#I tried doing that without a translater so hopefully that means what I think it does

[cuubism]

Bookstore cryptid Dream part THREE:

--

Hob squints at his phone, wondering how he possibly managed to set his phone language to-- is that Thai? What? Granted, he'd once set it to Japanese in an extremely ill-fated attempt to learn a new language, only to realize his error the first time he tried to drive somewhere and lost all sense of the nav. And then took three hours trying to figure out how to reset the language. Never again.

So how the fuck did he get it set on another language he can't even transcribe into Google translate to get to Settings?

He sighs, shoving the thing back in his pocket and resigning himself to a phone-less day. Sad, to be thinking of it like that. Once upon a time he could live without a constant internet connection, but no longer, apparently.

Then he gets down to the cafe, and the handwritten menu has been pencilled so badly it's illegible. What are they teaching kids these days if not decent penmanship? He'd have sworn the uni kids he'd hired to man the cafe when he's not there could read.

But he's supposed to open in about five minutes, so he leaves it for now.

The rest of the morning goes reasonably smoothly. Hob makes coffee and sandwiches while one of the hopefully-literate uni kids handles the orders--he finds the repetitive process of espresso-making soothing.

Then Dream comes in, and Hob takes over. It's his cafe, and he'll take the orders from his pretty goth "librarian", thanks.

"Dream," he greets, before Dream can say 'Hob Gadling' in his posh, solemn voice. "You going to let me make you something? Or just delivering another book? Because I'll be honest, I'm not sure I'm ready for another revelatory story from my past yet."

"I will accept coffee, thank you," says Dream, inclining his head. Hob punches it into the machine--he's already decided he's not charging Dream for anything, Dream keeps giving him free books after all--but he's got to keep inventory.

Or he tries to punch it in. The screen is all glitchy and scrambled, the words unintelligible, and he sighs in frustration. Damn thing.

Hob gives up, makes Dream coffee, and when he returns Dream does, of course, have a book for him.

"Simply a recommendation," he says, when Hob looks at it with some trepidation. "I think you might enjoy it."

Hob exchanges the coffee for the book. Looks at the cover. And squints in confusion. "Dream, I'm sorry to tell you this, but I can't read Arabic." Or whatever language. He's pretty sure it's Arabic, but he's not an expert.

Dream, for once, looks flummoxed. "This is an English copy," he says.

Hob opens the cover, wondering if maybe it's a translation inside--but nope, still Arabic. "I'm pretty sure I know English, Dream."

Dream takes the book back. Turns it over. Flips through the pages. Holds it by the spine and shakes it out. Looks at the cover again, then at Hob. "This is English," he says.

What this is is the dumbest conversation Hob's ever had. "Dream. Come on."

"Does it not look like that to you?" Dream asks. When Hob shakes his head, Dream sets his coffee and the book down on the counter and takes Hob's hand, dragging him out into the cafe proper. Hob, stunned, just follows him.

Dream pushes him down into a seat. "Read this," he says, and somehow procures another book, smaller this time, from absolutely nowhere.

Hob looks at it. "This is in French." He does know some French, but not whatever niche topic this is about.

Dream makes a frustrated sound. "Spell it out."

And Hob... tries. But every time he latches on a word, the letters.... change. Somehow.

"What," he says, though it's more of a squeak. "I swear to god I can read."

Dream takes the book back. "It's as I feared." Then, instead of explaining whatever the fuck he means, he asks, "Where do you live?"

"Um." Hob tries not to imagine Dream in his living space. "Upstairs?"

"Come, then." And Dream stands and drags Hob after him to the stairs in the back hall, as if he's the one who lives here and not Hob. He's very determined, and still hasn't explained a bloody thing.

Once Hob's let them in the flat above the cafe, Dream goes straight for the bookcase. It's still a bit of a mess--Hob hasn't entirely moved in--but Dream starts scanning the heaps of books anyway, running his fingers along the spines, flipping them over, restacking them in complicated piles. Hob just watches nervously.

Finally, Dream whirls around, a thin black paperback volume clasped in his hands. "I thought so," he hisses at the book. And then to Hob: "Did you get this recently?"

"Um." Hob thinks back. It's not one from Dream's shop, he still only has the two. "Yeah? Think so. Someone left it downstairs." The cafe has a shelf of borrowable books that people can take as long as they leave one in return.

Dream actually growls at the book. Hob's not sure why. It's just a book of poetry.

"Will you tell me what's going on now?"

"The book I gave you is not in Arabic, Hob Gadling," Dream says. "Nor French. You have been cursed."

Hob has... a lot of scrambly thoughts about that sentence. But the first that comes out is, "By a book?"

Dream nods. "It was planted in your possession by whoever left it downstairs."

"Why? Wait, what does it even do? Make things look like different languages?" Hob really hadn't thought opening a cafe was going to get him put on a magical hit list. Jesus Christ.

"It makes the written word unintelligible to you," says Dream. "Whether via a language you don't speak, or via simple recombination." Hob remembers-- of course. The phone. The menu board. "More a nuisance than a true threat to your person. It was meant to send a message."

Hob sits down heavily on the sofa. Cursed? Seriously? "What the hell kind of message, Dream? If you hadn't noticed, I'm running a cafe, not courting the occult."

Although. Maybe he'd like to be courting the occult. If that occult is Dream.

"A message to me," says Dream grimly. "I have enemies."

Hob can't help himself, he bursts out laughing. "You own a bookstore, how do you have enemies?"

"It's a dangerous occupation," Dream says darkly. He sits next to Hob. "I... am sorry. That you were drawn into it. A penalty of being associated with me."

He sounds sad now, not so much about the "enemies", but at the thought that his company might have brought Hob to harm. Hob lays his hand over Dream's where it rests on his knee. "Hey, it's not your fault. And you know, there's still audiobooks."

Dream chuckles. "I can undo the curse," he says. Which is relieving. "And I will destroy this." He sets the poetry book on the coffee table with a look of menace.

"You know, I haven't even read it?" Hob says. "Just the first few pages."

"It is very good," Dream says, to his surprise. "Hence its danger." Then he turns Hob's face towards him with a hand on his chin. Hob goes totally still in surprise. With his other hand, Dream taps his forehead, and a static shock jumps through Hob's body. "There."

A cloud Hob hadn't realized was covering his mind dissipates. "That easy?"

"For me." Dream stands again, swiping up the poetry book. He looks like he's about to leave, and Hob is almost reeling too much to stop him, but he manages to snag Dream's sleeve. "Wait, won't you stay and finish your coffee? And I want to hear about the book that's not actually in Arabic."

Dream gives him a tiny smile. "Very well. For a little while." He tucks the poetry book into the depths of his coat, and Hob doesn't see it again.

Hob shepherds him back downstairs, makes him more coffee as the other's gone cold, and hears all about The Golden Tree, a novel about a modern-day quest inspired by the Holy Grail. And nothing more about curses, though he is rather interested in that, too.

And in Dream. And his strange magic. And his serendipities.

But he figures he'll have time to learn more about that.

Especially if he's intent on courting the occult.

[lvcky-g1rl-syndr0me]

⋆୨♡୧⋆bitchless era ending soon⋆୨♡୧⋆

walking into the meeting room y/n couldn’t help but internally scream. what the hell was he doing here? why didn’t her manager tell her about this? especially since she was just in practice and didn’t have time to dress up and hopefully look not a hot mess. her mouth dropped open in shock, resisting the urge to yell “what the fuck” in front of everyone. after a moment of awkward silence her manager spoke up. “y/n meet riki, riki meet y/n. you guys will be working together from now on. we set up this time for you to meet and talk and get to know each other.” she gestured to riki’s manager, “we’ll be going so you two can talk freely. have fun!” the two left and left riki and y/n alone. while y/n was having her internal panic, little did she know, so was he. the moment he saw her he knew he was fucked. after heeseung gave him no help, he had no idea what to say to her. “soo…” he said “your debut was really good!”. y/n didn’t know what to do. her celebrity crush of 3 years, just complimented her music. all that she could muster was “uh- thanks you too”. thanks you too???? why the hell would she say that? he laughs slightly, not being able to help but think about how cute she was. “um are you excited to start mcing?” she asks, nervousness clear in her voice. he smiled, “yeah i am, what about you?” she tried her absolute hardest to not say something stupid again and said “yeah! just a little nervous though. i’ve never done anything like this before.” riki saw his opportunity, he knew he had to take it. even though he had absolutely no idea what he was doing. “we should hang out sometime. i’ve done it a couple times before, i could give you some tips to make it easier!” no. fucking. way. too many thoughts were running through y/ns head. did nishimura riki really just ask her to hang out? there’s no way this is real. never did she think that this would happen “uhhhh- yeah! yeah sure that would be fun!” whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck “okay nice! how about tomorrow?” whatshappeningwhatshappeningwhatshappening “yeah sure. that sounds perfect” holy. shit. cha y/n is hanging out with nishimura riki. “okay, ill see you then” riki had never been more nervous in his whole life. he couldn’t wait to shove this in all of his members faces. “im sure you have to get back to practice, right?” there was no shock as to why he knew that, she looked like a sweaty mess. “yeah, actually. i do. so i’ll see you then!” she overthought her every word, and move. how could she not when she’s around him. to her, he was perfect. “see you around!” riki left the room and practically ran back to his dorm. that couldn’t have gone better. y/n however, was freaking the ever living hell out. “did nishimura riki just ask me out? no that’s not possible we just met eachother! it’s friendly! that’s all!” after what felt like hours of contemplating she decided to go back to the dorm, tweet about it, and tell taesan and jaehyun. i mean, how was she supposed to go back to practice after something like this?

masterlist | next | previous

luckys note!: i’m sorry this took so long guys!! schools getting crazy since it’s almost the end of the year. but i hope you enjoyed the first written chapter! this is my first time like, actually writing so i hope it turned out good!

© lvcky-g1rl-syndr0me, 2024. do not copy, translate or upload any of my works without my permission.

(📌) PERM TAGLIST IS OPEN!

(🩷) MIDNIGHT FICTION TAGLIST! @nctislifue @akuspic @pkjay @siya-bean @eun-chaez @wavetosunoo @gweoriz @luminouskalopsia @soobiary @ivyannemarie @rikikiynikilcykiki @emma2black @enh4ht @wooziswife @jjunie-0 @yumilovesloona @wth121 @riksaes @isaxshin @allforhee @rikisgeef @chxrlvspp @sunghoonsarmpit @autumn583 @tzuyusluv

(dm me/comment under the midnight fiction masterlist to be added!)

[prettytoxicrevolver]

Jealous of Joe | Juraj Slafkovský

wc. 1.9k

Juraj's jealous when he sees you with another certain athlete

(sorry for the bad google translate throughout)

You jog down the steps of Nationwide Arena until you're face to face with a wall of glass blocking you from the players on the ice. Your eyes roam the red and white jerseys, finding purchase when they land on the familiar number 20. You look over his figure, studying the way he skates down the ice with ease. He looks like he’s floating, stick down, looking for the puck, focused, perfect. 

You and Juraj Slafkovský have been friends since the minute he was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens. As one of many social media managers, you became best friends with the whole team, finding safe spaces in Cole, Nick, Kirby, Kaiden, Monty, and most importantly, Juraj. 

The first thing you ever bonded over was your mutual knowledge of the Finnish language. The two of you could converse for hours in Finnish and not even realize until another one of the boys finally gains the courage to ask about what you two have been saying. They even tried to use it to their advantage, asking if you understood what he would say in Slovak but you were no use in that department. 

You try to snap yourself out of the trance you were in, looking around the rink to see what kind of media you could create before the game. You’re in the middle of thinking up a new question or tiktok challenge when you feel a presence next to you. 

“They look good,” the stranger says from next to you and you don’t look over as you respond, somewhat hoping the person leaves. 

“Hopefully they keep it up during the game tonight,” you respond, knowing the Hab's tendency for third period strikeouts. 

“You think Caufield will score?” the boy next to you asks and you shrug. 

“It’ll make my job easier if he does,” you joke and the laugh that sounds from next to you is so melodic it has curiosity leading you to turn your head. 

To say you’re shocked by the man standing next to you is an understatement. After working in this league it takes a lot for you to get star struck by an athlete but you’re speechless, jaw dropped open looking at Joe Burrow standing next to you. 

“Holy shit,” you blurt out and the older boy turns to look at you, a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

“I’m Joe,” he says, holding a hand out for you to shake and you can’t help the shiver that runs down your back when his hand slides perfectly into yours. 

“(y/n),” you say, still not quite sure that you’re not totally dreaming. “No offense, but what are you doing here?” 

His laugh has you smiling right along with him and you find yourself wanting to hear more of it. 

“I’ve been meaning to come out and see a game for a while, meet the players and so on. I figured since I’m injured,” he takes the moment to lift up a carefully wrapped wrist in front of your eyes. “I would come and check it out.” 

“Well if you’re expecting your fellow Ohioans to win, I apologize in advance,” you say and Joe throws his head back in laughter.

“Oh really?” 

The two of you continue talking, trading jokes and reveling in each other's laughter. You were beyond enjoying the conversation with Joe and you almost forgot about the ongoing practice and job you should be doing. 

Juraj certainly didn’t forget. During practice, a game, in the arena, out of the arena, no matter what Juraj always has an eye on you. The minute you stepped up to the glass during his practice his eye was on you, watching what you were doing, but more importantly, who you ended up talking to. Juraj’s furious and jealous gaze roams your figure, hating the way your head is thrown back in laughter, pink rising to your cheeks at his words, the slight, shy movements he knew all too well. 

At some point his brain must have shut off because suddenly his body is barreling down the ice without a second thought. You’re mid sentence to Joe when a loud bang sounds in front of you and you both jump back in fear. You look up to see Juraj standing there, a sheepish smile on his lips but something different in his eyes. You shoot him a look that conveys the sentence “are you serious right now???” and Juraj waves awkwardly before backing off and skating away. 

“Your boyfriend?” Joe asks and you jump at his voice, forgetting he was there for a moment. 

“No, no,” you say, glancing at him before reverting back to following Juraj’s movements. “Just friends.” 

“So, you wouldn’t mind if I asked you out then?” Joe asks and your body fully turns towards him at the question. 

“I can pick you up before the game tonight? I have an empty seat next to me,” he offers and you grin. 

“I’d love to.” 

Juraj spends the rest of practice pissed and all the boys can tell. They’re even playing a game, seeing who can mess with him the most before he truly snaps. 

Nick takes pity on him, the captain skating over to the young player. He follows Juraj’s gaze to where you are and watches as his eyes flame in anger when you smile at Joe. 

