#a) whose knowledge of the situation is less complete?

[blondiest]

With the way you write Mello's perspective more than Near, I bet on 1890$ that you are a variation of his female version.

being attacked in my own goddamn home rn. can't have shit in [LOCATION REDACTED]

[jedi-enthusiasm-blog]

Many people have taken one look at this and inmediately leaped to the conclusion that Jedi forbid emotions. Which is, huh… interesting.

What people don't realize is that the Jedi Order are a religious organization, and as such they have their own sacred texts, such as this meditation mantra (because yeah, that's the only time it's ever mentioned, during meditation).

And the trick about this kind of texts is that they're not meant to be taken literally. You're not supposed to take it at face value, you're supposed to think about it, reflect about it, and then interpretate it. I'm sure the average "fan" hasn't actually thought about it beyond "code bad Jedi evil", nevermind that it's not actually the Jedi Code mentioned in the films.

Since it's a meditation mantra, one used to focus to make connecting with the Force easier, it makes perfect sense that this is how you should feel when using the Force.

You shouldn't be overwhelmed with emotions or passions, you shouldn't act if you don't have knowledge. This is obvious: if you can command the essence of life, then maybe you should actually be in the state of mind to do it.

However, the other lines of "no chaos but harmony" and "no death but the Force" don't fit into this. So, what do they mean?

Here is the other version of the Code. It was seen for the first time in the Kanan comics, and is arguably more canon than the previous one.

(People have called it the Gray Jedi Code, which is hilarious in and on itself and another point in favor of the argument that the so called Gray Jedi are just canon Jedi.)

I'm sure everyone can agree that this one is good.

Feel, but find peace in your emotions. Know nothing, but figure it out. Suffer, but look past it to find serenity. Just like there is chaos, there is harmony. And just like there is death, there is the Force.

But what if I told you that both Codes are saying the same thing?

I know, I know. You probably think I'm crazy, but… what if they're saying the same things, in different ways?

To expand on the interpretation that the first one is how you should be when using the Force (and I admit with my whole chest that this is my interpretation), we can say that the Force isn't naturally things like emotion and chaos. They are only what we bring with us.

That doesn't make them any less real. They are, and they are important, but they are subjective experiences. Everyone will have different emotions, different passions, different things they are ignorant of. Even death, even as it will come for everyone, is something private and personal. I don't know what X person felt or thought when they died.

However, things like peace, harmony and the Force are universal.

Chaos (noun): "complete disorder and confusion." "the property of a complex system whose behaviour is so unpredictable as to appear random"

Dictionary definition, bear with me. "Whose behavior is so unpredictable as to appear random". It isn't random, it has patterns and reasons to happen just like everything else. We simply don't know those patterns. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Just because we don't know something doesn't mean we can't learn it. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. Therefore there is no such thing as chaos, not really, just a pattern, an order, a harmony, we don't know yet. First definition is about human reaction, not anything about the object itself. There is no chaos, there is harmony.

Emotion, ignorance, passion, chaos, even death. They are all feelings, subjective experiences, things that, ultimately, can change as you find new understanding (well, death only happens once and is permanent but you get the point). But inner peace, knowledge (about situations, about people's reactions), serenity and harmony are all universal. They exist, and will exist long after we die, we just have to find them.

And, long as we remember people, as we understand that all lives have left a mark, big or small, we will keep those who have passed alive within our hearts.

Death, yet the Force. There is no death, there is the Force. Or, perhaps…

"(The Force)'s an energy field created by all living things" Obi-Wan Kenobi, ANH

"Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter" Yoda, ESB

"No one's ever really gone" Luke Skywalker, TLJ

Death, yet the essence of living beings. There is no death, there is life.

[mirai-e-jump]

Animage July 2025 Issue ft. Chitose Machi x Takizawa Ryo Interview (translation below)

Publication: June 10, 2025

A Splendidly Evil Family

Planning to seize control of the Granute world by distributing dark sweets that use humans as ingredients is Stomach Inc. Among the Stomach family members who manage it, the eldest daughter Glotta and second son Nyelv have completely opposite personalities.

Glotta is one of the best armed fighters in the Stomach Family, proudly displaying combat strength that can overwhelm even a Kamen Rider. In contrast, she worried when the eldest son Lango received the order for an absurd amount of dark sweets from president Bocca, showing off her family oriented side.

Nyelv, who's in charge of technological developments, contributes to Stomach Inc's prosperity through a variety of inventions. Behind the scenes however, he repeatedly acts selfish, as he was sharing information with the human Suga Kenzo, and secretly developed and experimented with the Vrastumgear.

When the third son Jiip married into the Jaldak Family, they took over Stomach Inc, and when Lango lost to Shouma, Stomach Inc underwent a drastic change. With no one to turn to, Glotta was at a loss for what to do, all while Nyelv successfully won over Bocca……these two are clearly divided into the light and dark sides of the family. With Glotta and the Kamen Riders having a rematch, the battle situation will drastically change once again! _

Chitose Machi (Glotta) x Takizawa Ryo (Nyelv)

-Love for your family has its strengths and weaknesses-

"As the number of episodes increased, how did your impression of your own role change?

Chitose: She was initially "in charge" of violence, so I thought her character was similar to that of a warrior, but in the scripts for the second half of the show, I could see the love she has for her family, and that it was her weakness. She's not human, but she has a human like quality to her, and it was abit unexpected to see her turn into such a relatable character.

Takizawa: I felt that Nyelv, a Granute whose thoughts we can't comprehend, was the most fantasy like character. When I first got the role, we were at the stage where there was no definite conclusion, so every time I read the script, I'd think about what beliefs Nyelv had and come up with my own assumptions as I performed. I can't go into details just yet, but the part of him that isn't just hungry for knowledge will come out, and in a good way, it betrayed me.

Chitose: The impression I get from Nyelv in the script is that he's completely mysterious, but the Nyelv Takizawa-kun plays often looks surprisingly childish.

Takizawa: Do you feel that he's abit mischievous?

Chitose: Yeah, that's it. I think that's what makes it fun for the viewers to watch. While I play the eldest sister, he really comes across as the youngest brother.

Takizawa: That makes me happy!

Chitose: It was also nice seeing him become agitated when Lango-nii-san confronted him over something.

Takizawa: I believe that there's faces he'll only show amongst certain siblings.

Chitose: That's really great. It's an enjoyable point that's easy to perform.

"On the other end, what's Takizawa-san's impression of Glotta?"

Takizawa: The Nee-san (Glotta) that Nyelv sees and the Nee-san that I see are slightly different.

Chitose: Oh!

Takizawa: I think Nyelv puts priority over his own ambitions, and that he couldn't care less about what Nee-san thinks.

Chitose: She's not even interested (laughs).

Takizawa: From the very beginning of the show, I felt that out of all the family members, Nee-san was the one who thought about the Stomach Family the most. I've gradually come to see that she's not simply strong, but that she also possesses something resembling kindness.

"Nyelv sometimes shows off a sort of playful attitude."

Takizawa: Like when he punched the air (episode 33).

Chitose: That seriously made me laugh!

Takizawa: He wanted to make a fool of Magen-san as much as possible, but since my performance as Nyelv was from far away, it gave off an unusually distant feeling. I thought that if I just shouted, I'd look weak, and when I was wondering if there was anything I could do, I started punching the air. The staff were pretty unsure about it, but Director Shibasaki said, "Yeah, that's good," and gave me the OK after my first take.

Chitose: So that's how it happened (laughs).

Takizawa: Earlier you said that "he comes across as the youngest," but from the start, I was trying to convey his mischievous side without forcing it too much. By doing so, I also wanted to present him in a way that would make people wonder, "What is he thinking?"

Chitose: Having a desire for knowledge is connected to being childish, so it comes across as natural to me.

Takizawa: It'll be alright if some people laugh when they see how things end for him, and it'll be alright if some feel sorry for him. I feel that Nyelv became a character that people could have those complex feelings about. Although, looking back on it like this, I think that I should've been alot more mischievous (laughs).

Chitose: I feel that this was the best balance.

Takizawa: Yeah. When it comes to performing on film, even if you think that the "flavor" of your expressions is slightly off, the camera angle or the way the Director creates the scene can sometimes make it just right. This was my first time being a regular on a year long production, and I often noticed things after watching the broadcast and felt the power that the staff have.

"We could feel the love Glotta has for her family when she immediately recognized that Jiip was using Siita's Mimic Key in episode 34."

Chitose: Yeah. I guess she really does look after her family.

Takizawa: Did you talk with Ruito-kun about what would make her realize it was Jiip?

Chitose: We didn't talk about anything in particular, but there was probably some back and forth between Hono-chan and Ruito-kun, and likely due to the performance being done with Jiip in mind, the vibes were different from Siita's.

Takizawa: Heh~!

Chitose: I was able to act naturally with, "Ah, something's off here."

-Was there a bond between Nyelv and Suga?-

"What are your impressions of Siita, Jiip, and Lango?"

Chitose: From a family perspective, Siita and Jiip are cute, but if it weren't for that, they'd just be bad kids (laughs). I can understand the resentment they had after being fired from the company and separated, but they're also at fault for not being able to do their job without properly reporting, communicating, and consulting.

Takizawa: They were employees after all.

Chitose: I have a strong impression that the Stomach Family was too dependent on Lango-nii-san, so I always thought, "Thank goodness Onii-chan is so tolerant." (laughs). I could tell that Lango-nii-san was doing his best to stand in for their father, and could feel the tolerance and love he had for his family as he listened to anything they had to say. Everyone did tons of things without reporting it to him, and yet he never really got angry, did he?

Takizawa: He never got angry.

Chitose: It's a wonder as to why he was so forgiving.

Takizawa: It'd be nice to have a big brother like Lango-nii-san. He seems like he wouldn't get angry if we ate the sweets with his name on them that he was saving in the fridge.

Chitose: I could see that (laughs). He at the very least would ask, "Did you eat it?"

Takizawa: I feel like if I said, "What~?" and gave a proper apology, he'd probably forgive me (laughs). However, I think the fact that he rose to the top of a family run business was absolutely due to Lango-nii-san's skills.

Chitose: Even after being demoted, Lango-nii-san didn't "spoil" and continued to properly produce results. He was incredibly good at his job and very mature, so I'd want a big brother like him.

Takizawa: In spite of all the bad things he did, I feel that his good upbringing was apparent.

Chitose: I could see it, he did things properly. Our father was also his father, so in reality, that's probably not the case.

Takizawa: Still, I guess it was straightforward, undistorted evil.

Chitose: In a way, he was the most honest in the family. When the time came for Lango-nii-san to "go," it felt as if a pillar within Glotta had vanished, and I myself was also in shock.

Takizawa: The shape of Siita and Jiip is very cute……

Chitose: I know! They're so small and cute that it's kinda unfair.

Takizawa: He'd completely forgive them after they'd say, "We don't care!" However, unlike how Nee-san never gives up on scolding them, I think Nyelv gave up on the two of them early on in the show.

Chitose: They took full advantage of that.

Takizawa: Exactly, the opposite of love is indifference.

Chitose: It really is. That's why on the opposite end of things, Nyelv would say kind words to them.

Takizawa: That's right. Like the "your guts" line in episode 9 (laughs).

Chitose: I loved that! He said it with such a suspicious looking smile on his face, but both Siita and Jiip looked so happy (laughs).

Takizawa: I couldn't resist saying it on the spot (laughs).

Chitose: You seemed to be having alot of fun in that scene.

"In episode 38, he remodified Jiip and installed a Bitter Gavv."

Chitose: Remodifying a family member is pretty intense, don't you think?

Takizawa: It's intense. He himself didn't get his own hands dirty. That's the crucial difference between him and Suga-san.

"What do you think Nyelv thought of Suga, who was like his research partner?"

Takizawa: I think Suga-san had tons of influence on Nyelv in many ways, and in the sense that he learned a variety of things other than just sharing information, I guess you could say that he had encountered a good person. However, I also feel that Nyelv already obtained all the information he wanted to know, and I get the feeling that he's thinking, "Suga-san rushed into danger ahead of me, huh?," or "I've come out on top."

Chitose: As Suga-san was about to pass away, Nyelv went to see him off (episode 28). Watching that scene, I felt that what they had was a unique bond that exists between intellects, and that it's different from affection. I thought that was kind of cool.

Takizawa: Still, I think he had more affection for his siblings than for Suga-san

Chitose: I'm glad. I feel kinda relieved (laughs).

Takizawa: It's not just us, but the Stomach Family has steadily become more appealing, don't you think? Furthermore, the course of action everyone takes is different.

Chitose: While facing ordeals on the hero's side is common, I feel that it's rare for the villain's side to face proper ordeals. That's why I feel attached to them when they appear to try their best to get through things.

