#anyway ding dong u are wrong

[lostryu]

hey homie i think ur having a stroke

anyway gold star lesbianism is a false concept of purity when it comes to lesbians and their past relationships w men. lesbians are not lesser if they were in relationships with men while they were closeted, going through compulsory heterosexuality, or in a situation where a beard was necessary. As a lesbian who went thru comphet and has been in a relationship w a man before i was out, i assure you there is no difference between a normal ass lesbian and what u perceive to be. a 'gold star'.

if u identify as a 'gold star lesbian' ur status is fake, u have a superiority complex, and ur support of lesbians is also fake!

[lcvclywon]

in sickness and in health

back to masterlist

synopsis After a long fight with Jay you find yourself giving him the silent treatment. Leaving you curled up alone sick in your room, with your only comfort being the instant tteokbokki you had microwaved for yourself earlier. However it seems Jay knew where to be and what to say at exactly the right times.

warnings: mentions of food, mentions of sickness, mentions of kissing, pet names (honey), slight angst, I made YN as the 6th member of lesserafim so that the whole same building thing made sense so...js roll with it pls 😁, also not proof read!, slight fighting

genre ⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅ hurt to comfort

pairings: idol!jay x idol!reader, established relationship

wc ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ around 1.14k

thoughts frm yuya 💭 i know i said i was gonna go on a hiatus but i needed a serotonin boost from writing after doing a horrendous maths paper.... so semi hiatus i guess ^^ anywaysss this drabble has been rotting in the back of my mind for a while soo here u are, i'm a huge huge HUGE sucker for hurt to comfort tropes so >,<

A week. It had been a week since you and Jay had a massive argument causing the two of you to give each other the silent treatment for god knows how long. However, as if the world was out to get you, the next morning after the fight you had been plagued with a sickness that you couldn’t quite pin down, all you knew was it left you bedridden until Friday. 

Due to said sickness, you obviously couldn’t join your group for schedules and barely entered the building for dance practice. You hoped Jay would at least notice your absence, send a message asking where you were or something. But to your dismay, radio silence.

“Who cares about some stupid guy anyways…” Grumbling under your breath you reached for your chopsticks to skewer another rice cake from your measly plate of instant tteokbokki and shovel it down your throat. Maybe excessive spice you couldn’t handle and soft pillowy rice cakes could solve all your problems. 

Ding dong! Weird, you didn’t think the members would be back this early? 

Begrudgingly ripping the covers off and placing your bowl back on your table, you went to the door. Hair still an oily mess from not showering properly and clothes stuck to your body from sweat, you clearly weren’t in pristine condition to be meeting anyone. Please don’t be a delivery man, please don’t be a delivery man.

However, after opening the door, you found yourself standing in front of the one person you’d been longing for the whole week. Park Jongseong. Your gaze softened slightly and a small smile crept onto your lips, but then you remembered that you were still mad at him. Fighting the urge to embrace him and cry out for his name, you plastered on a stoic expression of indifference. 

“What are you doing here.” 

“Chaewon told me you were sick,” he said before entering into your dorm, not bothering to wait for you to let him in.

Making his way over to the kitchen he placed a white takeaway bag onto the counter before emptying its contents onto the table: a warm bowl of your favourite porridge and a cup of tea from your favourite cafe. 

“What’s this?” positioning yourself in front of Jay, you scanned the table to see the numerous small boxes of side dishes sprawled across. 

“Porridge, it’s good for you when you’re sick.” he replied before shooting his head over to the remnants of your tteokbokki “Honey why are you eating tteokbokki, you’re sick you shouldn’t be eating instant food.” he scolded before reaching over throw your lukewarm leftovers in the trash.

“It’s not that bad…” you mumbled whilst picking at the side dishes “And why do you suddenly care, thought you weren’t talking to me” Scoffing you shot him a dirty glare. 

“Correction, you weren’t talking to me; I thought you needed some space, as you usually do after a fight.” well he wasn’t wrong, you did express to him that after arguments you wanted some time to cool down by yourself, “and also, I’m not ‘suddenly’ just caring YN. Who do you think Yunjin got all those drinks, medicines, and snacks from.” 

Oh… so she didn’t buy them herself. Your gaze reached his eyes as you felt your heart soften slightly, “Okay, well you could’ve sent me a text or something. You could’ve come here and given it to me yourself, why today out of all days do you decide to come huh?” meeting your glossy eyes, Jay could tell how hurt you were over his actions. He couldn’t deny that it pained him to see you this upset. 

“Okay look, I’m sorry. I wanted to come over, but Sakura said whatever you caught was contagious and that you isolated yourself to make sure you got nobody else sick. As I mentioned earlier, you told me you liked to have time to cool down after fighting, but it was stupid of me not to even try to text you. Today it all just-” Jay stopped his rambling, catching his breath before sighing out, “I just really missed you YN” 

That was all the confirmation you needed to run into his arms and hug him so tight he didn’t even think about leaving again. Jay was quick to reciprocate, arms wrapping around you to engulf you into his warm embrace, head buried into the crook of your neck whispering sweet nothings. 

Breaking away from the embrace and tilting your head up you were graced with a warm and familiar smile painted across Jay’s face; a smile you so badly missed the entire week. 

“Don’t ever do that again.” you said with a pout 

“Promise I won't honey,” his hands reached to cup your face before adding, “Only if you promise to stop eating that stuff when you’re sick.” 

“Hey, it’s yummy! I can’t help it that I can’t cook soup or anything, tteokbokki has never failed me.” 

“Guess I’ll have to keep bringing you food then.” he replied with a smirk

“Well, I could use a personal delivery man.” giggling you reached up to mirror his actions, cupping his face with your warm hands. 

“Oh really, would a delivery man do this?” and with that he pressed a playful peck onto your lips; soft and gentle, something you missed dearly. 

“Jay!” you exclaimed, “You can’t do that, you’ll get sick!” 

“So. What.” he said between pecks, peppering your face with kisses as you giggled and placed your hands on his chest to try and push him away. Pulling away he looked into your eyes with a warm and gentle gaze, smiling softly before leaning in to give you a proper kiss. Feeling the worry of your sickness transferring to him vanish, you melted into the kiss whilst wrapping your arms around his neck. In response, his hand found its way to the small of your back while the other reached up to cup the back of your neck. It always astonished you how easily he could pull you into his orbit, almost made you forget about the soreness of your body and the fever plaguing you. 

Retreating back he giggled at your pouting face. “I’d love to continue, but I wouldn’t want the food I bought you to get cold” intertwining your fingers with his, he led you over to a chair before sitting you down. “Let’s eat okay?” he muttered before taking his spot right next to yours, hand still intertwined with your fingers. His other hand however reached over to spoon you some porridge, moving the utensil closer to your mouth. 

You happily bent forward to enjoy the bite he crafted for you, an all too familiar sensation bubbling up within you—a warmth you could only describe as, home. Jay felt like home. And you hoped he would for the rest of your lives.

perm taglist ♡ (send an ask to be added!) @floweryang

[xocasper]

update 3: i dated a guy for THIRTY DAYS a few months ago and recently he snuck into my dorm building and left a dozen roses and a hand written letter outside of my door (he ding dong ditched me). tell me if you guys think this is romantic or just weird. personally... i just wanna know why men continue to make fools of themselves, that's all. not threatened by his 5'7 self and it gave me a good laugh but WOW.

now for context i broke up with him for calling a black guy the hard r (to me, not to the guy) because he flirted with me. like??? absolutely not. someone please do to this guy what they did to camila cabello. ur telling me they have gay conversion camps but not racism ones??

moving on, he spends half of the letter talking about how much he's changed (only detailing his improved emotional availability, which i doubt) while misspelling words that he should DEFINITELY be able to spell. this a grown man. bear that in mind. he used the word remembered three times over the course of three sentences (#anaphora) and spelled it TWO different ways that were both wrong (remembed and rembred. REMBRED.).

and reading the whole letter without context, you may think, "wow, this guy sounds really sweet! unintelligent, but NORMAL, at the very least!" but that's until you reach the P.S. that i literally have to attach because it is so insane that words will not suffice. you need to see this with your eyes.

this is a real, grown man guys. i would not lie to you. he is OLDER THAN ME. i really do love that pair (victoria's secret purest pink except its the one that's total floral mesh and not just floral mesh hemming. important to the story cuz they don't even sell those anymore and i STILL wouldn't go back for them...) but ending ur "heartfelt letter" with THAT??? like bae i didn't even realize they were gone. i was too busy talking to the guy u were calling slurs xx (that last part is true but i ghosted him oopsies)

(disclaimer: i am not talking to anyone anymore and i'm doing just fine #marriedtoworkandschool)

anyway that's my story guys, life is crazy

[hexcrystals]

Do you think Izzy seeing Jim & Archie literally kiss over his rotted leg like it was an olive garden bread basket is when he finally accepted that he'll never escape the gays (and also that he must've been a real asshole to get treated like this)

'like it was an olive garden bread basket' anon you have such a way with words

one of my favourite things about izzy this season is i can count like 6 different times where he is clearly like 'nope. this is it. this is rock bottom' and then it's like ding dong u were wrong it just keeps getting worse

anyway yeah i think one thing that can definitely cause a man to reflect on his behaviour is seeing his newly amputated leg getting more action than it ever did while it was attached to him

[milknhaney]

man tell me why the FUK i've never read this !!?!??!?!? (probs bc I don't like love triangles but i still took a risk and read it and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT OKAY—im sorry im putting my comments on here instead of tags bc idk if it'll fit :33—

FIRST OF ALL hyuck and reader's relationship was so cute and I was so mad I thought reader wasn't gonna end up with him bc they deserved each other (and I was rooting for him not just bc he's my ult but just bc the story made me lean toward him)

like no offense but no way can mark just come out of nowhere and take reader, soulmate or not 😔 (I still feel bad for him in the end don't get me wrong, but I rly just liked her with hyuck more)