“What's up?” Nick asks, vague enough that Juraj can tell him what’s actually going on or he can brush it off. 

“He can fight?” Juraj asks and Nick fully turns to him in shock.

“What?” 

“I’m gonna fight him if he goes out with her,” Juraj says, determination so deep in his eyes that Nick knows he’s not a force to be reckoned with. 

Normally, before games you’re nervous for other reasons. Making sure you have enough content, tweets are loaded and ready to go, photos are edited and stats are ready to be posted. This time, your coworker is taking on those nerves while yours belong to the date you were about to go on. 

You looked over your outfit for what feels like the millionth time and smooth out the canadiens jersey that falls over your body. You were showing up with Joe but still had Juraj’s last name on your back; the irony. Joe knocks on your hotel room door right at 7 and you let out a breath before making your way to the front door. 

You were no stranger to Joe’s pregame outfits but you were shocked out how he could still look so incredibly good even in a simple t-shirt and jeans. His smile is blinding and while you know you should be swooning at the sight, you can only think about Juraj’s crooked smile, the way he looks down, not wanting anyone else to see the beauty. 

You and Joe head to the arena, a short drive in his luxury car and he’s nothing but a gentleman the entire time. Your heart flutters from time to time but you’re not sure if it’s because of Joe, or because you're nervous to see Juraj. 

You two take your time getting to your seats, stopping to grab drinks before heading down as the players are finishing warm ups. Juraj thinks he’s safe, that he won’t have to control a temper for the rest of the game but it all falls flat when he sees Joe with an arm slung around your shoulders in the front row. 

“Leave it be,” Nick warns the younger player and he shakes his head, praying his focus turns towards the game. 

The game against the blue jackets is physical, to say the least. The boys are playing like it’s a revenge tour and the game is tied for most of the time. Third period begins and Juraj is firing on all cylinders at this point. He’s finishing his checks, he’s rushing down the ice, he’s doing anything and everything to forget about you and Joe. 

You watch as Juraj digs for the puck, a battle between him and one of the blue jackets players trying to gain possession of the puck. It sails down towards Nick and Juraj lets up, words clearly exchanged between him and the opposer. 

“Careful before I take your girl out next,” the player sneers at Juraj and he’s officially seeing red. 

You watch in slight horror as Juraj slams the player into the boards and fists go flying. The fight must last a quick 20 seconds but feels like a lifetime. You’re on your feet and pressed against the glass as Juraj gets up, a fresh cut on his cheekbone and his hair disheveled and hanging over his now dark eyes. 

 “Holy fuck,” you breathe out, watching as Juraj is escorted down the tunnel and some of the boys are casting glances in your direction. 

“(y/n)?” you’re snapped out of your trance at Joe’s voice and turn to find him with worry and understanding in his gaze. 

“I have to go check on him,” you say and Joe nods. 

He leans forward, pressing a kiss to your cheek that explains all of his thoughts and feelings. You smile, a bit of sadness laced in the look, before parting and heading straight for the locker room. 

You race down, surprisingly not getting lost as you run and you flash your access badge like your life depends on it. You finally come face to face with the locker room door and you take a deep breath before flinging it open, unable to stay away from Juraj any longer. 

“Kto si, do pekla, myslí, že je? Sedí tam s ním a užíva si každú sekundu!! A ten sráč, ktorý-” Your brain flies a million miles an hour trying desperately to grasp the little Slovak language you know but to no avail. 

“Juraj?” you call and the 6 foot 2 hockey player halts all movements before turning towards you. 

“What are you doing here?” he grinds out, chest heaving trying to catch his breath. 

“I wanted to check on you.” 

“jebať ma,” he mutters angrily. “Go back to your new boyfriend.” 

Juraj was torn clean in half between two sides. One desperately wanting you here, wanting you to stay and talk to him, to explain that Joe meant nothing to you. The other half of him is infuriated, feeling disrespected that you would show up now after flaunting Joe in front of him. 

“What the fuck is your issue?” you snap, taking several steps till you're inches from Juraj’s face. 

“Ježiš Kristus.”

That’s the last thing you hear before Juraj leans down and slams his lips against yours, the kiss lighting you end to end in a fiery passion. His hands wrap around your waist and pull you up onto your tip toes and press your chest against his padded one. Your body takes a minute to catch up and when you do, your hands tangle deep into Juraj’s damp strands pulling him close and begging him to never let go. 

Unfortunately, humans need air and the two of you separate, panting heavily for a moment after. You fall back onto your heels and Juraj’s eyes search yours for a moment before speaking again. 

“You’re my issue,” he says and before you can retort he shushes you. “I love you. You walked into my game with my name on your back but your hand holding his.” 

Your eyes stare deep into his, your heart cracking at the idea that Juraj could ever be hurt by your actions. However, it’s filled back up when you remember him admitting that he loves you. 

“Oh minun rakkauteni,” you murmur, pulling him into you again and reveling in the feeling of his lips on yours. 

“It’s you baby. It always has been and it always will be,” you promise. 

Juraj grins against you, the moment fleeting but lasting forever. 

[eatabubble]

Something new

Robin x fem!reader

Summary: it's the first day of y/n and Robin becoming official and Robin struggles to show his affection but it all works out :)

Their ages are like 14-15 bc yk first relationships type thing lol also I think ooc robin

I tried adding some Spanish but hopefully I didn't make it cringe so like reader does say like 4 Spanish words and robin says like 3 (translation at the end)

Word count- 872

Robin woke up early this morning, well he really only got like 2 hours of sleep he was way too giddy and unsure of how to act- though he'd never admit it all night about his new relationship with y/n all he could think about that night was how he should approach her the next morning now that they're dating should he hug her maybe kiss her or would he make her uncomfortable, perhaps he should just sneak his hand in hers but what if it catches her off guard and scares her. Nevermind he thought he'll just greet her like he always has with a simple hi.

-----

Never has robin taken the school bus he'd rather walk to school late than to be squished by sweaty idiots who couldn't shut their mouths for a single second but today would be an exception he wanted be early so that way he wouldn't show up after you and make a move he was hoping you'd do it first.

So here he was on the bus all the way in the back where no one would bother him, literally, there was 3 empty seats around him and he was sitting alone while everyone one talked and looked back at him most likely talking about him but he didn't care not unless someone started talking crap then maybe he would but the bus ride actually went better than he expected.

As he made his way down he was a bit disappointed, there you were, of course you wouldn't show up after him, but he wasn't ready to make a move not even as much as hold your hand so he quickly remembered the second door around the school he could enter from and that's what he did. He showed up to all his morning classes as normal since none of them had you but as lunch rolled in he debated whether or not to show up.

----

To say you were confused was a bit of an understatement, first you swear you saw robin climb down the bus stairs but as you went to look again he was gone than all your friends said they saw him in math a class they all shared for 3rd period without you but he wasn't in the halls during passing period you soon came to the conclusion that he was infact avoiding you which was very weird since you started dating officially not even an entire 24 hours yet. You actually thought you'd be more close but perhaps he feels more awkward now, so for you as lunch rolled in you knew you had to check in on robin and see if he was ready for all this relationship stuff because if he's not your more than happy to co-operate and wait until he's ready or if he doesn't want to be with you, well if he even shows up to the cafeteria.

---

You spotted robin fairly quick letting out a sigh of relief, as you made your way to his table you silently hoped your friendship before wouldn't be affected if he told you he wasn't ready.

"Hey" you eneded up saying as you made yourself comfortable in the seat by him, he quickly tensed surprised to see you there.

"oh y/n hey how are you?" He didn't really know what to say, before it was so easy but he knows that he already made it awkward by your small smile. "I'm okay but how are you, if I didn't know any better I'd say you're avoiding me, Robin" as you paused and as robin didn't say anything but just looked at you, you continued "hey, listen I understand if this was all too much too early and I get it if you want to stay just friends until your ready or if you don't want to be with me-" "I- what no." Robin shook his head and raised his voice a bit higher to stop your talking "no that's not it, but yeah sorry for avoiding you but I don't want to break up with you we barely started dating but I know I want to be with you, I just I didn't know what to do I mean this morning I didn't know if I should hug you or kiss you on the cheek or something hell I couldn't even come up with a way to approach you and hold your hand I didn't want either of us to be uncomfortable so I wasn't sure if you'd be okay with that, pero lo siento, alright?" As he finished talking you sincerely looked at him "Oh, Robin eso está todo bien, I just wished you told me we didn't talk all morning because you were worried of making us uncomfortable, that's really cute but relationships work out better if we communicate we could of talked about boundaries and all that jazz" you smiled while looking down at his hand.

As you reached your hand down to grab his you looked up at him "is this okay though?" You showed your guys' hands connected.

"Yeah, it's okay, thank you y/n"

"Can I give you surprise hugs every morning?"

"Only if I can" "for sure"

‐------

Robin: but I'm sorry

Y/n : that's all good

A/n this was originally robin but then I wanted to switch it to finney bc it was sort of ooc robin but I kept him anyway.

[leofiat-bunny]

After The Scene™

Then

Chen Yi woke up, stumbled through getting dressed, and - when he couldn't find Ai Di - checked his phone. Then he sees the text from the night before. He sends his guys out searching for Ai Di while he goes to hq to speak to Boss about BZY.

When Boss tells him what happened - a bit exasperated but not surprised that Ai Di didn't let him know - he doesn't yell at Boss mostly because he's frozen. He's stuck trying to process "Ai Di will be in prison for as long as BZY is, which will be some years".

Since then he's been more uptight than ever about never setting a foot wrong. When he messes up THIS is what happens. He's legit traumatised by it.

(As said elsewhere, it's no small miracle Chen Yi didn't give himself alcohol poisoning after losing Ai Di.)

If someone else went over his head to leave the gang he'd be annoyed but accept it.

But Ai Di can't go over his head because Ai Di doesn't belong to the gang, he belongs to Chen Yi.

Now

Chen Yi doesn't understand why he's being avoided because "Ai Di thinks I hate him" requires "Chen Yi hating Ai Di" to be a concept that computes and he'd have an easier time dividing by zero.

Chen Yi has long accepted that if Ai Di kills someone, that's on Chen Yi for not being there to stop him.

Of course "killing someone" and "betraying Chen Yi" are very different propects.

As for the betrayal of taking advantage of his drunken state, I don't think Chen Yi will process it like a normal person would. He was raised in a gang. It would be more strange if his moral compass wasn't a bit wonky.

Yes, he could process it by switching their places but I'm not sure he'd really allow it to rest with him?

Almost: if my pet bites me, that's bad; if I bite my pet, that's unforgivable?

(He doesn't think of Ai Di as sub-human or stupid, that was just the best simile that occured to me)

Even if he really allowed it to sit with him, by far the greatest betrayal was leaving.

Meanwhile

Ai Di will do anything to avoid hearing Chen Yi say "I hate you". He knows😒 it but he can't take hearing it.

Except Chen Yi came for him, brought him back, prepared his favourite foods. Ai Di doesn't know what's going on but he does know that hope has no place here.

He's unforgivable and maybe Chen Yi wants to hear Ai Di's excuses before passing judgement, maybe he's been telling himself that Ai Di would never have done that to him.

Ai Di can't stay for the realisation.

He has no place by Chen Yi's side and never will again and he deserves whatever Chen Yi does to him but he can't.

Ai Di is collarless and will remain that way until he's ready to stop running.

Soon

Are we recovered from ep 9? No? Shame, I wanted to break you again.

Well, I have (spoilery) ammunition, so I'll give it my best shot.

I trawled their youtube channels for clues and!!!

(Partially ninja'd because I am a slow bunny)

Next ep

Better pic of outfits for colour convo:

And then

Chen Yi has a tried and tested way of getting Ai Di to come back.

And it still works. Quelle surprise.

Until

Remember what I said about collars? I thought that before finding this and I just lost it.

Give the wardrobe department a raise. And a bonus. And shares. And a prize.

But what is he trying to pinky promise?

"Even if you die tomorrow, you must wait for me to die first. Only then can you die."

"One second. I will give you just one second, then I'll follow."

(I transcribed the subs: 就算你快掛 也要等我先掛 你才能掛

一秒 只讓你一秒 我隨後跟上

According to google translate:

Even if you die quickly You have to wait for me to hang up first Only then can you hang up

One second Just give you a second I followed later

Then I tidied it up a bit, hopefully without moving away from the meaning

I found an official sub where they translate it as

"Promise me that you won't die before I do" "One second, Then I'll follow up right away"

Bonus point? Guess which outfits are in the cover image:

They got to privacy but not home 😊)

[itskattkm]

New York New Rules Pt. 5

Warnings: Violence, Trauma, Fluff, maybe Smut, mental health, blood

Summary: Y/N meets the survivors of the last events in Woodsborrow and gets on Ghostface's list. But there is also a darkness in Y/N wich path is she going to choose

Female Y/N x Tara Carpenter

Sorry for bad writing. I'm using a translator and hope you guys can enjoy it. Also, this is going to be a slow burn

A/N damn guys I wrote that on the plane and what happens before I finished? I deleted everything by accident… and then I had to rewrite. What means, I couldn’t write it like I I did in my first draft. Hope you still like the chapter, and if I hadn’t rewrite it, well it would also be longer

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4,

Now I stood here and made the pizza for the Woodsborrow Gang. I was basically free on Friday because of the therapy. Maria had even insisted on this herself because I worked here most of the time on the weekends. But now I didn't have a therapist anymore, how would I do it now? On the other hand, I had done it this way so far.

Heavy steps that just moved over the ground came closer to me and the next moment Maria kept me company. I would recognize Maria's steps of hundreds of meters. But to defend her at this point, she is already around 50 years old and had opened the pizzeria here with her family when they had emigrated from Italy to America. They wanted to get a taste of the American dream and in the end they got it too. Maria was a great inspiration at this point, she had always stuck to her wish, no matter how difficult the way there was. Thanks to the job with her, I always had the advantage of baking pizza when I wanted and as much as I wanted or I took something else from the restaurant with me. My mother doesn't feel that I was still eating pizza, but at least it was something. I always called it the pizza diet back then.

When suddenly something wet hit me on my neck I looked shocked at Maria she had hit me with her rag "Don't you think that's too many jalapeños?" She said with her arms crossed and looked skeptically at the pizza I had just topped "It was a special wish" I said with a smile. Now Maria raised her eyebrow, looked at me skeptically. Her brown hair with the caramel highlites had been put together into a messy bun when she said with a strong accent "Y/N you don't have to exaggerate right away, I hardly see the tomato sauce or the cheese" I grinned and looked at the pizza "that's still possible" she sighed "hopefully this is the first and last pizza you did this way“

Where would I be without Maria?

