#He's fluent in two languages

[tiddygame]

As the token southerner, Roach started saying a bunch of stereotypical southern phrases ironically to make everyone suffer but it of course gradually became less and less ironic.

It started with him getting shit for saying he was fixin’ to do something so he retaliated by graduating his contractions from y’all to y’all’d’ve. He no longer thinks, but reckons. It’s never over there, it’s over yonder.

It only gets worse when he starts signing them as well, mostly using half made up and improvised signs in a bastardization of ASL and BSL

Soap and Gaz maintain that Roach, dumbfounded, signing “What in tarnation?” is the funniest shit they’d ever seen

[anxiouslowercase]

SAS: ROGUE HEROES - MODERN AU + tweets and textposts i find on pinterest

[mechazushi]

God, you're dense [Affectionate].

{a Kn8 short story}

Hoshina wasn't one to play games. Sure, he liked to have fun, but playing with people's emotions and perceptions wasn't something he could get into. He raised himself on the belief that being straight forward on something was the best course of action. If someone couldn't get on the same page as him, that was on them. He worked in a position where the best moves forward and anyone else that can't keep up with him were best left behind. Of course, much like most rules in life, there were exceptions to the rule. His biggest fault to everything he stood for was a tall, jolly, brute of a beast named Kafka. Kafka would be an exception to most everything he would die on a hill for. On the opposite end of the spectrum, however, was one person that he held to the highest accordance of his standards. His brother.

Hoshina made a point not to talk to his brother after he got accepted into the defense force. The restrictions on that got tighter after he got accepted as Mina's Vice Captain. Since before, he still showed up to family gatherings at the least to entertain his mother's concerns about his livelihood in the Third Division. Still, just because he didn't make attempts to contact his family, doesn't mean his family doesn't make attempts to contact him. It was always inevitable (because they don't tell him ahead of time) always with the supposed best of intentions (Because what quality road to hell isn't paved with them) and always at the most inconvenient times (an ability that seemed to be an inbred skill in every other family member). Between catching up on chores that should have been done yesterday, decaf in the communal coffee machine, and his third favorite pen breaking, Hoshina found he wasn't in the mood to talk. So obviously it was a perfect time to be visited by his least favorite person.

Walking down the hallway with a mountain of signed paperwork, his pace was intended to be brisk, but felt sluggish all the same. As he passed an intersection in hallways, he noticed the large frame of a burly friend catching up behind him. As Kafka slowed his pace to match his commander's, Hoshina tilted his face in his direction and flashed what was hoped to be a casual and respectful smile.

"Had a feeling you'd feel like that once I heard about the incident at the coffee machine. Here. Brought this for ya." Kafka said as he handed over a steaming mug of dark tan coffee.

"Oh, I already had coffee today." Hoshina tried to politely decline. he guessed his smile wasn't as bright as it should have been if Kafka could see he was feeling off.

"Yeah, but that was decaf." he insisted as he held the mug by its rim and pointed its handle temptingly toward its intended recipient.

Hoshina stiffed its steam heavily as it wafted under his nose. The smell of a caffeinated brew being much more rejuvenating than the bland swill he choked down this morning. He didn't think twice as he shifted the paper load more securely under his arm and took the offered mug greedily. There was a low, grateful moan as the hot, searing, and just lightly sweetened liquid burned pleasantly down the back of his throat.

'You might've just saved my mental state yet again, Kafka." Hoshina finally muttered after nearly downing half of the mug.

Kafka just chuckled as he walked in time with him, and after a while, held out a hand in an offer to carry the paperwork. Hoshina politely refused again, feeling genuinely better now that he had something more stimulating coursing throughout his system. Walking side by side, they engaged in pleasant idle chatter as they continued down the hallway. Without checking how far they had walked, they neared an area that had a lobby that was sparsely populated. As they got closer, an irritatingly familiar voice rang clear in the partially echoey room.

"Brother Dearest!" Soichiro Hoshina, Soshiro's older brother, was leaning against the desk in the back center of the lobby, relaxing like he deserved the space he was taking up.

"Oh God, why aren't I being delivered from evil like I ask every Shrine visit?" Soshiro muttered as soon as he realized who was occupying the open room with them.

"That's your brother?" Kafka asked as he laid eyes on the visitor.

"Unfortunately." Soshiro said with every letter somehow overflowing with distain and loudly enough to be heard by the other person.

"Come on, brother! You had to have known that one of these visits was to have to happen soon? It's been, what, months since you've even sent at minimum a hello to Mother." Soichino's words were playful, a clear difference in demeanor to the attitude his younger brother was radiating. A second had passed as he clearly gave the plus one an interested once-over after he lifted his sunglasses off his face.

"Well, hello soldier. And who might you be?" A salacious smile slithered coolly over Soichiro's glossy, thin lips. His tongue flicked out and over his teeth teasingly as he continued to stare down Kafka with a darkened sense of interest. Kafka bowed deeply in greeting before he introduced himself.

"Kafka Hibino. Officer of the Third Division." was his militantly clipped response.

"Kafka... Kafka... Where have I heard that name before?" Soichiro drawled out as he shifted over to Kafka's side, poking his shoulder with the arm of his sunglasses with playful emphases.

"He's our Kaiju Number Eight, you salacious cur. Now what are you doing here?" Soshiro snarked as he took another sip of his coffee. His brother made no move to acknowledge the comment as he continued to speak directly to Kafka.

"Kaiju Number Eight, huh! So you're the beast on the battlefield. Is it too much for me to ask if you're a beast anywhere else?" That Cheshire smile never left his face as his eyes turned into a more evaluating gaze.

"Well, I'm the Division's only on call Kaiju. It's pretty safe to say that I'm always the beast when it's needed." Kafka smiled bashfully as a hand came up to scratch the back of his neck. Soichiro practically giggled as a hand came up to mischievously smack the other shoulder.

