#“haha wow this person who is mostly fine if a bit annoying but IN THE WAY OF MY SHIP 😡 got rejected in an incredibly cruel way!

[three-bunnies-in-a-trenchcoat]

Webtoon commentors are the worst people I have ever seen

[linawritesocs]

more info about my ocs being in other dorms!

avery: so. diasomnia. great, a cute pink flower boy has to deal with all these goths. though he actually kinda likes how the uniform looks on him.. you didn't hear that from him. he really couldn't care less about malleus, which is one of the reasons why he and sebek fight quite a lot. the other reason is.. simply their personalities. these two just CAN'T stop arguing and avery even starts to miss pomefiore, because even though vil annoys him, they don't fight like this, vil and avery's fights usually go like: "did you forget to brush your hair again" "did you forget that i hate talking to you" "..." "FINE, FINE, I'LL GO TAKE CARE OF IT. UGH I HATE YOU". avery tries to avoid talking to most diasomnia students and he's not good at it, because a lot of them are very interested in his unique magic and think it's cool. lilia is definitely the one who wants to talk to him the most, after all, he is roland's precious club member, right? so lilia wants to check on him and let him know that every time he and roland talk to each other, roland asks how avery is doing in nrc. lilia also jokes that he and roland are like avery's dads at this point. those bat-shaped earrings are also a gift from lilia!

vance: IGNIHYDE LET'S GOOOOOO. vance did want to be sorted into ignihyde when his entrance ceremony happened (and he also was interested in savanaclaw), but lost interest when he saw idia, so him being sent to this dorm kinda feels like an apology from the dark mirror, even if he likes being a heartslabyul student now. ignihyde students are TERRIFIED OF HIM. WHAT IS THIS NOISY SUNSHINE BOY DOING HERE. he plays extremely loud music in the dorm lounge, greets ignihyde students with "WHAT'S UP GAMERS" and he does everything he can to annoy idia: forces him to leave his room, wins every time they play games together and says things like "i think i want to stay in your dorm for a bit longer :D" to scare him. ignihyde students actually think that their dorm fits vance really well because of him knowing a lot about technology, his gaming skills, etc, but.. he's just way too loud for them. they want him to leave as soon as the dorm exchange program ends.

merrill: again, like that one time with the star send-off, HE THINKS THAT HIS NEW OUTFIT IS THE ONLY GOOD THING ABOUT THIS. he lets his hair down because he thinks he looks kinda dumb with that braid of his as a savanaclaw student. (he simply thought that it doesn't have that "jock vibe") and even though merrill is one of the most extraverted ignihyde students and he goes outside quite often.. he does NOT feel at home while being in savanaclaw. he's still an e-boy who isn't really into sports, he's just good at tiktok dances and that's it, so savanaclaw students decide to make him do all these really hard exercises just to see him suffer. he's mostly chill around leona, though he does find him a bit annoying, so he just teases him as much as he can, hoping that leona will leave him alone ("haha, wow, dorm leader, i'm soooo tired! i'll take a nap next to you, if that's okay~" "no, it's not, get out" "YES THANK YOU DORM LEADER"). meanwhile ruggie just thinks it's funny to force merrill play sports with them and jack thinks merrill is capable of doing so much more, he's just being too lazy like their dorm leader.

austin: NOT OCTAVINELLE. PLEASE, ANYTHING BUT THAT. (though he'd also hate being sorted into pomefiore) austin pretty much gets forced to work at mostro lounge, though azul regrets his decision almost instantly because this boy is too rude and he can't talk to customers properly. so he asks jade to help austin get used to this new job! how fun! austin calls azul out fot his "capitalistic octoman" behavior all the time, but.. azul is one of the few octavinelle students he's not scared of. MEANWHILE THE TWINS SCARE HIM A LOT. he still tries to act cool and tough around them and they find it really cute, but he's this close to crying and calling for his mom. it's also hard for him to get used to his new uniform and he doesn't think he looks that good in it, but his self-esteem instantly goes higher when he talks to merrill about how much he hates his new dorm and merrill goes "oh, i'm sure you look cute in that new uniform though". but austin will never thank him for that.

minnie: yeah, she's not happy about being sent to savanaclaw. she doesn't even know why the dark mirror decided that she shouldn't live in ramshackle anymore. okay, fine, it could've at least sorted her into heartslabyul or pomefiore, but why savanaclaw?? she's not scared of savanaclaw students at all and she will not hesitate to punch leona if he gets on her nerves, which impresses some students quite a lot (ahem, ruggie and jack, but especially ruggie, because WOW THIS MOUSE GIRL JUST PUNCHED HIS BOSS.) she always joins to play sports with them, just to show that she's much stronger than she looks and she actually?? finds it fun?? and savanaclaw students go from being scared of her to respecting her.. but they still don't deny she's terrifying, not only because of her personality and strength, but also because this girl still has all of her dolls in her new room. and when ruggie and jack first saw them, they got just a little bit scared. ruggie knows that minnie genuinely thinks her dolls are cute, but he prefers to believe that every time she looks at her dolls, she thinks "if i can survive with these in my room, savanaclaw students are nothing, compared to them". also sebek got a bit worried when he heard that minnie is gonna be sent to savanaclaw

(post-overblot) hayden: he doesn't really think much of this dorm exchange thing. he already knows that all dorms hate him and they don't want him to join them, so what's the point of expecting something else? why should he be excited? but he doesn't understand why the dark mirror sorted him into pomefiore. like, he never really was into fashion-related stuff? it should have sent merrill there, though hayden thinks merrill being sorted into savanaclaw is a funny concept. so, hayden is prepared to be judged by pomefiore students and them being scared of him, but.. they're actually mostly fine with him. sure, they're not thrilled to be in the same room as him, but their main problem with him is that HIS APPEARANCE IS TOO BORING. NOT HIM TRYING TO MAKE THE WHOLE SCHOOL WORSHIP HIM. some of them even think his overblot form looked kinda cool?? so yes, their conversation just goes like this: "wait, but.. aren't you all scared of me?" "yeah, we know you did lots of bad things, but your looks are too boring, SO COME, LET US PUT MAKEUP ON YOU AND MAKE YOU WEAR YOUR NEW UNIFORM" yeah, he still gets the looks, but as he spends more time with pomefiore students, they get used to him and he gets used to them. and when pomefiore students start to trust hayden more, they get excited because they really do want to help hayden look more "unique". sure, this does feel like being merrill's dress-up doll again, but for some reason.. it doesn't feel bad and hayden actually enjoys spending time with those students. and he also wanted to dye his hair or change his appearance in some other way, so that he wouldn't look like his family members that much, so.. they also teach him more about poisons, meanwhile this guy shows how good he is at imitating others and acting like a completely different person and they go "WOW :O SO THAT'S HOW YOU MANIPULATED THE WHOLE SCHOOL" when hayden goes back to being a "temporary ignihyde student", he starts to think.. what if the dark mirror actually sorted him into the best dorm for him during that exchange program?

riley: like hayden, he doesn't think much of this exchange program, he just hopes that the dark mirror will feel better soon. oh, he got sorted into octavinelle? interesting, he didn't expect that. and if azul regrets making austin work at mostro lounge, he's EXCITED to work with riley because he's a popular boy and people love him. riley can just walk to someone and ask them: "hey, i'm sorry, but can you please buy this, azul-senpai said that it's really good" AND THEY WILL BUY IT. people are also busy taking pics of riley in his new uniform because they think he looks really cute in it. and.. riley is not that happy about it. sure, he wants to help azul out, but he doesn't want to be the center of attention. he won't say anything though. he also really admires austin even though the guy is terrible at his job, he most likely thinks austin is so cool because people don't really care about him, so he doesn't have to deal with all these fans. HE EVEN ASKS AUSTIN HOW CAN HE MAKE OTHER STUDENTS TO IGNORE HIM BECAUSE "austin-senpai, you're so good at making people hate you". austin isn't sure how to feel about this.

oh, and if you're wondering, why real!jay isn't here.. he's a "secret student" and crowley and the dark mirror don't know about him, he's just hiding in ramshackle because he has nowhere else to go, so.. yes, he didn't participate in the program, EVEN THOUGH HE'D LOVE TO. yes, ramshackle dorm feels like home to him, but he's also a bit tired of it and he kinda wanted to be sorted into a "proper dorm".. but he knows that he's not "special enough" to even be a nrc student.

[moved-danganronpamess]

globe anon again!! sorry for requesting a lot haha i just rlly love your writing! could i get some quality fluffy content of s/o forcing byakuya to spend a whole day with her doing ‘peasant things’ (such as going to mcdonalds or taking public transportation, etc)?? and byakuya not really wanting to do any of this but going along (very pessimistically) because he loves his s/o djsakgk tYSM!!!

Hey lovely! I love this request sm, and I tried my best with it because Byakuya is one of my favs,,, but it ended up with mostly McDonalds IM SORRY FORGIVE ME

Remember to prioritize yourself, health, and wellbeing lovelies!! 💗 - Mod Mikan who has class in like 5 minutes

Byakuya And His S/O Doing “Peasant Things”

I don’t know how you managed to convince Byakuya to follow you around all day, but I guess if you can manage to steal the Byakuya Togami’s heart, you can do anything! It’ll take a lot of patience and time for it to happen, but when it does, it’s hilariously amazing. 

You were quickly slipping on your shoes to head out when you heard someone clear their throat behind you.

“Hmm? Oh, Kuya! You finally came out of that stuffy office of yours!”

“For the last time, (Name), do not call me Kuya,” Byakuya sighed as he adjusted his glasses. “I just wanted to know where you were going.” (Yea… acting like he totally didn’t just want to spend some with you, drinking expensive tea and reading together. 🥺)

“Just heading out for some errands, Bya,” you hummed as you pulled on your jacket.

“Errands? Are you referring to those peasant activities you take part in?”

“Hey, they aren’t peasant activities! It’s things normal people do!”

“You are the least normal person I’ve met.”

You stuck your tongue out at him as you huffed. “You know, you should follow me around first and then decide whether I partake in peasant activities. You might enjoy yourself!” You knew that Byakuya wouldn’t be caught doing such things, but it was fun to tease your easily irritable boyfriend.

“I’ll just go drink the milkshake Makoto and Kyoko recommended to me by myself then, Kuya.”

“...Makoto and Kyoko?”

“Yup! They recommended me a yummy drink from this place we eat at frequently together! But you never want to come!” you pouted. “Please, can you come just this once? I’ll be there so you won’t be bored, ya know!”

“Fine… only this once though. And you better not tell-”

“Alrighty! Let us depart at once!” you cheered, grabbing the end of his sleeve, and dragging him out the door. Even though he never showed it, your lover had a soft spot for you and his friends.

It wasn’t until you two were walking side by side that you realized how out of place you looked. Byakuya was clad in his normal attire - a crisp, elegant suit, which was… not very normal for other people. What’s more was that your boyfriend was taller than most, and that someone as simple as you were walking with him like it was nothing. You were a bit embarrassed by all the stares you got but Byakuya looked like he didn’t care.

“Oh, we’re here!” you smiled, standing in front of the familiar place with the big yellow ‘M.’

“(Name)... please don’t tell me you took me here.”

“Don’t worry Kuya, McDonalds’ is pretty good. I bet even someone like you have had it at least once, right?”

“... I’m leaving.”

“Oh God, you never had McDonalds before?? *The* Byakuya Togami hasn’t experienced the wonders of fast food? We have to fix that right now!” you once again dragged a very reluctant and stiff looking Byakuya into the building. Thankfully, it was mostly empty save for a few customers. The place was as you remembered it - napkins laid on the floor messily, wet tables, the menu displayed brightly. You knew your partner disliked PDA, so you opted to just stay close to him so he didn’t disappear on you.

“You see anything you like, Kuya?”

You glanced over and it seemed as though Byakuya was busy casting one of his “You’re inferior to me” looks to everyone in the restaurant.

“Right… I’ll order for the both of us then.” You decided to get the frappe for yourself. Would Byakuya like the black coffee? But that was so boring, he drank that too much anyway! So you decided to order him a mocha instead. And some fries as well, you hadn’t had those in so long,,, 

Your order came quickly and you excitedly took out your wallet to pay, when Byakuya stopped you and handed the cashier his credit card instead. (He loves you too much and also has too much pride to ever let you pay. And he just likes *flexing* in front of commoners apparently, you’re not sure whether this is intentional or not.)

The both of you walked over to the tables, albeit Byakuya was more slow, not the fondest of the surroundings and the caution wet floor signs.

“Come on, Bya! You gotta try the fries before they get cold!”

“(Name), I am not sitting… on that.”

“Don’t worry bro, I got you,” you draped your jacket over the chair and beckoned for him to sit down.

He grimaced and sat down in his normal sitting position, arms and legs crossed. “Being around the 99% of the failing population makes me physically ill, (Name.)”

“Shh… and just enjoy your mocha and try these fries man.”

He sighed and hesitantly reached for a fry, inspecting it and placing it into his mouth. You looked at him with stars in your eyes.

“It’s not bad, for peasant food-”

“Really??! We got em everyone! Byakuya admitted McDonalds-”

“I don’t know why or how I put up with you for so long…”

“Haha, because you love me right! Come on, try the mocha now!” After some more encouragement from you, you convinced your lover to try the drink, to which he started listing all of the things wrong about it. You managed to listen to him critique the whole place, how he didn’t expect much from a place commoners frequent, while you sipped on your frappe.

“Ah, wasn’t that so relaxing, Kuya? Spending some quality time with you is truly therapeutic,” you giggled, retrieving your jacket while Byakuya looked at you like you were crazy.

“Why do you always wear that one jacket every time you go out? You have plenty of other options at home.”

“Wow, you paid attention to what I was wearing?”

Byakuya smirked, “Naturally, I know everything that you do.” (His way of saying he cares about you a lot.)

“Well, this was the jacket you gave me on our first date! It was cold and you let me borrow your jacket… I didn’t know you had it in you to be romantic!”

Shock quickly came and left Byakuya’s face. “So you remember that as well…” he looked to the side so you couldn’t see his face. (He was def blushing a bit 🥺.)

“Come on, Kuya! There’s more peasant activity we have to take part in right now!”

You later dragged Byakuya into a bus, and he tries to pay and then you explain that you need to have a Metro Card or coins in order to pay. Therefore you had to pay for the two of you and he never felt so annoyed in his life.

(After the two of you get home, you spread the news to Makoto about your “date” with Byakuya, who spreads it to Aoi and Yasuhiro who can’t stop laughing. They never let him live it down and now Byakuya refuses to go anywhere near fast food. But he still loves you so much, so he still lets you cuddle with him while he reads 🥺.)

I’m sorry to everyone who had to read this, idk what I’m doing.

[icharchivist]

cries think I made my ask too long so like half of it got deleted bc I typed it right into the askbox. anyways. I come bearing a3 thoughts! at first i was gonna watch the spring/summer and autumn/winter ones and then give my thoughts on both but. turns out i had too many thoughts lol? which i shouldve expected but i actually kind of... got bored by the first two chapters of this event! so i skipped and went to the stranger. and then went back. (1/?)

and then i got to like "tsuzuru and kazunari are having a fight?" and jumped on that like a starving wolf bc helllll yeah! i rly adored kazunari in sardine search, i think he was great! hes just so nice and has good vibes. he and taichi are kind of similar i feel? but i think their respective ages contribute to a lot of difference in their characters. why does it feel like this askbox limit personally wants me dead. (2/?)

anyways! i rly enjoyed the improv scene devolving to a real fight. admittedly i was kinda surprised that the content of that improv wasnt rly too similar to their actual fight? like normally a3 has the story of the play run parallel to like the actual real character drama so i thought the improv might function as the play in this event... it was still good tho. the scene i mean. (3/?)

also i rly liked tenma ragging on them afterwards. like he was mean but. first i adore tenma. second he just felt like. a different meddling type to muku lol? like the vibes he gave me were always like... im going to be a considerate leader and watch out for the ppl under me! therefore im gonna make sure theyre doing fine! aggressively. i think tenmas also just like a friendly person who likes to take care of others in general? like im not saying hes omi or anything but just like. (4/?)

that time he offers his car ride to juza so they can go to school together like hes surprisingly open compared to his initial prickliness. also ive got thoughts abt the tenma juza SSR conversation thing i read. one day ill make a tenma and juza fic and complete a trifecta haha... but thats something for another day! back to the actual story. the way tsuzuru dives right in after kazunari! that was so nice. like its easy to see how much they care abt each other. (5/?)

to the point where like even while theyre fighting theyre like angry but still like fairly quiet bc i think theyre both at least trying to be considerate of each other. ah the moment kazunari didnt respond to tsuzuru trying to talk to him i KNEW he was sick tho. felt proud of myself for calling that one but also the reason i knew is bc i have used the "character being sick during an argument causing them both to make up with each other" trope myself before so uh. like recognizes like haha. (6/?)

anyways the cg there was fuckin beautiful like kazunari looks so sad in the middle bit but then u see his shy smile? like hes sick but hes also like. happy to be there. idk. lovely. i adore kazu i think hes just deeply sweet to other people. tsuzuru telling him "you make everyone around you feel as bright and cheery as the things you design” is so wonderful too (7/?)

now im thinking. ah tsuzuru probably feels quite drained after a script and such (i know i am when i finish any piece--its like the emotions just rush out of me) so i like to think that like yknow. kazunari dropping by his room or whatever helps him set himself back to normal! but also when tsuzurus like oh u left ur magazines here! i suddenly remembered. wait shit kazunari and tsuzuru arent even roommates. wonder how much they bother masumi lmaooo. anyways overall very good story! (8/?)

some more thoughts: itaru and citron were so cute in this event! just like. citron saying itaru winking makes his heart skip a beat and itaru quoting citrons wrong sayings (which. i am also guilty of today i told my brother "we'll jump that bridge when we cross it" so) also i love how yuki is like "thank god i wasnt partnered with that hack" but like. yuki. u could literally just not talk about him. like its so funny to me yuki is like wow i hate tenma but he wont shut up abt him haha (9/?)

i also was a lil taken aback at hearing itaru go "for the lulz" tbh... like it fits him. but im mad it fits him? anywaysss thats all i had for this one! im gonna watch autumn/winter and go say my thoughts on that soon. sorry the ask was so broken up, idk what happened!

OLA FRIEND! Glad to see your thoughts again omg :3c

tho omg the fact tumblr deleted it all + the ask limit was all so evil D: poor friend.

I'm putting my answer under a read more because. Well. *waves hand* it got long.

The non-play events can be perhaps a little harder to get into because unlike the plays events that you start with a clear idea of at least the main plot (re: "they are preparing a play, i know the leads so i know who it will focus on"), non-plays events take a little longer to first set up what event they're participating in, how to prepare for it, and then bring up the conflict and which characters are going to have something to do with said conflict. So i can understand that they're a little harder to get into when we know the plays awaits.

On top of that, the first few events still were a bit tame because since it was early when the app released, i think they didn't go too heavy at once in case some people were still stuck on earlier chapters (esp since especially Winter is hard to unlock)

ANYWAY glad that it sucked you in on the second read :3c

So glad you were invested in that conflict!

Totally agreeing with you about Kazunari, and very good point about Taichi as well! they aren't the Puppy Pair for nothing :'D (Yuki took one look at both of them together and just Knew. His suffering knows no end (lovingly)). But yeah i think they have a lot in common, they both are the really bright and friendly figure, both also started in overcompensating a bit because both wanted to be popular in some ways.