And at first i was like okay y tf did hyuck just leave reader like that, y didn't he fight?,,, and i was thinking that the bonding they fkn had with not having a mark made him go oh shit this is what she deserves AND THT HURT

bless director jo for being understanding && CHENLE IS SO CUTE IN THIS UTTERLY ADORABLE & YEEUN BEING A GIRL'S GIRL

okay this may just be me overthinking but how i interpreted her still leaving her pic with hyuck there instead of getting rid of it was like,,, some kind of foreshadowing of some sort idk, like oh she's gonna keep holding onto him in some way

throughout the whole thing,,, I was trying to imagine wat hyuck was going through :(( esp starting from when he couldn't take her out for the lunch

the signs of her moving on I WAS ACTYALLU YELLING like how can u make us love her relationship with hyuck and have her hating mark for more than half of the story and then doing a 180 was gonna RIOT ngl

But when she couldn't say ily back to Mark I was like wait a min is something gonna happen 👀

THE WAY I STARTED SCREAMING WHEN SHE FOUND THE RING IN THE DRAWER I WAS LIKE FUCK R U FUCKING KIDDING ME PLS

AND THE FUCKING IMPORTANCE BEHIND IT AND THE BIRTHSTONES I ALMOST STARTED RUNNING LAPS IN MY ROOM

OMG WHAT IF SHE NEVER FOUND THE RING

the parallels between him asking (almost demanding) to see her mark at the beginning and then later when he was scared to even look at it

AND IMAGINE MY TEARS WHEN HE REVEALED HOW HE WAS GON PROPOSE I HAD TO TAKE A BREATHER BRO R U—

"my love" "ding dong" 😭😭😭

rly thought reader was gonna settle with mark just bc of the soulmate mark and i was like girl u literally said soulmates are bullshit in the beginning? wat r u doing,, BUT THEN SIKE (im sorry Mark 😭)

mayhaps,,, mark was just a platonic soulmate? (even tho ik these marks r not for platonic but im trying to look at the bright side)

anyways, the writing, the story, the characters, EVERYTHING WAS SO WELL DONE/THOUGHT THROUGH—like how tf does this not have more notes?

invested

❧ word count: 23.1k

❧ warnings: cursing, uh suicide mention but like nobody actually attempts or genuinely considers it, it’s a passing sarcastic comment but it is used in a harsh and insensitive way in a heated moment (and quickly passed over) so please be careful if you need to!

❧ genre: twist on a soulmate au (matching tattoos), love triangle (donghyuck x reader, mark x reader), mostly angst, a lot of fluff in there somewhere

❧ extra info: inspired by one of my favorite fics ever, cobalt and charcoal y’all should definitely go give it a read if you haven’t already (i literally think abt this fic like twice a month bc it just hit me so hard the first time i read it)

❧ update 06/15/23: this previously had a former member as the third leg in the triangle, but has now been revised to be mark instead

sometimes the wrong choices bring us to the right places

Keep reading

[aro-aizawa]

i like to think that i’m an unfeeling bitch who is impossible to make me feel a powerful emotion (you’re looking at the bitch who went two whole years not crying more than a drop or two at a time and was only broken by one sob fest a month ago) but everytime i read fics that have people tenderly looking after their loved ones my insides go all soft and i yearn like no one’s business.

[humanmaybe]

Aces definitely aren't o in the queer community. Unless the experience same gender attraction or are trans, they're just not. Cis, Ace, Heteroromantics or Aro Heterosexuals are still cishet, therefore not queer! Sorry not sorry

1-800-DID-I-ASK

… Anyways ALL aces and aros are absolutely lovely and belong in the lgbt+ community Sorry Not Sorry K Thanks Bye 💋💕✨✌️ 

[strawberry--bride]

DIABOLIK LOVERS Haunted Dark Bridal ー Sharon’s Route [DARK 09]

Location: Ryoutei Academy ;; Sophomore’s Classroom

*Ding・dongー Ding・dongー*

Sharon: Finally done...!

( Today was rough. )

( I can’t believe the teachers would give us two tests on the same day. )

Ayato-kun, Kanato-kun. How did your tests go?

Ayato: Aahn? You really think I care? I made a paper plane out of the answer sheet and chucked it out of the window.

Kanato: Teddy and I have no interest in these ridiculous ‘tests’ made by humans. Right, Teddy?

Sharon: Ahaha...

( Should have figured...I wonder how these two managed to get to their second year... )

Sharon: Well, let’s head to the front gate then. I’m sure Reiji-san and the others are waiting for uーー

Female Classmate A: Sharon-chan...~ 

The girl embraces her.

*Rustle*

Sharon: Wah!

Female Classmate B: Say, say, hear us out!

Female Classmate A: The two of us are on cleaning duty today, but we already made plans with some of the boys from the class next-door to go to the karaoke!

Female Classmate B: We really, reaaaaally want to go, so would you mind taking over from us?

Sharon: Eh? But...

She glances over to Ayato and Kanato.

Female Classmate B: Pretty, pretty pleaaaase~? You wouldn’t turn down a classmate’s request, right?

Sharon: ....Sure. I’ll clean up. You two go have fun, okay?

Female Classmate A: Hooray! We knew we could count on you!

Female Classmate B: Come on, let’s go before they leave without us! See you tomorrow, Sharon-chan!

Sharon: Mmh. Bye bye...

The two girls leave.

Sharon: I’m sorry, you two. Seems like I’ll be staying behind today.

Ayato: Haah? No way I’m walkin’ home. 

Kanato: Me neither. Teddy does not like physical exercise. 

Sharon: Don’t worry, you can go home without me. Just tell Reiji-san I’ll head home on foot today.

Ayato: Ah-aah...I was hopin’ I could get a sip of your blood during the ride back home. This sucks. 

Kanato: You will make it up to us once you’re back home, understood? 

The two of them leave as well.

Sharon: ...Okay! Better get to cleaning!

*TIMESKIP*

Location: Kaminashi City ;; Sidewalk

Sharon: That ended up taking longer than I expected...

( I hope Reiji-san won’t be too mad about me coming home so late. )

...

( Uu...Come to think of it, this might be the first time I’ve walked home by myself. )

( Since school ends before sunrise, it’s still pitch-black. )

( The manor’s just around the corner now though. I’m sure it’ll be fiーー )

*Rustle rustle*

Sharon: ...!?

( What was...that...? )

...

( Was it just my imagination...? )

( I could have sworn I saw a shadow from behind those bushes for just a split second...? )

*Rustle rustle*

Sharon: ( A-Again...!! )

*WOOSH*

Sharon: Kyaah!

*Meooow*

Sharon: ...Eh?

( A stray cat... )

Geez...Don’t scare me like that...

*Meooow*

The cat runs off.

Sharon: ( My heart’s still racing... )

( Anyway, better head home...! )

Sharon runs off.

*Rustle rustle*

A figure appears from behind the tree.

???: That girl...

*TIMESKIP*

Location: Sakamaki manor ;; Entrance hall

*Thud*

Sharon: ( Phew...I safely made it back home. )

Now if I just very quietly...

???: I-chi-go-chan...~!

Sharon: Wah!

*Rustle*

Sharon: L-Laito-kun...

Laito: What were you doing outside so late at night? 

Don’t tell me, were you having fun with some guys? 

Nfu~ I knew you weren’t as innocent as you pretend to be.

Sharon: No...! I stayed behind to clean the classroom! The girls on duty had somewhere else to go, so I took over from them.

Laito: Eeh~? Well aren’t you a good girl? 

Although...

He places one hand underneath her chin, locking their eyes.

*Rustle*

Laito: I can’t help but wonder...Why would you do that? 

Sharon: ...Eh?

Laito: You see, I don’t believe in genuine kindness myself. 

Why would you do that for some girls who you’ve only known for a little over a week? 

It’s strange, don’t you think?

Sharon: I-I just...

Laito: ‘You just’...What? Wanted to do a good thing? 

I don’t think so. You’re kind to others...To make you feel better about yourself, no?

That isn’t kindness, Ichigo-chan. It’s blatant self-satisfaction.

Sharon: ...!!

( How...? )

( It’s as if he’s looking straight into my head... )

Laito: Nfu~ Now, now, don’t make that kind of expression. 

I’m not criticizing you. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with seeking after your own pleasure. 

So don’t worry, okay? I’ll gladly embrace that side of you.

Laito wraps his arms around her.

Laito: However...Seeing the despair in your eyes does trigger a little something inside of me.

Say, why don’t we both just give in to our own greedy desiresーー

Sharon: ( N-No... )

Laito: ーー and have some fun together~? 

ー He brushes her hair to the side, face nearing her neck.

*Rustle*

Sharon: ( ...Stop! )

Sharon pushes him away just in time.

*Thud*

Laito: ...Woah!

She runs away at full speed.

Laito: Nfu~ It’s so fascinating how humans react to having their ugly sides exposed. 

However, she won’t be able to run away like that forever...~

Laito walks away as well.

*TIMESKIP*

Subaru: Reiji, that bastard! Makin’ me run his stupid errands just ‘cause I broke one of his stupid tea cups.

Who the heck goes to the store at this hour!?

I don’t give a damn if Kanato’s throws one of his angry tantrums ‘cause he ran out of sweets.

Fuck...!

*Thud*

Subaru: ...Hm? 

Che...People are leavin’ their shit layin’ ‘round again as well. 

He picks something up from the floor.

*Rustle*

Subaru: Isn’t this...?

Location: Sakamaki manor ;; Bathroom

Sharon: Haah, haah, haah...

( My hands are still shaking... )

( How did he...? )

( Nobody has noticed before...! )

She looks inside the mirror, placing one hand against the glass.

Sharon: ...

Monologue

The person reflected inside the mirror,

is nothing but a fake.

A fake smile. A fake kindness. A fake identity.

Then who is the real me...? 

After living years adapting to my surroundings,

always acting or speaking just to please others,

I lost sight of who I truly am.

If so, then the Vampires living at this manor,

who do not make any attempts at hiding their own desires,

are much more genuine. 

ーー DARK 09: END ーー

<- [ Dark 08 ] [ Dark 10 ] ->

[murusagi]

[Ambush Meal] A Collaboration with Lord Toma!? Love and Madness of Delicious Meal Ft. Cage Translation

This is a part of Otomate’s April Fool’s Special Event in which the cast of several of the company’s franchises turn into social media personalities.

Orlok: ...Bonjourno. [Pio House] Episode 1926. Today, we're going to film your favorite series, "Oruru's Ambush☆Delicious Meal Next Door".

In this series, I'm going to make a surprise visit to someone's home and enjoy a meal there.

Nicola: Orlok, can you hear me?