"Look at you! Making out to be something that strong and powerful as a humble brag!" the older brother seemed to slide in closer to Kafka's personal space, with Kafka playing it off as business as usual. Soshiro could feel the handle of the mug creaking under his tightened grip as he looked on at his brother's shameless display.

"Ya know, I had originally cleared out my schedule to take my brother out on a lunch date, but I've just realized he's been a horrible brother and hasn't shown me around the Third Division's main facilities not once!", Soichiro saddled up impossibly closer and even had the audacity to slip a hand around the back of Kafka's forearm, "Why don't I be a good Captain and help clear yours so you can show me around? I'm sure any tour by you would be far more interesting than what he could provide." Soshiro watched as he saw the offer being sealed with an obviously flirty wink.

"Well, I'd be happy to! That is, if it's alright with my Vice Captain?" Kafka asked as he looked innocently toward the younger brother, seemingly unaware or unaffected by the attention he was currently being given.

"No Kafka, that won't be necessary, If my brother is going to come out all this way to see me, then he's just going to have to settle for my company alone." Soshiro said as he placed his paperwork and his coffee mug on the abandoned reception desk.

"Yeah, that makes sense. Maybe some other time?" Kafka asked as he looked at the older Hoshina brother.

"Such a shame. Don't be surprised if I take you up on that offer." Soichiro tittered as he patted the other side of the forearm he was still holding onto. The two brothers watched intently as Kafka turned around and walked down the hallway. Soshiro waited until he was out of every possible hearing range before he decided to speak.

"Alright, you bottle-platinum harlot. What the hell was that display all about?" Soshiro made no attempts to restrain his irritation at his brother's expense. He had no idea what game his brother was trying to play with him, but he wouldn't stand for it since it seemed to involve a very close and personal friend of his.

"I don't know what you mean." Soichiro said as he kept tittering. His posture and demeanor revealing to his younger brother that there was a plan brewing behind those evil eyes.

"I will not have you seducing my strongest man over to your division while I'm here." Soshiro commanded as he leveled a piercing gaze at the other person.

"Excuse me, 'Your man'? I'm sorry, but I didn't see a ring on his finger." Soichiro teased as he turned to face his brother.

"That's not what I meant and you know it, you vile rake." Soshiro spat the words out in an attempt to dissuade any further conversation on the topic.

"So catty today, are we brother? I was simply taking in the local selection. I'm not surprised you're interested in him." Soichiro chatted as he teasingly bit on the arm of his sunglasses.

"I also see you've decided to take up slander as a hobby since last we met." Soshiro grumbled as he found himself forced into a position where he had to talk to his brother in person for more than a minute.

"Oh, please! You know our family has a history of liking them sweet and dumb. How do you think Mother's marriage has lasted this long?" Soichiro continued as he leveled a knowing stare at him.

"If you're going to keep insinuating things that don't exist, I'm going to order you to cancel the lunch date and leave." the younger brother retorted as he turned around to drink the last sips from the coffee mug.

"What do you think I'm insinuating?" Soichiro purred as his sight never left his brother.

"Don't toy with me today, you troglodytic trollup. I am in no mood to bat around this string of yarn you're trying to spin here." Soshina kept snapping back as he took the opportunity to avoid eye contact as he shuffled around the stack of papers.

"Why all the denial, Brother Dearest? Especially since we're so far from Egypt. Besides, it's not slander saying you like a coworker as if your interactions weren't displayed all over the news two weeks ago." The grin broke into a full blown, toothy smile of superiority as the Captain of the Sixth Division draped himself over the desk's top next to Soshiro.

"What... interactions?" the Vice Captain hissed as he slowly turned his head to side-eye his brother

"Should I reenact it for you?" Soichiro giggled before flopping onto his back and dramatically fainting, "Oh! I seem to have taken a terrible fall and broken both of my legs! Oh, is there some dark, handsome, Knight in living armour that can princess-carry my oh so fragile body to the farthest fucking ambulance on scene and completely bypass three others that were unoccupied and were going to take me to the same fucking hospital!" It was clear that he was taking a massive amount of joy retelling his version of events that he saw on the news as his voice raised in volume with every reveal.

"I didn't break my legs, I dislocated my ankles! What would you have me do, walk?" Soshiro started to match his brother's volume and had now fully turned to him to confront this problem of point-of-views head on.

"The cameras clearly show you two having a conversation where it shows you convincing him to carry you!" The two of them were so close to each other's faces now their noses could touch.

"I was trying to convince him not to!" Soshiro returned.

"Because the cameras were rolling?" Soichiro asked.

"Yes!" his brother answered.

"AND BECAUSE YOU TWO ARE IN LOVE! Why else be camera shy about being carried around in public?" The eldest returned triumphantly as he poked him in the chest.

"NO." Soshiro shouted back as he shoved his brother backwards, "We are not in love! What part of this do you think it's okay to date someone like him?"

"Oh don't act like you can't because he's under your position. He makes his own precedent as he breathes! And you are the right type of rebellious, attention craving, delinquent punk that would absolutely fall for someone that is perfect for you in all the right ways, while also him being a human anomaly in every sense of the word! He turns into something our family has been training it's young to kill for centuries so of course you're going to deviate from the norm and be practically head over heels for him!" The Captain couldn't stop himself from cackling as his lungs quaked from talking for so long without breath.

There wasn't anything left on the matter that Soshiro could say to make his brother change his mind, so he decided to let his fists do the talking for him as he sent a vicious right hook. His fist connected to his brother's left eye and caught him off guard for a second. Before he could speak out against the assault, the younger brother wasted no time in jumping onto his brother and throwing his fists left and right. The two soon became a mass of tangled limbs and colorful curse words on the floor. It wasn't like this for long as two other people came across the fight and helped break up the fray.