"This is exactly the kind of adversity that Glotta's facing right now."

Chitose: That's right. Lizel's remarks are pretty harsh (laughs).

Takizawa: It's just verbal arguments you know (laughs).

Chitose: She can't win. She's weak if she can't go all out with violence (laughs). Still, the fact that Lizel told her she was "half heartedly floundering about the most" also struck a nerve (episode 34). Jiip wants to be with Siita, Nyelv has his research, and Lango-nii-san's belief in growing the company was firmly established, but Glotta doesn't have anything like that. I feel like she just wants to do something with her family.

"For Glotta, the interaction at that time was a big deal."

Chitose: Yes. So far, Glotta has clumsily cared for her family, especially for Siita and Jiip, but Jiip's explicit rejection of her made her realize that it was all meaningless. It left a strong impression on me, as the moment her family moved away from her was when Glotta started to crumble.

-These two are in charge of public relations?! An account of event activities-

"The two of you have also appeared at many events related to Gavv."

Takizawa: I feel that we're both like public relations for the Stomach Family, so when we're given the chance, we like to appear.

Chitose: We aggressively go to them (laughs). During our appearance at the "Super Hero Festival 2025," I was anxious that our presence at a heroes festival would be a nuisance, but when we finally entered the stage, I was relieved to hear people cheering us on.

Takizawa: There was a scene where you walked close to the audience, wasn't there?

Chitose: There was! I threw balls among other things.

Takizawa: They were overjoyed to see us and waved, and I was so excited that I ignored them.

Chitose: (laughs). A small child wanted a ball, and it made me so happy that I handed one over to them.

Takizawa: During the "Okashina Okashi na Tea Party," it had been awhile since I had appeared in a project outside of the main series, so I thought, "I wonder what the best way of going about this would be." Asanuma-san and I talked about how we'd "make things even more exciting!," so I'm glad that the visitors also enjoyed themselves, and even though we're enemies, I really felt like we were part of the "Gavv family."

Chitose: You two were really cool.

Takizawa: The pairing of Nyelv and Suga-san was also exquisite. Not only do they get along well, but they both know each other inside and out, which I think the visitors also enjoyed seeing. Especially for the mothers who were next to their children, it was obvious that they were leaning forward as they watched us.

Chitose: Nyelv's live performance scene was just wonderful. Takizawa-kun's coolness was also on display, and Hono-chan, who was watching the video with me said, "That's so unfair!" as we then rewatched him countless times (laughs).

Takizawa: (laughs). I came up with the choreography for the live performance dance myself.

Chitose: Since you were holding a mic at that time, I'd like to see it without the mic.

Takizawa: Nee-san's character song is also one that can be sung out loud, and seems to work well at live performances.

Chitose: It has an assertive feel to it. There are calls during the song, and I was alittle worried about what would happen if they didn't call back to me during the live, but I was glad that they properly shouted back.

"Despite being villains, we get the impression that both Glotta and Nyelv are loved."

Chitose: I'm grateful. Even though they're doing a decent amount of bad things.

Takizawa: I feel like they love their characterization. Even on other sets, the topic of Gavv will come up with, "Did you transform?" or "You appeared alot today." It seems that viewership from those in the same industry is high.

Chitose: That's for sure! After the "Super Hero Festival" ended, I received LINE messages from countless people with photos from the event, which made me think, "Kamen Rider is loved by tons of people, huh?"

"Finally, please give a few words to the fans."

Takizawa: Starting from episode 39, Nee-san will play a more active role. As for Nyelv, will his monster form appear? Or will it not? That's what I want you to look forward to.

Chitose: Glotta's starting to show that there's more to her than just being strong, but how will the story unfold from here? Make sure you see things through until the end.

[serenastark-official]

🕶️ 06: The Official “Shut Up and Listen” Guide to Talking to Fury Without Getting Yelled At 🕶️

(Because Let’s Be Honest, You’re Gonna Get Yelled at Anyway)

Alright, rookies (and experienced disasters alike), listen up. If you ever find yourself in the terrifying, no-nonsense, one-eyed presence of Nicholas J. Fury, congratulations! You’ve officially screwed up enough to warrant a personal lecture.

Or, you know, he just wants to talk. (Which is honestly worse, because if Fury wants to talk to you, it means he’s either planning something or preparing to ruin your day.)

But don’t worry, because your girl, Serena Stark, has mastered the fine art of not getting obliterated by Fury’s death glare. And now, I pass this sacred knowledge on to you.

Step 1: Read the Room

Before you even think about opening your mouth, take a second to assess the situation:

Is Fury pacing? Bad sign.

Is he standing still, arms crossed? Worse sign.

Is he taking off his sunglasses? Immediate danger.

Is he rubbing his temples like you personally gave him a migraine? You’re already dead.

If you see any of these signs, your safest move is to remain completely silent until further notice.

Step 2: Speak Only When Spoken To (Yes, Even You, Starks)

I know, I know—keeping quiet is physically painful for people like me (and possibly you). But unless you’ve got a damn good reason to say something, keep your genius commentary locked down.

Fury doesn’t do unnecessary conversation. Every word that comes out of his mouth is either: ✅ A direct order ✅ A warning ✅ A very important, life-changing piece of classified information ✅ A creative way of telling you how badly you screwed up

Your job? Absorb the information and DO NOT INTERRUPT.

Step 3: Keep Your Snark to a Minimum (Or at Least, Time It Right)

Now, I get it—sarcasm is a way of life. But this is Fury we’re talking about. He invented the “I don’t have time for this” attitude.

Some acceptable times to be sarcastic:

If he gives you permission to speak (rare, but possible).

If he’s already annoyed but not at you.

If you’re Tony Stark. (But let’s be honest, even he pushes it.)

Some BAD times to be sarcastic:

At the start of the conversation.

If he’s holding a file with your name on it.

If you’re already in trouble.

If you value your dignity and peace of mind.

Remember, Fury has infinite patience for world-ending crises but zero patience for your witty remarks unless you prove yourself useful first.

Step 4: Don’t Volunteer Information He Didn’t Ask For

Fury is not your therapist. He doesn’t care about your day, your weekend plans, or how “technically, it wasn’t your fault” (spoiler alert: it probably was).

If he asks, “What happened?”—stick to the facts.

BAD RESPONSE: “Okay, so first of all, it wasn’t exactly an explosion—”

GOOD RESPONSE: “The experiment destabilized, resulting in an unintended detonation.”

Translation: Less is more. The less you say, the fewer ways he can use it against you later.

Step 5: If You Mess Up, Own It (Before He Owns You)

Look, you’re going to mess up. It’s inevitable. But if Fury calls you out, the worst thing you can do is try to talk your way out of it.

Don’t shift blame. He already knows whose fault it is.

Don’t make excuses. It won’t save you.

Don’t argue. Fury doesn’t debate—he declares facts, and you deal with them.

A simple “Understood.” or “Won’t happen again.” will do wonders for your survival rate.

And whatever you do, do not say “technically.”

“Technically, it wasn’t my fault.” → Fury Death Stare Level 100.

“Technically, it worked before it exploded.” → Fury Headache Incoming.

“Technically, I had it under control.” → No, you didn’t.

Just take the loss and move on. Trust me, it’s the safest option.

Step 6: If You Must Speak, Make It Worth His Time

Fury has exactly zero patience for pointless chatter. If you have something to say, get to the damn point.

BAD: “So, um, about the thing that happened earlier—”

GOOD: “We contained the situation, but we need backup securing the perimeter.”

Fury doesn’t need a novel. Give him clear, direct, and useful information.

Step 7: Accept That You’re Going to Get Yelled At Anyway

Let’s be honest, no matter what you do, Fury’s probably going to yell at you. It’s just how he operates.

If you’re too reckless → You’ll get yelled at.

If you’re too careful → You’ll still get yelled at.

If you breathe wrong → Congratulations, you’re still getting yelled at.

At this point, it’s not about avoiding the yelling—it’s about minimizing the damage.

Step 8: Never Hang Up or Decline a Call from Fury

I don’t care what you’re doing—if Fury calls, you answer.

It doesn’t matter if: 🚨 You’re in the middle of a fight. 🚨 You’re sleeping. 🚨 You’re “busy” with something (or someone). 🚨 You just really don’t feel like talking to him.

The moment you hit “decline,” you’ve just signed up for a whole new level of suffering.

Best case? He calls back, more annoyed.

Worst case? He finds you in person.

And let me tell you, getting ignored by Fury is the last thing you want on your record. You don’t decline a call from the guy who can put you on a global watchlist with one keystroke.

Oh, and never let him go to voicemail. If he has to leave you a message, expect something along the lines of:

“You really just let me go to voicemail? That’s cute. You have 30 seconds to call me back before I make this your problem.”

Don’t test him.

Bonus: What NOT to Say to Fury

If you enjoy living, avoid these phrases at all costs:

❌ “I can explain.” (No, you can’t.) ❌ “Well, technically…” (I already told you—NO.) ❌ “It wasn’t my fault.” (It was.) ❌ “Relax, I had it under control.” (Oh, REALLY?) ❌ “Are you sure that’s the best plan?” (Unless you want to be put on SHIELD’s watchlist.) ❌ “I read about this on the internet.” (You are now Fury’s biggest disappointment.)

Final Step: Survive & Get Out

Once Fury is done with you, leave immediately. Do not linger. Do not ask follow-up questions unless absolutely necessary. Just nod, turn around, and evacuate.

And above all else: DO NOT GIVE HIM A REASON TO CALL YOU BACK.

In Conclusion:

Talking to Fury without getting yelled at is an art. But even if you follow every rule on this list, you’ll still probably end up on the receiving end of the Glare™.

So just accept your fate, be smart, and for the love of science—don’t make it worse.

Now, go forth and attempt not to piss off the man who always knows more than you.

(Good luck. You’re gonna need it.)

tagging people who need this the most: @emma-hope-stark-official @peterparker-thespiderman @goddess-of-birds @strangeofficial @the-ironman @under0-0s

shoutout: @the-colonel-rhodes

You’re the only one on this list who might actually handle Fury correctly. Teach the rest of us.

[puimoo]

Some thoughts on Dick's parents, away from the rose-tinted glasses.

[Obligatory ‘new to comic canon’ warning!]

I was working on writing up my thoughts on young!Dick in general, when I kept getting stuck in my thoughts around how there are particular personality traits he likely already possessed before coming into Bruce’s care. This led me down the Grayson family route, which is always interesting. In everything I have consumed so far, this is always portrayed as a very loving relationship that hasn’t really been explored in much depth in canon. Which leads me to…

I completely understand why Dick loves his parents so deeply and don’t doubt at all that they loved him, but there is also this interesting selfishness with them that I find difficult to ignore.  I can’t help but keep coming back to this: they included Dick in an act where they chose not to have a net.  A position where, if he makes a mistake, it could mean his death or (probably worse for Dick) the death of his parents. This isn’t a situation that occurred out of necessity, his parents chose to do this: they could have chosen to use a net when they started involving Dick in their act, but they didn’t.  They could have chosen to wait until Dick was older and more able to make a call about what risks he could and couldn’t take, but they didn’t.  When the options were to adapt their act to protect their son or to keep it as they wanted to, they chose the latter – and I would say because the act wouldn’t be the same if they did.  I very much doubt it’s because they didn’t realise the risk involved, and rather that it wasn’t enough to get them to make changes. 

And so, you have an 8-year-old Dick Grayson who has likely been training for years under the knowledge that if he doesn’t get things perfect – if he makes a mistake – he and his parents could/would die (and it would be his fault).  You have an 8-year-old Dick whose parents are willing to risk his well-being for the ‘greater good’, and he sees this as normal – this is how families are, the payoff is worth it. You have an 8-year-old Dick who likely doesn’t value his own life quite as much as he probably should, because his parents didn’t exactly appear to, either.  You have an 8-year-old Dick Grayson dealing with adult responsibilities and adult consequences. 

This is all drummed into Dick at some level before Bruce even enters the picture. It helps explain why young!Dick struggles to understand why he shouldn’t be able to fight at Bruce’s side – his parents included him in situations that could (and did) turn deadly, and they didn’t feel the need to include a physical or metaphorical safety net.  This is going to sound really harsh, but I think it’s also kind of true: they didn’t value Dick enough to. The act was more important, and the show must go on.

I don’t doubt at all that his parents loved him.  In some ways, it’s even worse that this comes from a place where there is likely love because it gets as deeply ingrained as those healthier, positive parental elements.  However. There is an interesting prioritising of their act over Dick, and I’d love to see this explored more.  Less the perfect, untouchable parents and more the actually somewhat morally grey parents who had both a positive and negative impact on their son.