I listened to her while she was talking in Italian until she was finished. Now there was a short silence, she was interrupted by the entrance door. When it had opened and touched the bell. I degenerated on Maria's usual greeting, but it never came. Confused, I turned my gaze forward and wiped my hands on the black apron I was wearing around my hip. I took it off as I walked around the workplaces and ran towards the restaurant. When I stood at the door frame, I found Maria on the floor. Her eyes were wide open as she held her hand firmly on her neck. Blood.

She was flooded with blood and had leaned against the wall. Slowly my gaze wandered in and met him.

Ghostface. He was here...

I had held my breath in the hope of becoming invisible.

"Y/N I would have called you, but unfortunately I don't have your cell phone number," he said and looked at me crookedly.

My gaze wandered over the white empty face of him and got stuck in his black eyes.

"You could have called the pizzeria," I said before my brain could process any information and situation. Was that the adrenaline? Or did the survival instinct felt like that? Carefully, I took a step back and looked back to Maria. His knife was in her neck. Maybe she would survive? But there was already so much blood. Way too much... how could she stay so calm?

With her eyes she tried to tell me something when she looked at the kitchen several times. I understood and turned my attention back to Ghostface "you wouldn't have answered on your day off," he said.

Analyze. Analyze! I screamed in my head. Okay Y/N that was now the chance to take information with you. How often would I run through the Ghostface otherwise? Let alone survive?

Note one, he definitely seemed taller than me. So it must have been a man, but the robe made it very difficult to distinguish that. I understood why the killers had chosen this costume. Okay note, two he had a Voice distortion and then his face. Damn you couldn't see anything except a crooked look here and there. But wait... Note three...

"How do you know that I work here and have Fridays off? And since you don't have my number, maybe Mindy's statement wasn't so wrong... you're Ethan" I said cooler than I thought. Ghostface straightened up and did not answer. His body language told me that he was pissed off.

Fuck. The next moment he sprinted towards me so quickly that I almost stumbled when I ran back into the kitchen. I reached for everything I found to put as many obstacles in his way as possible. After I had made a round around the work surface, I grabbed the noodle wood and threw it on his face on the way to the restaurant. However, I only missed him there slightly. So I grabbed every chair in the restaurant I got into my hands and threw them mercilessly at him. If I could do something well, then it was to throw chairs!

When I hit him again, he fell to the ground. That was my chance! I grabbed another chair and started hitting him with it. There it was, the anger. Fear? No, I wasn't afraid.

Suddenly Ghostface was able to reach for the chair and now turned the tables when he began to press it firmly against me.

I fell hard with my back on the floor.

No. No. No. I quickly tried to get up, but realized that I had slipped and was now in a blood trail. My gaze followed the blood pool and I found Maria lying on the floor next to the small reception. No... my gaze continued to follow her tips that she had left behind and there was the phone itself, it hung down the wall.

The next moment, Ghostface lay over me and pushed me firmly to the ground. He put both hands around my neck and began to choke me. No. I certainly wouldn't die now! Not after what Maria had done. And then there was this feeling again but I couldn't say if it was the adrenaline. I grabbed Ghostface firmly by the shoulders "Fuck you!" I screamed and hit my head against his. His grips left my body and he groaned in pain. I fell back exhausted and suddenly he took a knife over me the next moment. Ghostface pulled out and I would immediately be hit by a pain that I couldn’t avoid... but what I could do was to decide where this pain would hit me. With a force that I never expected, the knife came towards me and pierced my left hand when I came to meet the knife with it. Trembling, I resisted him a few centimeters above my face. Why didn't I feel any pain? I asked myself now, I barely took how the blade had drilled through my hand. I looked into the black of his eyes and screamed as he began to move the blade in my hand. He would cut my hand in half just between my fingers and I couldn't do anything about it. On the contrary, I continued to exert pressure to push him away from me. I felt his strength read and could perceive his astonishment despite the mask.

Piece by piece I felt the metal destroying every one-liner muscle and that tendon. Only a few centimeters were missing and my hand wouldn’t be one piece.

Just when I thought my cry would be the last thing I would hear and ghostface's face would be the last I saw before my death, a sound appeared that I never thought I would feel safe of it.

Sirens. Ghostface resistance disappeared from now on. I smiled dirty at him and whispered " now you're fucked!" His gaze fell to the window. The red and blue lights of the siren were reflected in the white of his mask.

And then he gave me one last look and ran into the kitchen. The door was torn open and I was met with a relief that I would never have wished for. Kirby held her gun in position and glanced through the restaurant, behind her a SWAT team and some police officers.

When my vision deteriorated and the pain hit me like a bullet in the chest, I croaked "K -Kirby" and I no longer had to stare at the darkness, I saw in Kirby's eyes that were as bright as the sky. Worried, she looked at me "kitchen" I whispered and let my head fall back. " Hurry up!" She called out to the team and was by my side the next moment. I shook my head "Maria..." Kirby followed my gaze and I recognized so many feelings in her at once, but she managed to collect them and gave clear instructions. Her gaze fell on the police officers "paramedics immediately!" Already a group of them stormed in and they gathered around Maria.

Was she still living? Did she have another chance? I had to know I had to see her.

"Why cant I see anything!" I said without a voice and shook my head. Kirby straightened up much carefully and leaned my upper body over hers as she pressed me into her arms and began to wipe over my face.

"Tell me that you can save her! "I called the paramedics in my half voice. I hadn't realized how much I had screamed while Ghostface was about to kill me.

I began to breathe hard. Kirby's grip around me became stronger and she wiped away more and more of my tears. So they were the reason why I couldn't see.

"Williams... I need you here," Kirby said sternly and one of the paramedics turned around. He came to my side and raised my arm to look at my hand.

My head burned and pounded... my voice was now just a soft whisper. "I -I was so scared Kirby... i -I thought I was dying" tormented she looked at me and nodded "everything will be fine Y/N" I shook my head "no... no it won't"

I resisted her grip and wanted to stand up, I wanted to destroy something. I wanted to hurt Someone like I was hurt and there I was hit by a small sting on the upper arm. Confused, I saw to my right upper arm " fuuuck..." I whispered before everything got dark I began to fall.

[nihilnothings]

The Contradictions of Denji Hayakawa and why it’s humanly real

Introduction

“Why does Denji not learn his lesson, is he stupid?”

You’re not entirely wrong but you’re not entirely right.

One of the common gripes of some fans is that Denji appears to not have changed because he keeps falling for women with red flags in exchange for sexual favours, but honestly if anyone paid attention and not get let their emotions do the thinking, he actually has changed for the better in one aspect but he’s struggling for another:

Denji has succeeded in familial love but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it translates to his romantic life.

You can be a decent/good friend or good brother but that doesn’t mean you’ll not fumble with women or romance

What Denji Has Succeeded and How He Did It

One good thing that Makima (unintentionally) did was putting him with Power and Aki. They had a rough start but eventually as all people know he eventually saw them as surrogate family members and Power became one of if not the first close female character he viewed in a platonic sense than in a romantic/sexual sense as at least from his end.

Though they were gone from his life, the lessons he learned never left. Old Denji would only think about his own survival and the carnal pleasures of sex as well as basic necessities, New Denji however stepped up and took on the big gamble of raising the ticking time bomb that is the Control Devil, Nayuta. It can be implied that due to him being shown good examples, Denji was able to succeed in raising Nayuta.

This can strongly conclude that Denji learns by being shown and eventually doing it himself.

For all his setbacks he was a good brother because he had one himself

Interlude: A Common Trope Being Slightly Subverted

We and most of their mothers here know how Part 1 ended, Denji’s broken spirit is mended, he learns more about love and relationships, defeated Makima, and now focuses on living another day as CSM raising her so hooray no more issues right?

It even ended in a seemingly victorious note

I feel like when a long-running series has a continuation and replaces them with a new protagonist, people expect the old protagonist to act as some sort of “mentor” who has everything figured out and helps out the new protagonist in the ropes.

The thing is just because you have one thing figured out doesn’t necessarily mean it translates to everything, real life isn’t like that.

For all of its fantastic elements, Fujimoto characters tend to be praised for being “human” or “real”, it doesn’t exactly mean that it 100% translates to our reality but the way they behave at least resembles somewhat to us humans in real life. Like humans we are, we don’t move linearly forwards or backwards, we move in a haphazard direction that eventually, hopefully, takes us forward, only to repeat that cycle again for a different experience until we reach our inevitable death.

This is what’s currently happening to Denji, he hasn’t had all the things figured out (considering his background, pretty impressive tbh) and he hasn’t reached his goals of finding a good romantic partner. If he had succeeded, then we would be shown a “perfect” Denji that’ll eventually woo Asa without having his own issues or a character who acts as Denji’s girlfriend as a sign that he as a character is fully actualized.

Which is why we see him relapsing against his better judgement.

What Denji is Struggling Right Now and Why Old Habits Die Hard

One of the other things that Makima taught him right is that the activity of sex will be good when it’s done with someone significant and this usually means a romantic partner.

Therefore, when Denji wants sex he also wants a romantic partner along with it.

Now the problem lies in the fact that most of Denji’s romantic experiences weren’t really good at all, most of the women in his life tried to kill and use him, even Asa did once, but thankfully he was shown that she might not be all that bad after all and might lead onto something good for once even if the paths have now caused them to diverge putting that development to a halt. As it is strongly suggested that Denji learns by example, the fact that terrible examples were mostly shown is what’s probably causing him to blunder his romantic life which inadvertently blocks him from having good sex.Not only that but he was essentially mind-broken by Makima to the point of him losing any desire at all, considering how IRL abuse leaves scars, it cannot be denied that toxic patterns still exist within Denji in relation to romance and sex.

He used Chainsaw Man, an important part of him and the part that many people love (especially the ladies), as a means to hook women into a romantic relationship with him, though with Yoshida’s attempts and no sign of a girlfriend, it seems that tactic might not be as effective after all (ironically it did lead him to score Asa unknowingly).

Then, for the sake of Nayuta, he gave away that identity, and thus no longer had a tool to woo women because with all the things that happened in Part 1 and in Part 2, no women seemed to be interested in Denji Hayakawa, thus leaving him listless and desperate. With that he removed the intimate part of sex and hyper-focused on the carnal part out of boredom and desperation with Sus Girl.

However, him struggling doesn’t necessarily mean zero progress, Old Denji wouldn’t have thought of anything and just went with the flow but the fact that he did thought of it shows that he shouldn’t be doing it (he even has a look of shame of doing making the scene of 137 both hilarious and depressing, in the words of abridged Popo, deprerious).

Relapse is a bitch

If Fujimoto didn’t show the hypothetical scenario then we would’ve thought that it was just a cheap gag but the fact that he showed it means that Denji and he knows that this is what the character should be doing but instead he did the opposite making the scene both a gag and a message that change isn’t easy.

Relapsing is a real thing, ask any druggie, addict, junkie, smoker, etc. they all know that it’s wrong but they do it anyway because it’s been their “normal” for so damn long. Heck, let’s not even get to addiction, how many times do you know that procrastination is bad yet still keep doing it anyways? Some might already succeed but a large part of people still keep doing it because it’s been their “normal” even if being productive is better than doing useless shit like making an analysis of Denji’s contradictory behaviours instead of revising your thesis.

Conclusion

Denji’s constant back and forth on the surface looks inconsistent on the outside, but considering all that happened is it a surprise that he’s failing at romance and attempts despite his best in dealing with it? What he needs is someone to show him the right way of handling it, that person doesn’t have to be perfect, but at least teach him that relationships should not be completely transactory and is the work of two people, only then can he probably reduce his mistakes and develop healthier approaches.

Relapsing is a human experience and considering that CSM characters are said to be close to real life, maybe we should view his experience as someone who is struggling to be better but has no capable person to show him.

[mtdthoughts]

The Twins' Ethnicity (Migi & Dali Observation)

One thing that I haven't really seen talked about is the question of Migi and Dali's ethnicity. Of course, this is probably not important and likely has no bearing on the overall story and its greater messages. But I could be wrong, so who knows.

tl;dr: The boys are likely of French descent from their mother's side.

Below, I will elaborate and provide evidence towards this claim. Do note that *spoilers* from throughout the story will be mentioned.

One thing any reader/viewer will notice almost immediately is that the twins are not like the other people around them. Not only due they have blue eyes (which only Eiji shares), but they are also blonde (no, Youko doesn't count since she wears a wig). This is not surprising since the story takes place in Japan, and these traits are quite uncommon. In Chapter 1 of the manga, Youko takes note of this fact:

Later, it is confirmed that Migi and Dali were the result of an affair between their mother Metry and Akira Ichijo. Assuming that Akira is mostly or fully Japanese given his name and appearance, it's likely that the twins are half-Japanese and that their "foreign blood" comes from Metry, who strongly resembles them.

To begin, it should be safe to assume that Metry is most likely of European origin. However, based on clues from the story, we can make a stronger conclusion, that Metry was French, and so the twins are likely half-French and half-Japanese, or something like that.

The biggest clues should come from the Ichijo house in which the twins were conceived and born in. After all, Reiko hired Metry to be her housekeeper, so it wouldn't be surprising if Reiko had an affinity towards Metry's culture.

Without further ado, here's the evidence I could come up with:

Based on the left/right meaning of the twins' names, it is likely that Metry is short for "symmetry" or "symétrie" in French. It's possible that Métrie was actually how her name was to be spelled.

The "Water Flea Song" that the twins remember when they were staying in the Ichijo confinement room was actually the song Clair de Lune, which means "moonlight" in French, and was composed by the French composer Debussy.

In Chapter 19 of the manga, the Ichijos have breakfast, which consists of croissants, and I think that a French omelette may have also been shown. There's also something about the Ichijo dinner table that just screams "French" to me, though I can't quite find the right way to describe it. I'm sure that someone with a better understanding of French cuisine can.

When Eiji asks for a kiss from Sali (Dali), he uses the word baiser, which means "kiss" in French.

When Eiji tries to send Reiko away so that he can talk to Sali (Migi), he specifically asks her to buy pain de campagne (a French sourdough bread) from Descartes (a bakery with a French name).

When Reiko discovers Sali (Migi) in the attic, she attempts to attack and later chases Migi with a baguette.

Not a clue, but there's just something about Dali's timeskip appearance that gives me "French intellectual/mathematician" vibes. I can't really find the right way to describe it.

Dali mentions that Migi's art is a form of cubism, whose origins can be traced back to Paris, France.