"Alright, alright! Break it UP!" You two are grown up men, and Defense Force officers at that! ACT LIKE IT!" Okonogi reprimanded them as Aoi held them off the ground by their jacket collars.

"Yes, Okonogi." The brothers said in unison. As they were set back on the ground, they straightened their outfits and waited to see if their new company would leave. When they didn't, Soichiro decided to speak what was left on his mind anyway.

"The lunch date is still on, by the way. Mother's orders. How about I give us an hour to cool down and we try this whole 'conversation' thing again?" he tried to say with as much possible conviction in his smile. Soshiro just glared violently as he picked up the stack of papers from the desk.

"I do what I damn well please, you leporid bunk bunny." he said as he stormed off. Everyone watched as he walked away before his older brother spoke up again.

"He'll be fine."

 𓈒   𑁍 𓈒

It was a little after seven thirty before Hoshina felt fine enough to interact with anyone. Spending some time in the gym helped him feel better after dealing with the Lunch Date From Hell. It also helped that he got to meet his favorite punching bag for sparring.

"Look -huff- I get you -huff- don't like your brother -huff-, but did you really -huff- need to literally -huff- kick my ass?" Kafka's lungs heaved after spending what felt like hours defending himself from his Vice Captain's volley of blows.

"Ya snooze, ya loose Kafka. Intense training is for your own good." Hoshina quipped back as he walked over to his duffle for water bottles. Kafka shambled behind him slowly and sat down on the bench the bag was next to.

"Intense training, my entire bruised ass. That last chokehold felt personal." Kafka began to regulate his breathing by the time Hoshina made it over with the water bottles.

As Hoshina drank from his, he subtly tried to look at Kafka as he poured some of the bottle's contents onto himself. He watched as the water made his partner's bangs stick to his forehead at odd angles and made a swift attempt to cool his fiery red cheeks. Hoshina didn't let his imagination run too far away from him as he thought about Kafka looking worn out and sweaty for a different reason. Of course he denied everything that was said earlier that was concerning the situation between him and Kafka. Mainly because it all implied that Kafka felt the same way he did. Had it been a complete stranger talking to him this morning, it would have shocked everyone that knew him once they heard how different his answers would have been.

As Kafka finished rubbing the cool water into his face and straightened his back and arms out into an intense looking stretch, Hoshina forced himself to look away from the rippling of muscle and the straining of his tank top around said muscles. In moments like this, when he was sure no one would be looking or they were alone, Hoshina liked to play a little game with Kafka. It wasn't one that you could win with points or anything. Hell, some days it made Hoshina feel like all he did was lose by playing, but he couldn't deny that conniving little twitch that begged for him to play over and over again. All so he could see that dumb little smile.

"Still improving as slow as always." Hoshina said after a minute of relaxing on the bench.

"Hey, at least I am still improving, right?" Kafka returned as he looked back at his Vice Captain.

There was a smile, sure, but it wan't big. He could do better.

"Can't say I don't find you to be consistent at least 1% of the time." Hoshina offered as a response, deciding to bring up a well used joke between them. He turned back to look out at the empty gym in front of them.

"God, I still haven't gotten higher than that, haven't I?" Kafka chuckled out of the side of his mouth.

"It was a good thing we found out you were a kaiju when we did. Could you imagine what would have happened if you couldn't raise that percentage up high enough in three months?" Hoshina thought the comment sounded funnier in his head, but once he heard it out loud he wanted to smack himself for it. Everyone knew that it was a horrible thought, thinking about Kafka not being around anymore. Even that was something Hoshina couldn't bring himself to deny or joke about.

"I do every day." Kafka sighed heavily, "Everyday I wake up here." He closed his eyes for a second as he smiled softly, his head coming to rest against the back wall the bench was against.

Hoshina turned back to look at him, taking Kafka's moment of vulnerability to look at him fully this time. He thought about it too. A life in the Defense Force where he didn't get to see Kafka everyday. A life where he didn't bring him coffee or hear his laugh or have drinks with him after work hours. Hoshina could feel his heart squeeze at the thought of Kafka not being in the Defense Force, or worse, suddenly living at a different Division. Being close by technicality, but feeling oh so very far.

"Did you notice my brother was flirting with you at all?" Hoshina felt himself ask before he could take the words back. He felt himself brace for the answer in the brief moments in between his heartbeats.

"Wait... really?" Kafka asked with genuine interest. Hoshina could feel his face twist into something between curiosity and mild disgust. Kafka couldn't tell he was being flirted with? And was okay with it coming from his brother?

"Ye-yeah?" Hoshina returned hesitantly.

"You sure? 'Cuz I mean... wow. He's... actually interested? In me?" Kafka's smile grew bigger and more wonky as he processed what he was told.

"You're okay with this?" Hoshina questioned incredulously. He could not believe what he was seeing, and was actively praying that this wasn't the case.

"Are you kidding? Of course! You're brother is frickin' hot!" Kafka replied with joy, "Is he, like, still around? I mean, I know he's not here kinda around, but I mean, is he like, nearby? Like in a hotel or something? Nah, that would be creepy. Oh! Could you let me have his number?" Kafka prattled on as Hoshina continued to become more and more disgusted. Sure, he was a little happy to hear that Kafka was cool with being hit on by guys, (and clearly reciprocated the sentiment) but felt absolutely horrified at hearing Kafka wanting his brother's number. So much so that he immediately stood on the bench seat so he could get a good enough vantage to stomp on Kafka to stop his train of thought.

"You! Will! NOT! Be! Dating! My! BROTHER!" Hoshina shouted out between the stomping.

"Jesus! And here I thought you wouldn't be having a problem with me liking guys! Yah know, since you told me about it!" Kafka shouted back as he tried to defend himself from the onslaught.

"I don't have a problem with you dating guys! I have a problem with you dating my brother!" Hoshina said as he pressed his foot down firmly onto Kafka's hands that were protecting his head.