But we do have, on one hand, Kazunari who wanted that rather late in his life while Taichi always thrived for that, the fact Kazunari made friends easily and it's just that he was scared of getting to the next level, while Taichi always struggled with this quest for popularity. In a way too both of them were at least scared to share a part of them, Kazunari worrying to show his thoughts, and Taichi being a spy and all of that... which impacts them really differently considering the guilt it puts on Taichi. And then you add their age into the mix, especially the fact Kazu is the oldest of his troupe and Taichi the youngest of his, it makes them fairly similar all while being fairly different.

both are so interesting to me and i love them bothhh, so it's always nice to see them have focus.

admittedly i was kinda surprised that the content of that improv wasnt rly too similar to their actual fight? like normally a3 has the story of the play run parallel to like the actual real character drama so i thought the improv might function as the play in this event

i love how you are seeing the patterns a3 tends to do it's so neat!

It's true the fight isn't really similar to their actual fight, though i do love that they had "swapped" their personality for the act and ended up insulting each other for theirr swapped personality. Like, Kazunari insulted part of himself in Tsuzuru's character and Tsuzuru did the same?? and then the fight escalated and the way Kazunari broke character hurts bc it's really that Tsuzuru hit where it hurts. But yeah it still wasn't too relevent to their actual fight, though i think the thing is that their fight was as such mostly because they tend to clash often due to their personalities rather than just this singular reason why, so to have the play go more "it's their personalities the problem" kinda hurt lol. But yeah still agreed that it didn't reflect much on the plot itself

I was rereading the improv bit to answer correctly and man since we're going to talk about Tenma next, i just. Love that when Kazunari, breaking character, his eyes sad, tells Tsuzuru "you have no rights talking to me like that..." it then cuts on Tenma being upset. Bc like. Exactly like you say, he wants to look out for the people under him. and like. Kazunari is his friend. A friend he also snapped at once and insulted for being who he was, so he probably could have relived a bit of his fight with Kazunari seeing those two fights; Except that now Kazunari is one of his closest friend and he doesn't like that.

Also like. It was also because he could still hide under the plot of the improv but it's so rare, and it never happened before that point, that Kazunari stands for himself in a "the way you treat me is unfair"? Like again re: his fight with Tenma, when Tenma snapped at him, while Tenma was unfair with him, Kazunari took the blame, called himself annoying and all yaknow?

The fact Kazunari is starting to accept that he can take more place for himself is something the whole Summer Troupe have been trying to help him work on, but especially Tenma. Tenma is always there trying to push Kazunari to say what he means, to express his feelings, to stop hiding.

And for once, Kazunari does that in front of everyone... and it's because he's breaking because of his fight with Tsuzuru.

I think Tenma probably felt it was even more of a reason to get involved like, this is the thing he's been working on with Kazunari about, and now he's being all hurt about it, not on Tenma's watch!

And i totally agree with your take on Tenma! (and would LOVE to read the Tenma and Juza fic once you get to it :3c). I think, Tenma is really caring and is trying to take a place as a caretaker and all, but unlike Omi, he has absolutely no reference for it.

Omi is the eldest of multiple brothers and everything indicates his parents have always been lovely to him. Add to it how he ended up leader of a delinquent crew he was clearly looking after, Omi has a history of taking care of people, of nurturing them, and he knows what he's doing. Meanwhile Tenma grew up on TV sets, mostly surrounded by adults and not by people his age, mostly getting advice from being ordered around by directors i think. And his parents are distant, hyperfocused on their job, not really nursing with him. So Tenma meanwhile really didn't have a family emotional support and was in situation where he couldn't befriend other kids his age. His only reference was probably Igawa (his agent) and i think for a long time he didn't exactly see it, and Igawa remained mostly professional so there was probably the idea of it not being sincere? That Tenma had to grow out of.

So like, they're both extremely nurturing and caring, but my point is that Omi has experiences in it and is at ease with it, while Tenma has been so alone and in places were he had no support system that even if he wants to support others, he still struggles with how to do it because he has no set exemple. And that's his development in the main story arc, to learn from how Izumi shows she cares in order to care back at them all.

Like i mean the way Tenma yelled at them about their mistakes at first feel like he would have picked it up from some directors on TV set yaknow? Probably hearing them say that with no consequences on others actors, seeing it worked, didn't think "that's an abuse of power and the actors probably all think badly of their director for that" but "wow that works", tried it on his troupesmates and realized this is... not how that works. And it's spending time watching how Izumi encourages them that have him fix his way to approach it.

So yeah i got lost too into it but like. I feel you on Tenma i love him so much and i love his development so to see him get pissed and involved there? was really nice. even if he was aggressive about it. He's still learning.

ANYWAY back to Tsuzuru and Kazunari, totally agree with what you say next. They still care a lot about each other and yeah they're at a point where this consideration they have for each other make their anger more quiet than trying to attack one another (Banri could NEVER-). so yeah totally agree with you!

DLKFJDLKF i LOVE the reasoning on "recognizing that Kazunari was sick". Your writer's powers making you see through... *coughs* unlike Tsuzuru....

AND YEAH ALL YOU SAY ABOUT THE CG.. YEAH. Kinda crying thinking about it again now LDKJFLKDJF It's just. Everything about it is so soft and tender. The things Tsuzuru tells Kazunari are soo so sweet sobs. They're just adorable i love those kids. and also i feel you for Kazu he's just that great huh?

The whole set up about Kazu dropping by his room is so so cute! I love it! Like probably the very first time Tsuzuru braces himself because "oh no i'm not in the mood to stand mister hyperenergy himself" but Kazunari quickly adjust his energy so that Tsuzuru can just recharge without being overwhelmed. Yes it would drive Masumi completely nuts. Which i think is a plus for Tsuzuru like, hey, if Masumi gets annoyed once in a while it's a win. But yeah also i think that Tsuzuru and Kazunari should really have the Artistic Soldiarity of Students in Art school Probably Working Until Very Late To Complete Their Projects. Would love if at the end Tsuzuru gave it back yaknow?

but yeah their story was really nice i'm so glad you liked it! :D

oh god yeah Itaru and Citron were SO cute in it too, i also love the comments Citron makes about Itaru's winks. Just there flirting in front of everyone like those two embarrassing friends huh. (probably with Muku being all starry eyes considering he greatly admires both Itaru and Citron and, well, Romance.). And yeah i love how Itaru ends up so much into Citron's rhythm (and this idiom you said? is glorious actually, 10 points for you)

DLKFJDLKF what a call out toward Yuki. "yes i hate Tenma,no i won't shut up about him, also if YOU say you hate Tenma i'm going to stab you with my needles, have a nice fucking day.". I love their dynamics so much aha

And yeah Itaru is there cursing us the whole time with the fact he's the greatest nerd ever and it fits him perfectly. It makes me laugh so hard.

Thank you so much for having shared your thoughts there! it's always a blast to read through them and i dearly enjoyed it! (+ it makes me relive the event a little and it makes me soft!)

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! So glad you had so many thoughts about all of this, what a blast.

thank you for sharing, and looking forward the Autumn/Winter reactions :3c

Take care!

[wovenstarlight]

YWBK update: chapter 25 + liner notes

yesterday will be kinder has updated! you can read chapter 25 here, or start from the beginning here

okay, on to notes and commentary! first time i’m doing these, let’s hope this works out. commentary under the cut to save people’s dashes

Hamin laughs. “Given how bad you are at not being suspicious, that’s understandable.” “Oh, come on, I’m not that bad.” Hamin screws up his whole face in a squint. “Okay, so maybe I’m a little bad.”

this part was really funny to me when i wrote it because i was like “hmm reasons for DHM to understand why HHJ wouldn’t work in the guild” and then i was like Wait. Their Whole First Meeting, Dude. DHM was lowkey convinced for the longest time that HHJ was like, on the run from the KR version of the mafia, and got plastic surgery to look like his little brothers, and is possibly in some sort of witness protection program??? or something??? how else does he not have cops on his ass this man is so suspicious all the time

“I don’t think… They said the dungeons were, like, different worlds? Did they find people there?”

mafia theory second place. dungeon theory first place

“Like, humans? Um. No, no humans.” “So then you can’t be from there. Okay.”

dungeon theory shot down. mafia theory back in the running

“Hey,” he says cautiously. “I’m— I’m gonna go get us some water, okay? Why don’t you… take a minute.” “Okay.” “The bathroom is over there, if you need it.” “Okay. Thank you.”

after four years working alongside a guy you start to notice when he’s feeling a little out of it and needs a bit of a break... but as JHW mentions later you also learn to be a little subtle about giving him one

jung heewon What’s with your typing? It reads like Jihye’s [HYJ]’s fine. Very energetic Too energetic? He’s going to burn out. How do I make him calm down

Epic Burnout Man makes a reappearance! when translating sclass one of the things that makes me want to shake HYJ most is his habit of constantly adding things to his to-do list while he already has 1 billion things on his plate. and all the time he’s whining about “UGH there’s SO MUCH WORK to do” No One Asked You To Do It

Anyway. the point is. HYJ isn’t about to be beat by HHJ at Developing Issues 😔

jung heewon I haven’t spoken to him directly about this because if he’s anything like you he’ll take it as an insult You wtf whts tht supposed 2 mean quit typing jung heewon Better not say shit, mr “No, I can’t take days off and cater to my interests or go out with friends or on a date, I’m too busy taking care of the kids and making sure their needs are met, no I don’t care that there are thousands of people out there balancing personal enjoyment and romance and work AND kids at the same time, are you suggesting I be a BAD GUARDIAN to MY KIDS?”

see above re: not being too direct with pointing out when HHJ’s having Issues because he doesn’t react well

You wht but our eyes r fine jung heewon Even if having glasses doesn’t run in the family, you should still get him checked, just in case

top 10 funny time travel moments: referring to you and your past self as “us” (our = my eyes are fine), but other people think you mean “our family” (our eyes are fine = no family history of long/shortsightedness)

Also. Sooyoung-ie says hi [Attachment: 20XX1213_144516.jpg] 

ok no lie this was one of the parts that pissed me off the most, even though it’s Literally One Line, because. i love chat exchanges. i really do. when done right they’re a lot of fun to read. But Do You Know How Long It Took Me To Figure Out A Calendar For The Events In This Fic. now everything’s TIMED i have to count HOW MANY DAYS IT’S BEEN since XY event so i can CORRECTLY NUMBER the FILE ATTACHMENTS!!! this sucks!!! it took me fucking forever to pin down a timeline just so i could write this chapter plus the few before and after it!!!!

anyway i gave up when i reached year. i just put 20XX. fuck it. we are running on fairy tail time now. (actually i think that’s XXnumber number? XX76? or was it X796. something like that. Who cares i stopped watching fairy tail forever ago)

Fuck it! Hamin will understand!! “If you Awaken you should come work with me,” Han Hyunjae says all in a rush. 

“HAMIN WILL UNDERSTAND” => he literally was cool with me giving zero context for half a dozen absolute balls to the wall nonsense bullshit things i’ve done before. he’ll be fine with this too. dog_in_burning_house_this_is_fine.png

“You already know about the guilds, those are going to be for dungeon Hunters, but I was thinking of forming something like an independent group of contractors. Awakened people with skills that aren’t useful for combat, but that might… that will be generally useful. It’d be you and me, and maybe one other guy I met recently. Probably more in the future.”

given that HHJ has no idea currently that peace exists (i’m so sorry baby i’ll find a way to shoehorn you in soon i miss you so much) he’s got no intentions to start a kiseungsu business yet! he mostly wants to live quietly while just acting as a manager for other Awakening-related services, like YMW’s forge and DHM’s tracking service, along with the information exchange/lowkey spy ring that he’s planning on setting up with JHW and the bar. since HYH is fine associating with him in this timeline, HHJ’s thinking he can get a foot in the door that way, then eventually spread out into dealings with most major guild leaders

RIP to this plan. you were well-made but you will not last long.

“Please, I can’t tell you how I know that, I really can’t, it’d put me and my brothers in danger if it got out. But—” “No need.” Hamin looks slightly alarmed, and Han Hyunjae feels himself settle at the obvious concern in his eyes.

MAFIA THEORY RAPIDLY RISING TO PROMINENCE??? THIS IS NOT HOW DO HAMIN WANTED HIS GUESS CONFIRMED

“I spoke to the Task Force Head and she said that there’s been discussion about hosting a meeting for the nearby high-rankers, where they’ll announce the guild proposal and see who else is interested in trying it out.”

“they’ll announce” i’m sorry king 💔 you deserved a nap

(OH ALSO FUN FACT choi eunyoung is a canon character, not an OC of mine! she appears in uhhh i think late 140s? 150s? something like that)

“I think there’s… probably only one other S-rank who’s Awakened right now?”

Hehehehehehehehehehehehehhehe

Hamin beams. “No, they’re doing great! Spookie’s taken really well to the new housing situation, but I think Spots might miss the store…”

shoutout to @daemonic-dawn​ for letting me borrow a pet name, love u king. i had a much longer ramble about pet names here but i finished typing and realized it was all entirely off topic so i removed it for convenience

Hyunjae makes an annoyed noise in the back of his throat. “Don’t— I mean.” He huffs, visibly taking a deep breath, and Yoojin frowns reflexively. [...] “Is everything alright?” Yoojin kind of wants to be annoyed at his tone on principle, but he forces his shoulders to relax, matching Hyunjae’s posture. Though he can’t stop himself from being a little short when he answers.

things the brothers have learned in four years living together: getting confrontational often leads to arguments that just fizzle out anyway, so it’s way fucking easier to consciously tone down their combativeness in advance when talking to each other about things they have problems with, instead of screaming their heads off and then having to calm yoohyun down afterwards to boot

“I guess. Whatever.” Yoojin slumps. “Can I…” “Hm?” Hyunjae blinks at Yoojin as he gestures to the spot on the bed beside him, then jolts. “Oh! Yeah, sure, c’mere.” He opens his arms, and Yoojin goes over and flumps on the bed, head in Hyunjae’s lap. Almost immediately, Hyunjae starts stroking fingers through his hair, and Yoojin relaxes into the touch, listening as Hyunjae continues speaking.

cuddles 🥺🥺🥺 sorry i don’t have any other commentary here just. cuddles. extremely and overwhelmingly comforting for a man who spent the better part of 8 years(?) with no major positive relationships, and a kid who spent 12 years of early life basically abandoned by his parents. you had best bet they gave up on not hugging each other 1 year into this whole mess

Yoojin hums in acknowledgement. It’s not like he’d ever let himself get hurt; he has too many responsibilities to his family and friends. If he wants to be good enough to keep up, he can’t afford to fuck up like that. But… hyung will worry if he keeps working so hard. He can slow down a little for him. 

Problems disorder man when will you stop. the way he sees “getting hurt” as an inconvenience and an obstacle to his duties rather than a danger to himself. the way he doesn’t really care if he himself gets hurt, but if it’ll worry his family, then it’s a no-no. it’s just. wow. i know i wrote this but i hate him

“Not really. I talk to Myeongwoo about it sometimes.” “Ah, right, Myeongwoo.”

haha gays

“Don’t be weird about him,” Yoojin warns[...]. “I won’t, promise.”

if the “i won’t” line had a dialogue tag it’d be “Han Hyunjae lied”

“Is Eunwoo still in his relationship?” “Mhm, happy as ever. Apparently they’re trying long-distance, now that Eunwoo’s gone off to university abroad.”

three guesses for who eunwoo’s dating and you won’t need the first two

Hyunjae raises his hands like he’s going to deny the accusations levelled against him, so Yoojin seizes him by the collar and shakes him until he cries for mercy

oh my o/rv ass struggled so bad with not writing “shakes him like a man betrayed” here. it killed me not to. but in the end i prevailed (against, uh, myself. don’t think about it too hard.)

“Jeez, okay, he’s an F-rank!” “Eh?! Then why—” “He’s also got an SS-rank potential skill,” Hyunjae admits[...].

play-by-play of this scene because god if i draw any scene in this fic it would be this one just for the sheer hysterical nature of HYJ’s reaction:

YOOJIN: I HATE YOU WHAT THE FUCK WHY. TELL ME HIS RANK

HYUNJAE: HE’S AN F

YOOJIN: WHAT? WHAT THE FUCK?

HYUNJAE: he’s also got an SS-rank skill,

YOOJIN:

[roc-thoughtblog]

Sense and Sensibility Readthrough Part 7

Chapter 10, Pages 39-45

Previously, Marianne and Margaret went for a run up a hill, got rained on, and ran all the way back down. A romance novel male love interest picks up a fallen Marianne, takes her home, and acts very mysterious-romance-novel-male-love-interest-like.

Marianne is obviously infatuated.

I end up thinking too much about the unfathomable nature of skin-tones today, though I think I also managed to struggle a bit more than usual concentrating. Definitely ran quite overtime.

Readthrough below.

Chapter 10 Willoughby visits, and is charmed.

Miss Dashwood had a delicate complexion, regular features, and a remarkably pretty figure. Marianne was still handsomer.

Oof. Wait, hang on; we're getting description. This is the most description of Marianne's appearance! Incoming:

Posture's not as good as her sister, but she is taller. Skin is of very brown overtone but a very visible "uncommonly brilliant" undertone. How brown is very brown? Are undertones a thing or did I just make up something I think I overheard once? I'm about to go on a tangent into what undertones & overtones are aren't I. BRB. Also she has very dark eyes that are quite full of life.

My understanding of skin tones mostly comes from being a poor artist and getting messed up trying to figure out how they work because they DON'T STAY THE SAME OVER ANY PATCH OF SKIN OR CONSISTENT AT ANY ANGLE. And SPLOTHCY. SPLOTCHY EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME. So I get a vague sense of what Jane Austen is trying to get at. From what it sounds like, Marianne is pretty generally brown on the surface but also fairly rosy in all those fleshy parts that do the most weird multidimesional optical illusioning that skin-tones tend to do? She probably turns very red when she's blushy, is the implication anyway, that I could have just said on the outset but then I went and buried my head in seasons and carotene and foundation.

Maybe I'll use Marianne as the subject of a skin-tone study. I suck at skin-tones and this is the most I've ever thought about it in years.

Anyway, she's embarrassed at first but they quickly hit it off; this is all still a no-dialogue cutscene so Austen's really skipping over any occasion for Willoughby to talk. Well, from the sounds of it they'll be chatting for hours... mutually charmed, all the same tastes, etc. Ah, haha, she does bulldoze over their differences a bit. Willoughby doesn't put up a resistance; either he's too charmed or, as a 25 year old, he doesn't want to debate an enthusiastic teenager. Well, at least he's not 35.

Dialogue resumes as soon as he leaves. I should keep a note of which important characters have been conspicuously reserved by the narrative; Willoughby and Edward both been. Poor Margaret is just unimportant.

Elinor thinks Marianne's going to fast. Run out of things to talk about soon. Marianne gets snippy and returns fire;

"But I see what you mean. [...] I have erred against every commonplace notion of decorum; I have been open and sincere where I ought to have been reserved, spiritless, dull and deceitful - had I talked only of the weather and the roads, and had I spoken only once in ten minutes, this reproach would have been spared."

She's getting her back for the attraction-to-fever line. I sort of agree with Elinor, I get the feeling Willoughby isn't y'know. As passionate as Marianne is, so much as just humouring her. But either way he's charmed so. He keeps coming back day after to day, to "check in" on Marianne's recovery.

Oh! But he does participate in her activities though. That is encouraging. And he reads emotively haha. Mama Dashwood loves him, but naturally Elinor finds his general, hmm, incautious demeanor to be disapprovable. Marianne has seen in Willoughby the saviour that justified her impossible standards! I call that she's probably more than a little infatuated and Willoughby's gonna turn out to be less than everything she thought he was, or that she wanted.