Orlok: Yes. The earphones are working perfectly.

Nicola: Great. I also can see you clearly through this camera.

Gilbert: We better explain the rules to the viewers.

[Rule No. 1: Oruru must obey any instructions given to him through the earphones.]

[Rule No. 2: Oruru must eat the given food without being picky.]

[The ones giving instructions in this episode.]

Orlok: I'll do my best.

Direttore: Nice answer. Now then, without further ado, let us ambush our target this time around! Please press the interphone in front of you.

Orlok: ...Clicks.

Ding Dong

Toma: Who is it--oh, if it isn't Orlok from [Pio House]! Did you come here by yourself? What a good boy.

Orlok: Y-Yes…

Dante: ...He's stroking his head.

Nicola: That's Orlok for you. He's quick at gaining someone's favor.

Orlok: Umm… I'm happy to be able to meet Toma from "Love and Madness of Animal Channel".

Toma: Me too. So, what brings you here? Do you want to hang out with me or what?

Orlok: No. Actually…

Toma: I see, so you want to have dinner here. Hmmm… let's see.

Orlok: Huh… A-Am I not allowed to?

Direttore: ...We already made an appointment, right?

Gilbert: Yeah, we should have made it…

Toma: You kind of remind me of Shin, Orlok.

Orlok: R-Really…?

Toma: Yeah. He's like a lil brother to me. ...Right. Can you try me calling me Onii-chan?

Orlok: What?

Toma: I'll let you in if you do. How?

Direttore: That's quite the painful request from someone whom you just met.

Nicola: I understand his feelings, though. "Onii-chan"... It has a nice ring to it.

Dante: I'll give it some thoughts if you want to be called that…?

Nicola: I don't know how to feel if you call me Onii-chan at this age… You think so, right, Direttore?

Direttore: Fufu… I will hate it, for sure. Well, I don't have little brothers? No need to worry about that?

Orlok: U-Umm, so what should I do?

Gilbert: Oops. M'bad. We stopped giving you instructions. ...Do as he said. We can't go on with the filming if he doesn't let us in.

Orlok: Okay.

...To-Toma Onii-chan.

Toma: Hm? Sorry, your voice is so small I couldn't hear it. Can you say it again?

Dante: He definitely heard it!

Nicola: Orlok, one more time!

Orlok: Toma Onii-chan…!

Toma: ...Nice. This feels satisfying for some reason. That guy will never call me that, after all. Alright, come in.

Orlok: I… I feel like I lost something important… In any case, I'm coming in.

Toma: I'm making dinner right now. Wait a bit, 'kay?

Orlok: Y-Yes.

Nicola: Orlok, how's the target doing?

Orlok: U-Uhh…

Toma: Bolognese with lots of minced meat~I feel like an Italian already~♪

Orlok: He's humming… some spells, I think? He's frying something while doing that… Looks very focused.

Dante: I see. It's time for our usual "House Tour" then.

Yang: Go to his closet.

Orlok: ...What!?

Nicola: Hm? You're up, Yang? Too bad. I wish you wouldn't wake up for eternity.

Yang: You sure are messing around with me, filming while I was sleeping. 5 billion women are crying right now.

Dante: 5 billion…!?

Yang: In any case, off you go to the closet, Orlok. Let's uncover the true nature of our targ--What are you all…?

Knocks.

Orlok: H-Huh? I can't hear you guys all of sudden...

Gilbert: ...Orlok, can you hear us?

Nicola: Don't mind us and just go on, Orlok. Yang is currently reflecting.

Orlok: O… Okay. So, I don't need to go to the closet?

Dante: Unfortunately, you must obey any instructions that have already been given to you. Let's head there while Toma is cooking.

Orlok: A-Alright.

***

Orlok: ...I found the closet.

Gilbert: Looks normal to me.

Nicola: Hey, Direttore? You've been quiet for a while. Come on, say something interesting.

Direttore: ...Ridiculous.

Dante: Where did all his tension from before go!?

Gilbert: H-Hey, you okay? Is your stomach hurt or something?

Direttore: ...I'm not interested in peeking into someone else's room.

Nicola: Hey, your real self is starting to show, you know? Be careful.

Direttore: ...Oops. I sincerely apologize for the mistake, letting out my honest opinions like that.

Orlok: ...I found the closet. It doesn't look suspicious.

Nicola: Where should we go next? He lives in a one-room apartment so there's nothing to look at.

Orlok: The balcony, maybe?

Gilbert: Nice idea. Let's take a look. Maybe he has a kitchen garden or something.

Orlok: Then, I'll open the curtain…

Opens.

Orlok: ...This is…

Dante: ...A cage.

Nicola: A cage.

Direttore: That's undoubtedly a cage.

Dante: This must be… the cage he uses for "Love and Madness of Animal Channel", right?

Orlok: To observe the animals…?

Gilbert: Y-Yea. Let's just think it that way.

Nicola: But any animals who could go into this cage… For example…

Direttore: Human beings.

All: …….

Nicola: ...Let's just pretend we do not see it.

Dante: I-I agree. My capo's intuition tells me this isn't something you can touch carelessly.

Orlok: Y-Yes. I'll close the curtain.

Closes.

Toma: …..

Orlok: !!?

Toma: ...Did you see?

Orlok: I-I didn't…

Toma: Really?

Orlok: (gulps)

Toma: Fine. Follow me, I just finished cooking.

Orlok: O-Okay.

Toma: I could only make this much.

Orlok: Whoa… Amazing.

Gilbert: How could he make this many in such a short amount of time!?

Dante: Now that I look at it again, what are those strange ingredients!?

Toma: You're in your growth period, right, Orlok? Eat a lot.

Orlok: Tha-Thank you. But is it really okay for me to eat this much…?

Toma: This is Latium's famous Volcano Bocca, a soup containing shrimps, shellfish and vegetables. You can warm up your body with this.

Direttore: Latium… I feel like I heard about it somewhere.

Orlok: I'm digging in...ugh!

Dante: A-Are you okay!? Did he put in poison or--!?

Orlok: S-Spicy… But it has such deep flavors…

Toma: These are steamed crab dumplings, dobin-mushi, and fried sesames. I used the vegetables from Kaga, queen crabs and barracuda stocks.

Orlok: T-These are great too! It tastes like something a pro chef makes.

Nicola: I get him. They look like the high-quality food you receive at the inns around Kanazawa.

Gilbert: That's an awfully detailed comment you have there.

Dante: Where is Kanazawa, anyway…?

Nicola: A place with the best onsen around.

Toma: I also have a cake. I heard your birthday is on April 23? Mine is on April 12. Since our birthdays fall on the same month, I made it for celebration.

Orlok: T-Thank you… Hehe… I'm happy…

Dante: …

Direttore: What is wrong, signore? Are you jealous he got sweets?

Dante: W-Why would I…!? I-I-I just think the appearance gets my taste buds tingling…!

Nicola: Endure it for a while. I'll buy you gelato after this.

Gilbert: Anyway, how come Toma knows Orlok's birthday?

Nicola: ...Now that you mention it…

Dante: …

Direttore: Let's put that aside. It's better to keep that a secret.

Orlok: (munch munch)

Toma: How? Is it tasty?

Orlok: Yeah. ...It makes me happy.

Dante: I don't know how to explain it but seeing Orlok eat makes me feel peaceful…

Nicola: I get you. Seeing Gilbert and Yang eat doesn't make me this happy. It's not heart-warming at all.

Gilbert: Yang aside, why do you have to connect it to me?

Yang: For crying out loud, don't put me and Redford on the same shoes.

Nicola: ...Oh? I'm sure I already locked you up. You broke out already?

Yang: Of course. After receiving such a warm welcome, I should give my thanks…

Gilbert: S-Stop it, Yang! Don't pull out your blade!

Dante: You too, Nicola! Put your gun away! We're still filming!

Direttore: Oh… What a scandalous dispute. It pains my heart.

[We are experiencing poor reception issues. Please enjoy this beautiful view of Sakura.]

Orlok: Thanks for the food.

Direttore: What a good boy. He ate them all without leaving anything.

Toma: Amazing, you ate them all by yourself. I was planning to put the leftovers into a container so you can share it with the others.

Gilbert: I wanted to try some after seeing so many interesting foods like those.

Orlok: So-Sorry. All of them were delicious so I just…

Dante: It's all right. Finishing them off is part of the rules so you didn't do anything wrong.

Nicola: Great job, Orlok. We have enough footage with this.

Orlok: Thanks for today, Toma. I'll be going now.

Toma: Ah, wait a minute. I actually have a request for you.

Orlok: ?

Toma: I still need more footage for my channel, can you help me with that?

Gilbert: Well, why not? He helped us wrap up the filming without any troubles.

Dante: We should return the favor.

Orlok: Okay. I'd like to help if there's anything I can do.

Toma: Great to hear that. Now--.

Can you get into the cage?

Orlok: ….Huh? ...What?

Toma: I've been keeping my eyes on you. Since you look like a small animal, it’s just perfect.

Gilbert: I see, so it's come to this…

Toma: I figured you'll be lonely so I put some plushies inside.

Orlok: T-That's not the problem here…

Toma: Now, now. You can't tell unless you try. Get in there.

Orlok: I don't want to--.

Toma: Only you can do this, Orlok. Please.

Orlok: ….

Toma: Can you look here? ...Yes, nice. It'll gain more viewers, I'm sure.

Orlok: Can I… get out of here already?

Toma: No, you just got in here. Oh, right. I have some chains. Can you put them on?

Dante: Even chains… This is abnormal…

Orlok: U-Uuuhhh… Guys, what should I do…?

Nicola: You'll be fine, Orlok. It surprisingly suits you.

Direttore: I agree. I'm sure there are people who are into this kind of thing.

Orlok: ...I'm not fine at all…

Toma: It's not as cute as hamster, but there's a huge demand for something like this. Do you mind if I turn it into a series if it gets good feedback?

Orlok: !!?

Toma: I think we were meant to meet. Shin would scold me again if he were here, though.

Orlok: I want to go home…

Toma: Hm? You want to meet him? He's off for another recording right now, so he probably won't return for a while.

Orlok: ….

...I realized something. I shouldn't trust others. The only one I could rely on is myself…

Toma: Haha. That's a nice expression you have there. With that said, it all depends on you guys whether I should make this a series or not. Don't forget to subscribe to our channel!