'Well then, who would you rather have me date?" Kafka returned rhetorically.

"Me for starters!" Hoshina finally admitted. Once he did, he let the pressure off of his foot and just stayed in the position for a hot minute, feeling as awkward as a school girl admitting to her first crush. Kafka just held onto the foot as he looked up at his commander with wide, unbelieving eyes. All Hoshina could bring himself to do was look away, his cheeks flushing hot and bright. Kafka helped lower the foot down as he got up from his seat to face him from the front.

"Have... have you been flirting with me too?" Kafka asked. Hoshina still couldn't look at him or answer, so his cheeks answered for him.

"How long have you been flirting with me?" Kafka asked again.

"Two... two years." Hoshina answered quietly.

"We've known each other for two years." Kafka responded. Hoshina still hadn't made a move, only crossed his arms defensively.

"YOU'VE BEEN FLIRTING WITH ME SINCE WE MET?" Kafka shouted as he made the realization.

"To be fair, I don't flirt like a normal person and you clearly can't read context clues." Hoshina said as he finally regained some control over his mouth. He just wished he had better control over what it said.

"Why didn't you say anything before now?" Kafka sounded incredulous at the thought of how he could have been dating the most amazing person on base before now, had be been able to read between the lines.

" I kept thinking it was funny?" Hoshina responded in a shy, quivering voice as more blood rushed to his face and made it redder.

"Okay, now I have to ask. What about me do you like? Do you think I'm handsome, or do you really just like to think I'm funny?" Kafka questioned as he waved his hands around animatedly.

"Honestly? I just really like that you're funny." Hoshina said as he relaxed and playfully shrugged. Now feeling better about having all of this out in the open.

" So, just, fuck my face then." Kafka said in a sarcastically irritated manner while turning around and waving his arms.

"I would if you'd stop talking." Hoshina accidentally let slip.

He wasn't ashamed of saying it, but probably should have found a better time to say it. It didn't seem to matter anyway as Kafka took a second to stop his flailing and slowly turned around to face his commander again. A sly smile tugged at the corner of his lips as his eyes darkened at the play on words they stumbled into.

"Well alright then." Kafka chuckled darkly as he strode over to where Hoshina was still standing. He grabbed his legs and threw him over his shoulder, holding onto Hoshina's calves for dear life as he carried his thrashing lover out of the gym.

"Wha-what do you think you're doing?" Hoshina cried as he tried to look back at his kidnapper. Kafka returned the most intensely flirtatious side-eye back at him as they walked out of the gym.

"Moving training to your place, so you can properly shut me up."

"Wha-what, no dinner first?" Hoshina stuttered nervously as he continued to be paraded down the hall on Kafka's shoulder. He got even more nervous as Okonogi slid past his line of sight and watched them walk away.

"You've been flirting with me for two years. Dinner can wait." Kafka growled as the other hand came up and audibly smacked Hoshina on the ass.

[nereb-and-dungalef]

I keep drinking coffee thinking it's gonna make me Productive and then instead of doing the work I actually have to do I just compulsively make spreadsheets :(

[xamaxenta]

We’ve had Omega Ace milkies

Its time for Omega Marco milkies and Sabo is incredibly down bad

But bros lactose intolerant

[drop--pop--candy]

feeling a lot like ichika in that one 4koma rn

[cienie-isengardu]

I would think the Lin Kuei was linguistic since It has people from different sides of the world besides China (Cyrax and Smoke as prime examples) and also likely doing missions or business outside of china, but then again I’m mostly going off of Bi han knowing 3 languages in one of the live action movie so I cling to it mostly as a headcanon

Bi-Han in Mortal Kombat film (2021) was a truly nice addition to the widely understood lore and I love that this film allowed characters to speak in languages other than English. On other hand this highlights how games barely pay attention to cultural differences or use different languages as nice nuances and nods to characters’ origin.

That said, Lin Kuei education was never truly explained in great detail but tie-in material does imply Lin Kuei warriors are very likely to speak more than two languages - their native one and English. Maybe not every member of the clan will be a fluent polyglot, but for example, in one of the old Mortal Kombat comics "A Cold Day in Hell", Kuai Liang was presented as living in Japan. His place didn’t look like some special hideout but normal flat, so we could assume he worked undercover there.

Now, MK1 Kuai Liang is currently living in Japan too, so most likely he and Tomas either already knew Japanese, as Harumi and supposedly her parents are an old family’s friend or are learning the language alongside building their new clan. As I assume a great number of the new members of Shirai Ryu recruited by Scorpion and Smoke are in fact Japanese, so speaking their language would help in communication. 

(Also, if Kuai Liang and Bi-Han spend some time with Harumi’s family when they all were children, Sub-Zero too could be speaking Japanese, or at least be familiar enough for basic communication). 

Then there is a chance that in Liu Kang’s timeline, Bi-Han and Kuai Liang (and Tomas) could also speak or be familiar to some degree with their cryomancer ancestors’ language - unless this is official dialect of Lin Kuei and so the Standard Chinese/Mandarin language - or whatever other dialect is official language there in Liu Kang’s timeline - wasn’t their first choice of communication at home.

Now, lets add to that the fact that original Lin Kuei are implied to recruit potential new clan members in Czech (Europe) and Botswana (Africa) while original version of Kuai Liang & Bi-Han’s father operated for years in America (though not specified if USA or just somewhere on the continent), we could say that Lin Kuei operated worldwide, so it is logical to assume members of the clan were specialized in some languages more than others. But the sources go further, Lin Kuei operated in Ourworld too,

in old comics ("Kitana and Mileena") even taking part in Shao Kahn’s conquest of Edenia, which happened +/- ten (outworld) thousand years ago. And I doubt during that time anyone in Edenia knew English.