The final shot of the anime shows a tribute to Nami Sano, which is written in French.

In the sequel manga, Dali is seen reading what appears to be a Japanese translation of La Preuve, which was originally written in French by the Hungarian writer Agota Kristof.

Hopefully, this is enough evidence to support this seemingly silly hypothesis. I do wonder if there are any particular reasons why Sano references French culture, but for now I can't really think of anything.

[nogenderbee]

I don't know if you do Chinese songs but I wanted to give this a shot. I'll put the English translation of the Chinese lyrics just in case.

The song I chose is 孤城 or Isolated City by 洛先生. And I'd like this to be angst to fluff with Xiao.

Lyrics:

月照入心頭 世間的愛恨情仇 (The moon shines into my heart, love and hatred in the world)

漂泊天涯回首懷念她眼眸 (Wandering in the world, look back and miss her eyes)

獨醉相思愁 幾時休 誰為你停留 (Drunk alone, lovesick and sad, when will you rest, who will stay for you)

落葉隨風飄落花落花深秋 (Fallen leaves fall with the wind and flowers fall in late autumn)

秋後的寒風 夢醒後 荒凉的孤城 (The cold wind after autumn, after waking up from the dream, the desolate lonely city)

Of course! I really take songs in any language as long as they have appropriate lyrics! And also thank you so much for translations as it really helps <3 also who could expect it? Another confession! But I truly hope you'll enjoy this anyway ^^

Xiao - Isolated City

TagList: @bleachtheidiot @miya-akane

Song: hopefully I chooses right one

The moon shines into my heart, love and hatred in the world

Xiao never really understood mortals or their feelings but he really was thinking about your latest talk... did you really thought that HE, the yaksha could feel some stupid mortal emotions? That's just so stupid for him... how he could any emotions?!

Drunk alone, lovesick and sad, when will you rest, who will stay for you

When you told him those words... he was already thinking of how he can feel those emotions and you're telling him all these words that don't even make sense to him...

"You need to take a break and take your time with accepting that you truly have feelings for someone... I know it's hard but you'll only be in pain if you ignore it..."

He was thinking about it all the time... and yet, he ignored you after all you tried was helping him... You really understood that he might need some time to process all of this but whenever you appeared he didn't even took time to look at you and simply disappeared, sometimes adding a small stupid excuse.

"I don't have time right now. I need to defeat some demons."

Wandering in the world, look back and miss her eyes

But he wasn't doing it out of hate for you or anything like that, he simply avoided you because he finally realized his feelings. He didn't know why himself but he simply couldn't bare to spend time with you so in order to avoid it, he was making extra sure that Liyue is safe in hopes to forget about his feelings. But it's clear that he didn't... in fact, they got so much worse! He couldn't go on a single walk without thinking about you, he wanted to hear you talk but he could feel his face burning whenever he did and he didn't liked that.

Fallen leaves fall with the wind and flowers fall in late autumn

The cold wind after autumn, after waking up from the dream, the desolate lonely city

Once he realized that these feelings will only get worse and trouble him more and more, he decides to go to you for some advice and hopefully ending his suffering with these mortal feelings! You two finally met at the rooftop of Wangshu Inn and he was pretty... bold with his questions.

"Xiao? Finally! We haven't seen each other for weeks! How are you do-"

"What are you doing to me? Did you cursed me?"

"What...? Curse you? Gosh, no! I'd never do that!"

"Then why can't I to get about you?"

"What?!"

"Whenever I went on mission or tried to forget about you for at least a second, you were stuck in my mind! What are you doing to me?!"

"Xiao... do you mean it in like... romantic matter?"

He didn't knew if that was the case but the thing he knew was that his heart fluttered on your question. He didn't knew how to answer that but his blushing face told you everything!

He still doesn't get his feelings, no matter if it's after confession, during it or any other time! But he does know that he doesn't mind your presence... in fact he enjoys it! It's really big statement since he usually avoids public eye.

❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉

[crispyjenkins]

more ac teasers bcause you can't stop me

to the lovely in my dms who wishes to remain anonymous, here's a lil look at that other ac thing i'm poking at, with that good good bleed effect angst 🤌 y'all get zero context for this scene i said in the tags but i'll say it here too: desmond miles is 🤏 this close to being my new obi-wan so you can imagine my current state of mind. do not even get me started on jaskier.

(modern plot era, gen or pre-slash, william miles' a+ parenting, off-screen blood n violence, in this scene they're still hiding out in monteriggioni, bleed effect, MASSIVE h/c in the full fic)

  “Did your mom know about this?”

  Growing more confused by the second, Desmond humours him if for no other reason than his own curiosity on where Shaun is taking this, “I mean, she was still around the Farm back then, so she must’ve. She went back to the Italian Order when I was fourteen, though.”

  This seems to surprise Shaun, even though Desmond is pretty sure all this would be in the file the Brotherhood has on him. “I didn’t realise you were actually Italian,” he muses, stepping back to start cleaning up their garbage, while Desmond holds up his jeans and frowns at them.

  “How else do you think I’ve made it this far with the gaps in Baby’s translation system?”

  “To be quite honest, I thought you were faking it.”

  Desmond barks out a laugh, before deciding there’s no way he’s putting his damp pants back on. His bag of things had been missed when escaping the warehouse, but he’s pretty sure Lucy and Rebecca had thought to buy him more clothes on their last supply run. Y’know. Hopefully.

  When he tries to help Shaun clean up, the man just shoos him off, so Desmond shrugs and leans against the table to wait for him to finish, tossing his jeans over his shoulder. “I’m Native and Kiwi on my dad’s side,” he says, scratching the beginnings of the growing beard on his jaw.

  “Native American?” Shaun clarifies, snapping the kit closed and gathering all the garbage in the poncho.

  “Yeah, something from the Pacific Northwest, he never did tell me exactly what. Uh, then I get the Italian and Colombian from my mom, and we’re pretty sure her grandma was Arab but she never talked about her life before immigrating to Rome, so.”

  “Quite the melting pot,” Shaun says, offering to let Desmond lean on him, but Desmond shakes his head: he’s walked off far worse than this. “Is she still with the Italian branch, then?”

  He almost doesn’t answer, clenching his jaw as Shaun leads them from the crumbling room. But eventually, when they’re almost to the bottom of the staircase and in danger of actually being heard by their other teammates, Desmond mutters, “I don’t know.”

  The look Shaun sends him is actually flatteringly distressed, without any of the usual sort of pity he gets when people realise just how distant he is from his parents. He awkwardly gives Desmond a pat on the shoulder, but doesn’t press for more — Desmond doesn’t know what he’d have done if he did.

.

[inkblot-inc]

Sisters

Summary: [JAWS AU] Simply a little addendum I have around Jaws meeting Yelena (timeline wise, also known as the Black Widow Alternate). The brain's whirring right now aight- (first arc)

Pairing(s): Natasha Romanoff x Mutant!TigerShark!Reader, Mutant!TigerShark!Reader x Yelena Belova (platonic)

[JAWS AU Masterlist]

Warning(s): none that I can think of, maybe a language warning? Yeah we'll put that just in case

Note(s): There isn't any real dialogue here since this is more of my stream of consciousness to fill in some timeline details. Not really proofread cuz I'm really just talkin through text to speech and skimming for spelling errors💀. Hopefully it makes sense/is coherent at least, but since I was thinkin about this stuff, I’ll just add it to my list of dissertations o7

Word Count: more than 700, I know that much

*squints* I give NO ONE permission to repost or translate my work. Make your own shit

Alright lets' go Black Widow Alternate!

(That really just means I'm talkin about how the events of Black Widow go down in the JAWS AU....at least the pertinent details. i.e What happens when we deviate from canon blah blah blah)

Because Civil War doesn't happen in the JAWS AU, The Avengers are still together as a team and are able to take down the Red Room in the original way Yelena intended (“I kept checking the news, expecting to see Captain America bringing down the Red Room” but that actually happens here). This still serves as Natasha and Yelena's reunion as they get in contact with each other via the pictures Yelena sent.

Because Natasha isn't on the run (again, no CW = no accords...atm, and no Ross), she's not really stressed in that way. Natasha more so has to grapple with her own guilt at leaving her sister behind to go through life in the Red Room without her to look after her and even not trying hard enough to look for Yelena after getting out.

Natasha tried not to look back after Budapest, remember now.

Natasha tries to deflect and justify this in her own mind by trying to detach herself and saying that she and Yelena were never really sisters, just like how they were never really a part of a family with Melina and Alexei.

It was just a mission.

Natasha continues trying to push the narrative that her years in Ohio are in her past and that she couldn't wait to put them behind her to forget them when she got out. Natasha doesn't actually believe any of this. Those years spent with Yelena, Melina, and Alexei were very real to Natasha and she looks back on those times with fondness and regret they couldn't have lasted longer. However, Natasha is of the school of thought that if you say something enough times, maybe you'll start to believe it. Maybe.

Yelena immediately calls bullshit on Natasha's "I'm allergic to you" attitude, but it doesn't make Natasha's attempts hurt any less. To be so close again but treated like something other. Natasha's continued trying to push her out of her life is what gets to Yelena, that paired with seeing the people in Natasha's "present" makes Yelena self-conscious in ways that make her uncomfortable and that she usually deflects with humor and sarcasm.

It's Jaws that continues to reach out to Yelena. Not in the traditional sense, but they've taken to including Yelena and going out of their comfort zone to get to know Yelena during the red room mission (very similar scene to the Yelena and Nat beer scene talking about their lives). Yelena was protective and just a bit teasing when she found out that Jaws was Natasha's partner for sure. The ice breaker between Jaws and Yelena boiled down to Yelena doing a trick shot off of Jaws' teeth into a vodka bottle....with a bullet.

Whether or not Yelena thought she would kill Jaws by shooting them in the mouth is up for discussion...

Part of Jaws' interest in Yelena is because she is in some way part of Natasha's life, and even they can tell that Yelena is important to her without a doubt. The other part of Jaws cultivates this relationship with Yelena because she passes the vibe check, and not once has she referred to Jaws as a freak or a monster, which is what usually happens when people meet Jaws for the first time. Yelena couldn't care less about it. Wildly intrigued for both the right and the wrong reasons, but still-

Natasha seeing her "past" and "present" coexisting together pushes her to face her own feelings of guilt and even inadequacy head on (thinking of the " It was real to me too" scene) to repair and rebuild her bond with her little sister. Natasha also apologizes for not looking for her after she escaped the Red Room and trying to reduce her time with Yelena to a bad memory she kept trying to forget.

Yelena's focus afterward is freeing the remaining widows, of which she knows she can ask for her sisters and the avengers help. She is undecided whether or not she wants to officially become an avenger, but it is not off the table. Yelena and Jaws have become close over the course of the red room mission and even after, which makes Natasha very happy.

[maleyanderecafe]

I will never let you go, so please be preyed on by me ~ The younger man I met in the countryside was a former Yandere boy from hell~ (Manga)

Created by: Hatori hato

Genre: Smut

Once again, I'm back translating yandere smut for people, which you can find linked above in the title. This one is actually a two parter so I will be translating the second part after a bit. Compared to my first translated title, The Neighbour in Room 203 Disappeared Leaving a Key Behind, this one is WAY tamer and not nearly as dark. The yandere in this one is actually pretty cute at moments, though it is much shorter than the first one I did.

The story starts out with Mizuki Yoikawa coming home after her company gets bankrupt. She wants to be able to get another job and go back to living in the city and avoid her parent's questions on when she'll get married. While out on a walk, she happens upon a shrine where she saved a snake when she was younger. There she meets a young man named Ren Jakumori, who mistakens her for someone else (sure). He's able to convince her (through hypnotism) to come over to his house for some herbal drinks and the two talk. Mizuki talks about how she was tired of working but didn't want to go back home because of her parent's constant nagging of getting married. Ren talks about how his parents died when he was young and he's coming back from University to take a break. After a while, Mizuki tries to head home as it's getting dark, but Ren starts to freak out trying to get her to stay. Ren uses hypnotism and has sex with her in a dazed state, and she remembers that he is actually the snake thanks to his forked tongue and other snake like features he has (no, not his dick). Upon waking up, Mizuki admits that he remembers who he is, and Ren states that he is indeed the snake that Mizuki saved when she was younger. After this, he became a demon and because of his strong spiritual energy was able to become human. In the ending, Ren seems to hypnotize Mizuki again, promising that they will be together.

Like I said, compared the first one I translated, this one is far tamer, and (honestly) way easier to typeface than the previous one. I do think that Ren is pretty cute from what I see in some of his actions, being not only desperate when Mizuki attempts to head home, but also having cute facial expressions and actually blushing when having sex (I know, what a shocker it is to have blushing boys during sex). He is also a lot more gentle with Mizuki, and at least attempts to get to know her before attempting to noncon, which is... better than just going straight to sex. Speaking of, there's not a lot of sex in this smut, and only a small section of it is related to it (as compared to other ones I've read) which means we do get to know the characters a bit more. The plot is a bit obvious since Ren shows up exactly when Mizuki thinks about the snake she saved, but then again it's a smut so even having a coherent story is pretty good. I'm not exactly sure if this story with the snake and the demon is related to a specific Japanese story, so hopefully without that you can still enjoy it without whatever context that is.

Overall, a decent smut. I think at least the characters are somewhat fleshed out and cute, and it's a lot softer than the previous one I translated. Hopefully the second part will keep it this way, but I do remember it being more related to marriage with Mizuki, so that will be something interesting.

[sortofanobsession]

To Cry for the Moon Part 15 (Moon Knight x Female Eternal!Reader) Complete

Author's Note: This is it everyone. This is the last part of this story. There may be possibilities for these characters to have future stories. I'm glad everyone has enjoyed it. I know that @jupitersmoon167 and I had a lot of fun making this happen. I take prompts and requests, but I don't get to all of them and I do my best. Thanks for sticking with us and for enjoy my first go at not only these characters but at a reader insert. Thank you for all the support and I will be posting the whole thing on Ao3 today or tomorrow.

Please do not take, copy, or translate without talking to me first. Reblogs, likes, and comments are encouraged. But anything else please message me first.

Y/N = Your Name. Y/N/N = Your Nickname. Reader pronouns She/Her. Story is 3rd person POV. 

Italic text is the reflected alter talking.

Tag Requests are Open just message me.