(or: we really throw the cat amongst the pigeons and hypothesize that the reason they don't use a net with Dick is because it is part of his preparation for the Court of Owls, but that is not simply taking off the rosy glasses but smashing them completely!)

[bakudekuficlibrary]

BakuDeku: Wrong Number

1 Series. 7 Works.

Anonymous asked: Do you guys have any Wrong Number fics? Just finished reading Bluebird and wanted more of that trope!

Bluebird by EtherealBeing ( E | 53,108 | 7/7 )

Dialing a wrong number was no unusual occurrence. Everyone did it once in a while, and Katsuki was well aware of that fact.

However, possessing this knowledge made it no less aggravating for him to discover — a full two minutes into his rant about his day — that he’d been venting his frustrations to a complete stranger. As if that wasn’t enough, said stranger was also inexplicably determined to hear his story to its end.

The Great Katsuki Bakugou Textmergency by brichibi ( T | 6,559 | 1/1 )

All right. Fine. Katsuki Bakugou loves Izuku Midoriya. The first step is texting that information to best bud Eijirou Kirishima. The second step is to accidentally send the love confession to that Stupid Deku. The third step is to PANIC and dial “squad” for immediate backup.

[Series] Wrong Numbers and Complicated Feelings by LoveGeek15 ( T | 32,325 | 2 Works | Complete )

It’s perfectly dark in Izuku’s room; not a single ray of sunlight could penetrate through these seals. The only light that shone in his abyss, despite it being three in the afternoon, was his computer —

'make sure you eat lunch idiot'

— and the above message that was displayed from the newest and strangest number in his phone.

(Izuku answers a spam call that ends up being more than just a number on his phone.)

Not Her Number by vintige ( Not Rated | 3,708 | 1/1 )

a wrong number. weird conversations. and katsudon withdrawal. and Christmas lights. what could go wrong?

or Midoriya Izuku misdials Ochako's number and ends up making a new friend (or something more!) just in time for Christmas

[Abandoned] Payphone by flowercafe ( M | 5,433+ | 3/? )

Izuku’s in trouble — like, SOS trouble. Lucky for him, he’s one phone call away from salvation. Hopefully his trembling fingers dial the right number, because it would really suck if he accidentally called a stranger right now.

or

The “I was walking home alone in the middle of the night and someone started following me so I ran into this phone booth with a lock on the door to call for help, but my hands were shaking so badly I accidentally dialed the wrong number and I don’t even know who you are but please help me" au — ft. a Quirkless Izuku whose misdial connects him to the personal cell line of pro hero Ground Zero.

[Abandoned] Who are you texting? by chetrambles ( T | 5,024+ | 2/5 )

Midoriya accidentally texts the wrong number, but instead of not texting it again, he kinda- does. His faceless friend slots into his life like he was always meant to be in it, though his friends are more than wary about the situation.

Bakugou had not expected anything more than annoyance from the idiot who couldn't remember his friends number, so he was as surprised as all of his friends when the nerd starts growing on him.

What happens when the lines of friendship become blurred?

[Abandoned] Kiss Me Through the Phone by dynyamight ( T | 7,759+ | 3/15 )

“You got all that, right?” Shinsou asks, readjusting his backpack on his shoulders. Midoriya hums absentmindedly. He’s still quickly jotting down the last few digits onto his planner. “And, you said tomorrow, around 7:00? At the library?” “Yeah,” Shinsou shrugs, “Or anytime really. The deadline isn’t until next month, you know.” “I kinda just want to get it done, as soon as possible.” Shinsou breathes out a snort. “Figured you’d say that much. Just make sure you got my number. Repeat it, if you need to.”

Midoriya should have done exactly that. Unbeknownst to him, Bakugou's phone number was just one digit off Shinsou's.

hang each night in rapture by Radiant_Allomancer ( E | 1,698+ | 1/? )

ooo somebody’s getting *defensive* I’m getting such an interesting picture of you already -angry hedgehog -foot fetish -daddy kink -will send threatening messages to friends and strangers out-of-the-blue -has the vocabulary of a middle schooler

shut the fuck up oh my god do you ever stop talking

do you know any other curse words besides fuck??

a bkdk wrong number AU

To see the original 2019 post, click here.

[glareraw]

Accelerationists are pathetic

Accelerationism is a range of revolutionary and reactionary ideas in left-wing and right-wing ideologies that call for the drastic intensification of capitalist growth, technological change, infrastructure sabotage and other processes of social change to destabilize existing systems and create radical social transformations, otherwise referred to as "acceleration". “Accelerationism.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Aug. 2024. Link

Let's be so fucking for real.

We are in a hopeful political landscape right now. Trump looks more and more like he will lose, and Kamala Harris alongside her VP pick Tim Walz are winning over the hearts of Americans, and increasingly beating Trump in the polls as he rambles on about how Kamala changed her race or something. And we are learning how to parse the alarmist claims of news media, and deny them ad revenue from scaring us.

But there is a thorn in side of the Democratic Party. A small group of very loud accelerationists who claim to be leftist online act like Kamala is the antichrist. Their two main claims are that she imprisoned over 1,500 people for smoking weed during her time as a prosecutor, and they still act like she fully supports the genocide in Palestine, despite the first claim being a lie told by Tulsi Gabbard in the 2020 presidential race, and the second claim a case of "I pretend I do not see it" in terms of the truth.* (see footnote) They seem to forget that a Trump presidency would be FAR worse for Palestinians.

But let's be real. The originators of this argument are cishet white people who live in major cities of coastal blue states and whose parents pay their rent. They have a feeling of emptiness in their life because they have everything given to them, so they argue with LGBTQ+ people and POC online instead of making an actual difference in the real world. They sit behind their screens and convince unsuspecting netizens of their delusions that we could have a viable 3rd party candidate come out of nowhere in less than 3 months, and completely ignore the fact that a candidate with their ideology would absolutely tank in an election. They don't care that the American people are not ready for the nation they want to make.

One of the talking main strategies these accelerationists are trying is to get people to abstain from voting --if they don't get their third party candidate. Their goal is to get less votes for Kamala to make Donald Trump win so the world will go to shit and they can remake society from the ashes how THEY want.

They think that their lives are sheltered from the blatant danger of the republican platform, to hell with the women and LGBTQ+ and POC of the red states! They are totally fine with sacrificing the safety of women and minorities in service of their unrealistic headcanon. They simply do not, or refuse to understand the severity of the situation we find ourselves in. If Trump wins 2024, there's a pretty strong chance there won't be an election --at least a real one-- in 2028 or ever again.

And if they think they will actually be able to start a revolution against the federal government? If they can get past the SWAT team arrests at their peaceful protests and CIA assassinations of their movement's leaders, they will have the honor of battle with the most powerful and overfunded military on Earth. Good luck with that! But these people would be lucky to even have leadership to begin with, because none of them actually have a viable plan or real knowledge of how to make their maladaptive daydreams real and govern their dream society.

If you read all of this and look at the facts and still believe Kamala Harris is a horrible person and you don't WANT to vote for her, then fine. I don't feel the need to argue with you further. But you NEED to vote. Change will have to be made gradually, it can't happen all at once this time. As I said, the country isn't ready for that. But if enough leftists don't vote, and Trump actually wins, it will set us back decades, if not a century or more. The government will not collapse, it will just become stronger under fascist rule. They will not get the chance to make the change they want.

I don't think the ideology of accelerationism poses a huge threat in this election. The overwhelming amount of support for the Harris Walz campaign, combined with the long-expected downward spiral of Donald Trump makes it more and more likely that we will see Kamala in the White House. And the media fear mongering about insubordination from the electorates --and Kamala's defeat in the Trump-appointed federal courts after the election-- is largely overblown. They forget how we won in 2020. AFTER Trump was ousted.

But as I said, overall, I don't think accelerationists will be successful in causing a Trump victory. They just really piss me off.

*She supports a ceasefire and the two-state solution, but can't make that happen just yet as she is just the VP but that's a whole can of worms and a conversation for another time. Just know I personally support a ceasefire and understand that what is happening in Palestine IS a genocide.

[satohqbanana]

Author Ask Tag

Tagged by @an-indecisive-nerd, @spider-on-the-sun, @inseasofgreen. Thanks for the tag! Sorry if I took so long; life happened LOL.

What is the main lesson of your story? Why did you choose it?

It tackles how prejudice and biases deter us from forming meaningful relationships, uniting towards a common goal, and being better versions of ourselves. While biases as an adaptive tactic are not inherently evil or negative, it is fascinating how the mind and one's thoughts can take precedence over facts and ignore circumstances, leading to much conflict. A solution to this is compromise, but ultimately, it is the willingness to halt one's own thoughts and be open to others' opinions that will lead to better understanding of each other and actual resolution of conflicts.

Now, I didn't really deliberately "choose" this. My characters formed this themselves and I only discovered it while watching videos on psychology. And I find this quite funny for a story whose premise is "idiot kids in magic school serve detention".

What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding?

It started with the name of the magic school, Heartwood Academy. I thought it would be cool to have the school have a literal tree called "Heartwood" in the grounds. RPG Maker MV also contributed to the worldbuilding since I wanted to have a system that would make sense both in terms of writing and in terms of playing a game.

Things have since developed from then. Kaleidopolis, where Heartwood is situated, became a hub for mages, trade, and knowledge. My philosophy in doing its worldbuilding is that, magic is powerful and can be treated as a science - much like the soul/mind is in psychology - and hence people can determine laws and guidelines for magic to go by, which they can use to propel technology and society forward. Or, well, to form biases and enact prejudice.

What are your MCs trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach them, or help the reader grow as a person?

My characters just want to get through another day as a teenager alive. (Please forgive them.)

Since I've only been writing oneshots or other short stories tackling more complex stuff, I wanted to make something bigger but simpler. I centered on making a group of three be tasked to accomplish one goal, but have vastly differing personalities, backgrounds, and perspectives, which naturally causes much conflict despite how simple their task was. And as I've brought up before, I wanted this story to be an event that, during the moment it was happening, was a huge annoyance and frustration, but looking back at it as an adult, is a source of much laughter and embarrassment.

I wish for my writing to be a good influence for others, one way or another. I cannot control what people think of me or of it, but I at least want to leave a positive impression.

When did you start writing it?

I started writing the novel about 2 years ago. For someone like me who tends to get side tracked a lot, I think I've done plenty of good work for this project.

But Magia itself was born about 3 years ago as an RPG. I'm thinking of going back to it after completing the novel to at least make it a serviceable demo.

How many chapters is your story going to have?

The main story occurs in less than 30 chapters - which is lengthier than it should be, but I really want to get detailed with the characters' thought processes and how they arrive to the conclusion that they should indeed work together.

There's also side series that occurs in 5 or so installments explaining the characters' past right before the main trio were students at the school.

Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?

Original content. IDK where I'm going to post it yet, but I plan to make it free to read with MAYBE an option to donate. (I can't look into writing as a profession at the moment. I am hesitant about associating this passion of mine with money matters.)

Do you have any words of encouragement for fellow writers?

It's never going to be good or perfect if you don't allow yourself to think of your work as good or perfect. Trust in yourself, be humble enough to say, "This is all I can do for now," and welcome your flaws with open arms.

Yay I actually did a tag thing in the middle of my Deltarune Drought breakdown!

Gently tagging as a "hi": @aalinaaaaaa, @drchenquill, @rumeysawrites

Arcanium Masterpost || Tag List:

Feel free to ask to be tagged or removed from the tag!

@philosophika, @amaiguri, @thecomfywriter, @wyked-ao3, @kingragnarok-writes

@seastarblue, @spideronthesun

[rexaofwrath]

Imma need you to drop your sethlich headcannons/any rambles please. Hand them over I'm hungry 🤲/nf

(Also to add onto the Seth favorite person thing you answered for someone else I massively fw the Levia and Seth childhood friends hc cause she went to him specifically when she suspected she had HERs, something that could get her exiled for good. She trusted him with that knowledge and no one else)

HIHI SORRY FOR THE LATE REPLY AND I'M GLAD YOU LIKED MY HC! I'd written out a whole ramble to answer this but I lost it and I'm so upset I'M GONNA CRY anyway I'll try write it out again even though my brain isn't cooperating with me SOBS

Keep in mind I may be wrong about some things AND a lot of this is my own personal theories and headcanons! also you probably know most of this stuff already, some of it is definitely obvious, but I still wanna ramble about it XD

First of all, Seth and Lich as a ship are so often unfortunately flattened by some as "poor innocent Lich gets brainwashed by evil Seth" when it can be easily inferred that's not the case. Even without Seth's influence, Lich was already conspiring to kill and backstabbing some members of the Climb One. Seth himself reported that he wasn't exactly controlling Lich, despite having contaminated him with Malice and given him a "push".

