looked like you were looking for something.

Natsume: …It’s nothing big. / I guess you can say I was just curious… Tanuma: Curious? Natsume: ——These cookies are…

Natsume recounts what happened shortly after he and Nyanko-sensei returned from Homura. Touko and Shigeru were extremely glad that he was able to find Nyanko-sensei, and gave Nyanko-sensei the cookies that they had kept aside for him (if you remember at the start of the arc, Nyanko-sensei wanted some pretty cookies but ran off before Natsume went to buy them). Nyanko-sensei was super happy about them too. However, when Natsume returned home from school that day, Nyanko-sensei was nowhere to be found in his room. Thinking that Nyanko-sensei might have ran off to play as usual, and that he might be going beyond Yatsuhara…

Natsume: I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and I figured it would be interesting to try following Sensei at least once… Tanuma: … I see… Natsume: ...Don’t laugh. Tanuma: Haha, I’m sorry. / So, at the end of these cookies will be…

Yes, it is Nyanko-sensei.

Natsume: Found him! Tanuma: Fufu. / There’s a hole in his bag. / So that’s how the cookies fell out.

Tanuma: *sigh…* ……Natsume? Natsume: ——As I thought, I’m still a little worried about Sensei. Tanuma: Ah… / That’s right, at the White Mist Pottery* Village, he caught the eye of a strange Collector……

[*I’m gonna translate “Hakka Pottery” to “White Mist Pottery”, since I can pretty much confirm that ‘Hakka’ is not a family name lol. So, for localization sake, I am translating the whole term.]

Natsume: …There was someone who reassured me, saying, “I’ll take care of this incident, so you don’t have to worry.” // He isn’t someone who would say things without thinking, so I did think that things would be alright now. / But when I didn’t see Sensei around like this, I can’t help but feel anxious. // ...But I’m glad.

Natsume looks around.

Natsume: I guess he found this vacant house and has been idling around in it. / …Seriously, he even brought his favourite sake and sake bottle with him. Tanuma: Wow… // It doesn’t look like anyone is here, and it’s quite wide. Rather than a residence, this is more like… an arbor?

Tanuma: It’s old, / but it’s pretty. // It’s perfect as a hideaway / or as a secret base.

Natsume: A secret base… / Then we’ve done something bad, haven’t we? Since Sensei has been secretly having fun here… Nyanko: *open!* Hm hm. / Natsume and… the Tanuma brat. Natsume: Ah! Nyanko-sensei! // I’m sor- Nyanko: You came here with perfect timing. Help me out. Natsume: Huh!?

Nyanko-sensei explains that he discovered this place while chasing butterflies during his patrol. He figured that it would be the perfect place for him to take his afternoon naps, and was just in the midst of checking it out. The only issue is that the place is rather dusty, and Nyanko-sensei doesn’t have the spare time to clean the place up as he likes.

Nyanko: I’ve brought some dust cloths with me. / Just wet them in the river over there. Natsume: What— Nyanko: If we don’t at least clean this veranda, you two won’t be able to idle around either, right?

And just like that, the boys got to work.

Natsume: Geez~~~ *wipe wipe wipe wipe* // This house may be vacant, but it might have an owner, so don’t just do whatever you like, Sensei. Nyanko: Come on! / Put your backs into your wiping! Boys: Phew~~ // We’re finally doneee—

Completely exhausted, they plopped down onto the veranda, and had their rest. And as they closed their eyes—

Natsume: (What is this?) / (There’s some sort of sweet fragrance coming from somewhere.) // (Is it Sensei’s cookies?) / (No…) // (Maybe it’s flowers.) / (——It’s very) // (kind and sweet——)

Soon enough, Natsume notices that evening has already arrived, so they prepare to leave.

Nyanko: By the way, how did you two learn of this place? Natsume: How? Because your cookies had fallen out, Sensei. Nyanko: WHAT!? // *stunned* There’s a huge hole… Natsume: Shall we pick them up on our way home, Sensei?

Nyanko: …… / No, just leave them as they are. // We still have lots of maintenance to do. / Tomorrow, you two will follow this trail back to my afternoon napping spot. We will gather there.

[Did Nyanko just… sacrifice his cookies!? Omg!]

Natsume: “Maintenance”……? Tanuma: Haha, I’m sure birds would have eaten them by tomorrow, Sensei.

The following day, the two boys find the trail of cookies and arrive at the empty house.

Natsume: We’re here. Nyanko: You two are so slow! / You’re gonna be devoting yourselves to the maintenance of my drinking party spot! Natsume: Wasn’t this your afternoon napping spot? Tanuma: ——Huh? Natsume. / There’s something on the pillar there…

Indeed, on the pillar was a hand-written note, saying,

“Thank you for wiping the place. Please enjoy yourselves here.”

Natsume: Uwah! / It’s probably from the owner. (S- So embarrassing…) Tanuma: I wonder if it’s okay to just take advantage of their offer like that. / Even though we entered as we liked… Nyanko: Stop complaining! Today, we are wiping the sliding doors! / I want the moonlight and the evening sun to shine on it beautifully.

Natsume: …As an apology for Sensei coming in as he liked, we should at least clean the frame of the sliding doors. Tanume: Let’s do that. Natsume: You help too, Sensei. Nyanko: Hmph. / Just this should be enough, right?

Or so they thought.