T/L Notes:  Dobin-mushi: Food steam-boiled in an earthenware teapot

[marzipanandminutiae]

you asked and I am desperate for an excuse to happy to deliver! presenting A Point-By-Point Takedown of This BS Doll Article By Some Lady Calling Herself A Professional Antiques Appraiser

so she starts off with a random story about how she was in a warehouse doing appraisals and a dresser started glowing, and when she looked in the dresser the source of the glow was an antique doll. this convinced her that dolls “carry the energy of wicked little girls.” but not all of them! anyway now she’s scared of dolls. but not really. but yes, really

...okay then

she then shares a doll one E.H. sent her photos of for appraisal

(Pretty! French fashion doll, I’d say maybe a Barrois or an early Bru, late 1860s.  You can tell by the distinctive “cobalt blue” eyes, that deep sapphire shade that only appears in the earliest era of FFs. Wig looks original, almost certainly mohair, and she has some sort of blouse or gown on that seems antique from the look of the lace. Could be a modern-made garment with antique materials. She’d probably fetch over $1,000 at auction unless there's some REALLY bad damage elsewhere on her person.)

EH’s one doll has a fabulous body that points to its age as 3rd quarter 19th century, because the body is made of fine-grained hand stitched leather. So what follows is a rough explanation of how you can determine if your doll is OLD, and that of course influences value – to an extent. The older dolls that are valuable are ALSO rare. And by the 1890’s dolls really were NOT rare.

Couple of issues with this. first of all, kid leather bodies can be seen on dolls as far back as the 1820s and as late in time as the early 1920s. the typical French fashion bodies were fairly distinctive,  but just saying that the material determines the age isn’t correct. or if it is, it’s not a very precise dating

also like...what even is the last sentence? dolls weren’t rare in the 1890s. dolls weren’t rare in the 1860s. dolls can be made out of literally anything, at any price point, and have been present in almost every culture in human history. dolls, as a broad category, have never been inherently rare

if she’s saying dolls from the 1890s are not considered rare by today’s standards...oh honey, meet my dear friend the Simon and Halbig 1159

(This doll is c. 1900. This doll fetched $1,800 at auction. What was that about age determining value, again?)

also maybe Google “German art character dolls.” friendly suggestion

Another fact about doll valuation is that the best antique dolls are not replicas of children, but are replicas of fabulously well-dressed young women.

this is so ridiculous I laughed out loud. there is no single “best” type of antique doll. some people will pay top dollar for Kewpies, others for 1880s child dolls, others still for first-issue Barbies. there are examples that are the rarest in their class of doll, sure, but no one class dominates across the board. it’s one thing to say a certain type is your favorite and another to say it’s the Best(TM) as a professional appraiser

My favorite fashionable young lady dolls, French or German, have leather bodies made of kid leather, stuffed with cork or sawdust. When you check the bodies, look for tight stitching at the joints, because, if the arms and legs are meant to move, they must be compress seamed. That makes sense because with the stuffing, a moved joint will pop open if not sewn correctly. Look for another overlay of leather at the joint called a gusset, which indicates greater value. Only the legs, the body, and the top of the arms and shoulders will be made of leather. The arms will be creamy porcelain or bisque, or sometimes a wood pulp combination composite material. You will notice the head and shoulder plate fits in a U-curve around the shoulders, which are leather and affixed expertly.

couple of things

1. not all FFs have the bisque lower arms- that’s a rarity point, not the norm. most with leather bodies have leather arms, too.

(This is my Jeanette. She has leather arms. Guess she’s not really a French fashion doll, then, despite her markings, face painting, face mold, body construction, eye type, and literally everything else about her!)

2. this describes most reproduction FFs out there, and many bodies used for German child dolls later on. so unless you’re planning to give people other things to look for, not entirely helpful

oh but wait! here are the other things to look for! let’s venture

The best French Fashion dolls wear the latest styles and little girls never played with them. Wealthy fashionistas in the 3rd quarter of the 19th century collected them.

remember, all that contemporary hand-wringing about little girls being corrupted by their fashionable “Paris dolls” was planted by Big Children(TM). #wakeupsheeple #thetruthisoutthere

These come in the finest white leather bodies with a nice bust line and quite wide hips, as we know as the style for the shapely ladies of the 1870 and 1880’s.

...who’s going to tell her leather bodies are definitely not the finest

can it be me

can it be me with my Charlotte, who has one of the rarest wooden body types that I’m still not sure how I got for such a (relative) steal

can it be us, perched on the end of her bed, at midnight

The hairstyles of real human hair will also be ‘period’, and some will have real gem jewelry. These weren’t meant as toys for a middle class little girl. These were expensive and can sell today for a couple thousand dollars in perfect shape. Surprisingly the leather has withstood time if well preserved.

as I said earlier, for French fashions, mohair (wool from an angora goat) was a WAY more common wig material than human hair. sometimes the hair will be down, not in a “period” style, because it was meant to be played with and styled by the child owner

real gem jewelry DID exist for these dolls, but most of what you’re likely to find is of rhinestones and gilt. that was much more common, as you’d expect

a middle-class little girl, if she was very lucky, might be able to count one middling or lower-range French lady among her dolls. they were expensive, but, well, middle-class girls often have one American Girl doll today, right? these dolls ranged in price from AG-level to “this was bought for a young princess and has that real gem jewelry mentioned above”

her price assessment is accurate for the majority of FFs, with outliers on either end ranging from “got really lucky with a seller who didn’t know what they had” to “a museum bought this doll because not even the richest collectors could afford to.” but...well, just keep that “couple of thousand dollars” figure in your mind for later

Let’s compare this leather-bodied doll with another cheaper type of body. In the late 19th century a ball-jointed body could be made of a wood pulp composition material, or even Papiermâché with little hinges of wood at the joints. Of course, since these bodies are wood based, they’re painted, and you’ll find the ghastly colors, as the once flesh tones turn to green or olive.

remember that doll from 1900 I showed you? 

she has a jointed composition body

$1,800

I do not feel any further comment is necessary at this juncture

(leather bodies came to be considered something of a budget option when the jointed compo bodies came into common use, because they couldn’t be posed and took less work/expense to make)

Finally, let’s think about the heads, if we dare.

oh bite me

Most heads are made of a porcelain type of material, and in this case, the porcelain is usually white with a painted ON skin tone. If the head is Bisque, bisque is material that will take a color or stain into itself and is often not painted nor glazed. The porcelain heads are more prized.

okay kids

porcelain is a type of very fine, translucent ceramic. it can be made matte, often called bisque, or shiny and glossy, often called china

(this stylish miss by Francois Gaultier is of matte bisque, the most common type of porcelain finish used for French fashion dolls. she’s also rocking the baby bangs look, and kudos to her for that)

(this early girl by Rohmer, on the other hand, has a glossy, shiny china head. note again the cobalt-blue eyes, another clue to her age. this is rarer than matte bisque for French fashions, though German glazed china dolls with molded hair could be quite commonplace depending on many factors like size, body type, hairstyle, etc.)

complicating everything further, a lot of older and even contemporary sources can use “bisque,” “porcelain,” and “china” interchangeably. context is key. but in modern terms, that’s sort of the breakdown

ding dong this blogger is wrong

You’ll see what I mean when I say dolls are sometimes too lifelike for my taste–or my nightmares. Notice the toes on EH’s doll. Pretty obsessive. The value is unknown until I find the maker of the doll, but a rough estimate might be $600, because the outfit seems original.

stitched toes are normal on kid-bodied French fashions in the most common size range (14″-17″). also

(The actual picture provided)

THIS gives you nightmares? really? I have Many Questions

also remember that valuation from earlier? a couple of thousand dollars? yeah. now she comes back with $600

depending on size, condition, and costume intricacy, I’ve seldom seen a doll of this type sell for less than $1,700 at auction (source: the online catalogue of past auctions at Theriault’s, the premier doll auction house in the U.S., and also personal experience)

and that’s a problem because the doll’s owner is PAYING for this “appraiser’s” services. they’re PAYING for an accurate idea of what they have and what it’s worth, whether for selling or insurance purposes. even if it’s just out of personal curiosity, you shouldn’t be swindled for a slew of misinformation and half-truths capped off by a wildly inaccurate dollar value

also the Creepy Doll stuff is massively unprofessional

Marzi out

[rxverblossom]

7) things you said while we were driving

prompts | Accepting

Let’s go for a drive. Jason felt safer in a car. Freer. Just him and Joaquin. They were both watching the road. Jason’s thoughts were scattered, he needed to clear his head. He inhaled shakily. He eyelids fluttered, he struggled to keep them open. He hadn’t slept well the past couple nights. He skipped football practice today. He had to be on his game. After all, he’s the head of the team. Everyone follows his lead. He can’t just–

“So, are you just using me for a free ride?” Joaquin piped up, a soft smile etching across his face, but his eyes remained on the road.

“So what if I am?” He muttered.

“I’m not complaining.” Joaquin shrugged and began tapping his finger against the steering wheel.

Silence.

He looked over at Joaquin, not knowing what to say anymore. He almost couldn’t breathe. 

Why? He loved Polly. He loved…

“Anywhere you want to go?” Joaquin glanced at him, and Jason looked away quickly.

“N-No. Keep your eyes on the road. Can we– Let’s just…drive.”

Joaquin let out a breathy chuckle, nodding. 

“Joaquin…” How do you tell someone you…need them, without telling them anything. “I don’t know what I’m doing.” Joaquin opened his mouth to speak, but Jason interrupted, “Hang on, I just…I need to say something.”

Joaquin nodded.

“I…I don’t know what I’m doing. I love Polly. I do, I know I do. And our parents don’t want us to be together, you know? By the way, repeat what I’m saying to anyone, and I’ll kick your ass.”

Joaquin stifled a chuckle, nodding again. “Okay, okay.”

“It’s some forbidden Romeo and Juliet love bullshit. It’s– It’s fucking dumb is what it is. But I don’t really…know anymore what I…want.” He swallowed, continuing. “I don’t…I don’t just love Polly. But it’s not like, other girls.”

“So, bi?”

“I don’t know.” He didn’t want to be defensive. He didn’t feel like being sarcastic. He wasn’t upset. He just genuinely didn’t know. 

Silence.