Additionally, Seth reports being a subject of Lich's research. Now, Seth was a mask with a will, a member of a man-made species. All that was needed to know about them could probably be known easily. So what sort of additional research could Lich have been conducting? I don't know what it could have been but I like to think it wasn't exactly harmless. In my own personal self-indulgent Second Period AU, Seth initially agreed to have Lich run some tests on him, but Lich began going too far with them, with Seth completely helpless due to the limitations of his mask form. This also leads into one of my theories on why Seth chose to control Lich: as retaliation for the helplessness he felt then, to make him feel equally helpless. The current state of the two on the theater could be seen a combination of both these situations, each one helpless in the hands of the other, Seth without a body, bound to the theater, Lich in perpetual uncertainty, living with the possibility of Seth sending the theater plummeting to its doom.

Another theory on "why choose Lich?", and a personal headcanon of mine for the mask race: the stronger the mind of the wearer, the less control a mask may exert on it. I like to think the mask people would sometimes be given the bodies of those whose body was living but mind and consciousness was fully gone as a means to get around, as they offered near-total control for the mask. On the other hand, the control that can be exerted on someone still fully conscious depends on that person's willpower. Lich was known for being cowardly and indecisive, so Seth likely thought he would be a prime candidate to control if the need be.

LEADING INTO my next headcanon! Seth is a man who often has everything under his control and always has an escape route. But somehow, Lich, the weak-willed, doubtful Lich, was able to offset his plans and inconvenience Seth not once but twice. First, when he broke out of Seth's influence and shot himself, hindering him in his plans, and then, whether voluntarily or not, by "losing" the seed of malice that had been engrained within him. Now, Seth is a fan of all that's unpredictable and new. Lich doing things outside his predictions could definitely fall under this category. Even though he claims to no longer have interest in Lich, I don't believe him 😏

LOOK AT THIS! I love this. I love this so much. Lich always carries himself as a mild, polite man, but with Seth he can drop that façade with ease. I can imagine he begrudgingly finds that liberating. One could even, potentially, say the same thing about the time Lich was influenced by Malice.

But Lich isn't the only one dropping his act around Seth. Seth, too, is the same way. In Outlaw and Lychgate, almost immediately after getting on the carriage with Lich under the disguise of "Keel", he makes a massive blunder, using Lich's full name. Quite different from the cunning Seth we all know, who managed to juggle the double life of Horus for years on end. Seth, too, unwittingly (forgive my stupid joke) lets his mask drop around Lich.

How would I define their relationship? Not enemies, not lovers, but worse. I can't see them in a fully romantic sense, more in a "doomed to be together" way. Noticeably, Seth seems to get over relationships with ease, be it when they leave him or when he leaves them first. It's entirely plausible he'd eventually try do the same to the EAT crew, if given a body back. But him and Lich, on the other hand... They keep meeting again and again repeatedly, no matter how often they try to take their leave from each other, almost pushed together by fate.

Now, some sillier headcanons!

Seth and Lich are polar opposites, when it comes to cleanliness. Lich is orderly, precise, and takes good care of himself and his belongings, while Seth tends to be messy, disorganized, and neglect personal care. Lich often makes cutting remarks about this.

Seth would sometimes text Lich stuff like this at 3am

Seth has an arsenal of bird-based insults to use on Lich. Over time, Lich built up his own to retaliate. A favourite is singing "Mask" by Dream very loudly.

Seth is hopeless at cooking, and Lich is fairly good at it. He makes fun of Seth for it.

Seth likes to see Lich get flustered and nervous, or angry and irritated, anything that can get a rise out of him, so he often flirts with him or mocks him just to sit back and watch his reaction.

In the Second Period they weren't exactly lovers or anything like that, but that doesn't necessarily mean they never kissed in a darkened corner of a storage room, out of breath, for a short minute, after Seth had flung the door open and pushed Lich inside. Just saying. (⁠｡⁠•̀⁠ᴗ⁠-⁠)⁠✧

Lich is bisexual, while Seth is on the aroace spectrum. ("Rexa you just headcanon him as that because of the unfeeling villain stereotype!1!1" No. I do this because I'm aroace and I have free will and with that free will I get to project on all my favorites MWAHAHA)

Seth definitely bites Lich like the feral creature he is.

If there's anything you want to add onto this or correct me on, feel free to do so! I love talking and thinking about these two MWHAHAA

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Chapter 1 - Apocalypse Arisen

Everything was dark.

It was an abyss, as any mortal would dare name it.

Outside, only death, waste and fog...Nothing alive to be spotted, no matter how much you wished to cling on the little ray of hope that humanity seemed to so dumbly hope to believe it existed.

Even he, the Anti-Christ, had to dorn a protective outfit against the  Carbon Dioxide that completely eradicated any gram of Oxygen left by the now ashes of the former trees.

Trees...They were green. And the sky, now grey and cloudy, used to be blue. A beautiful brilliant blue, just like his eyes, he remembered a comparison once, a long time ago - So long that it felt like aeons.

Going from one Outpost to another, much less fit for someone like him, was a true hassle, not to mention the horses had to be automatically put down. He was sure that, should she have been there, she would have been upset seeing them kill the poor, innocent animals so cruelly.

But it had to be done, to avert a more painful demise.

Surely, she would understand.

Outpost 3, ran by this so called Ms. Venable, an ugly, old wretch with severe scoliosis who finds herself superior to all the ones living in this place, as if she wasn't just as fortune, or perhaps, less so thank others might think, to be one of the survivors.

And so, he had to prepare yet another speech for these lowly mortals who cannot comprehend the true miracle of life and death.

The atmosphere was silent, fitting that of a funeral - Whose, he wasn't sure yet, but only time will decide - and only his shoes were heard, with each step her so gracefully took. All eyes were on him, of those curious mortals sitting on the couches, or farther away from him. Only the leader was waiting above them all, the big fireplace burning behind her, almost symbolising the supreme power she held.

Or so she thought and wished other to see.

He approached her, getting uncomfortably close to her, staring at her in the eyes, intimidating her, until she finally let her hair down, submissively, and left the scene only for him.

"My name is Langdon, and I represent The Cooperative. I won't sugarcoat the situation. Humanity is on the brink of failure. My arrival here was crucial to the survival of civilised life on Earth. The three other compounds...In Syracuse, New York ; Backley, West Virginia and San Angelo, Texas, have been overrun and destroyed. We've had no contact from the six international outposts, but we are assuming that they, too, have been eliminated." he spoke, letting a few seconds of silence, until one of those parasites dared speak. "What happened to the people inside?" he stupidly asked, as if the answer wasn't obvious enough. "Massacred." he answered, the ghost of a smirk on his face, watching their terrorised expressions. "The same fate that will befall almost all of you." he continued, enjoying how frail humanity can be whenever a lasso of hope was thrown towards them, despite being rotten. "Almost all?" the Grey with the most ridiculous hairstyle asked in a monotonous voice. "In the knowledge that this very moment might occur, we built a failsafe...The Sanctuary." he explained the reason for his arrival better, only to be rudely interrupted by a snobby wench, repeating the last words he just uttered. "The Sanctuary?" she asked, almost in disbelief. "The Sanctuary is unique. It has certain security measures that will prevent overrun." the man continued his speech, only to be interrupted once again. "Excuse me, sir, what measures? Why weren't we given them?" the older woman asked, only for him to raise his hand dismissively. "That's classified. All that matters is that The Sanctuary will...Survive. So the people populating it will survive...So humanity will survive." his voice become more cheerful, the undertones of despair-inducing clearly affecting everyone in the room. "Who are the people who are populating it?" one of the men asked, but the answer mimicked the previous one. "Also classified...However! I have been sent to determine if any of you are worthy and fit to join us. The Cooperative has developed a particular and rigorous questioning technique we like to call...Cooperating. I will then use the information gained to determine if you belong." he explained with a small, patronising smirk. "What is this, The Hunger Games? This is bullshit! I paid my way in here, and that is the only cooperating I plan on doing." the same snobby wench dared raise his voice at him, only for one, much softer, to intervene. "Please, miss, refrain from raising your voice to a person of authority." the feminine voice belonged to a woman, seemingly shy, garbed in the ugliest grey clothes, her hair under a rag, just like old women used to, centuries ago. "And who do you think you are, speaking to me like that, slave?! You are nothing more than an ant! A Grey! You weren't even special enough to be a Purple, like me! I have ALL the right to speak to anyone the way I want to!" she barely stopped herself from shooting to her feet, as if electrified, which made the poor girl shrink into her already large clothes, as if trying to completely disappear from there.

There was something that set here apart, however, and he wasn't sure what it was...Could it be her voice? Small, soft and afraid, like that of a little mouse, running away from the lion? Or was it the respect and politeness that she somehow managed to retain, despite all the chaos running amok?

Regardless of the answer, he must find out more about here and determine whether or not his intrigues were misplaced. "You don't have to sit for questioning." the man shook his head, taunting her with his calm answer. "What happens if we choose not to?" the same man asked, once again. "Then you stay here and die." the answer was, as expected, much harsher and pressed, enough to leave an impact on all of them. "I volunteer to go first." the platinum haired man raised his hand, after a brief silence that everyone took to process everything. "And so you shall. The process should only take me a couple of days, so you won't be kept in suspense forever. For those of you who don't make the cut, all is not lost. If the worst should happen and feral cannibals come knocking, down one of these." the mysterious man showed a transparent vial, his voice turning into a captivating one, almost as if he was a story-teller to the kindergarden kids. "One minute later, you fall asleep and never wake up...I look forward to meeting each and every one of you." were his last words, spoken with a feign smile, as he left the room, letting everyone bicker between who is going to live.

Unlike them, the mousy girl ran away, unnoticed by anyone, holing herself in her room, trying to calm herself down. She knew that she was an unworthy Grey and this man was not going to bring with him some useless lowlife such as her.

The man, Langdon, however, was much too busy interviewing the gay man, who so shamelessly showed his interest in him...How ridiculous of a foolish mortal like him to think he was going to get touched by the Anti-Christ himself? His skin will only ever be touched by an angel, and until he finds her, he will burn everything in his path...

As he already did, and will continue to do.

This previous little bitch, Venable, however, thought that she was in control of this Outpost, truly, that she could bend rules to her own will, only for her frail ego to be covered, as she thought she could act so patronisingly with him.  But his voice could be incredibly sympathetic, when talking about the mother with her two children he encountered, only for him to move to his study and ask for her opinion on who should populate the Sanctuary...And the then proceed in humiliating her.

She truly thought she could best him, but Langdon was smarter than any mortal alive. He knew everyone's weaknesses, and unzipping her dress, tracing the sinuous spine of hers, and watching her weep...Taunting her, mocking her...Going so close to her face, his breath on his...

Only to destroy the last ounce of hope she had by declining her.

Oh, was it satisfying.

Two interviews have already been done, and the gay got punished by the narcissistic woman filled with insecurities, using him as a martyr, until she realised he was enjoying every crack of the whip... She was weak. She didn't have a clue how to destroy people.

But he did.

Softly touching the man, circling him, denying everything the leather man did...

"I wouldn't fuck you if you were the last man on Earth...And you almost are! It's not because you're not physically attractive. It's your neediness. Your desperation to be seen and loved. The hole you need filled isn't in your face or your ass, it's in your heart. You're pathetic. I can see why your grandmother is disgusted by you." his voice was low, mocking, knowing each word exactly which heartstring to sever. "You don't know anything about my nana." the man tried to refute the only thing he knew he was true. "Why else would she report you? Make them do this to you. I'm sure she hoped they would put you out of your misery...And hers." Langdon let out an amused breathe, continuing his merciless pursue of destroying the man in shackles.. "That's bullshit." Rage. Disbelief. Shock. Confusion. He was very much broken before even coming here...And now, he's shattered. "She's the reason you're staring at a death sentence. She would do anything to increase her slim odds of getting out of here. You know she hates your guts." he continued circling him, staring him right into his eyes that held nothing but self-doubt. "You're a liar." was his last, weak attempt as saving his last bit of pride. "Am I? Perhaps you should go and talk to her about it yourself, then." Langdon smirked, letting the man free as he left the room.

The gay's grandmother reported her own grandson to give her an extra chance of survival...How pitiful and desperate humans are. And now, from rage, the silly boy killed his own grandmother with a pair of scissors. If the night wasn't eventful enough, two people has intercourse, and now had to be punished, same as the murderous one. And now, it was up to him pick up the broken pieces and put them back together. They dream of salvation, but commit nothing but sin. Truly, God will not help them, so why not extend their hands towards a more preferable deity, such as Satan?