Nyanko: *rip…*

Stunned by the tear, the two boys inspect the damage. Natsume asks if it can be fixed, and Tanuma figures that, if they bring some sliding door paper and glue tomorrow, it should do the trick. Natsume returns to the note on the pillar, and quickly jots down an apology.

“Sorry, we tore the sliding door. We will fix it tomorrow.”

Back at home, Natsume asks Shigeru for some sliding door paper.

Shigeru: ...Hm? Sliding door? Natsume: Yes… // Can I have enough for one grid? / We were staying at a place and we kind of… tore it. Shigeru: Oh. / Were you at the Tanuma’s? Natsume: Ah, no. Shigeru: It’s okay to be mischievous, but you have to keep it in moderation.

Shigeru: If it’s at home, you can break as many as you like, // but always make sure to apologize, alright, Takashi? Natsume: …… Yes.

[Shigeru is such a good papa ;w;]

As Natsume leaves the next day, Touko stops him, handing him some strawberries.

Touko: Here, give them these strawberries as an apology. // *rustle!* Do your best! Natsume: ——… // Thank you so much. Nyanko: Oh~~~ These strawberries look tasty~~~ Natsume: They are not for you, Sensei.

[And now we have our sweet mama TwT]

They continue to follow the trail of cookies (how have they not been eaten by animals yet??), during which Natsume asks if the owner might be there. Nyanko-sensei promptly answers that he doesn’t need to care so much about an uninhabited empty house.

Natsume: Don’t you start, Sensei. Tanuma: Oi, Natsume—

The three of them head to the house, and find that a new note has been attached to the pillar.

“Thank you for cleaning the sliding doors. I have a request. Could you help me plant these seeds in the garden?”

Natsume: Huh? // By ‘seeds’, do they mean this? // …They don’t sound angry. Tanuma: You fix the sliding door, Natsume. / I’ll clear the weeds over there and plant this. Natsume: Thank you, Tanuma.

Natsume: …… // (The owner of this house sure is strange…) // (Rather, it feels like…) // Hey… Nyanko-sensei…

Nyanko: HEY! / ENOUGH OF THAT! HURRY UP AND BRING OUT THE PAPER! // Let’s paste it down right away. It’s time to repair my afternoon napping spot! Natsume: ——… Yeah. // You’re right.

The three of them set down to work, and finally finished everything. Once again, exhausted, they plop onto the veranda and napped.

Natsume: (Nevertheless…) // (This is such a comfortable place——)

In his dreams, Natsume hears a man speak, and the thoughts of someone else…

Man: “——Hey there. Sorry to keep you waiting.” ??: ——It’s alright. // Always, / forever, // I will be here, waiting for you.

Natsume wakes up.

Note: As an apology, we have left some strawberries here. Tanuma: It’s quite a mysterious arbor. // It’s like we are exchanging letters with the house owner. Natsume: That’s true. Tanuma: ——Hey, Natsume. Natsume: Hm?

Tanuma: ...Nah. / See you tomorrow. Natsume: Yeah. // See you tomorrow.

And that night, Natsume had a dream.

Natsume: (There was a gentle-looking man sitting alone on top of the veranda.) / (And around him, perhaps it was the flowering season… There were so many colors as though it was overflowing with it.) Man: Ah, my beloved arbor. // I can only visit you once every year. / I can’t even maintain or take care of you. Please forgive this useless owner of yours. // This year, I’ve been busy with my family business as well. / The days where I come here provide emotional support, so I always look forward to it. // Ah, / the view here is so beautiful. // I built this here hoping that someday, / I could bring my wife, my children, and my family here to view this scenery. // But after so long, it has always just been me.

Man: I’m sorry. Even though I built you, // I’m always here alone. // I’m sorry I couldn’t make it lively. // ——Someday, // should // guests arrive here——

Natsume wakes up. The following day, he meets up with Tanuma again, and they follow the trail of cookies into the forest. Natsume wonders about all the strange things involving this situation, about the forest that was so close to his house and yet he doesn’t know much about it, about these cookies that still look great even after so long, and about the mysterious owner who never shows his face. And when they arrive at the arbor—

Flowers had bloomed across the garden.

Tanuma: What!? / Flowers!? // …This can’t all be / the seeds I planted yesterday…? // Just how did… Natsume: ——I’m guessing // this arbor made all of them bloom.

Tanuma: Huh… SFX: *rustle*

The one who wrote notes to thank them for cleaning the floor and the sliding doors might have been the arbor itself. With its memories of bygone days, it’s always been here inside the forest, waiting.

Natsume: You finally have guests coming here. / But I’m sorry that it was us.

This was such an old, old little arbor, and it felt as though it was mustering the last of its power to show them this scenery.

Nyanko: Ooh, there are strawberry flowers here too. Natsume: Tanuma. / Why don’t we take a seat at the veranda and look at this scenery for a bit? Tanuma: Huh? Natsume: Somehow, / I feel like we won’t be able to come here again tomorrow.

Tanuma: ———……… // I see��—… Natsume: (——I wonder if there are buildings that can become ayakashi too.)

That was the mysterious arbor that Nyanko-sensei found. It was only a short while, but it was where two people, one beast, and another certain someone, had spent their time together. As they take a seat on the veranda, Natsume recalls the words that the owner had said in his dream.

Man: ——Someday, // should guests arrive here…

Man: Make sure to welcome them with lots of flowers, alright?

It was a beautiful and lovely, secret arbor.

“Cookies to the Forest’s Entrance” END