Tagged: @rosaren2498, @yuugenmomo, @faefanatic,  @urlocallsimp  @assassinsasha23, @queenariesofnarnia, @rmoonstoner,  @crypticruler, @animelover18, @philiasoul, @distinguishedmakerpandapatrol, @22carolina08, @preciousbabypeter, @sleepyamaya, @so-done-with-bullshit

Primary Pairing: Steven Grant x Eternal!Reader, Marc Spector x Eternal!Reader, Khonshu x Ma'at!Reader

Content Warning: Mental Illness, Mentions of Death, Anxiety, Fear, Ultimatums, Disassociation

Word Count: 2K+

Series Masterlist Complete

Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14

Part 15: A Cosmic Idea

After Y/N had said goodbye to Kingo and the newly human Sprite. She went to visit Steven at work since she has a few more days off. She had explained that her family had a tragic event that meant she had unexpectedly lost three family members to her bosses. She was been granted bereavement leave. So they both still technically had jobs. 

Steven was just finishing up with a customer when she walked in.

"How'd it go?" He asks once the customer was gone.

"Well considering what Sprite did, it went better than it could have. I mean we all get why she did it, but it still hurts. But if Sersi can forgive her then I guess I can too."

"It's because you are better people than most," Steven says as he comes around the counter and steals a quick kiss. 

"How's it going here?" She asks. 

"Long and boring," he admits. "You see there's this one tour guide that usually stops by in between tours and she's not here today."

"Sounds like a bummer," She chuckles.

"It is," he grins.

"Well, hopefully, she'll be back soon," she smirks.

"Oh, I'm not worried, since she and I have plans after work."

"Ooooh, lucky girl," she says. 

"We're the lucky ones," he says, giving her another kiss. They hear someone clear their throat. Steven jumps slightly. 

Y/N just sighs and without looking up says, "Hello, Donna."

"Aren't you on leave, Y/N?" Donna states, her tone filled with annoyance.

"I had a tough meet-up with my grieving family, and someone wouldn't let my boyfriend out of a shift so he could be there with me."

"It's unprofessional snogging in the shop," Donna says.

Y/N looks around at the empty shop. "Oh my, what will the statues think," she mumbles, causing Steven to have to try very hard not to laugh. "Okay, okay, I'm leaving," the goddess says, steals one last kiss then leaves. 

A bit later Steven notices a commotion in the hall outside the gift shop. People seemed to be hurrying to leave or to find anywhere with windows. Frantic voices spoke of giants. He checks his phone and reports of a giant being appearing in the sky makes him anxious.

"You don't think it's another celestial," Steven says out loud.

"What other giant space beings do you know of, Steven," Marc says from the glass reflection.

Steven tries to call Y/N but doesn't get an answer and it makes him even more on edge. He goes to call her again but his phone rings. It was Dane. He freezes. Marc takes over and answers it.

"What happened?" He asks without even saying hello. 

"They vanished, Sersi and Y/N. The three of us took the dog to park, Sersi and I were talking, and then what I can only assume is Arishem shows up in the sky, and then they’re gone.”

Marc’s world grinds to an abrupt halt. Jake takes over, having heard the whole thing. 

“Dane right?” Jake says. “This is Jake. Here’s the plan. You try and reach anyone else, the kid, the ship, anyone. We’ll see what the bird can find out and then meet at Steven’s flat. Got it?”

“Uh, sure I’ll call Sprite.”

“Good.” Jake hangs up. “Steven, tell that boss of yours, you’re taking a break because you need to make a phone call, either that or your gift shop is going to get real windy.”

Steven takes over and tells Donna that he needs to take a break, and for once does not let her try and stop him. He had bigger issues to deal with. Jake takes back over when they meet Khonshu outside.

“Y/N’s gone,” Jake says.

“How can that be?” Khonshu asks. “Lockley, explain.”

“I would if I could, but that Dane guy says she and Sersi are gone. That celestial shows up and now they’re gone. Not a coincidence.” Jake cusses in every language he knows. “He’s going to call the kid, and I said we’d see if the gods know anything. It’s a long shot but can’t hurt.”

Khonshu vanishes without another word. 

Egyptian Underworld 

Khonshu is let through Osiris' gate into the underworld. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been there, but he shook the thought and focused on why he was there. Before he can even ask, Osiris speaks.

"What happened to Ma'at?" Osiris asks. Taweret waiting silently beside him. Her ears twitch at the tension in the air. 

"The human dating the Eternal Sersi, says the celestial Arishem appeared, as the others may have seen, and the Ma’at and Sersi vanished."

"That explains why the scales failed," Osiris says. "They did not break like when Ma’at died, but they failed. The feather still has its glow, but the connection appears strained. And she is not anywhere that Horus, nor the Eye of Ra can see. Which means she is not in this world or on Earth."

"We must trust that Ma'at will find a way out of whatever she has found herself in," Khonshu states.

"Glad to see you two getting a long again. If only it was under better circumstances. Both of you," Osiris address both Khonshu and Taweret. "Return to your avatars and see what can be done." 

London

Jake and Steven had managed to get through the last few hours of the shift. They didn't even bother with their regular commute. They ducked into an alley and once Jake was sure no one would see he called on the suit and took the easy way back. He met Dane and Sprite in the hallway of Steven's building.

"Marc?" Sprite asks, a bit shocked at the angry expression on his face.

"He's busy," Jake says, "for now you're stuck with me."

"Jake," Dane informs her as Jake let's them in. "What did Khonshu find out?"

"They aren't in either world Osiris or Horus can see. But they seem to be alive."

"How do they know?" Sprite asks.

"Because the scales don't work but they didn't break. They broke when she died. So there's that. What about the others?"

"Ben says Phastos is gone too. Karun says Kingo never made it back to set," Sprite says. "Druig, Thena and Makkari are on the Domo and we have no idea how to reach them without Phastos."

"So we have nothing helpful," Jake curses. It's silent for a moment before Jake let's Steven take over so he can think without being bothered. Steven picking up Bas to scratch her behind the ears. He sets her down, feeds her, and then goes to feed Gus II. "Well, if we have to wait we might as well eat. Can't fight Celestials on an empty stomach and it will at least give us something to do. Even if you aren't hungry, you will need your strength." Layla joins them before they even finish cooking. Taweret had told her what was happening.

"I'll help if I can, even if is only to coax Marc back out," Layla says. 

"Jake thinks it's best to leave him be for now," Steven tells her.

"So he calls the shots now?" Layla asks.

Jake let's out a number of Spanish words from the reflection Marc usually occupies when Steven is in the kitchen. It was odd but still somewhat reassuring.

"Well, you just made him very angry, but Y/N asked him to try to be more of a part of the system. And he is trying." Steven says. "And he is the only one with any sort of a plan, so I am glad he is here."

"As long as Marc comes back soon," Layla says.

"He will," Jake says. "He always does."

"Jake says he always does," Steven tells them. "And he is right, Marc just doesn't like processing things in front of others. You know that."

"Yeah, I do," Layla admits.

Arishem's location

"You don't need them, Arishem, you just need me. You made me to judge humans. You want to see the good vs. bad, you just need me. They didn't get to see into the hearts of humanity like I did. The good and the bad. Let them go and I will stay."

"You would give your life for theirs?" The celestial asks.

"I have once already and I would again in a heartbeat," she tells him.

"No, Y/N, you can't," Sersi says.

"I can, Phastos has a family, Kingo has people that rely on him, and the others need you, Sersi. It makes the most sense."

"You have people too,” Sersi insists. “People who just got you back and that includes us."

"I am already on borrowed time,” Y/N states. “I choose to use that time to save you all. If things go wrong they will understand eventually. You will help them."

"Is this what you choose?" Arishem asks. "Your final decision."

"No!" Kingo, Sersi, and Phastos shout.

"Yes, Arishem,” the winged goddess answers. “This is what I choose."

"So be it," Arishem states.

"No, you can't!" Kingo shouts.

"Y/N," Sersi starts.

"It's okay Sersi, I have a plan." Y/N smiles. "You have to trust me." 

"Then let me stay too," Sersi says. 

"Not part of the deal, just tell them to trust me. Trust that I know what I am doing."

"Dying again?" Kingo asks. "Trust you to die again?!"

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Y/N says. 

"Y/N/N…"

"Go home guys, goodbye."

"No!"

The trio disappears and it leaves just Y/N and the looming celestial. 

"Before you take my memories,” she tells him. “I have an offer to make."

"Another one?"

"Yes, I am willing to bet my life on this one, but their lives were not negotiable. If you don't like what I have to say, you lose nothing. If you agree we can change everything. We can all benefit from what I have figured out."

London

Sersi hurries over to Steven's flat. No one had been at home but Noob the dog. She hoped they were there. She knocked and knocked again when the door swung open.

"Sersi?" Steven was surprised. He let her in. 

“Sersi!" Dane says, going over to hug his girlfriend. “What happened? Where were you?"

"Where's Y/N?" Jake asks. Sersi is surprised at the unfamiliar American accent but doesn't dwell on it. She figures it's Jake.

"She convinced Arishem to let Kingo, Phastos, and I go. She told him since her task was to judge the hearts of humanity, and she had done so for thousands of years, she was the only one he needed. We tried to stop her. I tried to get them to let me stay but she said that wasn't the deal. That I needed to trust her."

"They just got her back," Jake says. "They can't lose her again."

"She told me to tell you to trust her," Sersi adds. "Where's Marc?" She asks.

"He didn't take the news well, Steven and Jake said he'd be back," Layla tells her.

"She has a plan," Steven says from the reflection of the tank. 

"We don't know she has a plan," Marc finally replies from his own reflection, but lets Jake keep fronting. 

"Not very helpful, mi amigo," Jake says. "But you are at least here."

"Why else would she say that?" Steven asks.

"To make us feel better," Marc says.

"Who is he talking to?" Dane asks.

"Steven, and sounds like maybe Marc too. They can talk through reflections," Layla tells him.

"I can see how that could be useful," Dane says.

"Well I trust her, if she wasn't coming back then she would have sent a different message," Steven argues.

"Let's hope so or the big guy is going to be very angry," Marc says.

"Which one?" Steven inquires.

"Both," Jake states.

When the trio's conversation seems to end. Sersi says, "We need a plan, Phastos is going to try and reach Thena, Druig, and Makkari on the Domo. Then we can come up with a plan. Kingo is already back on his way here."

"We better start figuring it out," Jake says.

Arishem's Location 

"You have my attention, make it worth my time," Arishem tells her.

Y/N starts to explain, "To create a new celestial you have to build a civilization then continue to expand and build for thousands of years, maybe millions. Then you get to the point the emergence happens. You lose all that advancement and have to start over."

"New galaxies are born from that destruction," Arishem states.

"Sure, but what if you didn't have to destroy the planet that is already cultivated and produces massive amounts of energy? What if you can have a separate seed planet that has minimal life, that the celestial grows inside and put just Eternals on it? Hear me out. Eternals connect with the celestial when it emerges. If the celestial can tap into the power of the planet why not the Eternals? Then much like Phastos and the UniMind, transfer the power from the Eternals on the thriving planets that are continuing past the point they would have been destroyed and transfer it to the seed planet. We can channel it through the Eternals themselves to the ships to allow greater transmission. It can be constant or whatever it needs to be. There is just so much wasted potential and death. If we fail to come up with a system then we can lead the existing people to colonize the seed planet and still don't have to start from scratch. They can use the advanced technology of the planet they left to speed up the process. If all of it fails then you can wipe my memory and we can start over."

"All that work just to save one planet?" Arishem inquires.

"A heavily populated one well on its way to continued advancement. And many more like it that would otherwise be destroyed. We can create a system that both sides get to continue. Everyone wins. Why not let us try?"

"Fine, you have until the next emergence."

"When is that?"

"When we decide it is time," Arishem informs her. 

"And how will we know?"

Arishem produces a new golden communication sphere. "Like all others before you. Betray us again and you will not find yourselves with new memories. You have defied us once. Fail and there will be no future."

With that, he sends her back to Earth.

London

Y/N is almost knocked to the ground as soon as she sets foot in the guys’ flat. "What happened? Are you alright?" Marc says. He had finally taken over.

"What did you say to get him to free you?" Sersi asks. 

"That if we can create a UniMind on a universal scale, then no civilized planet will ever have to be destroyed to bring about the birth of a celestial. If Eternals can tap into the same energy network that Celestials do to develop then why couldn't we tap into that power, funnel it through the Domo, and transfer it to the seed planet ship and then to the celestial. The seed planet can have minimal organisms. So that it can supply the materials to make a new galaxy. If we don't get it right we can still colonize the seed planet, power it, and won't have to start with zero technology. But if it all fails, well, we can't fail, let's just say that."

"How much time do we have?" Sersi asks.

"Until the next emergence and that is whenever they decide it is."

"So we have to design a machine of sorts to do the impossible in who knows how long a time span, or suffer terrible consequences, did I get that right?" Marc asks.

"Well it was that or everyone dies," Y/N says. "I did the best I could, with the only option we had. I guess I'm the middleman now since it was my idea." 

"No," Marc says. 

"You wanted me back, right?"

"Of course but this is too much for you, you died less than a week ago, you need to recover."

"I need to keep this planet alive and the pressure is more on Phastos unless we can reach the Domo. If they can find others like Phastos we might be able to do this. This is the best and only shot we have to not bring the wrath of the celestials down. We can recruit the best of the best, tell them the futures of everyone is at stake and we will not give up.” The others seemed unsure.

“This is our home,” Y/N tells them. “We have to defend it."

[prairiesongserial]

23.7

It wasn’t that Val had wanted to stay on the first floor of the tower; he just hadn’t understood what was happening until Cassidy was halfway up the stairs with the princes and it was too late to protest. He still only had the most basic grasp on what Cassidy and the schoolchildren had been arguing about, but he knew he’d been volunteered to stay behind. Which was fine by Val–he still hadn’t gotten to rest since yesterday. Let John do all of the stair climbing and interacting with whatever a “floor master” was.

Dismayingly, there was nowhere to sit down or rest on the first floor landing. It was more of a lobby area, with the staircase that led up to the second floor landing and a hallway that led deeper into the tower. There was probably a kitchen somewhere back there, and a dining hall where the children could eat meals together. Bedrooms, too, unless each floor had its own set of dormitories. It all vaguely reminded Val of the convent, if the convent had been stacked into a vertical space rather than spread out over acres of land.

Several of the schoolchildren were still gathered at the second floor railing, blinking owlishly down at Val. Val understood–any excuse to abandon their studies was a good one, and strangers showing up to the tower was particularly interesting. He was beginning to get the idea that these children were cloistered like the novitiates in New Orleans were, but didn’t have the vocabulary to confirm it.

“I guess none of you speak English,” he said aloud, on the off-chance that any of the children did. He doubted it. None of them had spoken up to help translate since Val, John, and the princes had walked through the door.