Ave Satanas. Ave Satanas.

But no, they are afraid. Much too afraid. The unknown scares them almost as much as their own ugly souls do.

Pathetic, this humanity is.

He was done with nonesense, for now. Interviewing this pathetic bunch who would kill each other just for a few more seconds of aimless breathing and blinking. Just a few more heartbeats. Langdon, now, wanted something more. He wanted purity, and he wanted to taint it. To steal it. To devour it. He needed it.

That Grey mousy girl with the pathetically weak voice. That's what he needed. Urgently.

And so, she arrived in the room, with a soft knock on the door, patiently awaiting to be allowed inside, and then, slowly closing it behind her, making sure no sound comes out, most likely not wanting to bother anyone.

"Sit down." he ordered, in a commanding voice, not needing to intimidate her any further. "Thank you, sir." she didn't lift her gaze up, despite doing as she was told. "Why are you hiding your hair under that ugly rag?" he asked, intertwining his fingers together and leaning forwards on his desk. "Ms. Venable said my hair colour is a disgusting, genetical abnormality, so she gave me the choice. Either shave it, or hide it." she answered, her hands clasped together tightly between her knees, her shoulders slouched, trying to appear as little and insignificant as possible. "I see. I did notice Ms. Venable has a... Tendency to add ridiculous rules to the set already given by the cooperative, so enlist a certain sense of power that she never had when things were normal." he spoke, waiting for her to speak, only to hear nothing. "You are not agreeing, nor disagreeing. I wonder whether you think that is a smart choice or not. You are an obedient one, you chose to sit on my interview, yet you barely speak. This action may influence your chances of survival, are you aware of that?" he asked, his voice lower, whispered almost, as he desperately wanted to get a look at her eyes. "I-I know...But...I don't know what to say. I...Don't deserve the chance given by the Sanctuary. Coco was right...I'm just a Grey. An Ant. I'm not talented, nor a genius or anyone important or needed. Perhaps life would be a better place, should Purples continue to populate it." she stuttered her words, as her body became even stiffer, and her teeth were digging into her bottom lip to prevent it from quivering. "I never said it would influence in good or bad, however, you assume that I choose people based on their rank given here, and I will have to disagree. However, I cannot disclose the methods behind choosing the right candidates. What I can do, however, is to tell you that, from all the others who so pathetically tried to ruin each other's chances, you seem the only one to possess a certain light in your heart. A purity and innocence that I cannot understand...So tell me...Do you truly think Coco deserves to be picked for the Sanctuary?" he pressed on, once again, enjoying how uncomfortable she was. "I-I think everyone deserves a chance for a better future. It is not my place to give my opinion, since I'm not certified, nor qualified for this." the girl began trembling softly, like a leaf blown away by the wind, and it was entertaining the blond man more than he wished to admit - She was a challenge, and he was ready to crack her. "You play it safe. You don't want to bother anyone. You don't want to upset anyone. You're almost like a ghost. Invisible. Unnoticeable. Drifting away, leaving no impression to anyone...And yet, you are afraid. You are scared that nobody will remember you. That nobody likes you, and will never like you. You live in fear and anxiety, which is why you choose to be passive and accept those ridiculous rules given to you by that idiot." he raised up, slowly prowling towards her, like a cheetah carefully approaching its prey, then sat on the desk, right in front of her, to visualise her better.

"I'm...Not sure how to answer." she mumbled, gluing her back to the corner of the seat, trying to put space between the two. "Begin by taking off that rag." he spoke more casually this time, as if he was trying to gain her trust, just like you would approach a scared baby fawn looking for its mother. "O-Okay...If that is what you wish..." she spoke softly, as her fingers trembled, removing the rag and letting a gorgeous cascade of fire hair flow in waves past her shoulders and covering her flustered and frightened visage. "So Venable is afraid or red haired people, how very interesting. Now, look me in the eyes." he took a strand of her hair, twirling it around with his finger, his mind wandering away, for just a split second, remembering those nice, old times, when he would sit under the shade of a Wisteria tree and do the same thing with her. "I-I-I'm afraid I cannot do that. I'm sorry to disappoint you." she hung her head even lower, making the man frown and tilt his head to the side. "And why is that?" his voice became just a tint sharper, and yet, it wasn't unnoticeable "That's... Because I'm very shy... A-And I was never able to look anyone in the eyes. People always intimidated me." her voice was much more mellow, and shaking...She had tears forming in her eyes, without a doubt. "Look at me. I want to see your eyes." Langdon grasped her chin, brusquely tilting it upwards, forcing her to hold eye contact with him.

Her eyes, sparkling with tears, were green, just like the pine trees from the forest he used to go so often to. They were the same innocent eyes that held only kindness and love whenever they laid upon him. They were now, however, frightened, confused, filled with despair, just like he used to be, long ago. How the tables turn, Langdon thought, as his mouth was slightly agape from the shock of seeing so many emotions pooling from the girl's eyes.

"Tell me your name." he wanted to be stern, he truly did, but the thought that this woman might be her was killing him. "Katrina..." a soft whisper escaped her luscious pink lips that resembled the petals of the most delicate rose from her childhood flower garden that she loved so much. "So it is you... It really is you... Katrina... My Katrina... My Kat." he rapidly took away his hand from her face, as if electrocuted, mumbling to himself, not believing that finally, after so long, after so many searches...He found her again. His beloved angel. "S-Sorry, but... H-Have we met before...? You act as if you know me... I-I hope I didn't offend you..." she muttered, forcing herself to look at him with those lamb eyes of hers...That shattered his resolve completely. "You...You don't remember me? I'm Michael...Mickey, you used to call me. We were best friends when we were young...And then you left for a witch school, and you gave me this ring, telling me that you will find me again...But you couldn't, so I saved you from Hell. Twice, in fact. Can you...Truly not remember me...?" his voice, unlike before, was much more frail, with a fragility that it could almost break. "I...I don't think you have the right person...I'm so sorry. I'm...I'm not special. I didn't have any friends when I was little, and I went to a boring school in the neighbourhood. My father left us, and my mum was working hard, but was always mean to me. I don't even know how I got here, to be fair...And...I'm not Matilda...Or Hermione...A-Although I wish magic was real...But even so, I'm such a good for nothing Grey...Even if magic was real...I would most likely not have powers...But...Mr. Michael...I truly hope that you will find the one you are looking for." she so boldly took his hand in both of hers, caressing it soothingly, which, unknown to her, was a habit of hers from long ago, which made Michael, for the first time, cling on hope, just like any mere mortal. "And what if I prove to you that magic is real?" he asked, with a tint of playfulness, his usual taunting smile now turning much softer. "You can...?" she whispered ever so softly, her eyes opening wider with curiosity, her head held high, to search for the truth in the eyes that resembled to much the sky from those sunny days. "Put your hands together... Yes, just like this... And look. From your own hands, a little flower blooms... And it is beautiful, just like you." he spoke, holding his own hands under hers, looking at the black flower that grew from her hands, slowly blooming, then shifted his gaze to hers, searching for a reaction, with uncharacteristic excitement.

"H-How... ?! This... This is so beautiful...! How did you do that...? Are you... A Warlock? A sorcerer? A philosopher? Are you playing with illusions? Tricking my minds? Or... Is this truly... Magic...?" Katrina could barely speak as she witnessed the wonder in front of her - She was breathless. "You taught me this. When we first met, I was a little child, and I was crying in the forest. You found me, and gave me a flower. It was blue, just like my eyes, and you put it in my hair. I smiled, and you said I looked beautiful. Unfortunately, my magic cannot replicate entirely the purity of yours, however, it can do similar things, to some extent." he explained, taking the flower and carefully putting it in her hair, leaving her awestruck. "You truly believe that I am that person, don't you? There are billions of people out there that look just like me, and yet, you believe in me. Why?" she asked, and with a refined gentleness, he caressed her face, wiping away the tears that escaped her eyes. "I can sense people. Their hearts, their soul, their intentions, their minds, their fears, their weaknesses...Everything. And you...You are just like the one I used to know. Same hair, same eyes, same voice, same behaviour, same purity, same kindness, same light and same tendency to nurture others. I have met tons of people in my life, and you are the only one like that. It's a truly unique gift that, unfortunately, society seems to prey upon and wish to destroy. You have noticed that as well, haven't you? Why else a perfect human being such as yourself would be a Grey, when she should obviously be a ruling Queen over these lowly peasants? If you wished to, you could destroy them in the blink of an eye. You must just remember." he leaned down, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead, not daring to keep his eyes from her for even one second, afraid that she might disappear just like a smoke figure slipping from his fingers. "...Michael...?" she asked, very timidly, yet with hope and intrigue, for the first time since they started speaking. "What is it, my darling?" the man replied, brushing his hair against a strand of her hair. "Could you... Please... Help me remember...? Remember what happened... Remember who I am... Remember... You?" her request was so filled with innocence and wish to understand, to break the riddle of her life and mind, that he fell to his knees, grasping her hands and kissing them gingerly. "Anything you wish for, I will grant you. Just say the words, and it shall be done." he smiled widely, almost as if intoxicated by her presence alone. "I cannot let my guard down around these people, so I cannot show anyone any explicit liking. However, since you are a Grey, I can use it to my advantage and have you around me, under the pretext of being my personal maid. Tonight, you will be spending the night with me." he got up, helping her raise and pulling her to his chest, looking down at her small form, irked that she was still so stiff and uncomfortable to his presence...To his touch...To him. "But... Ms. Venable forbid a man and a woman - " her voice was shaky, looking away from him, her porcelain skin growing a tint rosier, and for the first time in so many years, his heart began beating once again, and he felt warm, but not from anger...But from adoration. "Venable isn't the rule here. I am. And if anyone dares cross you, they will have to pass me first, which I can assure you, won't happen." his tone was dark and firm, like that of a king - No, more of a Dark Lord - But the confidence he was radiating managed to calm her senses, as she nodded in agreement. "Now, shall we retire for the night? I was thinking of a story, if you'd wish to hear?" like the devil whispering into her ears, she could only fall for his charm and that seducing, velvety voice of his, and followed him to his room, as with a hand on her back, he guided her in the grand bedroom.

Taking off his blazer and rolling the sleeves of his shirt up, he comfortably sit in bed, extending his arm for her to join him, her eyes watching her with the eyes of a predator, as she, with the shyness of a bunny, stood there, next to the door, looking down, with her hands clasped together to her chest.

"Do you wish to sleep standing? I doubt it would be comfortable. Why not join me? Take off your dress, I will give you one of mine, so you can sleep properly." he took out one of his black shirts, giving it to her, then tilting his head towards the bathroom for her to change, knowing very well how timid she is.

Some would have the phrase "Wolf in sheep's clothing" on their lips, seeing Michael so vulnerable around her, and yet, seeing her in only his shirt, draping down to her knees, "Sheep in wolf's clothing" would be much fitting, he thought, and yet, he realised he couldn't breath, and the urge to grab her and pull her close to his chest - So close that she would be in his heart, in his soul - No matter how unachievable that would be, he knew he never wanted her to leave his arms.

He could feel how uncomfortable she was in his arms, so close to him, a complete stranger, at least to her amnesiac self, and he did the one thing that she used to do to him whenever she tried to comfort him and calm him down - Play with her hair. Long, beautiful, smooth, shiny and full of life, just like the fire that used to play in her eyes whenever she was excited about something.

"Do you want me to tell you 'The Story of the Beautiful Angel and The Ugly Demon' ?" he asked in a gentle voice, hoping it would take her mind away from her worries. "Okay...I'm curious. I've never heard of it before." the girl smiled, daring to drape her arm over his chest, feeling a weird sense of security and... Home.

There was once a little angel, dancing in the glade of the forest of Eden, on one cloudless day of Spring, where the warmth of the Golden Sun's fan of rays caressed the Earth and all its living beings. Her voice was so beautiful as she sang that numerous critters gathered around her and the birds would chirp with her.  As she was lying down, under a Wisteria tree, the purple flower petals dancing with the wind, a little boy, ugly and crying, lost his path and ended up in front of the girl. He was so ugly, and his sobs were so creepy, that he made all animals run away from there. The girl, however, did not.

Instead, she smiled at him, a gentle smile, and extended her hands towards him, guiding him to sit next to her.  She asked him his name, yet he was much too frightened to answer. So she kneeled in front of the boy, brought his hands together, and putting hers under his, she made a little flower bloom. It was the colour of his eyes, just like the colour of the azure sky.

He looked in wander and shock at what just happened, not believing his eyes, thinking her some kind of Goddess...Until she picked the flower and put it in his hair, golden, each separate hair looking as if it was the finest thread of gold that was used to embroider Emperors and Empresses' royal clothing - It was shining brighter than the Sun itself.