Games make it look like everyone, from the gods, to residents of any realm speak English, but that actually makes no logical sense. So thought I don’t think there is any source outright saying how many languages are taught to Lin Kuei warriors, movie!Bi-Han spoke at least three, and most likely Kuai Liang knows as much, either in obscure source material or MK1 (a dialect used by Lin Kuei stationed somewhere in China/Asia, Japanese and English). Cyrax and Tomas have a great chance to speak a similar number of different languages (their native ones, English and a dialect of Lin Kuei). Hard to say about Sektor, but he is at least fluent in English. 

Again, not really a hard, direct source as we don’t see any Lin Kuei talking much in anything else than English, but there is a solid ground to assume Lin Kuei warriors would learn additional languages out of pragmatism and need.

[sysig]

Giving nicknames, testing boundaries (Patreon)

[bmpmp3]

and please dreamtonics or any third part synthv dev anyone i am BEGGING you to make more english synths with non-american accents i dont mind the americans but i am GREEDY and i want MORE

[corallapis]

i do wonder if there's some words in english the doctor doesn't know. like, how much does he rely on the tardis to translate the odd word here and there?

[marlynnofmany]

In the interest of not derailing this already-long-and-awesome thread, here are some more details! (Paging @sparrows-corner and any other interested parties.)

So in my first semester of college, I took an Intro to Psychology class. I didn't expect anything special; it was just one of those general education courses that everybody was supposed to take at some point. But it turned out amazing.

What the general public didn't know at that point was someone in the college administration had screwed up and forgotten to assign a teacher to this class. Until a week before class. When several students emailed to ask why that detail was missing in the online listing.

The administration panicked, scrambled for someone-anyone-omg-who-can-drop-everything-and-teach-this-class. They called recently-graduated owners of Masters Degrees in teaching.

They found Sandy.

She was qualified and available, and much older than the average recent grad, with the confidence to go with it. This was still a daunting task, though, and she agreed on one condition: that she team-teach the class with a friend of hers who was still working on finishing his degree.

Having no other choice and seeing no real problem with this, the administration agreed. And thus was born the most glorious educational comedy act in my entire academic career. The two of them were a delight. They knew all the stuff they needed to teach, and they knew a great deal more, and they delivered lectures in a way that had everyone paying eager attention. It was great.

This friend, by the way, was awesome in his own right. While Sandy was a curly-haired white lady around middle age, Wayne was a black guy who (1) dressed in impeccable suits and (2) had cerebral palsy.

I think a lot of 18-year-old minds were quietly enlightened about a few things just from watching these two banter back and forth, one with joints more wobbly than the other. Wayne told a memorable anecdote at one point about stopping by a grocery store in sweat pants instead of his usual classy wear. The cashier asked some gentle question about what he spent his time on, assuming that he had some sort of carer following him around. The expression on her face when he told her that he taught college was one I'll never forget, and I didn't even see it.

Anyways, at the end of this semester, the two teachers asked a few of us smart kids if we wanted to be TAs (teaching assistants) for the next semester. Since most of us had already become friends during the make-a-group-and-discuss-things portions of the class, this sounded like a party that would look good on our records later. And it really was.

I TA'd for that class a few times in a row, with my buddies and the two very cool teachers. We met up outside of class for holiday parties and everything.

And, since this was during the time the Lord of the Rings trilogy was first coming out in theaters, we all dressed up in costume and went to an early screening together.

Wayne drove. His handicap placard meant we got to park at the front, which was pretty awesome.

Now, I'd met people before who knew more LotR lore than I did, but they all paled in comparison to Sandy. As I said in the notes on that other post, she shared some stories of her youth with us. When she was fourteen, she ran away to join a hippie commune. She already knew fluent elvish, and she used that to help the commune's drug-runners stay out of the clutches of the cops, by translating their drug notes into a language the cops couldn't read. With a start like that, it was unsurprising that she still knew elvish now, along with all sorts of fascinating deep lore.

She had a limited edition book that looked shockingly expensive. She made beeswax candles for all the TAs as holiday gifts, with our names written on them in elvish. I still have mine somewhere.

I haven't heard from any of these lovely people in a long time, since college moves on and so does life, but I will treasure those memories forever. I hope Sandy and Wayne and the others are doing well. They deserve the best.

[twelve-nights]

sometimes i feel like my entire life is the nuance button on pollS

[tsuyalovebot]

make him lose his cool.

suggestive and sexual content. mdni, ageless blogs dni.

xia yi zhou / caleb x reader.

cw. drabble (~1k wc, written in one sitting. ignore any typos.) no sex, but caleb popping a boner like a victorian man. afab reader (that also wears bras). mc=reader.

"caleb is an ass man!" "no, he likes tits!"

personally, i think caleb would have a near panic attack upon seeing your shoulder, elbow, or ankle.

he just does a really good job of pretending he doesn't mind it. after all, the two of you grew up together. he's had to put his hands on you many times — carrying, tending to scrapes and cuts, tickling you, ruffling your hair, squeezing your face. skinship was a language that the two of you were plenty fluent in.

but the year spent apart failed to maintain this, like some half-assed video streaming subscription, and caleb's the newborn fawn learning how to walk.

so what happens when he knocks on the room to his bedroom — it belongs to you now, technically — with a plate of breakfast before coming in, and he witnesses you sitting up, all sleepy and the neckline of his shirt slightly sliding down your shoulder?

he's going to throw himself off a cliffside. maybe even off skyhaven itself.

the plate hits the bedside table on your side with a loud clatter. none of the food spilled over, luckily. he has half a mind to garble some lame excuse about being busy and a quick good morning before trying to bolt.

but, caleb nearly snaps into two when you tug at the hem of his shirt, slumber still slurred in your words as you ask where he's going. there'd been no strength in that tug. yet, he stopped in his tracks all the same. he ends up listening to your grumbles, ones reminding him that it's his day off, remember? you promised you'd spend it with me.