Infatuation is wild isn't it.

Mama Dashwood's already hearing wedding bells, as she would. Elinor's starting to see that Colonel Brandon really does have small interest in Marianne (after everyone else stopped caring because he's not interesting). He gets Elinor's pity and compassion for generally being a guy whose disposition implies like he's had a bit of a downer past, and also for generally being compared against Willoughby. Also because Marianne will never stop being mean about his age. Though I wonder how much of his improvement in Elinor's eyes is precisely by nature of Willoughby having arrived to be worth disapproving.

Oh Willoughby finally talks, and the first things he says involves going off on poor Brandon;

"Brandon is just the kind of man," said Willoughby one day, when they were talking of him together, "whom everybody speaks well of, and nobody cares about; whom all are delighted to see, and nobody remembers to talk to."

Aww. My image of Brandon has really changed. Before it was like some kind of caricature of a retired military man, making him look very much on the 50-60 end of 35 years, with a brush moustache. But after all that, man. Now I just see a tired older millenial. You know, the particular kind of tired millenial who are just stuck in a perpetual state of scraping by slowly while anticipating middle age behind the next big hill, while still getting berated by the older gens for being millenials, and getting memed on by the Gen Z for being old.

Did I just call Marianne a zoomer?

Well, meming on older people is just an age/maturity thing, not a generational thing. Happens every time. Even 200 years ago, in a book.

A... Anyway...

Elinor justifiably defends Brandon from Willoughby's more exagerrated character attacks. Then he keeps talking, so she just sticks to calling him and Marianne out instead for being prejudiced and-

"In defense of your protégé you can even be saucy."

HOLY SHIT. I mean the more I hear out of Willoughby's mouth the more of a jackass he seems. No wonder Austen kept his mouth shut for a bit. This whole thing just escalates into an argument that ends in a disagreement. Elinor thinks Willoughby as holding an unjustifiably contemptuous attitude towards an inoffensive and unfortunate person; Willoughby's annoyed that Elinor's pressing him on the matter as he simply views his own observations of Brandon's social deficiencies as factual, and probably to his eyes therefore not contemptuous in nature.

And Marianne is just being actually the pettiest and meanest one here because she's Marianne and Willoughby is enabling her.

"You shall find me as stubborn as you can be artful. I have three unanswerable reasons for disliking Colonel Brandon; he threatened me with rain when I wanted it to be fine; he has found fault with the hanging of my curricle, and I cannot persuade him to buy my brown mare. [...] And in return for an acknowledgement, [...] you cannot deny me the privilege of disliking him as much as ever."

Willoughby's whole closing argument is some great character stuff. He said earlier that he didn't dislike Brandon; I like that it's a bit up in the air whether or not he genuinely had no issue with the man, and was just being very distastefully insensitive, or whether he was actually heartily prejudiced against Brandon for those three petty reasons and wasn't being up-front with himself or anyone else until Elinor called him out. I'm leaning towards the latter, personally.

Either way, he is petty enough now to really double down on disliking Brandon in this moment; for no other reason than as to spite Elinor for managing to convince him not to.

Yeah I don't think I like Willoughby very much. Literally, one of those guys who seems nice until they open their mouth, wow.

As a side note, for the spitefulness of the dialogue, the narrator's been very sparing of the less pleasant aspects of Marianne and Willoughby's characters. Imagine if they were minor characters like Sir and Lady Middleton! Would definitely have just torn straight into the two of them on top of just letting them talk.

[mkstrigidae]

asd;fkjhsdgl I've bitched about this before, but my roommates boyfriend is STILL living with us (he either leaves on the 1st or the 8th) and when she asked me initially if I would be okay with him being here frequently, I said it was fine, because he's getting sent to another country for three years and like, I get it. If I were in her position, I'd want to spend as much time with him as possible before he leaves, so i've just been friendly and going to my parents house on weekends (it's only a couple hours drive and it means seeing the dogs so I really don't mind that) both for the sake of my sanity and to try to give them some time alone because, again, I get it.

Rant under the cut because I'm not going to subject my dash to this long, if admittedly kind of cathartic, post.

I'm just really annoyed now, because we got our power bill the other day, and it VERY clearly reflects that 3 people have been living here, because it was much higher than it's been in previous months. I kind of jokingly asked her about it (like 'wow! haha does that seem higher than usual to you?'), and she just went into like, this mode of just theorizing about like 'oh, but maybe the power company increased rates, or like maybe it's just the heat... etc.' and i was just in my head like 'ITS YOUR BOYFRIEND. THREE PEOPLE EQUALS LARGER BILL' (plus then she knocked on my closed door later while i was in the middle of a timed assignment and started going into this long thing of what she thought might have happened- I was just like 'hey can we talk about this later? I'm kind of working on a deadline' and she dropped it)

Honestly, i'm mostly annoyed that she's not either willing or able to take responsibility for the increase, just because when i've asked her about things before (she had two dogs staying in our apartment while i was gone for a couple weeks without telling me, one wasn't properly house trained (you HAVE to tell your roommates if you're bringing a puppy in, because they are wonderful, but also destructive), our carpets smelled awful, and when I asked her if she had had a dog in our apartment, she instantly was like 'um, yeah? I specifically asked you if they could come over and stay. you said you were fine with that.' which, she did not, and I may not have been, even had I known. That wouldn't be the kind of thing I'd forget, tho, because I have a TON of houseplants, and would have moved them all into my room to avoid accidental canine accidents had i known, and I was pretty frustrated with the whole thing- as it was, she apparently put up baby gates around my plants, which i did appreciate, but not as much as I would have appreciated the communication).

So basically i'm just frustrated that neither of them seem to have the consideration here to say 'hey, we know we're using more water/power, so what if we contribute a bit more', but like, my window to establish that particular boundary was basically when she asked me initially if I was okay with him being here "more often" and I said yes, because AGAIN, I get it, and I would want my SO over as often as possible if I knew they were leaving for another country soon. So like, of course I'm not going to be a dick about it, because it wouldn't be worth sitting down to have a conversation about shared resources (which i 100% would already have done, had I not been aware of and counting down the days until his imminent departure). I'm just super annoyed, but genuinely don't want to express it to them because i really don't want to stress out my roommate over this (because for the most part I really do like her even if I do not like the boyfriend), I already agreed to this situation when asked, and I haven't been sleeping a lot lately bc of stress and possibly hormones, so it's very likely that a good deal of my annoyance is irrational, and therefore no one's problem to deal with but my own.

So I'm just bitching about it here. I am legitimately annoyed at how much they've been monopolizing the washing machine for all of his stuff, though- I had to ask like 3 times if I could put my sheets in yesterday and it was a bit frustrating (also whenever he's here, she gets kind of lax about doing dishes which isn't the worst thing ever, but ugh). Plus, like I said, school/family stress + hormones + not as much sleep as I should be getting = a very tetchy Emily, but like, petty as it sounds, I just can't relax when I know someone else besides the person I agreed to live with is here for an extended period of time (particularly when they're a certain kind of male- I don't know why). It's an irrational thing, so I don't make it anyone else's problem, but I usually am fine with it, because people are over for like, 1 or 2 nights, or if they're here longer, it's one of her female friends, or younger siblings, who are all lovely people. But like, her boyfriend has just been GRATING on me and I don't entirely know why, and it's not either of their faults that they're trying to spend time together before a separation, but like, I just cannot wait to have my space back.

I just want to sit in the living room in my pajamas without a bra and watch Leverage or something without feeling like there's some guy about to pop out of the woodwork and start a conversation (usually about how great the US is- he's a military guy) without me knowing whether he was here or not (bc he's sometimes here even when her car is gone)- it's like schrodinger's fucking boyfriend tbh.

[mhafiction]

Out & About (Pt. 2)

Read Pt. 1 Pt 3 Pt. 4

Pairing: Bakugo x Reader

Fluff/ Friends to Lovers (?), lots of pining and !!some swearing!!

Synopsis: Reader is very close friends with the Bakusquad, except for the aloof and mysterious Bakugo. He still intrigues them however, and a night out with the group might actually be the the push they need to really get the ball rolling on transitioning their awkward comradery into something a little- more.

Note:Whhhhewww. Let’s get into it, I’m sorry that the dialogues’ very stilted -K (and again, I apologize for formatting)

XSero had scouted out a charming little restaurant in the heart of the city. Small, cozy, and family owned, the ambiance was perfect and the food was even better. You kept your eyes down for the most part, trying not to glance at Bakugo, but you couldn’t help but notice his order. An extra spicy dish that didn’t seem to affect him in the slightest. You wished you had that sort of tolerance and picked at your food, trying to calm your nerves. The interaction on the train still lingered in your mind. He was so, so close. Absentmindedly, you went to shovel a large helping of noodles into your mouth, instead feeling a caulloused hand brush against your cheek. You look up, eyes meeting Bakugo, looking just as surprised as you. Tugging his hand away, he glared back down at his food, pouting in his aloof manner. A thick silence hung between the two of you. Bakugo finally broke it, refusing to look up at all. “Tie back your hair or something. You looked like you were gonna swallow some strands with your food, idiot,” he mumbled, begrudgingly. You thanked the gods above that the others were occupied with their own dishes, because if they saw that interaction and they way you reacted, you’d never hear the end of it.

Wait. Could Bakugo like you back? You gave him a subtle side eye. No. Not possible with how he’s acting. Even if he did have some feelings for you, and this was all some tsundere situation, he clearly didn’t want to like you. And maybe that was for the best. Bakugo wanted to focus on being the number one hero, and so did you. A relationship would get in the way.

A relationship?!? Why were you thinking about that? You blushed deeply, sinking into yourself at the thought of dating Bakugo. Holding his hand, cuddling with him, kissing hi- “Hey Y/N, you alright?” You peered up at Kiri, who was sitting across from you. His voracious appetite was almost impressive, but even more so was the fact that he had managed to tear himself away from his fifth bowl of katsudon. “H-huh?? I’m fine, yep. 100% a-okay!!” You cringed. That came off as WAY too emphatic. Kirishima pushed aside his stack of empty bowls to see you. “Are you sure? You’re really red. Are you feeling okay?”

“I-“

“Wow, Y/N, you’re burning up!” Mina had appeared seemingly out of nowhere and had placed her hand on your forehead. She wiped a bit of rice away from her cheek and let loose a ferocious burp. You smacked away her hand, mostly out of suprise. “Mina!”

“What? I’m just worried about you. You’re the color of Kiri’s hair.”

Sero laughed. “Y/N, if you’re not feeling well, we should head back.” For once, you wished your friends were less doting.

“I’m fine! Just a little warm, haha.” None of them seemed very convinced. Even Denki gave you a skeptical glance. He smirked. “We’re you imagining something hot? I mean that waiter was pretty attr-” Sero flicked him, scolding. “Y/N���s not gross like you, Denki.” He turned to you, concerned. “But seriously Y/N, you’re up for tonight?”

“Yep! I’m okay.” You tried to grin, but it felt forced and false. The others were still skeptical, but decided to shrug it off. No point in wasting a perfectly good evening, and they were pretty sure you were responsible enough to know your limits. Mina wrapped an arm around you. “Alright!!! Let’s get shitfaced-“

“No Mina, we’re minors.”

Your group opted to walk around the city to see if they’d discover anything new. The moon hung high in the night sky and it was colder than usual- late fall was leading into winter. The neon signs filled you with contentment as you chatted with your friends, cocoas in hand. You lagged behind them for a bit when crossing a bridge, trying to take everything in. Everything but the...well, the Bakugo issue. Everything was fine then he had to smile at you and fuck everything up. “Y/N?” You snapped out of your stupor, looking at Kiri. “Yeah?” Kiri looked ahead at the group, oddly wary. You knew Kiri to be a trusting and kindhearted sort of guy- the embodiment of a paragon hero. Cheerful and humorous, and always willing to have some fun. But he could be serious when he needed to be. “Is something wrong, Eij?” Kiri laughed softly. “No, no it’s nothing serious!” He looked at you, cocking his head to the side. “I just want to make sure they’re not listening,” he pointed at the cacophonous trio dashing ahead, and you giggle as the three idiots directed their attention towards annoying Bakugo.

“Why’s that?”

Kiri rubbed the back of his neck. “I have a bit of a personal question and I don’t want you to be embarrassed.”

“Ha! Like I could be embarrassed in front of them. Shoot.”

Kiri hesitated. “Well, I’m hoping this doesn’t make you uncomfortable or weird or anything, I don’t to be rude or assum-“

“Eij just spit it out!”

“Do you like Bakugo?” He asked it earnestly, eyes shining with a quiet anticipation. You choked on air.

“Wh-what makes you think that?”

Kiri leaned back, crossing his arms against his chest and looking up to think. “Well, at dinner, your eyes kept darting back to Bakugo, and I thought that maybe that’s why you were so red! And when we went to get cocoa, when he went to grab the drink tray from you, you flinched at his touch. And also that one time in class when you guys were sparring and you looked super flustered when he pinned you even though you weren’t really going all in! Or when he taught you how to cut produce at camp and you got so nervous that you cut yourself! And-“

“Okay, I get it Kiri!” You covered your mouth, trying to hide your blushing face. You felt like you were about to hurl. “Am I really that transparent?” Kiri let out an quiet squee of excitement. “Oh my god I was right?? Really? Oh my god, my best friend is in love with my other best friend!! Ahhhhh!”

You sighed. “Well, you were half right, Eij. I only started liking Bakugo today.” Kirishima paused. “Wait really? Huh.”

“Wha- What do you mean by ‘Huh’??”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. It just seems like you’ve always been this way around him.”

You’re quiet, trying to chew on that. Always? Looking back, you thought that the nervousness was fueled by the intimidation factor Bakugo had.

But the truth was, you weren’t afraid of Bakugo. You never were.

You were in love with him.

You tried to shake that thought from your head: No! Back then, Bakugo was just someone you respected! Not a crush, just a colleague you thought was intelligent, brave, talented, fiery, attractive-

“Oh shit.” Kiri nodded.

“But why are you acting like this is a bad thing, Y/N? Love is great! And the fact you like Bakugo is even better! I mean-“

“He doesn’t like me back, Kiri.”

“What?”

“He doesn’t like me back.” You clenched your fists. “It’s that, or he doesn’t want to like me.”

“Why would you think that, Y/N?” Kiri said softly.

“He’s Bakugo, Kiri! Even if he did like me, it’s not as if he’d want a relationship. His ambition wouldn’t allow it, and you know that, you’re his best friend!” You hissed through your teeth with bitterness. Kirishima only looked sad.

“YO! Eij!!! C’mere, win this crane game for meeeee,” Denki whined. His pockets were turned inside out, and he clung pathetically to the machine. Kirishima turned to you. “I think he likes you, Y/N. Bakugo is the type of guy who stubborn and would never admit it, but I think he does.” He pats your shoulder. “And don’t give up on him.” Kiri winks, then goes to join Denki at the game. Sero and Mina dispersed on their own arcade escapade, but you decided to stay outside in the brisk autumn air. You didn’t have the appetite for games after that conversation. You sighed, rubbing your shoulders. It was cold. If only you brought a coat with you. You watched the night crowd going about their evening, looking at bright storefronts and multicolored signs, all with a serenity you couldn’t quite place. But it was lonely, to be sitting there on the curb with nobody to enjoy this with. Lonely and cold. You try to shrink yourself, burying your head into your knees. Were you lonely? Yes. But this was still a nice little scene , and you’d hate to squander it on self pity. As you’re about to lift yourself up, something soft and warm comes down on your head. An article of clothing that smells faintly of caramel.

You find a way out from under the expanse of cloth, and look up at Bakugo’s face. He quickly whipped his head away, watching the moon instead. In his hand was some hot beverage from a vending machine. He must have gone off on his own, just to escape Mina, Denki, and Sero. You lazily drape his jacket over your shoulders fixing your eyes on him. Just what is he thinking right now? If only you knew. You felt a quiet distaste for him in the pit of your stomach when recalling the train ride. It sickened you how attractive he was there and even now, when the moonlight hit him at a truly beautiful angle. “You shouldn’t have forgotten your coat. Did you even check the weather? You could have gotten a cold or something.” Bakugo only said things when it was too late, huh? You were reminded of the 5 o’clock rush hour crowd that you had been tormented by. Would have been real handy if he spoke up about that, escpecially since he seemed to be fully aware of it. You looked down at your feet. “Sorry,” you whispered in a half-there voice laced with a hint of resentment. It came off crueler than you intended.

Bakugo, a little taken aback , cast you an odd glance. “What?” You were always so cheerful. Always so peppy and excitable, especially with your friends. On a night like this, you should be celebrating and laughing with everyone else. Not apologizing. Not to him. What could have brought this on?

“I’m sorry, okay Bakugo?! I know-“ you choked back tears. Why were you crying?! Why did you have to care so much?! “I know I’m not as smart as you, or as talented.” You looked him in they eyes, anger clouding your face. Why did it have to be him, of all people. Why couldn’t it have been a nice boy like Midoriya or Kirishima? Why did it have to be the boy who demeaned you or refused to help you until after the fact. Why did it have to be a boy you’d never be good enough for, even if he liked you back? A boy you’d never be an equal to, in talent or looks or intelligence.

“But couldn’t you stand to be a little more considerate?!” You rise, throwing his jacket back at him. You’re screaming now, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. “You could have bothered to tell me about the fact that we left too close to rush hour. Or that I should have worn a coat before we went out.” Bakugo was silent. His jaw hung slightly open, uncertainty in his eyes. “But of course, you’re not going to say anything.” You cross your arms, turning to leave.

“Wait.”

He grabs your shoulder, turning you towards him. You expect a scathing comeback or some sort of equally rude outburst.

But instead, he envelops you in a hug.

He rubs your head, whispering to you in a low, pained voice. “You shouldn’t be the one apologizing. It’s me.” He releases you, hands still on your shoulders and eyes scanning you like he’s afraid you’ll disappear into thin air. “I-“ he grits his teeth, as if holding back words. “I think you’re okay, all right? And I don’t have the heart to tell you anything when you seem so happy. But, I guess that backfired. ” He seems to retreat within his shell again, shoving his hands into his pockets. “So. I’m sorry. I don’t really have an excuse other than that.” He attempts to avert his gaze, but it’s hard when you’re staring him down like that. It starts to snow.

“Well?! Are you gonna say something?!” He finally yells. It’s a little bit weaker than usual. His voice shakes and his hands tremble and he feels scared thinking about all the things you could possibly say. But he tries and tries not to show it. He’s Bakugo Katsuki; he’s not supposed to worry about anyone else. So why was he so hung up on you?

You’re heart skips a beat. He’s still attractive, even yelling like mad and frothing at the mouth. You debated whether or not to tell him the truth.

You began. Tentatively, cautiously proceeding with your words. “Bakugo, I-“ you froze. What if you were misreading him and he didn’t have feelings like that? What would happen to being friends? And furthermore, your friend group? What if you held him back from his dreams? What if...

You weren’t good enough, you weren’t good enough, you weren’t good enough-

You smile, all with a trace of melancholy. “I forgive you Bakugo. But next time, please tell me when I’m being ridiculous.”

Bakugo sneered, but you caught a glimpse of relief in his eye. You might have a long way to go to see that same soft-hearted boy on the train car, but it was nice to know he was still in there. You give him another grin, and he turns to hide his face behind the back of his hand. Odd behavior. You laugh. And after a bit of suprise, he does, too. It died quickly though, dissolving into an awkward silence.

Bakugo hesitated, fiddling with his spiky hair. His words come out in barks. “You too, Y/N. Let me know when I’m being dumb. Not telling you stuff.” He turned away, but not before tossing you his jacket. “Wear it.”