"You are beautiful when you smile. Happiness suits you." she said, and yet, her dazzling smile mesmerised by the ethereal being in front of him, as if he was cheated by some spell.

And a spell it was indeed, and the girl compared herself to some witches she saw in humans' television, and since then, she tried to recreate what she was seeing, and bit by bit, she was becoming better and better, while the demon, who could do magic too, was becoming worse and worse. 

He was born evil, and she was born good. The world was either white or black, and there was no grey...At least for him, back then.

But there was one thing the angel said that will stuck to him forever, when he finally told her the reason for his distress.

He was evil, only capable of malevolent thoughts, of destroying, purging, erasing life from existence, while she was the exact opposite - A Saint, filled with kindness and benevolent actions, bringing life and healing wounds.

How could she possibly want to stay around him, a creature of the dark, when she's always engulfed in light?

But she was quick to erase his worries, as she cupped his face, drying the tears that sparkled like zircons, and said, with a voice gentle, and warm, so sweet, as if she was luring a fawn...

"There is light and dark in every human being, without exception. Maybe you feel like one side overpowers the other, but with the right influence, I assure you, you are capable of outstanding things. You are strong, Little Demon, and I promise you, when I look into your eyes, I can see the humanity shining in you, striving to shine and be better. I have faith in you, so please, believe in yourself as well."

And those words will forever be imprinted into his heart, sown with the same golden thread that made out the Sun Rays.

When Michael looked down, he notices the woman he held to his chest was much more relaxed. In fact, she was sleeping peacefully, with no sign of restlessness. She seemed...Peaceful.  It seemed his voice managed to put her to sleep, and he was happy with that.

She truly was the star shining brightest in the sky.

Next Chapter >

[audreyscribes]

That Luke Castellan and Rhea kid just made me think of demigods whose mortal parents are also like demigods. No idea why they would want a child with a god considering how most demis don’t have the best life but yeah. Sorry if this sounds like just rambling

Well it's not entirely unreasonable, but also at the same time that's their decision to make and be responsible for.

Demigods are born regardless on whims, in love, and on purpose (though typically I can see the god doing it on purpose). So, if a or when a demigod having a child with a god, and producing a Scion in result, can be one of those things.

If its out of love or by accident, what can you do?

If it's on purpose, well there's probably a reason or the god has a reason to pursue said-demigod. Which...I mean the Fates have something planned which it's unavoidable and you can look at Greek Mythos of those who tried.

It's not a better explanation, but its been confirmed in the "CHALICE OF THE GODS" that once demigods become older, probably close to adulthood, there are lower chances of monsters attacking them so there are times sometimes the demigods can forget what it's like. Especially if their lives a demigod is less tremulous then others.

Like a child of Demeter isn't going to have the same harrowing experience then say a child of Zeus; so their perception of danger is going be very different.

On a general note, we're not entirely sure what the situation of scions/offspring of demigods are like, cause I'm pretty sure they exist. And who knows if a regular child of a demigod have the same problems or threats to their lives as their parent.

I mean, look at all the Greek heroes and kings, that have a god in their line (Usually Zeus or Poseidon) in their line, before producing out a demigod hero.

Or in the PJOverse, all the legacies that we see walking around. The only reason we don't see how dangerous their lives are is because their in the safety of New Rome. Who knows if there isn't a scion of a demigod and god walking around in complete safety?

The only consolation I have to offer if a demigod does have a child with a god, that scion is probably more well-prepared and has more tools in their disposal.

Their demigod parent is already aware of what will happen and they will be armed with knowledge. The scion will know how to fight off monsters and how to protect themselves from them, have ambrosia and nectar for severe wounds, how to spot a satyr hiding among the students, talk with the nymphs around them so there's not alone. Most importantly, the scion or scions will probably have grown up with the knowledge of or better yet attended Camp Halfblood or Camp Jupiter as soon as they can so they immediately know where a safe haven is.

That is the difference in a demigods life. Because unlike the demigod stories we've read, they're so unaware of the godly realm that they're thrown straight into danger without any idea or tools; which is the difference between life and death.

[chevelleneech]

Circling back to Namjoon to say that while again, we don’t know who he’s dating, I think it’s very telling how the usage of things usually considered common knowledge within pop culture goes disregarded when it’s BTS related.

For example, Jungkook was once asked (although he shouldn’t have been) “Top or bottom?” and he answered, “Top.” Can it be said he wasn’t sure of the context? Yes, but at the same time, that is more of a reach than him just answering the question. It makes less sense to assume a man in his mid twenties, who grew up just as online as the rest of people in his generation, does not know what too or bottom means. They’re not unheard of terms in South Korea either, given how heavily they play a part in how queer male relationships are depicted on screen over there.

So with that example in mind, it kind of blows me how many people disregard an even more basic pop culture thing, by claiming Namjoon is completely naïve to what putting heart emojis over people’s faces tends to mean.

That is some of the most basic, normal ways to indicate a person means something to you, but particularly online it is often a signifier of being in a relationship or having romantic feelings for whoever is being covered up. So why would it be different for Namjoon? Especially because as far as I can recall, the only time he’s ever used a red heart was when fans were speculating about the guy from 2021.

He came online deadass in the middle of the drama and posted a photo with the heart over a man, and while I do not think the guy he chose was the same guy he’d been consistently posting about leading to the conversation at that time, I do think he did it for the laughs. I do think he did it to intentionally fuel the conversation, because he probably thought it was funny and watching us get another “clue” made him laugh. That said, I do also think the other guy whose build was much more consistent for a little bit, was likely his partner at the time. The same way I think the guy he used to post about on Weverse (or whatever app they used prior to IG) was his partner back then, because it was pretty consistent.

Now we jump to recent days, where he included an emoji which at the very least says, “I like this” over the face of someone who appears to be a man. And the caption to the series of posts that this is included in, is “just waiting for you.” And yes, he could be referring to a million and one things under the sun, but again, the reach is not people going, “Oh, he seems to be in a relationship again.” The reach is people trying to rip away the most basic way in which most of the world uses social media, because they don’t want Namjoon to be “mistaken” as queer.

It makes more sense for people to double down on saying this person is just a friend, thus implying Joon doesn’t know what emojis mean, despite the fact that we’ve seen him use other emojis to cover faces. As well, the song he attached seems to be about time passing, the same way the wall in his photo dump is.

So no, the person in question may not be someone he is romantically involved with, and could just be someone he is appreciative of for helping him move forward in life after a tough situation. At the same time though, the person in question could also just as easily be someone he’s dating, whom he feels has helped him move forward after a tough situation, and speculating/joking about them dating is not invasive.

As long as people don’t try and hunt the man down or hack into Joon’s personal devices or ask his public friends who the guy is, nothing will come from fans posting on social media about whether or not he has a boyfriend. Particularly not when he himself is publicly posting photos where he’s placed a heart over someone’s face. Namjoon is not stupid. He knows what this stuff means, same way he knows what comes from releasing music about his exes, or posting photos and captions on IG about shitty relationships. Just because he doesn’t confirm who he is or was dating, doesn’t mean he is uncomfortable with the topic of his love life now being public conversation. He quite literally responded to someone asking him who his girlfriend is or was on live, and said he didn’t have one. And that was during his peak, “Relationships are shit, people suck.” era.

Namjoon talks openly about having been in relationships, so it is not the place of any fan to decide which types of relationship he might have been in and is allowed to be speculated on. Not when he is the one who posted photos of these men, he is the one who said “We don’t have boyfriends or girlfriends.”, and he is the one who rapped, “She a pro-rider/He a pro-rider.” Yes, to some people that may point toward him being in straight relationships or being misunderstood in an interview, but to others the interpretation is he dates men and women.

Neither is right or wrong until he tells us it is, but he also doesn’t have to do that. We are not owed an answer on his sexuality, but speculating on who may have broken or mended his heart is not the same thing as demanding he out himself to confirm his potential queerness. He’s allowed to post whomever and write whatever lyrics he wants if the muse in question left a mark on him, and it’s not fair to dumb down his intelligence just because you’re afraid of said muse being a man.

[666writingcafe]

The Home Theater

Satan

"I don't remember the House of Lamentation having one of these," MC notes as they take in their surroundings. "Whose idea was it to put one here?"

"It was mine," I answer. "Barbatos helped me set everything up. All the equipment, the acoustics...it's all top-notch."

"By human world standards, or Devildom ones?" I've forgotten how observant they are. MC seems to enjoy taking in all sorts of information, even if it seems insignificant to other people. That's one of the things I like about them.

"According to the employee at DevTech--I mean, Best Buy--we have the top-of-the-line equipment, and the quality is comparable to some of ours." I hate that I keep swapping human world names with Devildom ones. I personally feel like I'm better than that.

"Have you guys used it yet?"

"Funny that you mention that, because we just started a zombie movie marathon last weekend."

"Was that your idea as well?" I nod my head.

"The idea of zombies has interested me for a while now. While there are diseases and curses that can induce a zombie-like state in demons, it's usually a temporary problem that can be solved with medicine. That doesn't seem to be the case with humans."

"Are you solely basing that on our movies?"

"Of course not. I've also read books."

"Fiction or non-fiction?" Oh, I'm about to blow their mind.

"Both, actually."

While the human world seems to focus on the fantastical elements of zombies, the Devildom has meticulously recorded all zombie outbreaks that have occurred throughout the centuries. You see, sometimes a human zombie accidentally stumbles in the Devildom, and we have to deal with that situation properly in order to prevent chaos.

While we've certainly dealt with the stereotypical zombies--the ones that are slow-moving, crave brains, and are more or less dead--those aren't the only ones that we've come across. Some are capable of sprinting, others aren't too keen on brains, and there's even those that appear perfectly fine on the outside but have some kind of parasite in their brain that's making them carry out orders with no thought whatsoever.

Although, sometimes the parasite doesn't have a physical form and is instead created as a result of rather intense brainwashing.

"I see," MC states once I've completed my mini lecture. "Somehow, that's never come up in any of my classes."

"That's because you've only taken general knowledge ones. RAD offers majors, and with those comes specific classes for particular areas of study. Although, in order to declare a major, you have to prove that you have a solid understanding of the fundamentals first, since you might get pulled to teach a class or two."

"Has that ever happened to you guys?"

"Lucifer and I are the only ones out of our bunch that have declared a major. Belphie's been offered, but he doesn't want to deal with the responsibility of teaching, so he just takes whatever interests him. The others simply haven't proven themselves yet. Levi struggles with attendance, and Beel has difficulty concentrating. As for Mammon and Asmo, I think they're content with where they're at right now, so they're not going to push themselves too hard."

"What do you and Lucifer major in?"

"He does potions and curses. I focus on history and literature. Somehow, despite my sin, I tend to be a more patient teacher than him. At least, that's what I've heard from other students."

"That's really interesting." MC appears deep in thought. "Do you think I could major in something?"

Honestly, I don't know how to answer that question, mainly because we've never had beings outside the Devildom attend RAD before Diavolo implemented the exchange program. It wouldn't surprise me if he did allow MC and the others to declare a major eventually, but I don't know how long that would take. Would MC be alive by then? Or be in a good physical and mental state to take in additional knowledge, let alone teach an entire classroom? Personally, I think they have the best chance out of the initial exchange students of eventually declaring a major, but that isn't for me to determine.

"That would be something to ask Diavolo. I don't think I'm qualified to answer that question." MC nods their head.

"So, changing the subject...wanna watch a movie together?"

"Like, right now?"

"Yeah!" I sigh.

"As much as I would like to, I doubt the others would be happy if I kept you all to myself before they've even had the chance to say hi to you. I will have to take your offer some other time."

"Sounds good. I'll try to find a good movie for us to watch together in the meantime."

"You bring the movie, and I'll whip up something nice for us to eat." MC snorts in amusement. "Do you not think I'm capable of cooking, MC?"

"It's not that at all. Just reacting to an idea I had, that's all."

"What kind of thought?" Interesting. My question has made them tense up all of a sudden. Usually they only get that way if someone catches them doing something that they think they're not supposed to do. Like fiddling with strange objects.

Or having dirty thoughts.

I keep coming across the phrase "Netflix and chill" in the media I've been consuming, and it appears to be referring to hooking up with someone as a movie's playing in the background. Is MC wanting to do that with me?

Are they afraid I'd find the idea silly? Because I don't. I mean, if it was something that I was invested in, then I'd want to pay attention to whatever was playing, but I'm more than capable of choosing something that I can tune out as I focus on something else.

Especially if that something else happens to be MC.