“Pull over.” He didn’t look at Joaquin. “I’m not going to throw up, I need you to pull over though.”

Joaquin pulled over. It wasn’t a busy road, but Jason wasn’t about to make him stop in the middle of it either way.

“What--”

“This is dumb. It is, what I’m about to say. I don’t hate you. I hate the Serpents. Somewhat. But I don’t hate you. I don’t.”

Joaquin gave him a small smile. 

“I don’t.” No one else was around. Jason didn’t need to hold up a front around anyone right now. Normally he would for Joaquin, but maybe it was the fact that he was tired and feeling alone. Even with Cheryl around, he just felt it. Alone.

“I don’t hate you.” He muttered, looking at him. He didn’t know what to do. Kiss him? Grab his hand? Did he even truly love Joaquin? Or was it just the lonely feeling? Was this who Jason was, telling Joaquin, of all people, that he maybe liked them? Or even loved them?

“I don’t hate you.” He repeated.

[arhvste]

❝ semi eita - dating hcs ❞ - timeskip

→ watching semi achieve his dream was something you wouldn’t trade for the world

→ that being said, you missed him as your time spent together was limited due to the demanding hours he had to spend at the studio and performing

→ that doesn’t mean you left semi’s mind at any point during the times he couldn’t be with you

→ he has a couple of framed photos scattered around his dressing room and always tells the little framed photo of you mid-laugh that he’s gonna do you proud

→ he’d never tell you that though

→ he also has a few photos of you and him pinned onto the edges of his dressing table mirror

→ pays more attention to the pictures than what’s being done to his face before performing or going out for an event

→ several songs are inspired by you

→ and it’s easy to tell which ones for most of them

→ but semi likes to try and include subtle references that only you’d understand in as many songs as he can

→ now, you may think “semi u big lettuce head, what if you and y/n break up? all your songs will be hard to perform 🙄”

→ ding dong you are wRONG

→ why?

→ because semi is certain you’re the one he’s going to marry and he will absolutely be getting down on one knee in the near future

→ but for now, his love language is through the sly hints about you in each and every one of his pieces

→ oh and you best believe he mentions you in interviews and shows you off all the time

→ “oh! that song was inspired by my y/n! they’re my main source of inspiration aren’t they just gorgeous?”

→ the whole mf album was inspired by you shut up semi

→ okay but when semi does eventually get to come home to you he is always tired

→ which means he’s more clingy

→ so get ready to feel another set of arms around your waist for a few days because semi’s not planning on keeping you out of arms reach any time soon

→ will literally spend a whole day just holding you and catching up on everything the two of you have missed out on

→ his phone? thrown somewhere in another room where no manager or record label can bother him

→ his attention is for you and you only and he has every intention to give you every ounce of it

→ “eita, i need to go to the bathroom...”

→ “okay, let’s go :)”

→ oh he’ll serenade you too

→ you guys will be cooking and semi will start singing along to whatever background music is playing and before you know it, he’s got his arms wrapped round your waist as he pulls and spins you around the kitchen while singing to you

→ oh to be dancing with semi in a kitchen :,)

→ when you go to sleep he’s got you pulled up into his chest with his chin resting gently on top of your head

→ he always insist he sleeps better when he’s with you

→ which just so happens to be his excuse to ask you to come on tour with him

→ “baby please, don’t you want me to get my best nights rest before performing?”

→ “but ei, i don’t wanna be a distraction to you.”

→ “you’re already enough of one when i’m not with you, by that i mean you’re on my mind 24/7 anyway i think that by having the inspiration for all my songs right there with me will bring out the best in me!”

→ can’t argue with that

→ so you go on tour with semi and you find that it’s actually quite fun

→ his fans are great

→ very respectful and very supportive of the two of you

→ they’re not even jealous, they KNOW the two of you look good asf together so they have no choice but to admire and stan from afar

→ when they see you they’re not surprised semi’s written a lot of his pieces about you

→ you’re breathtaking

→ they’re jealous of semi

→ and he was right, you being there did bring out the best in him

→ fans were stunned at his performance

→ semi was good anyway but the specific tour he convinced you to join him on?

→ several articles were written about it because they were particularly phenomenal

→ it’s safe to say you were encouraged to come on a lot more of his tours much to his delight

→ you missed semi when you first started dating

→ and he missed you

→ but now, semi doesn’t need to tell the photo frame of you that he’s gonna make you proud before every appearance

→ because he’s got the real y/n with him supporting him right there on the stage wing with his proud manager and team

→ and since then, semi’s career really took off thanks to your presence and love

general taglist → @atsumuwoah @bloody-bella @bbymilkbread @miracleboy420 @doggonudez @atsunakaashi @peteunderoos @tsukishimagizzard @saturnfarie @toffees-main @zumisace @boosyboo9206 @totorosleaff

[pxppet]

maybe jj/chase, with "support" as the word? i think itd be cute

He can’t find his hearing aid anywhere. Fuck, why now, why today? Chase had only recently settled in this grimy, two room apartment after being evicted from his previous place, and today was the first job interview he’d snagged in months. How is he supposed to do this, he hasn’t learned BSL yet and he doubts the interviewer would understand anyway. He has torn up the whole of the rooms searching, couch cushions on the floor, drawers hanging open, coats strayed around the room. However it’s useless, the life-saving bit of acrylic is no where to be found. 

Chase groans, sinking into a chair at the small kitchen table. He instinctively reaches for his phone, having half-dialed Henrik before remembering his plight. He can’t even call up a friend if he can barely hear them. He thunks his head down on the greasy wood of the table, resigned to missing his interview with tearful eyes. Henrik said life would get easier. Marvin said the job would come smoothly as icing. Jackie patted him on the back and said he was proud of him for still trying. 

Only one voice- ironic, he knows - never pushed these limits. Never showered him in false praise or shoved him into the waiting turmoil of re-building his life. Jameson. Jameson had been, for the months he’s been living with Henrik and Marvin, the only gentle hand on his back. JJ would use his TTS to say quiet words of safety, “Don’t fret, I know it is hard, life is hard, take a rest,” the small British voice spoke from his phone. 

Chase sniffles as he thinks about it. Fuck it, any friend will do for now, even if they can barely communicate with each other right now. Chase scoots the chair back, listening to the muffled and far away scraping of the chair legs. He pulls up his phone again, navigating to “Jelly bean” in his contacts. 

bubblegun: hey j. having a hard time. u good?

Jelly bean: Hello! Hard time? What is wrong? I thought the interview was hours from now. 

bubblegun: yeah uhm. i lost my ears.

Jelly bean: I see? Bring your TTS or notebook with you to the interview I am sure they won’t mind, Chase. 

bubblegun: dude no fuckin way. they’ll think i’m stupid or something. 

Jelly bean:  You are not stupid. Stop that, Chase.

Chase sighs, wiping away tears on his shirt. He picks at his lips, rocking back and forth in the old wooden chair. He picks, picks, picks until they bleed into his mouth. He feels shame. Shame in needing assistance for something so basic. He knows JJ is right, accessibility devices don’t make you stupid, but damn Chase feels swallowed by the hurt of being unaccommodated in this world. More hot tears slide down his cheeks as he picks up his phone in shaky hands. 

bubblegun: sorry. i just need some support. i feel so alone here. miss you guys. 

Jelly bean: Ding dong! 

The text comes 15 minutes later. Chase blinks in confusion, but two seconds later he faintly picks up the dinging of his doorbell. One muffled scooching chair and soundless door unlocking later, Jameson is standing at his door. 

“Dude what? Don’t you have classes today, or like, does the wood shop need you again?” Chase can barely hear his own voice, hoping it is coherent enough. Jameson taps a finger to his lips, then pulls out a legal pad and felt-tip marker. “Talk here!” is written in thick, swirling cursive. Chase nods, signing his thanks. Jameson smiles and signs back in his own tongue. They have picked up a few signs from each other over the few years Jameson has been living with them. 

Chase takes the pad and marker, sloppily writing out his thoughts. “Why are you here?” 

Jameson reads it quickly, then responds in hasty but neat writing. “You said you needed support! :-{)” Even drawing the little face out. Adorable. It makes Chase smile, though hesitant and worried. 

He takes the pad again. “I’m going to miss the interview.”

“That is okay. Sit down with me.” 

They shuffle through the mess on the floor until collapsing onto the sofa, two tired faces side by side. They sigh, look at each other. The eye contact makes JJ blush, turning away. He reaches into the pocket of the thin grey coat he wears, and pulls out a Lion Bar and a mini bottle of vodka. Chase’s eyes widen at the contraband, and Jameson smiles mischievously, tapping his finger to his lips in a shushing motion. Chase laughs, what he hopes is quietly, but judging by Jameson’s cringe it was too loud. 

Before Chase can feel anything about that, the Lion Bar is thrust into his hands and there are pale arms wrapped around him. Chase blinks in surprise, freezing from the stun. Jameson never hugs anyone but Henrik. Hell, he doesn’t even touch anyone most of the time.  

“Huh..?” Chase speaks. Jameson lets go, his thin arms snaking away swiftly. He picks up the legal pad, writing out, “Eat your chocolate,” before getting up and grabbing a blanket off the floor in a pile. He drapes it over Chase, his yellowing green hair sticking statically to the fleece. Jameson then sits beside him, twirling a lock of his hair softly, looking anywhere but at Chase. Chase follows in suit, focusing on his candy and the warm blanket in this poorly heated apartment. He sighs as chocolate washes down his throat with cheap vodka. He drinks half, then pats JJ’s leg, offering the bottle. Jameson blinks, then accepts with a shy grin. He drinks the other half. 

Chase slowly takes the pad and marker from him, writing in choppy, looping letters. “Thank you. Are you okay?” Jameson reels back slightly, scratches the back of his neck, then takes the pad back. 

“You were sad. I know your sadness. The world is harsh to people like us. Hard of hearing or mute or anything different, and you become an outcast.” Jameson flips over the page, tapping the pen on his cheek as he thinks of words to say. “Don’t be ashamed. Use what you need to get by. Like us right now.” He gestures to the legal pad with a small smile. Chase holds his lips together tightly, staring at the floor once Jameson stops writing. 