And you obliged.

Little did you know, seeing you in his jacket almost made him explode. It was too much for him, and as you two scanned the arcade for your friends he screamed at himself internally every time he inadvertently sneaked a glimpse at you. Before you spotted Denki crying over some rhythm game you offhandedly commented to him with one of your bright beams:

“It smells like caramel!”

And he died on the spot. Full catatonic shock, and it took him around 15 full minutes to fully recover.

Once Kirishima had been found, he watched Bakugo usher you away from some creep that’d been eyeing you. He smiled. Something had changed between the two of you, and he couldn’t quite place it, but he knew it was a change for the better. But still, he sighed with exasperation.

“Those two really are clueless, aren’t they??”

[siilvers-blog]

twinkie obession ;

pairing : peter maximoff x gn ! reader word count : 1 951 note : soulmate au where you can taste whatever your soulmate is eating at that moment . and my baby boy is too good for this world . i wanted to write something like more grandiose , but for now this dumb soulmate au will do ! feedback is appreciated <33 requests are super open btw so if u sent in any ,,, peter stuff ,,, we’d be grateful ( moreso me , but whatever haha !! ) - mod em ( under the cut for length ) 

For as long as you could remember, you’d feel the taste of twinkies in your mouth. When you were young, the taste would be occasional and welcome, but around your early teens it began to plague you every single day. Eventually, even looking at twinkies made you feel sick to your stomach and, god, you couldn’t understand how the hell your stupid soulmate could eat a whole batch of them every day. It was kind of admirable, the fact that they could eat the same exact thing so often and not throw up, but your burning hatred overshadowed whatever respect you had for them.

Hate would’ve been a strong word for the first month of non-stop twinkies, somehow you thought you’d manage. But one day it felt as if twinkies were all your soulmate was consuming. That, topped by a bad grade on one of your essays made you reduce your desk into ash in front of your whole class. And that was how you found out you were a mutant; the same exact day all your friends deemed you a freak (some friends) and the same exact day all you could taste were twinkies.

And it was safe to say you hated your soulmate. Which was fine. He’d hate you too if he knew you were a mutant.

You beat yourself up for years for being a mutant, refusing to interact with most people in fear you’d burn them as quickly as you burned your desk that day. Your parents would always try to console you, tell you that you were perfectly fine, that you’d become something great one day. But after your graduation, you came to find that people didn’t really want to hire mutants that much, especially those with an unpredictable and flaming personality. So, you accepted the reality that you’d just have to live with your parents forever, that your soulmate was off somewhere being all happy and eating twinkies, and that you’d never even meet them because you were, what society deemed, disgusting.

Not that eating twinkies every day was any better.

But life of a mutant wasn’t as black and white as you thought, as now you were standing right in front of the famous Charles Xavior school for the gifted with a suitcase in hand. Just a few days back you had burst into tears after receiving an invitation and now you could barely hold them back at the sight of it. Finally, you though, your life was going to turn for the better. You were about to step foot inside, but you suddenly felt someone run past you and into the mansion. Felt; it was an odd word to describe someone who was probably running, but you literally only saw a flash of silver skim past you insanely fast and you just assumed that it was a mutant with super speed. Oh, and the fact that this mystery mutant bumped into you and now you were falling backwards also factored into your deduction. Were you going to tumble down the fancy porch stairs on your first day here? Yeah. Were you still happy with the fact you were here, that there were already careless people bumping into you and not minding their mutations? Extremely and your sudden grin proudly showed that off.

Yet you didn’t have the chance to fall, another mutant teleported by your side and grabbed you by your forearms, looking at you with concern. He was…blue and he had three fingers on each hand, and a tail, and he just teleported in front of you, and, wow, you were so happy to be here.

“Hi!” You couldn’t help but beam at him, despite the fact that he was the only thing preventing you from crashing down. “I’m (Y/N)!”

You noticed the stranger opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it upon noticing something…someone behind you – someone else, who was now pushing you back up to your feet with a giggle.

“Sorry about Peter, er, the guy who almost knocked you down here!” You heard the person behind you say. “We were supposed to show you around, but Peter’s awfully impatient so he said that the last person here was gonna show you around and ran off.”

“I’m Jubilee!” She was now in front of you, grinning and waving. “We’re super glad you’re here, actually, I’m sure you’ll have a chance to get back at Peter for being such an idiot!” She then pointed at the blue mutant who was still holding your arms. “That’s Kurt!”

“Guten tag!” He grinned and let go of you to wave with both of his hands. “It is very nice to meet you!”

And you could’ve sworn you’ve never felt more at home than now. Kurt was gracious enough to teleport all your stuff into your room before he and Jubilee began the tour. It was very extensive, they insisted they weren’t going to leave you to your own devices until you knew exactly where everything was, even if it took the entire day to show you around. You even met some others along the way, like Scott and Jean, who you learned were soulmates. Jean complained about some food she didn’t like that Scott absolutely loved and you shared a laugh, even feeling comfortable enough to mention that all your soulmate seems to eat is twinkies and how much it annoys you. They shared a look as you said that, it almost seemed like a knowing look, before Jean told you how much that must suck and took her leave with Scott. Eventually, you circled back to your room, a little sad that the day was coming to an end, but excited because this was your life now. You had a place where everyone accepted you for what you were and-

Oh god, that god-awful taste of twinkies was in your mouth again. Just as you thought your soulmate wouldn’t eat any today.

“Jubilee, wait!” She turned to you once you had called for her, still smiling. “Everything in the kitchen is…free to take, right?”

She snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous, of course it is! Everything is everyone’s, you’re free to take anything anytime!”

Exhaling, you raced past her, yelling out a “thanks” and “see you later!” as you ran. You thought you’d at least try to drown out the taste, even if it didn’t work most of the time, if anything, you might inconvenience your soulmate a little bit by eating something else. Like a fruit for a change!

As you finally reached the kitchen, you exhaled in relief upon finding it was empty. You were a bit worn out from the excitement of today and you didn’t want to seem weird in front of anyone, especially with how frantically you looked around the kitchen for something juicy and sweet. Ah, that apple sat in a basket in the middle of the counter made your mouth water! In fact, at this point, anything that wasn’t a twinkie made your mouth water.

“Ah, so good…” You muttered to yourself after taking a bite, feeling the taste of the twinkie disappear and be replaced with that of an apple.

“You a telepath, or are you just talking to yourself here?”

You nearly choked on your treat after hearing the unfamiliar voice so suddenly and nearly choked again after the owner of it appeared in front of you in a blur. Silver, he must’ve been the mutant who nearly knocked you over - Peter.

“Talking to myself, relishing in how good this apple is, mostly.” You shrugged, a small smile on your face. “What brings you here?”

He was no longer in front of you, instead opening the fridge door. Witnessing someone utilizing their mutation for such mundane things brought a smile to your face. It was quickly wiped though, seeing as how he had pulled out a twinkie from the fridge and waved it around.

“Hungry, soulmate’s not munching on something too tasty right now.” He said, unwrapping that godforsaken thing and tilting his head after you had turned away. “What’s wrong? Am I too attractive for the eyes of a newbie?”

“Nope, I just hate twinkies.” Biting the apple, you shook your head. “My soulmate eats them, like, every day and I can’t stand it. I’m convinced they’re insane.”

Peter fell silent and you were almost concerned that he ran off after you had declared you hated twinkies. Maybe he just held a deep love for them. Did you offend him, perhaps? You turned back and as soon as you did, he bit down on the twinkie, staring right in your eyes. And then you felt the all-too-familiar twinkie taste. And then you realized.

“Oh my god…” You breathed, slamming the half-eaten apple back on the counter. “It’s you!”

You didn’t quite understand why your heart started beating so fast at the sight of him eating that damned twinkie and grinning at you like an idiot. You didn’t understand why suddenly you felt so…anxious, why you were scared to move. This was it, you always visualized meeting your soulmate and then hitting them over and over again for making your life a living hell just by eating twinkies, but all you could do now was stare.

“Y-You’re a mutant!” You choked out, hands flying to cover your gaping mouth. In reality, you just tried to hide the smile growing on your face because you were supposed to hate this guy. “Like me!”

“Yeah, a freak, if you will.” He chuckled, licking his fingers after just finishing this twinkie. “That’s why I’m here, just like you.” He pointed at you, but really, he was trying his hardest not to run up to you and spin you around. Then you’d really think he was insane.

Could you blame him though? He also didn’t think his soulmate would be a mutant too, the chances were just too slim.

“I can’t believe this!” With quick steps, you walked up to him and proceeded to punch his chest lightly, light-heartedly, which was proved by how much you were giggling. “I hate you, you know! Do you have any idea how much you made me hate twinkies? I was literally so annoyed one day, I burned down my desk at school!”

Peter laughed; it was cute. “You don’t really sound like you hate me.” He grabbed your wrists, grinning down at you. “But it’s charming to see you pretend that you’re totally not head over heels for me right now.”

“I am not!” You shook your head, a grin of your own decorating your features. “I am extremely annoyed! Especially at the fact that my soulmate is some maniac who looks dumb and thinks that eating twinkies everyday is good for him!”

“Well,” he began slyly. “I’m sure we can discuss my new diet plan during a date.”

“Peter, you are insufferable.” You paused. “But I suppose we could talk about your twinkie addiction sometime.”

His smile fell for a moment. “Hey…what’s your name again?”

You snorted, light giggles eventually escalating into a laugh that made Peter smile softly. Still laughing, you placed your head on his chest, making him turn slightly red, unbeknownst to you. You had already forgotten that you could feel the taste of that twinkie he had eaten moments ago. Perhaps you were just too overjoyed to remember all the downsides of having this dummy as your soulmate. Sure, all he ate was twinkies, but he was a mutant too, which instantly meant he wouldn’t hate you for your mutation. And he looked dumb, which was charming, you thought.

Well, you supposed you’ll just have to deal with the twinkies, since your soulmate wasn’t that bad.

[cynicaldesire]

I am constantly worried for a friend of ours that he doesn’t have a healthy relationship with this wife, or that his wife is somehow not... healthy for him. Like he seems happy and I don’t talk to him or them enough to have a good understanding, but the limited view I do have is setting up a bunch of red flags. My husband keeps reminding me that I need to relax and it’s not really my problem and like... they both seem to have trauma that they are trying to ameliorate and, like, fine, no therapy works the same for everyone and just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean it isn’t actually good.

I didn’t want to make this a long post, but I’m thinking about it, so I’ll post what I want to feel less crazy about and then Read More the rest.

He was talking about how he needs a job because they can’t really survive on her income alone. He said he didn’t want to get a job doing something like driving a truck because it’s hell on your body and you run the risk of getting in late. The example he used was he doesn’t want to get in at like 6am and not want to wake up his wife because she has to get up and go to work and she needs her rest so he’d have to sleep on the couch so he doesn’t bother her.

I have been going over this scenario repeatedly trying to figure out why this was.... one of the issues with it and like... my husband even asked on my behalf if the scenario was from our friend’s own compassion and not his wife’s idea of how that would go down. He was cool about it, which I thought was weird, and said of course, it’s his own compassion.

As a military brat and my father having driven a production truck, I cannot fathom the idea of being angry that my husband came home and woke me up to get into bed after a long, harrowing drive. I cannot comprehend the concept of not welcoming my husband into bed, cuddling and kissing and getting him warmed up in winter, spooning, and going back to sleep with my partner. It doesn’t make sense to me. And that our friend’s wife doesn’t also say WTF, babe, just come to bed! boggles my mind.

I’m paranoid, of course. Because we drove about an hour after this conversation to Costco and my husband told me, after like the 4th time I had talked this over with him, that I was something odd. I asked what he meant and he said I was a pretty consummate military wife/brat. I didn’t understand what he meant but, I mean, I watched my parents deal with both military and trucking.

But I guess how paranoid am I?

I said it would be short, Haha.

But like, our friend quit his job a couple years ago at the behest of his wife who said he should become a personal trainer. He got certified in it and everything. He quit before he had a new job despite our protests and then was unemployed for a while, turning to try to become something of a streamer while he was job hunting. Because even though she encouraged him to quit his job with his Tr*mp-supporter boss, they can’t really afford their lifestyle on just one salary. But also trying to be a streamer wasn’t happening so he was forced to be the only white guy at a construction job provided him by his abusive Tr*mp-supporter father. He got let go from that due to COVID and has been mostly unemployed since, after a brief stint as a face character at Six Flags. And now he’s learning code so he can get a job doing code because she doesn’t want to work and finish her degree and would rather just do her job that involves monopolizing his time and his computer. Her job requires some graphical work and his desktop is the only one powerful enough to help her do it, so he just... works on his shitty laptop doing minimal stuff on the internet like learning code from codecademy.

Where this ties in to my own personal traumas and I think I’m projecting onto him, is where my family would demand I get a job because, they said, they worried I would be able to make it in the world without them because I had no skills, no job, nothing and I would probably end up under a bridge if they ever died suddenly. Or maybe I wasn’t doing enough around the house, didn’t do the dishes often enough or didn’t keep the house clean enough and therefore I needed to do something to earn my keep because family of 5 fats can’t work on 1 salary and whatnot. So when people start demanding I get jobs, the only time I ever really looked for jobs was in A State after a big fight with my parents. I get like... triggered now whenever my husband is like Hey, maybe if we teach you Japanese you can get a job in Japan! Just immediately want to panic, get angry, and/or cry. So I worry that our friend’s wife is giving him a different kind of complex about jobs and work. Especially after she’s the one that encouraged him to quit his job, since she’s now pissy about the fact that he doesn’t have one.

But then there’s the small things like her being a manic pixie dream girl like coming over while he’s on a discord voice chat with us to say my husband is a Cheeto. When my husband is understandably confused, says he is like the Essesnce of Cheeto. Or when Classic WoW first dropped, our friend was trying to get back into it with us because it’s a bit of a unifying nostalgia game for our friendgroup, she kept showing up and being annoying in the background like showing up with their cat in a dinosaur costume. He even sounded mildly annoyed and asked her to stop because he doesn’t get to spend much time with us.

Which, you know, isolation from friends is classic abuse. But he has access to other friends that are not us. So its possible that she just doesn’t approve of his video game hobby when it involves us. Which, our friend isn’t a big fan of me personally, so I assume she might just be trying to save him from hanging out with me. I have achieved low self-esteem lately, having the clarity to replay interactions and say Ah, I was sounding real aggressive and bitchy, maybe that’s why people hate me. Or, in the middle of telling a story when I am met with silence, my brain works fast enough to say THEY CAN’T EXTRAPOLATE, YOU GOTTA FINISH STRONG, so I do and I get the laughs and I say I did it, I won, I’m going to get a good grade. But my sister also monopolized my time in a way that made it impossible for me to make or keep friends, and even got pissed when I was trying to make new friends because the friend I was trying to make was a guy that she was trying to fuck and my presence was a cockblock. Story for another time.

Or the time that our friend, because of his construction job, worked very early in the morning and thus was very tired in the evening. But his wife wanted to go to a screening of The Room and rather than let him stay home or maybe just don’t go, they went to this screening and our friend had to stay up for like 24hours. She’s the one that encouraged him to quit, pushed him into getting a new job, and then still asked to go to the movie knowing he was exhausted? Like... I wouldn’t have even considered it a possibility or I would ask a thousand times if he was sure or if he wanted a nap or something.

But, you know, I’m biased. I have a hard time being friends with women that are significant others of our friendgroup. I want everyone to be supportive and kind, into the same hobbies, willing to engage, maybe not be super weird. But I think I just want that in everyone. Which is probably my I have so few friends myself. I have high standards. I’m trying to lower those by being aware of them. Which means people like Amber are now counted among my friends.

Point of this post, though, is to ascertain my level of incorrectness. How wrong am I about their relationship? Lemme know.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #297

“crushed, damned, and broken; lost, sick, and left unspoken.”