"i gotta take a shower first," he chuckles, hoping his voice wasn't too shaky. please don't notice. please don't notice.

"but caleb," you keen.

god, it's like when he'd take leave from the academy for a few days just to go back to you and gran. always coming home to you, thoroughly acquainted with you not being a morning person but still making the effort to cling to him and savor every second you two spent together.

he assumed it would be the same now, but clearly, that was a mistake. because the coiling tension of warmth threatening to boil over in his stomach was nothing short of treacherous.

caleb does manage to escape; albeit pained by the half-awake whines behind him and the sound of you falling back into bed. god, how badly he wanted to cave into your demands. you don't even know the half of it.

he wonders if you've ever curled into his side of that bed he once slept on, seeking his cologne, his body, his warmth the same way he looks for your silhouette in every corner of this home. a melody he knows, but a name he can't quite place in this shell of a house that transformed in your presence.

regardless, it's really difficult to let this relationship rebuild organically when he was popping a boner over the slightest sliver of skin. the shower's streams are icy on his skin, the impromptu bath having thrown a wrench into his morning routine. he refuses to even touch himself. letting the proof of his sin soften under the biting cold of the water, despite the discomfort.

because nothing was more horrific than having his body react to you like a prepubescent teen discovering porn online for the first time.

caleb thinks he's safe after spending an hour in the bathroom, fingertips pruned and mind cooler than the iciest of planets. but as he's changed back into his clothes, he discovers you beside the door, a blanket around your sitting form and those eyelids droopy.

"pipsqueak? what're you doin' here?" he's crouching down — mortifying boner forgotten as he gathers you into his arms before he realizes it.

then, you stir. a whine muffled into the crook of his neck as you wrap your arms around him, the vibration seeming to ripple down his spinal column. the blanket falls from your body in the motions, and you're so soft compared to the firmness of his body.

his arms tighten around you on instinct and you let out a pleased sound and—

he stiffens. you weren't wearing a bra.

"caleb, you're done." you yawn, like the spoiled, pampered figurehead of royalty you are. you arch up into him, and he swears he feels several of his neurons die, dropping like flies in the empty cavity of his head.

"take me back to bed." he feels the air shift as you seem to inhale his scent. your voice softer, more content when you say, "i wanna sleep some more."

he's so fucking doomed.

[theorphicangel]

you wouldn’t expect sukuna to take care of you when you’re ill but surprisingly when you answer the doorbell you see your oversized cat — I mean your boyfriend standing there with a bag in his hand.

he tuts, looking at you up and down. runny nose, disheveled hair and tired eyes.

‘Stay away from me if you’re ill’ the tall figure states, coming into your apartment and taking off his shoes.

‘you’re the one who came over kuna.’

‘yeah only because you needed medicine.’

‘I could have gone and got it myself.’

‘fat chance. I also brought soup.’

‘you made some?’

‘no.’ He deadpans, looking at you. ‘who do you think I am? I bought it.’

‘right, sorry for assuming.’

‘why aren’t you in bed?’

you rolled your eyes, ‘I’m answering the door for you idiot.’

‘if you stand near me any longer you’re going to get even more sick. go away.’

that’s code word for ‘get your ass in bed and let me take care of you.’ you’re pretty fluent in the language of your boyfriend.

you say nothing in response and does as he says, disappearing under his sheets.

soon, he approaches you in bed with hot bowl of soup and your medicine. a glass of water is placed on your bedside table and he hovers around, making sure that you eat every last drop.

he doesn’t leave until you’re done, taking your bowl and telling you to sleep.

‘are you going now?’

‘going where?’

‘home.’

‘why would I?’

you shrug your shoulders. your head is heavy from your illness, throbbing from a headache. ‘thought you didn’t want to be around a sick person for too long’

sukuna holds back a scoff, ‘gotta make sure you don’t catch a fever or something as soon as I leave, I know you’ll try to do some work instead of resting.’

‘so you’re guarding me.’

‘If that’s how you want to see it.’

‘romantic.’

he makes a disgusted face, ‘go to sleep.’

Just as he promised he’s there when you awake and sukuna doesn’t leave for the next two days, making sure your illness is gone and that you’ve fully recovered.

spoiler alert: the soup he gave you was homemade but he didn’t want to admit it. :)

[meadowscarlet]

BARCELONA’S SWEETHEART | OP81

✩ — summary: oscar develops a teensy-tiny… okay, maybe a huge (enormous, actually), crush on the younger sister of football barcelona’s talented midfielder, pedri.

✩ — oscar piastri x fem!reader

✩ — author’s note: mixed up timelines for the plot & i don’t speak spanish so i used google translate sorry in advance if it’s not accurate LMFAO

liked by oscarpiastri, mclaren, f1, lamineyamal, jkeey4 and 809,556 more

fcbarcelona A special visit from the grid to the pitch. Welcome, Oscar Piastri! 💙❤️🏁

View all 14,556 comments

random somebody pinch me

random OSCAR????? WATCHING A BARÇA GAME?????? this is so huge

random RIGHT MY TWO WORLDS COLLIDING

random why can’t this man at least wear an fcb jersey /?/?/? this white polo shirt is stuck permanently on his body im truly cracking up

random FCB x McLaren collab when 👀

random OMGGGG he was in the VIP players zone

random DID ANYONE ELSE SEE OSCAR CHATTING WITH PEDRI’S SISTER

random I DID… i also saw fernando and their mom smiling while oscar and y/n were talking… im about to start a rumor

random i wonder what they were talking about 😭

random thank god y/n’s fluent in english but anyways they’re so cute together oh my god

random THEY AREEEE this is the first time i’ve seen so much emotion on oscar when he’s talking to someone

random bro looked too comfortable like he’s been to 5 family dinners already 😭

oscarpiastri Huge win! Thank you for having me I had a great time

random and we said oh we’re sure

random ahhh te amo oscar 😍😍😍

random this is insane

random i love this crossover soooo bad

random now we need an oscar and pedri pic together

random carlos sainz disliked this

random OSCCCCC 🧡🇦🇺

random BARÇA AND F1 YESSS 🙏🏼

liked by oscarpiastri, pedri, pablogavi, ferrantorres and 234,223 more

youruser VICTÒRIA!!!!!!!! no podría estar más orgulloso 💙❤️ (victory, i couldn't be more proud)