He knows his friend is right. He knows it’s not shameful to need support and help. But damn it burns like fire in his chest in child-like embarrassment. Jameson taps him, holding up the legal pad again. “You don’t need to feel so embarrassed, Chase. Deaf people deserve a place in society too. You deserve the help.”

Chase laughs, wiping at his watering eyes. “Thank you,” he says out loud, knowing his voice probably comes out strange, but with Jameson it doesn’t matter. Jameson’s kind eyes and soft smile, his strength in the face of his disability, his scarred thin hands and curling brown hair... Chase rubs his face again to hide his flushed cheeks. With Jameson it all feels easier. With Jameson it feels like the world will hold him peacefully, reassurance that there are people who care. 

Chase leans over and sets his head against JJ’s chest, sighing. Jameson glances behind him, watching as two pieces of acrylic slide out of a fold in the blanket and fall to the floor. He lunges forward to catch them, gasping softly. When he pops back up, Chase looks wide eyed into his hands, red and green hearing aids resting in JJ’s cupped palm. Jameson laughs, shoulders shaking with mirth. Chase can’t help but laugh too. All this drama, all this crying he’s done today, just to find them wrapped in a fleece hiding-hole. 

“Well that happened!” Jameson signs.

“Yeah, I basically siphoned some choco and vodka from you, bro,” Chase laughs, wiping away the water in his eyes in embarrassment. Jameson rolls his eyes playfully, then leans and kisses Chase on the cheek softly. Chase freezes, blushing faintly and staring at him. “I - n - t - e - r - v - i - e - w!” Jameson fingerspells with emphasis, rushing Chase to his room to get ready. 

Chase rushes through the streets, faint kiss still lingering on his cheek; for once, for one moment, Chase is not ashamed. He is not ashamed of himself, or ashamed of his accessibility needs, Jameson’s reassurance thrumming through his veins as confidence and pride. Jameson never shoves him into life before he’s ready, Jameson has always been the gentle hand of sameness, a friend guiding him as he wades the darkness of this life. Through the darkness of the mundane, like interviews and sweet candy. 

For the first time in his life, Chase feels like he has someone who understands him, and that is magic enough to give confidence to a cowardly lion. 

[hashtagartistlife]

IR hunger games AU

pt 1/???

pt 1 | pt 2 | pt 3 | pt 4

Two or so years ago I posted abt wanting an IR hunger games au

and since u really gotta do everything urself in this fandom.... i’m here with an IR hunger games au

For ichirukimonth 2019 day 1: competition! 

The competition of death 

Kurosaki ichigo, seventeen this year, lives a harsh life in district 12 with his younger sisters yuzu and karin (both 11 in this AU, so the age gap is bigger) and his nutcase dad who is less of a nutcase in this AU and actually has a pretty bad case of PTSD for reasons yet to be disclosed 

Kuchiki Byakuya, a somewhat... disgraced capitol citizen, is the Mayor of District 12. His younger sister Kuchiki Rukia, seventeen this year, is a quiet, reserved girl who seems to have no friends in town whatsoever

Ichigo is a whiz with a bow thanks to his mom, who taught him everything she knew and then died for plot reasons

When Yuzu gets reaped, Ichigo volunteers in her place and he honestly didn’t think his bid would work, he just thought they’d send them both into the arena together and at least if he’s there he could try to protect her as much as possible - 

but kuchiki byakuya, who has a sister of his own (or IS she his sister?! dun dun DUN) knows what it’s like to want to do anything to protect them - so he lets ichigo volunteer in her place 

rest in fucking PISS tfw you cut some poor kid a break because you’ve got a sister you want to protect too and that exact action leads to your sister participating in a 24-person deathmatch 

Ichigo, who is Trying To Be Stoic about this is all like, psssh yeah 24 person deathmatch? who cares?! I can TOTALLY survive this and not have survivor’s guilt. I don’t care about ANYONE in the village I’M A LONE WOLF as long as it’s not yuzu or karin on the line I don’t CARE who else gets sent to their death--

Ding dong you are wrong

ok, LBR. Ichigo would have mad guilt WHOEVER else got picked in yuzu’s place, but Kuchiki Rukia???? Kuchiki Rukia??? of all people, KUCHIKI RUKIA??? Of all the choices he had in the world it was a choice between his sister and the girl he literally owes his life to? Why is his life like this?!

SO, BACKSTORY: 

When Ichigo was, like, 10, his mom had just died last year, he’s sneaking out of the district to beyond the fence for the FIRST TIME to try to hunt because his father has literally disappeared and his sisters are starving-- 

Except because he’s a Baby and inexperienced, he gets caught by the peacekeepers next to the little stretch of ruined fence that he was trying to sneak out of, and like, that’s it, he knows this is it for him, he’s going to die, the peacekeepers are going to kill him--

--until 10-year-old Kuchiki Rukia, the sister of the new district mayor, steps in and takes the fall for him

I did it, she says. It’s not him. If you have to punish someone punish me instead.

--They don’t kill her. She’s a capitol citizen, the sister of the new town mayor. they can’t kill her. But when Ichigo sees her next, three months after the incident at the only school in the district--

they didn’t kill her. But he can see, even three months after the fact-- they came damn close. Rukia has never quite been the same afterwards. And even though neither of them really interact at all after this event, he knows he owes her his life from then on. 

.... Given this history, he’s entirely fucked. Like, what is he supposed to do?! Karin and Yuzu are crying and asking him to promise them he’ll come back, whatever he does-- but how can he come back when coming back means he has let Kuchiki Rukia die, in some shape or form????

He tries avoiding her. He wants to come back to his sisters - of course he does. But he can’t.... he can’t talk to her, interact with her, realise she’s human without-- without his conscience getting in the way. Not that it isn’t already getting in the way. And god, just look at her-- would she last a DAY in the arena? hell, an hour? She’s tiny-- and there were some freaks who participated in the games, contestants who liked to tear their victims apart, what if she got caught by one of those tributes--

hell, he’s worrying for her already. He is so fucked. 

Rukia.... Rukia. Rukia is pretty stoic about all this. Her whole life has just been one misery after the other so to be fucking honest, she’s not even surprised she got reaped. She almost expected this to happen. Everything that can POSSIBLY go wrong WILL go wrong for her! Murphy’s law, babey!

 And Ichigo—she remembers Ichigo. Of course she does. She doesn’t make friends easily, and even more so after her… incident…. With the peacekeepers. But she has always watched him out the corner of her eye since that time, just as he’s watched her. He’s gentle with his sisters. She likes him just for that. It’s awful that he has to go into the arena – but she knows he’s got a good chance of making it out. She hopes he makes it back to his sisters, who clearly love him very much—

Her? Well, there isn’t much for her to come back to anyway, is there? Would Byakuya even care beyond a cursory attempt to get her back? 

And just as these two are angsting in their own way, enter Urahara, the only surviving District 12 victor, and their mentor!!! 

Unlike Haymitch, Urahara’s not a drunkard—though I&R certainly have their doubts—but he’s just so…. Flippant. Someone who’s had to watch their mentees go to their deaths for decades should not be this upbeat—

I&R don’t trust him at ALL but what the fuck, he’s the best they’ve got. And if that doesn’t tell them how fucked they are, nothing else will. 

Ok there’s literally three whole BOOKS worth of this AU but this post? gigantic. More to come later! Stay tuned or whatever 

[hakuogakuen]

Hakuouki SSL: Prologue

EDITED 7/31/20

Hello! Here is the translation for the SSL prologue. Primary translation is by yuugs, with proof reading done by shizuumi, kuririn, and dei-hime. Translation begins below the cut!

― May ―

Chizuru Yukimura: "The door and windows are locked..."

~ding dong~

Chizuru Yukimura: "Heisuke-kun, are you awake? It's almost time for school..."

 "..."

"......”

FInally, the door opened.

Chizuru Yukimura: “Uh! Um... It's Yukimura. Hello? Heisuke-kun―"

Heisuke Toudou: "Sorry, Chizuru! Gimme five more minutes!!"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Oh... Heisuke-kun!? Geez..."

‘Five more minutes, huh...? There's still some time left, so I guess it should be fine...’

Chizuru Yukimura: "... It's already been five minutes...Is he still not ready? ...What now? Should I ring the intercom one more time...?"

Heisuke Toudou: "Morning! Also, sorry!"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Oh, Heisuke-kun! Morning!"

This is Heisuke Toudou-kun, my next-door neighbor. We attended the same high school, and walked there together when we can.

Despite being a junior, a grade above me, he hated me calling him ‘senpai,’ since we were childhood friends.

I'd counted on him since we were little, but he sometimes overslept or played video games all night, which could be a problem.

Heisuke Toudou: "We good for time? How bad's it look?

Chizuru Yukimura: "I think we might not make it...!"

Heisuke Toudou: "Seriously...? Okay, let's book it!"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Yeah!"

It was shaping up to be a bit of a busy morning, but we had to hurry―!!

Heisuke Toudou: "Dammit, if my alarm just rang properly, we'd have definitely made it on time!"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Heisuke-kun, you said that last time as well."

Heisuke Toudou: "M-My alarm's busted! I'll buy a new one next time!!"

???: "Sure is noisy this morning, huh?"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Ah..."

Souji Okita: "Morning, you two."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Good morning, Okita-senpai!"

This is Souji Okita-senpai, a junior. He was in the same class as Heisuke-kun, and we were pretty good friends. He could be a bit mischievous, and like to take pictures with his smartphone. Occasionally, he'd email me and I wouldn't know how to respond.That did bother me a bit.

Heisuke Toudou: "If Souji's here… then we're seriously late!"

Souji Okita: "Maybe... But it's not that bad. Not like the school's going anywhere anytime soon."

Heisuke Toudou: "It’s absolutely that bad! The gatekeeper of hell's waiting for us!"

Souji Okita: "Haha, you're exaggerating. No need to be so scared."

Chizuru Yukimura: "L-Let's hurry anyway! Okita-senpai, you should try and run!"

Souji Okita: "...Looks like I'll have to play along."

After that, we began running for our lives. Of course, tardiness was against the rules, but even with that, there was another reason we didn’t want to be lateー

Heisuke Toudou: "All right, and he's saaaaaaafe!!"

???:  "Unfortunately, he's out."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Huh..."

Hajime Saitou:  "Sorry, but as a part of the disciplinary committee, I can't make any exceptions. Not even for five seconds."