When was the last time you did clay work/pottery? Not since high school when I made an anatomically correct heart. Do you like art, hate it or just not mind it? I adore it. Is crime a big problem in your area? Oh yes. What's the scariest story/urban legend/creepypasta etc you heard? Maaaan, as a cryptic fanatic, that's hard. Maybe the Rake. What personality trait does nearly everyone in your family seem to have? We're some resilient motherfuckers. What is your favorite soda? Well, it's technically strawberry Sunkist, but I do NOT let myself have it because I will fucking chug it and binge on them if available to me. So, I just consider Mountain Dew Voltage my fave. When you're on the beach, do you throw beached sea creatures back? I've never even seen a beached animal. I would, though. Have you ever thrown food at someone? Yeah, small food fights as a kid or joking with a friend. Have you ever been to a bonfire? Yeah. Do you like orangutans? I love them; such fascinating, enchanting animals that act more human than people half the time. When you see a bug flipped on his back, what do you do? It depends on what it is, but I usually try to help it. Is cereal good? Yeah, I love cereal. Do you like spaghetti? Love it. It was my favorite food as a kid. Is there any kind of weapon in your bedroom? No. Do you like snow globes? I love 'em! Be honest, did Fifty Shades of Grey arouse you in any way? I didn't read it and never will. What does your sibling(s) call you? "Britt" or "(little/big) sister." Do you have any close friends that are the opposite sex that your significant other dislikes? N/A Do you honestly believe everything happens for a reason? Why or why not? Nope, because I want you to explain to me why a child dies of cancer. Why the 11-year-old was raped and forced to bear the child. Why a partner is beaten to death by their s/o, etc. etc. Things just... happen. Do you believe in reincarnation? Why or why not? No, mostly; I DO kinda wonder about it, I just find it unlikely. It would be kinda poetic, though: being given the chance to experience so many unique things. But, I kinda want a conclusion to my mortal life. The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner? I read the first HG and loved it; I started the latter novel while I was in the psych hospital for a while, but I never finished it or got that far in. It did sound pretty good, though. Has anyone you’ve known claimed to be psychic? Well, they believe(d) in tarot readings; does that count? Idk. Did/do you believe them? I wouldn't. Is anything annoying you right now? "Annoyed" is a fucking understatement when it comes to what transpired at the capitol a few days back. Have you ever been ice-skating? No. Does the sound of rain at night help you sleep? It can, depending on how heavy it is. Have you ever seen an albino person, in person? Albino, no, but I knew a guy and his sister in high school who had vitiligo. Have you ever worn a pair of scrubs? Yeah, at the ER and hospital. Have you ever walked into a massive cobweb? I don't believe so. What would you say is your strongest felt emotion right now? Rage. I'm not over "the event." I'm just tired of humanity. Are you talking to anyone at the moment? No. Do you have trust issues? Oh yes. Have you ever found an arrow head? No. Who is with you? My mom's home. What can you not stop thinking about? *points upwards* Then there's Jason because PTSD, that's very normal. Do you forgive easily? I forgive very easily, honestly. In what part of your life so far, have you learned the most about yourself? 2017, when recovery began. I think... or maybe 2018, idk. I've truly come to discover myself quite a lot the past few years. Have you ever been in a fist fight? No. Are your ears pierced? Yeah: my earlobes twice, and then my right tragus has a stud. I want to get my others back... I had to take them all out in the psych hospital, and a lot of my piercings closed up. The only one I don't wanna re-do is my anti-tragus, because mine was *always* inflammed and aggravated. What did you last say out loud? "Okay" to Mom. What are you waiting on? Right now, an opportunity to go to the parlor I'm getting my tat tidied up at to get a price range on it. They just need to be open while we're out of the house. Do you tell people when they get on your nerves? Not really. Are your feelings hurt easily? Yep. What's the most expensive piece of clothing you have? Did you buy it yourself? I dunno... I very rarely get new clothes, nevermind expensive ones. Who is your closest platonic friend of the opposite sex? His nickname is Girt. He's been my best male friend since high school; we even hang out sometimes, but it's been a long while. How do you think your first relationship shaped who you are as a partner now? As a partner, it taught me to not fall head over heels and love more realistically and in a healthy fashion. I don't put my faith solely into them, but myself, too. I also accept "forever" is not always true just because they promise it. Who is your favorite protagonist of the same sex? Oh god, this is hard. I suppose maybe Tyrande Whisperwind from WoW. I love her dedication to her people and that her story has become more interesting in her finally "breaking." I could list so, so many "faves," tbh. Were you popular in high school? What was your reputation like? No; I was just the average teen. Have you always known your sexual orientation or did something happen to make you realize it? Somethings happened. There were a lot of hints building up before I even began to consider the possibility, but a daydream solidified it as fact. What was the hardest part of your last break up? Realizing I still wasn't "ready" or "fit" for a successful relationship. What brought you out of the hardest period in your life? As strange as it sounds, my suicide attempt put it into action. I was obviously hospitalized for a while, and then I was brought into a month-long partial hospitalization program that has a fucking genius psychiatrist, and I also had daily therapy as long as school days during the week. It was the intense help I needed. What's your favorite kind of smiley face? (: Does anybody know your deepest darkest secret? My old therapist and maybe my mom; I can't remember if I told her. Did you ever watch Rugrats? (the babies) I LOVED that show! I even had two of the video games. What about Hey Arnold? Ugh, I hated it, but I think my little sister did, or we just watched it if we couldn't find anything else. Do you like pep rallies? NO. NO. NO. My teachers always understood that they really stoked my anxiety and allowed me to opt out of going. I'd just stay in the classroom and read or something. Have you ever had pneumonia? No. What do you feel about surgeries? Do they worry you? I fear anesthesia awareness, but not to a debilitating degree or anything that makes me panic beforehand or anything like that. Do you play Minecraft? if so, feelings about servers? Never have, and not interested. Do you read creepypastas? Nah. Do you think vlogging in public is scary? It seems awkward as FUCK to me. Even alone. Have you been to an escape room? Was it a success? No. What social class would you say you're in? I think we're actually near the poverty line (or were, idk anymore, Mom slipped it before), so definitely lower. Have you ever recorded a cover of a song? No. How do you feel about guns? They scare me. What's the most traumatizing event that ever happened to you? A very abrupt and poorly-executed breakup while being madly in love to the point of obsession with the person. Are you faint to the sight of blood? No. Do you like spicy food? Yes. Do you have good dreams or nightmares more? Well, considering I was woken up by myself shrieking my lungs out this morning, guess. It seemed for a little bit that my nightmares were chilling out, but I guess not. When was the last time someone insulted you? What was the insult? Does my mother telling me I'm saying too many "f-bombs" count? I dunno otherwise. What’s your second favorite color? Maroon. Do you ever wish you lived in a different country? Hey Canada, mind adopting me? Who’s the last person you “pounded” fists with? Ha, I think my nephew. Have you ever been involved in an affair? No. Wait, maybe? Does the Joel thing count? We never even physically met each other, we were just being idiot kids flirting over text messages. You be the judge, ig. How many times a week do you speak to your boss? I don’t have a job. What do you want for your birthday? Just donate to my tattoo fund lmao. Having to get my laptop fixed fucked up my plans yet again... Have you ever been to a masquerade? No. Is there anybody you think is hot over the age of 40? A handful, yeah. Who in your phone has a heart after their name? Just Sara does. Anything you’re avoiding? Always. After breaking up, what’s the worst? Letting go if you're the one who still has feelings. Does your sibling have a significant other? I don't know if my brother does, or the half-sister I've never met. Another sister is engaged, and two are married. Nicole is single, though. She's smart as hell about who she dates; she's probably pickier than me. Do you use Skype? Just to talk with Sara. Are you a fan of acrylic nails? I wouldn't wear them, but they look fine on some people. Except when they're square shaped. Name one happy song that describes you better than any other. "Get Up" by Mother Mother comes to me first. Name one sad/mellow song that describes you better than any other. Haha I connect with a lot of sad songs and would honestly rather not dig through 'em right now. What is your most used pick up line? None, they're all awful. Do you like the taste of alcohol? Noooooo no no. The only alcoholic drinks I like are very weak and sweet. What kinds of food make you sick? So this probably sounds so stupid, but "fancy" foods, like stuff with a lot of ingredients my body isn't used to, I guess. My stomach is very finicky with foods, so it's easy to make this list.

[hallaevak]

skam thoughts

hi ok i’m bored n sick so i’m here to give my (maybe unpopular? idk) thoughts on skam + remakes. i have seen most* remakes, but i’ll mention if i have not seen a particular season or not

first off: basic opinions (favorite remakes, favorite characters, etc)

fav jonas/eva remake:

- skam nl (kes/isa) - isa is, in my opinion, the most relatable eva remake. she’s so sassy and lovable! in general i’m not the biggest fan of the season 1 plot, but i think all jonas/eva pairings, chemistry wise, have been phenomenal. isa/kes are just a little bit more impressive in my opinion.

fav noorhelm remake

- this will be of no shock, as this is quite a popular opinion, but wtfock (senne and zoë). most william remakes kind of suck, and the general character dynamic between noora and william is not something i like. i enjoy the plot but a lot of williams are just...ew. i’m interesting in skam españa interpretation (nora and alejandro) but i can’t fully judge their season until it’s over. zoë is such a wonderful character and senne is actually not a dick! i sobbed when they broke up in s3.

fav evak remake

- i’m tied. either skam france/wtfock. i love the (for some reason controversial) dynamic between sander and robbe. i also love elu, like the basic bitch i am. elliott demaury OWNS me.

fav youssana remake

- honestly, i kind of didn’t like any of them (that are released). there’s only two out there, druck and skam france, and i didn’t like any. i’m sorrryyyy i just love sana bakkoush and no one could ever be better than her. oof! disclaimer i have not watched all of amira’s season/druck s4. i wasn’t personally interested but the acting was phenomenal.

alright now to remake-specific comments.

SKAM, the original, the og, love of my life, scandi legend that started this obsession

- honestly one of the best teen shows i’ve ever seen. the development of characters is so prominent. the acting, for mostly amateur teenagers, is mind blowing. maybe american shows just suck? but i’m absolutely in love with every character. they show such realistic stories and i applaud the skam team + actors for portraying their stories so well.

- the one comment i have is the noorhelm relationship. i just? i don’t like it. when i first watched skam i loved it. noora was hilarious (still think that) and the perfect independent woman model. i also liked william. i just wished they showed more of his vulnerability because his kind of static character is not doing it for me. he doesn’t show any evolution or change. idk, he’s still a wet fish in my eyes. obv this has no shade to the actors, thomas hayes is lovely. his character? not so much. i could write a whole essay on how flawed and dislikable william is.

now, the first remake: skam france

skam france, oui oui baguettes this remake really tickles my fancy

- as someone who kind of understands french, i really do like this remake. i have some issues with s1 and s2 but overall it is a solid remake. being the first, it makes sense for the seasons to seems little unoriginal. i still love emma and manon but their characters aren’t very authentic.

- s3 is where they really nailed it. elu’s immense popularity is only a testament to how truly wonderful the season is. the acting, the characters, slight changes in plot. i loved it. a lot.

- i wasnt impressed by s4 but it might just be my extreme love for iman meskini. no one could ever replace her.

- BUT S5. OH BOY. ROBIN. MY BABY. he is such a good actor and i love arthur he MUST be protected! i love that his shame is not romantically related. also as someone who is interested in deaf culture wow! i’m impressed by the research done by skam france. not only is his the first original season but it is excellently executed. noee is my mother i love her.

druck, likely the most liked remake to which i do not disagree with that statement

- druck is legendary. i really appreciate the small changes in plot and character dynamics that create an identity for each remake and druck is so so good at doing that. mia’s season is lovely and so is matteo’s, as well as the other two. i did not finish amira’s season as wtfock s3 started and i was a little too invested in that haha but i liked what i saw. the mia/noora drama annoyed me but it was okay. i saw it in the way how we all beg for evak/elu/nicotino/etc content in later seasons but then complain when noorhelm/jonas and eva content occur in later seasons, which is weird at best or just fetishization of gay couples at worst. take ur pick. i like it when previous plot lines kind of intertwine into the current ones as it shows that people’s shakes are not temporary and have immense effects on others (which is the point of skam, right?

skam italia, the controversial remake that said bye and then uno-reversed itself (thanks netflix)

- a lot of people don’t like skam italia. it’s understandable, as the actress for sana is not a woc or muslim. however, it is slightly understandable (but not defendable, i was way too disappointed when i found this out) given italy and it’s cultural background. it astonished me that they could even produce an isak remake due to their pretty strong religious beliefs. italy is very much roman catholic, and gay marriage isn’t even legal there (this is the only skam where gay marriage is not legalized). so i give them major props to facing potential backlash in producing s2/marti’s season. it makes sense for there to not be a muslim/woc actress because of the demographics in italy. ww1 and ww2 really spun a number on italy’s race, as many jews and romas as well as pretty much any non-italian ethnicity were kicked out. this creates barriers especially when it comes to hiring a woc actress. skam italia is already breaking barriers when it came to controversial topics (literally all of skam would be controversial in italy’s alt-right view, it seems). tl;dr: kudos for being able to produce a pro-gay show but shame for not being able to hire a woc actess.

- i loved marti’s season as was a fan of the other two seasons. they’re well produced and beautiful and more dramatic than the other skams imo! the soundtrack is absolutely gorgeous.

skam austin, the american cousin no one seems to like that really lives up to the american stereotype

- ok. when i first saw austin/the fact that they made an american remake, i hated it. disgusting. i hâte america as it is. it was cringey, the acting was bad (i’m sorry i’m sorry), and it got rid of the charm that skam had.

- when i watched it a second time around, i changed my mind. i think grace’s season redeemed it a lil bit. it’s living proof that skam remakes must be watched twice or more to fully formulate an opinion. it’s still cringey but i mean, it’s very accurate to american culture. i’m ashamed to say that i, an american, have said many phrases that austin has used.

- skam austin isn’t THAT bad as people make it out to be. i think americans esp are uncomfortable with a skam from their own culture, myself included. and it’s fine to not vibe with it and prefer other skam remakes. i think the actors are okay, better when i saw it the second time, and the editing/music/videography is beautiful (ofc julie andem is a part of it). people give it crap for being american.

skam nl, may she rest in peace or pull an italia and 180 us

- man i was so depressed when i heard that lucas vdh was not getting his season. lucas is downright one of my favorite isak remakes and his story would’ve been so interesting.

- besides that, skam italia has one of the best eva seasons. it is my favorite and is usually a lot of others favorites as well. isa is just so relatable. liv’s season is also incredibly well produced. i didn’t hate noah! it was a miracle come true. he redeemed the william character if only for one remake.

- my one comment/critic isn’t even that serious. it’s just? dutch? it sounds so...weird. i’m a stupid american but i cracked up at things that were definitely NOT jokes because of the language. i’m sorry netherlands/holland i do not mean to laugh.

skam españa, also controversial for good reasons but also conflictingly good

- alright folks. i am confused with skam españa. i don’t know if i love it or like it.

- hear me out. we all know of the controversy with the panphobic comment that nora made. it was stupid and uncalled for and really disrespected the whole pan community of viewers. now, not many people are pan but for a show where an original character (even bech næsheim, love of my life) is canonically pan? it was kind of a slap to the face.

- besides the comment i loved cris’ season. it was refreshing to get an isak season where it was a she, one, and where isak was not living with his eskild but instead had a family. it was also beautifully shot and i love irene with my entire heart.

- that said, i liked eva’s season. nora’s season is interesting. maybe it’s because it’s the first i’ve watched multiple seasons live (españa and france) and have no attention span and is more interested in skam france s5? idk. the clips aren’t really doing it for me. i love the viri clips but the nora clips are eh. she just seems very...in genuine? idk. i also hate miquel get his ugly ass out of here. i can’t fully analyze the season until it’s over but i’m not really interested in it. i also don’t like the noorhelm plot or dynamic at all so that may be it.

wtfock, or another controversial remake that imo shouldn’t be controversial

- wow. i love wtfock. s1 was rocky and i wasn’t sure of how it would be. s2 SLAPPED ME THRU THE ROOF. god i love senne de smet so much. zoë is actually redeemable??? and oh my god milan is my favorite eskild like please adopt me.

- season 3 was the first one i watched live. i arrived to the skam scene late so i didn’t get to experience march madness aka 5 live skams at once and i wish i did. but wow. willem ds and willem h really are one of the main reasons why wtfock s3 did so well. they’re amazing actors with incredibly chemistry.

- the controversy that imo should be controversy: the gay bashing scene. i was surprised at the backlash. people were upset over the fact that they showed such...intense events without immediate remediation. it’s understandable to be mad but? they were criticizing things that had no correlation with the scene, like the willems’ acting or the music picked. it was very wild. they also did a lot of bitching about how lgbt people should see gay bashing because it’ll bring back bad memories and that skam was for the gays only and should cater for only lgbt people. which i heavily disagree with. 1) gay bashing in media is so prevalent and downright important. things can’t be fluffy gay all the time. this happens in real life and does such a great complement to noor’s comment about how no one cares that robbe is gay because it’s 2019. THAT. IS. SO. IMPORTANT. it’s so so important to realize that despite the strides made for lgbt people, gay bashing and violent homophobia. still. exist. also. i would like to direct you to these examples of gay bashing where no one blinked an eye : queer as folk, where s1 justin gets bashed in at his prom and has difficulties drawing; s2 (i think? may be s1) skam españa where lucas rubio gets bashed; skam s4 where even and isak encounter a homophobic dick; these examples are endless. the one thing that miffed me the most was that many critics acted as if they were forced to watch wtfock and therefore criticize its every move. like no? you have a choice? no one is forcing you. quite the opposite! wtfock is geoblocked! you’re actually forcing yourself because you’re taking the time to find illicit resources in order to watch it! alright man i’m done with this rant. many also criticized the writing of the show. it was shaky but watching it a 2nd time, where all clips were released, was so much better when it came to clarity. many ‘poor writing choices’ made sense in the larger picture. again another example that you should watch skam remakes twice to understand the big picture.

- tl;dr wtfock is lovely and should not be criticized for one wrong move.

thank u for hearing me out. i have strong opinions but a frail heart. pls be nice!

[canaryatlaw]

okay, well today was nice and calm. As long as there isn’t anything specific (and some times when there still is) nobody wakes me up, so I just sleep till like noon/1 pm, and that’s a beautiful thing. so I slept till like 1, then played bts world on my phone for like 15 minutes and then got out of bed. When I got downstairs my mom had made chocolate chip pancakes and bacon (I have no idea when we became a family that buys bacon but I’m certainly not complaining) which of course she had saved some for me when I eventually wake up. So I ate the food, and it was good, and the rest of the day was pretty low key. I was trying to decide on what recipes I want to make for Christmas because I hadn’t really thought about it other than what cookies I wanted to do. So I figured all of that out with pinterest and such, and just kinda hung around the house with my uncle who came over, and he was telling me all the reasons he thinks Trump lost and I’m just sitting there like wow this man is truly spouting a measured political opinion for probably the first time in his life haha. he started off saying it was him refusing to wear a mask and doing rallies without masks that got people sick, and then kinda segwayed into him just being a massive dick of a person who alienated too many people and just pissed people off, and I’m like I mean yeah those are valid reasons! I wasn’t even going to touch anything related to race in that conversation, he’s got some bad opinions there which I think are mostly the result from growing up in the projects in Queens in the 1950-60s, but I’ve never bothered getting into it with him because I knew it would be pointless. oh well. we had pot roast for dinner that was good, and after that I wanted to try out this scone recipe, I happened upon a recipe called “Christmas Morning Scones” with the idea that when they bake, it smells like “Christmas” (which is a combination of vanilla bean, nutmeg, and rosemary apparently) and I thought it would be cool to have them on Christmas morning right when people wake up and while they open their presents, until we have our traditional Christmas morning breakfast, which is a ham, egg, and cheese bread pudding and it’s fucking phenomenal (I remember one year while my brothers and I were still allergic to milk [whatever that actually was] and she’d used half real cheese and half of the horrible soy cheese [this way before allergy averse food became popular and the quality was bad] but I guess she didn’t mix it very well because my first piece was fine but when I went for a second I could only taste the soy cheese, and the level of betrayal I felt in that moment was so intense haha, so lots of memories there). The idea is of course to make new traditions, ones that won’t always remind us that my dad won’t be there to take part of it….anyways, I wanted to test the scone recipe to make sure it was good. not difficult to make, it called for fresh rosemary and fresh nutmeg, but I used the dried ones we had and will get the real stuff for the actual one. Trying to mince dried rosemary is actually quite the task, because every time you go to cut it it flies everywhere haha which is not terribly convenient, but oh well. otherwise they were easy enough to make and came out really well, so I was pleased with that. after that I just sat at the tv where whatever hgtv thing was on while I compiled recipes and ingredient lists for my choices, the current plan is Christmas Eve doing crab puffs, parmesan roaster broccoli (though I might switch that out, we’ll see), and the candy cane chocolate cheesecake bars I love, then for Christmas day doing baked brie, mac and cheese, the scones, a creme brûlée pie  (which I am so excited about), and a walnut pear tart that is gluten free so mom can have it. and then in the days leading up to Christmas for cookies we’re doing gingersnaps, cranberry almond shortbread cookies, and Italian rainbow cookies (the actual best). so I’m gonna have a lot of time to enjoy cooking, lol. I have my last small group session tomorrow morning because we wanted to so a “brunch” session instead of always dinner, so I’m looking forward to that and seeing what we can do, so that should be good. and yeah, after a bit people started heading upstairs, I stayed down for a little while longer before heading up. the internet has been giving us issues and just like stopped working period for most of the night. it’s a little better now, but pages still take a while to load, which is annoying. apparently some dude is going to come fix it like Tuesday??? I really need it to work on Monday for work though…sigh. we’ll have to figure all that out. worst comes to worst I can always find a Starbucks and beg them to let me hang out and use their wifi for a bit (which is what I did last time and it worked very well) but hopefully it won’t get to that (cause I do have court and I don’t think the judges would love that). on a similar thought, out of nowhere my computer has rapidly been deteriorating on me, like all of a second like three things won’t work probably and then another three tomorrow, so I very badly need to get a new one, especially because the is all my connection to work at the moment (I should’ve brought my chromebook with me, I can always use Zoom on my phone but the rest of it doesn’t work so well on the phone. so hopefully that will be able to function enough to get some work done. and yeah, okay, I headed upstairs and showered and started getting ready for bed, I thought this would be fairly short which I often and am often wrong on the matter, but oh well. I’m sleepy now and I do have to wake up eventually for small group tomorrow, so I am going to end this here. Goodnight my friends. Hope you had an awesome Saturday. 

[orderofthedyingstar]

RECAP: SESSION 10.5

SESSION TEN PART TWO

Rhododendron and Jun have been arguing about whether or not they should go back and talk to the hag, occasionally yelling for input from Inigo and Verrix across the spike trap. They go back and forth for another minute before Rhododendron, feeling like they’re just going in circles and wasting time (which Jun is doing on purpose) turns back around and confronts Auntie May about knowing her name. Auntie May gives several vague threats and cryptic responses before Rhododendron finally decides to ask about her bow - but gets no answers. Rhododendron asks if she can shoot the pool of water in her room, but Auntie May says she’s ‘growing a good crop of bacteria’ in there and doesn’t want Rhododendron to mess with it. 