View all 3,456 comments

random liked 👀 by 👀 oscarpiastri

random girl he also commented imejsnhsha

pablogavi hermanaa ❤️ (sister)

youruser pablitooo 🥰

random ugh their friendship is to die for

random VAAAMOOOOSS!!!

oscarpiastri as they say, Visca el Barça

youruser hmm i think your spanish is improving

oscarpiastri i’d still want some of your lessons so i could be more fluent and all

random is this oscar trying to flirt

random here he comes world, please be kind to him

random IMJSJSHXBHWHAHAH

random most supportive sister ever 🥰😭 pedri’s so lucky to have you

random i wonder what pedri feels with all these sudden y/noscar propaganda happening 💀

pedri publicando como si no me gritaste todo el partido (posting like you weren’t yelling at me the whole match)

youruser SHHHHHHH

random I LOVE THEM 😭😭😭😭😭

random PEDRIIJSNABSHA

pedri siempre la más orgullosa. te quiero, enana ❤️(always the proudest one. love you, shortie)

youruser te amo 🪄🌟

random the switch up is killing me

liked by youruser, mclaren, alex_albon, isackhadjar and 464,556 more

oscarpiastri Hola Barcelona 👋 ready for a fast weekend

View all 11,332 comments

youruser hola 👋

oscarpiastri suddenly forgot every spanish word i rehearsed

random THIS IS GOOOLD 😭💀

random NOT OSCAR BEING DOWN BAD IN REAL TIME

random OSCAR PLEASE 😭😭😭

random no way she got oscar fumbling his language skills tears in my y/noscar eyes

random barcelona’s got a way of making u smile a little more

random probably had to do with a certain pretty gonzález sister

opeightyone Vamos 😎💪🏼💪🏼

random i have a good feeling about this weekend

random ya’ll hear me out. y/n attends the race and oscar will win this gp then they start dating and it will all be so poetic like like like

random on to something ❌ ON something ✔️

fernandoalo_oficial 🤔

random NANDO?/?/?:? what r u doing here 😭

liked by oscarpiastri, lamineyamal, raphinha, hctorforrt_ and 211,33 more

youruser could get used to this 😋

View all 8,446 comments

random the second slide… ain’t no way

random did somebody check on oscar

random girl i feel like that arm belongs to oscar..

random he’s in the likes but he didn’t comment is it over for y/noscar 🥀

pedri dios mío ¿qué es esto? (oh my god what is this)

pablogavi 😂😂😂

ferrantorres 😂😂😂

lamineyamal 😂😂😭😭

random LMDAO THEY KNOW SOMETHING

random a case that doesn’t sit right w me 💔

random THIS HAS ME YELLINGSHHSHS

youruser has added to their story!

liked by oscarpiastri, youruser, colepalmer10, ferrantorres, harrykane and 546,553 more

mclaren Welcoming some special people in our garage in Spain 🇪🇸🤝🧡

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random did oscar like this while he was in the car??????????? LMFAOOOO

random Y/N ON THE SECOND SLIDE WE WON

random i knew she would attend today’s race 😭

random third picture is so cold 🥶🥶🥶

random barcelona’s sweetheart at the mclaren garage oscar’s plan is slowly coming together

random y/n’s so gorgeous

random right she’s unreal

random hermosa chica @youruser 🥺 (beautiful girl)

random why didn’t pedri attend with y/n like lewa ferran and eric were there but not him 😕

random he’s busy training with the national team

random some special people 🙂‍↕️ is one of your guest the special someone of ur driver 🙂‍↕️

random guys im gonna get delusional for a sec but i’d like to imagine that y/n’s wearing oscar’s mclaren jacket that’s all. thank u for listening

random here you go ❤️

liked by oscarpiastri, pedri, pablogavi, paucubarsi, mclaren, _rl9 and 312,112 more

youruser i quite like the color orange 🧡

View all 11,122 comments

oscarpiastri Hola 👋

* ♥ by author

random boy if u don’t put ur phone down… the race starts soon

random IM CRYING HE’S SO UNSERIOUS 😭😭

random he’s so lame i’m so endeared

oscarpiastri i like your cap

youruser a certain aussie with a cute smile gave it to me

random JUST FUCKING KISS GOD DAMN

random oh no she’s gonna make oscar malfunction before the race

pedri te criaste con el blaugrana, no empieces a cambiar de bando ahora... 🤨 (you were raised a blaugrana, don’t start switching sides now)

youruser no seas tan dramático (don’t be so dramatic)

random “i quite like the color orange” GIRL JUST SAY YOU’RE IN LOVE

random like mama we’re tired

mclaren Barcelona’s sweetheart gracing her presence in our garage 🧡

alejandrobalde ay, crecen tan rápido 🥲 (aw, they grow up so fast)

pablogavi JAJAJA 😂

random not these boys whacking y/n i know she’s sick of them 😭😭😭

lamineyamal 8️⃣1️⃣?

youruser sí (yes)

random okay chat it’s confirmed already

liked by youruser, ediepiastri, lamineyamal, pedri, mclaren, lewishamilton and 789,445 more

oscarpiastri What an enjoyable weekend

View all 20,334 comments

random oscar dedicating his win to his sister and y/n im gonna kill myself

ediepiastri ❤️🔥

random OSCAR MOUTHING HOLA WHILE HE WAS APPROACHING Y/N TO HUG HER IS THIS THEIR ROUTINE ITS SO CUTE FUCKEJ

pedri 👏👏👏🏆

random PEDRI APPROVE????