I lean in closer to them to whisper,

"You know, I went ahead and assembled a collection of movies I thought you'd like." I plant a kiss right below MC's ear, making them shiver slightly. "I really enjoyed picking them out, actually." I begin moving down their neck. "It was fun thinking about what might appeal to you. There are so many genres that are worth exploring."

[audiovisualrecall]

-- young rider-dragon pairs work as couriers - messages and packages at first, when the dragons are capable of carrying a passenger as well as their rider they are raised to the rank that can ferry people as well when needed. this is generally for important situations, for example bringing a doctor quickly to the scene of an incident. an older dragon+rider pair (titled/ennobled/ranked?) would be needed to bring the doctor and any patient(s) to a hospital if necessary. a mid-rank youngster pair might have other important responsibilities prior to their graduation to (???) which are complex/difficult/require greater strength or endurance than younger pairs have, or requires them to be circumspect or greater reliability.

graduated pairs join (ranks? nobility? wings?) (???)

OKAY so at some pt in the long past times there was some huge war/issue/conflict that led humans to start bonding with dragons and creating an organized structured group of dragonriders whose job was to protect and defend their society/country/city/world. that conflict/issue is long over and resolved, like this is not foreshadowing (unless i later change my mind lol), and even the transition from that to their current work is in the past, probably by a few generations at least.

so they do courier work, and they do still do patrols/training/ flying in teams and such, maybe something like sparring or something to maintain their skillset/knowledge? idk. and also travel/transportation, particularly important people, emergency work, etc. they bring emergency workers to, say an incident or accident, or a wildfire. or they transport people across some dangerous landscape feature. maybe something left over from that long-past crisis, like poisoned ground or something, but the society expanded, idk.

maybe dragonrider pairs can also choose to train in/be part of a group of rider pairs trained in some emergency response field, too. imagine dragonriders fighting wildfires.. their world has no airplanes/helicopters. no need for it with dragons around. there are rider pairs who do less urgent transportation work, for people to get to and from places, visit family, help the expanding society as it grows. or something.

also yes its a big honor to be picked to be a potential for an egg, and of course a lot of times noble families' kids get picked as potentials more often than working class/poor kids. not Always, but its easy to just consider nobility and not ruffle feathers too. families and the community do get invited or open door invitations to be audience at hatching events tho. which is how some people bond dragons who were not picked as potentials. and its an even higher special honor to be chosen by a dragonet.

"the two species are intertwined now" position is somewhat ceremonial thing but they still have work they do uniquely

fast couriers, scouts places where horses or other resources cant go monsters? wild dragons?! that could be, maybe there are still dragons who are uninterested in humans and/or outright hostile, aggressive, territorial... ye- kelpies or sea monsters? critters that will or like to eat people? "soporific flowers", interesting

maybe that long ago crises that led to dragons and humans bonding came about in part bc dragons gained something from bonding humans, too. they're intelligent, sentient, but dont speak per se? mental/emotional/spiritual partnership for dragons' growth and development?

bonding a dragon is a status symbol yes

also maybe borrow idea from joust series (alta side) that becoming a dragonrider is a way to become nobility for those not born in the role? not the only way, tho. and dragonriders are still sort of…apart, culturally. its not that they completely keep to their own, but often they do just bc

maybe…dragons have a social/emotional/mental need to bond to another creature, and they usually would bond to others of their own species, but also that can be problematic socially bc they can end up having issues? but they cant grow up and develop without bonding to something. but they also dont usually un-bond and bond to someone new, it's not a thing that happens unless the dragon's bonded one dies, at which point the bond evaporates, and the dragon will eventually need a new bond even as an adult.

dragonets usually bond right away to either a parent or a sibling, or to a nestmate - sometimes dragons share their nests between one or two un-mated moms (mom being the word for egg-layer, gender is more complex for dragons anyway?) and their eggs from separate (or the same - sometimes they're poly!) sire-mates, which is to say that sometimes a nest contains two or more clutches of eggs that may not be blood related at all.

anyway. so dragonets may bond to a parent or a sibling or other nest-mate. not sure how this could be an issue, tho. sentient dragons wouldn't mate with a bonded one who is a blood relative. so idk. unless they dont care abt that kind of thing? maybe they dont really get why its a problem? but genetically at least it is...

so then around the same time this is becoming an issue there's the threat or crises or whatever. and a person stumbles into a dragon nest or stumbles upon a fledgling dragonet, or hatchling that ventured out of the nest too early, and surprise, bonded! and then that turned out to be advantageous to both dragons and humans. and the rest is history? (ie theres lots of communication and discussion and working out details of the partnership, and culture clashing, and agreements, things and stuff) anyway!! so the dragons get something out of bonding just as humans do. and the dragons enjoy having jobs/work/purpose as well as the humans do, too. they enjoy helping people.

do the dragons talk? or it is more…feelings-images-emotions communicated mentally and empathically. which is why it takes/took a human bonding to a dragon for them to figure out the partnership could work, even tho dragons can and do 'speak' to others besides their bonded one. but if youre not used to that or expecting it and dont know how to interpret/understand the communication, (or youre especially unreceptive, which includes ppl who are never considered by a dragonet obvs) you wouldn't really Get It.

-> thank you @aniseandspearmint for the ideas and thoughts!! :D

[the12thnightproject]

Chapter 34: Turn the Page. An impatient Katsu discovers that Yoshimoto travels at his own pace - but maybe he has the correct idea?

Mitsuhide x OC; Hideyoshi x MC (Mai)

All Chapters Archived on Ao3 

Logline - With Mai, Hideyoshi, and Aki missing, Mitsuhide and Katsuko reluctantly team up. Disguised as a merchant and his concubine, can they outsmart the man known as the God of Deceit?

Travel with Yoshimoto? I could probably get anywhere faster and less conspicuously without an escort, but in spite of his ambivalent manner, his knowledge of the politics involved would be worth having. Not to mention there was always the possibility that Yoshimoto wouldn’t give up the location of Yoshiaki’s hideout unless I agreed to go with him. “Thank you.”

He cast a critical eye over my clothes. He didn’t visibily flinch at my ‘Katsu’ drag, but he was clearly unimpressed. “Dare I hope that you still have the clothing Mitsuhide provided?"

"No." I didn’t mention the turquoise yukata. That wasn’t what I imagined Yoshimoto meant. "I've abandoned the Kaya identity completely."

"Pity. It would be most believable to Yoshiaki if I brought along a concubine." He tapped his fingers on the table. "Stand up, if you will."

Wondering what he had in mind, I obeyed the polite request. Yoshimoto got to his feet as well, and stood next to me, "You'll travel as my page, although I'll have to procure a suitable outfit. My own clothes would be far too long for you."

Had it been Mitsuhide who made such a statement, I would have protested that I wasn't too small, it was he who was too tall, but Yoshimoto had a way of making everything seem like a compliment. He thought a moment longer then added, "I have a relative whose castle will be on our route. I imagine we might find something suitable there, for you will certainly need warmer outfits for the mountains. Her son’s clothes will likely fit you."

Right. If Yoshiaki was in mining country, as the context of Iekane’s letter suggested, it would be colder there. Maybe not as cold as the Togakushi area where I was from, but cold enough to need heavy outerwear. "Thank you. My winter gear is back at my master’s home."

When Aki had first disappeared, it had been the last of summer. I had never expected the search to take me into late autumn. And yet… here I was, following a path that hopefully would not be another dead end. That morbid thought reminded me that I needed to make arrangements for Hiko tonight too.

Yoshimoto reached out and tested the thickness of my kimono. "Perhaps we'll encounter traders on the route. They might have some pelts they are taking to the export merchants." Huh. That suggested it was really cold where we were going (or that Yoshimoto just wanted an excuse to go for shopping). He knelt at his writing desk and jotted down a few notes. "Do you also need a horse?"

"No. Mine is already stabled in town and she's a surefooted mountain pony." A bad tempered one, true, but we'd be more likely to see snow instead of rain, so hopefully she'd cope.

“Ah, you might be better situated in that regard than I am.” Yoshimoto folded up the letter, and set it aside. “I’ll have one of Shingen’s spies take this to my cousin tomorrow.”

Hm – I hadn’t realized that the Takeda spy network reached as far south as Sakai. But that did present a solution to one of my other problems. “Do you have easy access to the mitsumono then? Because Sho’s younger brother is in danger, and it would be a good idea to have someone watching over him.”

“How much danger?” He looked at me steadily, perhaps reassessing what he’d just gotten himself into.

“Life threatening.” While I didn’t think Iekane was currently in Sakai (because if he were, why would he send a message to de Sousa instead of just talking face to face) he probably had access to assassins.

Yoshomoto reopened the letter and scrawled a few more lines. “To be safe, I can have him taken to Kasugayama until he’s out of danger.” He muttered something about Kenshin needing a hobby.

“If you could make that happen, that’s probably the best possible solution.” Iekane would have to be crazy to attack Kasugayama. Kenshin’s reputation as a fighter was infamous.

“A good idea will waft through my mind on occasion.” He hesitated a moment, then added, “Very rare occasions.” Before I could dispute that, he continued. “Right then. Another good idea is that we should sleep. You shall take my bed.”

"I can't kick you out of your bed." I’d broken into his room – it would be impolite to also steal his bed. For that matter, I couldn't imagine him sleeping on the floor.

"If you're that concerned for my comfort, we could share." The look he gave me was enough to convince me that a) it would not be platonic, b) he was not teasing, and c) he expected me to turn him down anyway.

"I'm actually used to roughing it. Don't forget that before I was p-p-pretending to be Mitsuhide's concubine,” Let’s just ignore the fact that for one night, it had not exactly been a pretense. “I was delivering messages all over the country. My tent and bedroll are with my horse, and it’s not as if I wouldn’t be using those the next few nights anyway."

If Yoshimoto noticed my hesitation in describing my relationship to Mitshide, he was kind enough not to mention it. "Tent. Bedroll. No that won't do. There are enough inns on the route to suit."

Ah. We were going glamping. Well, it was his money. The Imagawa were land poor, but Yoshimoto at least seemed to have unlimited wealth. I supposed that now I had liberated my, for want of a better description, trust fund, from Francisco's desk, I could afford to stay at an inn as well.

But for this night, I pointed to his bed. "You, futon. Me, floor." Without giving him a chance to argue, I simply stretched out in the corner, using my pack as a pillow.

The lantern light was suddenly shadowed by his figure, standing over me. “I don’t care that you are used to, as you say, ‘roughing it.’ I will not be able to sleep if I know that you are on the floor. Take my bed please. I have other options.”

… I ended up sleeping in his bed. Yoshimoto found an accommodating tea maid (perhaps the same one as before) and spent the night elsewhere.

The following morning we were off, far later than I would have preferred, but Yoshimoto is not a morning person. In fact, by the time we had left the inn, taken care of half a dozen little tasks that Yoshimoto had insisted were important, it was long past dawn and I was already feeling impatient.

Luckily, getting in touch with one of Shingen’s spies took very little time – in fact as quickly as Yoshimoto made contact, one would think that she’d been watching for him. Or maybe even me, as it turned out that I knew her, for she was the kuinochi who had clued me in on the existence of the contraceptive tea. Sute, who didn’t appear to have a verbal ‘off’ button, had flitted around Yoshimoto, boldly flirting with him, before agreeing that bodyguarding a small boy to Kasugayama sounded like a fun new mission.

Her attention span seemed to jump from topic to topic so quickly that I was dizzy trying to keep up with her. “I love children, I would have a dozen of my own, but Chiyome thinks I would get bored with babies, so she reminds me to drink the – oh, Katsu, are you still drinking the tea?” She twined her arms around Yoshimoto for a moment. “You will need to if you will be travelling with this one. His skin is so very soft, do you not agree?” Then before I could respond to that (although what, really could I say?) she suddenly changed moods completely. “If someone is trying to kill a small boy, don’t worry, I will gut him like a fish.” She gestured to the arsenal of weapons and tools she had with her.

To add reassurance, Yoshimoto nodded. “All of Shingen’s mitsumono are brutal in a fight if necessary. Shingen won’t send anyone out who can’t protect themselves and others. Let us retrieve this child now.” It was said with a slight impatience … as if I hadn’t been agitating to get this show on the road hours ago.

I had a general idea where Hiko and his family lived, and well, Sho’s looks made it easy to track them all down. All I’d had to say was ‘green eyed beauty’ and her neighbors pointed me to their house.

Once Hiko had been guaranteed that his mother and sisters would be taken care of in a safe house arranged by Yoshimoto, he treated the idea of traveling to Kasugayama as a great adventure. In fact the biggest resistence to the plan came from Sho. Though she didn’t blink at my transformation from Kaya to Katsu, the news that Hiko was in danger was another issue altogether. In a show of defiance, my former maid not only refused to go with her mother and sisters to the safe haven, but also insisted upon accompanying her brother as an additional bodyguard. “I’m not helpless. And you’ll need another pair of eyes to keep watch on him. Hiko gets into everything.”