The schoolchildren talked amongst themselves for a moment.

“Redstu yidish?” one of them returned.

Val sensed that his own question was being turned back on him. He understood a few words in Yiddish that he’d gleaned from Johannes, but nothing that felt especially useful right now. He shook his head.

“Daytsh?” The same voice asked.

Val shook his head again. He was beginning to understand Cassidy’s frustration with the fact that neither he nor John could speak any of the local languages.

The schoolchildren were murmuring amongst themselves, still. Some broke off from the group at the railing and disappeared beyond the bookshelves, apparently eager to get back to their studies. Or bored with the stranger who only spoke English. Maybe both, in some cases.

Val sat on a step at the bottom of the staircase, legs splayed out in front of him. He’d seen the commotion when John had tried to ascend to the second floor with Cassidy; he had no desire to cause another stir, or make the children think he intended to challenge the floor master. Instead, he tipped his head back and stared towards the ceiling, wondering to himself exactly how many floors the princes were going to have to walk up before they were allowed to plead their case for staying here. Hopefully Cassidy was breezing through the tests. They’d seemed to know what they were doing, in any case.

The lights in the tower were dim, mostly flickering oil lamps mounted to the walls. Still, Val closed his eyes against them and, without really meaning to, fell asleep.

*

Something nudged him in the ribs. Children were tittering and laughing very close to his ears. Val groaned–he was unsurprised to find his throat dry and scratchy from snoring–and opened his eyes.

There was a girl standing across from him. Older than the other children he’d seen so far; maybe sixteen or seventeen. She was dressed in an oversized sweater and dark pants, eating an apple, and regarding Val through half-lidded eyes as a stream of younger children flowed around and past him on the steps. Val stared back at her, still not entirely awake.

“Gutn morgn,” the girl said, deadpan. Val could guess what it meant, and felt horror begin to creep over him.

“Did I sleep here all night?” he asked. Then his memory caught up to him–she probably couldn’t understand what he’d asked. “Uh. Wait–”

The girl flapped a hand at him before he could say more. “No Yiddish. I know. You’ve been asleep for an hour, maybe.”

“You speak English?” Val asked.

“Best in my class,” the girl said. Her short hair was flat on one side and sticking straight up on the other, like she’d also been asleep and hadn’t had time to fix it. “The first-years wanted me to tell you that you’re in the way. And that it’s dinnertime.”

The children stampeding around him on the stairs suddenly made sense. They had mostly filed out by now, and Val took advantage of the regained personal space to slowly rise to his feet, using the bannister for balance. He winced as something in his spine popped, stomach arms wriggling against their hidden sheathe inside his shirt as pain radiated up his lower back. Evidently, he was getting too old to fall asleep sitting up.

“I’m not hungry,” he said. He probably needed to eat something, but he wouldn’t have felt right doing it without John and the princes.

“Yes, you are,” the girl said, and threw an apple at him. Val fumbled it, still somewhat bleary, but still managed to catch it before it hit the ground.

“Okay,” he said. He knew better than to argue with a teenage girl. “Thank you. For the apple.”

She flapped her hand at him again. “I’m Alte. You are?”

“Valerie.” Val took a bite of the apple, and swallowed. It was good. “Val is fine.”

Alte mirrored Val, taking another bite of her own apple, then asked, “Where are you from?”

“New Orleans,” he said. “That’s in America. I grew up in a convent.”

Alte nodded sagely. “Goyische.”

“I know that one,” Val said. He’d heard the Madsen and Graves brothers sling the term around; the context was more obvious in hindsight. Alte raised her eyebrows at him in a silent invitation to continue, so he did. “My–someone I traveled with spoke Yiddish. With his family. He didn’t teach me any, but I picked up a few things like that.”

Another nod from Alte. She was leaning sideways against the wall and staring at him again, sizing him up.

“What happened to your neck?” she asked.

Val’s fingers flew to the bandage in spite of himself. It was peeling; he checked to make sure all the younger kids had gone before he unstuck the bandage the rest of the way to show Alte the healing bite wound. She made a face.

“Someone bit you?”

“On the boat, after we left America,” Val said. He really didn’t feel like explaining the Demeter twice in one day.

Luckily, Alte didn’t seem to care for much more explanation than that. She turned on her heel and gestured for Val to come along with her, only pausing long enough to make sure he’d actually begun to walk before she started off down one of the first floor hallways. She was fast, but Val had the advantage of much longer legs, and kept pace with her easily.

“You’ll come up with me,” she said. “To the tenth years’ floor. We have bandages, and better places to sleep than the stairs. And the first years will leave you alone.”

“I thought you had to take tests to get up and down the floors,” Val said. He still wasn’t entirely clear on that part.

Alte gave him a bemused look. “That’s why I’m sneaking you up the back staircase. You thought we only had one set of stairs?”

Val shrugged back at her. He hadn’t given much thought to the layout of the tower, but a second staircase did make sense now that she mentioned it. With this many students in one place, you’d probably need more than one way to get up and down the tower.

“But you’ll probably have to answer questions anyway,” she added. “Everyone’s still studying. They’re going to use you to practice English and philosophy.”

“I was a priest,” he said flatly. “I’m used to it.”

“Was?” Alte asked, glancing sideways at him. Now it was Val’s turn to flap a hand dismissively at her, as they turned the corner and found themselves at the foot of a stone staircase that spiraled up and out of sight onto higher floors.

“Ask me when we get to the top,” he said, then amended, “if I make it there.”

He hadn’t thought until just now about how much climbing ten floors’ worth of stairs was. It would be a miracle if he made it to five without collapsing.

Alte broke into a grin. “You’ll be fine.”

Val sighed. “Well, no reward without pain.”

“What a Catholic thing to say,” Alte replied, in what Val was beginning to understand as her usual wry manner, and started up the stairs.

Val started to protest, thought better of it, and began his ascent behind her.

23.6 || 23.8

[laxmiree]

MLQC Season 2 Chapter 24 - Lucien’s part Translation (Part 1)

⚠️  SPOILER ALERT  ⚠️

This post contains a VERY HEAVY SPOILER for the chapter that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if  there are any mistakes in the translation~

IMPORTANT!!!  to fully understand the story, prior knowledge of previous S2 chapters are needed. Before, I made a short summary that explain those chapters. I hope this can help :D

Before we start, this chapter referenced S2 chapter 20 so you might want to check them out first :D.

Also, I’m going to call 502 ‘residual intelligence’ just like the official translation hopefully i’m not remembering wrong

[Chapter 24-1]

MC received an invitation from BS to attend a meeting. When she attended the meeting, Victor wasn’t not here and instead she met with Dionysus and Poseidon. MC was arguing with Dionysus before Poseidon ‘interrupted’ them. The meeting didn’t proceed very smoothly.

After leaving BS Tower, MC drove down the road by the sea. But a hand suddenly appeared and controlled her car. Not only that, her car also accelerating slowly, as if a foot was on the accelerator. She ended up plummeting into the sea.

[Chapter 24-2]

At the bottom of the sea, MC spot a familiar stone tablet with thistles and thorns over it. She successfully entered the Lighthouse. A silver light suddenly appeared out of thin air; Joker, his lackey (a teenager named Yi), and Lucien stepped out from that silver arc and entered the same Lighthouse. MC was on stairs above them.

??: If it's just you who make a fuss, then I'll throw you into the ocean!

The innocent and cruel voice kept echoing in the lighthouse. Following the voice, the teenager came running out with a clatter, and an indifferent Joker followed him.

But the silver light didn't end there, a pair of white leather shoes stepped in with it, the hem of his coat gently raised behind him.

My eyes slowly widened as I stared intently at that figure.

Why is… Lucien here?

Why is he working together with Joker?!

Lucien glanced at the patterned wall, a layer of interest and questions appearing in his eyes.

His gaze was cast aside on the glowing stairs, and then his eyes gradually went up-

Before he raised his head, I hurriedly withdrew my peeking head.

Teenager: Even if we let you come here, it doesn't mean we trust you.

The teenager's disgruntled voice was heard, wrapped in a strong sense of hostility.

Lucien: I don't need your trust. As long as we can maintain cooperation and figure out the trade-offs, it doesn't matter if there is no trust.

Teenager: You…

I quietly peeked out again and saw the teenager reaching out to point a finger at Lucien, while Joker, who seemed not to care about any of it, was facing the wall alone and contemplating something.

Teenager: You obviously haven't done anything, and you still have the nerve to share our information!

Lucien stopped saying anything, as if he was just facing a child's rascality, and turned to look at the wall.

Teenager: You…!

Joker: Yi, you talk a bit too much.

Without averting his gaze, Joker directly stopped the teenager's next sentence.

Joker: It's convenient to be friends with smart people, and the shared information and answers make the calculations easier. Don't you think so, Professor Lucien?

Lucien lowered his eyes, not answering his question, only touching to the spot where the fluorescent light had flowed.

Lucien: The interior of the building is indeed different from what we have seen before, and what we have just seen.

Joker: Professor Lucien, what do you think?

Lucien: Each building has the same symbol, but the textures of the words are different. After the starlight appeared, all the stone slabs glowed with a flickering light, and from the theory maybe it was those unknown light trails that affected it.

Lucien: According to your previous description, after someone took you into the lighthouse, the same phenomenon as the walls lighting up at this moment occurred. Then, there is only one answer.

He looked towards Joker, who had been waiting for a long time, and arrogantly raised an icy smile.

Lucien: Someone turned it on, and that person is here now.

Lucien's words, one by one, pressed down on my heart and kept on sinking down.

Teenager: Really? Wow, it's getting fun! But it's so big here, how can we find it?!

I slowly retreated and moved towards the upper stairs.

But I knew I was heading towards a dead end, and as long as they walked up the mysteriously fluorescent stairs… they would definitely discover my presence.

But as they say, there's plenty of room here, so maybe they will overlook this staircase too.

Teenager: Hell! Then let's find a way up on this strange stair!

…What a bad luck.

[Chapter 24-3]

As the sounds footsteps keep approaching her. MC tried to find another way to hide. She remembered ‘19’, a lighthouse she met before. Trying her luck, she tried to talk to the residual intelligence inside that lighthouse.

MC: Hello, are you also the same being as 19?

I tried to keep my voice soft and pressed my fingertips against the rough wall as my last desperate attempt.

??: Yes, my baby. After analyzing the data, this era seems to use this title to address someone who is dear to their heart.

??: Baby, just call me 502. We've been waiting for you for a long time. Welcome to the lighthouse.

Just as expected!

An electronic voice with a different tone but similar sound style to the last one came from the empty lighthouse.

Compared to the strange title, I was so pleasantly surprised that I almost shed tears.

Teenager: What? What is this? A lighthouse?

The clattering footsteps got farther and farther away and returned to the lowest part of the open space, where they looked around.

I poked my head down the steps slightly, the glowing lines lighting up the stone floor and illuminating Lucien's rare expression of surprise.

Joker's pupils dilated slightly, and while he raised a smile, his eyebrows were tightly knitted together again.

It was like disbelief and surprise.

Joker: Lighthouse… are you called a lighthouse?

The only response to Joker was silence.

Lucien rested his hand against his chin, his eyes narrowing as he swept his eyes over the glowing words.

Lucien: Hello, 502.

502: …

There was no change in the lines, Lucien's face remains expressionless and didn’t look discouraged.

Lucien: We're here with the person that you' re waiting for, and I think we all should have space and room to talk together.

502: …

As soon as Lucien spoke, the lines began to move with a certain pattern.

It was the same as I remembered, but it didn't take the shape of the "figure" I had seen, as if judging or examining.

502: Baby, are they your friends?

Lucien: Of course.

Although Lucien said so, the lighthouse didn’t respond to him, just quietly waiting, probably waiting for my answer.

I looked at the figure below, pulled my head back, leaned against the wall in thought, and opened my mouth softly.

MC: The one standing at the very back, wearing white and saying hello to you is. The rest are not.

502: Okay, baby.

The people down below evidently didn't hear my reply, and Lucien cautiously swept over the rapidly surging golden light on the wall, his demeanour still calm.

Lucien: It seems you already have an answer, and hopefully it will be something we can both agree on.

502: Let's hope so, clever outsider.

As soon as the words were spoken, I felt the wall that I was leaning on and the stairs below slowly begin to vibrate, with sand and dust slowly dropping from above my head.

The whole place shook and reconstructed itself. The dust made MC closed her eyes and coughed. When she opened her eyes, she saw Lucien using his barrier to shield away all the dust.

I slowly opened my eyes, the dust in the air made me cough, so I waved my hand to lift the dust in front of me.

A transparent barrier was shielding away all the dust.

??(Lucien): …

There was a soft inhalation in my ears, I followed the sound and also froze in place.

This appears to be a reconstructed stone room, and…

Lucien that was standing right in front of me.

The moment he saw me he also seemed to be caught in a brief moment of surprise, his eyes confined to my body, but he hesitated to speak.

I tried to open my mouth to say something, but with my lips opening and closing, I ended up not knowing what to say.

The pain and grief are still fresh in my mind, and those impulsive questions and harsh words will never be dismissed by either me or Lucien as if they had never happened.

And Lucien, who is so clever, surely knows that the person talking to 502 is me.

The footsteps moved over, Lucien approached me and squatted down, his slightly cold fingertips brushed my forehead, causing me to feel a momentary twinge of pain.

I subconsciously winced, and realized that my forehead had been injured at some point.

I was confused and tried to touch it with my hand, but he held it.

Lucien: Don't touch it, it can get infected.

His voice was soft, like a falling leaf on the water, causing my heart to ripple.

It was just a simple sentence, but it made me want to cry.

Lucien: Your body is all bruised and wet. How did you get yourself into so much mess again…

A somewhat helpless sigh fell on my ears, and the raging tide that nearly drowned me just now seemed to remain inside me at the moment.

It screamed and want to burst out of my eyes.

I bit my lips hard, unable to say anything, and just shook my head gently.

I don't know what Lucien's expression is like now. He seems to just sigh and is just about to say something when the whole room is instantly lit up by a sudden surge of light.

The silhouette of shadows and sliding lines merged together, and the shadow appeared on the stone wall to my side and waved its "body" cheerfully.

502: How's that, my baby? Now that you and your friend are safe, am I much more awesome than 19?

I felt the palm holding my wrist tighten for a moment. I stole a glance to see Lucien's sharp jawline, and a slightly tense and wary expression on his face.

He looked at the wall and let out a soft, slow, and slightly sneering laugh.

Lucien: “Baby”?

Then, the pair of cold eyes turned to my face, a smiling but cold expression, and slowly let go of my hand.