youruser bien hecho, mejor chico 🤗 (well done, best boy)

oscarpiastri Mi chica (my girl)

random WAR IS OVER

random oscar speaking in spanish 🙂‍↕️ the lessons from y/n is paying off

random MY FAVE COUPLE EVER

random they just make sm sense 😭🩷

mclaren VAMOS P1ASTRIIIIII 🧡🧡🧡

random such a great weekend!!! 😍

random futuro campeón 😎 (future champion)

liked by oscarpiastri, pedri, ediepiastri, lando, pablogavi and 321,132 more

youruser Hola 👋 huge win for osc congrats pretty boy 🥰 & the best weekend ever!!!!!!!! somebody pinch me (also thank u to edie for sending this pic of oscar trying to kick the ball lol)

View all 10,762 comments

random oscar piastri to barcelona here we go?

youruser let’s just stick to driving ❤️

random Y/NJDJSJSHSHHSHSHSHSH

oscarpiastri baby 🙁

random he calls her baby where’s my meds im gonna throw up they’re so 😭❤️❤️❤️😭

oscarpiastri Gracias preciosa (thank you gorgeous)

random he’s fluent now

random did anyone else see f1 putting “oscar piastri’s partner” when y/n appeared on the screen who else JUMPED

random this whole race was basically their hard launch 😭

random and people called me delusional when i was right 😒😒😒 this is so poetic

random and suddenly life is worth living 🚬

pedri bueno… si se le puede llamar lindo (well… if you can call it cute)

pablogavi 😂🥰🥰

lamineyamal el fútbol te echa de menos (football misses you)

youruser sabes que estaré allí en el partido de españa contra francia 😤 (you know i’ll be there in the spain vs france match)

pedri ¿vas a traer a cierto australiano? (are you bringing a certain australian?)

youruser obvio. ahora está atrapado conmigo 🙄 (duh. he’s stuck with me now)

oscarpiastri yes to whatever she said 😇

random this man is so whipped 😭

random there’s no saving him now i fear

oscarpiastri i don’t want to be saved thanks 👍🏻

random no way he replied to MEJDJSB

random oscar piastri winning the spanish GP in barcelona and officially dating the sister of the best spanish midfielder in the world… what prayers did he say…

random he’s living the life

random bagged the barcelona sweetheart and i had to stand up from my toilet to applaud

random girl who is going to be okay

[lili-home-to-embraces-and-hugs]

Jason knew damian from the league BEFORE he knew he was his little brother and it is… so much worse

Okay so. listen.read.

jason todd. 17. freshly lazarus-pitted. feral. the human embodiment of “i lived bitch” with rage issues and a 72-hour insomnia streak. the league takes one look at this hot mess of trauma and goes “yes. this is exactly the energy we need in our murder boy band.”

enter: tiny baby assassin gremlin™ damian wayne. 6 years old. fluent in six languages, can kill you with a butter knife, has already named his sword and buried a man for disrespecting alfred the goat.

and someone. SOMEONE. in the league decides, “you know what would be funny? pair the murder toddler with the zombie disaster and see what happens.”

Heres how that went

ra’s: jason, your assignment is to supervise damian.

jason: you want me to babysit.

ra’s: guide.

jason: babysit.

ra’s: test.

damian (deadpan): i don’t need a babysitter. i need a better sparring partner. the last one cried.

jason: okay i like this kid.

they do missions together. which is to say, they cause crimes while technically completing the mission. jason teaches damian how to actually knock people out without breaking his own fingers. damian shows jason how to poison a blade using pomegranate juice and pure spite.

they bond over shared trauma and mutual hatred of everyone else. jason steals food for damian. damian teaches jason new ways to dismember people. it’s beautiful.

damian (6, holding a flaming knife): i’m going to defenestrate that man.

jason (17, holding a mango): hold on i’m eating.

damian: that’s MY mango.

jason: finders keepers.

[30 seconds later jason is bleeding and laughing]

but then jason leaves the league. rage. escape. redemption arc pending. damian stays.

and they don’t see each other for years.

until jason storms into the batcave like:

jason: not here to bond. just stealing med supplies. don’t talk to me or my trauma.

damian (offscreen): you dare show your face here, todd.

jason (freezes): oh my god. oh my god. i KNOW that voice. i KNOW that gremlin growl. there’s no fucking WAY

bruce (tired): jason, meet your little brother. damian.

jason (SCREAMING INTERNALLY): THAT’S MY EX-TINY MURDER ROOMMATE?!

damian (smirking): i see the pit didn’t fix your face.

tim (whispers): what is happening.

from that day forward: chaos.

damian starts following jason around like a very stabby duckling. calls him “akhi” in the most possessive tone known to man. sharpens jason’s knives without being asked. threatens the replacement on his behalf.

jason pretends to be annoyed but teaches damian how to make homemade explosives and saves him the last slice of pizza.

jason (grumbling): you’re still a brat.

damian: and you’re still emotionally unavailable.

jason (softly): shut up.

one day jason finds a drawing on his fridge.

it’s two stick figures. one has a red helmet. the other has a sword. they’re both labeled “BROTHERS – THREAT LEVEL: MAXIMUM.”

jason doesn’t talk about it. but he frames it.

bonus: group chat

dick: wait. you guys KNEW each other before this family?

jason: yeah. i babysat him once. worst two years of my life.

damian: i tried to stab him over a mango. it was glorious.

tim: that’s the most terrifying sentence i’ve ever read.

cass: ❤

bruce was like “you’re brothers now” and they were like “we BEEN brothers?? get on our level B/father”