Sute had given her a long measuring look, then surprisingly agreed to another travelling companion.

In fact, Sute and Sho seemed to take an instant liking to each other, and as they got on the road, I could hear them chattering about everything under the sun.

Finally, Yoshimoto and I were able to leave Sakai too. I was happy to have the city in my so called rearview mirror. Moonlight also was glad to be on the road, especially after being stuck in a stable for weeks. I felt the same. Playing house, so to speak, with Mitsuhide would always have been a chore for me because I just didn’t like being inside. Getting back on the road was such a blessed relief....

And maybe if you keep telling yourself that, you will eventually come to believe it.

The only person who didn’t seem relieved to leave the city was Yoshimoto himself. With a figurative dark cloud looming over his head, his frown and drooping posture suggested some private misery. I suspected it had to do with his rebellious vassals, but I hesitated to question him because I didn’t want to make matters worse.

Thankfully, once we were well out of town, and the humid sea air gave way to a cooler crisp weather, he shook himself out of the mood and began peppering me with questions about the future, or, more specifically about the art and culture of the future. “You’ve never talked about this stuff with Sasuke?”

Yoshimoto’s shoulder lifted in a graceful shrug. “I have tried sometimes, but it was clear that his tastes and mine do not converge and I find it frustrating to hear about adventure stories when I prefer to learn about theater, art and dance.”

“Um, you’re probably going to find my conversation just as bothersome then.” Sports were always my interest, and I knew nothing about painting or sculpture.

He turned a dazzling smile to me. “Not at all. Conversation with a lovely young woman is never a bother.” Whoa. I had forgotten that Yoshimoto could turn on the charm when he wished to.

Huh. Hm. I didn’t want to disappoint him after that, so after thinking for a moment, I decided I could manage to speak somewhat authoritatively about film. I took him through the plots of Ran and Throne of Blood, giving him a brief run down of Kurosawa which then detoured to Shakespeare (at least what I could recall of both – which wasn’t a lot in regard to Shakespeare, given my habit of skipping school). And then I remembered that Ran had been inspired by Motonari, or at least the version of him from my own timeline, which made everything weird for me all over again.

Over the past seven years, I had gotten used to living in the same era as the historical figures I had grown up learning about in school. I'd rarely encountered them though, so it had been easy to pretend that they were still characters in a film. Now, I'd just spent the bulk of autumn with Mitsuhide, taken part in a rescue of Hideyoshi, and was travelling with Yoshimoto. I was feeling a bit of surrealistic alienation.

"Katsuko, what happened next?" I realized that Yoshimoto was waiting for me to continue telling him the plot of Ran. "How do they get all of these battles on the stage? Or are your theaters bigger?"

Whoops, I had skipped over the technology involved, "It's not live, we have a different, or well another medium to stage visual stories." As best I could, I tried to explain how movies were made, and how they were available to be viewed at the push of a button.

He got very quiet for a while before saying, "I can't decide if the idea of holding a play in the palm of my hand whenever I want is wonderful or terrible. I'm afraid it would make it all less special."

Hm. He had a point, I supposed. "I've never known any other way. We still have live theater, and dance. It didn’t go away. It's just... really expensive. At least with streaming, more people can enjoy it. Even in my time, people with unlimited funds are the exception, not the rule."

He turned to look at me, and there was pity in that glance. "Is that how you grew up? Were you poor?"

Yoshimoto might consider it so, but he was coming from a life where he’d at least monetarily had everything he wanted and never had to make decisions about whether or not he could afford something. “No. We always had enough to eat, shelter, warm clothes. Just not much extra."

I'd worked in a coffee shop for three years to save up for my snowboard. I didn’t really want to explain further. Though Yoshimoto (when he was in the mood) was an interesting conversationalist, talking about my childhood wasn't something I enjoyed doing, and he didn’t have Mitsuhide's ability to take with facts I gave him and accurately understand the conflicting emotions attached to them. So instead of revealing more of myself, I diverted Yoshimoto's attention back to the movies.

Unfortunately Yoshimoto proved to be distractible in every area of his life, and rather than making good time and traveling directly to our destination, he would often stop, even in the smallest villages, and visit with craftsmen and artisans.

I found it frustrating, and, I’m sure the hulking spy (Mitsuhide’s man – I recognized him from Sakai), who had been patiently following us for several days felt the same. When we stopped to visit what seemed like the tenth artisan in three days, I finally had to protest. “It seems like we’re not making very good time. I could have gotten there already.”

"Would you have pushed yourself and your horse to exhaustion?” Yoshimoto held a ceramic bowl up to the light. It was so shiny, his reflection was visible in it. “By traveling in this manner, you can go faster in short bursts. I would wager we're covering nearly the same territory in the amount of time it would take you to travel the other way. And this way, we learn whether or not Yoshiaki is massing an army because these villagers take note of everything."

Hm. Ok. He was right… and I should have thought of that myself. In my impatience over our lack of speed, I'd stopped paying attention to Yoshimoto’s conversations with the innkeepers and artisans. My bad. "Is he?"

"Not as of yet. I believe he's still in the process of getting promises of support from anti-Oda clans. Small ones." Yoshimoto reluctantly gave the bowl back to the artisan. It was too big to take with us (not that it had stopped his other purchases). "With winter setting in, he'll wait to attack in spring. No one wants to march an army through the mountains in a blizzard."

He turned back to the artisan and purchased the bowl anyway. "I can gift it to my cousin. We're almost to their castle."

Yoshimoto apparently had relatives all over Japan although the exact lines of ancestry I was never clear on. This particular cousin Ohana was married to a daimyo who was currently an ally of Kenshin, or at least that was the apparent relationship. It didn’t seem like much of a connection, especially not when we were basically dropping by with very little warning.

However, when we arrived at a small castle in Takayama, Ohana's husband Susumu welcomed us warmly. Then he immediately bore Yoshimoto off for a long war conversation, leaving Ohana to outfit me with clothing belonging to her youngest son. Besides a warm fur cloak, there were kimonos and hakamas in rich heat-absorbent shades of blue and black. I felt terrible taking her kid's wardrobe, but she waved off my protests.

"In truth, if Genmaro is anything like his father and brothers, I expect he will be half a head taller and more before the new year. And with no other children behind him, I would have sent these on to another cousin anyway." She threw a sturdy dark wine colored kimono on the pile.

I supposed that due to the fact I needed to look the part of an Imagawa page, it was in a sense a uniform. Armor. At least it was physical armor. It seemed that I would need some mental armor as well - both Ohana and Susumu had reacted with identical expressions of horror when Yoshimoto said he was planning to visit Yoshiaki. I imagined that a large portion the conversation between Susumu and Yoshimoto included the Sengoku versions of the expression, ‘are you nuts?’

Yeah, Yoshiaki was beginning to sound like the monster under the bed.

I half expected Yoshimoto’s cousins to lock him in a room and perform an intervention, but all that they managed to do was convince him to spend the night with them, so that we would be awake and alert when we arrived at Yoshiaki’s hideout. We would take with us not only warmer clothing, but also a couple additional servants, as both Yoshimoto and Susumu agreed that in the case of the Shogun, “more is more.”

And ‘more is more’ as in this is beginning to feel like more and more of serious production. As in, if you screw this up, it is more and more likely that you and Yoshimoto will die. It was at that moment that I realized I didn’t actually know what a page did. It was not in my repertoire of disguises, so as we were preparing for the visit, I asked, "Do you have any particular instructions? I've never been a page before."

This request was at least partially prompted by my worry for his mental state. He hadn’t slept at all the night before, for every time I woke up, I saw him standing by the window, staring out at the moon. Indeed, that was where he was when I got up. The moon had set, but Yoshimoto was clinging to that window as if it were a portal to another land. If the wormhole were to appear, I suspect he would leap right into it, not caring about where it led (him, I should at least warn him about the dinosaur possibility). I tried again to get his attention. “Yoshimoto? What does your page do? Carry your luggage?”

With an attitude of reluctance, Yoshimoto finally turned his attention to me. "Stand behind me, in my shadow if possible, bow as low as you can manage, and keep facing down. Don't look at him."

Well, that's ominous. "And if, when I find Iekane?" Accusing the man in front of the Shogun would apparently be an enormous breach of protocol. Probably even considered treason.

"Do you think he will recognize you?" He set out little ceramic pots of make-up… hopefully not for me.

"Well... probably, yes. He knew me as both housemaid Kaya and courier Katsu, so whichever way I’m dressed, he’ll be familiar." Plus, he had, I was sure now, been in Sakai right before my accident, so he'd seen me recently.

He was quiet a moment. "Bow to the floor as soon as you enter, and don't rise unless I give you a direct order. Yoshiaki will think it’s his due anyway."

He sounds like a real charmer. He and Iekane probably deserved each other. Hopefully the floor wouldn’t be too cold there at. Hm. “And what is the name of this place?”

“Genba.” Yoshimoto bit off the word as if it tasted terrible.

Genba.

It was the first I had heard of it. So why was I suddenly feeling claustrophobic while my mind presented me images of a labarinthine path, dark corridors, and the smell of poison? I knew I had never been there before. The word, the place name, totally unfamiliar.

But… something…?

Genba.

Note: "Genba" will sound familiar to anyone who's read "A Mitsunari Night's Dream" as most of the action took place there. Katsu is just getting a deja vu from that other timeline. But the people who live in this Genba aren't exactly the same characters who lived in that other timeline, so it's not necessary to have read Mitsunari's story ... you haven't missed any vital information.

@bestbryn @selenacosmic @mllorei @akitsuneswife @lyds323 @tele86

[fiction-she-read]

The Midnight Library Review

As someone on the Discord group said, "it was a book."

I feel ambivalent about this book, and I wouldn't recommend it. I'm particularly puzzled by the comparison on the back of Before the Coffee Gets Cold that claims, "If you loved The Midnight Library, you'll love this book." As someone who absolutely loves Before the Coffee Gets Cold (BtCGC), those two books do not belong in the same sentence.

While I may sound harsh, The Midnight Library delivers its lessons with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, whereas BtCGC offers a more nuanced approach—perhaps reflecting its Japanese origins and the culture's characteristic indirectness. But I digress—this is a review of The Midnight Library.

The story introduces us to Nora Seed, whose life is presented through such an oppressively gloomy lens that it becomes difficult to connect with her character. I only began to care about Nora near the novel's end, mostly because we get out of her Gloomy Gus phase and see a bit of sunshine. Before that, I just wanted the book to END! While some readers found it "triggering," I was simply bored and frustrated. Much of the novel reads like a self-help book in fictional form—unsurprising, given the author's background in that genre.

The idea of the book itself is not bad. In fact, it's interesting—but I think it was poorly executed. The focus on Nora alone might have been the issue. In BtCGC, we follow a cast of characters experiencing the chair in the coffee shop. Like Nora, some of these characters haven't had easy lives—there's even one in the second book who contemplates suicide, just like Nora. The difference is that I felt empathy for those characters that I never came to feel for Nora. I think if Nora's story had been tightened into a shorter narrative, with fewer chapters dwelling on "woe is me" at the beginning and perhaps followed two more people experiencing the same phenomenon, it would have been more compelling.

For example, instead of starting with Nora, the story could have begun with Henri to explain how everything works—which we don't learn until midway through the book—similar to how the first story in BtCGC serves to explain its premise. Of course, if you've read the book, you'll realize this change would make the title less fitting.

Another minor flaw, only partially addressed toward the end, lies in a particular mechanic of the story. When entering a new life, the knowledge accumulated by that version of yourself isn't transferred to your root self. This means whenever you possess another version of yourself, you're completely clueless—potentially appearing to have dementia to those around you. While you might wing it in some situations, entering a life where your alternate self has mastered something you barely know would raise suspicions. For instance, if I possessed a version of myself who was fluent in Japanese and living in Japan, while my current self barely speaks the language, people would certainly notice something was wrong. Though this issue is somewhat resolved by the end, it remains problematic in my view.

Overall, The Midnight Library feels like a missed opportunity. While its central premise is intriguing, the execution falls short, particularly in character development and pacing. The heavy-handed delivery of its life lessons and the prolonged focus on Nora's misery make it a challenging read. Though it improves towards the end, it feels too little, too late by then. The book certainly has its admirers, and I can see why its message of appreciating life might resonate with readers. However, I'd recommend looking elsewhere for those seeking a more nuanced exploration of similar themes—perhaps at Before the Coffee Gets Cold instead.