Kaoru Nagumo:  "What he said. A shame, really. You ran so desperately just to make an own goal."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Kaoru...and Saitou-senpai...!"

...Yes, the reason we ran so frantically is because of the disciplinary committee.

This is Hajime Saitou-senpai , a junior. A serious and deeply earnest person, he was a feared member of the disciplinary committee. Heisuke-kun often called him 'inflexible', but he's tougher on himself than anyone else. I think he's a good person. Although he might not be the best with words, he was a good senior in my eyes.

This is Nagumo Kaoru, a sophomore, like me. He's actually my twin brother. Why our last names differed was a long story, but basically, we grew up separately when we were young. Initially, I was happy that we were going to the same school. But... Kaoru wasn’t the politest person ever. He would even disrespect our seniors without a second thought, and he always made me nervous…

Heisuke Toudou: "It was only five seconds! The gate isn't closed yet ―just let it slide!"

Kaoru Nagumo:  "No. How would letting you go benefit us?"

Heisuke Toudou: "Maybe it wouldn't, but it's not like it'd hurt you either!"

Hajime Saitou:  "Heisuke, this isn't open for discussion. The rules exist for a reason."

Souji Okita: "You heard him, Heisuke. Too bad."

Heisuke Toudou: "Souji, whose side are you on?!"

Chizuru Yukimura: "U-Um... Heisuke-kun. It's a fact we were late. We can't do much about that."

Heisuke Toudou: "But...!"

???:  "Pipe down! What are you up to there!?"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Oh...!"

Toshizou Hijikata: "Saitou, Nagumo! It's time. Close the gate."

Hajime Saitou:  "Yes, sir."

Kaoru Nagumo: "Hmph, that's a shame."

Toshizou Hijikata:  "Heisuke, Souji, Yukimura! You three hurry up and head inside....Don't be any later than you already are."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Y-Yes, sir!"

This is Toshizou Hijikata. He was Heisuke's and Okita's homeroom teacher, and also taught classical literature. He was very harsh, but passionate about education. As well being the vice principal, it was said that he was a childhood friend of the principal, Kondou-sensei. He always looked tense. He had this prickly aura about him that kept people away.

Toshizou Hijikata: "I swear... You never learn. You're late every single day..."

(A flash lit up his face and a camera shutter noise sounded.)

Toshizou Hijikata: "W-What was that?"

Souji Okita: "Haha. The wrinkles in your face are even deeper than yesterday's."

Toshizou Hijikata: "Souji! You punk!!"

Souji Okita: "Would you like to compare yesterday's pic with today's? Here, take a look."

Toshizou Hijikata:  "I don't need to! And don't take photos of people without their permission!"

...Seeing as everyone else was afraid of the vice principal, Okita might have be the only one who could banter with him like that... With that thought, we headed past the school gates.

――The private school, Hakuou Academy.

This school was an all-boys school up until this year. Thanks to the principal Isami Kondou-sensei and his efforts, the school became co-ed recently.

Somehow, I became the first female student at Hakuou Academy...

...And the only female student.

Of course, I was a little nervous when I learned that there were no other girls... But the people here were really nice, and I had always been good at getting along with others, so I was doing pretty well.

Chizuru Yukimura:"...Oh no! I have to get to class soon...!"

__

"Thank god, I made it in time..."

Ryuunosuke Ibuki: "Hm? It's not like you to show up at the last minute, Yukimura."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Oh, Ibuki-kun. Morning. This morning's been a bit much..."

This is Ryuunosuke Ibuki-kun, my classmate. He could be a bit blunt at times, but he was a kind person. He always had milk and red bean buns for lunch. When I asked him if he was eating enough, he would say that it couldn’t be helped, since he had no money… He complained about someone called Serizawa-san being rough and tyrannical to him. I wondered what his relation was to Ibuki-kun, exactly.

Ryuunosuke Ibuki: "The teacher's about to arrive. We ought to take our seats now."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Yeah, thanks, Ibuki-kun."

???: "Take your seats, you lot. Homeroom's about to start."

Chizuru Yukimura: "!"

While I hurried to sit down, Harada-sensei smiled at me from the front of the room.

Sanosuke Harada: "What's wrong, Yukimura? It's rare for you to be late."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Y-Yes... I'm sorry..."

This is Sanosuke Harada-sensei. He was my homeroom teacher, as well as the P.E. teacher.  Friendly and open-hearted, all the students looked up to him as if he were their big brother. He used to go to the same Kendo dojo as Heisuke-kun and Nagakura-sensei, the math teacher. Even now, they all still seemed to be close.

Sanosuke Harada: "Well, I can imagine the reason why. You know, you can just ditch Heisuke if you think you'll be late."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Um, that's… I'll see what I can do about that..."

Sanosuke Harada: "Yeah, please do. Well, let's wrap this up quickly. Today's announcements are--"

I didn’t want to just leave Heisuke-kun behind... ‘I’ll try to figure out a way so I can pick him up earlier…’

Classmate A:  "Phew, it's finally time for lunch."

Classmate B: "Yeah, I'm starving. Hey, Ibuki, you eating at the cafeteria?"

Ryuunosuke Ibuki: "If you treat me, I’ll go."

Classmate B: "No way!"

Ryuunosuke Ibuki: "Then don't ask. You know full well I'm low on money."

Classmate A: "U-Um, Yukimura-san, what about you? We can go together if that's cool―"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Me? Well...."

While it made me happy when my classmates invited me to have lunch with them…

Chizuru Yukimura: "I'm sorry… I already have plans. Maybe another time?"

Classmate A: "I-I see..."

I apologized once again and then headed to the cafeteria. At lunchtime, the cafeteria got so crowded, it was like a battlefield. It seems like things are ramping up with everyone on an empty stomach…

Heisuke Toudou: "Oh, hey, Chizuru! Over here, over here!"

Heisuke and Okita are waving at me. 

‘I can't keep them waiting, I have to hurry...!’

Chizuru Yukimura: "Hm.... Should I get set meal A?”

I bought a ticket for set meal 'A' from the vending machine, and then joined the line.

Genzaburou Inoue: "Oh, Yukimura-kun. You came to the cafeteria today."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Inoue-san, hello!"

This is Genzaburou Inoue-san.  He was in charge of cooking the meals for the cafeteria, and his food was always delicious. He was very kind and warm, and students affectionately called him the “Mother of Hakuou Academy”. In fact, rumor has it that he was quite a big-wig as well. But was it true, I wondered.

Genzaburou Inoue: "I’ll keep your portion on the smaller side. The boys’ portion could be a bit too much for you."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Thank you so much!"

His effortless consideration for others was one of his best traits, to me. I would have liked to take some cooking lessons from him one of these days, too...

Souji Okita: "You kept us waiting. Oh. You don't have much on your plate, as usual."

Chizuru Yukimura: "You think so?"

Heisuke Toudou: "Chizuru's a girl, so of course she'll have less, right? You don’t eat that much either, Souji."

Souji Okita: "And you eat a lot. For your size."

Heisuke Toudou: "That wasn't necessary!"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Hehe."

After a fun lunch, I parted ways with Heisuke-kun and Okita-senpai, and headed back for the classroom.

Shinpachi Nagakura: "Yo, Chizuru-chan!” Working hard today?"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Hello, Nagakura-sensei!"

This is Shinpachi Nagakura-sensei. He was a math teacher and a close friend of Harada-sensei's. Much to his dismay, he was often mistaken for a P.E. teacher, which was no surprise, since he always wore a jersey. He was hopeless with money management and often got in trouble with Hijikata-sensei because of that. But otherwise, he was a great teacher.

Shinpachi Nagakura: "Are you done with lunch already? If you wouldn't mind,  I've a small favor to ask of you.”

Chizuru Yukimura: "Oh, yes! That's fine. What is it?"

Shinpachi Nagakura:  "Sorry for the trouble. I just wanted you to deliver this to Sannan-san for me."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Sannan-sensei... So the infirmary?"

Shinpachi Nagakura: "Yeah. I've, uh...got some other things to take care of. Yeah."

Chizuru Yukimura: "I understand. I'll head there now!"

Shinpachi Nagakura:  "Great. Thanks for the help!"

I headed off to the infirmary with the manila folder Nagakura-sensei gave me.

Chizuru Yukimura: "Excuse me."

Keisuke Sannan: "Oh...Yukimura-kun. Are you unwell?"

This is Sannan Keisuke-sensei, the school nurse. He was always calm, kind, and willing to lend a hand. Knowing that, it was strange how most students tried to avoid ever going to the infirmary...

Chizuru Yukimura: "No, I'm fine. Nagakura-sensei told me to hand this to you."

Keisuke Sannan:  "Nagakura-sensei...?"

Keisuke Sannan:  "Ahh...I see now. He didn't want to deliver it himself, so he used you instead."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Huh?"

Keisuke Sannan: "Heh... He actually missed the deadline for the submission of his documents, you see? I suppose he didn't want me getting angry with him. I'll have to have a word with him later… To think he sent you on a fool's errand when he could've done it himself."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Oh, no, it's really no trouble."

Susumu Yamazaki:  "Excuse me. ...Oh."

Keisuke Sannan:  "Oh? I see that I've got many visitors today. You're here too, Yamazaki-kun."

This is Yamazaki Susumu-senpai, a junior. He was in the same class as Saitou-senpai, and his homeroom teacher was Nagakura-sensei. As part of the Health Committee, he frequented the infirmary to help Sannan-sensei out with his work. Yamazaki-senpai was a very strait-laced person, who'd never slack off on any of his committee work.

Susumu Yamazaki:  "Pardon me! I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation..."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Oh, no. It's alright! I've already finished up here."

Keisuke Sannan:  "How cold of you. Are you implying that you've no business talking to me now that you've wrapped up here?"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Huh, wait― What!? N-No! That's not what I meant..."

Susumu Yamazaki:  "...Sannan-sensei."

Keisuke Sannan:  "I know, I know, Yamazaki-kun. I was only teasing."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Really...?"

Keisuke Sannan:  "Heh. It was only a joke. Feel free to come by anytime, now. Of course you should visit when you're feeling ill, but do stop by if you have other concerns as well. I have some good medicine."

Susumu Yamazaki: "Sannan-sensei? But that's...!"

Keisuke Sannan: "Yamazaki-kun. Is there something you'd like to say...?"