Lucien: “Friend”?

[Chapter 24-5]

The air seemed to stand still.

I looked Lucien right in the eye as he gazed at me, and all kinds of words rushed to my heart.

My heart, which wanted to rely on him, to be close to him, to confide in him all my grievances and fears, kept beating.

I used all my strength but could only stand still to suppress all my impulses.

Not now.

After taking a deep breath, I tried to put away those complicated and fluctuating emotions, stroking the dust that had fallen on my face, and raised a smile.

MC: Hello, Professor Lucien.

Lucien closed his eyes slightly as he heard me, and those cold eyes blinked slowly, I don't know what he was thinking.

Lucien: I thought… we were enemies?

He looked down at me and said each word especially gently, yet with an imposing and oppressive tone.

Just before I answered, the shadow of 502 wavered and instantly stuck over.

502: Enemy?

Not good.

The electrical current beeped without any warmth, as if it was the only verdict after hitting the enter key.

I instantly took a step forward and, regardless of my completely soaked clothes, grabbed Lucien's arm very "affectionately" and pinched him on the inside of his arm.

MC: He's joking. 502, you won't get it. But friends like to joke with each other! Haha!

My face was full of smiles as I looked at the shadow that was close by, my heart hovered.

Although 19 did not show any malice towards me, and 502 just saved me and solved the crisis for me.

They are still something left behind by a mysterious civilization, perhaps also related to the starlight that brings radiation from the sky, and I can't let my guard down.

More importantly, I don't want anything to happen to Lucien while he's here either.

MC: Lucien, I don't think you need to say more.

I tugged on Lucien's arm and pulled it down, standing on my tiptoes to reach his ear.

MC: None of us knows what will happen here, and although that 502 is very kind to me, it is still unknown.

MC: It's safer for us to be friends here, Professor Lucien is clever, so he should understand this.

Lucien just turned sideways, his eyes lifted from my clenched fingers to my face, and his Adam's apple sliding a little.

Lucien: It seems that it doesn't quite understand human jokes.

Lucien raised the corners of his mouth, did not break my "restraint" and looked at the wriggling line.

MC: Y-Yes!

502: It is great if it's just a misunderstanding!

It seemed happy; the surging golden light looked like flower petals flying in the sun. The twisted lines circled the stone wall several times and finally made their way to my side.

502: But baby, I thought you'd pay us a visit as soon as you got away from 19! I've been waiting for you for a long time!

MC: …because a lot has happened.

I was a little overwhelmed by the somewhat enthusiastic residual intelligence in front of me, and Lucien stood by without saying anything, seemingly still surmising all this.

MC: You don’t have to call me ‘baby’…

502: But my data tells me that this is what you guys are saying to express affection, I don't want you to be afraid!

Lucien: If we want to express affection, we usually use 'comrade'.

Lucien's voice softly rang yet it was like a sharp blade pinning the lines that kept on surging.

Lucien: The term 'baby' tends to sound harsh and insulting to the ear.

502: Is that so?!

Lucien: Yes, it appears that your machine is a bit old and seems to be providing you with the wrong data.

I quietly looked over at Lucien, his face was full of sincerity and his voice sounded honest and kind.

Seeing his serious look, I almost laughed at the rare sight, but looked at the lines that were flustered and warped because of Lucien’s ‘correction’ I decided that it was better to keep quiet.

Finally, the shadow stood in front of me again.

502: Your friend is so great. I'm really sorry about what just happened, comrade.

MC: …

I felt a soft chuckle coming from overhead, hiding a few hints of smugness and triumph.

It's just such a small moment, but it made me a bit dazed.

MC: It's okay, uh… comrade 502.

502: How kind of you to accept my apology!

It seemed to be about to say something, but there was a rumbling sound nearby, as if it was hitting the stone wall with some force.

502: Let's go, I'll take you somewhere else first.

Hearing 502 say so, I thought of the scene 19 took me to see before, thought for a moment and followed.

Unexpectedly, the person whose arm I was holding stood still, making me stop in my tracks as well.

Lucien's gaze lifted from my soaked shoes, passing over scuffed pants, bruises on my arms, tight-fitting clothes, and finally landing on the cut on my forehead.

Lucien: This path is not the only option. You can choose to leave, and I can help you.

I froze for a moment, his gaze looked a little complicated, and yet there was a rare frankness.

The damp clothing made me uncomfortable, and the pain that I had ignored earlier because of the nervousness slowly came through.

Lucien turned his arm over, with his palm up.

I examined his palm, I wonder when the coldness from the first time I saw it was dispersed, and now was covered with a faint warmth.

In a flash, some distant scenes came to mind.

I didn't shake it, I just spread both of my hands.

MC: Lucien, the left hand is for you to stay and be friends with me, and the right hand is for you to get out of here first.

MC: Which one do you choose?

His eyes widened slightly and turned narrow.

He reached forward with his palm and took my left hand in his.

[Chapter 24-6]

The swaying shadows walk down the narrow passageway, and the entire corridor seems crowded because of the reconstruction of the structure.

The grains of dust that occasionally fall down are a constant reminder of the somewhat crumbling building.

Lucien: I thought you would recognize it.

His voice was soft, and his close breath puffed lightly on my ear.

MC: I've only been in one other lighthouse, with a different number and character, so I can't make a generalization.

Lucien: A careful choice.

Lucien glanced at the shifting shadows walking in front of him, curiosity gradually diffused his eyes, and he seemed to even breathe a little lighter.

He seemed to want to ask something, but his slightly opened lips ended up pursed together, as if stifled by something.

Somehow, it was as if I could guess what he wanted to ask.

MC: If it's anything like the lighthouse I've been in before, it's actually a residual intelligence.

Lucien's slightly astonished pupils were more surprised by the fact that I had opened my mouth than by what I had said.

MC: Although I don't quite understand this residual intelligence, it should be like some kind of data? The last lighthouse was numbered 19, and it said it came from a previous civilization, before our world came.

Lucien: Residual intelligence, lighthouse, last civilization. No matter which term, that sounds like a lot of information.

MC: …Indeed. 19 says that they are not the first and will not be the last civilization to disappear in this world. Lucien, do you know what this means?

Lucien: I wish there was a deeper meaning to that statement. If it only had a surface meaning, it might have erased all judgment in the moment.

His face became a little serious, as if covered with a thick layer of night.

I remembered the world where the dawn was always absent when the comets came, and my heart seemed to be slowly tightened.

The world is constantly experiencing trials and tribulations, like a cruel and malicious curse, as if only endless darkness is the only end and answer.

Lucien: So, you came here like this, after all the difficulties, in pursuit of answers?

Lucien's words interrupted my thoughts and I could hear the implication in his tone, but if I told him I was almost killed and fell into the ocean…

I feel that it will destroy the rare and stable atmosphere of the moment.

MC: … Because of some reason, I guess.

Lucien: …Some reason?

MC: Well, …for some reasons.

My gaze shifted to the side, but I knew Lucien's eyes had been resting on my back.

I just turned my head to the side and walked forward without looking at him.

I don't know how long we followed 502, the path twisted and turned, and finally after stepping over a rocky staircase, the whole view opened up.

This appears to be a larger space with flatter walls and floor.

502: Welcome, two comrades, to our cockpit!

MC: Cockpit…?

In that cheerful tone, I looked around the walls, but did not feel anything related to the "cockpit".

Did it also turn into ashes under the erosion of time, like what 19 showed us before?

502 seemed to catch surprise, the shadow raised a line from the left side, like an arm to display something

With the raised arm, all the lines in the entire stone wall lit up, and the lines of light converged as they did on that real stage.

Numerous lights scanning the air from top to bottom, faintly revealing the metallic and technological walls.

The intricate console, the bright blue-white screen floating in the air, resembles a futuristic cockpit.

Lucien: Is this… a projection?

Lucien's fingertips touched the walls, delicately caressing the lines of the constructions.

MC: Is it not real? When I first saw it, I thought for a split second that it was all real.

I came to his side and followed to touch it, once again amazed at this precise and amazing performance.

Lucien narrowed his eyes and stood up to look at the shadow.

Lucien: It doesn't seem to be a technology that would be available in this era.

502: Is that so? It seems like we're way more developed than you guys. How can people in this era not be able to do such things?

It looked a little smug, but somehow, I felt a certain anxiety and disbelief.

MC: 502, when I met 19, it told me a lot… about your civilization.

502: I know, we have a shared terminal.

It stands in the center of the entire cockpit, like an officer ready to take off with the ship.

It was just a line completely devoid of any emotion, and somehow, I felt as if it was looking through the simulated cockpit glass, into the distant sky.

Lucien: Could this be your Noah's Ark?

502: Well… how can I put it? To be precise, it should just be our fantasy.

It hooked up its lines, like two hands folded together, and somehow, I always felt it was more like a human than 19.

502: Before we disappear, we confirm the possibility that there were once numerous civilizations that also existed. The world can never completely eliminate everything, and it doesn't seem to want to hide everything so badly. Sometimes it's more like it's deliberately telling us that something is out there. It seems like…

Its lines poked through and came up against us, obviously only a shadow, yet it was full of oppressiveness.

502: It’s leaving beacons of light just for you.

MC: But 19 says that the lighthouses are just traces of the struggle you are trying to leave behind...

502: That's why I said that grandfather was stupid.

He slowly wiggled the lines as if a man was tsking his tongue and wiggling his fingertips.

502: This is what the world has chosen to leave behind, and even if tens of thousands or hundreds of millions of years pass, I still believe so strongly.

Lucien's gaze flashed a subtle light and he took a step forward, almost passing through the shadow.

Lucien: Were you… once a 'human' as well?

[Chapter 24-8]

I looked over at Lucien in shock as he stretched his hands and gently asked a question that was extremely difficult to understand.

MC: Lucien, is it supposed to be a residual intelligent-?

Lucien: Perhaps, sufficiently advanced and developed technology could enable such sophisticated intelligent analysis, but I don't think it would be enough to cross the destruction and birth of a civilization.

Lucien: 502, you and 19 exist in this world now as data. But is this true in your world as well?

Rather than asking a question, Lucien simply put his thought process into words, frowning lightly.

502 was somewhat silent and surprisingly laughed at the end. The shadow crossed Lucien and fled to my back, with some kind of line reached out and touched my shoulder.

502: As expected of your friend, it's impressive!

I didn't feel any malice from that light electronic sound, more like pride and complacency.

502: That's right, we were all human before we became lighthouses!

Lucien: Has your brain science developed so powerfully?

502: Hmph, that's for sure, although it has absolutely nothing to do with me!

Lucien: Did you directly use brain waves... no, should the entire brain be used in this technology?

Lucien was answered by the various obscure icons and data that lit up on the screens throughout the cockpit.

The unknown characters kept pulsating, and they probably crossed countless failed checks and retakes, before finally converging into the shape of a brain in a tiny machine.

I froze in place, my brain was a little sluggish for a moment, a certain harsh and painful speculation hanging over my mouth, but I could not bear to say it.

Lucien: You guys turned your brains into this machine directly before you died, didn't you? This lighthouse kept your brains and consciousness behind, allowing you to 'live' until now.

502: The right answer! How about that, we're awesome, right! Although our civilization annihilated and disappeared from this world, we're pretty impressive! More powerful than you guys!

I subconsciously inhaled lightly, these people who left their consciousness… were always locked up in one of these hidden lighthouses.

Always resting here since tens of thousands of years ago in the past.

MC: Then, 19 is also…

502: That dead-brained old grandpa was cute, wasn't he! I can still remember how he used to listen to songs while strolling through the corridors of the institute every day.

It sounded a little nostalgic, it was a memory that belonged to it, not to this mission, and made my heart tremble lightly.

MC: So, you too…

502: Me? Hello, dear comrade~ I am the youngest genius researcher of the Lighthouse Project Team, I’m only 21 years old!

It smugly shook its head, proud and boastful, as if it were glowing.

I felt like my whole body was nailed to the ground, shocked and bewildered, not knowing what to use to be able to express my feelings and… sadness.

This 21-year-old, no, not just this teenager, but the old man, and all those other people in the lighthouse that I have yet to reach.

How do they spend these long, dark nights?

And how they endure these endless silences, quietly waiting for answers that may never come.

What are they in it for?

Blinking blankly, I passed over the shadow of 502 and I saw Lucien standing there, a light shining in his eyes.

In an instant, I knew the answer.

In that world, there is no calculation, no matter the price, no fear of sacrifice.

Lucien: 502, it's nice to meet you.

Lucien didn't say anything, just slightly bowed his head.

502: I'm also very happy to meet you guys, especially you.

MC: Why me?

502: Because you are special, and we have been waiting for you. This lighthouse project was born for you.

I frowned, in confusion and disbelief.

MC: I don't understand…

I don't know why I was able to open the stone slab to get here, why these people across time would choose me.

Is it because I am the QUEEN of the past? Or am I the only one who has come back in this world with memories and time?

A voice just broke in before 502's answer.

??: Because you are CORE

[Chapter 24-9]

The silver light is like a sneaky signal, and from the first time it was introduced into the hunter's game, all that accompanied it was danger.

The teenager stepped forward first, and Joker's face peeked through the other side of the light curtain as he gazed at 502's shadow with a deadly stare.

Immediately afterwards, he moved his eyes away in fascination, absorbed in the cockpit projected on the stone wall.

The projection light fell in his eyes, constantly flowing and shimmering.

Looking at this kind of Joker, I couldn't help but take a few steps back.

This man was so dangerous and bizarre that I had no idea what he was up to or what he would do next.

And Lucien… my eyes peeked over the white figure, he appeared with Joker, will he help me? Or will he…

I don't want to think about it anymore, it would only complicate everything.

Whether Lucien will help me or not, I have to figure it out on my own first, I can't just rely on him-

I had to walk up to him on my own and prove myself strong enough to be his strength.

MC: What are you talking about? CORE? I think you got the wrong person.

Lucien proved experimentally that I had nothing to do with CORE, that was the answer he gave me and that was what he wanted me to believe in NW.

Based on this answer, it must be some factor unknown to Joker that influences the opening of the lighthouse.

Whether this answer is true or not is a question that Lucien and I will have to work out later.

And in the presence of Joker, I was not going to show any little doubt about what Lucien had proved, and perhaps this doubt would have some fatal consequences in the future.

I stood up straight and watched as Joker's eyes moved reluctantly to my face.

Joker: The opening of the lighthouse requires the use of a large amount of Evol energy fluctuations, and you are no longer carrying Evol.

Joker: …How do you think you got in? If I’m thinking correctly, you and we came in with a completely different entrance.