Rhododendron: “Look, I don’t think a bow can kill bacteria, I think they’re too small. It’ll probably like, go around them.”

Auntie May finally lets Rhododendron shoot the pool of water after extracting some of the nasty green plant/algae/whatever growth out of it. The bow acts as it has before in these temples, gathering light at the arrow tip and revealing a staircase after the water evaporates. The hag isn’t impressed, and tells Rhododendron that’s she’s only just revealed her basement, which she uses for ‘storage’. Jun, who’d been watching at the entryway, finally joins Rhododendron as she descends the last staircase, and when Rhododendron lights one of her torches both of them see a small room full of rotting clothes and skeletons. Jun immediately turns around and leaves and after a moment of disappointment Rhododendron follows.

Auntie May: “Well, I did you a favor, yes? I let you shoot my pool and kill everything I was working for and now I’m going to be set back another decade.” 

Rhododendron: “I - I guess.” 

Auntie May: “Good. And now you can do me a favor.” 

(WIS ST 8) Auntie May touches a finger to Rhododendron’s chest, where a dark red stain blossoms from, enveloping Rhododendron’s entire body before disappearing. 

Auntie May: “Okay, you’ll do Auntie May a favor in good time, my friend. YOU WILL NEVER HARM AUNTIE MAY.” 

Rhododendron: “Okay…seems like the favors aren’t equal…” 

Auntie May: “WHEN THE TIME COMES AND YOU FIND MY LITTLE LOST ITEM, YOU WILL GET IT AND BRING IT RIGHT BACK TO ME, NO QUESTIONS ASKED. NOT ONE. That’s all. Good-bye.” 

Rhododendron: “Oh boy. Oh no.”

Jun is horrified, staring open-mouthed at the two of them. Rhododendron and Jun finally leave Auntie May, collecting a still-poisoned Verrix and Inigo on their way out. The rush out of the temple, Verrix landing on his face as he falls out of the window. They barely manage to make it out in time for Jun’s spell to end, with people trying to break down the front door with renewed force. Jun warns that the spell protecting the temple is fading now that Rhododendron’s removed the barrier, and doesn’t want to stick around when the rest of the adventurers finally get inside. Rhododendron is worried about the hag killing people, but Jun doesn’t want any of them to be associated with Laoteng’s temples, and insists that it’s someone else’s problems. 

Rhododendron: “Why don’t you care?” 

Jun: “I do, about - about us being connected to these temples and being able to open places that haven’t been opened for a long time. And to creepy hags, one of which you’ve made a Pact with.”

Now that the immediate danger is behind them, the group now focuses on purging the poison from Verrix and Inigo. They head towards one of Nyvarstra’s temples in the town, planning on paying a cleric to cast Lesser Restoration. In El Canje’s temple to Nyvarstra, they find a cleric and a fully armored (very tall) woman, who is making it very obvious that she’s bored with all of this. Rhododendron tries to work her charm on the stranger, who says that she’s a paladin that’s been tasked with guarding this temple in spite of the town being relatively safe, and seems generally unimpressed with everything Rhododendron says to her, mostly responding with ’okay’ and ‘sure’. The stranger says that the cleric can cure their poisoning, but then whines that it isn’t impressive because she can too. After quite a bit more persuasion/flirting, Rhododendron manages to convince the paladin to cure Verrix and Inigo for 300 silver. 

Marlee: “I’m getting paid to stand here, and I’d really like to continue that. The paid part.” 

Rhododendron: “But you’ll also get paid outside.” 

Marlee: “That’s true. Tough choice. Think I’ll pick standing.” 

Rhododendron: “Wow, that’s so brave.” 

Marlee: “Ya. You know me, haha, brave. (Scoffs)”

Rhododendron properly introduces herself, and the paladin spends several minutes wondering about the rarity of Rhododendron’s name and its origin before remembering to say her own name: Marlee. She finally agrees to help the party out after a little more persuasion from Rhododendron. Rhododendron brings Inigo over to Marlee first to get healed (Verrix: “I guess I’ll just die here.”)

Marlee: “Damn, you look, like, real short. I didn’t realize how small you were until, like, another person stood next to you, and like…you know, heels are not that expensive. Oh, but not for spider killing. Boots, maybe?”

Rhododendron: “I’m wearing boots.”

Marlee slaps Inigo across the face, using Lay Hands and healing his poisoning, she does the same to Verrix, who immediately sits down after getting slapped. Rhododendron tries to ask Marlee about how much longer she’s supposed to be stuck at the temple, and a little about the cleric she’s working with. 

Rhododendron (about the cleric): “So is he like a dick?” 

Marlee: “Oh, no. He’s just, like, boring, you know? You talk to him and he talks about, like, Nyvarstra. And it’s like, you know. Cool. I guess. Like, I get it. Dragon, goddess. Alright.” 

Rhododendron: “Not so easily impressed?” 

Marlee: “It’s fine, whatever, you know?”

When Rhododendron asks what there is to do around town, Marlee says that they’re better off just leaving and heading to Dynafell. When Rhododendron mentions that Marlee seems unsatisfied with standing in one spot in the temple for the rest of the foreseeable future, Marlee scoffs, mentioning that the only other option she has is ‘adventuring with people she doesn’t like’. Rhododendron offers to take Marlee with them when they leave the town, while the rest of the party scoffs about her flirting skills (again). Marlee flat out admits that she doesn’t think Rhododendron is as charming as she seems to think she is, and that adventuring is too disgusting to be worth it. Marlee also says that her armor, that she doesn’t want to mess up, was a graduation gift, but doesn’t want to get into the specifics about why she ‘sort of’ got the gift for herself. 

Rhododendron: “Doesn’t it count as shitty paladin-ing to not do anything good with you gifts?” 

Marlee: “No, I like just did a good thing today. There were these two dudes who were like totally poisoned and I, out of the goodness of my heart, just like healed them for no reason.” 

Rhododendron: “You were paid.” 

Marlee: “Yeah, that too.” 

Rhododendron: “And you think the source of all of your abilities is satisfied with that mere sacrifice?” 

Marlee: ”……Yeah, I still feel magic flowing through me so I guess it’s chill.”

Marlee says that she’s okay doing nothing with her skills, planning on saving up the money to retire from the ‘adventurer life’ and open a bakery in ten years. She gets annoyed/bored with her conversation with Rhododendron, and turns around to start ignoring her, especially since Rhododendron keeps saying that Marlee is lying. Rhododendron tells Marlee that her plans will probably fall through, to which Marlee says that her negativity is unwanted in a ‘place of healing’. As Rhododendron tries one last time to convince Marlee to join them, Marlee says that she likes being an ‘edgy loner’ (Verrix: “Cheers.”). Marlee tells them to try looking for a mercenary in one of the local taverns instead, since they love adventure. Rhododendron compares Marlee to Verrix a few times, and Verrix tries to look cool by putting his feet up on a seat in front of him - not realizing that he’s in the first row of pews, so they just kind of…hover in the air. Marlee also accidentally reveals that she’s only been doing the paladin thing officially for six months, and was stuck in an unpaid internship for two years - living in Calden before this and a mountain town before that.

Rhododendron asks Marlee if she’ll be in the tavern later, but Marlee says that she goes to bed at eight pm after reading a book, since she wakes up at four am - she says she needs her beauty sleep, although Rhododendron can tell that Marlee hasn’t combed her hair in days. Marlee admits that she loves romance novels, and when Rhododendron doubts that she’s ever been in love, Marlee says that she’d liked someone once but it hadn’t worked out. Rhododendron tries to convince Verrix to talk to Marlee to persuade her to join them, but the rest of the party expresses their doubts since she doesn’t seem to like any of them.

Rhododendron: “How long did it take you to like me?” 

Verrix: “I don’t know, how long did it take my leg to heal?”

When Verrix is reluctant to try to talk to Marlee and Inigo doesn’t want to flirt with her, Rhododendron tries to rethink her strategy, reminding the rest of the party that they really do need a healer. Jun hands Rhododendron a pen and some paper and suggests that she try writing Marlee part of a romance story - when Rhododendron asks him why he doesn’t write it himself, he says that he can’t love. 

Rhododendron: “Do you not know anything about love?” 

Jun: “No, I do not. I cannot.” 

Rhododendron: “W-what?” 

Verrix: “You can’t love?” 

Jun: “Oh, no.” 

Rhododendron: “What? Why not?” 

Jun: “I feel like we’re getting off topic.” 

Rhododendron: “No, I feel like we’re one hundred percent on-topic.” 

Jun: “I don’t have a heart.”

(Jun definitely pretends that he doesn’t know how he lost his heart.) When Rhododendron asks if he’s sure that he can’t love, he says that he’s sure he can’t, and that his heart was taken a long time ago. He isn’t concerned about it at all, despite Rhododendron trying to make him see the importance of it. Inigo says that Jun probably isn’t missing out on anything important, since ‘heartbreak probably sucks’. Jun says it’s convenient not to have emotions, since it lets him focus on magic, and really doesn’t understand why Rhododendron keeps trying to convince him that he should feel emotions. Verrix says that as long as it isn’t hurting him it should be fine. Jun does admit that he was a little upset about giving his heart away/having it stolen (uses both phrases) at the time but that it helped having it gone, since he was crying about ‘being scared and separated from his parent’ before it was taken. (He does lie about when it was taken, and the circumstances surrounding that.)

Rhododendron finally says that she can’t deal with that line of conversation anymore and moves on to writing the romance story for Marlee. She initially wants to write about the moon, but after Jun says that is probably blasphemous she changes the story to be about a baker and a prince. Rhododendron purposefully ends the story on a cliffhanger, and writes Verrix’s name on the book as they plan to get him to give the story to Marlee. Verrix goes over to Marlee and asks if she can read the story, and despite her noting that the way he asked her sounded vaguely like a threat, she agrees to read it since Verrix looks particularly desperate. She leaves, telling Verrix that she’ll get back to him in three to five business days. When Rhododendron asks how the conversation went, Verrix mentions that Marlee implied his author’s lifestyle wouldn’t be enough to feed his family and take care of his kids, causing the party to go off on a tangent that leads both him and Inigo into wondering whether or not they have children. Rhododendron promises to look for the kids when they go to find Jun’s heart.  Despite Verrix’s protests, Rhododendron also manages to convince him to follow Marlee to her hotel room and bother her in the morning about the story.

The party goes to the only tavern in town (named Tavern), asking around for information, and find that while adventurers were able to get into the temple, there is no one that has heard of the hag. Verrix goes over to an edgy looking stranger and attempts to make small talk, but somehow gets convinced that the stranger stole his children, and ends up making him cry. The stranger, in tears, tells Verrix that he has no idea where his kids are. Verrix says that he’ll leave the stranger alone as long as he doesn’t try to steal any children before returning to the rest of his party. Rhododendron investigates some of the rooms upstairs but isn’t able to find Marlee at all, she gets Inigo to talk to a bartender she’d already bothered to get a room for the party that he ends up overpaying for. Verrix wakes up at four in the morning, sulking, and stands out in the hallway to keep an eye out for Marlee - he awkwardly tries to ask her about the book, and she hands him a very detailed sheet of notes, saying that the book has potential but desperately needs an editor. Verrix goes back to the room and wakes up Rhododendron, attempting to tell her that their plan sort of worked.

Verrix: “WAKEUPWKAEUPWAKEUP. She read your thing. The thing you wrote. She read it.” 

Rhododendron: “What? I don’t read.” 

Verrix: “I know.” 

Rhododendron: “Who is she? I’m the she…” 

Verrix: “Big armor? The person with the big armor read your book.”

Rhododendron: “Big armor…? He’s gone, Verrix. But we’re gonna get him back. It’s okay.” 

Verrix: “Shut up - you mean Raz??? No! I don’t think Raz read your book.”

After he gets nothing out of a sleepy Rhododendron, he tries to wake up Jun to get him to read Marlee’s notes to Rhododendron, which Jun immediately refuses without opening his eyes. Verrix then wakes up Inigo, who is immediately completely alert.

Verrix: “Can you read this?” 

Inigo: “What are these, words?” 

Verrix: “I think so, yeah.” 

Inigo: “Oh. Then, no.” 

Verrix: “Oh. Huh. I’m going back to sleep.”

When Rhododendron finally wakes up, Verrix tells her that he got Marlee’s thoughts on the story, to which Rhododendron says that he was supposed to befriend her and try to persuade her to join their party. Verrix makes Jun read the review to which he says it’s pretty harsh, saying that she goes on and on about spelling and grammar errors, a cliché plot, and overused tropes. There is a little doodle at the bottom of the page depicting the prince from the story. Rhododendron remains optimistic, saying that it shows Marlee cared enough to read the story all the way through. Jun and Rhododendron both grill Verrix over his interaction with Marlee, and he balks a little under the scrutinization as they try to get any useful information out of his interaction with her.

The party goes off to bother Marlee, finding her taking her lunch break right outside the temple. After a few minutes they realize that she isn’t kidding when she says that she actually liked the story, and she returns the story to them completely covered in ‘annotations’. Marlee, while still standoffish, is a lot nicer to the party (read: Verrix) and humors them a little before finishing up her lunch break and heading back inside of the temple. While the party discusses strategies for trying to persuade Marlee to join them, Inigo leaves to go get flowers, returning with six huge bouquets and saying that he spent all of the rest of his money.They go inside the temple, handing Marlee to flowers, which she mistakes as a donation to the church. 

Marlee: “Nyvarstra appreciates your sacrifice, and whatever prayer you had will be addressed in like, you know, however long. Seconds, days, weeks, years. Like, whatever. (Hands the flowers to the cleric) These are like a really nice donation, I guess. The church needs some sprucing up, ya.”

Rhododendron: “Nonono, they’re for you!” 

Marlee: “Oh. For what?” 

Inigo: “You…won!” 

Rhododendron: “No!” 

Inigo: “No? You’ve lost. I’m so sorry.” 

Rhododendron: “Oh, gods no. Go back to ‘you won’.” 

Inigo: “Oh? We faked you out. You won! (Got ‘em!)”

Using Inigo’s flimsy excuse for the flowers, the party continues to try to persuade Marlee to go with them, but she’s still extremely reluctant. Marlee is very confused about whether the party wants her to join them as an editor or an adventurer, and tells Verrix that splitting his focus between two careers isn’t very fair to his children. Rhododendron tries to show off Cure Wounds to Marlee to display some of her capabilities, to which Marlee calls her ‘impulsive’ and ‘weirdly dramatic’. Marlee still expresses her displeasure about monsters and dungeons, saying that she’d rather not die or get hurt. She doesn’t trust the party to look after themselves properly, let alone her.

Marlee, looking between Verrix and Inigo: “Clearly the rations are not being split equally.” 

Rhododendron: “All of his calories just go to his enormously fat ass. Turn around, Verrix.”

Marlee, after some more hesitation, finally agrees to join the party but says she doesn’t want to be friends with any of them. She then quits her job on the spot and immediately leaves the temple. The party gathers up all of their stuff and leaves El Canje, heading towards Whitwood. Rhododendron, unsurprisingly, easily navigates the road there. They cross over the river Yulong’s Laugh a few hours outside of Whitwood, and Rhododendron tells the party not to call her by her name while in the town, putting on a disguise. Verrix and Jun are both a little miffed that Rhododendron is still very obviously hiding something from them, but neither calls her bluff on any of her badly concealed lies. They disguise her to look like Marlee, who says she’s fine with it as long as their names don’t match. Marlee names her ‘Lorka’, after the first sound that popped into her head. 

In Whitwood, Rhododendron keeps pretending like she doesn’t know where anything is despite constantly correcting the party when they look around. She runs into quite a few people she’s grown up with, but manages to stay disguised and unrecognizable from them. (She and Verrix also switch cloaks, much to Verrix’s dismay.) The party stocks up on rations and supplies for traveling in the mountains. While Verrix and Jun keep making asides to each other about how weird Rhododendron is acting, Jun says that he can’t really criticize her for going around in disguise under a different name. As she’s pointing out the different buildings, Rhododendron explains that everyone is homeschooled here with no formal education, making it the ‘longest game of telephone you’ll ever play’. After stocking up the party goes to a tavern to have one last real meal before heading into the mountains, with Rhododendron taking time in particular to endorse the ‘honey roasted pine cones’ (Marlee is more than a little alarmed at how big they are). 

Verrix: “My friends and…….Lorka would like to order.”

Waitress/Owner/Cook (Aleena): “Well, that’s a weird way to exclude someone!”

While they have dinner, Marlee expresses a displeasure for small towns and Verrix attempts to intimidate one of the townsfolk staring at them, maintaining eye contact for two straight minutes before the guy finally looks away. When Inigo keeps forgetting Rhododendron’s fake name and says it’s weird that she has one, she tells him to pick out a fake name; he chooses ‘Verrix Three’ and doesn’t understand when they ask what happened to Verrix Two.

Rhododendron: “What about you Inigo?” 

Inigo: “Hmm?” 

Rhododendron: “Thoughts?” 

Inigo: “Oh. No.”

Both Verrix and Marlee crunch on the honey covered pine cones in front of a disapproving Rhododendron. Verrix comments that the pine cones are at least a little better than giant worm legs. Rhododendron puts some of Marlee’s leftover pine cones into her bag, disgusting Verrix when she just sticks them in there, not covering them at all. The party leaves a generous trip and then departs from Whitwood - but before they go Rhododendron peaks into her parents’ house, seeing them eating a quite family dinner. She slips a note under their door, telling them that she’s left Dynafell and has gone traveling, and that she loves them. 

The group embarks down Elfslayer’s Run, and Rhododendron makes the mistake of letting Jun talk about the history of the area, which all of them tune out. Rhododendron asks Marlee where she’s from, and she tells the group that she was born in Peligro and moved around a few times in her childhood after spending a good portion of it in a quiet mountain town. Rhododendron asks Marlee why she chose to be a paladin and Marlee just says that she would rather do that than be a cleric, since they’re ‘losers’. She also mentions that she became a paladin at the same time as her sibling, who moved to Terminus last she heard.

Marlee: “Sometimes, (voice crack) we send letters? But I’m, like, really forgetful, so like I forget to send my letters all the time so the last time I got a letter from them was like………two months ago. But it’s like, whatever, you know? They can take care of themselves.”

Rhododendron asks Marlee if she heard a dragon roar prior to the appearance of the silver dragon in the skies a few weeks ago, but Marlee says that she didn’t. She does supply her sister’s name: Morgan. After Marlee doesn’t really provide any more answers, Rhododendron checks back in with Jun, who’s still in the middle of an impromptu history lesson that no one is listening to, which she tells him. Rhododendron brings up his heart again, asking why he never tried looking for it, and he tells her that he hasn’t seen the point since he doesn’t need it and ‘can’t sell it’. Jun brushes aside talking about his heart, instead launching into a very dry discussion about different applications of Evocation magic in daily life - like the exact temperature necessary to boil tea (Rhododendron does not pay attention, disgusted with the ‘boring academic talk’). They rest partway along Elfslayer’s run, taking their time since none of them are familiar with the area - Rhododendron has never been this far North and Jun took a different path out of So’Joh when he ran away.

Rhododendron: “…I miss the people in this group that were actually my friends. Not you, Jun, but oof - you’re exhausting right now. Are you having book withdrawals or something?” 

Jun: “Hmm...Actually, I think I’m excited to be here I’ve never been to this part of the country.” 

Rhododendron: “Ugh, get a hobby.”