Susumu Yamazaki: "...Nothing."

Chizuru Yukimura: "???"

The bell for afternoon classes rang just after I left the infirmary.

Chizuru Yukimura: "I'm already so sleepy..."

With my full stomach and the warm weather, I began to feel a bit drowsy. Thinking that, I returned to my classroom.

Then, as usual, I finished my afternoon classes...

It was time for homeroom again.

Sanosuke Harada:  "...and that's all for today. Those in clubs ― give it all you’ve got. Those going home ― take care not to wander about too much."

Whole class:  "Yeeessir."

Sanosuke Harada:  "...Oh, right, Yukimura."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Yes?"

Sanosuke Harada: "I also told Heisuke. Don't be late tomorrow."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Y-Yes, sir...!"

Sanosuke Harada: "Hahaha, don't give me that face. I'm not really angry with you. Well then, see you tomorrow."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Right! Have a nice day."

I smiled and left the classroom.

Chizuru Yukimura: "Hm? What's going on.... What's all this commotion about?"

???:  "Hey, hey, move it, bastards!"

???: "I'm so sorry, but if you could make way,please."

Chizuru Yukimura: "...That voice is..."

Chikage Kazama:  "Hmph. For these nobodies to block my path... unforgivable. Those who dare defy yours truly, the eminent student council president, Chikage Kazama, must prepare to face the consequences."

Kyuuju Amagiri: "...Please understand this is to avoid further trouble, from what you can see here."

Kyou Shiranui:  "It’d be less dull if some guys here had the guts to throw down with him though."

Chizuru Yukimura: "......!"

When I saw those three cut through the surging crowd, I thought to myself, 'Oh, no.' I really didn’t want to get caught, if I could avoid it. But as that crossed my mind...

Chikage Kazama:  "Oh... You came to meet me yourself. What a praiseworthy sentiment, my betrothed."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Ack! It was a coincidence...!"

Kyuuju Amagiri:  "Greetings, Yukimura-kun. ...You have my sympathies."

Chikage Kazama:  "Amagiri. What do you mean by that?"

Kyou Shiranui:  "The man said what he said. Ain't that right, Chizuru?"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Um......"

I was at a loss. I could only stand there in silence.

This is Chikage Kazama-senpai. He was a senior, and the student council president of Hakuou Academy. He was always accompanied by his attendants, Kyuuju Amagiri-senpai and Kyou Shiranui-senpai, and acted as if the whole world belongs to him. 

And why, really, why did he want me to be his bride? He decided that completely on his own...

This is Kyuuju Amagiri-senpai, another senior who acted like Kazama-senpai's watchman of sorts. ...He didn’t look anything like a high school student. There’s really no other way to put it. But I'd decided not to worry about that. He was probably the only person able to put up with Kazama-senpai's recklessness with any amount of success.

And lastly, this is Kyou Shiranui-senpai.  He was also a senior, like Amagiri-senpai, and always with Kazama-senpai. However, unlike Amagiri, he didn’t seem to really respect Kazama. He could be violent sometimes and a bit scary, but occasionally he could be quite kind too, according to his whim.

Chizuru Yukimura: "Um... Kazama-senpai. I've repeatedly asked you to not call me your wife, so please stop..."

Chikage Kazama:  "Why?"

Chizuru Yukimura: "W-Why....? Because it's not true!!"

Chikage Kazama:  "...I can't hear you. Amagiri, what is the girl saying?"

Kyuuju Amagiri:  "......She said that she is currently undeserving of the honour of marrying you."

Chizuru Yukimura: "What?!"

Chikage Kazama: "Is that so. Such a commendable attitude; such humility is a virtue."

Chizuru Yukimura:: “But, th-that's not...!"

Kyou Shiranui: "Give it up. He doesn’t wanna hear it."

Chizuru Yukimura: "No way!"

Chikage Kazama: "Hm... Fine. I'll overlook this for today. But know this, Chizuru. Once I set my eyes on my prey, I never let it escape. I suggest you ready yourself by coming to a decision.”

Chizuru Yukimura: "Kazama-senpai! Wait...!”

Without listening to a word I said, he turned and left, along with Amagiri-senpai and Shiranui-senpai.

...As they were leaving, Amagiri-senpai bowed deeply to me.

Chizuru Yukimura: “I would rather that he deny it along with me, though...”

"Phew..."

Somehow, after that, a wave of exhaustion came over me, and I let out a sigh. At that moment…

Isami Kondou: "Hm? If it isn't Yukimura-kun. Are you heading home now?"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Kondou-sensei!"

This is Isami Kondou, the founder of Hakuouki Academy. He was always full of enthusiasm. Just watching him and his energy inspired me to do my best, too. His topknot hairstyle surprised me at first. But it seemed that he sports one as his own policy of sorts.

Isami Kondou:  "Glad to see you're doing well. Have you had any issues lately?"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Thank you very much. Everyone's very kind and polite, so I'm doing well!"

Isami Kondou:  "I see, I see, that's great! To think that you're the only girl among a sorry lot of guys."

Isami Kondou: "Even now, I think the admission interview was a bit crazy. I'm sorry about that."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Ahaha..."

As I remembered the Hakuou Academy entrance exam, a wry smile came to my face.

That was back in the winter of this year. I was at a loss for which school I should attend. 

My friend, Osen-chan, suggested Shimabara Girls' High, which she was attending... It was an upper-class all-girls school, and I was worried about the formalities and expensive tuition fees.

Many other schools also interested me, and I just couldn't make up my mind.

Then, as I was trying to decide…

Heisuke Toudou: "Hey, Chizuru! Come to my school! Starting next year, they'll accept girls as well!"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Oh... Really?"

Heisuke Toudou: "Really! Go to the same school as me!"

At Heisuke-kun's suggestion, I began researching Hakuou Academy.

The tuition was pretty cheap, but more importantly, their educational ideals resonated deeply with me.

And so, I decided to take the entrance exam for Hakuou Academy.

It was difficult, but thanks to the work I put into revising, I managed to pass somehow. What I was most nervous about was actually the interview afterwards. What would they ask me? As my heart began to pound thinking that, the person I faced in the interview was…

Toshizou Hijikata:  "...Chizuru Yukimura. Our academy will begin to admit girls for the first time next year. Depending on the situation, the number of girls may be considerably low. Could you focus on your studies in such an environment?"

Chizuru Yukimura: “...I may have fewer female friends, which might be lonely. But studying is bound to be the main priority for school, so I'll be fine."

Toshizou Hijikata:  "...Why did you choose our school?"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Though this is embarrassing to admit… For one, the tuition is cheap. I don't want to burden my father,” I said. “Beyond that, a childhood friend of mine attends this school, and he told me this was a good place... And after looking into it, it seemed to me that this academy creates an environment that puts their students first... So now, I want to study here. That's what I truly think."

Toshizou Hijikata "...I see."

For some reason, Hijikata-sensei had kept silent for a while after that.

With his most serious expression yet, he had finally opened his mouth again, and asked me this:

Toshizou Hijikata: "...Last question. Can you recite our school's educational philosophy?"

Of course, I had responded immediately.

Chizuru Yukimura: "Yes! It's 'Sincerity'!"

Toshizou Hijikata: "......"

After that, I made it. I was able to pass the admissions process.

At the time, I would never have guessed I'd be the only girl in the school. That had me fairly worried at first.

Isami Kondou:  "I can tell you now that Toshi was against accepting female students until the very last minute.” He continued, "Ah... How do I put it? Um, we're a school with a short history, even if we have noble ideals and whatnot... So, when the proposal to accept girls was raised, Toshi insisted it'd distract the current students and disrupt their discipline."

Chizuru Yukimura: "S-So that's what happened..."

Isami Kondou:  "The compromise was that Toshi would interview candidates himself. And here you are ― the only girl who passed! But I am really sorry. You must have felt out of place. I wouldn't blame you for feeling nervous..."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Kondou-sensei... It's true that I did at first, but I'm alright now. And besides... Now that I'm enrolled here, I think it was one of the best decisions I've ever made!"

Isami Kondou:  "R-Really...! Thank you!! There may be hard times along with the good ones… But I want you to be proud that you're a student Toshi himself accepted, and enjoy your time here. As the principal of this school, I'll be watching over you!"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Thank you so much!"

Mr. Kondou waved me off with a smile and, after waving back at him, I left the school.

Chizuru Yukimura: "I'm home...! ...Haah... It feels kind of lonely when nobody's home..."

My father, a doctor, was on a business trip to some remote island, and wouldn’t be coming home for a while.

Our family clinic was also closed. While I was used to it by then, I think I took it for granted that someone would welcome me home before.

Chizuru Yukimura: "Hm?"

‘I should probably reply as soon as I can.’

-----

Sub: About emails

Since we're in the same class and we're pretty much friends, I'll tell you something.

At the entrance ceremony, the school admins announced that they would contact us via email. Have you registered an address?

You're going to start receiving emails, but apparently you can only reply to them right on the spot when you receive them.

You'll be able to check your email history later, but you can't reply. 

If you want to reply to a message, reply on the spot. 

Well, even if the school contacts you, I'm sure it'll just be chatter from teachers and students anyway.

That's all I wanted to tell you. 

-----

Chizuru Yukimura: "Huh?"

"It's Ibuki-kun again."

-----

Sub: Ryuunosuke Shop Grand Opening

My bad, I forgot I needed to tell you one more thing.

As you spend time at Hakuo Academy, you'll accumulate points from doing things like replying to emails or playing mini-games.

Now that my shop has opened, you can exchange those points for various goods at the shop.

There is a limit to the number of points you can have, so use them quickly.

There are also certain things that cannot be obtained until a certain time has passed, so come and look often. 

I mean.

The operation of this shop is  a matter of life or death for me.

I'm begging you!

Please exchange points!

-----

"Alright, I guess I'll take a look next time."

After I checked the email from Ibuki-kun, I put my phone on my desk and looked out the window.

Chizuru Yukimura: "...I have my friends and teachers. It'll be okay."

‘Tomorrow's gonna be a busy day. I'm sure I won't have time to feel lonely then.’

A place dear to my heart, where I could enjoy my everyday life.

My days at Private Hakuo Academy had only just begun――

[achillvs]

also i realized in 2 days it’s gonna be a year since i saw save me mv