I froze for a moment, wondering how Joker knew about my loss of Evol.

Apparently, this matter surprised Lucien a bit as well, and I felt a slightly deeper glance rest on me.

Joker: The lighthouse only responds to you.

Lucien: But that doesn't mean she is CORE.

The strong words interjected, clear and calm, but wrapped in an imposing manner that could not be refuted.

Lucien: This girl is not a CORE, that is the conclusion of the experiment.

Lucien withdrew his gaze and took two steps forward, subtly positioned himself in front of me.

Joker: That doesn't matter, to me CORE is just one of the keys. As long as she can open the lighthouse, she's special.

502: CORE? I know what it is, so that's what you call it now!

Lucien: Now is not the time for you to talk.

Lucien’s eyes did not move, and the cold fluorescent light made the entire person cold and sharp.

Joker: Professor Lucien, I thought the duration of our cooperation could have been longer.

Joker: I don't understand why you're standing across from me when we haven't gotten any of the answers we wanted.

Joker: Isn't that the case?

I looked at the half-covered side of Lucien's face, and without blinking an eye, a slow, disdainful smile rose on his face.

Joker: Professor Lucien, don't you want to see the truth of the world as it opens up to us?

I froze for a moment, not expecting Joker to ask this question.

Lucien: I don't need it to be opened to me.

Lucien raised his face ever so slightly, looking arrogant and ruthless.

It was an extremely powerful and stubborn force, like a raging wave in a thunderstorm, rolled in his indifferent eyes.

Lucien: I will find it.

Those eyes stunned me in place, making me hold my breath for a moment.

In this moment I felt so weak and it had nothing to do with strength.

Rather, it is my heart, which is so weak.

It is always hesitating, constantly wandering, incessantly only saying beautiful words, and continuously sailing on the sea without direction.

Always know where the final destination is, but can't even find the route.

I took a step forward and stood next to Lucien, staring at Joker.

He didn't know what I was going to do, but he probably didn't care.

MC: Stop moving forward, Joker.

Teenager: Who are you ordering around!

I ignored the teenager and just looked at Joker with a deadly grasp on my hand.

What makes a powerful person? And how does a person become powerful, powerful enough to protect themselves and the people they want to protect?

MC: Lucien, do you need to continue your cooperation with Joker?

Lucien's gaze was cast with a slightly deeper interest in his eyes.

Lucien: What if I say I need it?

MC: Then I can surrender for now, after all, there is no way for me to deal with you two, and I can think of other ways later.

As I replied, the corners of Lucien's mouth slowly rose.

A silver line suddenly lit up beneath my feet, just moments before I nearly fell, a transparent barrier stood between me and the silver light surface –

(T/N: !!Lucien copied Yi’s transportation evol, you can read more about it on this R&S )

I stood in the middle of the barrier and saw Lucien's answer.

Lucien: Unfortunately, this cooperation may require some consideration.

MC: Then, please help me out for a while.

Lucien stepped away and stood behind me, a clenched fist extended on each side of my body.

Lucien: The left side is to leave; the right side is to struggle. No matter what you choose, no one will blame you.

I looked at his hands and grabbed his right hand.

I don't want to run away yet, I want to struggle a little more.

Ice crystals fell on my palm and they condensed together into a tiny gun, glowing with a faint coldness –

Almost identical to the tranquilizer pistol I commonly use.

I raised that gun and pointed it at Joker, feeling a surge of courage raging through my entire body.

Joker: Do you think that will work?

Lucien: She probably has a friend as well.

Countless ice crystals gathered in Lucien's palm; the frost covered the entire perimeter of the wall in an instant.

The icicles hanging in the air emitted a scintillating cold light, refracted in the eyes of their owners, which could not hide their coldness and wrath.

Teenager: You…

Before he could speak, with a lift of Lucien's fingertips, a hard block of ice chained the teenager instantly to the side of the ice wall.

The moment the silver light appeared, another side of the more rigid and massive ice plate has waited for the silver light to shine again.

At the same time, the previously hanging icicles has been placed in front of Joker, bursting with an aggressive force.

Joker didn't frown, he didn't even look at the teenager, but simply raised his hand and with a wave, those icicles in front of him dissipated like smoke.

Joker: Useless…

In the next second, a sharp and tiny ice blade cut through the side of Joker's face, leaving a small blood mark on the always unperturbed face.

I held up the ice gun, my palms were already numb from the cold, but my heart surged with a feeling I had never felt before.

MC: Your opponent is not just one person.

[Chapter 24-11]

Joker's hand slowly rubbed his face for a moment, his overall expression unperturbed, but there was some puzzlement.

However, the raging icicles were not going to give him any chance to catch his breath and kept coming at him.

Lucien is aware that these icicles can't really hurt Joker, so his attacks are geared more towards blocking his path of movement.

No one refused to give up, as if it would never end.

I knew I needed a gap at this point, a gap that would be big enough to grab Joker's attention.

I ran, raised my ice gun, and shot at Joker.

MC: Joker! There were many civilizations before this one!

Joker: …!

He froze, his gaze turned to me, and there seemed to be countless questions in his eyes, but the next instant a thin icicle went through his shoulder.

Joker still didn't frown, raising his hand to resist the ice picks that kept stabbing over.

Finally, he became a little impatient, and with a single swing of his figure, he instantly appeared in front of Lucien.

The ice barrier that appeared in a flash was broken by Joker's slap, and the shattered ice shards cut across Lucien's face.

MC: I have also seen a backwards world!

That moment of pause was enough for Lucien.

A huge ice hammer swung from the side and sent Joker's figure flying into the wall.

(T/N: istg he could make any kind of weapons from his ice evol)

Teenager: Joker!!

In response he was hit by a silver metal instrument, and suddenly Lucien appeared in front of him and snapped it around his neck.

Lucien: Much like the collars in your hunter games, right?

Teenager: You…!

His body was encased in ice against the wall, clenching his fists but seemingly unable to exert any strength.

Teenager: Why can't I use Evol…

Lucien: You mean this ability?

Lucien waved his fingertips and a familiar silver arc appeared behind the teenager.

In the midst of the teenager's frightened and frantic gaze, Lucien's fingers gently pressed against him, pushing him into the darkness.

With the sound of crisp ice crystals hitting the ground, Joker got up from the shattered ice with a bloodstained body, he glanced over the location where the teenager had just disappeared and looked indifferent.

Joker: Professor Lucien, you took my tools while they were in my hand.

Lucien: You are indeed an excellent explorer. Unfortunately, you see too little in your eyes that you are able to be influenced by her.

Joker did not speak, he trembled and took a step forward, silver light appeared under his feet.

He just glanced at it and then turned his head to look up at Lucien.

Joker: Professor Lucien, this is not the end by any means.

Joker's body slowly disappears in the light, his eyes are not even half disappointed, faintly turned his head, looked at me, and then looked at the simulated cockpit display.

Joker: Who are you really?

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

Long after Joker's figure disappeared, neither Lucien nor I moved.

The frost slowly faded throughout the entire room and I slowly slid to sit on the floor.

My fingers seemed to be tensely locked into the posture of holding the ice gun because of the extra force.

I made a little effort to lift my fingers, and breathed heavily into the air because of the momentary relaxation.

Suddenly, a pair of equally cold fingers covered it, he gently spread my fingers and held onto my hand little by little.

The faint warmth passed between these two hands to each other, as if it was the only warmth among the entire frost.

Lucien: MC, when did your Evol disappear?

Lucien softly asks, we solved Joker, but there are too many things that are still unresolved.

A problem that belongs to only the two of us.

MC: Is it okay for you to have a conflict with Joker like this?

I kept my head down and didn't answer his question, just looked at our clasped palms.

Lucien: What brought you to this lighthouse?

MC: Joker said I was CORE, is he telling the truth?

It was as if we were having a conversation, yet it was as if we weren't.

The secrets are like a thin barrier, which makes people different and distant.

Lucien: From the beginning to the end, I don't want to make decisions for you.

Lucien: The choice is always yours, no matter when.

As though there was a silent soft sigh, those cold fingers slowly lifted, only to be held by my hand in the opposite direction.

MC: Lucien, are you afraid?

I looked up, and Lucien narrowed his eyes just slightly when he heard it.

Lucien: What am I afraid of?

MC: Afraid of losing your control over something, like…

MC: …yourself.

Under my palm, those cold fingers trembled slightly and imperceptibly.

MC: I came to this lighthouse by accident, as you can see, in a sort of messy way.

MC: Lucien, I can answer all the questions you want to know. Because you are Lucien, I can tell you anything.

MC: But will you be as honest with me?

I thought I would have a hard time saying these words, but unexpectedly, it was easier than I thought.

I was used to him reaching out to me and took it for granted that he had to be as unreserved as I was.

But I had vaguely overlooked the fact that in this restarting world, our relationship was also being re-established.

Perhaps I was too eager and greedy.

MC: I am greedy, because I want you to trust me in exactly the same way that I trust you.

MC: I have a 'Lucien' in my heart who will talk to me about anything, whether I will be helpful to his plans or not.

MC: Whether… I'm involved in every piece of what he has to deal with or not.

Lucien's expression tightened a bit, he just pursed his lips and eventually said nothing, his Adam’s apple slid a little.

MC: So, I feel sad when you aren't like that.

MC: Maybe I should be apologizing to you, because I was just framing you the way I wanted to be framed. But it hurts too much for me.

I grabbed those hands as if I had some kind of courage.

Running away will not solve the problem. If I want to walk towards him, I have to express my heart in its entirety.

MC: If, at the time, you had been willing to tell me why, I wouldn't have hurt so much. But you didn't.

Lucien: Because I didn't think that you were strong enough to protect yourself.

Lucien finally opened his mouth slowly, as if it were an order, and spat out those few words.

Lucien: You're right. To some extent, I didn't trust you enough. At least under that circumstance, I don't think you could have made the absolutely right move if I had been honest and told you the original story.

Lucien: It was a way to both protect yourself and not compromise my plans.

MC: …

Although I could probably have guessed that answer, it still sounded a little hard to listen at this moment.

(T/N: The POV switched to Lucien’s until the end of this part)

Lucien: Because you would suddenly appear in my mind, in all the inexplicable images.

MC: …?

Lucien: Because from the second time you appeared in front of me, you’ve said something different from the ordinary people.

Lucien: Because of the backwards world in your dreams.

Lucien: Because you always manage to act and behave in ways that are beyond my expectations.

Yet I take them all for granted.

Because my heart always aches when I meet you.

Because all my will is breaking out of my control, screaming for me to come closer to you, to walk beside you.

This girl has unspeakable secrets and is carrying a huge pressure that she is not familiar with.

Her death opened the door, which had never been opened, for a moment.

She's too dangerous.

So, he couldn't trust her, even if it was sort of a betrayal of some instinct.

MC: That’s it huh…

He heard the girl softly sigh in such a way, trying hard to hide her sadness, but soon, she raised a stronger smile.

MC: I'm happy to hear your sincere words. Lucien, when you doubted someone before, would you tell them so directly?

He froze for a moment, not knowing what to answer for a second.

MC: Thank you, Lucien. I know what to do next.

Lucien: What are you going to do?

He saw the girl slowly stand up, but still holding his hand.

MC: It's okay, just go ahead and doubt me.

MC: Lucien, as your 'enemy', let me secretly whisper a secret to you.

MC: I know many, many secrets about the world that you don’t know.

The simulated screen of the cockpit that reflected the sea draped behind the girl, the faint light falling in fragments behind her, as if illuminating everything together.

MC: If you don't want to be surpassed by me and find the answer faster, then come to me.

MC: I give you this right as a reason for you to seek me out.

Inconceivably, he seemed to see a thin thread, firmly tied around their wrists.

It's called involvement.

Not letting him to hide, and let them have countless encounters in the future.

Next part-> [Here]

[wool-f]

Experimenting and failing my way to success

Hello beautiful people who come back here to read what I write about every week!! Thank you so much for being here and reading my little or big musings, I appreciate you all. 

This week, I have been thinking a lot about all things “success” and what that means in this day and age. I have written before about understanding that putting unnecessary pressure on ourselves to succeed at any given thing by a specific time or age is unhealthy and often unrealistic when we look at when and how those structures were first established, and I think success or perceived success is no different. So as I continue this journey of self discovery called life, I remain committed to trying anything and everything along the way to test out what works for me and what doesn’t work for me.

As some of you may or may not know, I work for News Corp, one of the biggest and wide spread media companies in the world. At this stage I am just a small reporter covering a patch in south east Melbourne, if you would like to read my professional work on that front you can do that here. However, like many journalists, my long term plan is to move beyond this level of reporting and into another field entirely. 

Recently, News Corp offered up the opportunity to take part in a program they are calling the “Digital News Academy”. It’s the first program of its kind worldwide, and basically teaches journalists how to exist on social media without becoming redundant among social journalists.

I applied and was accepted into the first round of the program, which started last week. We are learning from key stakeholders in the journalism and social media industry about how to convert and translate our skills across all our platforms. As a young and new journalist this is something that really excites and motivates me. 

At this stage, you might be wondering how does this relate to the topic of success and trying different things? Well, the first lesson of our course was led by an expert story teller, who said that in order to be successful at anything, you have to be willing to try different things and to fail at them. 

This might seem like obvious advice for anyone, and honestly, it wasn’t the first time I had heard someone say something like this. It was however, the first time it resonated in a way that I could see. I could see this young guy, who had tried a whole heap of different things, failed and failed and failed again, but every time failed upwards - and this is what got him to the position he is in now. 

I have decided that throughout this journey with my company, I am going to take everything that I learn within the course, and apply it to my social media platforms. I have begun a Canva document to track the progress I am making and the actions I am taking throughout this time, because I know it will be useful for me to see where things are working and where things might have to be tweaked, or even just saved for later. 

I am considering releasing it as an E-Book at the end of the course, and therefore at the end of the period of my social media experiment, so that other people can see how I grew my social platforms and brand over a nine month period. 

I will literally be trying everything and anything during this process, without fear or hesitation, so if you want to follow along the journey I am on to success through failure, please follow my other platforms, which you can find here. 

I’ve said a few times that I will update this blog with my progress on certain fronts, and have not yet followed through. This project, however, is something I am financially and professionally committed to in a different way, so the updates will be regular, and hopefully, insightful for anyone trying to grow as a writer, a journalist, a content creator/influencer, or just using social media for fun. 

Leave me a comment if you would like me to do or try something specific with my socials and I’ll definitely give it a go and let you know how the process and growth success is! 

Love you all, I will speak to you in the next post :)

Gxx