[dvp95]

quiet on widow’s peak (2)

pairing: dan howell/phil lester, pj liguori/sophie newton/chris kendall rating: teen & up tags: paranormal investigator, youtuber phil lester, dan howell is not a youtuber, online friendship, slow burn, strangers to lovers, nonbinary character, trans character, background poly, phil does some buzzfeed unsolved shit and dan is a fan word count: 3.2k (this chapter), 6.4k (total) summary: Phil’s got a list of paranormal experiences a mile long that he likes to share with the world. Abandoned buildings, cemeteries, and ghost stories have always called his name, and a particular fan of his has a really, really good ghost story.

read this chapter on ao3 or here!

"Do you remember the Wilkins place?"

"I'm well, thanks." Martyn's voice is dry, and Phil finds himself grinning at the wall despite himself. "How are you?"

"Good," says Phil. It's mostly true, although he could do without the piles of clothes he's sorting through. He holds his phone between his shoulder and his ear as he picks up a top of Sophie's and starts a whole new pile that he's calling delicates, aka things he's absolutely going to screw up somehow. "People think the Wilkins place is haunted."

There's a beat. Presumably, Phil's brother is trying to fit the name into adolescent memories to see where it slots in. "Oh, that wreck in Rusholme? It hasn't been condemned yet?"

"Apparently it's still a hot spot for binge-drinking teenagers," Phil says.

"Well, sure. But haunted? Really?"

"That's what I said!"

Phil feels a little vindicated by the skepticism in Martyn's voice, to be honest. His friends hadn't taken his weird feeling seriously at all.

"I mean, it's a dump," says Martyn. "More likely to be haunted by a bunch of rats than anything else. Why haven't we heard this before?"

"According to my sources," Phil says, only feeling a bit ridiculous about referring to a bunch of strangers on the internet as 'sources', "the activity only recently started. Which makes me think that someone's lying, or maybe one incident kickstarted everyone else's imaginations?"

"Both could be true. Why don't you ask Ian to go check it out?"

It's not exactly a sore spot, but something inside of Phil still twinges at the question. "He's a little busy, isn't he."

"So am I," Martyn says in that same dry, familiar tone that makes Phil feel as comforted as his mum's fretting or his dad's bad jokes do. "And yet here you are, on my phone."

"You don't have a toddler," Phil points out.

"I don't? Yet here you are..."

Phil snorts a laugh and drops all of the socks he's gathered into an empty basket. It's as good a place to start as any. "Shut up, Mar. I'm at least six."

There are, literally, enough dirty socks and pants between the four of them that Phil has a whole load of just underthings. He spares a moment to be grateful to Sophie for not including her bras, because he'd have no idea where to begin with those. He sighs and picks up the basket, fitting it against his hip with one hand so he can hold his phone with the other.

"Well, I can ask around," says Martyn. "I think my friends might be past the point of sneaking into abandoned houses to party, but maybe they've heard something from their annoying little brothers."

"Ha, ha," Phil says dryly. "Think I should contact some of the people making these claims?"

"Deffo," says Martyn. "If you can record them, it'd be best."

"Yeah, that way I can use them in the video," Phil hums, setting his basket on the washer and opening every cupboard to try to find the detergent. "I mean, if they're okay with that, obviously."

"I actually meant because your bullshit detector is dysfunctional, so me or Peej will have to tell you if someone's lying."

"Wow, rude. Whose fault is that?"

"Yours," Martyn informs him dryly. "Just because I told you Santa would pull you up through the chimney doesn't mean you had to believe me."

Phil rolls his eyes, but he's grinning. Maybe it's just a big brother thing, or maybe it's their personalities, but Martyn isn't wrong - Phil has a hard time telling when someone is lying to him. Martyn was always good at lying with a straight face and seeing right through Phil's outlandish stories.

"I still blame you," says Phil.

"Alright," says Martyn. "When are you coming to visit?"

"Probably not ‘til after this one," Phil says slowly, glancing at the kitten calendar on the fridge. They'd let one of their milder housemates pick this year's after everyone got tired of looking at Chris' previous choice of nude knitted puppets.

"Yeah? You gonna head up north for this one?"

In the very last cupboard he checks, Phil finds the detergent. He wants to be annoyed about it, but the truth is that Holly's habit of switching around the kitchen when she's anxious has saved many a pack of biscuits from expiring behind some flour. Phil has never once been useful to anybody when he's having a meltdown, so.

Phil absentmindedly loads the washer while he considers Martyn's question. Maybe it would be best to check the place out for himself, see if anything's really going on. He likes being on-site best, trusts his own gut more than he trusts strangers' eyes.

The problem, of course, is that Phil's childhood home is up for sale, he has no money for a hotel, and Ian's gone and got himself a child. The last thing Phil wants to do is impose or, like, get roped into babysitting. A trip to Manchester might be out of the question for him right now.

"Maybe," Phil says, noncommittal.

Martyn sees through him in an instant, like always. "Want me to ask Mum if they've got any viewings next weekend? I'm sure you know not to trash the place."

"Have I ever once trashed the place? Don't answer that," Phil adds, remembering the shaving cream incident.

A huff comes down the line, and Phil feels the same pride at making his brother laugh as he had when he was seven and making weird noises out the car window. Yeah, he definitely needs to go to London soon, the Isle afterwards - he hasn't seen his family in way too long.

"I'll let you know what's buzzing, if anything," says Martyn. "And I'll call Mum for you and all. I know you get weird about asking them for favours."

"I get weird about asking anyone for favours," Phil says instead of a thank you, because if he gets weird about asking for help, then Martyn gets twice as weird about reacting to gratitude.

"Except me."

Phil smiles, watching the rainbow of socks and pants spin. "Yeah. Except you."

--

Laundry does end up taking Phil most of the day, but he doesn't mind much. It's the least he can do when Chris always does the first draft edit for him, PJ reminds him to take his EMF meter and his meds when he's packing for an overnight, and Sophie sends him pages upon pages of research while she's at work. He's so fond of these people, and he appreciates all they do for him, but being in debt to them - and not in sole control of his projects - makes Phil feel like he's got ants crawling up his arms.

While he waits out the machine cycles, Phil starts putting feelers out into this story. He checks the sources linked to him again and shoots off a couple of direct messages and emails to see if any of the people posting about the Wilkins place are eager to chat one on one.

He's got his laptop set up at the kitchen table and he's on his third coffee of the day when it occurs to him that he's not out of the woods of owing favours just yet. He clicks back into the Tumblr submission that started this spiral.

He decides that he needs to thank this person, at the very least, and maybe offer to buy them a coffee or something when he's in town. They did so much of Phil's grunt work that it feels weird not to pay them back somehow.

"Well, I can't exactly do your laundry," Phil murmurs to the screen. He hopes none of his other housemates are milling around to hear him.

Another click, and he's on the blog. It's minimalist and monochrome in a way that makes things easy to read, but not very interesting to look at. Phil's eyes start to glaze over as he scrolls through, because it's entertaining enough but - well. It's a typical Tumblr blog. That familiar mixture of memes and rants about social issues and some gifs from shows that Phil doesn't have time to watch. There are a lot of familiar walls of text tagged as personal posts, but Phil still can't parse them without really trying.

They do reblog Phil's video posts, though. That makes him grin.

He scrolls back up to the top of the page to shoot them a message and immediately gets distracted by the bio.

winnie. 21. any pronouns.

For someone who sent Phil a wall of text that could be mistaken for copypasta at first glance, it's surprisingly succinct. Phil takes another swig of his coffee and tries not to get caught up on the last part of it.

Any pronouns? What does that mean, any pronouns? What if Phil uses the wrong ones? He isn't exactly a queer theory student, and as much as he supports everybody under his little rainbow umbrella, he's got to admit that a lot of things still go over his head.

He dithers for so long that his laptop screen goes black, and he makes a face at himself in its reflection. Surely he's overthinking this.

Hi!, Phil types, and then accidentally hits enter. He was just trying not to send the fan a paragraph back, but, fine. Oops. So I'm looking into the things you sent me on the Wilkins place and I'm really impressed by the amount of time you put into this? Like it makes MY job a lot easier haha. Is he a triple-texter? He's a triple-texter. The first one didn't count anyway. So thanks!!!!! I'll def give you credit in the video, but is there anything else I can do to pay you back?

Not literally, he wants to add right after he's sent it. Oh, well. He can't just keep spamming this poor person's chat. He hopes it's obvious that he'd offer monetary compensation if he had it.

Phil leaves the Tumblr tab open and works on editing for a little while. It's almost frustrating how bad this video is, how little effort and energy Phil has started putting into these, and he doesn't know how to fix it short of rethinking his entire career.

He could easily keep churning these out for as long as people watch them, but. He's not having fun anymore.

The Phil on his laptop screen is asking questions, wandering around a cemetery just to see if anything will happen, and Phil can't help comparing it to things he did last year, the year before that, the year before that - it feels like his content is declining as his enthusiasm for the topic does, or maybe vice versa.

Phil zones out for so long that the dryer chime goes off from the hallway, echoing through the old, creaky house. He'd given up on sorting the loads after the fifth shirt that could belong to any of them, so he just takes his own things out and folds his housemates' clothes into one basket.

They can figure it out, he's sure. There's only two bedrooms between the three of them, so there's only two closets, and Phil has gone so long without knowing who's officially sharing that it would be awkward to ask now.

Phil swaps the load over and goes back to his laptop, even though the very last thing he wants to do is continue editing and uploading this mediocre video.

The thing is, Phil doesn't need his content to be perfect. He's happy to post things that just make him laugh or have a nicely spooky vibe or whatever, he doesn't need to solve mysteries every month or two. It's just that. He can hear how little he cares about it, lately. It won't be long before people notice, if they haven't already.

Phil sighs and exits the project. Maybe this video is best left unposted. He's not happy with it at all.

Maybe, if this Wilkins place video doesn't pan out, Phil can start redirecting his energy into a different type of creative output. He's got so many stories bouncing around in his mind, he just needs to figure out how he wants to tell them.

It sounds like his father's voice inside his head, telling him you can't chase ghosts forever. He wishes he still had the gumption to disagree with it.

His laptop makes a little noise, and Phil blinks back to reality. He has to click on a few different tabs to figure out where it came from, but then he realises that he's gotten a response on Tumblr.

Phil smiles despite himself and gets ready for another difficult-to-read message.

Sure enough: UHHHHHH hi hello what the fuck i didnt expect you to say anything this is so weird i am being so weird right now um like no problem? i was procrastinating an essay and this was more fun to research so you dont have to thank me or pay me back whatever that means like i was just fucking around its fine but thank you?????

Phil thinks about the four word Tumblr bio again and snorts. Maybe Winnie wanted to seem as cool and minimalist as their theme itself was.

Procrastination or not, I appreciate it!, Phil replies. Would it be ok if I use you as a reference?

?????????????? i mean yeah but what the fuck, he gets back almost immediately.

It's nice to see you know some punctuation! Sorry if it's weird to reach out like this, I just wanted to like acknowledge the work you put in. I don't have to mention you in the video if you'd prefer!

The sound of the front door creaking open and slamming shut interrupts Phil's nervous typing. He freezes for a moment, fingers still on the keyboard, but then PJ comes in the kitchen with a little salute and several bags of craft supplies, and Phil can breathe again.

It isn't that the other people who live in this house are bad people. Far from it. It's just that, of the people Phil has opted to share this large space with for nearly two years, only three of them have made any kind of effort to understand Phil. The others are nice enough, he supposes, but sometimes they come and go and new people replace them and - Phil isn't exactly good with change, is the thing.

So he relaxes when he can talk to PJ instead of making small talk with someone who thinks he's weird and too messy. "Hey! How's your day?"

"Better than yours," PJ laughs. He drops all the bags on the table and starts puttering around the kitchen. "Hungry?"

"Please. And it wasn't so bad, I got some work done."

"Yeah? Any new info on the new haunt?"

It's incredible how genuinely interested PJ always is in Phil's work. Phil grins down at his keyboard and shrugs a bit. "Some. Mostly just poking around right now, though. Mar's asking his friends too. Oh, and I thanked the person who sent it in."

"That's good," PJ says. He's putting the kettle on, because that's what PJ does when he comes home. "How'd they react?"

"Mostly confusion," Phil laughs. He glances at his screen to see if Winnie has responded - they haven't - and chews on his lip a little bit. "Hey, Peej? If someone says any pronouns are fine, what does that mean?"

"Generally," PJ hums, "it seems like it would mean any pronouns are fine."

"Oh, shut up." Phil runs a hand through his hair, always anxious about getting stuff like this wrong.

"I'm not joking," PJ says, although his tone is still light.

"Oh. So it just... doesn't matter?"

"Not to some people, I guess." PJ leans against the counter as he waits for the water to boil. At least he's smiling, although Phil can't help but notice that it's a little patronizing. "You do know that I'm not a gender guru, right? I'm barely a gender novice. I failed gender out the gate, buddy."

Phil knows his cheeks are pinking up a bit, but he rolls his eyes. "Shut up," he repeats. "You still know way more than me."

The shrug he gets in response makes Phil huff a laugh. This isn't something they talk about, but Phil has been present for enough of Chris and PJ's conversations that he'd gotten the idea.

He wonders if PJ cares that he's bringing it up. Is he making PJ uncomfortable? They don't talk about this.

"Stop spiralling," PJ says easily. His smile is warmer, now. "I don't hate you, nobody hates you, and the fan who doesn't care about pronouns certainly doesn't hate you. If you're that worried about upsetting them, though, you can always ask."

Maybe he's known PJ too long. He's grateful for it, still, so relieved that he doesn't have to voice the swirling anxiety of doing something wrong when he only has the best intentions.

"I guess I could do that," Phil mutters, embarrassed by how easily he's been read.

Winnie's responded by the time Phil looks back at the chat window, a lmao yeah ofc thats fine i just cant believe you want to, im not trying to b weird ive just been a fan for a really long time?? (used a comma for you too) (and brackets) (youre welcome) that makes Phil smile.

Awesome! And are the name Winnie & they/them pronouns fine to talk about you with, or do you prefer something else for this?

no yeah thats good idc how you refer to me, is Winnie's immediate response. It's stupid how much of a load feels like it's been lifted off of Phil's shoulders at that easy reassurance.

"You were right," Phil informs PJ.

PJ nods, solemn, as he stirs his noodles. "I often am."

"You're annoying, also," says Phil. "Hey. D'you wanna come up north with me?"

"Phil," says PJ dramatically, holding the wooden spoon up to his heart. "Are you asking me to run away with you?"

"No, absolutely not, stop making that joke." There's no way in hell Phil is going to keep putting up with this from both of them, and PJ is more likely to listen to him than Chris is.

PJ laughs. "Yeah, yeah. You going to see the haunt?"

"If my parents are okay with us hanging out for the weekend, yeah."

"Oh, okay," says PJ. "We're just waiting on confirmation that Kath and Nigel want to spend time with you? Might as well pack now."

"Your stuff's folded," Phil says helpfully. PJ throws a noodle in his general direction. It flops onto the floor between them, a sad, wet spiral of a thing, and Phil touches his nose at the same time PJ does.

"Well, one of us has to pick it up," PJ says in his Reasonable Adult voice, as if he hadn't thrown it in the first place.

Phil looks at his laptop, valiantly pretending not to see the floor noodle, and blinks.

and i mean i havent seen any of this shit firsthand but if you need to ask me anything about the stuff thats gone down im always free. like literally always.

[midorichan10]

KnB Stageplay Ultimate Blaze Report (5/5, 5/11, 5/19 Livestream)

Okay I know I said I’d do my report after my second viewing on the 11th but then the finale was on the 19th so I thought I’d wait til then so it’d be easier to remember everything. A 3.5 hour play is super long....

So I watched the play live on the 5th and 11th, and the finale on livestream on the 19th. This is the very last Kurosute ever...Thank you Kurosute for 4 years of wonderful casting and performances. I also want to thank Ono Kensho for once again doing an outstanding job of his role as Kuroko. 

FYI, for those who also watched the livestream or plan to purchase the delayed stream, sharing pictures/screenshots or clips in public is prohibited. As such, I will not have any pictures included in this report. Please support the franchise by purchasing the DVD or Blu-Ray.

Major spoilers ahead. Proceed if you only wish to be spoiled. Again, this was a 3.5 hour play so this is VERY, VERY, long. 

EDIT: This took me two days to type out ORZ

Before the play starts, Tsuchida’s actor has a voice over on the intercom about stageplay rules and manners. Turn off/mute your phone, no recording, etc. It’s nice that they had him still do his rules even though he wasn’t in the play. ;w; 

The play opens up with the Yosen and Seirin scoreboard and Haizaki walking in the audience

Haizaki goes up to a random girl in the audience and flirts with her asking for her phone number.

On the show on the 5th the girl just tried to ignore him lmao

Kagami walks on stage and sees him and calls him out. Haizaki then confronts him saying he beat Mukkun and taunts him until a ball is thrown from the side at him. Kise comes on stage and the whole Haizaki and Kise bickering proceeds. 

Haizaki gets REALLY close to Kise like literally breathing down the neck kind of close. How Mario didn’t flinch is beyond me. 

Kagami learns that Kise has never beaten Haizaki, and eventually Haizaki leaves. Kise tells Kagami to leave Haizaki up to him.

Kise leaves and Kuroko comes on, using misdirection on Kagami. Kagami asks Kuroko who Haizaki is and that he’s met him. Kuroko explains he’s a former teammate but that he was still a regular so regardless he’s a strong player. Hyuuga and Seirin come telling them off and says they’re going to watch the first quarterfinal match of Kaijou vs Fukuda Sougo.

The opening song for this play’s dance is “Memories.” Personally this is my favorite one so far. I think I have the team order for this correctly...

Opens up with Seirin then switches to Kaijou proceeded by Shuutoku. Then there’s a Kaijou Shuutoku and Haizaki segment.

I just want to say how good Haizaki’s actor is and how his moves were so appropriate as Haizaki....wow

Seirin comes back on for a bit then exits with Aomine and Momoi taking over. 

Oh, for the 5th I had Airi (new Momoi) and 11th and 19th were Arisa (original Momoi)

Mukkun does his own dancing segment between Aomine and Momoi

for the 19th finale he danced with a lollipop in his mouth. Isnt’ that dangerous? Lol

Akashi comes out with his jacket on his shoulders to the front of the stage, Then quickly takes it off and runs back. Rakuzan then dances in the front (without Akashi) and Seirin joins back on. 

For the instrumental intermission, Kuroko goes to the center and each of the GoM come out and then surround him and do a short dance ending with a dance motion of their signature move/pose. 

GoM exit and Kuroko watches Akashi run off  (who went directly back) with a pained face, and Ogiwara runs out all smiley (seriously protect this boy he’s so pure) . Ogiwara runs off to the side and Kuroko chases after him. As Kuroko still looks pained, Kagami comes out on the other side and the two walk towards the center and meet in a fist bump. 

The last chorus everyone (except Ogiwara) comes out. (Yes, including Mayuzumi). The song ends with each team forming a group pose (Except Rakuzan, Mayuzumi runs off before they form a pose)

All the other teams run off leaving Seirin left, and the senpais then exit leaving only Kuroko and Kagami to do one last running motion as the display title falls on the back. The two of them fist bump again as the title falls. 

The play resumes with the match against Kaijou and Fukuda already starting. There are two other members on Fukuda besides Haizaki (apparently they are Ogiwara and Mayuzumi’s actors in black wigs hahahaha)

As always, the match more or less follows the manga/anime so I’ll leave out most of the story details. Most of it is gameplay anyway.

In this play, they’ve really incorporated more ball handling, aka using the real ball. 

Seirin is watching in the back. At some point Aomine and Momoi join in to watch. (I can’t remember if Mukkun joins in to watch here or later...I’m almost certain he joins later)

After the match with Kaijou’s victory, Kise limps off with his injured leg. Then Haizaki walks back on stage, looking for Kise. Aomine sees him and tells him Kise hasn’t come out yet from the stadium. The two have their argument and Haizaki tries to punch Aomine but Aomine beats him too it. Aomine always says some sort of variation of “Oops..I did it....Eh, he’ll be fine”

Scene changes to Kagami calling someone, which is revealed to be Kuroko, saying his shoes broke. Kuroko replies how his feet are unnecessarily big (Kagami: OI!!). Kuroko says he’ll have to call ‘that person.’

‘That person’ is revealed to be Momoi as she runs up and gives Kuroko a tight hug. She tells Kagami that Aomine will give him one of his many shoes and that Kagami’s the type that wears by model rather than care for color.

As Aomine and Kagami are playing basketball in the back (Aomine lecturing him) , Momoi tells Kuroko about Aomine punching Haizaki.

Aomine finishes the quick game and convinces Kagami to accept the shoes.

The scene ends with Kagami and Aomine stupidly arguing and Momoi and Kuroko are literally dragging them off the stage. 

For the May 5th show, they just literally drag them off

For the  May 11th and 19th, Kuroko jabs Kagami in the stomach and pushes him off as Momoi pulls Aomine off.

Midorima walks on stage prepared for the semifinals.

His lucky item is a giant shogi piece

The rest of Shuutoku join him and the senpai question why the shogi piece is so big. Miyaji asks Midorima what rank is Cancer that day and he says 2nd and he gets mad. Takao says Midorima is never wrong with Oha Asa but Miyaji asks  for a pineapple from Kimura (off stage) anyway. 

Shuutoku is introduced as the first team of the semifinals with Rakuzan following (except Mayuzumi). 

Seirin is in the back again and Hyuuga explains how the other Uncrowned Kings are in Rakuzan with Akashi.

The Shuutoku supporters are ‘jacket mob’ actors which are Haizaki and Kaijou

Haizaki’s actor kept dancing around with Mario.....

Ogiwara’s actor is the referee for this match.

Again , more gameplay here. For the actual story read the manga or watch the anime. 

For the May 11th show, there were a lot of ball handling errors here. 

Otsubo was supposed to pass a ball to Midorima but Nebuya accidentally caught it instead, so he quickly passed it back to Otsubo who passed it to Midorima again.

Midorima ‘shot’ the ball but the ball bounced against a railing and into the audience. It was during the part where he and Takao do the miracle shot. In the script, the senpais pat and hug Midorima and Takao for pulling off the play anyway but for this show they gave Midorima extra hugs and paps for the mistake. How sweet. 

One of Reo’s shots also bounced against a railing but it was towards the back so the ball just rolled behind the front fence

Akashi uses a real ball for his Ankle Break. He dribbles the ball around his legs and finishes with the ball going between his legs and catches it. I’ve never seen him mess up nor seen any reports of him doing so.

Mukkun joins Aomine and Momoi in watching the match. 

During Hayama’s speed dribble, everyone who is watching ‘shakes’ to the vibration. I don’t know whose idea it was but Mukkun excessively shakes to the point he looks like he’s being electrocuted or something haha. Oh yeah, he’s eating Pocky in this match, real Pocky. 

Mayuzumi was out most of the match but occasionally you see him run past between the main fence as he ‘passes’ the ball to Akashi.

When Shuutoku loses, Takao and Midorima are crying real tears. For the finale, everyone was crying...

The scene immediately changes to playing Punky Funky Love and Kaijo senpais practicing. Talk about a mood change. I was still crying over Midorima crying....

It’s a flashback of when Kise joins Kaijou and Kasamatsu explaining how the senpai have worked longer than him. 

Just as Kise leaves, Kuroko and Kagami join the stage and they make eye contact with each other.

Of course as usual, before a break there is the Kagami vs Kuroko janken game. Usually involving Kuroko asking for a longer break and him mostly losing. For this break, it was 10 minutes. 

May 5th janken- Kuroko tells Kagami that ten minutes is fine, much to Kagami’s surprise. Instead, Kuroko wagers that if he wins, Kagami must treat him to this fancy eel later. Kuroko wins and Onoken posts on Twitter that Yuya did indeed buy him the eel lmao

May 11th janken-Kuroko again tells Kagami that a ten minute break is fine. This time if he wins, he’ll switch to speaking ‘tameguchi’ which is using the casual form of Japanese (like basically everyone else, aka not using ‘desu/masu’). He actually switches to ‘tameguchi’ as he’s talking to Kagami, and Kagami’s trying his best not to laugh. At some point he says it’s annoying haha. Kagami wins so Kuroko’s like ‘well I guess I’m not speaking in ‘tameguchi’

May 19th- it’s their last time to do janken so Kuroko suggests that this time they just play janken for the heck of it. Kagami’s surprised but goes with it. Kuroko wins to his delight, but Kagami being stubborn begs for one more chance. Kuroko allows it, and they have one more match. Kagami wins and Kuroko kneels in defeat. 

Other adlibs I’ve heard were Kuroko asking Kagami to buy him boba tea, and the usual longer breaks like 3 hours. 

The second chapter opens with one of the ‘jacket mob people’ making sure the audience’s phones are off. The rest of the jacket mobs come out holding various items, such as a camera, cheering horns, towels, and one member has a corndog.......

These are the Shuutoku+Haizaki and Rakuzan actors. 

Akashi was the smallest one with the camera on the Rakuzan side. Also he just had Yohchans body structure anyway I mean-no

The corndog guy was on the Shuutoku+Haizaki side, I’m not sure which it was since it was harder to tell who was who (except Takao)

Seirin and Kaijou are introduced and the second semifinal match begins

May 11-Another mistake in this match. Kise jumps to knock a ball out of someone’s hand from Seirin, but the ball hits a railing and bounces back onto the court so Hayakawa quickly picks it up and throws it off stage

May 11- Kise shoots the ball but either doesn’t put enough power into it or shoots in the wrong curtain so the ball ended up going to Kiyoshi who was just coming out from the side. 

The jacket mob members act as the ‘fans’ in the stands. Both support Kaijou at first then Rakuzan cheers for Seirin and Shuutoku+Haizaki for Kise.

For Kagami’s line “This is our drama!” Hyuuga and Kuroko had the most outstanding ‘wtf’ faces

When Kagami said it, he puts his hand and fists together. So Izuki repeats him and continuously punches his hand like a bodybuilder. 

Hyuuga taunts Kiyoshi with the “Iron Heart” nickname. For the finale he gets everyone in the audience to chant “Iron Heart” with him and Kiyoshi gets mad, “EVEN IF ITS YOU OR THE AUDIENCE I’LL GET MAD AT YOU GUYS!”

When Kaijou loses, Kise cries real tears, every time when he says he wanted to win with everyone. 

For the finale, the other members of Kaijou are seen crying too when they lose...

After Kaijou walks off stage with Kise crying, Seirin comment how they made it to the finals and look at the scoreboard which has now changed to Seirin vs Rakuzan.

Kagami walks on stage noticing his necklace is missing. He starts to look for it and Midorima walks on with his giant shogi piece with the necklace. After he gives it back to Kagami, Kuroko walks on with Takao following. 

As Kuroko and Takao are talking, Kagami and Midorima are talking (whispering) to each other. Usually it’s about Kagami pointing out Midorima’s shogi piece and for the May 5th show he even tried to take it much to Midorima’s displeasure. 

Midorima tells Takao they’re leaving before telling Kagami there’s two Akashi and tells him to ask Kuroko about it. 

Here some really dark music plays and I wish they had a soundtrack for this play.....because wow I got chills

Kuroko tells Kagami that he’ll explain what Midorima meant by the ‘two Akashi’s’ by telling everyone about ‘our past’ 

At this moment, the instrumental for the Teiko ending song, Ambivalence, plays and Ogiwara runs out (Kagami exits and Kuroko moves so he’s behind Ogiwara who’s facing us). Ogiwara then says “Are you alone? I’m Ogiwara Shigehiro! Let’s play basketball together!” and the stage fades into darkness. This marks the end of chapter 2 and a 15 minute break before the last chapter of the play. During the break the instrumental for Ambivalence is still playing so we’re all just preparing ourselves for the feels.

*Note: The Teiko arc is briefly covered in the play, but the actual arc itself is  covered in the Teiko Reading screening which was available to stream online and in select theaters before the play, including scenes with Nijimura and Coach Sanada. The Teiko Reading only goes up to right before the match between Teiko and Meiko. The play covers highlights of the Teiko arc and the Teiko vs Meiko match.  For those who were unable to watch the Teiko Reading, it’ll be included in the Ultimate Blaze DVD/Blu-Ray.

The third chapter opens up with Ogiwara and Kuroko playing basketball together and Ogiwara confessing that he’ll be moving. The two promise to play against each other in junior high school.

Kuroko explains how by second year, he had moved up to the regulars and he and Ogiwara keep in contact with each other.

Each of the GoM come out in their Teiko practice shirts (and colorful shorts....)

Mukkun had red shorts and Kise had neon green.......

For every other GoM member, they had a dramatic DON! when they appeared. For Kise, he had a super *SPARKLE” effect as he did a double peace sign and smiled.  Kuroko comes out last and his is his ‘misdirection’ sound effect that is often used in the play for him. 

Oh yeah, Momoi is here too as she watches over them/Aomine. 

The Teiko members do some practicing.

Akashi (who is receiving the passes from someone off stage) passes the ball to the rest of the members on stage. 

The scene shows how Kuroko and Aomine work well together.

The scene changes and Kuroko narrates how Aomine has started missing practice. They discuss that maybe he had a valid reason and then the stage darkens to just Kuroko who confirms that the reason for Aomine’s absence was that he was ditching. He calls Ogiwara for advice, who said that Aomine is different from Haizaki in which he actually enjoys basketball and the problem is because he likes basketball. He tells Kuroko that since Aomine helped him, Kuroko needs to be there for Aomine. 

Aomine comes on in his Teiko jersey, having regained his happiness with Momoi watching. However the other players give up and he in turn gives up playing his hardest. (there’s no players on the stage but  you have the image based on the sound effects). Kuroko walks on smiling for a fistbump but Aomine walks away saying his “The only one who can beat me is me’ line. 

Kuroko gets a call from Ogiwara later saying that he lost in the first round, and that their promise will have to wait til next year. 

For the finale, Ogiwara was almost crying, or he was crying....save this boy please. 

Kuroko and Momoi talk about Aomine, making no progress. And Momoi asks him if they’ll always be together, in which Kuroko is hesitant to answer.

Slowly, the other GOM members (minus Akashi) slowly realize their abilities. 

Mukkun with his ability to block, Midorima with his ability to shoot.

Kuroko then finds Aomine by the river, and the whole “I don’t remember how to receive your passes” scene plays out. 

Aomine’s face looks so pained here /cries.

Back at the gym, the rest of the GOM are wondering about Coach Sanada’s approval of Aomine ditching practice, and Mukkun wants to ditch too. Akashi tells him that’s not allowed and the Mukkun vs. Akashi match starts with Bokushi awakening.

Akashi’s acting was so good, the contrast between Ore and Boku. And the music for Bokushi’s appearance was spine-chilling....I want the soundtrack for this please....

They use a mix of actual ball-handling and using an ‘air’ ball. Even without the ball you can tell Akashi’s actor is really good at basketball.

Akashi declares as long as they win, no one needs to show up for practice, much to Midorima’s shock.

Kuroko returns and asks Akashi who he is, and Akashi responds, “Of course, I’m Akashi Seijuurou.”

Months pass and the GOM are unbeatable and getting bored in matches, so Kise suggests making it a competition of who can score the most, with even Akashi joining in. 

Ogiwara happily tells Kuroko they made it to the finals, but Kuroko is unhappy with the current atmosphere of the club. He asks Akashi to let him start out in the semi-finals, which Akashi permits. 

Ogiwara is impressed with how much Kuroko has improved.

Kuroko gets hit in the head by the other team and is taken to the nurse.

Ogiwara talks with Akashi about Kuroko, and asks Akashi if basketball is fun. Akashi responds he doesn’t understand such a question.

Kuroko asks to play but Akashi tells him no under doctor’s orders, and tells him Ogiwara’s message about playing each other agian someday. Kuroko asks Akashi to not hold back against Meiko.

Despite losing 111-109, Ogiwara is fighting back against Teiko, telling his teammates to score one basket and losing proudly.

Ogiwara shoots and misses, and Aomine complains how they gave him the chance and tells Mukkun to shoot it.

Ogiwara, on the ground, looks at them in confusion to why they would score on their own basket. 

Kise happily announces how they reached their goal and that they’re all matching, and points to the scoreboard to reveal the score of 111-11.

Kuroko comes out to see a heartbroken Ogiwara, who looks at him before leaving the stage. 

Kuroko talks how painful it is, and what is victory. Onoken’s acting here was emotional, as expected from already portraying Kuroko in the anime. 

The GOM come out and line up behind Kuroko similar to the panel in the manga. 

Kuroko announces his resignation. 

Kuroko narrates how Ogiwara has transferred, and Ogiwara comes out on stage saying how the GOM had such cold eyes, but Kuroko can melt that coldness. 

Kagami then comes out, and scolds Kuroko along with the rest of Seirin. 

Hyuuga gets mad at both of them and sends Izuki and Koganei to drag Kuroko off and give him a tickle attack. Riko follows.

Kiyoshi and Hyuuga comment how it was a sad story and that Kuroko never talks about himself like that, so now they must win.

The next day is the Kaijou vs Shuutoku match for third place and the finals.

Mukkun meets up with Aomine and Momoi, who talk about who would win. They say third place is decided but the finals could be anyone.

Kise is on the bench due to his injury, and Shuutoku easily wins the third place match.

Midorima tells Kise their match is ‘postponed’ for now.

Kise gets annoyed saying, “WELL OF COURSE. IF I WAS IN THERE I’D WIN”

Kise and Midorima continue to bicker.

Kasamatsu and Otsubo just look at each other and let their kouhais fight it out.

Towards the second half of the runs, when Midorima points his finger at Kise, Kise actually bites his finger. No, I mean it. He actually bites it. Midorima gets grossed out by it.

Midorima: EW SO GROSS NANODAYO Kise: I’M NOT GROSS. I’M PRETTY. 

^yes, those were actual lines.

Now it’s time for Seirin vs Rakuzan. 

Haizaki’s actor is the referee.

For the tip-off, Nebuya gets upset that Kiyoshi isn’t the one jumping.

Seirin declares Mayuzumi not a threat since there’s little information on him, so Aomine asks Momoi about it. This is an adlib scene and varies per show.

May 5- Aomine asks Momoi to get ‘that’ (her notebook) from her bag. Instead she pulls out one of his gravure photobooks. She proceeds to put it back but Aomine hastily takes it away. Momoi asks Mukkun if it’s in his potato chip bag. He looks in it and pulls out..................a chip. Turns out the notebook was in her bag after all, much to Aomine’s annoyance.

May 11- Instead of her notebook, Momoi kept pulling out Mukkun’s empty potato chip bags. Aomine gets mad, but Mukkun only responds, “They were yummy~.” The notebook again was in her bag after all. 

May 19- similar to the May 5 adlib. 

When Hayama does his dribbling, Mukkun agains shakes vigorously on the side. This time, since he has chips, he sometimes dropped them on stage. So afterwards, you would see him picking them off the ground.

Both Reo and Mayu admit how loudly annoying Hayama is (they were running across stage too )

When Nebuya gets upset that Kiyoshi doesn’t remember what he told him 2 years ago, he literally throws a tantrum on the ground. 

Everyone in both Rakuzan and Seirn:.............

When Akashi goes into the Zone, he actually dribbles around everyone with the ball across the stage. Talk about coordination! 

Akashi’s shocked face as he’s starting to lose was perfect too. Sorry I have a lot of Akashi notes....

As he’s starting to lose, Akashi starts switching between Oreshi and Bokushi. Oreshi’s voice has like an echo/autotune effect but it’s not a recording or anything. 

Thus, the monologue between Oreshi and Bokushi was amazing. The actor constantly switches between both sides very smoothly. Give this guy an Oscar please.

When Oreshi talks about his mother, a ball falls from the sky and he hugs the ball close to him as he mentions it’s what he has left of her.

You can actually visually see the difference between Oreshi and Bokushi in face expression. 

As Seirin admits defeat, they’re all collapsed on the ground, even Riko, until Ogiwara comes out and cheers for them. 

Aomine shouts out from the side of the stage. In the finale he was even crying. 

Kaijou and Shuutoku go in the audience and cheer for Seirin from there. 

For the May 11th show I had Kaijou right behind me. Literally -screams

Aomine was crying real tears when he says “So it was you all along, Tetsu...” 

For the finale was sobbing more

For the final shot, the stage goes all dark as Kuroko says “I’m a shadow.” Then Kagami comes out from behind and makes the final dunk. 

Lantana then begins to play as Kagami declares Seirin the winners of Winter Cup.

In the final performance, Akashi cried as he admits his loss and even when he shook hands with Kuroko. 

After Kuroko shakes hands with Akashi, and says that they can play basketball at anytime, Seirin and Rakuzan make a quick bow and run off stage. 

Final Scenes

The remaining GOM come out in their uniforms, each with a basketball, and happily dribbling around the stage. 

Kise sees Haizaki walking out with his shoes, about to throw them away, but Haizaki hesitates and instead hugs them close to him. He sees Kise was watching him and Kise smiles knowing Haizaki didnt’ really hate basketball after all. 

The different teams come out taking a stand in front of the stage and then having a fun match against each other. 

Kaijou vs Shuutoku

Seirin vs Rakuzan

The players even go up against other players that we didn’t see during the matches. Everything was so emotional and happy. 

The last scene ends with Kuroko and Kagami fistbumping each other and Kagami poses as he’s about to dunk and Kuroko kneels below him fistbumping towards us as all the other players are reaching out towards Kagami.

Curtain Calls

May 5th Aichi Finale - Akashi and Reo

Reo mentions how in high school he was the only one in his group who didn’t read KnB. And now he’s IN KnB. 

May 11-Kiyoshi and Koganei

They got Hyuuga to go to the center and do a big “KUROSUTE FIGHT O” cheer with the cast and audience.

May 19th-Kuroko and Kagami

This one was really emotional as it was the final performance ever. Yuya starts crying over his talk over Kagami, and he even deeply bows to Onoken to thank him. 

Onoken didn’t cry but he was on the verge of doing so, his voice was shaking. 

I lost count of how many curtain calls there were for the finale, but there was a lot.

Highlights

Every show Rakuzan would high-five Akashi as they left the stage

For the finale Mayuzumi even hugged Akashi, and then for another curtain call afterwards all of Rakuzan group-hugged Akashi

Kuroko and Kagami asked if the director was around, apparently he wasn’t so they asked someone to say “Thank you” in his place instead. The cast chose Akashi to say it. 

Momoi ran up to Aomine and Kise and walked off together.

On one of the last curtain calls, Aomine and Kise decided to have OnoKen thrown up in the air and got everyone to join in. 

Every curtain call ends with Kagami and Kuroko fistbumping each other and leaving. For the very last curtain call, it was all of Seirin together. 

Kiyoshi lifts Riko up in the air for a few seconds to celebrate. 

And thus concludes my last Kurosute report....please consider buying the DVD or Blu-Ray when it comes out, you won’t regret it. 

Once again, thank you for four years Kurosute. Thank you cast members for doing a wonderful job portraying our beloved characters. Thank you Fujimaki-sensei for creating such a beloved series.